Wandson Braamcamp de Souza Pinheiro

This study characterized the physicochemical properties of cocoa butter (CB) extracted from cocoa beans of the Criollo Nativo (Peru), Criollo (Mexico), and Forastero (Brazil) varieties subjected to spontaneous fermentation under traditional local conditions in each country. Cocoa samples were collected at 24-h intervals, and CB was extracted to evaluate its lipid composition through fatty acid profiling and spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR and NMR). Also, the thermal and structural properties via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), including melting and crystallization profiles, crystallization kinetics, and polymorphism, were determined. The results revealed that stearic, oleic, and palmitic acids were predominant in all varieties, while trace levels of myristic and pentadecanoic acids contributed to molecular packing. FT-IR identified bands associated with glycerol chain formation in TAGs, which were confirmed by NMR through chemical shifts linked to the distribution of POS, SOS, and POP species. CB exhibited melting temperatures between 19.6 and 20.5 °C, favoring polymorphic transitions toward more stable forms. Form I (γ) predominated during early fermentation, while Forms II (α) and III (β′₂) were subsequently identified, particularly in Criollo varieties. These findings demonstrate that fermentation time significantly influences the chemical composition, oxidative stability, and crystalline structure of CB, providing valuable insights for optimizing cocoa processing and the development of high-quality chocolate products.

O óleo de açaí (Euterpe oleracea) é um bioproduto valioso nativo da região amazônica, amplamente empregado nos setores alimentício, farmacêutico e cosmético devido as suas propriedades antioxidantes, anti-inflamatória, e antienvelhecimento, desempenhando um papel essencial na bioeconomia e na utilização sustentável de recursos biológicos. Este estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar o óleo de açaí e desenvolver emulsões a partir dele, visando analisar sua estabilidade preliminar. A caracterização do óleo foi realizada através do índice de acidez, saponificação, iodo, espectroscopia por ressonância magnética nuclear, perfil de ácidos graxos por cromatografia gasosa, densidade relativa, pH e propriedades organolépticas. A partir deste, foram obtidas duas emulsões, F1 e F2, sendo avaliados em 6 ciclos de estresse térmico, cada ciclo composto de 24 horas em 45 ± 2 ºC e 24 horas em 5 ± 2 ºC, a amostra controle foi mantida em 25 ± 2 ºC, ao final dos ciclos foram avaliados as propriedades organolépticas, pH e densidade. O óleo de açaí obteve valores de IA (1,48mg NAOH/g), iodo (65,58 gl2), saponificação (199,54 mg) e densidade (0,914 g/mL), o RMN e o CG evidenciou a presença dos ácidos oleico, linoleico, palmitoleico e palmítico como prioritários. Durante o teste de estabilidade preliminar não houveram alterações em relação ao pH (p= 0,8281 e 0,7497) e densidade (p= 0,7177 e 0,5166), para F1 e F2, respectivamente. Entretanto, F2 apresentou separação de fases durante o ciclo de estresse térmico. Portanto, a formulação F1, apresentou características promissoras para serem aplicadas na cosmetologia, sendo necessário próximos testes de estabilidade preconizados.

The processing of Carapa guianensis seeds to obtain oil on an industrial scale generates a significant amount of residue, approximately 66% m/m, defined as andiroba agro-industrial residue, a potential source of biomolecules. The chemical profile of the extracts from this matrix and the fingerprinting by High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC), as well as the spectroscopic analysis of the NMR data ( ¹ H, ¹³ C) and comparison with data obtained in the literature, allowed the identification of two new triterpene saponins in the Carapa genus (oleanolic acid 3-O-[α-L-ramnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl] and hederagenin 3-O-[α-L-ramnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl] (Pulsatilla A)), along with three limonoids reported in the species. In this way, the research showed that even after obtaining andiroba oil, the agro-industrial residue generated still has a wealth of phytochemicals, biomass that can be used as an alternative in the search for bioproducts.

Brazil nut oil is highly valued in the food, cosmetic, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as other sectors of the economy. This work aims to use the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) technique associated with partial least squares regression (PLSR) and principal component analysis (PCA) to demonstrate that these methods can be used in a prior and rapid analysis in quality control. Natural oils were extracted and stored for chemical analysis. PCA presented two groups regarding the state of degradation, subdivided into super-degraded and partially degraded groups in 99.88% of the explained variance. The applied PLS reported an acidity index (AI) prediction model with root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) = 1.8564, root mean square error of cross-validation (REMSECV) = 4.2641, root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) = 2.1491, R²_cal (calibration correlation coefficient) equal to 0.9679, R²_val (validation correlation coefficient) equal to 0.8474, and R²_pred (prediction correlation coefficient) equal to 0, 8468. The peroxide index (PI) prediction model showed RMSEC = 0.0005, REMSECV = 0.0016, RMSEP = 0.00079, calibration R² equal to 0.9670, cross-validation R² equal to 0.7149, and R² of prediction equal to 0.9099. The physical–chemical analyses identified that five samples fit in the food sector and the others fit in other sectors of the economy. In this way, the preliminary monitoring of the state of degradation was reported, and the prediction models of the peroxide and acidity indexes in Brazil nut oil for quality control were determined.

Endophytic fungi are those that present part of their life cycle in healthy tissues of different plant hosts in symbiosis without causing harm. At the same time, fungus-plant symbiosis makes it possible for microorganisms to synthesize their own bioactive secondary metabolites while in the stationary stage. To accomplish this, the endophytic fungus Trichoderma asperellum was isolated from Bertholletia excelsa (Brazil nut) almonds. The fungus was cultivated and extracted with ethyl acetate, obtaining AM07Ac. Then, using HPTLC (High-performance thin-layer chromatography) and nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), β-amyrin, kaempferol, and brucine were identified as major compounds. Further in vivo assays in zebrafish demonstrated the activity of AM07Ac on melanogenesis by producing a concentration–response inhibitory effect, which, through an in silico study, proved to be related to the noted major compounds known to inhibit tyrosinase activity. The inhibition of tyrosinase prevents melanin accumulation in skin. Therefore, these results imply the importance of investigating microorganisms and their pharmacological activities, in particular the endophytic fungus Trichoderma asperellum as a generator of active metabolites for melanogenesis modulation.

Endophytic fungi are those that present part of their life cycle in healthy tissues of different plant hosts in symbiosis without causing harm. At the same time, fungus-plant symbiosis makes it possible for microorganisms to synthesize their own bioactive secondary metabolites while in stationary stage. Such microorganism-derived secondary metabolites contribute. Therefore, this work aimed to. To accomplish this, the endophytic fungus Trichoderma asperellum was isolated from Bertholletia excelsa (Brazil nut) almonds. The fungus was cultivated and extracted with ethyl acetate, obtaining AM07Ac. Then, using HPTLC (High-performance thin-layer chromatography) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR), β-amyrin, kaempferol, and brucine were identified as major compounds. Further in vivo assays in Zebrafish demonstrated the activity of AM07Ac on melanogenesis by producing a concentration-response inhibitory effect, which, through an in silico study, proved to be related to the noted major compounds known to inhibit tyrosinase activity. The inhibition of tyrosinase prevents melanin accumulation in skin. Therefore, these results imply the importance of investigating microorganisms and their pharmacological activities, in particular the endophytic fungus Trichoderma asperellum as a generator of active metabolites for melanogenesis modulation.

Peperomia pellucida is a species known in the Amazon as “erva-de-jabuti” that has been used in several therapeutic applications based on folk medicine. Herein, we describe the classes, subclasses, and the main compounds of the leaves, stems, and roots from P. pellucida by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry associated with molecular networks, mirror plot on the GNPS library, and machine learning. These data show compounds that were annotated for the first time in the Peperomia genus, such as 2′,4′,5′-trihydroxybutyrophenonevelutin, dehydroretrofractamide C, and retrofractamide B.