Pepper (Capsicum spp.) is among the oldest and most cultivated crops on the planet. Its fruits are widely used as natural condiments in the food industry for their color, flavor, and pungency properties. Peppers have abundant production; on the other hand, their fruits are perishable, deteriorating within a few days after harvesting. Therefore, they need adequate conservation methods to increase their useful life. This study aimed to mathematically model the drying kinetics of smelling peppers (Capsicum chinense) and pout peppers (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) to obtain the thermodynamic properties involved in the process and to determine the influence of drying on the proximal composition of these peppers. Whole peppers, containing the seeds, were dried in an oven with forced air circulation, at temperatures of 50, 60, 70, and 80 °C, with an air speed of 1.0 m/s. Ten models were adjusted to the experimental data, but the Midilli model was the one that provided the best values of coefficient of determination and lowest values of the mean squared deviation and chi-square value in most of the temperatures under study. The effective diffusivities were well represented by an Arrhenius equation, appearing in the order of 10⁻¹⁰ m²·s⁻¹ for both materials under study, since the activation energy of the smelling pepper was 31.01 kJ·mol⁻¹ and was 30.11 kJ·mol⁻¹ in the pout pepper, respectively. Thermodynamic properties in both processes of drying the peppers pointed to a non-spontaneous process, with positive values of enthalpy and Gibbs free energy and negative values of entropy. Regarding the influence of drying on the proximal composition, it was observed that, with the increase in temperature, there was a decrease in the water content and the concentration of macronutrients (lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates), providing an increase in the energy value. The powders obtained in the study were presented as an alternative for the technological and industrial use of peppers, favoring obtaining a new condiment, rich in bioactives, providing the market with a new option of powdered product that can be consumed directly and even adopted by the industry as a raw material in the preparation of mixed seasonings and in the formulation of various food products.

This study investigated the effects of fermenting plum pulp with Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis (BAL) on its physicochemical and bioactive properties, as well as the optimization of the freeze-drying (FD) process to develop a fruit-based probiotic delivery system. Fermentation significantly reduced the pH and total acidity of the pulp, achieving a cell viability of 11 log CFU/mL. The FD process was optimized using a factorial design, with maltodextrin concentration (3, 5, and 7%) and freezing temperature (−150, −100, and −50 °C) as variables. The P2 experiment, which used 7% maltodextrin and freezing at −150 °C, showed the best results in terms of yield (25.67%), cell viability (8 log CFU/g), and probiotic survival rate (97.66%). Samples P5, P6, and P7, prepared with 5% maltodextrin and freezing at −100 °C, exhibited the highest levels of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity (p < 0.05). During 28 days of storage, all samples maintained cell viability without significant logarithmic reduction. In summary, probiotic plum powders offer an excellent plant-based alternative for probiotic consumption, providing safe levels of beneficial bacteria and bioactive compounds with antioxidant action, meeting health and nutrition needs.

The fruit processing agroindustry generates waste, mainly composed of peels, which are often discarded but can be utilized as ingredients for developing new food products. However, their high perishability requires the application of preservation techniques, such as drying, which not only extends shelf life but also adds value and enables their conversion into flour, expanding their applications. This study evaluated the convective drying of pineapple peels for flour production, analyzing bioactive, physical, and thermal properties. Moisture was reduced by 91%, reaching a hygroscopic equilibrium of 6.84%. The Two-Term model provided the best fit for the data, with an R² above 0.9997. Effective diffusivity increased with temperature, ranging from 2.83 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s to 7.96 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s, with an activation energy of 47.90 kJ/mol, as described by the Arrhenius equation. Thermodynamic properties indicated an endothermic, non-spontaneous process, with reductions in enthalpy (45.21; 45.04 kJ/mol) and entropy (−0.2797; −0.2802 kJ/mol·K) and an increase in Gibbs free energy (135.60–141.20 kJ/mol) at higher temperatures. Fresh peels contained high levels of bioactive compounds, such as phenolics (1740.90 mg GAE/100 g d.b.) and tannins (613.42 mg TAE/100 g d.b.), which were best preserved at 70 °C. Drying altered the physical properties of the flour, resulting in higher absolute, apparent and compact densities, lower porosity (75.81%), and a reduced angle of repose (21.22°) suggesting greater material stability. Thermal analysis identified five mass loss events related to the degradation of water, carbohydrates, proteins, and fibers. Differential scanning calorimetry confirmed the thermal stability of the treatments. Thus, the study highlights pineapple peels as a promising raw material for producing nutrient-rich functional flour, with a drying temperature being a crucial factor in preserving bioactive compounds and achieving desirable product characteristics.

A radiação solar direta sobre a cobertura de galpões avícolas é um dos principais fatores que dificultam o processo homeotérmico, causando estresse térmico às aves e refletindo imediatamente no seu desempenho produtivo e fisiológico. O Brasil por ser um país tropical tende a possuir regiões que se caracterizam por apresentar verões quentes ou muito quentes, proporcionando ás aves maiores índices de estresse por calor. Objetiva-se com essa revisão uma abordagem sobre a influência de coberturas com diferentes tipos de materiais em sua composição no desempenho térmico de galpões avícolas para frangos de corte, nas diferentes regiões do Brasil. Utilizou-se como método uma revisão no campo bibliográfico de caráter exploratório. A avicultura de corte cresce a cada ano e na busca por melhorias das instalações aplicando a uma boa acomodação das aves, pesquisas tem-se atentado aos materiais que compõem o telhado das construções avícolas visando associar a eficiência da refletância e o custo acessível, no desenvolvimento dos animais em ambiente de conforto térmico. Em suma, a definição do material de cobertura nas instalações a fim de se alcançar melhores condições para a produção agrícola dependerá da região, correlacionando os tipos de materiais construtivos com o conhecimento climatológico do referente local. Destaca-se a imposição de estudos mais aprofundados acerca destes métodos construtivos, bem como explorar as possibilidades já existentes, com o propósito de buscar melhorias para obter-se um material eficaz e de custo acessível.