Tomato skins and their mixtures with seeds were submitted to supercritical CO 2 extraction using a flow apparatus at pressures of 250 and 300 bar and temperatures of 60 and 80°C. Two different mean particle sizes (80 and 345 µm) were used at two solvent flow rates (0.792 and 1.35 kg/h). The yields of lipids, lycopene, and -carotene obtained by supercritical fluid extraction were compared with those obtained by conventional organic solvent extraction. Supercritical fluid extraction from tomato skins at 300 bar and 80°C allowed the recovery of 80% of the lycopene and 88% of the -carotene, using about 130 g of CO 2 per gram of matrix at the lower flow rate of CO 2 .

Tryptophan, serotonin, and melatonin, present in Jerte Valley cherries, participate in sleep regulation and exhibit antioxidant properties. The effect of the intake of seven different Jerte Valley cherry cultivars on the sleep-wake cycle, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels, and urinary total antioxidant capacity in middle-aged and elderly participants was evaluated. Volunteers were subjected to actigraphic monitoring to record and display the temporal patterns of their nocturnal activity and rest. 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and total antioxidant capacity were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and colorimetric assay kits, respectively. The intake of each of the cherry cultivars produced beneficial effects on actual sleep time, total nocturnal activity, assumed sleep, and immobility. Also, there were significant increases in 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels and total antioxidant capacity in urine after the intake of each cultivar. These findings suggested that the intake of Jerte Valley cherries exerted positive effect on sleep and may be seen as a potential nutraceutical tool to counteract oxidation.

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Encapsulation is a process by which small particles of core products are packaged within a wall material to form microcapsules. One common technique to produce encapsulated products is spray-drying which involves the conversion of liquid oils in the form of an emulsion into dry powders. Emulsification conditions, wall components, and spray-drying parameters have been optimized for the microencapsulation of different extra-virgin olive oils. To achieve this goal, the influences of emulsion conditions have been evaluated for different wall components such as proteins (sodium caseinate and gelatin), hydrocolloids (Arabic gum), and hydrolyzed starches (starch, lactose, and maltodextrin). In addition, for each of the tested conditions the ratio of wall solid-to-oil and spraydrying parameters were as well optimized.The microencapsulation effectiveness was determined based on process yield and the ratio between free and encapsulated oil (microencapsulation efficiency). Highest encapsulation yields were achieved when gelatin, Arabic gum and maltodextrin and sodium caseinate and maltodextrin were used as encapsulation agents and the ratio of wall solid-to-oil was 1:4 and 1:2, respectively. Under these conditions, 53% of oil was encapsulated. The influence of olive oil quality in the microencapsulation process was evaluated in terms of fatty acids profile alteration after the microencapsulation process.

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Shredded and whole red pepper samples were dehydrated in a laboratory drier with a through-flow air velocity of 0.5 m s À1 at 50, 55, 60 and 70°C. Shredded peppers dried faster than whole peppers. The drying behaviour of whole samples was characterised by a constant-and a falling-rate drying period, whilst that of shredded samples was characterised by a falling-rate drying period only. The mass transfer coefficient for whole samples during the constant-rate period was computed experimentally. The effect of temperature on the mass transfer coefficient was described by the Arrhenius model. The activation energy was 58 kJ mol À1 . In the falling-rate period the mass transfer was described by a diffusional model, and the effective diffusion coefficient at each temperature was determined. Diffusion coefficients were estimated to lie between 4.38 Â 10 À11 and 10.99 Â 10 À11 m 2 s À1 for whole peppers and between 37.23 Â 10 À11 and 99.61 Â 10 À11 m 2 s À1 for shredded peppers. The effect of temperature on the effective diffusion coefficient was described by the Arrhenius equation, with an activation energy of 44 kJ mol À1 for whole peppers and 56 kJ mol À1 for shredded peppers.