Schinus terebinthifolius is a plant rich in phenolic compounds, which have antioxidant properties and can provide new opportunities for treatment and prevention of diseases mediated by ultraviolet radiation like photoaging and skin cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the photoprotective potential and ex vivo percutaneous penetration of the crude extract of Schinus terebinthifolius leaves. The extract was tested for antioxidant activity using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and β-carotene bleaching test. The sun protection factor was also evaluated. The ex vivo skin permeation of the emulsion and gel formulations were assayed. Fractionation of the extract resulted in gallic acid, ethyl gallate and a mixture of flavonoids, suggesting derivatives of quercetin and myricetin. The phenolic content of the extract was 384.64 ± 2.60 mg GAE g(-1) extract. The antioxidant activity was superior to butylated hydroxytoluene, in DPPH method, and ascorbic acid and rutin, in β-carotene bleaching assay. The extract showed UV absorption with photoprotector potential in the UVB region. The photoacoustic spectroscopy measurements confirmed absorption in the UV region and topical application of the formulations caused no histological changes in the rats' skin. These results suggest that the crude extract of Schinus terebinthifolius leaves may be a promising natural sunscreen product.

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Chitin extracted from silkworm chrysalides was used to prepare chitosan applied in this investigation. Adsorption studies were carried out in column and in aqueous suspension with two dyes, blue remazol (RN) and black remazol 5 (RB). The study showed that adsorption is better in the chitosanpacked column than in the chitin-packed one. However, the comparison of the adsorption in column and in suspension revealed better results for the latter. The plotted Langmuir isotherm did not indicate significant difference in the theoretical capacity of saturation of the monolayer (Q o) for either dye. The application of the adsorption process to actual conditions was evaluated by adsorption assays of actual textile effluents. In acid pH, chitosan adsorbed the dyes responsible for the effluent coloration completely. This study showed that the use of chitosan obtained from silkworm chrysalides is a viable alternative for the immobilization of dyes in textile industry effluents.

The proximate composition and fatty acid profile of five lots of samples of raw and roasted salt-dried sardines (Sardinella brasiliensis) bought locally in Maringá, Paraná State, Brazil were determined. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed between samples of raw and roasted sardines, both in relation to moisture, total lipids, proteins, and ashes. The major fatty acids in raw and roasted sardine samples were docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3, 35.98%, 12.46%); palmitic acid (16:0, 37.59%; 24.18%), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3, 6.62%; 2.95%), respectively. The ratios of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid (PUFA/SFA) were 1.32 and 0.33, and the n-6/n-3 ratios were 0.07 and 0.13 in raw and roasted sardines, respectively. The results showed that roasting increased the SFA and reduced the PUFA in sardines, which still were rich in PUFA and remained a low-cost and nutritionally healthy food.

In this study, the wastes from cassava (CAW) and peach palm (PPW) agro-industries were investigated as potential low-cost biosorbents for removing the tartrazine yellow dye (TAR). The by-products were prepared by washing and drying steps and characterized into physicochemical parameters and microstructure. The effects of contact time, pH, dosage and dye concentration were analyzed for the biosorbents in comparison to commercial activated carbon (AC). The biosorbents were applied to the treatment of an effluent from a juice industry containing TAR. Cellulose was the main component of the biosorbents (31.47–51.20 g 100     g-1), which was correlated to the functional groups identified by ATR-FTIR spectra and the materials had a porous surface. The zero point of charge was 3.75 for PPW and 4.60 for CAW. The pH parameter had a significant effect on the adsorption process, with the maximum values of adsorption being reached at pH 2.0, with removal of 94.7% for PPW, 74.4% for CAW and 97.7% for AC, at the dosage of 7.5 g L-1 at 25.0 ºC. The adsorption of TAR was fast in the early stages, and at 120 min the three adsorbents reached the equilibrium. Isotherms of adsorption showed that Langmuir’s and Freundlich’s models fitted the best to the CAW and PPW experimental data, respectively. The wastes evaluated in this work can be an interesting alternative to TAR adsorption in the industrial effluent without being subjected to chemical treatments.

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Polyphenols from agroindustry's byproducts have great potential as a source of antioxidant compounds. The present study evaluated the antioxidant activity and polyphenol content of the husks and seeds of grapes obtained from a winery. The hydroalcoholic extract (HAE) of the husks was obtained through an exhaustive maceration process. Seeds were extracted in a Soxhlet system, mixed with hydroalcoholic solution and the dried extract was partitioned into solvents to yield the chloroform fraction (CLF), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF), and butanol fraction (BUF). The EAF and HAE had phenolic equivalents of 200.76 and 320.64 mg of gallic acid per gram of extract, respectively. The HAE showed higher antioxidant activity than the fractions in the phosphomolybdenum method, the same in DPPH assay, with IC50 of 16.82 mg/mL, and β-carotene/linoleate system, with antioxidant activity of 82.09%. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for quantifying trans-resveratrol in the HAE. The method showed linearity (2.5-7.5 µg/mL), coefficient of determination of 0.9907, precision and accuracy (resveratrol recovery = 101.02%). The HAE had a trans-resveratrol concentration of 17.33 µg/mg. The results of the validation of the HPLC method were satisfactory, which allowed analysis of the extract with precision and accuracy.