Frank Fernandez-Rosillo

Sacha inchi oil is a highly unsaturated edible oil with considerable nutritional value but high susceptibility to oxidative deterioration. This study evaluated the effects of matico (Piper aduncum L.), real lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.), and spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) essential oils (EOs) on the thermokinetic behavior, oxidative stability, and estimated shelf-life of sacha inchi oil. EOs were incorporated at 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% (v v⁻¹), and oxidative stability was evaluated by Rancimat at 90, 100, and 110 °C after 0, 7, 15, 30, and 90 days of storage. Activation energy (Ea), temperature coefficient (Q₁₀), and changes in activation enthalpy (ΔH⁺⁺), activation entropy (ΔS⁺⁺), and Gibbs free energy (ΔG⁺⁺) were calculated from the oxidative stability index (OSI) and used to estimate the shelf-life of the oil at storage temperature (T = 25 °C). EO type, EO concentration, and storage time had significant effects on the estimated shelf-life of sacha inchi oil (p < 0.05). Spearmint showed the most persistent protective effect, with the highest OSI values and an estimated shelf-life of approximately 350 days, whereas real lemon exhibited a more consistent protective effect throughout storage. EOs increased the activation energy (Ea) from 113.22 kJ mol⁻¹ in the control to approximately 120 kJ mol⁻¹ in the treated samples, indicating a higher apparent energetic barrier to oxidation. The temperature coefficient (Q₁₀) increased from 2.665 to approximately 2.86, while the activation enthalpy (ΔH⁺⁺) and Gibbs free energy (ΔG⁺⁺) also increased in EO-treated samples, and the positive activation entropy (ΔS⁺⁺) values indicated greater molecular disorder in the transition state. Overall, essential oils modulated the thermokinetic behavior of sacha inchi oil, increasing the apparent energetic barrier to oxidation and extending its predicted shelf-life, highlighting their potential as natural systems for stabilizing highly unsaturated edible oils.

Cacao mucilage is an underutilized cacao side stream with potential as an acidic base for value-added beverages. This study evaluated five minimally formulated CCN-51 mucilage beverages containing water and either honey or sucrose to determine whether formulations with the highest chemical responses also achieved the greatest consumer acceptance. Physicochemical properties were determined in three independent batches, whereas Folin–Ciocalteu, DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP responses were measured in four independent batches. Consumer data were obtained from 135 adults who completed evaluations of all five formulations using a seven-point hedonic scale. Formulation affected pH, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, the TSS/TA ratio, and all chemical responses (p < 0.001). Unformulated mucilage showed the highest DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP values. Among beverages, F4 (45% mucilage, 15% honey) had the highest Folin–Ciocalteu response (60.64 mg GAE/g), whereas sucrose-sweetened F5 showed the highest DPPH and FRAP responses. F3 (40% mucilage, 10% honey) achieved the highest composite acceptance (5.59/7; 81.5% favorable responses). Multivariate analysis distinguished the Folin–Ciocalteu response from the antioxidant-assay pattern, showing that the highest chemical responses and greatest consumer acceptance occurred in different formulations. These findings identify F3 as the most promising starting formulation for subsequent mixture-design, microbiological, shelf-life, and scale-up validation and support cacao-mucilage valorization by cacao processors and beverage manufacturers.

Sensory evaluation is the reference method for assessing specialty coffee quality; however, the descriptive narratives generated by certified Q Arabica Graders remain an underutilized source of information. This study developed an integrated analytical framework combining conventional sensory evaluation with natural language processing (NLP) to characterize the evolution of specialty coffee quality during accelerated storage under different packaging systems. Green and roasted coffee stored in eight packaging configurations were subjected to accelerated storage at 40, 50, and 60 °C, and sensory evaluations were performed according to the Specialty Coffee Association protocol. Textual sensory descriptions were analyzed using descriptor frequency analysis, term frequency–inverse document frequency (TF–IDF) weighting, co-occurrence networks, topic modeling, and topic prevalence analysis. The results demonstrated that the evaluated packaging–product configurations (PPCs), together with storage temperature, influenced the sensory stability of specialty coffee under accelerated storage conditions. Vacuum packaging and multilayer laminated bags more effectively preserved desirable sensory attributes and higher cup scores, whereas elevated temperatures and coffee grinding accelerated quality deterioration, leading to the progressive replacement of freshness-related descriptors by undesirable storage-related sensory characteristics. The combined application of multiple text-mining approaches consistently revealed systematic semantic changes in sensory perception that complemented conventional cup scores and provided a more comprehensive characterization of quality evolution during storage. These findings demonstrate that integrating conventional sensory evaluation with natural language processing transforms expert sensory narratives into reproducible quantitative information, providing a reproducible analytical framework for the objective characterization and comparison of sensory changes during accelerated storage of specialty coffee.

The objective of this study was to predict the degradation kinetics of vitamin C in camu camu and naranjilla juices using accelerated storage tests. The juices were produced under controlled processing conditions, including physicochemical standardization, pasteurization, and hot filling into glass containers. They were then stored at 35, 45, and 55 °C for 21, 14, and 7 days, respectively. The vitamin C content was quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography, showing a progressive decrease depending on temperature. The kinetic data were fitted to zero-order and first-order models, as well as to the nonlinear Weibull model, the latter presenting the best statistical fit (R² = 0.9678–0.9931) and adequately describing the nonlinear degradation behavior of vitamin C. Temperature dependence was modeled using the Arrhenius equation, allowing activation energy to be estimated and confirming temperature-dependent degradation behavior in both juices, with different thermal responses depending on the modeling approach. Likewise, shelf life (t₈₀) was estimated using the Weibull model and showed a significant reduction with increasing storage temperature. Arrhenius-based shelf-life predictions suggested greater vitamin C retention in camu camu juice at lower storage temperatures, whereas naranjilla exhibited a more pronounced decrease as temperature increased. The physicochemical parameters (pH, acidity, and °Brix) showed moderate changes, maintaining the stability of the system during storage. The results confirm the applicability of the Weibull model to describe vitamin C degradation in complex matrices and highlight the importance of thermal control in the preservation of bioactive compounds in tropical juices.

Temperature abuse during storage represents a critical factor influencing microbial behavior in meat products, particularly in non-conventional matrices such as guinea pig meat. This study aimed to characterize and compare the primary growth kinetics of Aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in guinea pig meat burgers under controlled temperature abuse conditions (30, 35, and 40 °C). Microbial growth was monitored over 96 h and described using the modified Gompertz model to estimate key kinetic parameters, including maximum specific growth rate (µ_max) and lag phase duration (λ). Aerobic mesophilic bacteria exhibited increasing µ_max values with temperature, indicating enhanced metabolic activity under elevated thermal conditions. In contrast, S. aureus showed reduced µ_max and prolonged λ at 40 °C, suggesting stress-induced modulation of growth dynamics. These findings demonstrate that temperature increases do not uniformly accelerate microbial proliferation across different populations within the same food matrix. The contrasting kinetic responses indicate that Aerobic mesophilic bacteria and S. aureus respond differently to temperature abuse conditions, highlighting that total aerobic counts alone may not reliably predict pathogen behavior in guinea pig meat burgers.

Dark cup chocolate is recognized as a source of bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties. This study aimed to evaluate the fortification of the bioactive and sensory profile of dark cup chocolate formulated with three percentages of cocoa liquor from the Forastero variety (40, 70, and 100%). Chocolates were produced from cacao beans cultivated in Jaén (Cajamarca, Peru) and characterized in terms of their antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content, tyramine concentration, and sensory attributes, which were assessed by a trained panel. The results showed that increasing the cocoa liquor percentage significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity and phenolic content, with the 100% cacao chocolate exhibiting the highest values. Likewise, tyramine concentration also increased with cocoa liquor content, reaching 41.90 mg/kg in the 100% formulation, while the 40% chocolate showed markedly lower levels (1.85 mg/kg). Overall, the findings demonstrate a positive association between cocoa liquor percentage, bioactive potential, and tyramine accumulation, highlighting the importance of cacao proportions in defining both functional properties and safety-related aspects of dark cup chocolate.

Essential oils (EOs) are mixtures of aromatic and volatile compounds. Owing to their biological properties, they are of increasing interest in the food industry as a viable alternative to natural additives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro biological activity of EOs extracted from eight plant species growing in northeastern Peru in relation to their chemical composition. EOs were extracted by hydrodistillation and evaluated for antibacterial activity, antioxidant capacity, and total phenolic content. Chemical characterization was performed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the extraction yield was evaluated in two seasons of the year. The extraction yields varied from 0.04 to 1.50%, according to the species, with greater seasonal variation observed during the rainy season. The chemical compounds identified included monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, benzene derivatives, fatty acids and derivatives, diterpenes, and phenylpropanoids. The EOs of Magnolia jaenensis, Piper amalago, Piper glabribaccum, and Tesaria integrifolia demonstrated high antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, while the other EOs, such as Magnolia manguillo and Zanthoxylum fagara, showed intermediate activity. However, all EOs had low performance against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis. The EOs from T. integrifolia, Piper aduncum, M. manguillo, M. jaenensis, and P. glabribaccum had high antioxidant activity. The EOs with the best biological performance were T. integrifolia, M. jaenensis, and P. glabribaccum.