Carotenoid analysis in citrus is still a challenge due to their complex carotenoid profile and matrix acidity, which can promote isomerization and epoxide-furanoid rearrangements of these compounds. A new method for carotenoid extraction from freeze-dried citrus was developed. Extraction was carried out by magnetic stirring using ethyl acetate and methanol as solvents and Na2CO3 to neutralize organic acids. Liquid-liquid partition was achieved by centrifugation. Carotenoid quantification was accomplished by both UV-Vis and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Method repeatability (2.9 to 8.5%) and recovery (82 to 88%) were similar to reported values for procedures including all the carotenoid analysis steps. In 'Valencia' orange pulp, xanthophylls accounted for 98% of the total carotenoid content and the predominant carotenoids were (9Z)-violaxanthin, (all-E)-lutein and (9Z)-antheraxanthin. This method was further applied for carotenoid analysis in freeze-dried 'Tommy Atkins' mango pulp. The developed method is precise, accurate, fast and able to maintain epoxy-carotenoids stability during analysis.

Clorofila a e carotenoides são importantes pigmentos da fotossíntese. Na literatura são encontrados vários protocolos de extração e análise desses pigmentos utilizando, principalmente, plantas vasculares. O objetivo deste estudo foi padronizar uma metodologia de extração e análise dessas substâncias em uma macroalga vermelha, Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui. Amostras de talos gametofíticos cultivados in vitro foram trituradas em nitrogênio líquido, extraídas em 1,5 mL de solvente, centrifugadas e os pigmentos analisados quantitativamente e qualitativamente através de espectrofotometria de UV/visível, cromatografia liquida de alta eficiência (CLAE) e CLAE-acoplada a espectrometria de massas (CLAE-EM). Foram testados os parâmetros massa mínima, solvente para extração e número de extrações. Dentre os solventes testados, o metanol foi o mais eficiente, sendo 50mg de material fresco a massa mínima indicada para ser submetida a somente uma extração. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas na quantificação desses pigmentos comparando-se os dados obtidos em espectrofotometria de UV/visível com os de CLAE. No entanto, para a identificação dos diferentes carotenoides e suas quantificações são necessárias CLAE ou CLAE-EM.

Chlorophyll a and carotenoids are important pigments in photosynthesis. Several studies have been published describing extraction and analysis protocols of these pigments, mainly in vascular plant species. This study standardizes an extraction and analysis protocol of these substances in Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui, a red seaweed. Apical portions grown in vitro were triturated in liquid nitrogen. Extracts were prepared in 1.5 mL solvent and centrifuged. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of pigments were performed by UV/visible light spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and HPLC coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The parameters assessed were: minimum biomass, best extraction solvent, and number of extraction steps. Methanol was the most efficient solvent, and 50 mg fresh biomass was the amount of sample indicated, submitted to one single extraction step. No significant differences were observed in levels of these pigments by UV-visible light spectrophotometry and HPLC. However, HPLC or HPLC-MS are required to identify the different carotenoids present in this seaweed species.

Caveol e cafestol, diterpenos da fração lipídica do café, têm efeitos conhecidos na saúde humana, como atividade anticarcinogênica e hipercolesterolêmica. Existem divergências quanto às concentrações desses compostos reportadas para café torrado, provavelmente devido aos processos de extração empregados. Assim, quatro métodos de preparo de amostra foram estudados: saponificação direta a quente (SDQ), saponificação direta a frio (SDF); e extração por Bligh e Dyer (BD) ou soxhlet (SO) seguida de saponificação. Teores dos diterpenos e seus dehidroderivados obtidos por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência acoplada a detector de arranjo de diodos e espectrometria de massa (HPLC-DAD-MS/MS) e perfis cromatográficos de café torrado, obtidos pelos quatro métodos, foram comparados. SDQ foi mais eficiente quanto à extração, mostrando melhor separação dos picos cromatográficos e teores de 930,2 (± 36,8), 113,2 (± 4,7), 568,6 (± 16,6) e 87,1 (± 3,7) mg 100 g-1 para caveol, dehidrocaveol, cafestol e dehidrocafestol, respectivamente. O extrato SDQ apresentou teores de diterpenos (caveol e cafestol) 15% superiores àqueles obtidos por SDF e até 88% maiores que pelos métodos SO e BD.

Kahweol and cafestol, diterpenes from the unsaponifiable fraction of coffee, present known effects on human health such as anticarcinogenic and hipercholesterolemic activities. There are discrepancies regarding the levels reported for these compounds in roasted coffee, probably due to the extraction processes. Therefore, four sample preparation methods were studied: direct hot saponification (DHS), direct cold saponification (DCS); and Bligh and Dyer (BD) or Soxhlet (SO) extraction followed by saponification. The levels of diterpenes and their dehydro derivatives obtained by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array and mass spectrometry detectors (HPLC-DAD-MS/MS) and the chromatographic profiles of roasted coffee, obtained by these four methods, were compared. DHS was more efficient for extraction, showing better separation of chromatographic peaks and levels of 930.2 (± 36.8), 113.2 (± 4.7), 568.6 (± 16.6) and 87.1 (± 3.7) mg 100 g-1 for kahweol, dehydrokahweol, cafestol and dehydrocafestol, respectively. The DHS extract presented a diterpene content (kahweol and cafestol) 15% superior to that of DCS and up to 88% superior than using SO and BD methods.

A ingestão de luteína está associada à prevenção e redução da degeneração macular relacionada à idade e a sua adição em queijo Prato, como corante de tom amarelado, é uma alternativa válida para aumentar a ingestão diária desse composto. Entretanto, parte da luteína adicionada pode ser perdida no soro durante a fabricação do queijo e também, ser degradada pela ação da luz durante armazenamento, resultando em mudanças na cor dos queijos, diminuindo a aceitação sensorial. O objetivo do trabalho foi determinar a transferência do corante luteína, adicionado ao leite, no soro e queijo, avaliar o efeito da adição de luteína, exposição à luz e tempo de armazenamento na cor do queijo e verificar a aceitação sensorial do queijo com luteína. A recuperação de luteína no queijo foi de 95,25%. A saturação da cor aumentou com o tempo de armazenamento, resultando em queijos com coloração mais intensa, porém a tonalidade dos queijos não sofreu alteração. Ajustes no teor de luteína adicionado ao queijo Prato pode levar a uma maior aceitação. A alta recuperação de luteína no queijo e a manutenção da cor durante o armazenamento sob luz mostrou que a adição de luteína ao queijo Prato é viável do ponto de vista técnico.

The consumption of lutein is associated with the prevention and reduction of age-related macular degeneration. Its incorporation into Prato cheese as a yellowish food coloring is a valid alternative to increase the daily intake of this compound. However, part of the lutein added may be lost in the whey during the cheese making, or it can be degraded by light during storage, resulting in color changes reducing the sensory acceptance of the cheese. The objectives of this study were to determine the transference of the lutein (dye), added to the milk, in the whey, and cheese, to evaluate the effect of the lutein addition, light exposure, and storage time on the cheese color, and to verify the sensory acceptance of Prato cheese with addition of lutein. The lutein recovery of cheese was 95.25%. Color saturation (chrome) increased during storage time resulting in a cheese with more intense color, but there were no changes in the hue of the cheese. Adjusting the amount of lutein added to Prato cheese may lead to greater acceptance. The high recovery of lutein in the cheese and the fact that the hue remained unchanged during storage under light showed that the incorporation of lutein into Prato cheese is feasible from a technical point of view.

Os teores de compostos fenólicos totais (CFT), flavonoides totais (FT) e ácido ascórbico (AA) foram determinados em 18 polpas de frutas congeladas, assim como a capacidade antioxidante na desativação do radical peroxila (ROO•), peróxido de hidrogênio (H2O2) e radical hidroxila (•OH). De acordo com a Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP), CFT e AA apresentaram correlação positiva com a capacidade de desativar o ROO• e o teor de FT apresentou correlação positiva com a capacidade de desativar o •OH e ROO•. Entretanto, a capacidade de desativar o H2O2 apresentou baixa correlação com FT, CFT e AA. A Análise Hierárquica de Agrupamentos (HCA) permitiu a separação das polpas de frutas em três grupos: o primeiro formado pela polpa de açaí, com elevado teor de FT (134,02 mg EC/100 g polpa) e maior desativação do ROO•, •OH e H2O2; o segundo pela polpa de acerola, com elevado teor de CFT (658,40 mg EAG/100 g polpa) e de AA (506,27 mg/100 g polpa); e o terceiro grupo formado pelas polpas de abacaxi, cacau, cajá, caju, coco, cupuaçu, goiaba, laranja, limão, manga, maracujá, melancia, pitanga, tamarindo, tangerina e umbu, que não puderam ser separadas considerando apenas os teores dos compostos bioativos e a propriedades antioxidantes.

The contents of total phenolic compounds (TPC), total flavonoids (TF), and ascorbic acid (AA) of 18 frozen fruit pulps and their scavenging capacities against peroxyl radical (ROO•), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hydroxyl radical (•OH) were determined. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that TPC (total phenolic compounds) and AA (ascorbic acid) presented positive correlation with the scavenging capacity against ROO•, and TF (total flavonoids) showed positive correlation with the scavenging capacity against •OH and ROO• However, the scavenging capacity against H2O2 presented low correlation with TF (total flavonoids), TPC (total phenolic compounds), and AA (ascorbic acid). The Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) allowed the classification of the fruit pulps into three groups: one group was formed by the açai pulp with high TF, total flavonoids, content (134.02 mg CE/100 g pulp) and the highest scavenging capacity against ROO•, •OH and H2O2; the second group was formed by the acerola pulp with high TPC, total phenolic compounds, (658.40 mg GAE/100 g pulp) and AA , ascorbic acid, (506.27 mg/100 g pulp) contents; and the third group was formed by pineapple, cacao, caja, cashew-apple, coconut, cupuaçu, guava, orange, lemon, mango, passion fruit, watermelon, pitanga, tamarind, tangerine, and umbu pulps, which could not be separated considering only the contents of bioactive compounds and the scavenging properties.

Although soybean isoflavones naturally accumulate in their conjugated forms, the beneficial effects on human health of soybean-containing foods have been credited to their aglycone forms. In the present study we analyzed the effects of a chemical agent, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), in eliciting the exudation of non-conjugated isoflavones from intact soybean seeds, embrionary axes and cotyledons. The isoflavones in the exudates were determined by high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The effect of the exudates on the emission of nitric oxide (NO) and on the proliferation of breast carcinoma cells (MCF-7) was also evaluated. SNP elicitation increased the production of the aglycone forms dose- and time-dependently. Exudates of embrionary axes and cotyledons stimulated NO emission and showed biphasic effects on viability of MCF-7 cells. At lower concentrations both extracts presented proliferative effects (10-25%), and at higher concentrations inhibited (15%) cell proliferation. The biphasic effect might be due to the action of isoflavone aglycones in activating estrogen receptors which in turn stimulate the production of NO. Overall, the results suggest that soybean extracts enriched in isoflavone aglycones by elicitation with SNP could be exploited as a functional ingredient in the food industry.

A fractional factorial design 2(5-1) was used to evaluate the effect of temperature, pH, and concentrations of yeast extract, tryptone and Nitsch's trace elements on the biomass, total carotenoids and protection against singlet oxygen by carotenoid extracts of the bacterium Thermus filiformis. In addition, the carotenoid composition was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography connected to a diode array and mass spectrometer detectors (HPLC-DAD-MS/MS). The production of biomass ranged from 0.113 to 0.658 g/L, the total carotenoid from 137.6 to 1,517.4 mg/g and the protection against singlet oxygen from 4.3 to 85.1 %. Results of the fractional factorial design showed that temperature had a negative effect on biomass production and a positive effect on carotenoid content and protection against singlet oxygen, besides, high levels of pH value, concentrations of yeast extract and tryptone had a positive effect on biomass production only at lower temperatures. The main carotenoids of T. filiformis were thermozeaxanthins. In the tested conditions, changes in the levels of the variables influenced the biomass, carotenoid production, and protection against singlet oxygen, although they did not influence the carotenoid profile. The results of this study provide a better understanding on the interactions among certain nutritional and cultivation conditions of a thermophile bacterium, Thermus filiformis, on biomass and carotenoid amounts, as well as on the antioxidant capacity.

A simple analytical method for extraction and quantification of lutein colorant added to yogurt was developed and validated. The method allowed complete extraction of carotenoids using tetrahydrofuran in vortex, followed by centrifugation, partition to diethyl ether/petroleum ether, and drying. The carotenoids dissolved in ethanol were quantified by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. This method showed linearity in the range tested (1.41-13.42 µg g-1), limits of detection and quantification of 0.42 and 1.28 µg g-1, respectively, low relative standard deviation (3.4%) and recovery ranging from 95 to 103%. The method proved reliable for quantification of lutein added to yogurt.

A amora-preta (Rubus spp.), pequena fruta de clima temperado, possui coloração atraente, variando do vermelho púrpura ao azul, devido ao elevado teor de antocianinas. As antocianinas, juntamente com os carotenoides, compõem os pigmentos naturais, majoritários encontrados em diversas frutas. Diversos estudos têm relatado a importância destes pigmentos naturais como protetores e/ou inibidores de doenças degenerativas, porém são escassos os estudos sobre compostos bioativos presentes em amora-preta cultivada no Brasil. Os objetivos do presente estudo foram identificar as antocianinas e os carotenoides presentes em amora-preta, determinar os conteúdos totais de compostos fenólicos, carotenoides, flavonoides, antocianinas totais, monoméricas, poliméricas e copigmentadas, e a capacidade antioxidante frente aos radicais livres ABTS e DPPH. O teor total de carotenoides foi baixo (86,5 ± 0,2 µg/100 g), com all-trans-β-caroteno (39,6 %) e all-trans-luteína (28,2 %) como os majoritários. As amoras-pretas apresentaram elevado potencial antioxidante principalmente pelo teor representativo de antocianinas monoméricas (104,1 ± 1,8 mg/100 g de fruto), presença de antocianinas poliméricas (22,9 ± 0,4 %), baixa porcentagem de antocianinas copigmentadas (1,6 ± 0,1 %) e altos teores de compostos fenólicos (241,7 ± 0,8 mg equivalente de ácido gálico/100 g) e de flavonoides totais (173,7 ± 0,7 mg equivalente de catequina/100 g). Cianidina 3-glucosídeo foi a antocianina majoritária (92,9 %). Diante destes resultados, a amora-preta pode ser considerada uma fonte natural rica em antioxidantes e pigmentos.

The blackberry (Rubus spp.), a small fruit grown in temperate climate, shows an attractive color ranging from purple red to blue, due to the high content of anthocyanins. The anthocyanins, along with carotenoids, are the major natural pigments found in several fruits. Many studies have reported the importance of these natural pigments as protectors and, or, inhibitors of degenerative disorders; however, data regarding the bioactive compounds in blackberry cultivated in Brazil are rare. Thus, the objectives of the present study were to identify the anthocyanins and carotenoids in blackberry (Rubus spp.), to determine the total contents of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carotenoids, and total, monomeric, polimeric and co-pigmented anthocyanins, and the antioxidant capacity against the free radicals ABTS and DPPH. The total carotenoids level was low (86.5 ± 0.2 µg/100 g), with all-trans-β-carotene (39.6 %) and all-trans-lutein (28.2 %) as the major ones. The blackberries showed high antioxidant status mainly due to the high level of monomeric anthocyanins (104.1 ± 1.8 mg/100 g de fruta), presence of polimeric anthocyanins (22.9 ± 0.4 %), low percentage of co-pigmented anthocyanins (1.6 ± 0.1 %) and high contents of phenolic compounds (241.7 ± 0.8 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g) and total flavonoids (173.7 ± 0.7 mg catechin equivalent/100 g). Cyanidin 3-glucoside was the major anthocyanin (92.9 %). These results indicate that the blackberry cultivated in Brazil can be considered a rich natural source of antioxidants and pigments.

A nêspera é uma fruta de alto valor de mercado cultivada no sudeste do Brasil. Apesar disso, há poucos detalhes sobre suas características de qualidade. Frutas de cinco cultivares de nêsperas, desenvolvidas por melhoramento genético, foram analisadas para avaliar sua composição química. As cultivares Centenária, Mizuho, Mizumo, Néctar de Cristal e Mizauto foram selecionadas com base em sua alta produtividade e resistência a doenças. Os açúcares solúveis, ácidos orgânicos e carotenoides foram quantificados por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência. A cultivar com a maior concentração de açúcares totais foi a Mizumo e a com menor a cv. Centenária. O principal açúcar detectado foi a sacarose e o ácido málico, o principal ácido orgânico. O ácido ascórbico foi detectado apenas em pequenas quantidades. O conteúdo de fibra alimentar total foi praticamente o mesmo em todas as cultivares. Os carotenoides principais foram β-caroteno e β-criptoxantina, exceto na cv. Néctar de Cristal, uma nêspera de polpa branca. Estes resultados contribuem para o conhecimento da fisiologia das diferentes cultivares de nêspera e podem ajudar a direcionar seu uso mais apropriado, seja para o consumo in natura ou para o processamento industrial, visto ser uma matéria-prima interessante, devido às suas características nutricionais e sensoriais.

Loquat is a fruit with high market value cultivated in Southeast Brazil. Despite of this, there are little details about its quality characteristics. Fruits from five loquat cultivars, developed using genetic breeding, were analyzed to assess their compositional traits. The cultivars Centenária, Mizuho, Mizumo, Néctar de Cristal and Mizauto were selected based on their high productivity and resistance to diseases. Soluble sugars, organic acids, and carotenoids were quantified using liquid chromatography. The cultivar (cv.) with the highest total sugar concentration was Mizumo and the lowest concentration was found in Centenária. The main sugar detected was sucrose, and the malic acid was the major organic acid. Ascorbic acid was detected in small amounts. The total dietary fiber contents were almost the same in all cultivars. The major carotenoids detected were β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin, except for the cultivar Nectar de Cristal, a white pulp loquat. These results contribute to the knowledge about de physiology of loquat fruit, an interesting raw material due to its nutritional and sensorial characteristics. Furthermore, the results obtained could help to identify the most appropriate use of the loquats with different attributes either for consumption in natura or for industrial processing.

O alto consumo de frutas tem sido associado à baixa incidência de doenças crônico-degenerativas, provavelmente devido à presença de compostos bioativos, como os antioxidantes, nestes alimentos. Os teores de compostos bioativos -ácido ascórbico, fenólicos totais, flavonóides e carotenóides totais - foram determinados em polpas obtidas a partir de 18 frutas tropicais adquiridas no Brasil. A atividade anti-radical livre foi avaliada pelo método ABTS. As frutas que apresentaram maior teor de compostos bioativos foram buriti, cajá-manga, canistel, murici, physalis, piquia e tucumã. Considerando a composição dos compostos bioativos analisados e as atividades anti-radical livre, as frutas foram divididas em 5 grupos, segundo Análise Hierárquica de Agrupamentos. Aplicando a Análise de Componentes Principais, a atividade anti-radical livre mostrou alta correlação com compostos fenólicos totais (r = 0,99) e flavonóides (r = 0,86); porém, a correlação encontrada foi muito pequena para ácido ascórbico (r = 0,02) e carotenóides totais (r = 0,08).

High ingestion of fruits has been associated with low incidence of chronic-degenerative diseases, probably due to the presence of bioactive compounds in these foods, such as antioxidants. The levels of bioactive compounds - ascorbic acid, total phenolics, flavonoids and carotenoids - were determined in 18 pulps obtained from tropical fruits acquired in Brazil. The free radical scavenger activity was evaluated by the ABTS assay. The fruits that showed higher levels of bioactive compounds were buriti, otaheite apple, egg-fruit, golden spoon, physalis, piquia and star nut palm. Considering the composition of bioactive compounds and free radical scavenger capacities the fruits were divided into five groups, according to Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. Applying Principal Component Analysis, free radical scavenger showed high correlation with total phenolic compounds (r = 0.99) and flavonoids (r = 0.86); however, the correlation was found to be very poor with ascorbic acid (r = 0.02) and with total carotenoids levels (r = 0.08).

As amoras-pretas apresentam coloração atrativa devido à presença de antocianinas, porém a utilização destes pigmentos como corante natural é difícil, pois alguns fatores, especialmente pH>3, provocam sua descoloração. Por outro lado, a microencapsulação tem sido utilizada na indústria para proteger ingredientes ativos. Os objetivos deste estudo foram estabelecer as condições de encapsulação de antocianinas de amora-preta, avaliar as características das cápsulas, bem como a liberação de antocianinas. Três polissacarídeos (curdlana, pectina e alginato de sódio) foram avaliados como material de parede para obter cápsulas por gelificação. A curdlana foi escolhida, pois foi a única goma capaz de formar um gel firme sob baixo pH. As cápsulas apresentaram forma esférica e multinucleada, e a eficiência de encapsulação variou entre 80,3 e 96,7%. As curvas de liberação apresentaram comportamento cinético de primeira ordem, com forte efeito "burst" com 80 a 100% das antocianinas liberadas em solução pH 1 após 20 min.

Blackberry shows an attractive color due to the presence of anthocyanins; however the use of these pigments as natural colorant is difficult since some external agents, specially pH>3, cause their discoloration. On the other hand, encapsulation techniques have been widely used in the industry to protect active ingredients. The aims of this study were to establish the encapsulation conditions of anthocyanins from blackberry, to evaluate the capsules characteristics, as well as the anthocyanins release. Three polysaccharides (curdlan, pectin and sodium alginate) were evaluated as wall material to obtain capsules by gelation. Curdlan was chosen since it was the only gum capable to form hard gel under low pH value. The capsules showed spherical form and multinucleated appearance, and encapsulation efficiency ranged from 80.3 to 96.7%. The release curves followed first order kinetics, with a strong burst effect, 80 to 100% of the anthocyanins released in solution at pH 1 after 20 min.

Extratos etanólicos de 23 ervas e condimentos desidratados comercializados no Brasil foram analisados quanto as suas propriedades antioxidantes utilizando os radicais 2,2'-difenil-β-picrilhidrazil (DPPH•) e ácido 2,2'-azino-bis(3-etilbenzotiazolina-6-sulfônico) (ABTS•+), Trolox foi usado como referência para ambos radicais. As curvas cinéticas seguiram o modelo cinético de primeira ordem, e a partir destas foram calculadas as constantes de velocidade de (k obs). Os extratos de sálvia e de alecrim apresentaram as maiores capacidades redutoras de radicais livres, enquanto o extrato de cebola praticamente não apresentou atividade e o colorífico, um dos condimentos mais consumidos no Brasil, apresentou baixa atividade de aprisionamento de radicaisABTS•+. Três situações distintas foram observadas em relação à capacidade de aprisionar radicais DPPH•: (1) extratos, como os de alecrim e de louro, que apresentaram as mesmas concentrações eficientes (EC50), porém, valores de TEAC e velocidade de ação (k obs) distintos ; (2) extratos, como os de alho e de manjericão, que apresentaram valores similares de EC50 e TEAC, com valores distintos de k obs e (3) extratos com a mesma velocidade de ação que diferiram totalmente na capacidade de aprisionamento de radicais livres, como de pimenta preta, segurelha, noz moscada, alecrim e sálvia. Considerações semelhantes podem ser feitas para os resultados de ABTS•+. Osdois métodos apresentaram boa correlação de TEAC, indicando que a reatividade dos compostos presentes nos extratos etanólicos foi similar. A atividade redutora de ABTS•+ para pimenta da Jamaica, manjericão, cardamomo, cebolinha, colorífico, cominho, dill, louro, manjerona, salsinha e estragão foi reportada pela primeira vez.

Ethanolic extracts from 23 different dried herbs and spices commercialized in Brazil were investigated for their free radical scavenging properties using the stable free radicals 2,2'-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS•+), and Trolox as reference (TEAC) for both radicals. The kinetic curves for both radicals showed to follow the first order kinetics model and the decay rate constant (k obs) was calculated. For all the samples, the two methods showed a good linear TEAC correlation, indicating that the average reactivity of the compounds present in the ethanolic extracts was similar. Sage and rosemary extracts showed the highest free radical scavenging capacities, while onion showed negligible activity and colorifico, one of the most consumed spices in Brazil, showed low ABTS•+ scavenging activity. Three distinct situations were found for the extracts concerning the DPPH• scavenging capacities: (1) extracts, like rosemary and laurel, that presented the same efficient concentrations (EC50 ) but differed in the TEAC values and velocities of action (k obs), (2) extracts, such as garlic and basil, that showed similar EC50 and TEAC values, but different k obs values and (3) extracts that reacted at the same velocities but completely differed in the free radical scavenging capacities, like black pepper, savory, nutmeg, rosemary and sage. Similar considerations could be done for the ABTS•+ results. For the first time the ABTS•+ scavenging activity for allspice, basil, cardamom, chives, colorifico, cumin, dill, laurel, marjoram, parsley and tarragon was reported.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant properties of ginger and rosemary extracts, obtained by supercritical extraction. The extracts were characterized by HPLC, GC-MS, phenolic compounds content and antioxidant activity. The main active compounds were identified and high content of phenolic compounds was observed. The extracts presented high antioxidant activity against the free radicals ABTS•+ (350 and 200 mM Trolox/g, for ginger and rosemary, respectively) and DPPH•+ (145 and 80 mM Trolox/g, for ginger and rosemary, respectively). These results suggested that the attained extracts are potential substitutes of synthetic antioxidants used in chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries.

Técnicas de encapsulamento, como "spray-drying" e formação de complexos por inclusão com ciclodextrinas, vêm sendo avaliadas para viabilizar a adição de carotenóides em sistemas hidrofílicos e aumentar a sua estabilidade durante o processamento e estocagem. Portanto, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi obter licopeno encapsulado na forma de pó, utilizando processos de "spray-drying" ou de inclusão molecular com beta -ciclodextrina (CD) seguido de liofilização. A eficiência do encapsulamento utilizando "spray-drying" variou de 94 a 96% e o rendimento médio foi de 51%, com as microcápsulas apresentando indentações superficiais, porém sem falhas ou aberturas na superfície. A formação de complexo licopeno- beta -CD ocorreu apenas quando utilizada razão molar de 1:4, e estruturas irregulares de diferentes tamanhos que eventualmente formaram agregados, similares às da beta -CD, foram observadas após liofilização. O licopeno não complexado neste processo ficou em torno de 50%. A pureza do licopeno (% área do all-trans-licopeno) aumentou de 96,4 para 98,1% após o encapsulamento, enquanto que a pureza do licopeno diminuiu de 97,7 para 91,3% após complexação e liofilização. Os dois processos de secagem resultaram em pós rosa claro, secos e com bom fluxo.

This study aimed to obtain encapsulated lycopene in a powder form, using either spray-drying or molecular inclusion with beta -cyclodextrin ( beta -CD) followed by freeze-drying. The encapsulation efficiency using spray-drying ranged from 94 to 96%, with an average yield of 51%, with microcapsules showing superficial indentations and lack of cracks and breakages. Lycopene- beta -CD complexes were only formed at a molar ratio of 1:4, and irregular structures of different sizes that eventually formed aggregates, similar to those of beta -CD, were observed after freeze-drying. About 50% of the initial lycopene did not form complexes with beta -CD. Lycopene purity increased from 96.4 to 98.1% after spray-drying, whereas lycopene purity decreased from 97.7 to 91.3% after complex formation and freeze-drying. Both the drying processes yielded pale-pink, dry, free-flowing powders.