The consumption of fruits and vegetables is strongly encouraged in the nutritional recommendations presented in national and international guidelines, which strongly advise the intake of these elements as part of a healthy diet. However, this type of food matrix has a low post-harvest durability, making it necessary to apply techniques that extend its shelf life. Among the methods that can be applied, drying acts as a unitary operation of wide use, presenting low operational cost, ease of handling and wide variation of procedural techniques. However, it still remains a methodology seen as “critical” in the food sector, especially when the maximum focus of efforts is to obtain a material of high quality, nutritional and sensorial. In this context, foam layer drying has gained recognition as an effective and low-cost technique, where foam porosity and higher surface area-volume ratio provide high heat and mass transfer rates, reducing process time and improving the physical-chemical quality of the final product. We provide information capable of elucidating that drying requires a large amount of energy for the operation, and that many studies are still needed in order to optimize the process and guarantee the economic, nutritional and functional viability of the final product.

There is a growing interest in promoting health and improving quality of life, which has led consumers to prefer foods that offer not only basic nutrition but also additional health benefits. In this space, yogurt has gained increasing attention due to its potential to deliver bioactive compounds and improve overall consumer well-being. As a fermented dairy product consumed globally, yogurt serves as an effective dietary base for nutritional enhancement through the incorporation of a wide range of primary agricultural products, including fruits, vegetables, cereals, and their respective by-products, including peels, seeds, and pomace. This review provides an overview of recent advances in yogurt biofortification using primary agricultural matrices and agro-industrial by-products within the framework of sustainable food systems and the circular economy. Significant increases in antioxidant activity and final phytochemical content are observed after the addition of ingredients to yogurt. Enrichment with dietary fiber from fruit peels or pomace also improved syneresis control and viscosity of the products. The microbiological viability of probiotic strains was maintained or increased in most formulations, and sensory acceptance remained favorable with enriched yogurts. These findings highlight the potential of agricultural matrices to enhance yogurt functionality, promoting sustainability and reducing food waste.

Phytochemicals, which are bioactive compounds contained in fruits, vegetables, and teas, have a positive effect on human health by having anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic effects. Several studies have highlighted the ability of bioactive compounds to activate key cellular enzymes associated with important signaling pathways related to cell division and proliferation, as well as their role in inflammatory and immunological responses. Some phytochemicals are associated with increased proliferation, differentiation, and expression of markers related to osteogenesis, bone formation, and mineralization by activating various signaling pathways. The objective of this study was to clarify which bioactive compounds present in fruits have osteogenic effects on mesenchymal stem cells and the possible associated mechanisms. A literature search was conducted in the LILACS, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases for pertinent articles published between 2014 and 2024. This review included 34 articles that report the osteogenic effects of various bioactive compounds found in different fruits. All the articles reported that phytochemicals play a role in enhancing the regenerative properties of mesenchymal cells, such as proliferation, osteogenic differentiation, secretion of angiogenic factors, and extracellular matrix formation. This review highlights the potential of these phytochemicals in the prevention and treatment of bone diseases. However, more studies are recommended to identify and quantify the therapeutic dose of phytochemicals, investigate their mechanisms in humans, and ensure their safety and effectiveness for health, particularly for bone health.

Objetivo: Estudar o processo de obtenção da polpa de beterraba vermelha em pó pelo método foam mat drying, visando otimizar o seu processamento com foco na manutenção da estabilidade dos pigmentos de betalaínas do alimento, favorecendo sua aplicação como substituto aos corantes sintéticos industriais na formulação de alimentícia. Métodos: Utilizando-se da polpa de beterraba vermelha, foram realizados ensaios preliminares com o intuito de avaliar os efeitos da concentração de carboxmetilcelulose (CMC), lecitina de soja (0,3g% / 100g) e clara de ovo in natura (15g% / 100g) em duas formulação de espumas, analisando sua cinética de estabilidade, pH e sólidos solúveis totais (STT). Aos dados experimentais, a formulação escolhida, foi submetida ao processo de secagem à 70ºC avaliando a remoção de umidade em função do tempo de exposição. Ao final do processo a polpa em pó foi caracterizada quanto ao seu índice de solubilidade em água (ISA%). Resultados: Os resultados revelam que a formulação que continha a clara de ovo in natura como estabilizante, apresentou melhor desempenho, demonstrando baixa perda de massa na superfície da espuma na análise de estabilidade e melhores resultados nas análises de pH e SST, além de um baixo tempo de secagem e uma baixa umidade de equilíbrio (±2g%). A solubilidade do produto em pó foi de 96,95% com excelente perfil de reconstituição. Conclusão: Concluiu-se que a secagem em leito espuma da beterraba produz um produto com boas características de pó e com qualidade sensorial para ser incorporado na formulação de alimentos como corante alimentício de obtenção natural.

Over the past few years the labor market has undergone significant changes in its scenario and dynamics in general. This dynamism that pervades the market demands from universities and academic training centers, preparation and innovation with regard to employability perspectives, in such a way as to clarify and provide opportunities for their faculty to prepare, to face the reality of professional life still in training. In this perspective, the idealization and implementation of projects such as the “Junior Enterprise” becomes a way of fostering knowledge, enabling the targeting of new discoveries and contributing to their placement on the market. That said, the aim of this article is to report the experience of academics from the undergraduate course in Nutrition in the idealization of a Junior Enterprise as well as to point out their contributions to professional training.