Organic Chemistry, Natural Products and Food Stuffs

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Publications

In vitro digestibility and fermentability of fructo-oligosaccharides produced by Aspergillus ibericus

Publication . Nobre, C.; Sousa, S.C.; Silva, S.P.; Pinheiro, A.C.; Coelho, E.; Vicente, A.A.; Gomes, A.M.P.; Coimbra, M.A.; Teixeira, J.A.; Rodrigues, L.R.

The bifidogenic potential of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) produced by a newly isolated strain – Aspergillus ibericus was studied. Their activity was compared to FOS produced by Aureobasidium pullulans and to a nonmicrobial commercial FOS sample (Raftilose® P95). FOS fermentability by a number of probiotic bacteria and their hydrolytic resistance to the simulated harsh conditions of the digestive system was evaluated. Aspergillus ibericus FOS sample effectively promoted probiotic bacteria growth. Overall, microbial-derived FOS promoted greater cellular growth compared to the commercial sample. FOS fermentation was both substrate and strain specific. The FOS structural differences identified may explain their distinct assimilation by the probiotics. [Fru (2→6)Glc] (possibly blastose) and a reducing trisaccharide (possibly [Fru(β2→6)Glc(α1↔β2)Fru], neokestose) were only found in microbial-derived FOS samples, while Raftilose® P95 was richer in inulobiose/inulotriose. 1- Kestose and nystose were only slightly hydrolyzed in the presence of gastric and intestinal fluid. FOS synthesized by Aspergillus exhibited great potential as food ingredients with likely prebiotic features.

2018Journal article

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Emerging technologies to extract high added value compounds from fruit residues: sub/supercritical, ultrasound-, and enzyme-assisted extractions

Publication . Alexandre, Elisabete M. C.; Moreira, Sílvia A.; Castro, Luís M. G.; Pintado, Maria Manuela; Saraiva, Jorge A.

Food waste is a growing problem for the food industry, leading to an increase of pollution and economic problems. Fruits and vegetables are very rich in bioactive compounds having many benefits for humans. These biocompounds can be found not only in the fruit/vegetable itself but also in its wastes, after processing. Nonetheless, the conventional extraction methods are highly problematic, due to solvent consumption, long extraction time, and low extraction yields, making it necessary to develop new extraction techniques. In this review, we aim to review the most recent literature on the extraction of bioactive compounds from fruit peels and seeds, using sub/supercritical fluids, ultrasound, and enzymes.

2018Journal article

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