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This study aimed to produce soluble potato starch ultrafine fibers for the encapsulation of pinhão coat extract (PCE), evaluating their relative crystallinity (RC), thermal stability, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as in vitro biological digestion. In the simulation of in vitro biological digestion, the phenolic compounds release profile was also evaluated. The ultrafine fibers were produced by electrospinning, based on a polymeric solution composed of soluble potato starch (50% w/v) and formic acid. Then, PCE was incorporated at various concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%, w/w, dry basis). The endothermic event of free PCE was not observed in the ultrafine fibers, which suggests its encapsulation. The RC decreased according to the increase in PCE concentration in the ultrafine fibers. The PCE resisted thermal treatments when encapsulated into the ultrafine fibers (100 and 180°C), and the ultrafine fibers with 1% PCE presented the highest amount of preserved phenolic compounds. Regarding antioxidant activity, the free PCE presented 85% of DPPH inhibition and the ultrafine fibers had 18% inhibition, not differing among the PCE concentrations (p < 0.05). The free PCE and the ultrafine fibers with 0.5% PCE showed inhibitory effect against S. aureus and the ones with 1.5% PCE showed controlled release of phenolic compounds during the simulation of in vitro digestion. Starch ultrafine fibers showed potential to be applied in food industries due to their capacity of protecting phenolic compounds when submitted to high temperatures or gastrointestinal conditions. Nevertheless, their application depends on the end use of the product. Practical Application The encapsulation of pinhão coat extract (PCE) in ultrafine starch fibers promotes greater preservation of phenolic compounds. Thus, it can be incorporated into different foods that are produced using the ultra‐high temperature (UHT) process—at 135–145°C for 5 to 10 s, or some other equivalent time/temperature combination. Another possibility is the incorporation of ultrafine fibers in active packaging: compounds can migrate to food, improving sensory characteristics, increasing shelf life, preventing chemical and microbiological deterioration, and ensuring food safety.

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Pinhão is highly perishable due to its high water activity, being easily affected by fungi during storage and also susceptible to infestation by larvae. This seed is usually marketed in the pinhão cones itself, or bulk threshed, and packed in plastic bags, chilled or ground frozen. Pinhão conservation and industrialization techniques should be developed to promote its commercialization and consumption at other times of the year, besides the seasonal period, encouraging its sustainable production, extraction and commercialization, considering its essentially extractive character. The objective of this study was to evaluate the conservation of pinhão by the use of gamma radiation and refrigeration. The pinhões were irradiated with a cobalt–60 source at a dose rate of 1 kGy. A non-irradiated sample was used as a control. The pinhões were packed in high-density polyethylene bags and stored at ambient temperature and refrigerated at 4 ºC, during 90 days. Pinhões were evaluated for weight loss, acidity, reducing sugars, vitamin C, firmness, color, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity and microbiological analyzes. The isolated use of gamma radiation was not effective for the maintenance of the evaluated parameters. However, when used in conjunction with refrigerated storage, it reduced the growth of aerobic fungi, as well as mesophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms. The isolated use of refrigeration showed a reduction in weight loss, reducing sugars and an increase in vitamin C content and antioxidant activity. Thus, to increase the benefits, we suggest evaluating higher doses of radiation as a function of the thick pinhão shell.

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The formation of new citizens for the 21st Century presupposes the use of methodologies that integrate it with the social space in which it is and make them extrapolate to other spaces and times, promoting their actions to the point that they are the protagonist of their success and autonomy. The active methodologies aim to value these processes of individual and collective development, social and emotional, affective, and reflective. Considering that the theme active methodologies in higher education is still something to be explored in depth, this study sought to answer the following research question: What are the main themes associated with the use of active methodologies in higher education that appear in international scientific production? Among the 40 articles analyzed, the countries that published the most up to the moment of data collection were: Spain (24) and Brazil (11), among others. In all, the publications of 8 countries were analyzed. In relation to the universities that published the most, the University of The Basque Country stood out (4). The most recurrent terms of each cluster were: teacher training, impact, strategy and flipped classroom. Considering its exploratory and descriptive character, the analyses carried out in this research allowed us to realize that the analyzed articles sought to present how the methodologies active in higher education require qualitative research that allows to deepen discussions about the use of them by teachers in higher education. This study identified a tendency for articles to approach the term flipped classroom as one of the most recurrent methodologies in the studies analyzed. The contribution of this study was the mapping and organization of publications through clusters, thanks to the use of software that enabled us to mineralize the data and then recompose the information to stratify by: countries, institutions linked to the publications, frequency of words and its diverse contexts. Finally, this research approached the theme explored by presenting that active methodologies are fundamental for the performance of teachers in higher education and that they still require formative processes that enable them to integrate these practices into their classes.