This study aimed microencapsulating Attalea phalerata Mart. oil, containing high carotenoid and phenolic compounds content, with Arabic gum and gelatin, using the complex coacervation method. The yield, efficiency, morphology of microcapsules and content of phenolic compounds, carotenoids and antioxidant activity in different processes conditions (concentration of the filling, temperature and agitation speed) were evaluated. The results showed 88% of yield, efficiency up to 70% and a characteristic size of microcapsules. The amount of carotenoids was high in crude oil (394.84 µg of carotenoids/g oil) and the microencapsulation tests showed amounts of 19.19 to 166.40 µg of carotenoids/g oil. The phenolic compounds in the crude oil were 20.73 mg GAE/g sample and the microencapsulation tests showed amounts of 3.17 to 15.16 mg GAE/g oil. The values of bioactive compounds influenced in the antioxidant activity though ABTS•+ method with values of 161.70 µM trolox/g oil to crude oil and 7.70 and 159.54 µM trolox/g oil for microcapsules tests.

A pimenta vermelha é rica em vitamina C e outros fitoquímicos e pode ser consumida como produto desidratado. A avaliação das melhores condições de secagem pode garantir melhor qualidade do produto. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o efeito da temperatura do ar de secagem (55, 65, 75 ºC) sobre a cinética de secagem, conteúdos de vitamina C e fenólicos totais e cor do produto desidratado, comparando-os à pimenta in natura. A desidratação foi feita por convecção forçada em estufa. A cinética de secagem foi determinada por pesagens periódicas até peso constante. A umidade da pimenta in natura foi de aproximadamente 86%. As curvas de secagem foram ajustadas por três modelos diferentes, avaliados na literatura. O modelo de Page apresentou o melhor ajuste para este processo. A análise de variância mostrou que a temperatura de secagem influenciou significativamente (p < 0,05) os parâmetros de qualidade (conteúdo de vitamina C, conteúdo de fenólicos totais, cor) da pimenta desidratada quando comparados aos da pimenta in natura. Após a secagem, a retenção de vitamina C aumentou com a redução da temperatura de secagem. De maneira geral, a qualidade do produto foi favorecida na secagem com menor temperatura, devido à redução nas perdas de compostos bioativos.

Red pepper is rich in vitamin C and other phytochemicals and can be consumed as a dehydrated product. The evaluation of the best drying conditions can ensure a better quality product. This study aimed to investigate the effect of air temperature (55, 65, and 75 ºC) on drying kinetics of red peppers and on vitamin C, total phenolic content, and color of dried pepper as compared to the fresh product. Dehydration was carried out in a forced convection oven. Drying kinetics was determined by periodic weighting until constant weight. The moisture content of the fresh pepper was approximately 86%. The drying curves were fitted to three different models available in the literature. The Page model showed the best fit for this process. Analysis of variance revealed that the air drying temperature significantly influenced (p < 0.05) the quality parameters (vitamin C content, total phenolic content, and color) of the dried pepper as compared to the fresh pepper. After drying, the vitamin C retention increased with reduced air-drying temperature. In general, products dried at lower temperatures exhibited better quality due to reduced losses of bioactive compounds.

The objective of this work was (1) to develop a dehydrated pepper with 45% humidity, determining the drying curves for pepper, with and without osmotic pre-treatment and (2) to evaluate the influence of both drying and osmotic treatment on the content ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in fresh pepper and pepper with 45% humidity. The experiments were carried out using the peppers cut in half, with and without osmotic pre-treatment, followed by drying in an oven at 70 ºC. The results showed that the osmotic pretreatment did not influence the retention of ascorbic acid during the drying of pepper. The sensory analysis regarding the color, flavor, and texture attributes revealed that there was no difference in the acceptability.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o efeito do grau da hidrólise (HD) e da concentração (C PVA) de dois tipos de poli (vinil álcool) (PVA) e do tipo e da concentração de plastificantes nas propriedades de fases de filmes biodegradáveis à base de misturas de gelatina e PVA, usando-se metodologia de superfície de resposta. Os filmes foram feitos por casting e as propriedades estudadas foram a temperatura de transição vítrea (Tg) e a fusão (Tm), determinadas por calorimetria diferencial de varredura (DSC). Para os dados obtidos na primeira varredura, o ajuste do modelo linear foi estatisticamente significativo e preditivo somente para a segunda temperatura de fusão. Neste caso, o efeito mais importante foi devido ao HD do PVA. Com relação à segunda varredura, o modelo linear pôde ser ajustado aos dados de Tg com somente dois parâmetros significativos. As concentrações de PVA e de plastificante tiveram um efeito importante em Tg. Em relação à segunda temperatura de fusão da segunda varredura, o modelo linear foi ajustado aos dados, com dois parâmetros significativos, o HD e a concentração de plastificante. Mas, o efeito mais importante foi provocado pelo HD do PVA.

The aim of this work was to study the effect of the hydrolysis degree (HD) and the concentration (C PVA) of two types of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and the effect of the type and the concentration of plasticizers on the phase properties of biodegradable films based on blends of gelatin and PVA, using a response-surface methodology. The films were made by casting and the studied properties were their glass (Tg) and melting (Tm) transition temperatures, which were determined by diferential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For the data obtained on the first scan, the fitting of the linear model was statistically significant and predictive only for the second melting temperature. In this case, the most important effect on the second Tm of the first scan was due to the HD of the PVA. In relation to the second scan, the linear model could be fit to Tg data with only two statistically significant parameters. Both the PVA and plasticizer concentrations had an important effect on Tg. Concerning the second Tm of the second scan, the linear model was fit to data with two statistically significant parameters, namely the HD and the plasticizer concentration. But, the most important effect was provoked by the HD of the PVA.