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Background Buriti oil presents numerous health benefits, but due to its lipophilic nature and high oxidation, it is impossible to incorporate it into aqueous food matrices. Thus, the present study evaluated whether powder nanoparticles based on porcine gelatin (OPG) and in combination with sodium alginate (OAG) containing buriti oil obtained by O/W emulsification followed by freeze-drying enabled water dispersibility and preserved or increased the antimicrobial activity of the oil. Results OPG presented spherical shape, smooth surface, smaller particle size and polydispersity index [51.0 (6.07) nm and 0.40 (0.05)], and better chemical interaction between the nonpolar amino acids and the hydrophobic oil chain. OPG also presented a higher dispersibility percentage [85.62% (7.82)] than OAG [50.19% (7.24)] (p < 0.05), and significantly increased the antimicrobial activity of the oil by 59, 62, and 43% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Conclusions Thus, nanoencapsulation in gelatin is a promising strategy to increase the potential to use buriti oil in foods.

A Mata Atlântica vem sendo alvo de biopirataria e coleta predatória de plantas ornamentais como orquídeas que alcançam um alto valor de mercado em função das características estéticas e beleza cênica. O Parque Natural Dom Nivaldo Monte é um fragmento de Mata Atlântica de 64 ha, inserido na Zona de Proteção Ambiental-1 (ZPA-1) do município de Natal, que vem sendo alvo deste mercado ilegal devido à extração vegetal da Cattleya granulosa, uma orquídea endêmica ameaçada de extinção. O objetivo geral deste trabalho é valorar economicamente o dano ambiental ocasionado pela extração ilegal da orquídea C. granulosa. A metodologia utilizada na pesquisa contemplou as seguintes etapas: levantamento amostral da orquídea na área em estudo; cálculo de densidade e freqüência absolutas; valoração econômica do dano ambiental associado à extração indevida; proposição de políticas públicas. Como resultado, foi observada uma densidade de 1,17 indivíduos/parcela e freqüência absoluta de 8,33%, sendo estimando 1493 indivíduos no Parque, durante o período analisado. Os serviços ambientais oferecidos por todos os indivíduos de C. granulosa a sociedade, na área estudada, representa monetariamente um valor de R$ 9.555.200,00. Assim, para manutenção destes serviços propõem-se como políticas públicas municipais para preservação da espécie: aumento da fiscalização na área, educação ambiental com a comunidade circunvizinha, cobrança de indenização ao infrator, investir na interligação da ZPA-1 com a ZPA -3 a fim de propiciar fluxo gênico entre estes fragmentos, assim como incentivar a utilização técnicas de biotecnologia vegetal como a micropropagação de clones e semeadura in vitro para reintrodução na natureza.

This work aimed to investigate the physicochemical and functional composition of bee pollen produced in different municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Norte/Brazil (RN) and commercial samples produced in other places. To perform these experiments, samples of dehydrated bee pollen were crushed and subjected to physicochemical evaluation, instrumental color, fatty acid profile, evaluation of the presence of bioactive compounds [Total Phenolic Compounds (TPC), carotenoids] and antioxidant activity (reduction of DPPH radical). The pH of the pollen samples varied from 4.55 to 5.08, the protein from 19.01% to 29.71%, and the ash from 2.44% to 4.27%. All pollen samples showed a yellowish-red hue (a* and b* positive), and the pollen produced in Touros/RN/BR stood out with a lighter color (L* = 32.91). The pollen produced in Touros/RN/BR showed a higher (p < 0.05) percentage of saturated fatty acids (41.60%), whereas the pollen collected in Taipu/RN/BR had a higher percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids (7.44%). Pollen samples showed a low concentration of Total Carotenoid Content (TCC) (0.81 to 22.82 µg/g), as well as a high content of TPC (1.79 to 2.28 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (1.40 to 5.70 µmol TE/g) when compared with the consulted literature. According to the obtained results, we could infer that pollen samples from different locations showed variations in physicochemical composition, coloration, fatty acid profile, TPC and antioxidant activity which reflects the geographic diversity inherent to the production sites.

The objective of this study was to explore the substitution of ractopamine by coconut or safflower oil in finishing pig diets. The study included 24 crossbred barrows weighing 78.00 ± 8.76 kg distributed in a randomized block design with four treatments and six replicates composed of: basal ration (BR), BR + 10 ppm ractopamine, BR + four 1 g capsules of safflower oil, and BR + four 1 g capsules of coconut oil. Performance evaluation showed that safflower oil, ractopamine, and coconut oil supplementation had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on weight gain and feed conversion. Carcass-related variables were also affected by the treatments (P < 0.05), with fat thickness 3 (FT3) reduced by the use of safflower oil, ractopamine, and coconut oil. Rib eye area was positively affected (P < 0.05) by diet, with ractopamine, coconut oil, and safflower oil supplementation treatments showing higher values than control diet treatment. The diets also affected fatty acid profiles (P < 0.05), with decreased myristic acid content in animals supplemented with ractopamine and safflower oil and increased deposition of palmitoleic and oleic acids in animals supplemented with coconut oil and safflower oil, respectively. Results suggested that both safflower oil and coconut oil can be used as substitutes for ractopamine.

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