Areli Carrera-Lanestosa

Biomass-derived activated carbons (ACs) are promising sustainable adsorbents for water polishing; however, their performance in real aqueous matrices cannot always be predicted from BET surface area alone. In this study, chemically activated biomass-derived carbonaceous adsorbents were prepared from Cocoa Pod Husk (CPH), Watermelon Peel (WP), and Pineapple Crown (PC) and evaluated for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal from real eutrophic lagoon water. The materials were characterized by N₂ adsorption–desorption analysis, including BET surface area and BJH pore-size assessment, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and pH_PZC analysis. Although all adsorbents exhibited low N₂-BET surface areas, adsorption performance was governed by apparent functional pore accessibility inferred from adsorption behavior, pore size distribution, surface chemistry, structural disorder, electronic delocalization, and surface charge. Among the acid-activated samples, ACPCSA5 showed a narrow average pore size of 1.720 nm and achieved near-complete COD removal. Its superior performance was associated with oxygen-containing functional groups, partially developed sp² carbon domains, lower optical band gap, BJH-derived pore architecture, and favorable surface charge at lagoon pH. The Microbial Regrowth Potential Index (MRPI) was introduced only as a conservative COD-based proxy, not as a validated biological indicator. Overall, this work demonstrates that adsorption in real-water matrices depends on accessible pore architecture and multifunctional surface chemistry rather than BET surface area alone.

Background: Amaranthus palmeri is recognized as one of the most harmful weeds worldwide due to its aggressive spread and resistance to herbicides, complicating its control in agricultural systems. However, it may contain phytochemicals similar to those identified in other Amaranthus. Questions: What are the main phytochemical components in the polar extracts from leaves and inflorescences of A. palmeri? Do these polar organic extracts have the potential to inhibit enzymes associated with metabolic syndrome? Studied species: Amaranthus palmeri Study site and dates: Greenhouses at the Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, in 2024. Methods: Betalains and polyphenols were extracted from the leaves and inflorescences of A. palmeri using MSPD. Betalain profiling was performed using LC-MS/MS, and polyphenols were quantified using HPLC-UV-DAD. Additionally, antioxidant capacity was assessed by DPPH assay and enzyme inhibition assays were conducted against α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and ACE. Results: Nine betalains were found with higher accumulation in inflorescences than in leaves, while 13 polyphenols were found in leaves, with flavonoids such as rutin and quercetin being the most prevalent. The extracts showed a significant amount of antioxidant capacity and enzyme inhibitory activity, with the leaf extracts showing greater bioactivity than inflorescence extracts. Conclusions: A. palmeri is a promising source of bioactive phytochemicals due to its antioxidant potential and its inhibitory effect on key enzymes involved in metabolic syndrome. These findings demonstrate that this species has added value beyond its conventional view of being harmful to agriculture and has potential applications in pharmacology and biotechnology.

Cocoa pod husk (CPH), a major agro-industrial residue, contains valuable bioactive compounds whose recovery can support sustainable waste valorization. This study evaluated the influence of increasing ethanol concentrations on the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds from CPH and their antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antihyperglycemic activity. Dried and milled CPH was extracted using ethanol–water mixtures (0–100% ethanol) under fixed ultrasonic conditions. Cocoa pod husk powder characterization and the resulting extracts were analyzed in terms of chemical composition (lignocellulosic compounds, proximate and elemental composition, and bromatological composition), antioxidant capacity, and in vivo antihypertensive and antihyperglycemic effects in Wistar rats. The results showed that solvent polarity strongly modulated extraction efficiency: absolute ethanol yielded the highest phenolic (171.43 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (132.05 mg QE/g) content, whereas hydroalcoholic mixtures, particularly 50:50, enhanced overall antioxidant performance, especially in FRAP. The chemical analysis results showed the selective recovery of compounds such as quercetin, hesperidin, and theobromine, and FTIR-PCA results revealed distinct solvent-dependent chemical profiles. In vivo assays indicated modest blood pressure stabilization and a more pronounced antihyperglycemic effect after chronic administration. Overall, UAE proved an effective, rapid, and solvent-efficient method for CPH valorization, highlighting its potential for producing natural antioxidants applicable to food, nutraceutical, and cosmetic formulations.

Extracts from the flowers and fruits of Sambucus nigra L. have various applications as colorants and adjuvants in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. It is therefore necessary to establish optimal conditions for the production of these extracts. The objective of this study was to compare different extraction conditions that allow the recovery of polyphenols and flavonoids with antioxidant activity from the aerial parts of S. nigra. For this purpose, the following extraction conditions were analyzed: maceration (M) and ultrasound-assisted (U), as well as extractant mixtures with five different proportions of ethanol and water; TPC and TFC were determined using spectroscopic methods, a preliminary analysis was performed by HPLC-DAD, and the content of chlorogenic acid and rutin was quantified. Similarly, the extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant capacity in ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assays. Finally, PCA was performed to comprehensively analyze the relationship between the results obtained. The results showed that the extraction conditions determine the recovery of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and antioxidant activity, with the highest yields obtained with 4M and 5M, and the extracts with the highest TPC and TFC being 5U and 1M, respectively. Likewise, the highest concentrations of chlorogenic acid and rutin were found in condition 2M, and the best antioxidant capacity was observed under extraction conditions 3U. This was confirmed by PCA, which indicated that extraction conditions influence yield, recovery of phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity. Therefore, these results indicate that there is no single condition that achieves the best parameters for this species, but rather that specific conditions must be applied depending on the metabolite groups and antioxidant activity.

The Cocoa Pod Husk (CPH) accounts for 67–76% of the total cocoa fruit weight, making it its main agro-industrial waste of cocoa production. A valorization of this waste is possible through the extraction of pectin. In this study, pectin was extracted from CPH powder by acid hydrolysis using citric acid and sulfuric acid. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was employed as a qualitative and quantitative characterization technique. The FT-IR of the pectin samples showed the bands visible at 1732 and 1626 cm⁻¹ corresponding to the esterified and free carboxylic groups, respectively. These bands can be differentiated according to their degree of methyl esterification (DE) by analyzing the area under the curve. The extracted pectin showed no significant difference in yields (p ≤ 0.05) between the two acids; however, significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were observed in DE and methoxylation percentage (MeO). According to the FT-IR results, pectin extracted with citric acid presented a lower DE (7.43%) and MeO (1.12%) compared to pectin extracted with sulfuric acid, which showed a DE of 18.15% and a 2.96% MeO. Pectin with a DE below 50% is classified as low-methylated, making it unsuitable for the food industry. However, these create a raw material that has a potential use in the pharmaceutical and bioenergy industries.

Background: In Mexico, the fruit of the Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen (Chicozapote) tree is widely consumed; however, numerous studies have identified bioactive compounds within its leaves. Purpose: To evaluate the bioactive properties of M. zapota leaf extracts, focusing on their anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypertensive potentials, and assessing their efficacy in mitigating inflammation. Materials and Methods: This study evaluated the anti-oxidant properties of aqueous (AE), ethanolic (EE), and hydroalcoholic (HE) extracts, utilizing 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Anti-diabetic activity was assessed by inhibiting the enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase, while anti-hypertensive efficacy was measured via angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition. The anti-inflammatory potential was also examined in vivo using a murine model of 12- O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced ear edema. Results: The DPPH assay revealed that all extracts exhibited equivalent anti-oxidant capacities at the same concentration, with no significant statistical difference ( p < 0.05). Conversely, the ABTS assay demonstrated that AE possessed superior activity (4.6−28.5%) across varying concentrations. EE exhibited the most potent inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and ACE, with 81.8%, 58.9%, and 87.8%, respectively. In anti-inflammatory assays, EE at a 5 mg dosage significantly outperformed other extracts. Conclusion: These findings suggest that M. zapota leaf extracts, mainly through EE, could offer a viable natural alternative for reducing inflammation and potentially managing diabetes and hypertension.

Cocoa drying is the post-harvest thermal process used to condition the beans to a moisture content between 6.5 and 7% for storage and further processing. Convective drying is an energy-intensive process where time and temperature are considered critical factors for the degradation of bioactive compounds in edible products. In the present study, the energy parameters, vibrational spectroscopy, and changes in bioactive compounds of cocoa beans were studied during thin-layer hot air drying at 50 °C, 60 °C, and 70 °C. Moisture loss, specific energy consumption (SEC), energy efficiency, total phenolics (TPs), total flavonoids (TFs), and antioxidant activity (DPPH) were determined. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) was used to characterize the samples, and a multivariate analysis was applied to find interactions among the components. The obtained SEC was 18,947.30–24,469.51 kJ/kg, and the energy efficiency was 9.73–12.31%. When the temperature was 70 °C, the best values for SEC and energy efficiency were obtained. The results also showed that the convective drying generated changes in the TP levels for the three temperatures, mainly after 300 min, with maximum levels between 360 and 600 min, at 70 °C; however, it does not have a clear relationship with the TFs and the antioxidant activity. The FT-IR and the multivariate analysis revealed changes in several signals in the 1800 to 400 cm⁻¹ range, confirming the variation in the associated signal with phenolic compounds.

Los residuos agroindustriales y agropecuarios son materias primas que reincorporadas a la producción de plantas como sustratos, son una opción económica y sustentable; por ello, el objetivo fue evaluar mezclas de suelo con estiércol y residuos agroindustriales para la producción de Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. Los materiales utilizados fueron: estiércol bovino (EB), estiércol ovino (EO), fibra de palma de aceite (FPA), cascarilla de palma de aceite (CPA) y aserrín de palma de coco (APC); se utilizó 40 % de un suelo Gleysol como base y el resto residuos orgánicos en diferentes proporciones. Se evaluaron 13 mezclas y suelo (100 %) como testigo. Se midieron características físicas y químicas en las mezclas: porosidad total (Pt), porosidad de aireación (Pai), porosidad de retención (Pra), densidad aparente (Da), pH y conductividad eléctrica (CE). A los 60 días de cultivo se midió: altura de planta (cm), diámetro de tallo (mm), días a floración, número de flores, biomasa aérea y de raíces (g). Los resultados mostraron que en las mezclas con residuos orgánicos la Da disminuyó, y la Pt y la Pai aumentaron; las mezclas tuvieron pH y CE en los rangos sugeridos para el cultivo de plantas, excepto las mezclas con EO (CE: 12 dS m−1). Las plantas cultivadas en EB (20 %) con FPA, CPA y APC en proporciones de 10‑10‑20, 0‑20‑20 y 20‑0‑20, tuvieron un incremento en altura, número de flores, biomasa seca aérea y de raíz. Por lo tanto, la incorporación de residuos agroindustiales y pecuarios como sustratos mejoraron la producción de vicaria.

The physicochemical and biochemical changes during the fermentation of four clones and two native varieties of Theobroma cacao L. were studied. Fermentation was performed in traditional wood cubes. During fermentation, the cotyledon pH decreased, and the temperature increased to more than 10 °C above the ambient temperature (47 °C). The fermentation index (FI) increased in the clones C1, C4, C8, C9, and Guayaquil (G) to close to one at 120 h of fermentation. For the FI of the cocoa Criollo (Cr), a value of 2.5 was proposed according to the spectrophotometric scan performance. The total polyphenol content increased in all the samples from 21 (C8) to 70 (Cr) % in a comparison of the TPC at T0 and T120, respectively. The total flavonoid content increased from 16 (C8) to 51% in Guayaquil (G) during the fermentation period. In the case of the methylxanthines, such as theobromine and caffeine, both quantities decreased. The theobromine content decreased in all the samples from 6 (G) to 31% (C8). The caffeine content decreased in all the samples from 3% in Cr to 25% in C1 and G after fermentation. The antioxidant capability did not change after 120 h of fermentation, and the amount of methylxanthines did not affect the antioxidant potential of the fermented cocoa. The FTIR scan of the fat-free cocoa showed significant differences between the unfermented and fermented beans, and several peaks assigned to carbohydrates and proteins decreased.

Objective: To determine the linear physical dimensions of dried Mexican cocoa beans to estimate their geometric properties and differentiate them through a principal component analysis. Design/Methodology/Approach: For the research, 51 dry samples of cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao L.) were collected from three producer states in Mexico. The physical properties of cocoa beans were determined based on their linear dimensions: length, width, thickness, geometric diameter, sphericity, volume, and shape factor. Moisture, average weight, and ether extract were also determined. Results: The results revealed the relation between linear and geometric properties, particularly the fact that bean weight is significant (p<0.001) regarding all the properties evaluated, except moisture. Said relation explained 98.8% of the total variation in the first two components observed in the cocoa samples from the three states (Tabasco, Chiapas, and Oaxaca). Average bean weight, sphericity, and volume contributed the most to the total variation. Findings/Conclusions: The only quantitative variable that showed significance was bean weight. The other measurements—length, width, and thickness—did not. However, there was significance when coupling the measurements in the expressions of surface area and volume.