Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Applications of formulations that incorporate emulsified oils offer interesting prospects for producing foods with better characteristics that are in line with the new trends in healthy eating and the new regulations on nutritional claims. This review defines and classifies the types of emulsions according to their drop size, formulation and analyzes the latest research related to the application of emulsions in the food industry. It presents valuable information on the use of micro, nano and macro emulsions for the preparation of meat, dairy and vegetable products as a potential alternative in the transport of bioactive compounds, reformulations with better lipid profiles and substitution ingredients of meat origin by ingredients of plant origin, obtaining foods with acceptable functional and sensory properties. New advances in the emulsion industry open up great possibilities in the delivery of health products, however, there are still limitations in the use of ingredients of plant origin in products formulated in considerable percentages with ingredients of animal origin. There are opportunities to improve the technology of food emulsion, the application at an industrial level is a step that is being taken little by little in congruence with the economic viability of the use of vegetable oils in the reformulation and the demand of current consumers for delivery of products with a clean label. It is suggested to study the economic feasibility of the industrial application of the use of single and double emulsion systems as a substitute ingredient for animal fats.

Bamboos are abundant and versatile, hence their growing interest throughout the world in a variety of uses, however, there is little technical information on the anatomy and physical properties that are important to further expand and diversify its uses. For them, the objective was to characterize the anatomy and variation in the axial direction of the physical properties of the three bamboo species in the Madre de Dios region. For this, the bamboo species were collected: Bambusa vulgaris, Gigantochloa apus, and Guadua weberbaueri were through destructive methods, collecting three culms from different bushes and obtaining samples at different heights of the culm (base, intermediate and apex). The anatomy was performed at the base of the culm and the physical properties at the three axial positions. The results show that at the anatomical level, there is a difference between the three species mainly due to the vascular bundles, on the physical properties there was also a difference between species and the variation in the axial direction there was variation in the three positions, in addition, the grouping analysis showed that the species Bambusa vulgaris and Gigantochloa apu form a group due to their anatomical characteristics and physical properties, while Guadua weberbaueri was not grouped with either. Finally, the appropriate uses of the three bamboo species are directly related to their anatomy and physical properties, being key to their sustainable use in tropical forests.

Fruit waste is rich in phenolic compounds, including flavonoids with pharmacological potential for health, nutraceutical and technological properties. To characterize them, High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS) was used, used for its high separation efficiency by HPLC and structural information from MS, a technique that allows analyzing a wide range of analytes in plant matrices. This study aims was to perform a systematic analysis based in SCOPUS of scientific productions of studies on techniques for detection and identification of flavonoids by HPLC-MS in fruit waste available in Latin America, between the years 2010-2022. Thus, the countries with the highest scientific production are Brazil (58.9%), Mexico (16.1%), Chile (9.2%), Argentina (7.1%) and Colombia (3.8%). There were also studies in collaboration with researchers from the USA and Europe. A total of 15.1% of the studies used HPLC-MS for determining these compounds, generally related to by-products of native or non-traditional fruits. It is known that agro-industrial waste matrices are chemically complex, being necessary analytical techniques such as HPLC-MS, which awakens interest for their study and the possibility of being isolated from vegetable by-products such as fruits. This is a green technology alternative to achieve sustainable use of this waste and be exploited by the food industry.

The reaction between starch granules and octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) is regularly retarded due to the low breakthrough of large oily OSA droplets into starch granules in an aqueous reaction system. Furthermore, high-speed shearing is widely used in the food industry, demanding high shear, cavitation, and collision force. In this sense, high-speed shearing could reduce the size of OSA droplets and promote a more homogeneous distribution of groups in the starch granule.  The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of OSA potato starch synthesis assisted by high-speed shear on structure (SEM and FTIR), gelatinization, rheology, and emulsifying activity (ES and AS) was investigated. The results showed a gradual increase in DS proportional to the applied speed. Likewise, the OSA starches showed a slight alteration in the shape of the granules (SEM), and FT-IR spectroscopy showed a characteristic absorption of the ester carbonyl groups in the OSA starch at 1724 cm-1. The high-speed shear-treated starches exhibited a significant change in the reduction of the initial gelatinization temperature, although not in the enthalpy. All the gels presented rheology adjusted to the Herschel-Bulkley model with variations in the initial shear stress. Changes in the viscoelastic behavior are proportional to the shear rate detected. High-speed shear treatment did not show a significant effect on emulsion stability (ES) and emulsion activity (EA). Consequently, applying high shear rates allows having OSA starches with different uses.

There are several investigations on the use of food waste to remove contaminants by adsorption. However, a simple route, without chemical activation reagents, is needed for the development of adsorbents. The aim of this study was to develop an adsorbent from plantain peel, using a simple procedure, and to evaluate its capacity to remove phosphate from aqueous solutions at phosphate concentrations similar to those of water sources at risk of eutrophication (0.30 mg/L). The simple pyrolysis method was used in an electric muffle, without chemical activation, using plantain peel as precursor. The variables evaluated were pyrolysis temperature and solution pH. The specific surface area BET, zero loading point of the developed treatments, was determined. Phosphate adsorption was studied in a batch experiment in the presence of calcium ions in solution. Phosphate adsorption was favorable at all three pyrolysis temperature levels (500, 600 and 700 °C) and two solution pH levels (pH 7 and 10). the pseudo-second order kinetic model was the best fit for the experimental data to describe the adsorption mechanism. The best fit to the experimental equilibrium data was obtained with the Langmuir isotherm model. It was found that a 1 g/L dose of the adsorbent was able to reduce 92% of phosphate in water, with a removal capacity 0.14 mg/g at pH 10 and pyrolysis temperature of 700 °C. This study lays the groundwork for future research on the use of this type of adsorbent in water treatment to facilitate access to clean water for rural populations.

The tree composition in cocoa agroforestry systems (CAFS) in Guatemala is valued for providing a number of ecosystem services. Despite the importance of the trees in these systems, little is known about the tree species richness and its contribution to the conservation of diversity. We studied the botanical composition of CAFS of different ages in the Alta Verapaz department of Guatemala. In total, 70 survey plots with a size of 2500 m2 were established. An inventory was carried out in each sampling unit, recording the tree species present and measuring the diameter at breast height (DBH 1.30 m) and the height of each tree. The Importance Value Index (IVI) was calculated and species richness and the similarity between sites were evaluated. A total of 2519 trees, belonging to 59 species and 34 families were identified. The species with the highest IVI was Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth. The CAFSs with the highest and lowest species richness were those of 9-12 and 27 years old, respectively (H´=1.99, H´=0.34). This behavior can be explained by the fact that growers work to enrich the agroforestry systems with a broad diversity of species in the first years which they then begin to harvest at around 16 years of age. A discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) and the Jaccard Similarity Index were used to show that several AFS were similar in terms of composition and botanical diversity. Given the tree diversity within the CAFS, these can be acknowledged as areas with good potential for the conservation of overall biodiversity. We recommend education programs for local growers about the benefits of shade management during the production cycle of cocoa to preserve the botanical composition and structural complexity of the AFS.

Cucurbitaceae species constitute a family with a wide worldwide distribution and great nutritional and medicinal importance. The Cucurbita genus is the most important of the family with valuable species such as C. maxima and C. moschata. However, the large-scale production of sex specific plants using the conventional propagation methods has various limitations. The tissue culture such as micropropagation can help overcome these limitations. The aim of this study was to establish a protocol for ex vitro and in vitro clonal propagation of two varieties of Cucurbita moschata: ‘loche’, a variety of commercial vegetative propagation and endemic in Lambayeque, and ‘chuyán’ another variety of very restricted cultivation in some Andean regions of the north of the Peru. Likewise, the in vitro propagation of ‘chisguín’ (C. ecuadorensis), a threatened endemic wild species from the coast of Ecuador. ‘Loche’ was propagated ex vitro by microcutting with a node and leaf, and micropropagated in MS culture medium supplemented with 0.02 mg L-1 IAA and 0.02 mg L-1 GA3. Seedlings of ‘chuyán’ and ‘chisguin’ were micropropagated in MS with with 0.02 mg L-1 IAA, 0.5 mg L-1 BAP and 0.02 mg L-1 GA3. This study constitutes the first report on micropropagation of Peruvian and Ecuadorian varieties and species of the Cucurbita genus.

Peru has a great potential for forestry plantations, nevertheless, importations of this type of products are getting very expensive. Soils under forest are acidic and infertile to support sustainable economically valuable forest tree species such as teak.  Information is lacking on proper fertility management in forest plantations such as teak. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the effect of lime, and organic and inorganic fertilizers on the early growth and nutrient composition of 12-month old teak grown on acidic soil of Peru. The soil under field study was acidic with a pH of 4.99, low in fertility. A factorial design of 2x3: Lime (No Lime and Liming) and fertilizer (organic, inorganic and mixture), with 9 repetitions was adopted. Tree biometric parameters (height, diameter, biomass) and N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn foliar concentrations were determined during early the growth of teak. Treatments with addition of dolomite lime favored higher biometric parameters, and use of organic fertilizers promoted more growth than inorganic fertilizers. In the case of nutrients, no major differences were observed between limed and unlimed treatments while organic fertilizer promoted Ca, K and S nutrition. The results show that the application of lime and organic fertilizers is essential for the successful management and establishment of teak plants in acidic soils of Peru.

Cassava-torrado-like virus (CsTLV) is a bipartite single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Secoviridae. The virus has been reported in Brazil and Colombia, and is usually found in mixed infections, and in plants affected by Cassava Frogskin Disease (CFSD), an endemic cassava disease in the Americas. Genome analysis of CsTLV identifies a gene in RNA2 implicated in pathogen movement in other torradoviruses. This gene (RNA2-ORF1) and another one no related to virus movement (Maf/Ham1) were amplified by PCR and cloned into constructs under the 35S promoter of cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV), which then were transfered to agrobacterium binary vectors. When agro-infiltrated in Nicotiana benthamiana plants, only RNA2-ORF1 had a positive effect on the mechanical inoculation of cassava virus X (CsVX), a potexvirus that has a low rate of mechanical infection in N. benthamiana. Efficiency of CsVX mechanical transmission was measured by the number of infected plants, presence of symptoms, and titers of CsVX as measured by ELISA, two weeks after infection. On average, CsVX could infect 2.3 times more plants when these were previously agro-infiltrated with A. tumefaciens binary vector encoding CsTLV RNA2-ORF1. We conclude that the novel secovirid CsTLV associated with leaf spot symptoms in cassava, encodes a gene that could enhance other viral infections in N. benthamiana. Further studies are required to elucidate this effect and its role in mixed infections, often observed in cassava plants affected by CFSD.

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis L.) is a crucial crop in Ecuador, considerably affected by black palm weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) for several years. Despite its importance, the behavior of the black weevil in Ecuador is not well comprehended presently. Therefore, this study aimed to predict infestation patterns of the black palm weevil in Ecuador using a mathematical model based on monitoring data. Data on the number of insects per trap from a commercial oil palm farm in Quinindé, Ecuador, was collected every two weeks for five years (2016-2020) and analyzed using the Classical Fourier (CF) spectrum and the Dickey-Fuller test to determine seasonality. The trend component of the data dropped from 16.33 in January 2017 to 11.96 in January 2019, with a fluctuation ranging from -0.11 to 2.50 observed for the entire data set. The results obtained after fitting the model ranged from -0.11 to 3.19, with a maximum of 5.30. The augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test for the black weevil time series yielded a result of -5.60 (P<0.01). The partial autocorrelation ranged from -0.35 to 0.1. Based on our model, we projected the occurrence of black palm weevil from 2021 to 2024, with a fluctuation in the number of insects per trap ranging from 12.68 in January 2021 to 13.023 in November 2023. This model can be used to predict future insect occurrences in Ecuador, providing valuable insights into the behavior of the black weevil and using it for effective development control measures for this pest.