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The incidences of diabetes are on the constant rise, and thus need an alternative dietary approach to improve glucose metabolism in type II diabetes patients. Fruits and vegetables have long been known for their beneficial fiber, phenolics and antioxidants, and by incorporating these dietary components into our everyday diet have proven beneficial in controlling the glucose metabolism. In this study, Prime-Jan and Kiowa blackberry cultivars were evaluated for their anti-diabetic properties using a variety of in vitro assays. Overall, the Kiowa blackberry reigned supreme over the Prime-Jan blackberry in the majority of functionality assays, more specifically alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, total soluble phenolics and DPPH free radical scavenging activity. In an attempt to incorporate anti-hypertensive properties into this study, we chose to integrate the Bartlett pear, known as the most widely consumed pear in the United States and recognized for its moderate ACE inhibition. Our results indicated a combination of 70% pear to 30% blackberry as the most beneficial ratio for exhibiting high alpha-amylase (96.5%) and alpha-glucosidase inhibition (95.6%). Additionally, the 70/30 combination exhibited high DPPH free radical scavenging activity (80.7%), total soluble phenolics (1.9 mg/g FW), while also maintaining moderately high ACE inhibition (25.2%). Therefore, there is vast potential for a combination of 70% pear to 30% blackberry to serve as a beneficial alternative in the diet of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes.

<p>  </p> <p>The potential of lignocellulose for producing fermentable sugars as feedstock to manufacture fuels, chemicals, and materials for decarbonization remains untapped due to costly logistics and conversion processes. Pelleting technology offers a solution by addressing logistical issues and impacting downstream conversion, though it comes with its own costs. An overview of recent advances in pelleting technologies and their impact on bioconversion highlights the importance of understanding variables and product attributes. The interplay between pelleting and pretreatment processes, considering various feedstocks, is crucial for future design. Practical considerations such as energy consumption, costs, and environmental impacts must not be overlooked, along with exploration of cutting-edge technologies and strategies in this field. This work further presents a comprehensive investigation into the recalcitrance of pelleted corn stover to enzymatic digestion prior to any pretreatment.</p> <p>The potential of lignocellulose for producing fermentable sugars as feedstock to manufacture fuels, chemicals, and materials for decarbonization remains untapped due to costly logistics and conversion processes. Pelleting technology offers a solution by addressing logistical issues and impacting downstream conversion, though it comes with its own costs. An overview of recent advances in pelleting technologies and their impact on bioconversion highlights the importance of understanding variables and product attributes. The interplay between pelleting and pretreatment processes, considering various feedstocks, is crucial for future design. Practical considerations such as energy consumption, costs, and environmental impacts must not be overlooked, along with exploration of cutting-edge technologies and strategies in this field. </p> <p>This dissertation further presents a comprehensive investigation into the recalcitrance of pelleted corn stover to enzymatic digestion prior to any pretreatment. One aspect focuses on the role of high moisture pelleting in enhancing the enzymatic digestibility of corn stover before pretreatment, along with the relevant substrate characteristics. The pelleting process increases the digestibility of unpretreated corn stover, resulting in a glucan conversion increase from 8.2% to 15.5% at a 5% solid loading using 1 FPU Cellic® CTec2 per gram of solids. Under the same enzymatic hydrolysis conditions, the conversion of glucan remains higher for pelleted corn stover compared to its non-pelleted counterpart, even though both samples underwent identical milling processes and passed through the same screen to minimize particle impact. Compositional analysis reveals that loose and pelleted corn stover have similar non-dissolvable compositions, albeit with differences in their extractives. Using microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) as a substrate, the presence of corn stover extractives results in a lower sugar yield compared to using citrate buffer instead, particularly for extractives from pelleted corn stover. This indicates a more negative impact of pelleted corn stover extractives on the activity of employed enzyme, CTec2. However, pelleted corn stover still shows increased overall glucan conversion compared to loose corn stover, suggesting improved digestibility of non-dissolvable components after milling and washing. The improvement in digestibility of pelleted material can be attributed to factors such as reduced particle size, enhanced substrate accessibility, and hydrolysis of cross-linking structures induced by the pelleting process. These findings offer valuable insights for the development of processing strategies aimed at sustainable and efficient utilization of lignocellulose.</p> <p>Furthermore, this dissertation delves into the profound impact of extractives on enzymatic hydrolysis, prompting a thorough examination of the composition and characteristics of extractives derived from pelleted corn stover, as well as their effects on enzymatic conversion. In contrast to previous reports, it is discovered that water extractable materials actually enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of extractive-free stover, while the enzyme activities diminish when using microcrystalline cellulose as a substrate. This divergent behavior of extractives is attributed to the presence of lignin, which may interact with inhibitory compounds like phenolics, thereby mitigating the detrimental effects of soluble inhibitors or insoluble lignin, or both. These findings significantly advance our fundamental understanding of the intrinsic behavior of extractives and contribute to the optimization of schemes for efficient and cost-competitive enzymatic conversion of lignocellulose. </p>

Blueberry juice and pomace, enzyme pretreated (PT) or not, were extracted (EM) by steam and hot press methods. The pomace was further dried by convection oven (OD) or freeze-dried (FD). Juice yield was not affected by PT but was greater for steam extract (SE), due to water uptake. Carbohydrate and protein concentration were greater for hot-pressed (HP) pomace. Anthocyanins were not affected by PT or EM whereas phenolics were greater HP juice when subjected to enzymes. Dehydration method did not affect total phenolics when pomace was from HP but were higher in OD SE pomace. Enzymatic pretreatment had little influence on pomace quality, but HP pomace resulted in higher nutrients probably due to dilution. Oven drying resulted in slight degradation of pomace anthocyanins but not total phenolics. The dried pomace was shown to possess good nutrient quality and elevated functional components and can be used for value-added products.

A two-year study was conducted to assess the effects of cofermentation on red wine varietals. During the winemaking process, wines can be made from two or more varieties by picking, crushing and fermenting them together, a practice known as cofermentation. They can also be blended either after the completion of alcoholic fermentation or after malolactic fermentation. In the first year of the study, two grape varieties, Merlot (Mer), and Malbec (Mal) were cofermented. On the second year, a third varietal, Petite Sirah (PS) was also studied. Cofermented wines containing every possible binomial combination of the varietals was made and one trinomial on 2019. The cofermented wines were compared to monovarietal wines and also to wines that were produced by blending either after alcoholic fermentation or after malolactic fermentation. The phenolic profile of the wines was followed from the onset of fermentation up to 36 months of bottle aging for the 2018 vintage and in the case of the 2019 vintage, up until 250 days after crushing. In 2018, cofermented wines and wines that were blended after malolactic fermentation had an anthocyanin profile that was more similar to Malbec than to Merlot, while the tannin profile was more resemblant of Merlot. In 2019 cofermentation improved the anthocyanin content when compared to post alcoholic and post malolactic blend only when the three varietals were cofermented. A sensory analysis with 10 trained individuals was conducted on the 2018 vintage. It was demonstrated that Malbec wines had a higher amount of red fruit aromas while Merlot wines were perceived as being more astringent. Cofermented and post malolactic fermentation blended wines were indistinguishable to panelists and blending after alcoholic fermentation produced wines that highlighted the individual varietal character.

No description available.

No description available.

Os bambus nativos do Brasil, com exceção de seu uso como material de construção, têm encontrado poucas aplicações devido à falta de conhecimento abrangente sobre sua composição química e atividades biológicas. Neste projeto, foram pesquisados extratos etanólicos de colmos e folhas de cinco espécies de bambu do Sudeste brasileiro: Aulonemia aristulata (Döll) McClure., Chusquea bambusoides Rupr. Ex Döll, Chusquea capituliflora Trin. var. pubescens McClure, Chusquea meyeriana Rupr. e Merostachys pluriflora Munro ex E.G. Camus, para avaliar sua atividade antioxidante, composição química, e atividade foto-protetora. O potencial antioxidante das plantas foi avaliado através do método do sequestro do radical livre DPPH, onde os extratos apresentaram valores de CI50 entre 137 e 260 &#181;g/mL. O teor de compostos fenólicos e flavonoides foi determinado através dos métodos com o reagente Folin-Ciocalteau e AlCl3. O conteúdo de fenólicos totais variou de 43 a 87 &#181;g equivalentes de ácido gálico por mg de extrato seco. O extrato mais rico em flavonoides foi o de C. bambusoides, com 6,44 &#181;g equivalentes de quercetina por mg da amostra. A análise preliminar da composição química dos extratos foi realizada por cromatografia em camada delgada, excluindo a presença de flavonoides comuns nos bambus asiáticos. A eficácia de proteção solar e a foto-estabilidade in vitro das formulações cosméticas com extratos de bambus (10%) e filtros solares comerciais foi estimada por espectrofotometria de reflectância difusa com esfera de integração em placas de polimetilmetacrilato. Os dados obtidos foram convertidos em fator de proteção solar (FPS) antes e depois da irradiação, que variaram respectivamente entre 34,52 86,15 e 14,33 44,44. A seguir, foi avaliada a citotoxicidade frente a uma linhagem de células epiteliais de retina humana (RPE) do extrato mais promissor de colmos de M. pluriflora, sendo o mesmo classificado como não-tóxico. O fracionamento desse extrato potencializou a ação antioxidante e foto-protetora, aumentando a concentração das substâncias ativas no extrato selecionado. Adicionalmente, foram realizados outros ensaios cromatográficos (CG-EM e CLAE), os quais identificaram ácidos graxos, ácidos fenólicos e produtos característicos de decomposição de ligninas como os compostos principais nas frações ativas. Uma amostra de formulação cosmética com extrato de colmos M. pluriflora (5%) e com filtros solares foi enviada para Instituto de Pesquisa IPClin, onde foram realizados testes de FPS e foto-irritação in vivo. A média de FPS in vivo da formulação foi 23, enquanto, o FPS da formulação controle, 15. Devido a sua abundância, o ácido p-cumárico, pode ser o principal responsável pela atividade observada. O produto com o extrato não causou irritação da pele dos voluntários após a irradiação. Os resultados indicam que as espécies de bambu do Brasil aumentam o FPS dos filtros solares comerciais e são seguros para o uso externo, com potencial para a produção de cosméticos fotoprotetores. / Differently of Asian species, the native Brazilian bamboo speciesare mostly used in the construction industry, with no pharmaceutical applications described, as their chemical composition and biological effects are unknown. In this project, we evaluated the chemical composition, antioxidant and photoprotective activity of ethanolic extracts from five bamboos from the South of Brazil: Aulonemia aristulata (Döll) McClure., Chusquea bambusoides Rupr. Ex Döll, Chusquea capituliflora Trin. var. pubescens McClure, Chusquea meyeriana Rupr. and Merostachys pluriflora Munro ex E.G. Camus. DPPH radical scavenging activity assay was used to estimate the antioxidant potencial of the plants, and the IC50 received varied between 137 and 260 &#181;g/mL. Total phenolics and flavonoids contents were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau and AlCl3 reagents. The bamboo dry extracts showed between 43 - 87 &#181;g gallic acid equivalents and up to 7 &#181;g of quercetin equivalents per mg of the sample. Preliminary analysis of the chemical composition done by Thin Layer Chromatography in silica plates, indicated that the most common flavonoids found in Asian species were not present in the Brazilian bamboos. Photoprotective activity of the developed cosmetic formulations, containing commercial solar filters and 10% of the extracts, was evaluated by diffuse transmittance with an integrating sphere on PMMA plates. The samples presented Sun Protection Factor (SPF) from 34 86 before to 14 44 after the irradiation, and a broad spectrum of action. The most promising extract, M. pluriflora culms, was chosen for the second part of the project, which involved further studies on its composition and in vivo photoprotective activity. The selected extract had its cytotoxicity evaluated, to confirm its safety, against retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells. The extract was fractioned, and the fractions were evaluated for their total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Fractions separation increased the quantity of the active compounds and, consequently, their antioxidant and photoprotective effect. Additionally, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography analysis of the fractions showed the presence of fatty acids, phenolic acids and products of lignin decomposition as the main compounds. Due to its abundance, p-coumaric acid might be responsible for the antioxidant activity and photoprotection of the bamboo extract. The photoprotective formulation with 5% of the extract was sent to a clinical research center, IPClin, to have their SPF in vivo and photosensitivity effect estimated on healthy volunteers. The in vivo SPF was 23 for the extract formulation and 15 for the control with only commercial filters. These results indicated that native bamboo species can be a source of natural photoprotective substances, which would prevent the addition of high amount of synthetic solar filters, that can easily degrade and cause skin allergies and irritation.

Submitted by PPG Engenharia e Tecnologia de Materiais (engenharia.pg.materiais@pucrs.br) on 2018-06-11T12:25:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Investiga??o de atividades biol?gicas e potencial uso de extratos das flores de Acacia mearnsii o.pdf: 2416660 bytes, checksum: d1a24de16c6bbd6f86f46d3c0bb1dbc0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Sheila Dias (sheila.dias@pucrs.br) on 2018-06-21T18:41:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Investiga??o de atividades biol?gicas e potencial uso de extratos das flores de Acacia mearnsii o.pdf: 2416660 bytes, checksum: d1a24de16c6bbd6f86f46d3c0bb1dbc0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-21T18:54:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Investiga??o de atividades biol?gicas e potencial uso de extratos das flores de Acacia mearnsii o.pdf: 2416660 bytes, checksum: d1a24de16c6bbd6f86f46d3c0bb1dbc0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-28 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / Although the Acacia mearnsii tree is widely cultivated and used in the industry, its flowers are seldom researched. Considering the extensive availability of A. mearnsii flowers and the growing interest in natural products, this work aimed at the obtainment of extracts from these flowers and investigation of their composition and biochemistry properties. In this work, essential oil and aqueous extract by steam distillation and extracts were obtained with supercritical fluid. The essential oil was characterized by CG-MS and olfactometry. The main compounds identified in the essential oil were 8-heptadecene, heptadecane, nonadecane e kaurene. The main aroma detected by olfactometric analysis was roast nutty, as well as coffee, sweet, floral, vegetal and spicy. Antioxidant activity was determined and the aqueous extract showed an activity superior to rutin standard. LC-qTOF-MS identified 42 likely phenolic compounds, such as quercitrin, naringenin, myricetin, rutin, and robinetin. The extracts obtained by supercritical extraction and isolated fractions presented activity against S. aureus. The yield of the supercritical extraction was optimized using factorial planning and mass transfer parameters were obtained through mathematical models that represent the extraction curve. Thus, it was concluded that the flowers of A. mearnsii can be exploited by extractive processes used in this study to generate a plant by-product. The results indicate the aromatic and antioxidant potential of the essential oil and aqueous extract, respectively, obtained with 2.0 bar steam distillation, while the supercritical extract has antibacterial action. / A Acacia mearnsii, apesar de ser amplamente cultivada e utilizada industrialmente, n?o tem o potencial de suas flores explorado. Considerando a disponibilidade de flores da A. mearnsii e o crescente interesse por produtos naturais, esse trabalho consistiu na obten??o de extratos destas flores e na investiga??o de suas composi??es e a??es bioqu?micas. A pesquisa compreendeu a extra??o do ?leo essencial e a obten??o do extrato aquoso de flores da planta via destila??o por arraste a vapor, al?m da extra??o com fluido supercr?tico. O ?leo essencial foi analisado por GC-MS e apresentou, entre os 31 compostos identificados, 8-heptadeceno, heptadecano, nonadecano e caureno como compostos majorit?rios. Na an?lise olfatom?trica (GC-O), os principais aromas detectados no ?leo essencial foram caf?, doce, floral, vegetal e refrescante, com destaque para ?castanha/defumado?. O extrato aquoso das flores da A. mearnsii apresentou atividade antioxidante superior ? da rutina. Utilizando cromatografia de alta resolu??o (LC-qTOF/MS), foram verificados 42 prov?veis compostos fen?licos, entre eles, quercitrina, naringenina, miricetina, rutina, robinetina. Os extratos obtidos via extra??o supercr?tica e fra??es isoladas apresentaram atividade frente a S. aureus. O rendimento da extra??o supercr?tica foi otimizado utilizando planejamento fatorial e par?metros da transfer?ncia de massa foram obtidos atrav?s de modelos matem?ticos que representam a curva de extra??o. Assim, concluiu-se que as flores de A. mearnsii podem ser exploradas pelos processos extrativos empregados nesse estudo a fim de gerar um co-produto da cadeia produtiva da planta, uma vez que o ?leo essencial e o extrato aquoso, obtidos pela extra??o por arraste a vapor a 2,0 bar, possuem, respectivamente, potencial arom?tico e poder antioxidante, enquanto o extrato obtido com fluido supercr?tico apresenta a??o antibacteriana.

Atualmente, há uma considerável quantidade de informações relativas a aspectos químicos e biológicos da própolis, porém sua aplicação terapêutica ainda pode ser considerada incipiente. Isto se deve, principalmente, a grande variabilidade da composição química deste produto em função de sua origem geográfica/botânica, já que em diferentes ecossistemas as abelhas recorrem a distintas espécies vegetais como fontes de matérias-primas para sua elaboração. Desta forma, para se chegar a uma futura padronização, os conhecimentos da(s) fonte(s) botânica(s) e da origem geográfica da amostra são fundamentais e devem acompanhar qualquer estudo biológico, no sentido de se estabelecer quais atividades biológicas correspondem a um tipo específico de própolis. O presente trabalho objetiva contribuir para os conhecimentos da composição de própolis do estado de São Paulo (coletado na Serra do Japi) e de sua fonte botânica, bem como para a discussão dos possíveis mecanismos envolvidos em processos de cicatrização, influenciados pela aplicação tópica de própolis (um de seus usos mais difundidos mundialmente é como \"cicatrizante\"). Para tanto, traz análises físico-químicas, preconizadas pelo Ministério da Agricultura (teores de cinzas, cera, sólidos solúveis, flavonóides e fenóis totais, perda por dessecação a 105 ºC e massa mecânica), estudos de composição química pela técnica CLAE, análises cromatográficas comparativas entre o extrato metanólico de própolis e de sua suposta fonte botânica, quantifica a complexação de substâncias fenólicas da própolis ao pó de pele e traz estudos, in vitro, da influência deste produto sobre proliferação de fibroblastos de camundongos (células NIH 3T3). Excetuando-se a perda por dessecação a 105 ºC, todos os demais parâmetros estiveram dentro dos limites estabelecidos pelo Ministério da Agricultura, para a fixação de identidade e qualidade da própolis. Identifica os flavonóides canferol, canferida e isossacuranetina e os ácidos para-cumárico, ferúlico, clorogênico, cafeico, trans-cinâmico e Artepillin C, na própolis, e comprova ser a Baccharis dracunculifolia DC. (vassourinha) a sua fonte botânica. Mostra que a própolis foi tóxica aos fibroblastos nas concentrações de 125,00; 62,50 e 31,25 &#181;g/mL e levemente proliferativa entre as concentrações 7,812 e 0,732 &#181;g/mL, mas sem diferenças estatisticamente significativas em relação a seus controles. Indica que 68,12% das substâncias fenólicas presentes no extrato etanólico de própolis complexaram com pó de pele. Conclui, dentre outras coisas, que a própolis estudada apresenta grande variedade de substâncias fenólicas, adsorve fortemente a pele humana, não possui efeito proliferativo estatisticamente significativo sobre os fibroblastos de camundongo (células NIH 3T3) e, provavelmente, atua auxiliando o processo de cicatrização indiretamente, facilitando o estabelecimento das condições ideais para que a cicatrização ocorra. / Nowadays a great amount of information relating chemical and biological aspects of propolis is available in the literature, but only a few data on its therapeutic uses are found. The major reason of this fact is due to the enormous variability of chemical composition of propolis regarding the geographiclbotanic source of the material, because bees prepare propolis using different vegetable species as raw materiais from different e cosystems in the environment. In order to increase the therapeutic use of propolis, it is important to establish which biological activity corresponds to a specific type of propolis (regarding its origin and chemical composition). Therefore, the botanical and geographic origin of propolis knowledge should follow any biological investigations with this material. This paper offers a contribution to the chemical composition knowledge of propolis from São Paulo state (Serra do Japi - Brazil) and its botanical vegetable source, as well as the discussion of possible mechanisms involved in wound healing process related to this material. For this reason, presents commended Ministry of Agricultural analysis (loss on drying at 105 ºC, determinations of extractable and non-extractable matter and determinations of ash, wax, flavonoids and total phenolic contents), chemical composition studies by HPLC, comparative chromatographic analysis between propolis and its expected vegetal source, adsorption determination of phenolic substances in skin powder and fibroblast proliferation assay (NIH 3T3 cells). Excepting the drying loss test at 105 ºC, all the parameters have been according the limits established by the Ministry of Agricultural to guarantee the identity and quality of propolis. Identification of kaempferol, kaempferide, isosakuranetin, Artepillin C, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and t-cinnamic acid in propolis was possible. The specie Baccharis dracunculifolia DC was identified as the vegetable source of the propolis. About 68% of phenolic substances present in the original extract adsorbed to the skin powder. Propolis was toxic to the fibroblasts at 125,0, 62,5, and 31,25 &#181;g/mL and slightly proliferative between concentrations of 7,812 and 0,732 &#181;g/mL but with no significant statistic differences relating the controls. It is conclusive that the propolis under study presents a great variety of phenolic substances, adheres strongly to the human skin, presents no proliferative effect to the mouse fibroblasts (NIH 3T3 cells) and probably helps to esta blish good conditions to the wound healing process.