The physicochemical, mechanical, and structural properties of chitosan-based films (CS) alone or CS-films with mixed oxide nanoparticles (TiO2-ZnO-MgO, TZM; CSTZM) at different concentrations (125, 250, and 500 μg mL−1) were investigated. The addition of nano-TZM promoted a color change (from colorless to white) in the film-forming solution, which increased its turbidity and it decreased viscosity. CSTZM were semitransparent (transmittance, T% decreased up to 49%) compared to CS-based films (T% = 95.5). CSTZM (particularly at a concentration of 500 μg mL−1) exhibited an improvement in the moisture content (decreased from 12.6 to 9.67%), water solubility (decreased from 14.94 to 10.22%), degree of swelling (increased from 19.79 to 36.28%), water vapor barrier (decreased from 6.62 x 10−16 to 4.33 x 10−16 g m−1 h−1 Pa−1), thermal stability (the endotherm peak increased from 99.5 to 157.7 °C), and mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break increased from 4.15 to 4.98 kPa and 6.96 to 56.18%, respectively, while the modulus of elasticity decreased from 144 kPa to 4.11 kPa), without toxicity effects on Artemia salina (93.33% survival). X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared studies demonstrated an interaction between CS-based films and nano-TZM. Overall, this film exhibited great potential for diverse industrial applications.

Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck is a scarcely studied cactus; its characterization contributes to identifying the bioactive compounds it contains and its functional properties, which will allow generating information on potential uses and applications. The aim of this work was to characterize N. cochenillifera cladodes flour physicochemically and identify the phenolic compounds that it contains. In general, N. cochenillifera flour is low in calories (337%) with high total dietary fiber content (18.41%). In addition, it exhibits good water (11.04%) and oil (2.05%) absorption capacity, while swelling capacity was 25 mL/g DW. The content of soluble and hydrolyzable polyphenols were 207.92 and 647.99 mg EAG/100 g DW, respectively. In addition, they showed antioxidant activity by DPPH• (15.28 mmol TE/g DW), FRAP (20.97 mmol TE/g DW), and ABTS•+ (51.31 mmol TE/g DW) methods. Furthermore, six phenolic acids (gallic, ferulic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, syringic, and neochlorogenic) were identified by HPLC. According to the results, N. cochenillifera cladodes flour is an important source of fiber and bioactive compounds with interesting functional properties. In this context, N. cochenillifera flour could be used as an ingredient in the formulation of functional foods. However, further, studies are needed on the shelf life and optimizing its preservation process, transformation, and functional potential.

The oca (Oxalis tuberosa) is a tuber with high starch content and excellent antioxidant properties, which can be used in the production of extruded products; however, starch-rich products can be improved nutritionally through the incorporation of fibers that can result in extrudates with beneficial health properties. The aim of this work was to develop a mixture of oca (Oxalis tuberosa) and oat extrudate flours and evaluate the antioxidant and physicochemical attributes. The results showed that a higher moisture content increased the hardness, water absorption index, and density of the extrudates; however, the solubility and expansion indexes showed an inverse pattern. The addition of oat fiber had the opposite effect from moisture content on the physicochemical properties mentioned above. The cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) of the extrudates decreased when the oat fiber increased. An inverse pattern was observed when the moisture concentration was increased. The starch hydrolysis percentage and glycemic index decreased significantly when the fiber content increased. Oat fiber contributed 67.29% and 65.04% to these parameters, respectively. Oat fiber exerted a greater effect than moisture on the collets extruded in this study according to factor contributions.

Starchy flours from various botanical sources are used for food production, including pasta, nutritive bars, bread, chicken nuggets, and meat products. Starchy flours reduce fat content, increase dietary fiber, protein, and polyphenol content, increase water retention, and increase the viscosity of a product (Trancoso et al., 2016). Maize, rice, wheat, and potatoes are considered conventional starchy flour sources; in contrast, amaranth, bananas, peas, sorghum, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes are considered non-conventional starchy flour sources (Bello Perez & Agama-Acevedo, 2017).Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas Lam) is an important food crop worldwide due to its high adaptability and short production cycle (Muñoz-Rodríguez et al., 2018). It is widely distributed in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It contains high levels of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, proteins, vitamins C, B2, B6, and E, and minerals, such as iron, copper, and potassium (Wang, Nie, & Zhu, 2016). Sweet potatoes have a high content of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols (p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, and caffeoylquinic acid derivatives), flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, and myricetin), anthocyanins (cyanidin, peonidin, and pelargonidin), and carotenoids (β-carotenes) (Wang, Pan, et al., 2016). The white, yellow, orange, purple, and red colors of sweet potato varieties result from differences in the composition and content of phenolic compounds and pigments. For example, phenolic compounds and anthocyanins are abundant in purple sweet potatoes (Hong & Koh, 2016), whereas