Abstract β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) is a compound of great application for pharmaceutical and food industries, and is generally produced by starchy substrates by cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) action. The objective of this study was to produce β-CD using an alternative source of starch, such as jackfruit seed (Artocarpus intergrifolia L.) bran (JSB) by a commercial CGTase. The highest productivity of β-CD (52.10 µM/h.g) was obtained from 10 g of JSB in 100 mL of citrate buffer (10 mM / pH 6.0), with 17 % (v/v) of ethanol and 1.34 U/g of CGTase, at 59 °C for 4 hours. These same conditions were applied to starches extracted from the JSB (SJSB) and ginger (SG) and also, potato starch (SP). The SJSB and SG performances were similar to SP, and resulted in productivities around 2.7 times higher in relation to JSB. Thus, it is possible to conclude that both JSB and SJSB are promising substrates for β-CD production.

RESUMO Kefir é uma biomassa simbiótica (leveduras e bactérias) comumente aplicada na obtenção de bebidas fermentadas probióticas de leite. O objetivo deste trabalho foi produzir uma bebida fermentada mista de leite integral e polpa de açaí (Euterpe oleracea) a partir de duas culturas diferentes de kefir: uma original de leite e outra original de água açucarada e adaptada ao leite. Com base na conversão, pH e análise sensorial, os melhores resultados foram obtidos com a cultura adaptada na composição (g 100 g-1) de 70% de leite e 30% de polpa de açaí, sem controle de temperatura (temperatura ambiente ~25° C) e sem agitação e por 24 h de fermentação. Esta formulação apresentou 12% de aumento da biomassa, 93% de conversão, pH 5,10 e uma aceitação global de 7,05.

ABSTRACT Kefir grains are a symbiotic biomass (yeast and bacteria) commonly used to produce milk probiotic fermented beverages. The aim of this study was to produce a mixed beverage of whole milk and açaí (Euterpe oleracea) berry pulp fermented by two different kefir cultures: one specific for milk and one specific for sugared water, adapted to milk. Based on the fermentation yield, pH and sensory analysis, the culture adapted to milk obtained the best results in a composition (g 100 g-1) of 70 of whole milk and 30 of açaí berry pulp, at room temperature (~25°C), without agitation and fermented for 24 h. The results obtained by this formulation were an increase of 12% in the kefir biomass, 93% of fermentation yield, pH 5.10 and overall sensory acceptance of 7.05.

Lipases are extremely versatile enzymes with large industrial applications and they have been the subject of investigation over the last few years. A great variety of microorganisms can produce this enzyme, such as pluricellular fungi, but their growth need to be optimized due to the variations amongst experiments, which influence the results and reproducibility of the process. The aim of this work was to study the best conditions for inoculum size and age of Geotrichum candidum NRRLY-552, to reduce the variability of the inoculum. The optimized inoculum procedure was determined as: 1 circular area (0.79 cm2) of the solid medium containing cells and spores added to 100 mL of culture medium (5.0 % w/v of peptone, 0.1 % w/v of NaNO3, 0.1 % w/v of MgSO4 and 1.0 % w/v of soybean oil) incubated for 15 h at 30 °C, 250 rpm and with an initial pH of 7.0. This procedure permitted to reduce the experimental error from 30 to 20 % and it has been applied successfully in different studies since then.

Las lipasas son enzimas extremadamente versátiles. Se utilizan en varias aplicaciones industriales, y han sido objeto de atención recientemente. Una diversidad de microrganismos puede producirlas, tales como los hongos pluricelulares. Sin embargo, para el estudio de estas enzimas se debe optimizar su crecimiento, debido a las variaciones entre los experimentos, que influyen en los resultados y en la reproducibilidad de los procesos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue investigar el tamaño y la edad idóneos del inóculo Geotrichum candidum NRRLY-552, con el fin de reducir su variabilidad. El procedimiento optimizado para el inóculo se determinó como una zona circular (0.79 cm2) de medio sólido, que contenía células y esporas, añadido a 100 mL de medio de cultivo (peptona 5.0 % p/v, NaNO3 0.1 % p/v, MgSO4 0.1 % p/v y aceite de soya 1.0 % p/v) que se incubaron durante 15 h a 30 °C, 250 rpm, con un pH inicial de 7.0. Este procedimiento permitió reducir el error experimental de 30 a 20 %, y se ha aplicado con éxito en varios estudios.