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Cassava starches are widely used in the production of biodegradable films, but their resistance to humidity migration is very low. In this work, commercial cassava starch films were studied and classified according to their physicochemical properties. A nondestructive method for water vapor permeability determination, which combines with infrared spectroscopy and multivariate calibration, is also presented. The following commercial cassava starches were studied: pregelatinized (amidomax 3550), carboxymethylated starch (CMA) of low and high viscosities, and esterified starches. To make the films, 2 different starch concentrations were evaluated, consisting of water suspensions with 3% and 5% starch. The filmogenic solutions were dried and characterized for their thickness, grammage, water vapor permeability, water activity, tensile strength (deformation force), water solubility, and puncture strength (deformation). The minimum thicknesses were 0.5 to 0.6 mm in pregelatinized starch films. The results were treated by means of the following chemometric methods: principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) regression. PCA analysis on the physicochemical properties of the films showed that the differences in concentration of the dried material (3% and 5% starch) and also in the type of starch modification were mainly related to the following properties: permeability, solubility, and thickness. IR spectra collected in the region of 4000 to 600 cm(-1) were used to build a PLS model with good predictive power for water vapor permeability determination, with mean relative errors of 10.0% for cross-validation and 7.8% for the prediction set.

Guava is a tropical fruit that has a high potential for agroindustrial use, also known antioxidant property mainly attributed to vitamin C and carotenoids content. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of food preservatives, individually or combined, on the antioxidant properties of red guava nectar during storage. Nectars added of different additives were stored in the dark for 180 days and evaluated at the processing day and every 90 days for physico-chemical parameters, color, bioactive compounds content, total antioxidant activity (TAA), the microbiologica and sensory quality. Was not observed changes in quality parameters (P>0.05), since the guava nectars were presented in accordance with Standards of Identity and Quality required by Brazilian law. According to data for antioxidante compounds and total antioxidant activity (TAA), can conclude that nectars added sodium metabisulfite and sodium metabisulfite + sodium benzoate showed, after 90 days of storage, a lower reduction in total extractable polyphenols (TEP) and vitamin C content, being the TEP reduction directly correlated with TAA.

Plant co-products currently represent an attractive alternative to the food industry, especially to the growing market of development low-fat products. Among the co-products resulting from tropical fruits' processing, the cashew apple's fibre presents unusual nutritional and sensory characteristics. In several food preparations could use it as an ingredient. In this work, the bioactive compounds of both artisanal and industrialized cashew apple fibre were studied and the influence of the different cooking methods on their bioactive content, and the acceptance and sensory preference of products new plants-based products formulated. It was observed that both artisanal and industrial cashew apple fibres presented a rich composition in the bioactive compounds, especially regarding the content of ascorbic acid found in artisanal (147.8 mg.100g À1 ) and carotenoids in industrialized fibre (1.87 mg 100 g À1 ), which resulted in a higher antioxidant activity for both samples in each method evaluated. Frying (180 C/3 min) and cooking in a combination oven (98 C/10 min) exhibited higher averages regarding the retention of the bioactive compounds in the fibres, resulting in a higher antioxidant activity for the products processed by these methods.In contrast, it was boiling processing (100 C/18min) leads to leach of water-soluble biocompounds and, consequently, their products presented a reduced antioxidant activity. The cashew apple "paçoca" and "meatballs" were judged in terms of their attributes (appearance, aroma, taste, overall impression) and buy intention. In general, the average of these results indicated a high sensorial acceptance and a partial possibility in their purchase of these products. The cashew apple fibres are a source of nutrients. Its incorporation in culinary preparations can be a friendly way to avoid waste and promote new food products.

In Brazil, consumer preference of tropical native fruits has increased; however, many fruits are not commercially exploited, such as gabiroba (Campomanesia lineatifolia) and myrtle (Blepharocalyx salicifolius), from the Myrtaceae family. The present study aimed to evaluate the physical, physico-chemical, and functional characteristics of gabiroba and myrtle, harvested from native plants in the mountainous region of Ibiapaba-CE. The following characters were analyzed: pH, soluble solids, total acidity, total extractable polyphenols, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant activity by using the ABTS method. After pulping, the samples were divided into two groups. From the results, it was found that gabiroba had a low total acidity value (0.12 ± 0.01%) indicating a higher level of sweetness relative to myrtle. Myrtle presented values of longitudinal (0.94 cm) and transverse(1.35 cm) diameters, fresh weight (0.85g), pulp yield (68.0%), pH (4.5 ± 0.0), and total soluble solids (23.6 ± 1.7 °Bx) similar to those obtained in other studies. Bioactive compounds in gabiroba and myrtle included phenolics (GAE 229.37 ± 1.04and 511.65 ± 1.34mg/100g), ascorbic acid (74.44 ± 0.03 369.1 ± 0.28 mg/100g), and antioxidants (14.54 ± 1.0 and 16.05 ± 0.63 μ Mtrolox/g). Therefore, these fruits have the potential to be used as functional foods characterized by various health benefits. Keywords: Bioactive compounds. Functional foods. Native fruit. CARACTERIZAÇÃO FÍSICO-QUÍMICA DE GABIROBA (Campomanesia lineatifolia) E MURTA (Blepharocalyx salicifolius) NATIVAS DA REGIÃO SERRANA DE IBIAPABA-CE RESUMO -No Brasil os frutos nativos tropicais vêm conquistando a preferência dos consumidores, entretanto, muitos deles não é aproveitada comercialmente, a exemplo da gabiroba (Campomanesia lineatifolia) e Murta (Blepharocalyx salicifolius), pertencentes á família das Myrtaceae.Este trabalhou teve como objetivo avaliar as características físicas, físico-químicas e funcionais da gabiroba e murta, colhidas de plantas nativas na região serrana da Ibiapaba -CE, por meio das seguintes análises: pH, sólidos solúveis,acidez total, polifenóis extraíveis totais, ácido ascórbico e atividade antioxidante pelo método ABTS. Depois de despolpadas as amostras foram divididas em dois lotes. A partir dos resultados, verificou-se que entre os frutos analisados destacou-se por apresentar menor valor de acidez titulável (0,12 ± 0,01%) indicando um maior teor de doçura com relação às outras espécies. A Murta apresentou valores de diâmetro longitudinal (0,94 cm) e transversal (1,35 cm), massa fresca (0,85g), rendimento de polpa (68,0%), pH (4,5 ± 0,0) e sólidos solúveis totais (23,6 ± 1,7°Brix), próximos aos valores obtidos por outros autores referente a mesma espécie. Para os compostos bioativos foram obtidos valores de compostos fenólicos (229,37 ± 1,04 mg GAE/100 g ) ,(511,65 ± 1,34 mg GAE/100g), Ácido Ascórbico ( 74,44 ± 0,03 mg/100g) , (369,1 ± 0,28 mg/100g) e Capacidade Antioxidante (14,54 ± 1,0 µMol Trolox/g),(16,05±0,63 µMol Trolox/g), para gabiroba e murta , respectivamen...