Water kefir is considered to be a functional food with probiotic characteristics. It can be improved with addition of organic brown sugar and fruits native to Brazil, such as jaboticaba. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of brown sugar type: organic and conventional and the presence or absence of jaboticaba pulp in water kefir fermentation, based on the carbohydrate, organic acid, mineral composition and color profile. The fermentation process was carried out in two stages: with kefir grains, for 24 hours, at 25 °C and after filtration, maintained for 24 h at 25 °C in hermetic bottles, followed by a period of 8h refrigeration, and monitored every 8 h. Scanning electron microscopy of the kefir grains was performed after 24 h. The major changes in physicochemical patterns occurred up to 40 h. The final beverages presented acidic characteristics as a result of the production of lactic, acetic and succinic acids. The total sugar content had a reduction of around 50%. The sucrose content was reduced and the glucose and fructose increased. The use of organic sugar influenced the composition of the minerals. The characteristics related to color showed a tendency to increase over the evaluated times. It was concluded that it is possible to produce beverages fermented by water kefir grains, using organic or conventional brown sugar and jabuticaba pulp, being an alternative for the substitution of soft drinks, since it has no preservatives or food colorings, presents lower content of sugars and can be handcrafted.

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This study aimed to determine carbohydrates and organic acids in fruit from ‘Salustiana’ orange tree [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb.] grafted onto different rootstocks using the HPLC technique, as well as to evaluate their physicochemical properties. As rootstocks, we tested ‘Rangpur’ lime, ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin, ‘Sunki’ mandarin, ‘Swingle’ citrumelo, and ‘C-13’ citrange. Fully mature fruit was first characterized according to their physicochemical parameters as fruit mass, longitudinal and equatorial diameters, peel color, juice yield, soluble solids, titratable acidity, and ratio. Then, freshly squeezed juice was used to determine and to quantify organic acids and carbohydrates by the HPLC system. All analyses were performed in triplicate complete randomized with five treatments (rootstocks). Fruit from all evaluated rootstocks presented adequate physicochemical attributes, meeting the quality standards of the citrus industry. ‘C-13’ citrange induced in a production of large-sized fruit whereas ‘Rangpur’ lime promoted higher soluble solids content in its juice. Significant differences were not observed between the treatments with regards to organic acids and carbohydrates concentrations. Citric and ascorbic acids were identified and quantified in the juice samples. The sugars identified were sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Organic acids and carbohydrates concentrations are consistent with those reported in the literature for citrus juice, providing information about nutrition and quality of ‘Salustiana’ sweet orange produced onto different rootstocks.

Cassava bagasse (CB) is an agro-industry residue usually discarded by starch industries. In this study, CB is used as a substrate to produce cyclodextrins (CDs), due to the high carbohydrate content (62%). The influence of CB concentration (2-4%) and temperature (60-70 C) on the production of α, β, and γ-CD was verified by means of the CGTase Toruzyme enzyme. Higher CD production (8.61 mM) is observed for 4% CB at 70 C. The CB performed similar or better in the CD production and conversion rates when compared to cassava dextrin (CM), the main substrate used for CD production. The addition of 10% ethanol to the reaction medium containing CB doubled the conversion rate to 48.5%. Therefore, CD production with CB can solve the problem of discarding this residue, allowing the production of CDs with lower costs, and can generate additional income for the cassava starch industry. Figure 4. Graph 2D surface response showing the influence of CB concentration and temperature to produce α, β, and γ cyclodextrins and on the conversion rate, respectively. www.advancedsciencenews.com www.starch-

The rises of toxic effects caused by pesticides are of concern. However, Brazilian legislation still needs scientific subsides to improve the water quality requirements. This can be attributed in part to the few existing studies showing the occurrence and levels of multi-residue pesticides. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the presence and the residue-levels of pesticides in surface, ground and drinking water of Tibagi River micro-basin in Paraná State, Brazil. Data obtained over a year for the physical-chemical parameters, screening and quantification, made by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), confirmed the contamination by several pesticides. Alarming concentrations of diuron and imazethapyr in a permanent preservation area and in groundwater were observed. The absence of legislation for most pesticides under study makes difficult the prohibition of their use and the control of their residue-levels on the environment. The results draw attention to further discussion and engagement around the pesticide regulations.