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Biofortified sweet potatoes as a tool to combat vitamin A deficiency: Effect of food processing in carotenoid contentEl camote biofortificado como herramienta para combatir la deficiencia de vitamina A: Efecto del procesamiento de alimentos sobre el contenido de carotenoides

Beauregard sweet potato is an orange color crop rich in β-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. β-carotene improve immunity and decrease of incidence of degenerative diseases. The objective of this work was to introduce sweet potato in the diet through of some food products, such as bread, cake and sweets. The effect of processing on the chemical composition, as well as the quantification of phenols and total carotenoids, antioxidant activity, and sensory acceptability were evaluated. Cakes and coconut sweets presented higher levels of carotenoids. Higher phenolic and antioxidant activity were verified in cocoa sweets. All foods had good acceptability: 86% for bread, 83.3% for cake and 84,4%, and 86% for coconut and cocoa sweets, respectively. Servings of 95g of roasted sweet potato, 330g of bread, 182g of cake, 187g of coconut sweet and 391g end of cocoa sweet, would provide the recommended daily intake of vitamin A for children 10 years and older. It was concluded that the elaboration of foods containing sweet potato is a viable alternative to inserting biofortified foods into the human diet.

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The aim of this study is to produce ultrafine fibers based on native yam starch as a polymeric material using the electrospinning technique. For this purpose, a 2³ multivariate design is used, with central and axial points in order to optimize the electrospinning operating conditions (source voltage, distance between the needle and the collector, and flow of the polymeric solution). The morphology and diameter of the ultrafine fibers are evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. The investigated responses are the average diameter of the fibers, the standard deviation of the average diameter, and the number of beads. The optimum condition for the production of ultrafine fibers is: voltage of 20 kV, distance between the needle and the collector of 20.5 cm, and flow of 1 mL h−1. With these conditions, it is possible to form fibers with an average diameter of 134.1 ± 16.71 nm, with homogeneous morphology, and without beads.

Jambolan is a fruit rich in anthocyanins, among other bioactive compounds. In addition to the biological properties, jambolan anthocyanins have the potential for the production of food packaging, considering that they are antioxidants and can change color as a function of pH (indicator). The objective of this study was to encapsulate jambolan extract at concentrations of 0, 20, 30, and 40% (w/v) in ultrafine zein fibers by the electrospinning technique. The ultrafine fibers produced were evaluated for morphology, size distribution, encapsulation efficiency, contact angle, thermal properties, and antioxidant activity. Overall, the fibers showed uniform and continuous morphology, diameter ranging from 472 to 622 nm, encapsulation efficiency of up to 66.8%, and contact angle ranging from 94.4° to 64.4°. Also, the incorporation of the extract at concentrations of up to 40% w/w, does not alter the stability of the fibers. The fibers showed antioxidant activity of 29.7 to 40.5% inhibition by the DPPH method and 37.9 to 58.8% inhibition by the ABTS•+ method. Therefore, the ultrafine zein fibers with jambolan extract produced by electrospinning show promising characteristics for the elaboration of active and/or intelligent food packaging.