The search for new natural sources of hydrocolloids with stabilizing, thickening, and good binding capacity, from raw materials that are environmentally friendly and that contribute to the circular economy is a challenge for the food industry. The aim of the study was the preliminary characterization of a spray-dried hydrocolloid from high Andean algae Nostoc sphaericum. Four ecotypes of algae from Peruvian high Andean lagoons located above 4000 m were considered. The samples were collected in the period March—April 2021 and were subjected to a spray drying process in an aqueous medium. The characterization showed that the dehydrated nostoc ecotypes presented high protein and carbohydrate content, making it a potential material for direct use as a functional food for humans. The spray-dried product presented good stability for its use as a hydrocolloid, with zeta potential values (ζ), around 30 mV, evidencing the presence of -CO-, -OH, -COO-, and -CH groups, characteristic of polysaccharides, representing 40% of total organic carbon on average, giving it low water activity values and particle size at the nanometric level. Major minerals such as Ca (>277 mg/100 g), Mg (>19.7 mg/100 g), and Fe (>7.7 mg/100 g) were reported. Spray-dried nostoc is a hydrocolloid material with high potential for the food industry, with good nutritional content and techno-functional behavior.

The contamination of water bodies by heavy metals is a critical problem for human health and ecosystems, and it can bioaccumulate in organisms to toxic levels and even lead to the living being’s death. This research aimed to synthesize and characterize a biopolymer with the capacity to remove heavy metals in wastewater, elaborated from potato starch, glycerin, and nopal mucilage. Native potato starch of the Allcca sipas variety was extracted by conventional methods; the mucilage was extracted with ethanol. Four formulations of biopolymers were synthesized at 60 and 70 °C. The solubility, structural characteristics, and adsorption capacity of heavy metals were evaluated. Starch, mucilage, and biopolymers presented predominant functional groups as -OH, -C-O-, -NH-, -C-H-, -C-OH determined by FTIR, allowing to remove up to 50.18% of Al, 56.81% of As, 35.95% of Cr, 37.43% of Hg and 73.22% of Pb determined through an ICPE-OES, for a contact time of 100 minutes at pH 5.0, heavy metal removal and solubility were significantly influenced (p-value < 0.05) by the addition of starch and mucilage. The synthesized biopolymers present a high capacity for heavy metal removal in wastewater.

The water from the high Andean rivers is peculiar due to its composition and the geomorphology of its sources, and naturally or anthropogenically contamination is not discarded along its course. This water is used for agriculture and human consumption, therefore knowing its quality is important. This research aimed to proposing and formulate a water-quality index for high Andean basins through the Delphi method, and its application in the Chumbao River located in Andahuaylas-Peru. Forty-three water-quality parameters were evaluated through the Delphi method, and the water-quality index (WQIHA) was formulated with a weighted average of the weights of the selected parameters, it was compared with the WQI Dinius. For this purpose, ten sampling points were considered along the Chumbao River located between 4274 and 2572 m of altitude and the WQIHA was applied. In addition, field and laboratory analyses were carried out in 2018, 2019, and 2021, in dry and rainy seasons. Twenty parameters were grouped in the physicochemical sub-index (SIPC), heavy metals sub-index (SIHM), and organic matter sub-index (SIOM). Each group contributed with weights of 0.30, 0.30, and 0.40, respectively, for the WQIHA formulation. The SIPC and SIOM showed that the areas near the head of the basin presented excellent and good quality, while the urbanized areas were qualified as marginal to poor; SIHM reported good quality in all points and seasons. Regarding the WQIHA, the index shows good quality in the zones above 3184 m of altitude, contrasting with poor quality downstream, decreasing notably in both seasons, suggesting continuous degradation of the water body.

El objetivo de la investigacion fue describir el uso de contaminates en el cultivo del Maíz Zea mays L . El estudio se realizo en el distrito de Curahuasi, Provincia Abancay Apurímac Perú. El tipo de estudio fue cuantitativo con un nivel explicativo. Se evaluó el transecto Concacha-Curahuasi, se aplicó el muestreo probabilístico aleatorio simple en una población total de 345 familias de las comunidades y asociaciones de productores, la muestra fue el 20% de agricultores. El trabajo de campo se realizó en octubre del 2018.  Los resultados logrados demostraron que el 92,16 % de agricultores utilizan insecticidas indiscriminadamente para el control de las plagas mencionadas, el 94,1 % consideran que el choclo, el agua y el suelo están contaminados. No hacen ningún tratamiento para la disposición final de los envases vacíos. En conclusión, en la producción del maíz choclero, en Curahuasi, utilizan agroquímicos que contaminan las cosechas y el medio ambiente.

Las propiedades térmicas son parámetros requeridos para cálculos de transferencia de calor en los procesos de alimentos. Los granos andinos presentan  fuentes  nutricionales importantes que facilitan la elaboración de diferentes alimentos procesados.  El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar el comportamiento térmico en harinas de tres variedades de quinua germinada, el análisis de las muestras se realizó mediante calorimetría diferencial de  barrido  (DSC)  y análisis termogravimetro (TGA), las muestras de quinua fueron  inducidas a germinación en condiciones controladas. Los resultados en  el  DSC presentaron temperaturas de gelatinización de 96,85 ºC y 99,13 ºC, las entalpias de gelatinización fueron 1378,4 y 731,11 J/g, con una tendencia a la retrogradación. El análisis  de  TGA en cada variedad de quinua germinada  mostraron  temperaturas de descomposición de los compuestos de bajo peso molecular a los 286,1°C y 230°C. Los resultados muestran que cada variedad de quinua  presenta una  transición  térmica   y   entalpia de gelatinización diferente, al igual  que las modificaciones térmicas por efecto del calor y humedad cambian las propiedades fisicoquímicas de sus almidones.