Properties and kinetic behavior of free and immobilized laccase from Oudemansiella canarii: Emphasis on the effects of NaCl and NaSO on catalytic activities.

Studies have highlighted the great potential of Oudemansiella canarii laccase in degrading synthetic dyes for reducing their toxicity. Immobilization of enzymes improves usability in degradation processes and the present work succeeded in immobilizing this laccase onto MANAE-agarose. Immobilization improved pH, thermal, and storage stabilities.

A Critical Appraisal of the Most Recent Investigations on Ora-Pro-Nobis ( sp.): Economical, Botanical, Phytochemical, Nutritional, and Ethnopharmacological Aspects.

Miller and Haw, known as 'ora-pro-nobis', are unconventional vegetables belonging to the Cactaceae family, native to the Americas and common in the northeast and southeast regions of Brazil. This review attempts to present a balanced account of both the methods used for obtaining extracts from the diverse parts of the plants and the results that were obtained in terms of their applicability to foods and other products with biological activities. Attention will also be devoted to the properties of their bioactives and their applications to real food products.

Exploring the α-amylase-inhibitory properties of tannin-rich extracts of Cytinus hypocistis on starch digestion.

Cytinus hypocistis(L.) L. is an edible parasitic plant that grows within the roots of its host.

A Critical Appraisal of the Most Recent Investigations on the Hepatoprotective Action of Brazilian Plants.

Conventional treatments for liver diseases are often burdened by side effects caused by chemicals. For minimizing this problem, the search for medicines based on natural products has increased. The objective of this review was to collect data on the potential hepatoprotective activity of plants of the Brazilian native flora.

Production of fungal laccase on pineapple waste and application in detoxification of malachite green.

The main purpose of this work was to use pineapple crowns as substrate for optimizing laccase production by in lab-scale experiments. One-factor-at-the-time analysis and response surface methodology were used to optimize production. A single laccase with molecular weight of 45 kDa was the main protein produced.

Ficus carica L. and Prunus spinosa L. extracts as new anthocyanin-based food colorants: A thorough study in confectionery products.

The present work describes the evaluation of fig peels and blackthorn fruit extracts as natural purple colorants in doughnuts (icing) and in a typical Brazilian pastry called "beijinho". The extracts were screened for their antioxidant activity as well as their antibacterial capacity. Nutritionally, the employed extracts did not induce significant changes, contrarily to the observed for the rheological features, mainly the darker purple tone observed when blackthorn extract was used in the icing solution.

Recovery of bioactive anthocyanin pigments from Ficus carica L. peel by heat, microwave, and ultrasound based extraction techniques.

Due to its coloration, the fig (Ficus carica L.) peel, a by-product of fruit processing and/or consumption, is a potential source of anthocyanin compounds. In the present study different extraction techniques (heat, ultrasound, and microwave) were compared aiming to recover the anthocyanin pigments and optimize its extraction conditions.