Exploring the Potential of Wild Andean Blueberries for Powdered Juice Production through Spray Drying.

The Andean blueberry ( Sw) is an underutilized wild fruit native to South America. It is known for its antioxidant properties and potential health benefits. In this study, Andean blueberry juice powders were produced via spray drying, using maltodextrin (MD), gum Arabic (GA) or a combination of both (MD:GA) as wall materials.

Debittering of Grape Juice by Electrospun Nylon Nanofibrous Membranes: Impact of Filtration on Physicochemical, Functional, and Sensory Properties.

The effect of electrospun nylon-6 nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) on the concentration of bitter compounds and antioxidants of grapefruit juices during dead-end filtration processes was studied. Filtration experiments with aqueous standard solutions of different molecules showed that NFMs retain low molecular weight antioxidants (i.e.

Bioactive Attributes and Analysis of Electronic Nose Feature Signals of Colombian Stingless Bees Propolis.

The volatile and non-volatile chemical composition and bioactivity of propolis from the species Apis mellifera has been widely studied, but there is very little knowledge regarding propolis of other bee species, which ultimately hinders their differentiation and potential use. In this work, 53 propolis samples of A. mellifera and four stingless bee species (Frieseomielitta sp.

Probiotics in anthocyanin-rich fruit beverages: research and development for novel synbiotic products.

Anthocyanin-rich fruit beverages are of special interest as functional products due to their antioxidant activity, antimicrobial properties against pathogens, and, more recently, evidence of prebiotic potential. The stability and bioactivity of anthocyanins, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics have been extensively documented in beverage models and reviewed separately. This review summarizes the most recent works and methodologies used for the development of probiotic and synbiotic beverages based on anthocyanin-rich fruits with a synergistic perspective.

New Freeze-Dried Andean Blueberry Juice Powders for Potential Application as Functional Food Ingredients: Effect of Maltodextrin on Bioactive and Morphological Features.

Andean blueberry ( Swartz) fruits are an underutilized source of anthocyanins and other valuable bioactive phytochemicals. The purpose of this work was to obtain Andean blueberry juice powders via freeze-drying processing and evaluate the effect of maltodextrin as a drying aid on their physicochemical, technological, microstructural, and bioactive characteristics. Andean blueberry juices were mixed with variable proportions of maltodextrin (20-50%); freeze-dried; and characterized in terms of their tristimulus color, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), moisture content, water activity, morphology, water solubility, flow properties, total polyphenols and anthocyanins content, and DPPH-scavenging capacity.

Pullulan nanofibers containing the antimicrobial palindromic peptide LfcinB (21-25) obtained electrospinning.

Electrospinning technology is useful for making ultrafine drug-eluting fibers for the clinical treatment of wounds. We show the incorporation of an antimicrobial LfcinB-derived peptide into Pullulan nanofibers. The palindromic peptide LfcinB (21-25): RWQWRWQWR was synthesized, purified, and characterized by means of the RP-HPLC and MALDI-TOF MS methods.

Encapsulation of volatiles in nanofibrous polysaccharide membranes for humidity-triggered release.

A single-step electrospinning process will be applied to a blend of edible carbohydrate polymers (pullulan and β-cyclodextrin) to encapsulate bioactive aroma compounds and allow a humidity-triggered release. The encapsulation is rapid and efficient and the final product is an active nanofibrous membrane that can be directly used for food or active packaging applications. The membrane hosts small and homogeneously dispersed crystals of cyclodextrin-aroma complexes which are formed during the electrospinning.

Sugar determination via the homogeneous reduction of Au salts: a novel optical measurement.

A novel optical assay for sugar determination based on the catalytic and biocatalytic growth of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is presented. The reaction of carbohydrates with these Au salts in alkaline media generates AuNPs at room temperature (RT) without the need for Au seeds in the solution or fibrous mesh. The optical properties of the resulting AuNPs relates to the total reducing sugar content of the samples analyzed.