Iron bioavailability was evaluated in three mixtures of cereals, seeds, and grains ("Human Ration"): light, regular, and homemade provided to rats. The animals received an iron depletion diet for 21 days, followed by a repletion diet containing 12 mg·kg-1 of iron for 14 days. The hemoglobin regeneration efficiency and the relative biological value did not differ between the light mixture and control group. The iron bioavailability of the light mixture of cereals, seeds, and grains and the control group were 99.99±27.62 and 80.02±36.63, respectively, while the regular and homemade mixtures of cereals, seeds, and grains showed lower iron bioavailability, 50.12±35.53 and 66.66±15.44, respectively; the iron content of the diet with light cereal mixture light was statistically similar to that of the control (ferrous sulfate 99.99±27.62). The high content of tannin (202.81±19.53 mg·100-1) in the diet with the regular cereal mixture may have contributed to its low iron bioavailability. The higher intake of soluble fiber by the animals fed the light mixture (21.15±0.92 g) was moderately correlated (r=0.5712, p=0.0018) with the concentration of propionate in the caecal bulk (65.49±11.08 µmol/g). The short chain fatty acids produced by soluble fiber fermentation, associated with the low-content of tannin may have improved iron solubility and absorption in the light cereal mixture diet. The iron bioavailability in the light mixture of cereals, seeds, and grains was similar to that of ferrous sulfate.

In the current study, an alternative method has been proposed for simultaneous analysis of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using indirect detection. The background electrolyte (BGE) used for the analysis of these fatty acids (FAs) consisted of 15.0 mmol L−1 NaH2PO4/Na2HPO4 at pH 6.86, 4.0 mmol L−1 SDBS, 8.3 mmol L−1 Brij 35, 45% v/v acetonitrile (can), and 2.1% n-octanol. The FAs quantification of FAs was performed using a response factor approach, which provided a high analytical throughput for the real sample. The CZE method, which was applied successfully for the analysis of pequi pulp, has advantages such as short analysis time, absence of lipid fraction extraction and derivatization steps, and no significant difference in the 95% confidence intervals for FA quantification results, compared to the gas chromatography official method (AOCS Ce 1h-05).

This study aimed to evaluate the physical-chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of four formulations of yacon jams. The following characteristics were analyzed: chemical composition, soluble solids, pH, microbiological presence of total coliforms and salmonella at 45 °C, and presence of fungi and yeasts. The yacon jams exhibited high moisture content (> 62%) as well as high concentrations of carbohydrates (> 28%) and total dietary fiber (2.5%), mainly fructooligosaccharides (> 0.9%). The average energy value was 124.6 kcal/100 g. The average pH was 3.8 and the soluble solids measured 27.6 °Brix. All yacon jams complied with standard microbiological requirements and received high acceptance scores, especially the yacon jam and yacon jam with cinnamon. Yacon jam products may offer an excellent alternative to more common jams due to their lower concentrations of simple sugar, lower calorie value, increased presence of dietary fibers, and desirable sensory characteristics.

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar las características físico-químicas, microbiológicas y sensoriales de cuatro formulaciones de mermeladas de yacón. Las características analizadas fueron: composición química, contenido de sólidos solubles, pH, presencia microbiológica de coliformes totales, coliformes y salmonella a 45 °C, y la presencia de hongos y levaduras. Los atascos de yacón mostraron alto contenido de humedad (> 62%), así como altas concentraciones de hidratos de carbono (> 28%) y fibra dietética total (2, 5%), principalmente fructooligosacáridos (> 0, 9%). El valor energético promedio fue de 124, 6 kcal/100g. El pH promedio fue de 3, 8 y los sólidos solubles mide 27, 6 ° Brix. Todas las mermeladas de yacón cumplido con los requisitos microbiológicos estándar y recibió altos puntajes de aceptación, en especial la mermelada de yacón y mermelada de yacón con canela. Productos de mermelada de yacón pueden ofrecer una excelente alternativa a los atascos más comunes debido a sus concentraciones más bajas de azúcar simple, un valor más bajo de calorías, el aumento de la presencia de fibras dietéticas y las características sensoriales deseadas.