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The environment preservation has been an important motivation to find alternative, functional, and biodegradable materials to replace polluting petrochemicals. The production of nonbiodegradable face masks increased the concentration of microplastics in the environment, highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives, such as the use of local by‐products to create efficient and eco‐friendly filtering materials. Furthermore, the use of smart materials can reduce the risk of contagion and virus transmission, especially in the face of possible mutations. The development of novel materials is necessary to ensure less risk of contagion and virus transmission, as well as to preserve the environment. Taking these factors into account, 16 systems were developed with different combinations of precursor materials (holocellulose, polyaniline [ES‐PANI], graphene oxide [GO], silver nanoparticles [AgNPs], and activated carbon [AC]). Adsorption tests of the spike protein showed that the systems containing GO and AC were the most efficient in the adsorption process. Similarly, plate tests conducted using the VSV‐IN strain cultured in HepG2 cells showed that the system containing all phases showed the greatest reduction in viral titer method. In agreement, the biocompatibility tests showed that the compounds extracted from the systems showed low cytotoxicity or no significant cytotoxic effect in human fibroblasts. As a result, the adsorption tests of the spike protein, viral titration, and biocompatibility tests showed that systems labeled as I and J were the most efficient. In this context, the present research has significantly contributed to the technological development of antiviral systems, with improved properties and increased adsorption efficiency, reducing the viral titer and contributing efficiently to public health. In this way, these alternative materials could be employed in sensors and devices for filtering and sanitization, thus assisting in mitigating the transmission of viruses and bacteria. Research Highlights: Sixteen virus adsorbent systems were developed with different combinations of precursor materials (holocellulose, polyaniline (ES‐PANI), graphene oxide (GO), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and activated carbon (AC)).The system that included all of the nanocomposites holocellulose, PANI, GO, AgNPs, and AC showed the greatest reduction in viral titration.The biocompatibility tests revealed that all systems caused only mild or moderate cytotoxicity toward human fibroblasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The adoption of vegetarian diets has been increasingly embraced by individuals seeking to improve their health and reduce their environmental impact. One concern regarding this dietary choice is the adequate intake of proteins with nutritional quality comparable to animal‐derived proteins. In this regard, plant‐based proteins have been the focus of studies and technological developments aimed at enhancing their nutritional and functional properties. The application of ultrasound to plant proteins has proven to be an effective strategy for modifying their structure and improving their digestibility, solubility, and viscosity. This review article presents studies that have investigated the modification of plant‐based proteins using ultrasound, with emphasis on their nutritional and technological implications. The effects of ultrasound on protein structure and properties will be discussed, as well as the potential applications in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The centre–periphery hypothesis (CPH) sustains that peripheral populations are subjected to harsher environmental conditions, which reduces demographic performance manifested, among others, by lower abundance, higher inbreeding and higher developmental instability. However, range centrality/peripherality is not necessarily a good proxy for environmental suitability since geographical distributions are often irregular in shape, barriers may limit dispersal towards suitable areas, and ancestral range shifts may have occurred unevenly in each direction. We evaluated predictions of the CPH for populations of the Neotropical lizard Notomabuya frenata by modelling the effects of environmental suitability and geographical centrality/peripherality upon demographic performance. Location: Brazilian Cerrado. Taxon: Notomabuya frenata (Squamata, Scincidae). Methods: We used populational values of body size, body mass, body condition, tail autotomy and fluctuating asymmetry (FA; a proxy of developmental instability) to estimate demographic performance. Then, we built correlative models to estimate environmental suitability for each sampled population. Finally, we used hierarchical Bayesian models based on a combination of stochastic partial differential equations and integrated nested Laplace approximations to model the relationships between demographic performance and predictor variables (geographical centrality/peripherality and environmental suitability) and make predictions across the geographical distribution of N. frenata. Results: Generalized boosting produced the best environmental suitability models. The total suitability area spanned more than 4 million km2 in cis‐Andean South America. All scalation counts presented some degree of asymmetry. Only three response variables—all related to FA—responded significantly to predictor changes. Contrary to the predictions of the CPH, one scalation count presented higher asymmetry closer to the range center and another in more suitable environments. Peripherality did not significantly influence any of the response variables. Main Conclusions: Populations may respond differently to geographical centrality/peripherality and environmental suitability, as these characteristics do not necessarily coincide. Studies testing the CPH should ideally incorporate these different predictors of demographic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to evaluate the bioactive compounds and functional properties of Passiflora quadrangularis, aiming to contribute to future studies on the elaboration of functional products based on this species. The chemical analysis of flavonoids from the leaves, as well as the chemical composition of fruits (specifically the pericarp) were accessed herein. The functional properties are directly dependent on specific extracts, and the aqueous extract and the flavonoid fraction are responsible for the sedative property. The presence of C‐glycosyl flavonoids is highly reported in the chemical composition, highlighting the vitexin‐2″‐O‐xyloside. Few studies have been focused on this species, and most of them are devoted to the sedative properties of the genus Passiflora spp. However, a review on the main available information on this species is of extreme interest for the research and development of products in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Andean purple maize (APM) is an ancient crop widely used as a natural coloring in traditional Peruvian cuisine. However, it has been little explored within the food industry. The present study assessed how APM impacts on techno‐functional properties and sensory acceptance of breakfast cereals. Extruded samples formulated with 100, 75, 50, and 25% APM, and complemented with yellow corn grits (YCG), were analyzed for their techno‐functional and sensory properties. RESULTS: Increases in bulk density, as well as reduction in the expantion and porosity were observated for extrudates containing ≥ 50% APM, accompanied by an increase in purple color intensity. Increase in milk absorption index, reduction in milk solubility index and decrease in cereal hardness with increase in APM were also observed. Despite this, APM extented the cereal bowl‐life. High sensory scores of overall liking (6) and color (7) were obtained for extruded formulations containing ≥ 50% APM and low values for extrudates with 25% APM. Aroma, flavor, and texture scores did not present significant differences. CONCLUSION: APM is an ingredient with the potential to be used to produce breakfast cereals since it improves their techno‐functional characteristics and sensory acceptance, at the same time, it leads to the production of healthy, nutritious, and sustainable food. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This review aims to investigate and evaluate the effect of ultrasound process parameters on the interfacial properties (surface hydrophobicity) of food proteins. The data obtained from English published papers accessed on Web of Science, PubMed and Wiley published from 2013 to 2021 allowed a table overview construction and a meta‐analysis. Study selection was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses method. A total of 40 relevant reports and 185 data used for meta‐analysis were considered. In general, the results revealed that the use of the ultrasound process increased the surface hydrophobicity of proteins. Processing time, power, amplitude and ultrasound frequency were significant in protein modification. The findings showed that the ultrasound process parameters should be considered to assess the effect on the modification and improvement of the interfacial properties of proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Unripe green coffee is one of the by‐products from coffee processing that does not have many applications in higher value‐added food products. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical, technological, and sensory properties of rice‐based breakfast cereal made with micronised‐roasted coffee (MRC) from green coffee fruits. The products were elaborated with different MRC concentrations (2, 5 and 9%) and manufactured in a single screw extruder. Data were analysed by analysis of variance and Tukey's test (p < 0.05). The increase in MRC concentration improved the contents of caffeine, chlorogenic and caffeic acids in the breakfast cereals, and reduced the luminosity and expansion index due to the presence of brown colour and fibres from coffee beans. The cereal made with 5% of MRC was more accepted by consumers. Thus, MRC has proven to be a potential source of bioactive compounds, fibres and natural brownish colour for breakfast cereals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functional properties of starch could be improved with structural tuning through a number of processing techniques, intensely explored in the past few years by several industries such as food, pharmacology, paper and cosmetics. The current work proposes a model for determining the crystallinity of B‐type Starch based only on X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement method (RM). A sample of food grade potato starch (described as B‐type Starch) was submitted to structural modifications using high energy ultrasound followed by acid hydrolysis. The sample was thereby studied by powder XRD measurements and later refined using RM. Apparent crystallite sizes were found to be stable after ultrasound processing, while the crystallinity increased 10% after hydrolysis. Hence, this procedure provides an easy and alternative approach for estimating the crystallinity and the crystallite sizes of the starch sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental temperatures influence ectotherms' physiology and capacity to perform activities necessary for survival and reproduction. Time available to perform those activities is determined by thermal tolerances and environmental temperatures. Estimates of activity time might enhance our ability to predict suitable areas for species' persistence in face of climate warming, compared to the exclusive use of environmental temperatures, without considering thermal tolerances. We compare the ability of environmental temperatures and estimates of activity time to predict the geographic distribution of a tropical lizard, Tropidurus torquatus. We compared 105 estimates of activity time, resulting from the combination of four methodological decisions: 1) how to estimate daily environmental temperature variation (modeling a sinusoid wave ranging from monthly minimum to maximum temperature, extrapolating from operative temperatures measured in field or using biophysical projections of microclimate)? 2) In which temperature range are animals considered active? 3) Should these ranges be determined from body temperatures obtained in laboratory or in field? And 4) should thermoregulation simulations be included in estimations? We show that models using estimates of activity time made with the sinusoid and biophysical methods had higher predictive accuracy than those using environmental temperatures alone. Estimates made using the central 90% of temperatures measured in a thermal gradient as the temperature range for activity also ranked higher than environmental temperatures. Thermoregulation simulations did not improve model accuracy. Precipitation ranked higher than thermally related predictors. Activity time adds important information to distribution modeling and should be considered as a predictor in studies of the distribution of ectotherms. The distribution of T. torquatus is restricted by precipitation and by the effect of lower temperatures on their time of activity and climate warming could lead to range expansion. We provide an R package 'Mapinguari' with tools to generate spatial predictors based on the processes described herein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND A viable possibility for the best use of bioactive compounds present in camu‐camu, fruit native to the Amazonian rainforest, is the preparation of microcapsules using different biopolymers by the spray‐drying technique, which would increase the possibilities for innovation in the food industry, as well as facilitate the application in different food matrices. In this context, the chemical, physicochemical, and morphological properties and stability of camu‐camu extract (peel and pulp) spray‐dried using maltodextrin, inulin, and oligofructose as encapsulating agents were investigated, as well as lyophilized camu‐camu extract (CEL). Different relative humidities (22%, 51%, and 75%) and temperatures (25 °C and 45 °C) were evaluated. RESULTS: The moisture, water activity, and solubility values varied from 18.4 to 107.9 g water per kilogram dry powder, 0.06 to 0.27, and 950.80 to 920.28 g microparticles per kilogram of water respectively. Retention of the bioactive compounds varied in the ranges 5.5–7.1 g per kilogram ascorbic acid fresh weight and 7.2–9.0 g per kilogram anthocyanins fresh weight. The increase in temperature and relative humidity during storage provided a significant decrease in the stability of the bioactive compounds for all treatments. However, the CEL presented higher water adsorption kinetics and degradation under all storage conditions, indicating the importance of the use of encapsulating agents. CONCLUSION: In general, the prebiotic biopolymers used as encapsulating agents in the microencapsulation of extracts of camu‐camu by spray‐drying presented satisfactory results, suggesting that this technique is an effective strategy to increase the stability of bioactive compounds contained in fruits and vegetables. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The encapsulated essential oils (EOs) of Piper aduncum L. and Piper hispidinervum C. DC. in gelatin nanoparticles were evaluated against Aedes aegypti Linn., Tetranychus urticae Koch and Cerataphis lataniae Boisd. RESULTS: Encapsulation efficiency of the EOs was measured for absolute concentrations of 500 µg mL−1 (79.2 and 72.7%) and 1000 µg mL−1 (84.5 and 82.2%). The loaded nanoparticles were nearly spherical and well dispersed. The nanoparticles loaded with P. hispidinervum EO had an average size of 100 ± 2 nm, while the nanoparticles containing P. aduncum EO ranged from 175 ± 4 to 220 ± 4 nm. According to zeta potential analysis, the nanoparticles loaded with P. hispidinervum and P. aduncum EOs presented values around −43.5 ± 3 and −37.5 ± 2 mV respectively. The controlled release of EOs was described by the anomalous mechanism of Korsmeyer–Peppas. Both encapsulated EOs reached lethal dosages within 24 h of exposure and total mortality of the tested pests. CONCLUSION: The present work successfully developed gelatin‐based nanoparticles that served as carriers for the EOs of P. aduncum and P. hispidinervum to be applied as a sustainable control tool of A. aegypti, T. urticae and C. lataniae. The developed loaded nanoparticles presented high encapsulation efficiency and EO concentration release higher than lethal dosages. This indicates that it is feasible to use gelatin‐based nanoparticles loaded with P. aduncum and P. hispidinervum EOs to control the tested pests. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]