Caucasian Rhododendron Grinding-Fixing Machine

An endemic plant species typical for the Caucasus is the Caucasian rhododendron (Rhododendron caucasicum Pall), which, due to its unique chemical composition, has many medicinal properties, therefore, folk healers have used it since ancient times to treat various severe and mild diseases. At the present stage of the development of science, the question arises about the possibility of using this most valuable plant for industrial purposes. The question is raised of the production of mate tea from the Caucasian rhododendron. The rhododendron processing technologies proposed so far are reviewed and it is shown that none of them can provide aromatic and taste indicators characteristic of tea mate in the resulting product due to the fact that most of them are based on the processing technology of ordinary black tea. It is substantiated that in order to obtain mate tea, it is necessary at the initial stage of processing to fix the raw material from rhododendron, cut it and grind it to sizes acceptable for packaging, remove excess moisture contained in the sheet and give the final product a light smoke aroma and a slightly bitter taste. To solve these problems, a schematic diagram of a new machine for the simultaneous grinding and fixing of the Caucasian rhododendron is proposed.

Selection of Lactic Acid Bacteria with In Vitro Probiotic-Related Characteristics from the Cactus Pilosocereus gounellei (A. Weber ex. K. Schum.) Bly. ex Rowl

Pilosocereus gounellei (A. Weber ex. K. Schum.) Bly. ex Rowl., popularly known as xique-xique, is a cactus from the Caatinga biome, which is rich in bioactive compounds but has not been previously studied as a source of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with probiotic aptitudes. This study aimed to identify, characterize, and select LAB isolates with in vitro probiotic-related characteristics from xique-xique cladodes and fruit. Isolates with the most promising probiotic-related characteristics were evaluated regarding their in vitro technological properties and capability of surviving in chestnut milk, whey protein drink, and mate tea with mint during 21 days of refrigeration storage. Seventeen recovered isolates had typical characteristics of LAB. Six out of these seventeen LAB isolates passed the safety tests and were included in experiments to evaluate the in vitro probiotic-related characteristics. Based on the results of a principal component analysis, the isolates 69, 82, 98, and 108 had the best performances in experiments to evaluate the probiotic-related characteristics. In addition to showing good technological properties, the four selected LAB isolates had high viable counts (>7.3 log cfu/mL) and high sizes of physiologically active cell subpopulations in chestnut milk, whey protein drink, and mate tea during refrigeration storage. These four isolates were identified by 16S-rRNA sequencing as being Lacticaseibacillus paracasei or Lacticaseibacillus casei. The results indicate xique-xique as a source of potentially probiotic LAB isolates.

Exploring Secondary Metabolites in Coffee and Tea Food Wastes

Coffee and tea are popular beverages worldwide, and therefore generate large amounts of waste. Here we describe the caffeine content and phenolic profile in three types of teas and coffees, and how they vary with two successive extractions. Although the first extraction was far more efficient than the second, green tea also showed a high content of flavanols in the second extraction, as did mate tea for phenolic acids. Black tea could also be a good option since caffeine content was highest in both extractions. Water also proved to be the most effective solvent in almost all cases, which represent a major benefit for urban horticulture, as it is a simple extraction method from an easily accessible source. Coffee and tea residues are a rich source of caffeine and phenolic compounds that could potentially be used as alternatives to conventional pesticides.

Screening of Volatile Compounds in Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) Tea—Brazilian Chimarrão Type—By HS-SPDE and Hydrodistillation Coupled to GC-MS

The volatile fraction of mate (Ilex paraguariensis) tea—specifically Brazilian chimarrão type, which has an odor profile comprising distinctive fresh, green, grass, and herbal notes—was investigated. Hydrodistillation in a Clevenger apparatus was employed in order to extract volatiles from the tea matrix. Headspace–solid-phase dynamic extraction (HS-SPDE) was employed to extract the volatiles from two types of infusions of this tea—a simple single infusion and a traditional preparation of consecutive infusions. Volatiles were analyzed by gas chromatography–flame ionization detection/mass spectrometry (GC-FID/MS). In total, 85 compounds were either identified or tentatively identified and semi-quantified. Semi-quantification comprised peak area integration of all the peaks (including the unidentified ones) in the chromatogram. Results obtained by hydrodistillation and by HS-SPDE were distinct, covering mostly different ranges of volatility and showing only 15 compounds in common. The identified compounds had their respective average and minimum odor thresholds and odor characteristics compiled from the literature. Several major compounds considered as key odorants in other mate tea products were not detected or only present at low levels in the samples of this research. Approximately half of the odorants identified in these samples were commonly reported in different mate tea types; the remaining 41 molecules—predominantly terpenoids (isoprenoids)—could be listed as specific to the Brazilian chimarrão type and are suggested to underlie its typical freshness.

Physicochemical, antioxidant and sensory properties of Kombucha beverages obtained from oolong or yerba mate tea fermentation

Kombucha is a non-alcoholic fermented beverage traditionally produced from a sugared tea that presents a sour and refreshing taste This work aimed to develop, characterize and evaluate the sensory acceptance of Kombucha beverages made from oolong, a traditionally tea used for Kombucha production, or yerba mate tea, which is very popular and easily found herb in Brazil. The characterization was related total soluble solids (TSS), sugars, pH, titratable acidity (TA), organic acids (OA), alcohol content (AC), phenolics (PHE), flavonoids (FL), antioxidant activity (AA), besides, the sensory acceptance by potential consumers. Total soluble solids decreased 8.3% in formulation with oolong and 7.0% in formulation with yerba mate tea. The pH ranged from 4.3 and 4.5 to 2.8 and 3.1 after 14 days, respectively. Titratable acidity reached 8.97 g.L-1 in oolong tea and 6.75 g.L-1 in yerba mate tea. Acetic acid was the highest organic acid identified and quantified at the end of fermentation time. Flavonoids decreased during fermentation in both samples, while reducing capacity did not differ throughout fermentation time. Regarding the antioxidant capacity, in the formulations with oolong and yerba mate, it presented higher inhibitory capacity of the ABTS radical of 90.22 and 68.75%, while the DPPH radical inibitory capacity was 89.74% in oolong and 86.72% in yerba mate. Kombucha formulated with yerba mate tea resulted in a sour and refreshing beverage, with higher global acceptance compared to oolong tea, both drinks exhibiting antioxidant potential in vitro.

Phytochemical composition of extracts from yerba mate chimarrão

Yerba mate is a tree natural from South America, traditionally daily consumed as hot (chimarrão) or cold (tereré) and roasted leaves (mate tea) infusions, being an important source of polyphenols and flavonoids in human nutrition. To produce bioactive-rich extracts from yerba mate, oven-dried leaves at 35 °C and three different commercial products, named M, T, and S, were extracted using different General Recognized as Safe solvents (distilled water (W), ethanol (E), and water: ethanol (1:1, v:v) (WE)). The yerba mate extracts were analyzed for total and soluble solids, titratable acidity, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity. The WE solvent resulted in the highest TPC and TFC. However, the commercial samples showed a higher concentration of phytochemicals than oven-dried leaves, and the commercial sample T showed the lowest content of total solids and the highest content of soluble solids (°Brix). The industrial processing of yerba mate aids the TPC and TFC preservation, resulting in extracts with superior phytochemicals concentration when compared with the oven-dried sample.

Dietary Strategies by Foods with Antioxidant Effect on Nutritional Management of Dyslipidemias: A Systematic Review

Nutrition plays a fundamental role in the prevention and treatment of dyslipidemias and its oxidative-related complications. Currently, there is evidence about the beneficial effects of isolated antioxidants or foods enriched or added with antioxidant compounds. However, the application of the natural foods is more integrated than the analysis of a single nutrient. Our aim is compiling scientific literature regarding the nutritional strategies by foods with antioxidant effect in blood lipids, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, and oxidative and inflammatory markers of subjects with dyslipidemia. We searched in MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. From a total of 263 studies screened, 16 were included. Dietary strategies included walnuts, olive oil, raw almonds, G. paraguayase, white sesame, mate tea, Brazil nut flour, red wine, granulated Brazil nuts, grapes, wolfberry fruit, fermented beverage, coffee, orange, and blackberry juices showed significant differences in blood lipids, antioxidant activity, antioxidant enzymes, and oxidative and inflammatory markers. This systematic review compiling scientific studies about dietary strategies using foods with antioxidant effect to improve the antioxidant status in dyslipidemias.