In Mexico pineapple processing produces industrial residues with a high concentration of dietary fibre. The aim of this study was to quantify the constituents of the fibrous residues from the industrial processing of pineapples which exhibited low concentrations of lignin.

No abstract

The origin of Jatropha curcas L. is in Central America, probably Mexico, although it is also distributed in South America, Africa and Asia. In Mexico, it grows as nontoxic and toxic J. curcas genotypes. In this work, the protein quality including protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein ratio (NPR) and true digestibility (TD) of nontoxic genotype defatted flour was assessed using Wistar rats. The probed diets contained flour (3), flour‐lysine, 1% (4), flour‐phytase, 500 FTU (5) and two control diets: nitrogen‐free (1) and casein (2). The rats were fed for 28 days. The PER (1.37, 1.77 and 1.61) and NPR (1.80, 2.29 and 2.12) obtained values for diets (3.4 and 5) were lower than those obtained for casein (2.07 and 2.46), respectively. No statistical differences were found in TD. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Jatropha curcas defatted flour may be used in the food industry for the development of diets for human and animal consumption. Besides achieving fortification of foods that are made from wheat, which has a low protein content, with the addition of Jatropha meal, these foods will improve the protein quality of many food products.

In late years there has been an increase of scientific evidence that supports the use of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (S. rebaudiana) as an alternative to sucrose and artificial sweeteners. In addition to its utility in different industries, S.rebaudiana contains various chemical components with potential benefits for human health such as polyphenols, chlorophylls, carotenoids, among others, which can be extracted for the production of nutraceuticals and functional foods. So far no adverse effects on human health have been proven after ingestion and favorable results have been documented when S.rebaudiana or its derivates are included in treatments against diabetes, certain types of cancer, glucose intolerance, obesity, dental cavities, among others. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the clinical, chemical and biochemical literature that presents evidence of the beneficial role of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni and its metabolites in health promotion properties, as well as its relevance in the pharmaceutical and food industries

The human body is a beautiful specialized engine and there is not any other machine like it. Your body will always do everything possible to stay healthy; in its interior it will sacrifice some things for others in order to conserve the equilibrium.