Different carbon (C) sources, mainly carbohydrates and lipids, have been screened for their capacity to support growth and lipase production by Penicillium restrictum in submerged fermentation (SmF) and in solid-state fermentation (SSF). Completely different physiological behaviors were observed after the addition of easily (oleic acid and glucose) and complex (olive oil and starch) assimilable C sources to the liquid and solid media. Maximal lipolytic activities (12.1 U/mL and 17.4 U/g) by P. restrictum were obtained with olive oil in SmF and in SSF, respectively. Biomass levels in SmF (12.2-14.1 mg/mL) and SSF (7.0-8.0 mg/g) did not varied greatly with the distinct C sources used. High lipase production (12.3 U/g) using glucose was only attained in SSF, perhaps due to the ability of this fermentation process to minimize catabolite repression.

Dietary restriction (DR) reduces adiposity and improves metabolism in patients with one or more symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Nonetheless, it remains elusive whether the benefits of DR in humans are mediated by calorie or nutrient restriction. This study was conducted to determine whether isocaloric dietary protein restriction is sufficient to confer the beneficial effects of dietary restriction in patients with metabolic syndrome. We performed a prospective, randomized controlled dietary intervention under constant nutritional and medical supervision. Twenty-one individuals diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned for caloric restriction (CR; n = 11, diet of 5941 ± 686 KJ per day) or isocaloric dietary protein restriction (PR; n = 10, diet of 8409 ± 2360 KJ per day) and followed for 27 days. Like CR, PR promoted weight loss due to a reduction in adiposity, which was associated with reductions in blood glucose, lipid levels, and blood pressure. More strikingly, both CR and PR improved insulin sensitivity by 62.3% and 93.2%, respectively, after treatment. Fecal microbiome diversity was not affected by the interventions. Adipose tissue bulk RNA-Seq data revealed minor changes elicited by the interventions. After PR, terms related to leukocyte proliferation were enriched among the upregulated genes. Protein restriction is sufficient to confer almost the same clinical outcomes as calorie restriction without the need for a reduction in calorie intake. The isocaloric characteristic of the PR intervention makes this approach a more attractive and less drastic dietary strategy in clinical settings and has more significant potential to be used as adjuvant therapy for people with metabolic syndrome.

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.br * A quem a correspondência deve ser enviada. -INTRODUÇÃONos últimos anos a acerola (Malphighia emarginata, D.C.) vem sendo explorada comercialmente, com boa aceitação no mercado devido, especialmente, ao seu elevado teor de ácido ascórbico (vitamina C), bem como as suas características nutricionais, associado a sabor e textura agradáveis ao paladar do consumidor. O teor de ácido ascórbico presente na acerola, em torno de 800mg/100g em frutos maduro, 1600mg/100g em frutos meio-maduro e 2.700mg/100g em frutos verdes [3] chega a ser aproximadamente 100 vezes maior que a encontrada na laranja, ou 10 vezes maior que a da goiaba, tidas como frutas possuidoras de alto conteúdo de vitamina C [9]. O aumento da produção e do consumo da acerola, aliados ao fato de se tratar de um fruto muito perecível, torna premente a necessidade de se desenvolver alternativas para seu processamento, visando tanto a conservação, como a obtenção de produtos com maior valor agregado. Sob esse aspecto a acerola leva vantagem sobre a maioria das frutas devido ao alto teor de ácido ascórbico presente na sua polpa, o que lhe confere possibilidades de industrialização e armazenamento com a manutenção de valores nutricionais ainda elevados.A secagem é um dos processos disponíveis para a aplicação na indústria de polpas de frutas, concentrando os princípios da matéria-prima e habilitando o produto para o armazenamento em condições ambientais por longos períodos.A secagem em leito de jorro, inicialmente utilizada para materiais granulares, no recobrimento de partícu-las e na secagem de grãos, tem evoluído consideravelmente, ocupando importante lugar no processamento de alimentos em substituição ao "spray dryer". Experimentos com o leito de jorro para a secagem de polpa de frutas tem-se ampliado a cada dia, obtendo-se produtos com boa qualidade e baixo custo. ; an increase of 51.31% in the humidity; the value of the pH stayed practically unaffected oscillating between 3.7 and 3.8 units of pH and it was observed alterations in the color of the West Indian cherry powder at the end of the storage, with increment in the values of the intensity of red and yellow and decrease of the brightness

OBJECTIVES:Dietary omega-3 fatty acids have been efficacious in decreasing serum cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the metabolic and molecular changes induced by the omega-3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid (ALA), which is found in linseed oil, are not fully understood. In this study, we showed a correlation between ALA and insulin resistance, inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS).METHODS:We studied 40 male mice (C57/BL6) divided into 4 groups: a control (C) group, a control + omega-3/ALA (CA) group, a high-fat diet (HFD) (H) group and a high-fat diet + omega-3/ALA (HA) group. For 8 weeks, the animals in the H and HA groups were fed a high-fat (60%) diet, while the animals in the C and CA groups received regular chow. The diets of the CA and HA groups were supplemented with 10% lyophilized ALA.RESULTS:ALA supplementation improved glucose tolerance and reduced insulin resistance, as measured by intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests and the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance, respectively. In addition, ALA reduced hepatic steatosis and modified the standard fat concentration in the liver of animals fed an HFD. Dietary ALA supplementation reduced the serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), increased the expression of important chaperones such as binding immunoglobulin protein (BIP) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and reduced the expression of C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP) and X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) in hepatic tissues, suggesting an ERS adaptation in response to ALA supplementation.CONCLUSIONS:Dietary ALA supplementation is effective in preventing hepatic steatosis; is associated with a reduction in insulin resistance, inflammation and ERS; and represents an alternative for improving liver function and obtaining metabolic benefits.