Impact of defibrillation technique on the rheological, thermo-mechanical, and nutritional properties of nanosuspensions produced from multiple fractions of pinhão seed (Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze)

This work aimed to evaluate the influence of the mechanical defibrillation technique on the pinhão nanosuspensions production obtained from the whole pinhão, its coat, and almond. The nanosuspensions were characterized concerning their composition, morphology, thermal stability, rheological behavior, compound profiling, and cytotoxicity. The results revealed a significant fiber content in pinhão coat nanosuspension (63.12 ± 0.52 %) and non-fiber carbohydrates in whole pinhão (59.00 ± 0.13 %) and almond (74.39 ± 0.23 %) nanosuspensions. The defibrillation process led to micro/nano-sized fibers in pinhão coat nanosuspensions and small-size starch granules in almond nanosuspensions. The nanosuspensions containing pinhão coat exhibited a gel-like behavior, while almond nanosuspensions displayed liquid-like characteristics. Pinhão coat nanosuspensions presented a significant content of flavonoids and phytosterols, whereas almond-based nanosuspensions contained substantial sugar amounts. No cytotoxicity was observed at the concentrations evaluated. These findings demonstrated that the defibrillation technique impacted the properties of pinhão constituents, allowing their application in new product development.

A New Single-Step Approach Based on Supramolecular Solvents (SUPRAS) to Extract Bioactive Compounds with Different Polarities from Eugenia pyriformis Cambess (Uvaia) Pulp

This work employed supramolecular solvents (SUPRAS) made up of octanoic acid, ethanol, and acidified water (pH ~ 3) to extract and concentrate bioactive compounds from Eugenia pyriformis Cambess (uvaia) pulp. At first, the SUPRAS phase characterization demonstrated the spherical aggregates' formation with an internal hydrophobic structure and an external hydrophilic media. Subsequently, the simultaneous production and extraction (SUPRAS-SPE) method was employed in the solid-liquid extraction (SLE) of uvaia pulp. The extracts were evaluated through Folin-Ciocalteu reducing capacity, antioxidant activity (DPPH assay), total carotenoid content (TCC), and total flavonoid content (TFC). The results showed that reducing the ethanol concentration in the SUPRAS composition boosted the TCC extraction while increasing the ethanol presence, promoting a high TFC yield. Moreover, the SUPRAS-SPE method was compared with the ex situ method (SUPRAS-ES), where the solvent was previously produced and then applied to the SLE. Both methods were evaluated concerning their EE% and thermal degradation. The SUPRAS-SPE method increased the EE% of uvaia pulp bioactive compounds compared to the SUPRAS-SE method, providing a suitable microenvironment to extract, concentrate, and stabilize carotenoids from uvaia pulp, offering a sustainable alternative to obtain valuable compounds.