The objective of this review is to present arrowroot (Maranta arundinaceae L.) as a potential for producing gluten-free products, considering the nutritional and technological properties of the plant. This unconventional vegetable is little studied and has almost disappeared from the market due to the introduction of new flours at industrial level. However, in recent years the food industries have again shown interest in arrowroot starch, mainly small producers, motivated by the price on the international market and the possibility of its use in the diet for people with Celiac Disease. Arrowroot rhizome has high amounts of phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, and zinc, as well as medium content of phenylalanine and low amounts of fruit and oligosaccharides. Regarding rheological properties, the plant presents negative syneresis, stability during cooking, higher solubility, and absorption index in milk. Although the best nutritional and sensory quality of gluten-free products produced with arrowroot, such as breads, ice cream stabilizers, and infant formulas, there is a scarcity of studies in the literature that use the plant as a raw material for the development of new potential market products. This article allows for the comprehensiveness of the arrowroot’s characteristics and forms a theoretical basis for future research.

Pereskia aculeata Miller, is an unconventional food plant native to South America. This study aimed to investigate the influence of different ultrasonic extraction times (10, 20, 30, and 40 min) on the phytochemical profile, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of ethanolic extracts obtained from lyophilized Pereskia aculeate Miller (ora-pro-nobis) leaves, an under-researched plant. Morphological structure and chemical group evaluations were also conducted for the lyophilized P. aculeate leaves. The different extraction times resulted in distinct phenolic content and Antioxidant Activity (ATT) values. Different extraction time conditions resulted in phenolic compound contents ranging from 2.07 to 2.60 mg EAG.g⁻¹ of extract and different ATT values. The ATT evaluated by DPPH was significantly higher (from 61.20 to 70.20 μM of TE.g⁻¹ of extract) in extraction times of 30 and 40 min, respectively. For ABTS, it varied between 6.38 and 10.24 μM of TE.g⁻¹ of extract and 24.34 and 32.12 μM ferrous sulp.g⁻¹ of extract. All of the obtained extracts inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, particularly the treatment employing 20 min of extraction at the highest dilution (1.56 mg.mL⁻¹). Although liquid chromatography analyses showed that chlorogenic acid was the primary compound detected for all extracts, Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry (PS-MS) suggested the extracts contained 53 substances, such as organic, fatty, and phenolic acids, sugars, flavonoids, terpenes, phytosterols, and other components. The PS-MS proved to be a valuable technique to obtain the P. aculeate leaves extract chemical profile. It was observed that the freeze-drying process enhanced the conservation of morphological structures of P. aculeate leaves, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) identified carboxyl functional groups and proteins between the 1000 and 1500 cm⁻¹ bands in the P. aculeate leaves, thus favoring water interaction and contributing to gel formation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate different times (10, 20, 30 and 40 min) for ultrasound extraction of P. aculeate leaves. The polyphenols improved extraction, and high antioxidant activity demonstrates the potential for applying P. aculeate leaves and their extract as functional ingredients or additives in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Bread is one of the most consumed foods in the world. Its manufacturing processes move approximately 2% of the Brazilian GDP, being among the six largest sectors of the national industry. One of the factors that impact the yield and manufacture of bakery products is the quality of the flour, which desires a high amount of protein. Transglutaminase is an enzyme that forms cross-links between protein molecules and it has been suggested that it provides strength to wheat flour through the gluten network. Several studies have been conducted, with different methodologies and objectives, in order to study the effects of this enzyme. Thus, the scope of this research was to review the literature about some forms of use of transglutaminase in the food industry, especially noting its use in improving the quality of wheat flour and bakery products.

O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a qualidade da farinha espelta em concentrações diferentes de Transglutaminase (TGase) para a produção de pães de fermentação natural. A farinha espelta é conhecida como um grão ancestral que apesar de suas qualidades nutricionais não tem uma boa qualidade proteica para a produção de pães de longa fermentação. Utilizaram-se testes reológicos laboratoriais de panificação e análise do volume e massa do pão nos diferentes tempos de fermentação (2 – 4 – 6 horas) com diferentes concentrações de TGase (0, 1000, 3000 e 5000 ppm). Design no estudo: os testes foram feitos com 3 repetições. Os dados foram coletados sobre o volume e a massa do pão assado além das avaliações reológicas da massa através de testes de alveografia, extensografia e alveografia. A massa e o volume dos pães assados foram analisadas através o teste ANOVA-two way, incluindo as interações entre as variáveis preditoras e as análises reológicas foram analisadas através o teste de aditividade de Tukey e Análise de Variância. Na avaliação da massa e volume do pão, constatou-se que na farinha espelta a melhor concentração foi de 3000 no tempo de fermentação de 4 horas. Em todas as concentrações de TGase percebeu-se aumento da força da farinha espelta e aumento da elasticidade contudo, não refletiu na melhoria no equilibrio entre a tenacidade e extensibilidade da massa, entretanto concluindo efeitos significativos nas características da farinha espelta em todas as concentrações de TGase.

O presente trabalho objetivou caracterizar a farinha extrusada de sorgo (FES) do genótipo BRS 305 (pericarpo marrom e com tanino) quanto as propriedades físico-químicas, antioxidantes e microbiológicas. Para isso, foram realizadas análises centesimais, quantificação do teor de amido total, resistente e não resistente, bem como a avaliação do pH, atividade antioxidante, determinação dos índices de absorção em água, óleo e leite e análises microbiológicas compostas pelos números mais prováveis de coliformes totais e coliformes termotolerantes, contagem de bolores e leveduras, Bacillus cereus e Salmonella spp. A farinha avaliada apresentou teor de umidade (> 8%), com concentrações de proteínas, lipídeos, cinzas e carboidratos iguais a 12,48%, 1,72%, 1,42% e 76,17%, respectivamente. Em relação a atividade antioxidante pelo método ABTS a farinha apresentou conteúdo igual a 156,08 μmolTrolox.g-1. Quanto aos parâmetros tecnológicos, os índices de absorção em água, óleo e leite variaram entre 1,35 a 2,34 g/g. Em termos microbiológicos, todos os parâmetros avaliados se encontravam dentro dos padrões preconizados. Conclui-se que a FES se mostra apta ao consumo humano, sendo uma opção de substituição total ou parcial da farinha de trigo, em produtos de panificação e/ou doceria por não conter glúten, podendo assim ser consumida por indivíduos celíacos ou intolerantes a esta proteína.