Pomegranate is gaining popularity because of its proved nutraceutical properties and is highly adaptable to different climates. In southern Jalisco, Mexico, 18 genotypes were characterized on the basis of fruit characteristics (21 traits) and AFLP (Amplified Fragment length polymorphism) markers. The first three components of a principal components analysis (PCA) explained 71.5% of the variation. The most important variables were related to fruit size and weight. Fruit weight, equatorial diameter, polar diameter, and rind and membrane weight were the variables that most contributed to principal component one (PC1) 46.4%. The variables juice per fruit, edible proportion, proportion of rind and membrane, and seed length contributed most to principal component two (PC2) 15.2%, while juice pH, weight of one seed, and aril width contributed the most to principal component three (PC3) 9.9%. With the six combinations of AFLP primers, 315 fragments were obtained (an average of 52.5 fragments per primer); of these, 229 were polymorphic (72.7% polymorphism). Grouping by both morphological traits and AFLP markers separated all the evaluated individuals so that there were no repeated genotypes. In both analyses, the grouping did not obey geographic origin of the genotypes (r = −0.35), suggesting that both techniques were useful and complementary in the characterization of pomegranate genotypes. The commercial cultivars Wonderful and Apaseo had low levels of similarity to genotypes from southern Jalisco. The level of polymorphism found and compared with the results obtained by other authors suggests that the pomegranate genotypes evaluated are highly polymorphic. We found broad genetic diversity that can be used in breeding programs.

Exposure to glyphosate produces various toxic effects, due to this, different methods have been evaluated for its elimination. The objective of this work was to formulate chitosan-based adsorbents and evaluate their efficiency in the removal of glyphosate in vitro. Four films were made by varying the weight ratio of silica/chitosan particles, and four sponges were made by varying the chitosan/chitosan ratio in a reticulated manner. Both adsorbents were characterized based on their porosity, water absorption, glyphosate removal, and reusability. It was found that increasing the porosity in both films and sponges resulted in an increase in the adsorption efficiency of glyphosate. The adsorption process exhibited a better fit in both adsorbents to the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption of glyphosate to the films fit better with the Langmuir model, demonstrating that the process occurs in the form of a monolayer. In the case of sponges, the adsorption of glyphosate fit better with the Freundlich model, indicating that the process takes place in a multilayer form. Finally, when the reusability was evaluated, the adsorbents showed a loss of effectiveness. However, they still proved to be an efficient alternative for the removal of glyphosate in water, providing a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution.

Every year, millions of foodborne illnesses with thousands of deaths occur worldwide, which is why controlling foodborne pathogens is sought. In this study, nanoemulsions of phytochemicals extracted from Plectranthus hadiensis var. tomentosus (PHT) were obtained, and their antioxidant and antimicrobial capacities were evaluated. PHT extracts were obtained by maceration, ultrasound, and Naviglio methods, and their antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enterica was determined by the microdilution method. The extract with the highest antimicrobial activity was obtained by Naviglio with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 12.5 and 25 mg/mL, respectively, for all bacterial strains. The nanoemulsion (o/w) made with Tween 40, 5% extract, and 50% ultrasonic amplitude had a globule size of 4.4 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.48, and a surface charge of −0.08 mV and remained stable for 30 days. This nanosystem presented significantly higher antimicrobial and antioxidant activity than the free extract. Thus, the nanoencapsulation of the phytochemicals in the PHT extracts is an alternative to protect and enhance their biological activity against pathogenic microorganisms.

Human milk banks pasteurize and freeze the milk in order to conserve it, but thawing and prolonged storage cause loss of nutritional components. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of pasteurization, high hydrostatic pressures, UV radiation, and spray drying in human milk packed and stored at 25 to 40°C by a period of 14 weeks, using an accelerated shelf life method with Arrhenius model. Effectiveness of packaging, microbiological viability, and deterioration of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins was evaluated. The results showed that proteins and carbohydrates in powdered human milk with different treatments did not show significant changes during storage at 25 to 40°C and without the growth of microorganisms. However, 33.3% deterioration of lipid oxidation was observed up at 40°C. We predict with the applied model that, at 18°C, the human milk powder will be preserved for approximately one year without significant changes in its composition.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of soaking plantain and cassava chips in sucrose or sodium chloride (NaCl) on their physical properties and acrylamide content after frying in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)-enriched soybean oil. Plantain and cassava were cut into 1 mm thick slices and soaked for 20 min in a solution of 30% sucrose or 3% NaCl at 40 °C, separately. Soaking in sucrose and NaCl had no significant effect ( p < 0.05) on water loss, porosity, hardness, or microstructure. The acrylamide content ranged from 634 to 3177 µg/kg. The use of CLA-enriched oil had no significant effect ( p < 0.05) on the physical characteristics evaluated in this study. Frying reduced the CLA content in the chips from an initial 31.8% in the oil to 22.25 and 21.69% in plantain and cassava chips, respectively.

La curcumina es un polifenol reconocido por sus efectos benéficos, sin embargo, posee una baja solubilidad lo que limita su biodisponibilidad y efectividad. Su aplicación en sistemas de vehiculización a nanoescala permite superar estas limitantes. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de variables de composición en la formación de nanoemulsiones de curcumina y en su liberación in vitro. La metodología empleada consistió en evaluar el efecto de condiciones de pre-emulsificación, tipo de emulsificante (tween 40, tween 80 y fosfatidilcolina), fase dispersa (aceite de coco y omega 5) y el pH sobre el tamaño de glóbulo y la estabilidad de las nanoemulsione. Se determinó la eficiencia de atrapamiento y la liberación in vitro de la curcumina. Entre los resultados, se encontró que las nanoemulsiones de curcumina con aceite de cadena media y aceite de semilla de granada estabilizadas con tween 40 mostraron el menor tamaño de partícula (23 y 33.4 nm, respectivamente) y fueron estables durante 7 semanas, al evaluar la fosfatidilcolina como emulsificante los tamaños de glóbulo fueron de 90.7 y 126.2nm, respectivamente. La eficiencia de atrapamiento de curcumina fue del 93 %. Factores como el pH muestran un cambio en el tamaño del glóbulo, sin embargo, el tipo de emulsificante empleado influye en la estabilidad. Se concluye que la liberación de la curcumina muestra un diferente comportamiento al encontrarse a escala nanométrica en comparación con la forma gruesa. Las variables de composición afectan significativamente las características de las nanoemulsiones, su estabilidad durante el almacenamiento, así como influenciar la liberación de curcumina y por ende su biodisponibilidad.