Taíse Toniazzo

Sports supplements composed of carbohydrate and protein are widely used by endurance athletes and recreational practitioners, mostly aimed at improving performance. This study investigated the effect of a novel carbohydrate + protein honey powder (HP) product on endurance cycling performance and physiological and perceptual responses using a double-blind, crossover, counterbalanced, placebo-controlled (PLA) design. Twelve male cyclists exercised for 100 min (i.e., 5 min at 1 W/kg of body mass, followed by three sets of 10-min stages at 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 W/kg, followed by 5 min at 1 W/kg), followed by a 20-min self-paced time trial (20-min TT). Blood glucose, lactate, pH, bicarbonate, heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion, and side effects were analyzed throughout the 100-min cycling protocol and the 20-min TT. The 20-min TT performance was similar between HP and PLA (total work done: 294 ± 40 vs. 292 ± 44 kJ, p = .72; mean power output: 245 ± 33 vs. 243 ± 37 W, p = .61), as was blood glucose, lactate, pH, and ratings of perceived exertion either during the 100 or 20-min TT protocols (all p > .05). Blood bicarbonate was lower in HP compared with PLA throughout the 100-min protocol ( p = .01), and heart rate was higher in HP compared with PLA during the 20-min TT ( p = .01). Finally, HP supplementation did not elicit greater side effects compared with PLA, either during the 100 or the 20-min TT protocols (all p > .05). This novel HP supplement did not improve endurance performance in this study, though future research with higher doses is encouraged.

Pectin is a versatile polysaccharide produced mainly from natural food sources and agro-industrial wastes, adding value to these by-products. For food applications, it is necessary that pectin first interacts with water for technical purposes. As a food additive, pectin acts as a solution thickener and gelling agent for food formulation, even in concentrations of less than 1 (g/100 mL or g/100 g), and it is sufficient to influence food products’ stability, rheology, texture, and sensory properties. Therefore, this review paper attempts to discuss the versability of pectin use, focusing on food application. It starts by showing the chemical structure, the sources’ potential, thickening, and gelling mechanisms and concludes by showing the main applications to the food sector and its rheological properties.

Honey is an excellent alternative to be used in different applications by the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. However, the use of honey in its liquid form can present several disadvantages due to its high viscosity and density. In addition, honey can naturally crystallize during storage time, limiting its application in new products by industries. Thus, an alternative to using liquid honey in industry is the powder form. The objective of this study was to obtain honey powder by spray drying using a plant-based protein as a carrier. The honey used as raw material showed acceptable physicochemical parameters by the legislation of honey quality control, such as pH of (4.0 ± 0.1), the water content of (20.70 ± 0.3) g/100 g, ash of (0.48 ± 0.02) g/100 g, the fructose content of (35.42 ± 0.14) g/100 g, (43.05 ± 0.46) g/100 g for glucose, (0.56 ± 0.02) g/100 g for sucrose, and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) value of (37.47 ± 1.04) mg/kg of honey, leading to the production of the honey powder. The mixture of fresh honey and plant-based protein was made with dispersions of 15, 16 and 18 g/100 g of honey using isolated rice protein as a carrier (total solid at 30 g/100 g d.b.). Finally, the honey powder produced was physicochemically characterized. The dispersion with 16 g/100 g of honey achieved an intermediary sugar/honey recovery of 35.93 ± 0.82% and 68.54 ± 2.16% of total protein recovery, and the spray drying yield was satisfactory > 50%. The overall results suggested that this dispersion is the ideal formulation when commercialization of the honey powder as an ingredient is intended. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Liposomes are colloidal structures capable of encapsulating, protecting, and releasing hydrophobic bioctives, as flavonoids. Quercetin is a flavonoid with high antioxidant activity that provides benefits to health. The wet‐agglomeration processes in high‐shear equipment are useful to produce granules from binary mixtures, obtaining a powder with homogeneous composition and without segregation or elutriation of fine particles. In this study, the binary mixtures containing microparticles of native cornstarch and nanoparticles of quercetin liposomes were aggregated in high‐shear batches, using maltodextrin solution as binder agent. The cornstarch was enriched by agglomeration with 8%, 22%, and 30% (w/w) of quercetin‐loaded lyophilized liposomes and the physical properties were evaluated. The moisture of all formulations showed similar values ranging from 4.42% to 4.57%. The values of hygroscopicity (g adsorbed water/100 g of dry matter) indicated the lyophilized liposomes were able to decrease the capacity of the agglomerated cornstarch to absorb water, decreasing the possibility of microbiological contamination. The addition of quercetin‐loaded lyophilized liposomes improved the flowability and turned the powder (agglomerated cornstarch) less cohesive. The pasting properties of enriched agglomerated cornstarch decreased the pasting temperature about 10 °C, and the cornstarch agglomerated with 8% (w/w) of quercetin‐loaded lyophilized liposomes showed no significance difference in the peak viscosity. Agglomeration of cornstarch with more than 8% (w/w) lyophilized liposomes decreased the tendency of starch to retrograde, which is very interesting for food products which requires low levels of retrogradation of granules for their stability. Practical Application: This study is an unprecedent association of 2 technologies, nanoencapsulation and wet agglomeration, here used together to enrich cornstarch with quercetin. The agglomeration process was used to obtain granules of cornstarch, an ingredient extremely used in the food industry, enriched with quercetin‐loaded lyophilized liposomes. The goals were both the improvement of the nutritional quality and the increase of the added value of the cornstarch.