Resumo Para que as patentes possam ser utilizadas como mola propulsora da inovação, da competitividade e do progresso tecnológico, é necessário que o sistema opere com eficiência e qualidade. Há pesquisas que constataram que o Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Industrial (INPI) não tem cumprido o mandamento constitucional da eficiência, haja vista o crônico atraso na análise de pedidos de patentes, que supera e muito a razoabilidade. O presente artigo se propõe a avançar em direção distinta e ainda pouco explorada. Seu objetivo é estudar o rigor do sistema patentário brasileiro no tocante às análises dos pedidos de patente para verificar se há nele uma crise de qualidade. Em caso positivo, esse achado reforçaria a necessidade de revisão do sistema, de modo que sua finalidade mediata (promoção do desenvolvimento econômico, social e tecnológico do país) possa ser alcançada. A literatura aponta que uma forma de avaliar a qualidade de um sistema patentário é determinar a taxa com que as decisões técnicas tomadas pelo escritório de patentes são contestadas na esfera jurídica. No Brasil, toda ação de nulidade de patente deve ser anotada na Revista de Propriedade Industrial (RPI) do INPI. Com base nessas informações, foi possível realizar uma investigação empírica inédita sobre a qualidade dos privilégios patentários concedidos no país. Sob a ótica deste trabalho, a qualidade da patente foi analisada sob o ponto de vista da observância legal dos critérios de patenteabilidade. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva e explicativa, com caráter qualitativo e quantitativo, a qual se utilizou do método empírico e indutivo.

Abstract For patents to be used as a driving force for innovation, competitiveness and technological progress, the system must operate efficiently and with quality. There are studies that found that the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) has not complied with the constitutional mandate of efficiency, given the chronic delay in the analysis of patent applications, which far exceeds the reasonableness. The present article proposes to move in a different and still little explored direction. The purpose of this paper is to study the rigor of the Brazilian patent system regarding the analysis of patent applications to verify if there is a quality crisis in it. If so, this finding would reinforce the need for revision the system so that its mediate purpose (promotion of the economic, social and technological development of the country) can be achieved. The literature points out that one way of assessing the quality of a patent system is to determine the rate at which technical decisions made by the patent office are challenged in the legal sphere. In Brazil, every patent invalidity action must be noted in the INPI magazine. Based on this information, it was possible to conduct an unprecedented empirical investigation on the quality of patent privileges granted in the country. From the perspective of this work, the quality of the patent was analyzed from the point of view of legal compliance with the patentability criteria. This is a descriptive and explanatory research, with qualitative and quantitative character, which used the empirical and inductive method.

The aim of this study was to extract and identify volatile compounds from pineapple residues generated during concentrated juice processing. Distillates of pineapple residues were obtained using the following techniques: simple hydrodistillation and hydrodistillation by passing nitrogen gas. The volatile compounds present in the distillates were captured by the solid-phase microextraction technique. The volatile compounds were identified in a system of high resolution gas chromatography system coupled with mass spectrometry using a polyethylene glycol polar capillary column as stationary phase. The pineapple residues constituted mostly of esters (35%), followed by ketones (26%), alcohols (18%), aldehydes (9%), acids (3%) and other compounds (9%). Odor-active volatile compounds were mainly identified in the distillate obtained using hydrodistillation by passing nitrogen gas, namely decanal, ethyl octanoate, acetic acid, 1-hexanol, and ketones such as γ-hexalactone, γ-octalactone, δ-octalactone, γ-decalactone, and γ-dodecalactone. This suggests that the use of an inert gas and lower temperatures helped maintain higher amounts of flavor compounds. These data indicate that pineapple processing residue contained important volatile compounds which can be extracted and used as aroma enhancing products and have high potential for the production of value-added natural essences.

Este estudo objetivou extrair e identificar compostos voláteis presentes nos resíduos de processo de maracujá. Obtiveram-se destilados a partir de resíduos de maracujá através das técnicas de hidrodestilação simples e hidrodestilação com arraste de gás nitrogênio. Os compostos voláteis presentes nos destilados foram capturados por microextração em fase sólida, empregando-se fibra Carboxen/DVB/DMS, e identificados por cromatografia gasosa acoplada com espectrômetro de massa, usando a coluna capilar de sílica fundida CP WAX 52. Foram identificados trinta e um compostos voláteis no extrato obtido pela técnica de hidrodestilação simples, sendo os principais compostos: neral (26,19%), cinamato de metila (18,52%), linalol (16,82%), 1-undecanol (5,60%), cis-óxido de linalol (4,41%), benzaldeído (3,92%) e 1-hexanol (3,48%). Para a hidrodestilação com arraste de gás nitrogênio, trinta compostos foram identificados, sendo que, em maior porcentagem de área, destacaram-se: cinamato de metila (30,41%), neral (24,46%), β-ionona (13,81%), linalol (4,0%) e acido butanoico (2,19%). O presente estudo revelou que os resíduos de maracujá apresentam compostos voláteis que podem ser extraídos na forma de aromas, apresentando potencial para gerar essências naturais com valor agregado.

The aim of this study was to extract and identify volatile compounds from passion fruit residues generated during processing. Distillates of passion fruit residues were obtained from the techniques of simple hydrodistillation and hydrodistillation by passing nitrogen gas. The volatile compounds present in the distillates were captured by solid phase microextraction with Carboxen/DVB/DMS fiber. The volatile compounds were indentified by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry using a fused sillica capillary column with a CP WAX 52 stationary phase. Thirty one compounds were indentified by simple hydrodistillation technique. The main compounds were: neral (26.19%), methyl cinnamate (18.52%), linalool (16.82%), 1-undecanol (5.60%), cis-linalool oxide (4.41%), benzaldehyde (3.92%) and 1-hexanol (3.48%). For the hydrodistillation by passing nitrogen gas, thirty compounds were identified and the ones which presented higher area percentage were: methyl cinnamate (30.41%), neral (24.46%), β-ionone (13.81%), linalool (4.0%) and butanoic acid (2.19%). The present study revealed that passion fruit waste contained volatile compounds that could be extracted as aromas products, presenting potential for the production of value-added natural essences.

Samples of polypropylene (PP) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were submitted to ultraviolet radiation, in the natural environment and also in the laboratory. Chemical modifications were quantified by the carbonyl index (CI), mechanical properties and melt flow index. The degradation in the laboratory was comparatively faster than in the environment for both types of polymers. The accelerating factor was determined for the various properties investigated. This parameter, however, showed a large variation with the degradation criteria and the type of polymer. The existence of a "universal accelerating factor", therefore, was not observed in the current study.