Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the impact on digestibility and physical properties of enteral formulas by the addition of variable ingredients. Eight formulas were designed by a simplex-centroid evaluating different concentrations of inulin, medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) and whey protein isolate (WPI). Overall, the eight formulas developed presented mean values of 17.3% of protein, 62.3% of carbohydrates, 11.5% of lipids, a caloric value of 420 kcal/100 g, thus obtaining nutritionally adequate formulas. The emulsion stability of the suspended formulas was affected by all ingredients and the interactions between MCT – inulin, and MCT – WPI were effective in improving this parameter. Besides that, the use of inulin mostly affected the protein digestibility, according to the degree of hydrolysis and the peptide profile. The desirability function (d-value = 0.769) proposed a formulation containing 0.70% of inulin, 1.56% of MCT, and 1.73% of WPI. This proposed solution may improve enteral formulas because this has optimal emulsion stability and protein digestibility, which are essential characteristics for a product to be used by patients under special clinical conditions.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease resulting in oxidative stress that promotes tissue damage. The appearance of this disease is highly related to lifestyle and food of the population, being of great interest to search for a dietary supplement that can also act by reducing oxidative alterations. Based on the broad range of biological activity of thiazole derivatives, this work aimed to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity of a novel hydrazine-thiazole derivative and studies in vivo. In in vivo experiments, the liver extracts of healthy and diabetic Wistar rats were used, with analysis to determine the enzymatic activity of SOD, CAT, GPx, and GR, and determination of lipid peroxidation. Finally, in the blood of these animals, biochemical parameters were evaluated. Statistical evidence of changes caused in liver enzymes and liquid peroxidation was not detected; however, these parameters were also not changed between control groups with and without diabetes. On the other hand, concerning biochemical parameters, significant differences were detected in uric acid, alkaline phosphatase, ALT, and urea, indicating a possible antioxidant protective role of such substances in the liver and kidney of diabetic animals that could be acting by means other than that commonly reported in the literature.

A simple, specific and sensitive GC-MS procedure with ion m/z 62 was validated for the determination of ethyl carbamate (EC) in spirits. It exhibited linearity over the concentration of 30 to 600 μg/L with 30 μg/L limit of quantification. EC was detected in 70 of the 71 samples analyzed with levels from 33 to 2609 μg/L (mean level = 893 μg/L). 35% of the samples contained 500 to 1000 μg/L and 23% contained 150 to 500 and 1000 to 1500 μg/L. No significant correlation was found between EC and the levels of copper, pH and alcohol content of the samples.

The objective of this work was to investigate if producers of sugar cane spirits in Minas Gerais, Brazil, have improved the copper content of their products and also if they have adjusted to the new standards of identity for 'cachaça' and 'aguardente'. Seventy-one samples, obtained from May 2003 until March 2004, were analyzed. Mean copper content was 2.30 mg/L, which indicates a significant reduction in levels. The mean alcohol content was 45.6 % v/v. All of the 'aguardente' but only 79% of the 'cachaça' attended to the standard of identity for alcohol content for these products.