Pulp and Jam of Gabiroba (Campomanesia xanthocarpa Berg): Characterization and Rheological Properties

Sustainable Jam with Apple Pomace: Gelling, Rheology, and Composition Analysis

Fruit juice processing can generate significant waste, but efficiently repurposing some of its byproducts not only reduces environmental impact but also adds value, thereby enhancing sustainability in the food industry. This work assesses the use of hydrocolloids in jam preparation and the influence of time and temperature on gelation in the presence of apple pomace. The effects of different processing conditions were analyzed using response surface methodology. Viscosity, elastic modulus (G'), viscous modulus (G″), and firmness were measured. Results indicated that both time and temperature significantly improved rheological and textural properties. The optimal conditions (35.6 min and 84.2 °C) yielded a viscosity of 3.66 × 10⁴ ± 4.49 × 102 Pa·s and a G' at 1 Hz of 2596 ± 128 Pa. The final product exhibited the desirable texture, was free of added sugars, had low lipid content, and retained its bioactive compounds. Applying apple pomace in the formulation allows a more efficient hydrocolloid system, promotes a circular economy, and combats food waste.

A Novel Strategy for Mixed Jam Evaluation: Apparent Indicator, Sensory, Metabolomic, and GC-IMS Analysis

Jam is a popular traditional and modern food product for daily consumption. However, the benefits of mixed jams over single-fruit jams have not been thoroughly explored, with analyses limited to superficial indices. In this study, Xinjiang special Morus nigra L. and Prunus domestica L. were used as raw materials to prepare single-fruit and mixed jams, and their differences in antioxidants, organoleptic qualities, pH, texture, and color were analyzed. The dynamics of metabolites before and after thermal processing were assessed using untargeted metabolomics. The results indicate that the main metabolites were flavonoids, terpenoids, amino acids, phenolic acids, and carbohydrates. Flavonoid metabolites changed significantly after thermal processing, with 40 up-regulated and 13 down-regulated. During storage, polyphenols were the prominent differential metabolites, with fifty-four down-regulated and one up-regulated. Volatile aroma components were analyzed using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS); the aroma components E-2-hexenal, E-2-pentenal, 3-methylbutanal, 1-penten-3-ol, tetrahydro-linalool, 1-penten-3-one, hexyl propionate, isoamyl acetate, α-pinene, and propionic acid in mixed jam were significantly higher than in single-fruit jam. In this study, untargeted metabolomics and GC-IMS were used to provide a more comprehensive and in-depth evaluation system for jam analysis.

Nutritional Composition, Simulated Digestion and Biological Activities of Campomanesia xanthocarpa Fruit

Gabirobeira fruits are known for their rich nutrient content and bioactive phytochemical compounds that contribute to significant biological activities. Despite these attributes, the antioxidant potential and stability of phenolic compounds in gabiroba by-products after digestion have yet to be studied. The objective of this work was to evaluate the physical-chemical composition, antibacterial activity, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibitory effects, as well as the in vitro digestibility of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity of powder and extract from gabiroba to valorize these byproducts. The gabiroba powder had low moisture, high carbohydrate and fiber content. The extraction using 80% ethanol demonstrated higher antioxidant, antibacterial, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibition activities compared to the 12% ethanol and water extracts. Catechin and ferulic acid were the major phenolic compounds identified by HPLC-DAD. After digestion, both the powder and the gabiroba extract exhibited a bioaccessibility of more than 30% for total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity during the gastric phase. However, the dry ethanol extract displayed higher total phenolic compounds after both the gastric and intestinal phases compared to the flour. Processing gabiroba into powder and extract is a promising approach to fully utilize this seasonal fruit, minimize waste, concentrate health-beneficial compounds, and valorize a by-product for use as a functional ingredient and raw material within the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Cytotoxic and Phytotoxic Activities of Native Brazilian Forest Gabiroba (Campomanesia xanthocarpa Berg.), Fruits, and Flour against Shrimp (Artemia salina L.) and Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Gabiroba, a native fruit in Brazil's Atlantic Forest region, has significant nutritional and therapeutic properties. However, due to its seasonality, consumption by the population is limited. Thus, the development of gabiroba byproducts would add significant value to the food and therapeutic industries. Therefore, it is essential to study and support the lack of toxicity of gabiroba fruit extracts. In the present study, physicochemical analyses of fresh fruits (GF) and dehydrated whole gabiroba flour (WGF) and preliminary toxicity analyses of WGF were performed. The toxicity results showed a microcrustacean LC50 of >1000 mg/mL when exposed to WGF extracts at various concentrations (10-1000 μg/mL; p = 0.062) using the Artemia salina method, with no evidence observed of proliferative activity or toxic metabolic compounds in the WGF extract. The phytotoxicity of WGF using Lactuca sativa L. allowed germination and root growth at various concentrations of WGF extract, with the lowest (100 μg/mL) and highest (1000 μg/mL) concentrations exhibiting 98.3% and 100% seed germination, respectively. In conclusion, these results indicate that the WGF preparation preserved the nutritional and antioxidant potential of gabiroba fruits and that WGF is safe for use as a raw material in the food industry and for therapeutic purposes.

Formulation, Characterization, and Determination of the Rheological Profile of Loquat Compote Mespilus Germánica L. through Sustenance Artificial Intelligence

The theme of the presented study is to create a compote that is functional, inexpensive in cost, free of preservatives, and will have long shelf life, as well as to assess its rheological, sensory, and physicochemical properties. The objective was to construct a loquat compote (Mespilus germánica L.) using agar from cochayuyo (Chondracanthus chamissoi) for infants, determining its rheological profile with the addition of agar extracted from cochayuyo in three concentrations (0.10, 0.15, and 0.20) % w/w, respectively, with help of artificial intelligence (AI) pathway. Agar was withdrawn from the cochayuyo by alkaline treatment with 0.04 M NaOH, obtaining a yield of 1%. Consequently, each compote was subjected to a sensory attributes using a 5-point hedonic scale with 60 panelists (30 undergraduate students and 30 infants between 3 and 5 years of age using a graphic hedonic scale). The sensory analysis using AI as a base is applied to both adult and infant panelists determined that the compote that had as input agar from cochayuyo at a concentration of 15% had greater acceptability due to the fact that significance was reported ( $p<0.05$ ) according to Friedman’s test. The compote with the highest acceptability was subjected to proximal chemical characterization, reporting the following: moisture (64%), protein (1.68%), fat (1.01%), fiber (2.35%), ash (1.34%), and carbohydrates (29.62%). Its physicochemical characterization was also determined, reporting the following: pH (4.32), soluble solids (16° Brix), and total acidity (0.23 g malic acid/100 g compote). Finally, A Brookfield RV-DVIII ULTRA viscometer with Spindles N° 5 and 6 was used to integrate AI data gathering and use it for rheological profile assessment. The loquat compote was found to have a non-Newtonian, pseudoplastic behavior that was adjusted to the Ostwald–De Waele model with an R2 = 0.987.

Rheological Behavior of Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis) Peel Extract

In this work, the rheological behavior of passion fruit peel extract was determined at different temperatures (5–40 °C) and peel content in the extract (40–55% w/w). The extract was obtained after blanching the passion fruit peels at 95 °C for 5 min, then they were crushed to reduce their size, water was added, and finally, they were subjected to liquefaction and subsequent filtration. Rheological measurements were made using a rheometer with a plate and plate geometry. Extract samples were adequately described by the power-law model exhibiting pseudoplastic behavior, without the presence of thixotropy. The temperature did not influence the flow behavior index, but the consistency coefficient did. The dynamic study (the temperature sweep test) showed that passion fruit peel extract exhibits a more elastic than viscous behavior, typical of a gel.

Extraction and characterization of a pectin from sea buckthorn peel

Sea buckthorn peel is the by-product of the sea buckthorn processing, which contains many bioactive compounds. In this paper, sea buckthorn high methoxyl pectin (SBHMP) was obtained, with a yield of 8% and a light-colored. The SBHMP was a high methoxyl with a degree of esterification of 57.75% and uronic acid content of 65.35%. The structural and morphological characterization of SBHMP were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that SBHMP presented a sheet and layered stacked morphological, and was mainly composed of galacturonic acid, arabinose, galactose, rhamnose, and mannose, which indicated that SBHMP mainly consisted of homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) type pectin polysaccharides. In addition, SBHMP also presented significant gel, thickening, and emulsifying properties. The results exhibited that SBHMP could form jelly-like gels under acid and high sucrose conditions, presenting a shear-thinning behavior and increasing apparent viscosity with the enhancement of pectin and sucrose contents. Besides, SBHMP could form oil-in-water emulsions with pectin concentrations of 1.0–3.0%. When the SBHMP concentrations were 2.0 and 3.0%, the emulsions were stable during 7 days of storage. Findings in this paper demonstrated the potential of SBHMP to be a food thickener and emulsifier and support the in-depth utilization of sea buckthorn by-products.

Isolation, NMR characterization and bioactivity of a (4-O-methyl-α-D-glucurono)-β-D-xylan from Campomanesia xanthocarpa Berg fruits

Hemicellulose-type polysaccharides were isolated from Campomanesia xanthocarpa fruits by alkaline extraction and submitted to fractionation processes giving rise to eluted (GE-300) and retained (GR-300) fractions. GE-300 presented a mixture of galactoglucomannans (GGM) and glucuronoxylans (MGX), while the GR-300 fraction is composed only of MGX. In this way, the chemical structure of MGX, investigated by 1D ¹H, ¹³C and 2D ¹H-¹³C HSQC, ¹H-¹H COSY and ¹H-¹³C HMBC NMR spectroscopy, revealed that the chemical structure of polysaccharide is a (4-O-methyl-α-D-glucurono)-D-xylan. Deep and precise NMR chemical shift determination of clean and specific ¹H NMR glycosyl units were developed by 1D TOCSY and 1D NOESY analysis. This approach demonstrated unequivocally that 4-O-methyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl uronic acid group is linked to O-2 of a (1 → 4)-β-D-xylan in the main chain. Furthermore, MGX scavenged DPPH radical (0.5 to 1.0 mg mL^-1) and was not cytotoxic to human dermal fibroblasts at concentrations up to 1.0 mg mL^-1, as demonstrated by neutral red and crystal violet assays, evidencing in vitro biocompatibility. The structure elucidation of GR-300 together with its bioactivity assessment contributed to better understand the chemical characteristics of C. xanthocarpa hemicelluloses and may provide structural basis for future structure-property studies.

Food Hydrocolloids from Butternut Squash (Cucurbita moschata) Peel: Rheological Properties and Their Use in Carica papaya Jam

Hydrocolloids are a class of functional ingredients that are widely used in the development of food structures. The hydrocolloids are mainly polysaccharides and some proteins that are applied in various food products. For this reason, natural sources that are friendly to the environment must be sought for their extraction. Therefore, this study aimed to extract hydrocolloids from butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) peels-HBSP-and determine the proximal composition and rheological properties as well as their use effect in a microstructure product like fruit jam from Carica papaya. Hydrocolloids were obtained from butternut squash at pH 3, 7, and 10 and at different temperatures, presenting higher yield values at 80 °C with higher carbohydrate and protein contents and non-Newtonian flow behavior type shear-thinning. In order to analyze the influence of HBSP on the rheological properties of the microstructured product, the samples were employed as a partial substitute of pectin in C. papaya jam (CPJ), showing a positive effect on the jam matrix due to the addition of hydrocolloids. The physicochemical properties of jams did not present significant differences. CPJ presents non-Newtonian behavior type shear-thinning adjusting to the Herschel-Bulkley model. The dynamic viscoelastic rheological test characterized the jam as a gel-like state when the storage modulus values were higher than the loss modulus values in the frequency ranges studied. Regarding the addition of HBSP, this modified the color parameter, presenting a reddish color with an increase in tonality, and the sensory evaluation showed that the M3 sample was better than the other products, with a higher level of satisfaction. The obtained results show that butternut squash peel is suitable for the obtention of hydrocolloids, and they can be used as a raw material in the development and formulation of food products, as well as their byproducts can be used to solve problems with organic waste from the agroindustry in an environmentally friendly way.

Optimization of physicochemical, textural, and rheological properties of sour cherry jam containing stevioside by using response surface methodology

The response surface method (RSM) was used to produce sour cherry jam containing stevia sweetener with favorable physicochemical, textural, and rheological properties. The experiments were designed based on RSM using a central composite design (CCD) with three independent variables: sugar, pectin, and stevia. Sample processing was performed at five levels of sucrose (10%-50%), pectin (0.1%-0.5%), and stevia (0.2%-0.6%) at a constant fruit weight of 300 g. To evaluate the jam, the physicochemical, textural, and rheological properties of the jam were determined and optimized. The concentrations of sucrose, pectin, and stevia had a significant effect on the textural and rheological properties of the jam. The results showed that increasing the concentration of sucrose is the main factor in increasing the soluble solids and the total sugar content of the jam. Pectin had a positive effect on textural characteristics such as hardness and adhesiveness of the jam, while the cohesiveness of the jam decreased with increasing pectin. Herschel-Bulkley model was appropriate for describing the rheological behavior of the stable state of sour cherry jam containing stevia. Decreasing sucrose concentration is accompanied by a decrease in yield stress and consistency index of jam samples due to the TSS reduction. Pectin also had a positive effect on the amount of yield stress and consistency index. Dynamic rheological tests indicated that the sour cherry jam is a weak gel. The predominant viscose behavior and the formation of a dilute solution were evident in the samples with 10% and 20% sucrose concentrations. The most favorable condition for the production of the jam was obtained at a 36.5% sugar, 0.277% pectin, and stevia 0.30%.

Influence of guabiroba pulp (campomanesia xanthocarpa o. berg) added to fermented milk on probiotic survival under in vitro simulated gastrointestinal conditions

In fermented milks inoculated with two thermophilic strains (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus), guabiroba pulp (Campomanesia xanthocarpa O. Berg) was added in different concentrations: 5% (I5 sample) and 10% (I10 sample), compared to a control sample, with no pulp addition. In these fermented milks, Bifidobacterium BB-12 was added and the samples were submitted to a progressive gastrointestinal simulation in vitro. The cells count was performed, including the survival rates for all the progressive steps of the simulated digestion. Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity analysis by FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) were performed in all the gastrointestinal steps. Before and during the entire gastrointestinal tract, the Bifidobacterium BB-12 count was 8-9 log CFU g^-1, above the recommended for a probiotic product, with a highlight in intestinal colon steps. The I10 sample showed the highest viable cell count, the highest total phenolic content and antioxidant activity throughout the entire gastric steps (p < 0.05). The fermented milk proved to be an effective matrix for the probiotic stability and incorporation of guabiroba components. Bioactive compounds present in the guabiroba pulp may have occasioned a prebiotic and protective effect on Bifidobacterium BB-12 after gastric conditions. The possible bioconversion of these compounds in more active forms can contribute to the absorption in epithelial cells, enhancing fermented milks with guabiroba pulp as important sources of dietary accessible bioactive compounds.

Three Types of Red Beetroot and Sour Cherry Based Marmalades with Enhanced Functional Properties

The importance of bioactive compounds such as betalains and anthocyanins was highlighted in the present study by the valorization of red beetroot and sour cherry as an attempt to develop healthy products. The aim of the study was to obtain and characterize three types of marmalade based on red beetroot, sour cherry and both in 1:1 combination, obtained by heating at 95 °C for 30 min. Changes in total phenolic content, total flavonoids, betalains, anthocyanins and antioxidant activity were evaluated before and after the thermal treatment. Several other analyses such as color, rheological and textural analyses and confocal laser microscopy were performed to provide further information about the quality of the added-value food products. A significant decrease of 34% in betalains content was registered in the red beetroot marmalade due to the chemical changes in bioactives induced by the temperature. A satisfactory ABTS radical scavenging activity of 8.12 ± 0.38 mMol Trolox/g dry weight (dw) was obtained for the red beetroot and sour cherry based marmalade. The gelled structure was validated by the rheological and textural characteristics. The results highlighted the potential use of red beetroot and sour cherry as food raw materials, due to their particular profile of bioactive compounds.

Effect of high-intensity ultrasound irradiation on the stability and structural features of coconut-grain milk composite systems utilizing maize kernels and starch with different amylose contents

In this paper, a coconut milk composite system (glycerin monostearate as an emulsifier) with different maize additives (e.g., maize kernels and starch with different amylose contents) was treated with high-intensity ultrasound irradiation (HIUS, frequency 20 kHz). The stability and structural features of the added coconut milk emulsion were studied. Comparing the mechanical emulsifications, coconut milk with maize kernels was similar to coconut milk with high-amylose maize starch. However, coconut milk with a high proportion of amylopectin had the best stability. After ultrasonic treatment, the particle sizes were found to be smaller than those in the nonultrasound-treated coconut milk, and the particles demonstrated a monomodal size distribution. The electronegativity of the compound system was significantly improved. The electronegativity of the maize kernel and high-amylose maize starch-coconut milk systems was significantly decreased, and this change was beneficial to the stability of the systems. However, ultrasonic treatment did not change the fluid type of the coconut milk compound system (which showed pseudoplastic fluid characteristics). The proportion of amylose in maize had an important influence on the stability of the compound system. The apparent viscosity and crystallization order of the high-amylose maize starch-coconut milk system were high. However, the waxy maize starch system showed high complex viscosity and tended to be liquid with ultrasonic treatment. Ultrasound treatment reduced the particle size of coconut milk and homogenized the distribution of the system. Additionally, the amylase of the system contained amylose encapsulated in the interfacial layer after ultrasound treatment. The tiny gel beads formed by waxy maize starch had a good fusion effect on coconut milk fat/protein droplets. The results indicated that the stability of coconut-grain milk composite systems can be enhanced with the use of maize additives and ultrasound irradiation through space effects, electrostatic effects and continuous phase viscosity.