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Publications
Publications (71)
Introducción. Existe una tendencia al consumo de espirulina (Arthrospira sp.) por su valor nutricional y como fuente de proteína sostenible. La espirulina cuenta con sabor y olor intenso que puede generar desagrado a los consumidores, por lo que es conveniente el uso del diseño experimental de mezclas para la optimización de la formulación. Objetiv...
BACKGROUND: Besides providing nutritional value, functional foods have potential beneficial effects on health. Consumers worldwide seek food products with added value based on physical and mental well-being. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the urinary metabolome of volunteers who consumed a drink based on Costa Rican blackberries (Rubus aden...
Las relaciones sociales, la actividad física y la alimentación, han sido propuestos como los responsables de la longevidad. Sin embargo, muchas de estas condiciones han cambiado en las sociedades modernas. El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar si el estado antropométrico, el perfil bioquímico y la dieta de los centenarios nicoyanos es diferen...
Introducción. El consumo de frutas y vegetales correlaciona inversamente con la incidencia de enfermedades degenerativas como diabetes, enfermedades cardiovasculares, ciertos tipos de cáncer y cataratas asociadas al envejecimiento, dada la acción de compuestos bioactivos como vitamina C, polifenoles y carotenoides. Objetivo. Evaluar el perfil nutri...
Berries are considered an important source of bioactive compounds. In the tropics, Rubus adenotrichos is commonly cultivated and it is consumed mostly in processed forms. This study assessed the effect of industrial processing in the polyphenol composition and cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines of four samples of blackberry: fruit, pulp,...
Vacuum frying is an alternative technology to obtain fruit snacks with higher sensory and nutritional quality compared to traditional fried snacks. Vacuum frying of a carotenoid-rich fruit (red-fleshed papaya) was performed at 25 kPa, using soybean oil at 100, 120, and 140°C from 0 to 14 min. The study aimed to monitor and model physicochemical cha...
The aim of this study was to compare the physicochemical characteristics of papaya fruits from Costa Rica (Carica papaya L. cv Pococí) and vacuum-fried chips obtained from these fruits at three different postharvest ripening stages (RS3, RS4, and RS5) and select the optimal stage for vacuum frying. In addition, response surface methodology was used...
In Costa Rica, two species of Psidium fruits, P. guajava and P. friedrichsthalianum, are widely consumed as food and used in folk medicine. Although studies have revealed the health effects of these fruits, there has been little research showing the antiplatelet activity of these species. This work evaluated the antiplatelet potential of aqueous ex...
BACKGROUND: Blackberries have a high content of bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins and ellagitannins, which are associated with health benefits against cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and other inflammatory conditions. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effect of a tropical highland blackberry (Rubus adenotrichos Schltdl.) beverag...
BACKGROUND: Lower risk of digestive tract cancer development has been associated with polyphenol intake. Bactris guineensis is an edible endemic palm that grows in Central and South America. OBJECTIVE: This study performs a phenolic characterization of Bactris guineensis and evaluates the bioactivity of this fruit. METHODS: The phenolic compounds o...
Slices (1.5 mm thick) of green papaya were impregnated through osmotic dehydration with a blackberry juice–sucrose solution to produce an intermediate moisture product. The effect of processing temperature (T) and sucrose‐added molality (msucrose) on mass transfer during the operation was assessed, using a response surface methodology (RSM). The RS...
In this study, coffee pulp was used as carbon source in solid-state fermentation to produce a phenol-rich extract for industrial applications. Fermentations were carried out at laboratory (0.4 kg), semi-pilot (12 kg) and pilot (90 kg) scales in presence of 2.5 g kg ⁻¹ yeast strains and with three different coffee pulp materials. The extract stabili...
BACKGROUND: Blackberry fruits have recently gained attention because of their considerable amounts of polyphenols.
OBJETIVE: The aim of this study is to compare the physicochemical composition and contents of the main polyphenolic
compounds of nine tropical highland blackberry genotypes grown in Costa Rica, and to evaluate the effect of environment...
Uno de los problemas centrales de la seguridad alimentaria en Iberoamérica es la imposibilidad de producir suficientes alimentos de origen vegetal para cubrir las necesidades del sector pecuario y humano, a pesar de la enorme diversidad de cultivos autóctonos que podrían cubrir las demandas de nutrientes para una dieta equilibrada en la región iber...
Esta obra surgió por el interés de un grupo interdisciplinario de investigadores de las universidades estatales de Costa Rica como producto de la búsqueda de alternativas para disminuir el impacto negativo sobre el ambiente, a través del aprovechamiento biotecnológico de desechos agroindustriales generados específicamente de la industria
piñera y b...
Esta obra surgió por el interés de un grupo interdisciplinario de investigadores de las universidades estatales de Costa Rica como producto de la búsqueda de alternativas para disminuir el impacto negativo sobre el ambiente, a través del aprovechamiento biotecnológico de desechos agroindustriales generados específicamente de la industria piñera y b...
The health benefits attributed to berries are largely dependent on their bioavailability. This study evaluated the antioxidant activity for different samples of blackberry juice submitted to an in vitro digestion. The HPLC analysis demonstrated that gastric conditions had only a slight impact on the phenolic composition, but the digestion simulatin...
Tropical fruits are good sources of phenolic compounds. Mango, pineapple, papaya and avocado are among the most commercialised tropical fruits worldwide. Tropical fruits with higher extractable polyphenol (EPP) contents include camu-camu, acerola and assai. Fruits with high contents of non-extractable polyphenols (NEPP) include cashew apple, banana...
An innovative process combining roasting and tempering was proposed to promote puffing and mechanical dehulling of jicaro seeds. Roasting was performed at three temperatures (120 °C, 140 °C, and 160 °C) and for six residence times (80-180 s). A previous seed tempering was performed at 15% moisture content for 24h, by spraying the seeds with an amou...
Jicaro seeds (Crescentia alata) are widely consumed in Central America, primarily as a popular tasty and nutritious beverage called “horchata”. Seeds are roasted to develop a specific aroma through a process that has never been explored. Volatile compounds, extracted from raw and roasted jicaro seeds (140 °C for 140 s) by SAFE (Solvent Assisted Fla...
A highly nutritious native seed as an innovative food resource in Central America
Abnormal glucose metabolism, hyperlipidaemia profiles and high levels of radical oxygen species (ROS) are classic features of diabetes. This study evaluates the effect of the consumption of two different blackberry beverages at 25 and 12.5% given orally for 40 days to rats with streptozotocin induced diabetes. The lower dose of blackberry (12.5%) n...
O café é uma das bebidas mais consumidas no mundo, e sua produção aumenta com o desenvolvimento econômico dos países e do padrão de vida. Devido a grande demanda por este produto, uma importante quantidade de resíduos é gerada nesta indústria, acarretando sérios problemas ambientais quanto a sua toxicidade e volumes para armazenar. No entanto, a po...
Vacuum and atmospheric deep-frying were employed to obtain blackberry-based snacks using unripe papaya as matrix. Papaya slices were osmotically impregnated with blackberry juice and fried between 126°C and 154°C at atmospheric pressure and between 110°C and 127°C under vacuum conditions. A response surface methodology (RSM) was used to define whic...
The fruit production and processing in Central America and Mexico are discussed in this chapter, considering the volume of production, the competitiveness that this crops have in the region and world, and some sociocultural differences between the countries that help to explain the different aspects of the agro-industry. Central American countries...
The variability of the physicochemical composition, carotenoid and polyphenol contents and hydrophilic antioxidant capacity of fresh peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) fruit was studied with a view to its exploitation as a potential source of bioactive compounds. The variability present in five batches of peach palm fruit obtained from two regions in Co...
Nanofiltration membranes with molecular weight cut‐off around 200 Da were evaluated to concentrate anthocyanins and ellagitannins in a blackberry juice. Temperature was 30°C and cross‐flow velocity 0.3 m/s. Transmembrane pressures varied from 0.5 to 3 MPa. At volumetric reduction ratio (VRR) of 1, higher transmembrane pressures caused an increase o...
Berries are commonly consumed as juice, and juice-processing conditions could affect their bioactive compounds. This study evaluated the effect of thermal treatments on the antioxidant capacity of blackberry juice polyphenols. Pasteurized blackberry juices were prepared at 75 °C for 15 s (JP75) and 92 °C for 10 s (JP92). Polyphenol analysis showed...
This study evaluated the effects of mechanical and enzymatic pretreatments on the extraction of anthocyanins and ellagitannins from blackberries. Continuous pressing yielded significantly higher turbidity values and content of anthocyanins and ellagitannins ( P < 0.05) compared with discontinuous pressing. The use of enzymatic pretreatment also sig...
The aim of this study was to evaluate consumers' acceptance of a peach palm snack and to determine its potential as a functional food by chemical characterization. An assessment was conducted with 100 consumers to determine the acceptance of different snack formulations and the results were subjected to cluster analysis. This analysis revealed two...
Tropical highland blackberries are a rich source of ellagitannins (ETs), which are metabolized by gut microbiota to yield urolithin, a potentially bioactive compound excreted in urine up to 7 days after ingestion. Following the ingestion of 250 mL of tropical highland blackberry juice, a spot of urine from 26 volunteers collected at 51 ± 4 h was an...
Cancer is a high mortality/morbidity disease worldwide (1). International efforts continue to search for natural chemopreventive agents around the globe, which has already lead to the discovery of several plant origin substances with potential anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties (2-5). Costa Rica’s extensive tropical bio...
Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, particularly its UVB (290-230 nm) spectrum, is the primary environmental stimulus leading to skin carcinogenesis. Several botanical species with antioxidant properties have shown photochemopreventive effects against UVB damage. Costa Rica's tropical highland blackberry (Rubus adenotrichos) contains important levels...
This study evaluates the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in a polyphenol extract from blackberries. The antioxidant activity measured with ORAC was higher for the blackberry extract (4339 ± 144 μM TE/g) than for quercetin and ellagic acid. The blackberry phenolic compounds protected liposomes and liver homogenates against lipid peroxid...
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, particularly its UVB (290-230 nm) spectrum, is the primary environmental stimulus leading to skin carcinogenesis. Several botanical species with antioxidant properties have shown photochemopreventive effects against UVB damage. Costa Rica’s tropical highland blackberry (Rubus adenotrichos) contains important...
Introduction. Several studies have demonstrated that food processing affects nutrients such as bioactive compounds, protein, starch, fat, fiber, minerals and antioxidant capacity. Our study examined how heat changes the physicochemical composition and antioxidant capacity of peach-palm fruit (Bactris gasipaes H. B. K.) during flour production. Mate...
The glycaemic index (GI) is a physiological measure of a food's potential to increase postprandial blood glucose, as compared to the effect produced by food taken as reference, such as glucose or white bread. Currently researchers and consumers are interested in low GI foods, since their consumption is associated with better weight control and redu...
The identification and quantification of carotenoids has been carried out on tropical and non tropical fruits
because of two important carotenoid's properties: as antioxidant compounds having a prevention role in some
diseases, and as a source of provitamin A needed for a good human nutrition. This study aimed to identify
carotenoids present during...
The effect of water activity on anthocyanin degradation and non-enzymatic browning (NEB) indices was determined in a blackberry juice system heated to high temperature. Blackberry juice samples mixed with quartz sand at three different water activities (aw of 0.34, 0.76 and 0.95) and having the same concentration of anthocyanins (51 ± 4 mg 100g− 1...
Phytochemicals are highly concentrated in berries, especially polyphenols
as anthocyanins and ellagitannins. These compounds have been associated with
antioxidant capacity, lipid peroxidation protection, anti-inflammatory activity, anticarcinogenic
activity, obesity prevention and others. Blackberries are commonly
grown and consumed as juice in Lat...
Critical steps of a typical industrial line for processing a blackberry-based beverage in glass bottles have been studied, together with the effects of storage of final product at four different temperatures. For the steps, contents of total phenolics, anthocyanins, ellagitannins, and minor phenolic compounds were assessed by HPLC-DAD and antioxida...
The identification and quantification of carotenoids has been carried out on tropical and non tropical fruits because of two important carotenoid's properties: as antioxidant compounds having a prevention role in some diseases, and as a source of provitamin A needed for a good human nutrition. This study aimed to identify carotenoids present during...
This book compiles a series of research work focused on the history, use, varieties, taxonomy, botanics and current situation of fig plantations in Costa Rica.
Un libro que reúne una serie de investigaciones en torno a la historia, usos, variedades, taxonomía, botánica y situación actual de las higueras comestibles en Costa Rica.
Unlabelled:
Osmosonication combines ultrasound with nonthermal concentration. It was applied on tropical highland blackberry (Rubus adenotrichus) juice over different periods of time to assess reductions in microorganism and the impact on main quality parameters. This juice had been inoculated with Salmonella spp., Shigella sp., a lactic acid bact...
Tropical highland blackberry (Rubus adenotrichus Schltdl.) is a good source of antioxidants and contains appreciable levels of phenolic compounds, mainly ellagitannins and anthocyanins. This study examined the influence of three ripening stages on phenolic contents. Major anthocyanin pigments increased from 0.20 (red fruit) to 1.34 mg g−1 fresh wei...
Monomeric anthocyanin degradation and nonenzymatic browning (NEB) index have been determined in reconstituted blackberry juice heated at high temperature in a hermetically sealed cell. Statistical analysis demonstrated that, when the temperature range (100-180 degrees C) was divided into two subranges (100-140 and 140-180 degrees C) for anthocyanin...
The novel method developed for screening cellular antioxidant activity relies on differences in light-scattering properties (turbidity) between intact and lysed human erythrocytes. AAPH, a peroxyl radical generator, was used to enhance lipid peroxidation. The consequent hemolysis triggered a loss of the light-scattering ability in the lysed erythro...
Major compounds (i.e. phenolic compounds and carotenoids) were analysed in the extracts of the edible part of three tropical fruits: the Andean blackberry, the naranjilla and the tree tomato. Ellagitannins and anthocyanins were predominant in blackberries and phenolic composition can be used to differentiate the two species studied. Similar phenoli...
Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lam.) is a native fruit of the Andes, cultivated and consumed mainly in Ecuador, Colombia, and Central America. Because of its pleasant aroma and attractive color, it has high potential as an ingredient of products such as juices, nectars, and jams. The main characteristics of mature naranjilla fruits cultivated in Cos...
Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lam.) is a native fruit of the Andes, cultivated and consumed mainly in Ecuador, Colombia, and Central America. Because of its pleasant aroma and attractive color, it has high potential as an ingredient of products such as juices, nectars, and jams. The main characteristics of mature naranjilla fruits cultivated in Cos...
To determine the technical and economic feasibility of cross-flow microfiltration on an industrial scale, the expected decline of permeation flux must be predicted taking into account the variability of juice's fouling potential. However, the main difficulty is finding representative parameters. Two semi-empirical models – gel polarisation and mech...
The effect of osmotic pressure alone or combined with the application of sonication on the reduction of Salmonella spp. in concentrated orange juice was evaluated. Frozen concentrated orange juice (12.6 MPa, pH = 3.2), a neutral sugar solution (9.2 MPa, pH = 6.6) and an acid sugar solution (8.8 MPa, pH = 3.2) were inoculated with Salmonella spp. (6...
BACKGROUND: Slices of MD‐2 pineapple hybrid were vacuum fried at 24 kPa according to a central composite experimental design that simultaneously varied frying time (6.3–7.7 min) and temperature (106.3–117.7 °C). Major physicochemical and nutritional quality factors were measured and modelled using a second‐order polynomial equation.
RESULTS: Moistu...
The juice of noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia L.) is claimed to be a natural functional beverage with a growing market both in the USA and Europe. It is traditionally produced by keeping harvested fruit in closed containers for several weeks as the fruit senesces or ages. Little is known about the changes that occur in the juice's microbiological, ph...
The juice of noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia L.) is claimed to be a natural functional beverage with a growing market both in the USA and Europe. It is traditionally produced by keeping harvested fruit in closed containers for several weeks as the fruit senesces or ages. Little is known about the changes that occur in the juice's microbiological, ph...
Morinda citrifolia L., the “noni”, has been used in traditional Polynesian medicine for over 2000 years. Morinda citrifolia (Rubiaceae) is an evergreen shrub whose ripe fruit has a strong butyric acid smell and flavor. The leaves and especially the fruit are consumed in different forms by various communities (e.g., the Polynesians) throughout the w...
Melon juice obtained from fruits discarded by exporters was first clarified by crossflow microfiltration and then concentrated by osmotic evaporation (OE). The resulting clarified melon juice was highly similar to the initial juice, except for insoluble solids and carotenoids, which were concentrated in the retentate. Average permeation flux was re...
Introduction. Red-purple pitahaya (Hylocereus sp.) is a promising crop grown commercially in dry regions of Central America. Both its skin and flesh are characterized by being a glowing, deeply red-purple color. Materials and methods. The main physicochemical characteristics of three commercial cultivars of red pitahaya were assessed, including tot...
Crossflow microfiltration (CFM) and osmotic evaporation (OE) were implemented on a semi-industrial pilot scale to obtain clarified orange juice concentrates at 450 and 620 g kg−1 of total soluble solids. The characteristics of the juice were then assessed and compared with fresh juice and commercial concentrates. With CFM, most aroma compounds and...
Introduction. Cashew apple is often regarded as a by-product of the cashew nut industry, and remains under-developed. Among the various possible technological options for the clarification of the pulpy fruit juices, cross-flow microfiltration on mineral membranes is a particularly promising process. Thus, the objective of our work was to evaluate t...
El ozono es un fuerte oxidante efectivo en el control de bacterias, mohos, protozoarios y virus (Rodoni et al. 2010). Se ha empleado en la industria de alimentos como desinfectante alternativo al uso de hipoclorito de sodio y con el objetivo de incrementar la vida útil poscosecha de una amplia gama de productos frescos de origen vegetal mínimamente...
