Carlos Borges Filho

Mead is a fermented beverage of increasing interest due to its chemical complexity and expanding commercial production; however, information regarding the chemical characteristics of commercial oak-aged meads remains limited. In this study, the phenolic composition, antioxidant capacity, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS)-detectable chemical profile of a commercial traditional smooth mead and a related product derived from the same production batch after 6 months of maturation with French oak chips. Phenolic compounds were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC–DAD), and hyperoside, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and quercetin were identified among the most abundant compounds in both samples. Antioxidant capacity was assessed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. No significant differences ( p > 0.05) were observed between traditional and oak-aged meads regarding total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, or individual phenolic compounds. GC–MS analysis tentatively identified 17 compounds, including aldehydes, ketones, esters, alcohols, and acids, with differences in occurrence and relative abundance between samples. The results contribute to the characterization of commercially produced traditional and oak-aged meads and provide information on their phenolic composition, antioxidant properties, and GC–MS-detectable chemical profiles under commercial production conditions.

Palometa (Serrasalmus maculatus) is a predatory freshwater fish that is abundant in South America. Palometa is rarely consumed and has low commercial value because of its short storage time and low acceptability due to the large number of small bones. Despite being a good source of protein, the amino acid profile of this meat remains unknown. This study analyzed the amino acid profile of palometa meat using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The meat was also pulped and applied to salty cookies. The amino acid concentration range was 2.82 (glutamine) to 234.17 (glutamic acid) mg g-1 of protein. All essential amino acids were detected in the meat, pulp, and cookies, except for tryptophan, and lysine and leucine were prominent. The cookies with 10% pulp presented an increase in lysine, isoleucine, and leucine compared to the standard, and the chemical score demonstrated that palometa is a good source of threonine. The sensory attributes of the cookies showed an acceptance rate of over 70.0%. In conclusion, the development of salty cookies can be a way to incorporate palometa fish, with high protein quality, in food formulations, valuing this underutilized raw material and being a strategy to increase fish consumption in the population.

This study investigated a sustainable alternative to squalene production utilizing Thraustochytrium sp. and Aurantiochytrium sp., thereby reducing dependence on critically endangered sharks exploited for this compound. By optimizing fed-batch cultivation, a technique prevalent in industrial biotechnology, we have enhanced squalene yields and have demonstrated, through sensitivity analysis, the significance of this shift in preserving species at risk of extinction. Optimization of culture conditions led to the highest biomass concentrations for Thraustochytrium sp. being achieved at lower C–N ratios (Aurantiochytrium sp. occurred in culture media with a high C–N ratio of 54:50. Regarding squalene production, Thraustochytrium sp. produced 26.13 mg/L in the fed-batch system after 72 h, and Aurantiochytrium sp. produced 54.97 mg/L in a batch system with 30 g/L glucose and 0.22 g/L nitrogen after 96 h, showcasing their potential for industrial applications. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis revealed that, on an industrial scale, both strains could produce up to 59.50 t of squalene annually in large-scale facilities, presenting a valuable and sustainable alternative for the biotechnological industry and significantly reducing the reliance on non-renewable and endangered sources such as shark liver oil and preventing the annual capture of over 156,661 sharks.

Chrysin flavonoid has been presented as having numerous and promising bioactive effects, such as antioxidant, anticonvulsant, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic, antihyperlipidemic, and antidepressant. However, one of the main challenges for advances in studies on the bioactivity of chrysin is its low bioavailability in humans. Thus, aiming to overcome this barrier, several studies have demonstrated the bioactive potential of capsules containing chrysin. The objective of this review was to present the main methodologies used for the encapsulation of chrysin, and its main biological effects demonstrated so far. Our intention is to offer ways to advancement of research in the area of flavonoid encapsulation. As for the encapsulation techniques, it was found that they are diverse, and the most recurrent encapsulating agents were PEG, PLGA polymers and their derivatives, in addition to other agents, such as PCL, albumin, lipids and chitosan.The bioactive effects of the capsules are also numerous, and anticarcinogenic effects are the most frequent, in addition to other effects such as antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial and neuroprotective. In conclusion, we verified a lack of use of green techniques for the encapsulation of chrysin, and the production of lipid-water emulsions and the dissolution of chrysin in ethanol seems to be alternatives in this regard. In addition, bioactive potential of these capsules can be evaluated in other experimental models, and should advance to clinical trials and application in food formulations.