The effects of chlorogenic acid (CA) on hepatic glucose output, blood glucose levels and on glucose tolerance were analysed. Hepatic uptake of CA and its effects on hepatic catabolism of L-alanine and glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) activity were also evaluated. CA (1 mM) inhibited about 40% of G-6-Pase activity (p < 0.05) in the microsomal fraction of hepatocytes, but no effect was observed on production of glucose from gluconeogenesis or on L-alanine catabolism, at various concentrations of CA (0.33, 0.5 and 1 mM), in liver perfusion experiments. Since there were indications of a lack of uptake of CA by the liver, it is possible that this compound did not reach sufficiently high intracellular levels to inhibit the target enzyme. Accordingly, intravenous administration of CA also failed to provoke a reduction in blood glucose levels. However, CA did promote a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the plasma glucose peak at 10 and 15 min during the oral glucose tolerance test, probably by attenuating intestinal glucose absorption, suggesting a possible role for it as a glycaemic index lowering agent and highlighting it as a compound of interest for reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

No abstract

-The association of dietary NaCl with arterial hypertension has led to a reduction in the levels of this salt in cheeses. For salting, KCl has been used as a partial substitute for NaCl, which cannot be completely substituted without affecting product acceptability. In this study a sensorially adequate saline solution (NaCl/KCl) was simultaneously diffused during salting of Prato cheese in brine with agitation. The simultaneous multicomponent diffusion during the process was modeled with Fick's second generalized law. The system of partial differential equations formed was solved by the finite element method (FEM). In the experimental data concentration the deviation for NaCl was of 7.3% and for KCl of 5.4%, both of which were considered acceptable. The simulation of salt diffusion will allow control and modulation of salt content in Prato cheese, permitting the prediction of final content from initial conditions.

SUMMARYThe aim of this study is to assess sugar cane juice and sucrose as substrates, the batch and fed batch processes and their interaction in the levan production using a complete factorial design. Zymomonas mobilis was cultivated in different sugar cane juice and sucrose concentrations in two fermentation processes at 25 °C for 20 h. A complete factorial design ( 2 3 ) was used to analyze the effects of the type and concentration of the substrate, as well as the batch and fed batch processes. A complete second factorial design (2 2 ) was used to observe the importance of sugar cane juice. The results indicated that the batch process improved the levan production reaching 40.14 g/L. The addition of sugar cane juice was not statistically significant for levan formation, however sugar cane juice stimulated biomass, sorbitol and ethanol production. The best medium for levan production was 150 g/L sucrose in batch. Keywords: batch, factorial design, fed batch, sucrose, sugar cane juice. RESUMOINFLUÊNCIA DA FONTE DE CARBONO E DO PROCESSO FERMENTATIVO NA PRODUÇÃO DE LEVANA POR Zymomonas mobilis ANALISADA PELA METODOLOGIA DE SUPERFÍCIE DE RESPOSTA . O presente estudo avaliou caldo de cana de açúcar e sacarose como substratos e os processos batelada e batelada alimentada e suas interações na produção de levana. Zymomonas mobilis foi cultivada em diferentes concentrações de caldo de cana de açúcar e sacarose nos dois processos fermentativos a 25 °C por 20 h. Foi utilizado um delineamento fatorial completo (23) para analisar os efeitos do tipo e concentração de substratos e processos batelada e batelada alimentada. Um segundo delineamento fatorial completo (22) foi usado para confirmar a importância do caldo de cana de açúcar. Os resultados indicam que o processo batelada foi o melhor para a produção de levana, atingindo 40,14 g/L em 150 g/L de sacarose. A adição de caldo de cana de açúcar não foi estatisticamente significativa para formação de levana, porém o caldo estimulou a produção de biomassa, sorbitol e etanol. Palavras-chave: batelada, batelada alimentada, caldo de cana de açúcar, delineamento fatorial, sacarose.

The relationship of NaCl with problems of arterial hypertension has led to a reduction in the levels of this salt in food production. KCl has been used as a partial substitute for NaCl since it cannot be completely substituted without affecting the acceptability of the end product. In this study, the diffusion that occurs during quail egg salting in static and stirred brine was simulated. The mathematical model used was based on a generalization of the Fick's 2nd law, and the COMSOL Multiphysics software was used to simulate the diffusion in the NaCl-KCl-water system. The deviations in the simulated data and experimental data were 2.50% for NaCl and 6.98% for KCl in static brine, while in the stirred brine they were 3.48% for NaCl and 4.72% for KCl. The simulation results presented good agreement with the experimental values and validated the predictive capacity of the model.

No abstract

No abstract

ABSTRACT. The electronic nose (EN) is an instrument very used for food flavor analysis. However, it is also necessary to integrate the equipment with a multivariable pattern recognition system, and to this end the principal component analysis (PCA) is the first choice. Alternatively, self-organizing maps (SOM) had been also suggested, since they are a nonlinear and reliable technique. In this study SOM were used to distinguish soluble coffee according to EN data. The proposed methodology had identified all of the seven coffees evaluated; in addition, the groups and relationships detected were similar to those obtained through PCA. Also, the analysis of network weights allowed gathering the e-nose sensors into 4 groups according to the behavior regarding the samples. Results confirm SOM as an efficient tool to EN data pos-processing, and have showed the methodology as a promising choice for the development of new products and quality control of soluble coffee.Keywords: self organizing maps, soluble coffee, electronic nose.Utilização dos mapas auto-organizáveis como uma ferramenta quimiométrica para o reconhecimento de padrões aromáticos de café solúvel RESUMO. Ao nariz eletrônico, um instrumento muito utilizado na análise de voláteis alimentares, é necessário acoplar uma interface multivariada para reconhecer padrões. O mapa auto-organizável (SOM), uma técnica robusta e não-linear, vem sendo sugerido como alternativa à análise de componentes principais (ACP). Neste trabalho, foi empregado o SOM para avaliar café solúvel a partir dos dados de um nariz eletrônico. Por meio de testes estatísticos, foi avaliada a confiabilidade dos resultados que também foram comparados aos obtidos pela ACP. O SOM identificou os sete cafés avaliados, além disso, os grupos formados e as relações entre eles foram semelhantes às obtidas pela ACP. A análise dos pesos da rede permitiu, também, reunir os sensores em quatro grupos de acordo com o comportamento em relação às amostras. Os resultados confirmam a potencialidade da metodologia para a análise multivariada dos dados de um nariz eletrônico. E, confirmam o SOM como uma metodologia para o controle da qualidade aromática de café solúvel.Palavras-chave: mapas auto-organizáveis, café solúvel, nariz eletrônico.