This study investigated the feasibility of H2 production by acid corrosion, employing a by-product from the fertilizer industry (Hexafluorsilic acid - H2SiF6) and waste iron sources. Different masses of metal from three different sources: iron powder (waste from metal workshops), steel wool and rebar (construction waste), were reacted with various proportions of H2SiF6 with HCl. The influence of the variables was evaluated by factorial design, verifying greater production of H2 for materials with higher contact areas. The lowest production was observed for construction industry waste (rebar) probably due to the presence of protective films and lower contact area. The gas produced was analyzed by gas chromatography and was found to consist only of H2 (up to 99%) and air. The results indicate a promising application of H2SiF6, which is generated in large quantities during phosphate fertilizer production and has few commercial applications. The method proposed is promising, it does not emit toxic or polluting gases, contributing to the sustainable generation of H2.

RESUMO: Os óleos essenciais das diferentes partes de Lavandula dentata L. (inflorescências e parte aérea sem inflorescência) coletados em Uberaba - MG foram obtidos por hidrodestilação, e sua composição química foi determinada por cromatografia gasosa acoplada a espectrometria de massas e comparada à composição química de óleo essencial de Lavandula hybrida e Lavandula officinalis. Observou-se que os óleos essenciais das espécies estudadas possuem composição química variada e são compostos, principalmente, por monoterpenos. Os óleos essenciais de L. hybrida e L. officinalis apresentaram maior concentração de linalol e acetato de linalina, enquanto L. dentata L. apresentou maior concentração de fenchona, eucaliptol e cânfora. Os resultados indicam que os óleos essenciais de L. dentata L. cultivada em Uberaba são semelhantes aos produzidos em Curitiba - PR, tornando-se uma perspectiva promissora para o cultivo e extração de óleos essenciais desta espécie em Minas Gerais.

ABSTRACT: The essential oils of the different parts of Lavandula dentata L. (inflorescences and aerial part without inflorescences) collected in the city of Uberaba (minas Gerais State)were obtained by hydro distillation, and their chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and compared to the chemical composition of essential oil of Lavandula hybrida and Lavandula officinalis. It was observed that the essential oils of the studied species have varied chemical composition and are composed mainly of monoterpenes. The essential oils of L. hybrida and L. officinalis showed a higher concentration of linalool and linaline acetate, while L. dentata L. presented higher concentration of fenchone, eucalyptol and camphor. Results indicate that the essential oil composition of L. dentata L. grown in Uberaba is similar to those produced in Curitiba - PR, providing a promising perspective for the cultivation and extraction of essential oils of this species in Minas Gerais.

Abstract This study aimed to combine the nutritional advantages of whey and soybean by developing a type of chocolate beverage with water-soluble soybean extract dissolved in whey. Different concentrations of thickeners (carrageenan, pectin and starch – maximum level of 500 mg.100 mL-1) were tested by a simplex-centroid design. Several physicochemical, rheological, and sensory properties of the beverages were measured and a multi-response optimization was conducted aiming to obtain a whey and soybean beverage with increased overall sensory impression and maximum purchase intention. Beverages presented mean protein levels higher than 3.1 g.100 mL-1, a low content of lipids (< 2 g.100 mL-1) and total soluble solids ≥20 g.100 mL-1. Response surface methodology was applied and the proposed for overall impression and purchase intention presented R2=0.891 and R2=0.966, respectively. The desirability index (d-value=0.92) showed that the best formulation should contain 46% carrageenan and 54% pectin in the formulation. The formulation manufactured with this combination of thickeners was tested and the overall impression was 7.11±1.09 (over a 9-point hedonic scale) and the purchase intention was 4.0±1.3 (over a 5-point hedonic scale), thus showing that the proposed models were predictive.

RESUMO: Os curativos medicamentosos são importantes barreiras para se evitar contaminação e ainda, quando contém aditivos antimicrobianos, servem como tratamento para ferimentos infectados. Existem vários tipos de materiais polissacarídicos que servem como matrizes para curativos medicamentosos, dentre eles, destaca-se o alginato de sódio. Para a preparação dos filmes estudados neste trabalho, utilizou-se alginato de sódio e incorporou-se óleos essenciais/oleoresinas (OE/OL) de seis pimentas utilizadas na culinária, em três diferentes concentrações. A maioria dos filmes preparados apresentou melhor dispersão dos OE/OL na concentração intermediária destes. Todos os filmes estudados neste trabalho apresentam solubilidade em água, em uma certa extensão. A atividade antibacteriana dos filmes preparados mostra resultados significantes contra Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus e Bacillus Cereus, mostrando que os filmes estudados podem ser uma nova alternativa como curativos medicamentos.

ABSTRACT: Medicated wound dressings are important barriers to avoid contamination and, when they contain antimicrobial additives, can be used as treatment for infected wounds. There are several types of polysaccharide materials that serve as matrices for medicated wound dressings, among them, sodium alginate. For the preparation of the films studied in this paper, sodium alginate was employed in combination with essential oils/oleoresins (EO/OL) of six peppers that are commonly used in cooking. The EO/OL were incorporated at three different concentrations (low, intermediate and high). Most of the films prepared had better dispersion of the EO/OL at the intermediate concentration. All films studied in this research were dissolved in water at different rates. The antibacterial activity of the prepared films showed significant results against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, and demonstrated that the films studied may be a new alternative for medicated wound dressings.

RESUMO: O efeito da incorporação dos óleos essenciais de canela (Cinnamomum cassia) e noz-moscada (Myristicafragrans) em revestimentos comestíveis à base de alginato, aplicados em maçãs minimamente processadas é apresentado. As concentrações inibitórias mínimas foram de 1,25mg.mL-1 (canela) e 2,50mg.mL-1 (noz-moscada), contra Escherichia colie Penicillium commune. Durante o armazenamento, houve redução significativa nas contagens de E.coli e P. Commune em comparação com o controle. A extensão do escurecimento enzimático também foi significativamente reduzida nas amostras revestidas. Nas análises sensoriais, o sabor dos óleos essenciais apresentou a menor classificação das propriedades analisadas, tanto para os óleos essenciais, quanto para aroma e firmeza.

ABSTRACT: The effect of the incorporation of cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) and nut meg (Myristicafragrans) essential oils in alginate-based edible coatings that were applied on minimally processed apples, is reported. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were 1.25mg.mL-1 (cinnamon) and 2.50mg.mL-1 (nutmeg), against both Escherichia coli and Penicillium commune. Over storage periods there was a significant reduction in the E. coli and P. commune counts compared to the control. The extent of enzymatic browning was also significantly reduced in the coated samples. In the coated minimally processed apples sensory tests, the flavor had the lowest rating of the properties analyzed, for both treatments, followed by aroma and firmness.

RESUMO: Os óleos essenciais são os compostos mais importantes produzidos durante o metabolismo secundário de plantas aromáticas. No caso das pimentas, é possível afirmar que os óleos essenciais são a “impressão digital do sabor” de cada espécie. No presente artigo, oito espécies de pimenta foram estudadas a fim de extrair seus óleos essenciais e oleoresinas, testar a sua atividade antibacteriana e antifúngica, bem como, identificar os compostos presentes nas amostras mais ativas. Os resultados obtidos mostram que dois óleos essenciais (Pimenta dioica e Schinus terebinthifolius) e três oleoresinas (Schinus terebinthifolius e Piper nigrum branco e preto) apresentaram atividade antimicrobiana significativa. Esses óleos essenciais e oleoresinas bioativos mostram-se interessantes para a utilização em processos biotecnológicos empregados na indústria alimentar, farmacêutica e outras indústrias.

ABSTRACT: Essential oils are the most important compounds produced during secondary metabolism in aromatic plants. Essential oils are volatile, have characteristic odor and are used as defensive agents by plants. In pepper, it is possible to say that essential oils are the “flavor fingerprint” of each species. In the present article, eight species of pepper were studied in order to extract their essential oils and oleoresins, test their antibacterial and antifungal activities and also to identify the compounds present in the most bioactive samples. Results demonstrated that two essential oils [Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. and Schinus terebinthifolius] and three oleoresins (Schinus terebinthifolius and Piper nigrum white and black) recorded significant antimicrobial activity. These active essential oils and oleoresins are interesting for use in biotechnological processes employed in food, pharmaceutical and other industries.

Resumo A contaminação de águas por espécies tóxicas ou recalcitrantes gera grandes impactos ambientais. Nesse contexto, os Processos Oxidativos Avançados (POAs), tecnologias que utilizam principalmente o radical hidroxila (HO●) para a oxidação dos poluentes, têm se destacado como métodos alternativos promissores no tratamento de águas residuais e efluentes industriais. Os POAs têm sido considerados uma estratégia eficaz do ponto de vista técnico, econômico e ambiental para a degradação de poluentes presentes em águas residuais e efluentes industriais, apesar de possuir limitações como alto custo das fontes de energia, desenvolvimento de novos materiais catalíticos de baixo custo e construção de reatores em escala real. Há uma grande relevância na aplicação desses processos em escala industrial mediante a otimização desses fatores de eficácia. Sendo assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar um levantamento bibliográfico sobre os POAs e apresentar dados a respeito da eficiência desses processos na degradação de poluentes, comparando os embasamentos teóricos e a sua aplicação industrial. Diante disso, os fundamentos e aplicações dos principais POAs (químicos, fotoquímicos, eletroquímicos, sonoquímicos, sonoeletroquímico e processos baseados em ozônio), bem como suas vantagens e desvantagens foram descritos nesta revisão da literatura.

Abstract Contamination of water by toxic and/or recalcitrant species has great environmental impacts. In this context, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) - technologies that principally use the hydroxyl radical (HO●) for oxidation - have emerged as promising alternatives in treating urban and industrial wastewaters. This study reviewed the literature on POAs and presented data regarding the efficiency of these processes in pollutant degradation, comparing the theoretical reasoning and its industrial applications. The fundamentals and major applications of AOPs (chemical, photochemical, electrochemical, sonochemical and ozone-based processes), as well as their advantages and disadvantages, are described in this review. AOPs have been considered an effective alternative from a technical, economic and environmental viewpoint for the degradation of pollutants in effluents and industrial wastewater, despite having limitations such as high cost of available energy sources, development of new low-cost catalytic materials and construction of full-scale reactors. It is greatly important to the industrial application of AOPs to optimize the effectiveness of these factors.

Abstract Grape pomace, which is derived from the skin and seeds, is the residue from the production of grape juice and wine. It corresponds to up to 20% of the total volume and it contains a high level of dietary fibers and bioactive compounds. In the Brazilian market, there is no product containing grape pomace as a replacement for conventional wheat flour. Thus, this study aimed to assess the effects of whole-wheat flour and organic Bordeaux grape pomace (Vitis labrusca L.) on the sensory, physicochemical and functional properties of cookies using response surface methodology (RSM). The regression models indicated that the addition of whole-wheat and organic grape pomace decreased (p < 0.0001) the water activity and significantly increased the content of fibers, hardness, brittleness, antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of the cookies. The RSM models presented suitable R2 and R2adj values (> 65% of explained data variability), except for brittleness. The sensory evaluation results revealed that no significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed for the cookie samples, implying that the addition of grape pomace and whole-wheat flour did not negatively affect the preference of cookies.

The present article reviews different aspects of the chemistry of two widely used β-lactam antibiotics Clavulanic Acid and Cephamycin C. The article discusses important details of the biosynthesis of these compounds, their action mechanism and, principally, the methods employed in their isolation and purification, in accordance with the available literature. Despite the large quantity of available articles and patents concerning β-lactam antibiotics, those which describe the isolation and purification of Clavulanic Acid and Cephamycin C are rare. Overall, the intention of this article is to discuss the up-to-date scientific research related to the compounds under review.

Two new marine metabolites, 3Z, 6Z, 9Z-dodecatrien-1-ol (1) from the ascidian Botrylloides giganteum and 4H-pyran-2ol acetate from the sponge Ircinia felix (4) are herein reported. The known bromotyrosine compounds, 2-(3,5-dibromo-4-methoxyphenyl)-N,N,N-dimethylethanammonium (2) and 2,6-dibromo-4-(2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl)phenol (3), have been isolated from the sponge Verongula gigantea. Serotonin (5) is reported for the first time from the sponge Cliona delitrix, and tambjamines A (15) and D (16) isolated as their respective salts from the nudibranch Tambja eliora. Only tambjamine D presented cytotoxicity against CEM (IC50 12.2 µg/mL) and HL60 (IC50 13.2 µg/mL) human leukemya cells, MCF-7 breast cancer cells (IC50 13.2 µg/mL), colon HCT-8 cancer cells (IC50 10.1 µg/mL) and murine melanoma B16 cancer cells (IC50 6.7 µg/mL).

Herein we describe the isolation of homarine and piridiniumbetaine B from the sponge Aaptos sp. Although homarine has a common occurrence among animals, piridiniumbetaine B was only recently isolated from the marine sponge Agelas dispar. The isolation of piridiniumbetaine B from two taxonomically distant marine sponges corroborate previous assumptions that such betaines should be regarded rather as primary metabolites. We have also isolated (9-[5'-(methylthio)-beta-D-xylofuranosyl]adenine (xylosyl-MTA) from the mantle of a nudibranch identified as Doris aff. verrucosa. The occurrence of xylosyl-MTA in the mantle of this animal strongly suggests that it is the same nudibranch species described for the Mediterranean sea. We have been unable to detect any other compound in the mantle extract of D. aff. verrucosa other than xylosil-MTA and sterols. GC-MS analysis of the sterol fraction from the nudibranch and its prey, the sponge Hymeniacidon aff. heliophila, revealed the occurrence of the ubiquitous sterols, cholesterol, brassicasterol, cholestanol, 24-methylcholesterol and 24-ethylcholesterol, as the only common metabolites, therefore precluding any assumption concerning the sequestration of secondary metabolites by the nudibranch from H. aff. heliophila.