Propolis is a substance with significant anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antiviral activity, which could be used more efficiently at the nano level as an additive in the food industry. The aim was to obtain and characterize nanoencapsulated multi-floral propolis from the agro-ecological region of Apurimac, Peru. For nanoencapsulation, 5% ethanolic extracts propolis with 0.3% gum arabic and 30% maltodextrin were prepared. Then, the mixtures were dried by nano spraying at 120 °C using the smallest nebulizer. The flavonoid content was between 1.81 and 6.66 mg quercetin/g, the phenolic compounds were between 1.76 and 6.13 mg GAE/g, and a high antioxidant capacity was observed. The results of moisture, water activity, bulk density, color, hygroscopicity, solubility, yield, and encapsulation efficiency were typical of the nano spray drying process. The total organic carbon content was around 24%, heterogeneous spherical particles were observed at nanometer level (between 11.1 and 562.6 nm), with different behaviors in colloidal solution, the thermal gravimetric properties were similar in all the encapsulates, the FTIR and EDS analysis confirmed the encapsulation and the X-ray diffraction showed amorphous characteristics in the obtained material; stability and phenolic compound release studies indicated high values of 8.25–12.50 mg GAE/g between 8 and 12 h, the principal component analysis confirmed that the flora, altitude, and climate of the propolis location influenced the content of bioactive compounds, antioxidant capacity, and other properties studied. The nanoencapsulate from the district of Huancaray was the one with the best results, allowing its future use as a natural ingredient in functional foods. Nevertheless, technological, sensory, and economic studies should still be carried out.

The contamination of water resources by effluents from various industries often contains heavy metals, which cause irreversible damage to the environment and health. The objective was to evaluate different biosorbents from the weed Rumex acetosella to remove metal cations in wastewater. Drying, grinding and sieving of the stems was carried out to obtain the biomass, retaining the fractions of 250 to 500 µm and 500 to 750 µm, which served to obtain the biosorbents in natura (unmodified), acidic, alkaline, and mixed. Proximal analysis, PZC, TOC, removal capacity, influence of pH, functional groups, thermal analysis, structural characteristics, adsorption isotherms, and kinetic study were evaluated. The 250 µm mixed treatment was the one that presented the highest removal percentages, mainly due to the OH, NH, -C-H, COOH, and C-O functional groups achieving the removal of up to 96.14% of lead, 36.30% of zinc, 34.10% of cadmium and 32.50% of arsenic. For contact times of 120 min and an optimum pH of 5.0, a loss of cellulose mass of 59% at 328 °C and a change in the surface of the material were also observed, which allowed for obtaining a topography with greater chelating capacity, and the Langmuir and pseudo-second order models were better fitted to the adsorption data. The new biosorbents could be used in wastewater treatment economically and efficiently.

Ferropenic anemy is the leading iron deficiency disease in the world. The aim was to encapsulate erythrocytes extracted from the blood of Cavia porcellus, in matrices of tara gum and native potato starch. For microencapsulation, solutions were prepared with 20% erythrocytes; and encapsulants at 5, 10, and 20%. The mixtures were spray-dried at 120 and 140 °C. The iron content in the erythrocytes was 3.30 mg/g and between 2.32 and 2.05 mg/g for the encapsulates (p < 0.05). The yield of the treatments varied between 47.84 and 58.73%. The moisture, water activity, and bulk density were influenced by the temperature and proportion of encapsulants. The total organic carbon in the atomized samples was around 14%. The particles had diverse reddish tonalities, which were heterogeneous in their form and size; openings on their surface were also observed by SEM. The particle size was at the nanometer level, and the zeta potential (ζ) indicated a tendency to agglomerate and precipitation the solutions. The presence of iron was observed on the surface of the atomized by SEM-EDX, and FTIR confirmed the encapsulation due to the presence of the chemical groups OH, C-O, C-H, and N-H in the atomized. On the other hand, high percentages of iron release in vitro were obtained between 88.45 and 94.71%. The treatment with the lowest proportion of encapsulants performed at 140 °C obtained the best results and could potentially be used to fortify different functional foods.

In this study, the technofunctional properties, proximate composition, and mineral content of three tarwi ecotypes white, moro, and punto negro were analyzed. The seeds were cultivated in Andahuaylas, a surandine zone of Peru. The flours obtained (125 μm) showed differences in particle size: the punto negro ecotype had a higher proportion of coarse particles (Dx 90), while the white and moro ecotypes exhibited finer distributions. Regarding color, the white ecotype showed the highest lightness and whiteness index, followed by moro, whereas the punto negro ecotype exhibited darker and reddish tones, associated with differences in composition. Water absorption capacity increased by approximately 30% between 60 and 90 °C in all ecotypes. Both water solubility index and swelling power also increased with temperature, with the white ecotype showing higher solubility at high temperatures and moro exhibiting greater swelling capacity at initial temperatures (60°C). Additionally, the moro ecotype presented higher hygroscopicity and water holding capacity, while oil retention and foaming properties were similar among ecotypes (P>0.05). Water activity was low in all cases (0.34–0.37 g/100 g), suggesting good microbiological stability. Regarding proximate composition, the moro ecotype stood out for its higher protein content (56.28 ± 0.02 g/100 g) and mineral content (ash and calcium), while the white ecotype had higher lipid content (26.53 ± 0.02 g/100 g) and minerals such as iron and zinc. The punto negro ecotype showed higher carbohydrate content (16.58 ± 0.15 g/100 g) and phosphorus. These results indicate that each ecotype possesses distinct attributes that determine its potential application in the food industry.

Essential oils are a subject of study due to the heterogeneity of their components, which vary according to the genus and species of the plant material. The objective of this study was the physicochemical characterization and bioactive components of the essential oil (EO) extracted from wild punamuña (Satureja Boliviana) and runtuhuayra (Clinopodium Weberbaueri (Mansf.) Govaerts) herbs from high Andean areas of southern Peru. The extraction of the EO from both species was carried out using the steam distillation technique, the density characterization using gravimetric methods and the acidity, peroxide index and refraction by analytical methods recommended by the Norma Tecnica Peruana (NTP). The bioactive compounds were quantified using gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometry detector (GC-MS). A better EO performance was obtained from punañuna 0.38% (w/w) compared to runtuhuayra 0.28% (w/w); In both samples, the density and refractive index were similar values (0.93-0.94) g/mL and (1.528-1.520) (p>0.05) respectively; However, the acid and peroxide index showed a significant difference between the samples studied (p<0.05). 37 bioactive compounds synthesized as secondary metabolites in Satureja Boliviana EO were identified, with the majority being monoterpenes (62%) highlighted by menthone, L-menthone, pulegone and 3-cyclohexen-1-one. 2-isopropyl-5-methyl, linalool, α-cadinene and α-cadinol; Meanwhile, in the EO of Clinopodium Weberbaueri, 28 compounds were detected and quantified, in which monoterpenes predominate (61%) made up of pulegone (45.67%); isomenthol (13.85%), menthone (6.05%), carvacrol (5.39%), and also D-limonene; o-cymene; 3-octanol; β-pinene and α-terpineol successively. This characterization of the EO of the aforementioned samples reveals recent a new additive or ingredient alternative for the industry due to its biological value associated with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory activities and psychotherapeutics.