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El cultivo de olivo sustenta una poderosa industria cuyos principales productos son aceite y aceituna de mesa. El proceso de extracción del aceite de oliva deja un subproducto sólido conocido como orujo. Este residuo es una pasta húmeda compuesta principalmente por pulpa de aceitunas y sus semillas, que puede ser considerado un desecho con alto potencial contaminante. Por otra parte, el orujo puede ser utilizado como materia prima para la obtención de compuestos bioactivos. En este sentido, se caracterizó químicamente el desecho sólido de la extracción de aceite de olivo de la región de Caborca, Sonora. De resultados del análisis proximal se encontró que el orujo está constituido principalmente de grasas (17-19 %) y carbohidratos (13.8 %). El contenido de fenoles totales del orujo varió entre 44.7 a 46.4 mg EAC/g. El perfil de ácidos grasos del orujo resulto similar al observado en pasta de olivo usada como referencia. En general, el orujo mantiene los componentes de la pasta de olivo de donde proviene, por lo que puede ser utilizado como materia prima para la obtención de compuestos bioactivos y otras sustancias de interés comercial

Water extractable arabinoxylan (WEAX) aerogels were prepared by extracting the solvent from the alcogels (WEAX hydrogels with an alcohol as the solvent) with carbon dioxide under supercritical conditions. WEAX aerogels were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and adsorption and desorption nitrogen isotherms. The micrographs indicate a heterogeneous porous network structure in WEAX aerogel. Adsorption/desorption nitrogen isotherms of this material were type IV, which confirm that this material possess a mesoporous structure. WEAX aerogels rehydration capability was evaluated and the water absorption mechanism was determined. The WEAX aerogels water absorption mechanism was non-Fickian (n = 0.54).

Wheat bran arabinoxylan (WBAX) gels entrapping standard model proteins at different mass ratios were formed. The entrapment of protein affected the gel elasticity and viscosity values, which decreased from 177 to 138 Pa. The presence of protein did not modify the covalent cross-links content of the gel. The distribution of protein through the network was investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. In mixed gels, protein aggregates forming clusters were detected at protein/polysaccharide ratios higher than 0.25. These clusters were not homogeneously distributed, suggesting that WBAX and protein are located in two different phases. The apparent diffusion coefficient (Dm) of proteins during release from mixed gels was investigated for mass ratios of 0.06 and 0.12. For insulin, Dm increased significantly from 2.64 × 10−7 to 3.20 × 10−7 cm2/s as the mass ratio augmented from 0.06 to 0.12. No significant difference was found for Dm values of ovalbumin and bovine serum albumin released from the mixed gels. The results indicate that homogeneous protein/WBAX gels can be formed at low mass ratios, allowing the estimation of Dm by using an analytical solution of the second Fick’s law.