With the continuous increase in research on lipids, technologies and the development of chemical-analytical methods associated with the characterization and monitoring of different processes that involve modifications in edible fats are increasing. The beneficial effect of lipids, especially those essential for the health of the population, is widely known. However, degradation compounds are also produced that eventually have negative effects. In this dual context, the monitoring of the changes suffered by nutritional compounds can be obtained thanks to the development of technologies and analytical methods applied to the study of lipids. The modifications that lipids undergo can be followed by a wide variety of methods, ranging from the basic ones associated with simple chemical titrations to the more complex ones associated with sophisticated laboratory equipment. These determinations involve chemical and/or physical quantification of lipids to know an initial condition on the major and minor components. In addition to technologies that allow monitoring during more complex processes such as thermal deterioration, in multiple conditions depending on the objective of the study, this review could benefit a comprehensive understanding of lipid deterioration for future developments and research in the study of fats and oils for human consumption.

The southern coast of Peru presents a wide diversity of seaweed, which could be used as a new sustainable source of nutritional and bioactive compounds. For the first time, we chemically characterized two species of brown (Macrocystis pyrifera) and red (Chondracanthus chamissoi) Peruvian seaweed. Both species contained significant amounts of proteins (5–12%), lipids (0.16–0.74%), carbohydrates (43.29–62.65%) and minerals (1300–1800 mg kg⁻¹ dw: dry weight). However, the profiles of amino acids, fatty acids and minerals were highly dependent on species type. C. chamissoi had a higher content of essential amino acids and minerals than M. pyrifera (170% and 45%, respectively), while the presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω 6) as well as the content of tocopherols was higher in M. pyrifera (15.77 g 100 g⁻¹ and 2.37 μg 100 g⁻¹, respectively). Additionally, both species presented significant concentrations of total polyphenols (39–59 mg GAE g⁻¹) and a high antioxidant capacity (67–98 µM TE g⁻¹). Although M. pyrifera and C. chamissoi seem to be excellent raw materials for the food and nutraceutical industry, both species contained toxic heavy metals (cadmium: Cd and nickel: Ni) which could affect the safety of their direct use. Therefore, new separation strategies that allow the selective recovery of nutrients and bioactive compounds from Peruvian seaweed are required.

Avocado oil is considered a highly prized food due to its nutritional contribution. On the other hand, Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz (Elaeocarpaceae), common name “maqui”, is an endemic fruit in Chile, well known for its exceptional antioxidant properties. In general, maqui by-products such as leaves are considered as waste. Thus, maqui leaves extracts were used to improve the stability of vegetable oils, particularly avocado oil. Hence, avocado oil was fortified with two extracts (ethyl ether and methanol) obtained of maqui leaves and exposed to 120 °C for 386 h in an oven. The results showed a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids (69.46%, mainly oleic acid), followed by polyunsaturated fatty acids (16.41%, mainly linoleic acid) and finally saturated fatty acids (14.13%). The concentration of the total phenolic compounds in the pure oil, ethyl ether and methanol maqui leaves extracts were 45.8, 83.7, and 4100.9 ppm, respectively. In addition, the antioxidant activity was 5091.6 and 19,452.5 µmol Trolox eq/g for the ethyl ether and methanol extracts, respectively. The secondary degradation compounds showed significant differences between the fortified and non-fortified samples after 144 h and the TG/DTG analysis showed a significant increment of 7 °C in the degradation temperature (Tonset) of avocado oil fortified with the methanol extract when compared to the non-fortified oil and fortified oil with ethyl ether extract. After heating for 336 h, fortified oil with methanol extract reached the limit percentages of polar compounds, while pure oil reached it in a shorter time, i.e., 240 h. Based on the results, avocado oil can be protected with natural additives such as extracts obtained from maqui leaves, leading to an increase in its thermo-oxidative stability.

Red seaweeds from the coastal shores of Ilo (Peru) are a natural source of high-value compounds beneficial to health due to their high antioxidant capacity. Thus, this work evaluated the effect of water–ethanol mixtures (0, 15, and 30%; v/v) at high temperatures (90, 120, and 150 °C) on the polyphenol content, antioxidant capacity, and polyphenols profile of red seaweed (Chondracanthus chamissoi) during a pressurized liquid extraction process, whose parameters were set at 10 atm, with a single cycle of extraction and a volume of 150%. An increase in temperature and ethanol had a positive effect on antioxidant compounds. Thus, the best processing conditions were established at 150 °C and 30% ethanol, allowing for the extraction of a high polyphenol content (2.04 mg GAE/g dw) and antioxidant capacity (IC50: 7.46 mg/mL, ORAC: 148.98 μmol TE/g dw). High ethanol concentrations (30%) effectively recovered phenolic acids, flavonols, and phlorotannins for the polyphenols profile. However, the use of pure water was more effective in recovering flavonols. Interestingly, using pure water as an extraction solvent at high temperatures allowed for a more significant inhibition of the α-amylase enzyme than water–ethanol mixtures under the same conditions. Finally, the results can be utilized for future industrial scaling and the potential utilization of extracts in developing diabetes treatments.

The development of phenolic-based functional food ingredients is of growing interest due to their beneficial effects on human health. This study investigated the combined influence of microparticle physical state, phenolic compound type (gallic acid, GA; and ellagic acid, EA), and model food matrix on the release profile, bioaccessibility, and antioxidant activity of GA and EA during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. GA and EA were encapsulated with inulin (In) by spray-drying. By varying formulation and operational conditions, both semicrystalline (GA-InSc, EA-InSc) and amorphous (GA-InA, EA-InA) microparticles were obtained. Microparticles were characterized for crystallinity, encapsulation efficiency, particle size, morphology, and release profile during in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion following the INFOGEST method. The physical state of microparticles and type of phenolic compound critically influenced release profile, bioaccessibility, and antioxidant activity during digestion. GA, being more water-soluble, was rapidly released, reaching nearly 100% in the gastric phase, whereas EA exhibited limited gastric release and higher intestinal release, particularly in EA-InSc. Incorporation into different food matrices further modulated these effects; carbohydrate- and blend-based matrices improved phenolic release and antioxidant activity for both compounds. These findings highlight the importance of microparticle formulation, phenolic characteristics, and matrix interactions in designing functional food ingredients with optimized health benefits.

Los aceites esenciales son una mezcla muy compleja de componentes y su composición puede variar en diferentes especies o variedades incluso dentro de la misma variedad. Origanum vulgare L. se encontró que el rendimiento es de 0,7% v / p. En este trabajo se determinó la composición química tentativa del aceite esencial y la evaluación de su actividad antioxidante en tres muestras de Moquegua. El aceite esencial se obtuvo de la extracción por destilación al vapor y se analizó mediante un cromatógrafo de gases acoplado a un espectrómetro de masas (GC-MS) para la determinación de los componentes. La actividad antioxidante se evaluó mediante la capacidad de eliminación de radicales (método DPPH). En promedio, los componentes principales de dos repeticiones de las tres muestras son: Iso Terpineol (31,23: 31,28; 27.94%), Timol (12,44; 12,48; 12,28%), gama-terpineno (6,56; 6,55; 7,644%), Antranilato de linalilo (6,49; 6,49; 6,72%), Cariofileno (4,13; 4,14; 4,33%) Terpineol (5,65; 5,65; 6.33%), Trans Terpineol (4,03; 4,02; 4,06%), Timol metileter (3,74; 3,75; 3,98% ), Gama Elemeno (3,15; 3,16; 3,16%), Careno (2,83; 2,82; 3,53%), p-Cimeno (2,48; 2,48; 2,43%), Sabineno (2,47; 2,45; 2,35%), Timol metileter (1,43; 1,43; 1,65%), Tran Ocimeno (1,21; 1,21; 1,13%) como los componentes más abundantes. El aceite vegetal mostró una actividad antioxidante IC50 en equivalentes de trolox para 10μL de aceite esencial: Orégano de Cuchumbaya (CU3750): 12,348 ± 0,066 μg, Orégano de Chojata (CH3475): 12,249 ± 0,035 μg, Orégano de Puquina (PU3041): 12,197 ± 0,07 μg. El análisis estadístico, ANOVA indica que existen diferencias significativas en las tres muestras, se realizó una prueba de múltiples rangos para ver las diferencias significativas entre cada una, mostró que hubo diferencias significativas entre CU3750 y CH3475, CU3750 y PU3041, en tanto, no hubo diferencias significativas entre el orégano CH3475 y PU3041 para la actividad antioxidante. Por tanto, los aceites mostraron una alta actividad antioxidante.