Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species diversity in secondary forest and three agricultural land uses of the Colombian Pacific Coast

The study area pertains to the Chocó Biogeography, one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, where around 40,000 ha of rainforest has been cleared for oil palm plantations. We surveyed the ant species’ richness and diversity in four differently disturbed areas in Tumaco, Colombia, using pitfall traps and Winkler sacks. Study sites were two oil palm plantations of three- and seven- years’ existence, a peach palm plantation Bactris gasipaes of 20 years, and an area of secondary forest of 10 years. A total of 93 ant species or morphospecies, comprising 31 genera in 8 subfamilies were identified. The subfamily Myrmicinae had the highest number of species (57), followed by Ponerinae (10) and Formicinae (9). The hybrid palm oil plantations harbored 46 species (7 years) and 50 species (3 years), respectively, while the peach palm plantation was composed of 53 species, and the secondary forest had 62 species. Ectatomma ruidum was the most dominant species in the oil palm plots (≥ 80% of specimen), but significantly less in the peach palm and secondary forest. The most species-rich genera were Pheidole spp. (23) and Solenopsis spp. (13). No differences were observed in the ant species’ diversity between the secondary forest and peach palm, contrasting with the significant differences between the secondary forest and the two oil palm areas. A comparison with studies in natural areas suggests that the oil palm monocultures have dramatically reduced the species’ richness and that ten years of recovery does not bring back anything close to the original diversity.

Effects of by-products of peach palm and grape on nutritional, physico-chemical and sensory properties of extruded breakfast cereals

Extruded breakfast cereals they have low nutritional and high energetic values. The aim of this study was to develop extruded breakfast cereals by replacing part of corn meal by different proportions of by-products of grape (5-10%) and peach palm (7.5-15%). Samples were sweetened with xylitol while moisture was controlled with grape juice. Six formulations, which were produced in a 22 experimental design, were analyzed regarding their composition, besides their technological, mechanical, antioxidant and sensory properties. Addition of different amounts of flours, produced with the wastes of grape (GF) and peach palm (PF), increased the dietary fibers and antioxidant contents of cereals formulations. However, at the highest levels addition, there was a decrease in expansion and an increase in hardness and water solubility properties. Thus, the incorporation of grape and peach palm by-products at smaller proportions showed higher viability, since they exhibited satisfactory sensory acceptance, technological properties and bowl life.

Peach palm and cassava wastes as biosorbents of tartrazine yellow dye and their application in industrial effluent

In this study, the wastes from cassava (CAW) and peach palm (PPW) agro-industries were investigated as potential low-cost biosorbents for removing the tartrazine yellow dye (TAR). The by-products were prepared by washing and drying steps and characterized into physicochemical parameters and microstructure. The effects of contact time, pH, dosage and dye concentration were analyzed for the biosorbents in comparison to commercial activated carbon (AC). The biosorbents were applied to the treatment of an effluent from a juice industry containing TAR. Cellulose was the main component of the biosorbents (31.47–51.20 g 100 g-1), which was correlated to the functional groups identified by ATR-FTIR spectra and the materials had a porous surface. The zero point of charge was 3.75 for PPW and 4.60 for CAW. The pH parameter had a significant effect on the adsorption process, with the maximum values of adsorption being reached at pH 2.0, with removal of 94.7% for PPW, 74.4% for CAW and 97.7% for AC, at the dosage of 7.5 g L-1 at 25.0 ºC. The adsorption of TAR was fast in the early stages, and at 120 min the three adsorbents reached the equilibrium. Isotherms of adsorption showed that Langmuir’s and Freundlich’s models fitted the best to the CAW and PPW experimental data, respectively. The wastes evaluated in this work can be an interesting alternative to TAR adsorption in the industrial effluent without being subjected to chemical treatments.