This paper presents the quantification, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin and the flavonoid chrysoeriol isolated from different extracts (hexane and acetonitrile extracts from whole fruit, peel and seed) of Capsicum frutescens (pimenta malagueta). The acetonitrile extract of the seeds, peel and whole fruits contained capsaicin as a major component, followed in abundance by dihydrocapsaicin and chrysoeriol. The antimicrobial activity of the isolated compounds against seven microorganisms showed chrysoeriol was the most active compound. In the antioxidant test, the acetonitrile extract from the whole fruit showed the highest activity. The antioxidant activity of pimenta malagueta may be correlated with its phenolic content, principally with the most active compound, capsaicin.

Chitin and chitosan were extracted from mycelial biomass of Cunninghamella elegans and the performance for copper, lead and iron biosorption in aqueous solution was evaluated. The growth curve of C. elegans was accomplished by determination of biomass, pH, glucose and nitrogen consumption. Chitin and chitosan were extracted by alkali-acid treatment and the yields were 23.8 and 7.8%, respectively. For the adsorption analysis, the process of heavy uptake metal sorption was evaluated using polysaccharides solutions (1% w/v). The rate of metallic biosorption was dependent upon the concentration and pH of metal solutions, and the best results were observed with pH 4.0. Chitosan showed the highest affinity for copper and chitin for iron adsorption. The results suggest that C. elegans (IFM 46109) is an attractive source of production of chitin and chitosan, with a great potential of heavy metals bioremediation in polluted environments.