The oca (Oxalis tuberosa) is a tuber with high starch content and excellent antioxidant properties, which can be used in the production of extruded products; however, starch-rich products can be improved nutritionally through the incorporation of fibers that can result in extrudates with beneficial health properties. The aim of this work was to develop a mixture of oca (Oxalis tuberosa) and oat extrudate flours and evaluate the antioxidant and physicochemical attributes. The results showed that a higher moisture content increased the hardness, water absorption index, and density of the extrudates; however, the solubility and expansion indexes showed an inverse pattern. The addition of oat fiber had the opposite effect from moisture content on the physicochemical properties mentioned above. The cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) of the extrudates decreased when the oat fiber increased. An inverse pattern was observed when the moisture concentration was increased. The starch hydrolysis percentage and glycemic index decreased significantly when the fiber content increased. Oat fiber contributed 67.29% and 65.04% to these parameters, respectively. Oat fiber exerted a greater effect than moisture on the collets extruded in this study according to factor contributions.

In this work, aerogels were obtained by vacuum drying, an uncommon method that requires lower energy costs and creates materials with high porosity and small pore size. Starch from A98 rice was used, evaluating different concentrations (8, 10, and 12%) and retrogradation times (2, 4, and 6 days). The aerogels were characterized by analysis in a scanning electron microscope, in a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer and differential scanning calorimetry. Importantly, the retrogradation time showed no apparent significant changes in the formulation of the materials, and those created at a concentration of 10% presented a crystalline and amorphous reorganization. They were more homogeneous than the rest of the formulations while their pores measured 41 nm. Aerogels formulated with 8% presented higher swelling and water absorption but reduced solubility. The aerogels reported in this work show promising characteristics and the drying technique opens the doors to a more practical method that deserves further research.

Se realizó la caracterización estructural y térmica del bagazo de Oca, donde a través de las imágenes de microscopía electrónica de barrido sé muestra que los gránulos de almidón presentes en el bagazo, aparentemente no sufrieron un daño estructural, sin embargo, si se observaron concavidades en la superficie de los gránulos. La muestra de bagazo, tanto nativo como modificado, mostró un patrón de difracción tipo B, que es característico de los tubérculos. En el bagazo modificado, se observó un nuevo pico a 1727 cm-1. Mientras los resultados de calorimetría mostraron una disminución del pico endotérmico. Sin embargo, se requiere una investigación adicional para explorar las aplicaciones y la funcionalidad de los bagazos, para potencializar su uso en la industria alimentaria.

Pomegranate juice possesses therapeutic properties against metabolic syndrome. Microencapsulation of pomegranate juice (MPJ) may extend its shelf life; however, further research is necessary to ascertain its comparative efficacy with fresh juice. This work evaluated the effect of MPJ in an animal model with induced metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS was induced in Male Wistar rats by administering 30% sucrose orally for 22 weeks. Once MetS was verified in the animals, seven groups were formed as follows: control (Ctrl); MetS; MetS + Placebo; Ctrl + MPJ; MetS + MPJ1 600; MetS + MPJ2 1800; and MetS + MPJ3 2900 mg/kg. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glucose, triglycerides, and total HDL-c levels in the MetS + MPJ groups improved significantly (p < 0.05) vs. the MetS group at the end of the study. Microencapsulation maintained the anti-metabolic-syndrome properties of pomegranate juice and could be used to control metabolic syndrome.