Pleurotus genus is one of most extensively studied white-rot fungi due to its exceptional ligninolytic properties. It is an edible mushroom and it also has several biological effects, as it contains important bioactive molecules. In basidiomycete fungi, lignocellulolytic enzymes are affected by many typical fermentation factors, such as medium composition, ratio of carbon to nitrogen, pH, temperature, air composition, etc. The survival and multiplication of mushrooms is related to a number of factors, which may act separately or have interactive effects among them. Out that understanding challenges in handling Pleurotus species mushroom requires a fundamental understanding of their physical, chemical, biological and enzymatic properties. This review presents a practical checklist of available intrinsic and extrinsic factors, providing useful synthetic information that may help different users. An in-depth understanding of the technical features is needed for an appropriate and efficient production of Pleurotus spp.

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Information regarding the behavior of starchy roots can be an important factor to define the best cultivars in agricultural aspects besides their application either as uncooked or cooked raw material in food industries. The main goal of this work was to show the relationship between the microscopic characteristics and the hardness of raw and of cooked cassava roots in order to suggest their use in different industrial sectors that produce cassava derivatives. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to define the causes of the differences in cooking time and in hardness of the roots studied. SEM, in conjunction with texture evaluation, can discriminate the roots that are ideal for specific industrial applications. Also, information on their agricultural yield and physical and physicochemical properties can help determine the best cultivars for other industrial applications. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The agricultural performance of plants for industrial uses should be preceded by rheological characteristics in order to predict the behavior a certain raw material will have when cooked, gridded or submitted to either chemical or enzymatic processes. This work suggests some relationship regarding the tendency for hardness and for softness of 10 different cassava cultivars in relation to their microscopic characteristics and starch and fiber contents. According to these variables, it is possible to establish the best starchy raw material for specific uses.

The development of new food products obtained by extrusion processing has increased in recent years. Extrusion is used by the food industry to produce a wide variety of food products, such as ready-to-eat foods (e.g., snacks), among others. Pulses have also gained popularity as novel food ingredients in the formulation of a variety of food and food products, due to their high content of macro and micronutrients, and bioactive compounds that improve the nutritional and functional properties of the final food products. In this review, the impact of extrusion variables on proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, phenolics and antinutritional compounds in pulses and pulse-based formulations are highlighted. Particularly, the impact of the specific mechanical energy. Also, the preservation, increase and/or reduction in those functional compounds, as a consequence of different extrusion processing conditions, are discussed.

Pseudofruits of Hovenia dulcis, at five different ripening stages, were evaluated in order to characterize their bioactive compounds (phenolic compounds, tocopherols and fatty acids), and determine their biofunctionality (antitumor, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity). Epi(gallochatechin) was the main phenolic compound (24.7 mg/g, Hd05), a-tocopherol was the main isoform, increasing its content with the maturity process (5.43 mg/100 g, Hd04), C18:2 was the main polyunsaturated fatty acid (35.5%, Hd04), while C16:0 was the predominant saturated fatty acids (38%, Hd01). The most immature stages (Hd01-Hd02) showed antitumor activity against all tested tumor cell lines, mainly against NCI-H460; also Hd01 and Hd02 presented the highest antimicrobial activity, mainly against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. This underutilized product demonstrated to be a rich source of phenolic compounds and tocopherols showing an interesting activity in immature stages (unfit for consumption in natura) and could be use as alternative bioactive ingredient for functional foods, dietary supplements or nutraceuticals.

Introduction. Native to Asia, Hovenia dulcis Thunb. (Rhamnaceae), known as Japanese grape, is also found in central and southern America, southern Europe and North Africa. The fruit is a small capsule, attached to peduncle or pseudofruit, which, when mature, is the edible part. In order to increase knowledge about the potential of these pseudofruits as an alternative to other fruits available in the market, or as a new ingredient for the food industry, this study aimed to characterize the nutritional value of H. dulcis peduncles harvested at different stages of maturation. Materials and methods. Samples of H. dulcis pseudofruit were collected for five months, from an immature stage to a senescent one (Hd01, Hd02, Hd03, Hd04 and Hd05), in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil. Analysis of moisture, ash, minerals (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn), proteins, lipids, vitamin C, available carbohydrates, soluble sugars and dietary fiber (soluble and insoluble) were performed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Duncan's test were applied to the analytical results. Results and discussion. Soluble sugar content increased during maturation, probably due to starch hydrolysis and water loss. This product (Hd02 to Hd05) can be considered an interesting source of dietary fiber, according to Brazilian and European regulations. Total ash content increased during the development of these pseudofruits, due to the concentration of minerals, by reducing moisture in the mature product. Conclusion. Together with fibers, Cu, Ca and Mn were the most relevant dietary contributions of mature H. dulcis peduncles, being a good means to improve the nutritional quality of modern diets, requiring further investigation of their sensory and nutritional characteristics.

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