Latest developments in the application of cyclodextrin host-guest complexes in beverage technology processes

 Food Hydrocolloids

The use of cyclodextrins (CDs) in beverages has increased in the last decades, and they are widely used in food processing and technology. Cyclodextrins have an important capacity for use in the technology industry due to their capacity to form an inclusion complex with a large number of compounds. This complex can improve the food characteristics, such as stabilize volatile compounds, preserve the physical and chemical stability, improve the shelf-life, mask and reduce unwanted flavours, odours or bitterness, protect compounds against heat treatments, etc. This review deals with applications of cyclodextrins in industrial beverage products using different scientific databases and patenting authorities around the world.

Random Forest, Artificial Neural Network, and Support Vector Machine Models for Honey Classification

eFood, 2020, 1(1) 69-76

Different separated protein fractions by the electrophoretic method in polyacrylamide gel were used to classify two different types of honeys, Galician honeys and commercial honeys produced and packaged outside of Galicia. Random forest, artificial neural network, and support vector machine models were tested to differentiate Galician honeys and other commercial honeys produced and packaged outside of Galicia. The results obtained for the best random forest model allowed us to determine the origin of honeys with an accuracy of 95.2%. The random forest model, and the other developed models, could be improved with the inclusion of new data from different commercial honeys.

II Xornada de Riscos Emerxentes en Seguridade Alimentaria

A Rede Galega de Riscos Emerxentes en Seguridade Alimentaria (RISEGAL) celebrará a II Xornada de Riscos Emerxentes o próximo 16 de outubro no Edificio Miralles sito no Campus da Universidade de Vigo. A Xornada contatá coa participación de representantes doutras redes de coñecemento de España e Portugal e de expertos dalgúns dos perigos emerxentes de importancia en seguridade alimentaria.

O prazo para inscribirse xa está aberto. O aforo é limitado

Mais información

The Potential of Seaweeds as a Source of Functional Ingredients of Prebiotic and Antioxidant Value

 Antioxidants 2019, 8(9), 406

Two thirds of the world is covered by oceans, whose upper layer is inhabited by algae. This means that there is a large extension to obtain these photoautotrophic organisms. Algae have undergone a boom in recent years, with consequent discoveries and advances in this field. Algae are not only of high ecological value but also of great economic importance. Possible applications of algae are very diverse and include anti-biofilm activity, production of biofuels, bioremediation, as fertilizer, as fish feed, as food or food ingredients, in pharmacology (since they show antioxidant or contraceptive activities), in cosmeceutical formulation, and in such other applications as filters or for obtaining minerals. In this context, algae as food can be of help to maintain or even improve human health, and there is a growing interest in new products called functional foods, which can promote such a healthy state. Therefore, in this search, one of the main areas of research is the extraction and characterization of new natural ingredients with biological activity (e.g., prebiotic and antioxidant) that can contribute to consumers’ well-being. The present review shows the results of a bibliographic survey on the chemical composition of macroalgae, together with a critical discussion about their potential as natural sources of new functional ingredients.

AQUACIBUS en el Telediario de Ecuador

Aqua Technica

La Universidad Técnica de Manabí lanza la nueva revista AQUA TECHNICA, Revista Iberoamericana de Acuicultura. Dicha publicación cuenta con el apoyo de la Red AQUACIBUS a la que pertenece nuestro grupo de investigación y que está liderada por la Universidad de Vigo.

Desde aquí os invitamos a participar en la misma y darle la mayor difusión posible. Así mismo queremos expresar nuestros mejores deseos al Prof. Carlos Lodeiros, impulsor de esta importante iniciativa.

Interaction of Caffeic Acid with SDS Micellar Aggregates

Molecules 2019, 24(7), 1204

DOI: 10.3390/molecules24071204

Micellar systems consisting of a surfactant and an additive such as an organic salt or an acid usually self-organize as a series of worm-like micelles that ultimately form a micellar network. The nature of the additive influences micellar structure and properties such as aggregate lifetime. For ionic surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), CMC decreases with increasing temperature to a minimum in the low-temperature region beyond which it exhibits the opposite trend. The presence of additives in a surfactant micellar system also modifies monomer interactions in aggregates, thereby altering CMC and conductance. Because the standard deviation of β was always lower than 10%, its slight decrease with increasing temperature was not significant. However, the absolute value of Gibbs free enthalpy, a thermodynamic potential that can be used to calculate the maximum of reversible work, increased with increasing temperature and caffeic acid concentration. Micellization in the presence of caffeic acid was an endothermic process, which was entropically controlled. The enthalpy and enthropy positive values resulted from melting of “icebergs” or “flickering clusters” around the surfactant, leading to increased packing of hydrocarbon chains within the micellar core in a non-random manner. This can be possibly explained by caffeic acid governing the 3D matrix structure of water around the micellar aggregates. The fact that both enthalpy and entropy were positive testifies to the importance of hydrophobic interactions as a major driving force for micellization. Micellar systems allow the service life of some products to be extended without the need to increase the amounts of post-harvest storage preservatives used. If a surfactant is not an allowed ingredient or food additive, carefully washing it off before the product is consumed can avoid any associated risks. In this work, we examined the influence of temperature and SDS concentration on the properties of SDS–caffeic acid micellar systems. Micellar properties can be modified with various additives to develop new uses for micelles. This allows smaller amounts of additives to be used without detracting from their benefits.

Dissipation of Three Fungicides and Their Effects on Anthocyanins and Color of Monastrell Red Wines

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(6), 1447

DOI: 10.3390/ijms20061447

The effect of fungicides on fermentation is of paramount importance to control the quality and safety of wines. In this work, the quality (enological parameters, color, phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and fungicide residues) of wines from Monastrell grapes fortified with iprovalicarb, mepanipyrim, and tetraconazole fungicides was evaluated. Along the winemaking process, initial residues of mepanipyrim and tetraconazole were removed in more than 90% while the dissipation of iprovalicarb was around 73%. Significant statistical differences were found in the presence of iprovalicarb and mepanipyrim residues, especially at the highest concentration assayed. For both fungicides, increases in the volatile acidity (between 4 and 8.6 times), the lactic acid content (between 8.6 and 20.5 times), the percentage of polymeric anthocyanins (between 1.3 and 1.7 times), and also a slight increase of the total phenolic index and the total anthocyanin content determined by spectrophotometry were observed. On the contrary, the total monomeric anthocyanins content decreased about 16.3% and 28.6% in the presence of iprovalicarb and mepanipyrim, respectively. These results could be related to a higher development of acetic acid or lactic bacteria in the presence of these fungicides. The color of the final wines was also different in comparison with the control, with a higher yellow component, color intensity, tonality, and hue angle because of pH changes in the medium. Tetraconazole fermentations had a more similar trend to the control wine, probably due to the lower concentration of this fungicide in the grape must at the initial time. No effects on the antioxidant activity was observed for any of the target fungicides. A multivariate statistical analysis was done to view the interrelationships between different variables (color and anthocyanins profile). The obtained model allowed the wines to be separated according to the fungicide treatment applied.

Prediction Models to Control Aging Time in Red Wine

Molecules 2019, 24(5), 826

DOI: 10.3390/molecules24050826

A combination of physical-chemical analysis has been used to monitor the aging of red wines from D.O. Toro (Spain). The changes in the chemical composition of wines that occur over the aging time can be used to distinguish between wine samples collected after one, four, seven and ten months of aging. Different computational models were used to develop a good authenticity tool to certify wines. In this research, different models have been developed: Artificial Neural Network models (ANNs), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) models. The results obtained for the ANN model developed with sigmoidal function in the output neuron and the RF model permit us to determine the aging time, with an average absolute percentage deviation below 1%, so it can be concluded that these two models have demonstrated their capacity to predict the age of wine.

Optimization of the Extraction Process to Obtain a Colorant Ingredient from Leaves of Ocimum basilicum var. purpurascens

Molecules 2019, 24(4), 686

DOI: 10.3390/molecules24040686

Heat-Assisted Extraction (HAE) was used for the optimized production of an extract rich in anthocyanin compounds from Ocimum basilicum var. purpurascens leaves. The optimization was performed using the response surface methodology employing a central composite experimental design with five-levels for each of the assessed variables. The independent variables studied were the extraction time (t, 20–120 min), temperature (T, 25–85 °C), and solvent (S, 0–100% of ethanol, v/v). Anthocyanin compounds were analysed by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS and the extraction yields were used as response variables. Theoretical models were developed for the obtained experimental data, then the models were validated by a selected number of statistical tests, and finally, those models were used in the prediction and optimization steps. The optimal HAE conditions for the extraction of anthocyanin compounds were: t = 65.37 ± 3.62 min, T = 85.00 ± 1.17 °C and S = 62.50 ± 4.24%, and originated 114.74 ± 0.58 TA mg/g of extract. This study highlighted the red rubin basil leaves as a promising natural matrix to extract pigmented compounds, using green solvents and reduced extraction times. The extract rich in anthocyanins also showed antimicrobial and anti-proliferative properties against four human tumor cell lines, without any toxicity on a primary porcine liver cell line.

Fatty Acids-Based Quality Index to Differentiate Worldwide Commercial Pistachio Cultivars

Molecules 2019, 24(1), 58

DOI: 10.3390/molecules24010058

The fatty acid profiles of five main commercial pistachio cultivars, including Ahmad-Aghaei, Akbari, Chrok, Kalle-Ghouchi, and Ohadi, were determined by gas chromatography: palmitic (C16:0), palmitoleic (C16:1), stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2), linolenic (C18:3), arachidic (C20:0), and gondoic (C20:1) acid. Based on the oleic to linoleic acid (O/L) ratio, a quality index was determined for these five cultivars: Ohadi (2.40) < Ahmad-Aghaei (2.60) < Kale-Ghouchi (2.94) < Chrok (3.05) < Akbari (3.66). Principal component analysis (PCA) of the fatty acid data yielded three significant PCs, which together account for 80.0% of the total variance in the dataset. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) model that was evaluated with cross-validation correctly classified almost all of the samples: the average percent accuracy for the prediction set was 98.0%. The high predictive power for the prediction set shows the ability to indicate the cultivar of an unknown sample based on its fatty acid chromatographic fingerprint.

International Journal of Molecular Science. Special Issue "Host-Guest Complexes"

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue entitled "Host-guest Complex" belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics". International Journal of Molecular Sciences is published by MPDI, and is indexed in Journal Citation Report with 3.687 in Multidisciplinar chemistry and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology categories. Since 2000 is an Open Access publication. In order to provide free access to readers, and to cover the costs of peer review, copyediting, typesetting, long-term archiving, and journal management, an article processing charge (APC)

Special Issue Information

Host–guest complexes, also known as inclusion complexes, are supramolecular structures composed of two or more molecules or ions that are maintained through noncovalent interactions.

In this Special Issue, we hope to address both the structural aspects of the formation and stability of these inclusion complexes as well as the energetic aspects associated with them, together with the different instrumental techniques used to characterize them, addressing the aspects related to molecular recognition and conformational switching. Of course, we must also take into account the aspects related to the technological applications of these compounds. In fact, they show important potentialities in topics such as superconductivity phenomena, the design of sensors, and food chemistry, agricultural chemistry, or their applications in matters of the environment.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access bimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

host-guest complexes conformation and structure

inclusion complexes formation and stability

cooperativity

sensing

cyclodextrins

calixarenes

cucurbiturils

porphyrins

crown ethers

zeolites

carcelands

2018 HCR

Jesus Simal-Gándara, HCR 2018

Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) recolle aos investigadores situados entre o 1% dos máis citados en cada campo e en cada ano en Web of Science, e baseada nos traballos publicados e citados durante a última década. Na lista están catro científicos galegos: Jesús Simal e Maurizio Battino (UVigo), Juan José Nieto (USC), e Luis Liz Marzán (Ikerbasque).

Os nosos parabéns para o nosso compañeiro.

Actas AQUA CIBUS Volumen 1

El libro de actas de la Red Aqua Cibus correspondiente al año 2018 ya está disponible. Puedes descargar de forma gratuita el libro "Actas Aqua Cibus, volumen 1" en la plataforma CYTED

Contenidos:

• J. Simal-Gándara, Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo. 
• J. C. Mejuto, Fortaleciendo la Acuicultura en Iberoamérica: Calidad, Competitividad y Sostenibilidad. 
• P. Martínez, Red Inmunogenom: Control de Patologías Relacionadas con la Acuicultura.
• M. Quiroga-Berdeal, Anatomía Patológica Veterinaria: una Herramienta de Gestión Sanitaria en Acuicultura. 
• E. Orche-García, Parionaccocha: una Piscigranja a 4.500 m de Altitud. 
• J. Diogene-Fadini, Detección de Toxinas Marinas Emergentes. 
• B. Paz-Pino, Análisis de Biotoxinas Marinas Reguladas. 
• M. Rey-Méndez, Las Herramientas Moleculares en el Cultivo del Pulpo, Erizos de Mar y Valoración del Berberecho. 
•  A. Gago, Estrategias para la Determinación y Confirmación de Biotoxinas Marinas.
• J. Lago, Avances en LC/MS/MS para dar Respuesta a los Desafíos en Acuicultura. 
• J. Lliberia, Nuevas Tecnologías: Rompiendo Barreras y Abriendo Nuevos Horizontes en HR LC-MS/MS. 
• T. Dagnac, Estudio de la Fotodegradación de Diferentes Contaminantes Orgánicos en el Medio Acuático.
• J. Lliberia, Nuevas Tecnologías: Rompiendo Barreras y Abriendo Nuevos Horizontes en TQ LC-MS/MS. 
• M. Ferreira-Novio, Aspectos Tecnológicos de la Producción de Microalgas.
• M.J. Chapela-Garrido, Obtención de Copuestos de Alto Valor a Partir de Microalgas.
• G. Álvarez-Vergara, Biotoxinas de Origen Fitoplanctónico y su Impacto en la Acuicultura y Explotación de Moluscos en el Norte de Chile.
• M.M. Araya-Castillo, Investigaciones en Macro- y Micro-algas.
• C. Lodeiros, Investigando sobre la Biología y el Cultivo de Moluscos.
• A. Gómez-Zavaglia, Criotecnología de Alimentos y Acuicultura. 
• D. F. Ardila-Jaime, OCEAN FARMS S.A., una Granja Off-shore a 9 Millas de la Costa de Ecuador. 
• P. Baltazar-Guerrero, Desarrollo de una Acuicultura Sostenible en Perú. 
• M. Lolo, Avances en LC/MS-MS Aplicados a la Acuicultura. 
• L.I.L. Carbral, C. Dias, R.B. Leite, M.L.S. Cristiano, Desarrollo de Análogos de Artemisinina para el Control de Perkinsosis en Bivalvos. 
• R. Rial, El Grupo UVigo-AA1: Un Referente en el Campo Agroambiental y Alimentario. 
• I. Guimaraes,  A.P. Muñez-Ramírez, J.C. Durán-Izquierdo, Sistemas de Agro-Acuicultura Integrada para Producción Sostenible de Alimentos en Comunidades Indígenas Arhuaca (Colombia).

Future challenges on the use of blockchain for food traceability analysis

Trends in Analytical Chemistry
DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2018.08.011

The steady increase in food falsification, which has caused large economic losses and eroded consumers’ trust, has become a pressing issue for producers, researchers, governments, consumers and other stakeholders. Tracking and authenticating the food supply chain to understand provenance is critical with a view to identifying and addressing sources of contamination in the food supply chain worldwide. One way of solving traceability issues and ensuring transparency is by using blockchain technology to store data from chemical analysis in chronological order so that they are impossible to manipulate afterwards. This review examines the potential of blockchain technology for assuring traceability and authenticity in the food supply chain. It can be considered a true innovation and relevant approach to assure the quality of the third step of the analytical processes: data acquisition and management.

Modelling and Optimization of Biogenic Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles from Leaf Extract of Swertia chirata Using Artificial Neural Network

 J Clust Sci 29, 1151–1159 (2018)

Swertia chirata is a medicinal plant studied for its ability to synthesize polyshaped gold nanoparticles (AuNP). The process of AuNP biosynthesis was studied using artificial neural networks (ANN) with different activation function on output node (logistic or linear) and different training algorithm (back propagation or Levenberg–Marquardt). The maximum biosynthesis was checked under the optimized condition of 17.24% leaf extract, pH 4.61, gold chloride concentration 4 mM and temperature 53.61 °C. A significant improvement in the model efficiency for predicting AuNP biosynthesis around 37.60%, in terms of root mean square error was obtained with the developed ANN-linear2 model, compared to the traditional response surface methodology.

Modelling and Optimization of Biogenic Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles from Leaf Extract of Swertia chirata Using Artificial Neural Network

Journal of Cluster Science (2018) 29:1151–1159

DOI: 10.1007/s10876-018-1429-8

Swertia chirata is a medicinal plant studied for its ability to synthesize polyshaped gold nanoparticles (AuNP). The process of AuNP biosynthesis was studied using artificial neural networks (ANN) with different activation function on output node (logistic or linear) and different training algorithm (back propagation or Levenberg–Marquardt). The maximum biosyn- thesis was checked under the optimized condition of 17.24% leaf extract, pH 4.61, gold chloride concentration 4 mM and temperature 53.61 °C. A significant improvement in the model efficiency for predicting AuNP biosynthesis around 37.60%, in terms of root mean square error was obtained with the developed ANN-linear2 model, compared to the traditional response surface methodology.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil Organic Horizons Depending on the Soil Burn Severity and Type of Ecosystem

Land Degradation & Development

DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2806

Because forest fires are a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the influence of burnt conditions is of paramount importance and has not been thoroughly studied yet. In this study, two types of forest stands (Pinus nigra and Pinus pinaster) and two shrubland systems (Erica arborea and Ulex europaeus), differing in litter properties (composition and flammability), were considered. Changes in PAH levels were analysed in unburnt and charred litter, and they were related to different levels of soil burn severity and the organic matter composition of the charred litter, including charcoal and/or ashes. For monitoring PAH levels, an analytical method to determine them in unburnt and burnt woodland samples by pressure liquid extraction using a solid phase extraction cleanup was optimized. The highest levels of PAHs were found in the charred litter of P. pinaster (especially at soil burn severity = 200–400 °C), followed by U. europaeus, which presented similar concentration than Erica arborea and, finally, P. nigra. An association between the low molecular weight PAHs and 50% burn‐off temperature differential scanning calorimetry supports the idea of fire smoke as the main source of low molecular weight PAHs in charred biomass generated at temperatures of 200–400 °C. Instead, the fraction of high molecular weight PAHs is related to hydrogen‐to‐carbon and oxygen‐to‐carbon ash‐free dry weight, with charring depending on their organic matter content in the burnt material. PAH mobility will depend on the solubility of the organic matter, which is higher at higher pHs. The higher risk is the transport downstream to rivers or wet systems.

A review on the application of chromatographic methods, coupled to chemometrics, for food authentication

Food Control, 93, 165-182, 2018

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2018.06.015

The increase of food adulteration, inducing losing a large amount of money as well as of the confidence of consumers, has become an urgent issue for producers, researchers, governments and consumers. Chromatographic methods, in combination with chemometrics, are usually developed and applied throughout the food chain to verify the nature or origin of food, with both targeted (metabolomics) and non-targeted (profiling) approaches. Their operation, together with their advantages and drawbacks, will be discussed in this review to show strategies to solve food authentication issues.

II RISEGAL MEETING

II RISEGAL meeting

1st June 2018

10:00 a.m.	Welcome Arrival to IIM-CSIC, tea and coffee
10:30 a.m.	Dr. Marta López Cabo Senior Scientist IIM-CSIC. Coordinator of RISEGAL Galician Net for the Identification of Emerging Risks in Food Safety (RISEGAL)
10:40 a.m.	Dr. Santiago Pascual del Hierro Senior Scientist IIM-CSIC Risk assessment of parasites in fishery products
11:00 a.m.	Dr. Jesús L. Romalde Professor of Microbiology. University of Santiago de Compostela Enteric viruses as emerging risks in food safety
11:20 a.m.	Dr. Jesús Simal Gándara Head of the Department of Analytical Chemistry and Food Science. University of Vigo The Agro-Environmental and Food Research Group: research lines and a case for residual reference values in food
11:40 a.m.	Dra. Caroline Merten Member of the Scientific Committee & Emerging Risks Unit (SCER), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) EFSA Emerging Risks Activities
12:40 p.m.	Questions and discussion
13:30 p.m.	Close

Conference venue: Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC). Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208, Vigo (Spain)

Avances en LC/MS/MS para dar Respuesta a los Desafíos en Acuicultura

Propuestas

·       Puesta en valor de una tecnología sólida y ampliamente probada.

·       Presentación de los últimos avances tecnológicos en acoplamientos LC/MS, en baja y alta resolución. 

·       Capacidad de análisis, tanto cualitativos como cuantitativos de gran calidad, simultáneamente. 

·       Solución total integrada, con el software completo de tratamiento de datos.

Agenda 

10:00-10:15. Recepción y entrega de documentación

10:15-10:30. Bienvenida y presentación

• Dr. Jesús Simal-Gándara,Director Dpto. Química Analítica y Alimentaria (UVigo)
• Dr. Javier Lago, SCIEX

10:30-11:00. Estrategias para la determinación y confirmación de biotoxinas

• Dra. Ana Gago-Martínez, Directora del Laboratorio de Referencia de la Unión Europea para Biotoxinas Marinas

11:00-11:30. Nuevas tecnologías: Rompiendo barreras y abriendo nuevos horizontes en TQ LC-MS/MS

• Dr. Josep Lluis Lliberia, SCIEX

11:30-12:00. Pausa / Café

12:00-12:30. Photodegradation study of different classes of organic contaminants in the aquatic environment: non-target by-product identification by on-line SPE-LC-(QTOF)-HRMS

• Dr. Thierry Dagnac, Agronomic and Agrarian Research Centre (INGACAL-CIAM)

12:30-13:00. Determinación de residuos en Acuicultura 

• Dr. Manuel Lolo, AMS LAB

13:00-13:30. Nuevas tecnologías: Rompiendo barreras y abriendo horizontes en HR-MS LC-MS/MS

• Dr. Josep Lluis Lliberia, SCIEX

13:30-14:00. Preguntas y comentarios

Nitric oxide release from a cucurbituril encapsulated NO-donor

Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry

DOI: 10.1039/c8ob00895g

Controlling S-nitrosothiols decomposition, with the consequent release of nitric oxide, is a topic of great research effort. Nitrosomercaptopyridine (SNO+) incorporation into cucurbit[7]uril cavity results in a large increase of its nitrosation equilibrium constant. This effect being a consequence of the stabilization of organic cations by formation of host:guest complexes with CB7 resulting in a drastic reduction of the SNO+ denitrosation rate constant. Moreover SNO+ encapsulation also prevents its decomposition yielding disulfide and nitric oxide. Expulsion of SNO+ from the cucurbirutil cavity by using a competitive guest results nitric oxide release as was confirmed by using a NO selective electrode.

Use of spectroscopic methods in combination with linear discriminant analysis for authentication of food products

Food Control, 2018, 91, 100-112

DOI:10.1016/j.foodcont.2018.03.031

Spectroscopic methods are efficient tools for food authentication due to the advantages of high sensitivity, rapidness, simplicity and their convenience. The combined used of spectroscopic methods and linear discriminant analysis has provided powerful tools for detecting food fraud. This review discusses their operational details, advantages and disadvantages.

Encapsulation of Essential Oils by Cyclodextrins: Characterization and Evaluation

Cyclodextrin: A Versatile Ingredient

doi: 0.5772/intechopen.73589

The essential oils normally had low physicochemical stability and low solubility in water. These facts limit their industrial applications in general and in food formulations particu- larly. This chapter characterizes the physicochemical properties and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of three encapsulated essential oils – guava leaf, yarrow and black pepper essential oils – in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD).

Meat quality in relation to swine well-being after transport and during lairage at the slaughterhouse

Meat Science, 2018, 142, 38-43

DOI:10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.04.005

Cortisol and corticosterone in saliva were evaluated as pig stress biomarkers, using pig genotype (Duroc, L62 or Pietrain) and lairage time in the slaughterhouse (0, 2.0, 4.0 or 6.0 h) as controlled variables. Although some pigs were found to be carriers of stress susceptibility, all were healthy heterozygous individuals. Pre-slaughter transport increased cortisol levels in saliva above 3.0 μg/L (medium stress), and 4.0 h of lairage in the slaughterhouse raised them above 6.0 μg/L, whereas corticosterone concentrations exceeded 4 μg/L, which are suggestive of high stress. The highest cortisol levels were detected in the Duroc genotype. Other factors such as food deprivation, background noise, the presence of a large number of animals waiting to be slaughtered, mixing with unfamiliar animals or recent mixing of genders may also influence stress. Corticosterone proved a reliable indicator of high stress only. Meat quality from the pig breeds studied was not affected by lairage in the slaughterhouse for up to 6.0 h.

Modelling the isothermal degradation kinetics of metrafenone and mepanipyrim in a grape juice analog

Food Research International, 108, 339-346, 2018

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.03.058

Five photodegradation products of metrafenone (MTF) and six of mepanipyrim (MEP) were identified in synthetic grape juice at 25 °C and the structures of the main reaction products established. The degradation of MTF and MEP was modelled by using three different strategies involving monitoring (a) the disappearance of the parent compound, (b) the conversion of the parent compound into its main structurally related reaction products and (c) the degradation of the parent compound to all intermediates and degradation end-products. The kinetic coefficients of degradation for these fungicides were determined and the corresponding half-lives found to be 20.8 h for MFT and 10.1 h for MEP. The proposed models afford reasonably accurate interpretation of the experimental data. Based on the results, modelling the kinetics of disappearance of the parent compound by itself does not ensure the best fit of the degradation behaviour of the fungicides.

Nutraceutical Potential of Phenolics from ′Brava′ and ′Mansa′ Extra-Virgin Olive Oils on the Inhibition of Enzymes Associated to Neurodegenerative Disorders in Comparison with Those of ′Picual′ and ′Cornicabra′

Molecules, 23, 722, 2018

DOI: 10.3390/molecules23040722

The increasing interest in the Mediterranean diet is based on the protective effects against several diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. Polyphenol-rich functional foods have been proposed to be unique supplementary and nutraceutical treatments for these disorders. Extra-virgin olive oils (EVOOs) obtained from ′Brava′ and ′Mansa′, varieties recently identified from Galicia (northwestern Spain), were selected for in vitro screening to evaluate their capacity to inhibit key enzymes involved in Alzheimer′s disease (AD) (acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX)), major depressive disorder (MDD) and Parkinson′s disease (PD) (monoamine oxidases: hMAO-A and hMAO-B respectively). ′Brava′ oil exhibited the best inhibitory activity against all enzymes, when they are compared to ′Mansa′ oil: BuChE (IC50 = 245 ± 5 and 591 ± 23 mg·mL−1), 5-LOX (IC50 = 45 ± 7 and 106 ± 14 mg·mL−1), hMAO-A (IC50 = 30 ± 1 and 72 ± 10 mg·mL−1) and hMAO-B (IC50 = 191 ± 8 and 208 ± 14 mg·mL−1), respectively. The inhibitory capacity of the phenolic extracts could be associated with the content of secoiridoids, lignans and phenolic acids.

Aldehydes as Additives in AOT-based Microemulsions: Influence on the Electrical Percolation

Tenside Surfactants Detergents, 55 (2), 2018, 110-115.

The influence of alkyl-aldehydes upon electric percolation of AOT-based microemulsions has been studied. The number of carbons in the hydrocarbon chain was varied between 0 and 5 atoms (chain length between 0 and 7.33 Å). Two different behaviors were found, while the presence in the microemulsion of short chains aldehydes implies a decrease in the percolation temperature, aldehydes with 4 or 5 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain increase the percolation threshold. This opposite behavior has been justified in terms of aldehyde location in the microheterogeneous system.

Geochemical signatures of the groundwaters from Ourense thermal springs, Galicia, Spain

Sustainable Water Resources Management

DOI: 10.1007/s40899-018-0239-3

Different hot springs and boreholes in the city of Ourense, Galicia, Spain, have been studied to determine the mineral equilibrium conditions of the discharged groundwaters and the reservoir temperatures predicted by the equilibrium conditions. Ourense is located in the Miño River’s valley. The area is characterized by two fault systems, which determine groundwater circulation. A NW trending fault system is the permeable system that transfers groundwater and heat to springs in the Miño River valley as it is evident from the location of the springs in the region. Groundwaters traveling and discharging from granitic and schistose rocks are mainly bicarbonate waters. In comparison, groundwaters traveling and discharging from granodiorite rocks can be bicarbonate, sulfate or chloride waters. Different equilibrium activity diagrams for the dominant cations in groundwater (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) have been constructed to correlate water equilibrium conditions with the mineral assemblage, K-feldspar, clinochlore, muscovite, quartz, and calcite. Granites and schists are the rocks within which groundwater circulation approaches mineral equilibrium with equilibrium temperatures around 140–160 °C. Groundwaters circulating throughout granodiorite seem a little bit high in Mg2+ to reach equilibrium conditions. Miño River’s tectonic valley presents strong morphological contrasts in terms of faulting and rock types to the north of the river that allow increased longitude and depth of groundwater circulation. These conditions allow close achievement of water–mineral equilibrium conditions. More research is needed to know the extension of this energy resource and optimize its use.