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High intake of trans fat is associated with several chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Fat blends, produced by direct blending process of palm stearin (PS) with high oleic safflower oil (HOSO) in different concentrations, were investigated. The effects of the PS addition (50, 70, or 90%) and the rate of agitation (RA) (1000, 2000, or 3000 rpm) on physical properties, fatty acid profile (FAP), trans fatty acids (TFA), crystal structure, and consistency were researched. The blend containing 50% of each sort of oil (50% PS/50% HOSO) showed that melting point and features were similar to the control shortening. The saturated fatty acids (SFA) were higher followed by monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Significant differences in the content of palmitic and oleic acids among blends were observed. The 50% PS/50% HOSO blend contained higher oleic acid (42.9%) whereas the 90% PS/10% HOSO was higher in palmitic acid (56.9%). The blending of PS/HOSO promoted the crystal polymorphic forms. The direct blending process of equal amounts of PS and HOSO was an adequate strategy to formulate a new zero-trans crystallized vegetable fats with characteristics similar to commercial counterparts with well-balanced fats rich in both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

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Phenolic compounds from fruits and vegetables have shown antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, among other beneficial properties for human health. All these benefits have motivated multiple studies about preserving, extracting, and even increasing the concentration of these compounds in foods. A diverse group of vegetable products treated with High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) at different pressure and time have shown higher phenolic content than their untreated counterparts. The increments have been associated with an improvement in their extraction from cellular tissues and even with the activation of the biosynthetic pathway for their production. The application of HHP from 500 to 600 MPa, has been shown to cause cell wall disruption facilitating the release of phenolic compounds from cell compartments. HPP treatments ranging from 15 to 100 MPa during 10–20 min at room temperature have produced changes in phenolic biosynthesis with increments up to 155%. This review analyzes the use of HHP as a method to increase the phenolic content in vegetable systems. Phenolic content changes are associated with either an immediate stress response, with a consequent improvement in their extraction from cellular tissues, or a late stress response that activates the biosynthetic pathways of phenolics in plants.

Baccharis glutinosa and Jacquinia macrocarpa are medicinal plants whose antifungal activity has been observed on maize phytopathogenic fungi. However, the specific site where those compounds act has not been studied. The objective of this work was to evaluate the hydrolytic effect of antifungal fractions from B. glutinosa (BgF) and J. macrocarpa (JmF) on β-glucan and chitin isolated from Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium verticillioides, as well as their inhibition activity on the fungal hydrolases β-glucanase and chitinase. The antifungal fractions did not show β-1,3-glucanase activity, instead, they showed chitinase activity against polymeric extracts from fungi. None of the antifungal fractions inhibited the chitinase activity of the fungi. However, both BgF and JmF antifungal fractions inhibited fungal β-1,3-glucanase activity acting as competitive inhibitors. It is possible that the antifungal fractions inhibit the β-1,3-glucanase activity affecting β-1,3-glucan synthesis, causing the production of a defective cell wall. These defects in the cell wall may allow the antifungal fractions to hydrolyze chitin causing delay in fungal growth. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSStudies have proved that plants are one of the major sources for drug discovery and development, because plant-derived drugs have been reported to be safe and with no side effects. B. glutinosa and J. macrocarpa are plants used in traditional medicine by native people of Mexico, and their antifungal activity has been observed against mycotoxigenic fungi commonly associated with maize and other cereal grains. Although the effect on hyphae and spores suggests the interaction between the antifungal fractions and the fungal cell walls, as far as we know, there are no studies designed to elucidate the mode of action and the specific site of the cell wall where those compounds act. The results obtained in the present study suggest the presence of chitinase activity and a β-1,3-glucanase inhibitor found together in the antifungal fractions, which makes them a potential valuable alternative to synthetic fungicides for protecting maize and other cereal grains from fungal contamination.

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Black and red raspberries are fruits with a high phenolic and vitamin C content but are highly susceptible to deterioration. The effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP 400–600 MPa/CUT-10 min) and pulsed electric fields (PEF, frequency 100–500 Hz, pulse number 100, electric field strength from 11.3 to 23.3 kV/cm, and specific energy from 19.7 to 168.4 kJ/L) processes on black/red raspberry juice was studied. The effect on the inactivation of microorganisms and pectin methylesterase (PME) activity, physicochemical parameters (pH, acidity, total soluble solids (°Brix), and water activity (aw)), vitamin C and phenolic compounds content were also determined. Results reveal that all HHP-treatments produced the highest (p < 0.05) log-reduction of molds (log 1.85 to 3.72), and yeast (log 3.19), in comparison with PEF-treatments. Increments in pH, acidity, and TSS values attributed to compounds’ decompartmentalization were found. PME activity was partially inactivated by HHP-treatment at 600 MPa/10 min (22% of inactivation) and PEF-treatment at 200 Hz/168.4 kJ/L (19% of inactivation). Increment in vitamin C and TPC was also observed. The highest increment in TPC (79% of increment) and vitamin C (77% of increment) was observed with PEF at 200 Hz/168.4 kJ/L. The putative effect of HHP and PEF on microbial safety, enzyme inactivation, and phytochemical retention is also discussed in detail. In conclusion, HHP and PEF improve phytochemical compounds’ content, microbial safety, and quality of black/red raspberry juice.