Abstract Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the performance of industrial drying and the quality of soybean grains using a direct-fire furnace automatically fed by wood chips. To represent the grains before drying, four samples were collected together with the sampling of the loads in the trucks carried out to classify the product in the storage unit. At drying, performance evaluations and specific energy consumption were carried out. The grains were evaluated for moisture content, germination, electrical conductivity, apparent specific mass, color, acidity index, and PAHs. Drying showed an average efficiency of 75.50%. The average chip consumption was 0.4403 kg of chip/kg of evaporated water. The specific energy consumption was 8,099.50 kJ/kg of evaporated water. The grains showed differences after drying in the characteristics of germination, electrical conductivity, and chroma. Six PAHs were detected in the samples before drying: (B(a)A, Chr, 5 MC, B(j)F, Dib(ai)P, and IcdP). After drying, in addition to the PAHs obtained before drying, five more were detected (B(b)F, B(k)F, B(a)P, Dib(al)P, and Dib(ah)A). Mean PAH concentrations were higher than the maximum values allowed by European Union legislation.

Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate the drying performance, the quality of the corn grain and the contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using a direct-fired furnace fed automatically by wood chips. Samples were collected at five-minute intervals, 12 samples before drying and 12 samples after drying. The following experimental evaluations were carried out: dryer – performance and fuel consumption; grains – moisture content, germination, electrical conductivity, apparent specific mass, mass of a thousand grains, color and PAHs. The dryer showed an average efficiency of 83.61%. The average consumption of wood chips was 0.3932 kg of chips per kilogram of evaporated water. Differences were observed in the grains after drying for the characteristics of mass of a thousand grains, apparent specific mass, germination and electrical conductivity. The average concentrations of PAHs in corn grains were higher than the maximum values allowed by the European Union legislation.

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the drying system using a dryer with furnace automatically fed with eucalyptus chips and another dryer manually fed with eucalyptus firewood, as well as assessing the quality of corn grains. Harvest was mechanically performed and the grains were transported by trucks to the storage unit for drying. Corn grain drying was conducted in mixed-flow dryers with a nominal capacity of 100 tons per hour. For air heating, two direct-fired furnaces were used, one automatically fed with eucalyptus chips and the other manually fed with firewood. Corn grains were evaluated for moisture content, apparent specific mass, thousand-grain weight, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), electrical conductivity and color. Drying corn grains with direct fire using firewood or chips as fuel causes contamination by PAHs. In general, the use of firewood or chips did not influence the quality of thousand-grain weight, apparent specific mass and color, while the use of chips increased electrical conductivity. It is essential that research advances in this subject, prioritizing the contamination of food, with proven carcinogenic activity, which should be treated as a high risk to public health.

Abstract Caffeine is naturally present in several foods, being one of the most consumed dietary ingredients in the world; however, excessive intake may cause health concerns. This study evaluated caffeine levels in teas and their infusions, the transference rate during brewing, and estimated caffeine intake from tea infusion. Brands and batches of 4 types of teas were analyzed for caffeine content by high performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector. Mate tea was the one that presented lowest levels (6.1 to 13.2 mg/g) while Camellia sinensis teas were from 14.3 to 34.8 mg/g. There were statistical differences between different types, brands and batches. Caffeine levels in infusions followed the same pattern of the leaves, with mate tea presenting lowest levels. Caffeine percentage of transference from leaves to infusion varied from 51.5 to 85.2%. Caffeine intake was estimated to be up to 191.4 mg/day. Tea may be considered an important source of caffeine intake for heavy tea drinkers.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi a determinação dos níveis de ácido benzóico e ácido sórbico em uma variedade de vinhos e sidras brasileiros, de modo a comparar os valores com os máximos permitidos pela legislação. Um total de 49 amostras (sendo 35 vinhos tintos, 11 vinhos brancos e 3 sidras), disponíveis comercialmente, foram analisadas por CLAE com detector de arranjo de diodos. Apesar do uso de ácido benzóico em vinhos e sidras não ser permitido, esse conservador foi detectado em 3 amostras: 1 vinho e 2 sidras em níveis de 295,6, 424,7 e 608,4 mg.L-1, respectivamente. O ácido sórbico foi detectado em 49% das amostras analisadas com níveis variando de 91,0 a 309,5 mg.L-1. Considerando apenas as amostras nas quais o ácido sórbico foi detectado, o valor médio encontrado foi de 171,2 mg.L-1. Em seis amostras de vinho tinto os níveis de ácido sórbico estavam acima do permitido pela legislação brasileira. Os resultados encontrados no presente trabalho mostram que em algumas amostras, os níveis dos ácidos benzóico e sórbico nos vinhos e sidras analisados, assim como a rotulagem desses produtos não estão de acordo com a legislação vigente no Brasil.

This study determined benzoic and sorbic acid contents in Brazilian wines and ciders in order to verify whether these preservatives are used in accordance with Brazilian regulations. Forty-nine samples of commercially available wines (35 red wines, 11 white wines and 3 ciders) were analyzed by HPLC coupled to a photodiode array detector. Although the use of benzoic acid in wines and ciders is not permitted, this preservative was detected in three samples, one wine and two ciders, which contained benzoic acid levels of 295.6, 424.7 and 608.4 mg.L-1, respectively. Sorbic acid was detected in 49% of the analyzed samples, with levels ranging from 91.0 to 309.5 mg.L-1. Considering only the samples containing sorbic acid, the mean content detected was 171.2 mg.L-1. Six red wine samples presented sorbic acid content above the maximum level allowed by Brazilian regulations. The results showed that, in some cases, the content of benzoic and sorbic acids in wines and ciders, as well as their labels, do not meet current national regulations.