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Food Security and Nutritional Status of Beneficiary Families from the Selection System for Colombian Social Programs in the Municipality of Sitionuevo, Magdalena

This study aimed to measure the level of food security and its relationship with the nutritional status of 82 families which belong to the Selection System for Colombian Social Programs (SISBEN 1) from Sitionuevo (Magdalena, Colombia). A descriptive cross-sectional study with simple random sampling was used to study sociodemographic, economic, nutritional status and food security variables. A questionnaire for the sociodemographic variables and the Latin American and Caribbean Scale of Food Safety (ELCSA) validated with a pilot test was used as an instrument for data collection. The results showed food insecurity level (97.6%) and overweight (obesity) in household members, which may be due to the acquisition of more low-cost foods with high energy density by the participants. These results constitute part of the baseline for the diagnosis of food security, which is necessary to carry out in Sitionuevo. This will allow identifying the real issues related to the five aspects of food security, in order to improve the quality of life of the community, combined with the empowerment of the territorial entity and decision-making strategies for the implementation of improvement plans.

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Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity and Related Risk Factors in Schoolchildren 6 to 12 Years at Las Flores Neighborhood-Barranquilla

The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and related risk factors in children aged 6 to 12, who attended four public and private schools in the neighborhood of Las Flores, in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in children aged 6 to 12. The population studied was 281 students, 51.60% girls and 48.40% boys, with average age of 8.9 years. The study subjects were selected by simple random sampling. The variables studied include socio-demographic characteristics such as age, sex and school grade, type of educational institution, the pattern of physical activity, food pattern (frequency of consumption of foods, fast foods and soft drinks) and nutritional status. Thirty percent of the population studied were under an excess of weight, 22% were overweight and 8% were obese. Excess weight was more prevalent in boys (32%) than in girls (29%). It was observed that overweight increases as age and school grade increases. The high prevalence of overweight and obesity in school-age children is a potential risk for adult obesity. This situation is problematic for public health in which timely intervention is required.

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Pilot Process for Obtaining Fructose from Industrial Cassava (Manihot esculenta C)

This study aimed to evaluate yields of obtaining fructose syrups from industrial cassava (Manihot esculenta C) at pilot scale since the varieties cultivated in the Colombian Caribbean have shown their benefits in the generation of different products at laboratory scale. However, to take advantage of the deficit in the domestic supply through industrial production, it is necessary to increase the size gradually, generating the least impact on its productivity. The yields of starches were obtained through mass balance. The kinetic evaluation of the processes of liquefaction and saccharification was made by quantifying the reducing sugars by the DNS technique. The production of fructose syrups was evaluated by the method of GOD/POD, using a completely randomized design with three levels of starch concentration (25, 30, 35% w/v, respectively) and five levels of industrial cassava varieties (Orense, Caiselli, Gines, Veronica, Tai). Wet extraction of the starch reported yields between 7.5 and 15.8% w/w. The highest yields in the enzymatic hydrolysis were obtained with the varieties Corpoica-Tai and Corpoica-Caiselli with Dextrose Equivalents (DE) of 94.97 and 93.41% respectively. In the isomerization stage, the best result was for the 30% w/v Corpoica-Tai variety with 104.56 kg of fructose/ton of fresh cassava, values 10% lower than those reported a laboratory level. The process is technically feasible requiring improvements, especially in the wet extraction stage of starch.

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Phenomenological based Semi-Physical Model for the Milk Evaporation Process

The aim of this study was present a Phenomenological Based Semi-physical Model (PBSM) for the milk evaporation process. The evaporation is the elimination of solvent in form of water steam from a solution. In the dairy industry, the evaporation is a pretreatment for the powder milk processes that reduce the cost of the drying process, storage and transport. Thus, an appropriated mathematical model is necessary in order to get a good control and optimized process of milk evaporation, which allows obtaining a high-quality product. Previous studies have presented mathematical models for the evaporation process. However, the majority of these models are based on maintaining constant values such as the thermal properties of fluids, latent heat of vaporization and global coefficient of heat transfer, among others and this means that there will be high errors of predictions. The aim of this model was to predict the temperature, concentration and milk level in the evaporator. The model obtained was solved using the Runge-Kutta method with the software ＂LABVIEW 2011＂ and it was quantitatively validated with experimental data from a real process using the absolute mean error. The experimental data of temperature, concentration and milk level in the evaporator were obtained applying step-like disturbances in the process variables: vacuum pressure in the evaporation chamber, steam flow and milk feeding flow. The quantitative validation showed that the obtained model can predict satisfactorily the dynamic behavior of the target variables of the milk evaporation process because the error was less than 5%.

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Bio-Sanitization Using Specific Bacteriophages to Control Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Cherry Tomatoes

This study aimed to evaluate the use of bacteriophages as ＂bio-sanitizers＂ to prevent and to control E. coli O157:H7 growth in cherry tomatoes. Phages with specificity towards this pathogen were propagated, titrated and characterized through transmission electron microscopy and it was also determined the feasibility of the isolated phages after the sanitization process for further application on the tomatoes. Furthermore, the in vitro behavior of E. coli O157:H7 in the presence or absence of the viral particles and the lytic spectrum of the isolated phages were also determined. Moreover, the action of a pool of bacteriophages and some chemical sanitizers commonly used in the food industry were compared in terms of the growth of E. coli O157:H7 and their potential as life extending agents was evaluated for tomatoes stored at room temperature. Bacteriophages reached high concentrations, ranging from 10^9 to 10^(14) PFU/mL and were predominantly specific for the Escherichia genus, showing no lytic activity for Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter and Enterococcus. Bacteriophages were classified within the Myoviridae family and presented viability after the sanitization processes with sodium dichloroisocyanurate and hydrogen peroxide. There was no significant difference (p＞0.05) between the sanitizing action of the pool of bacteriophages and the chemical sanitizers in the growth of E. coli O157:H7. Through in vitro assays, we found that bacteriophages substantially reduce microbial growth and, thus, showed potential as biological sanitizers.

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Effect of the Spray Drying Process on the Quality of Coconut Powder Fortified with Calcium and Vitamins C, D_3 and E

The objective of this study was to optimize the process of Spray Drying (SD) for the obtaining of coconut powder fortified with Physiologically Active Compounds (PAC), according to the dryer's operating characteristics and the product, being (SD) is one of the most used technologies in the powder industry, guaranteeing good quality attributes for various applications in the food sector; it was used a response surface design based on five independent variables:: Maltodextrin (MD), Inlet Air Temperature (IAT), Outlet Air Temperature (OAT), Atomizing Disk Velocity (ADV) and drying Chamber Vacuum Pressure (VPC) and the dependent variables: yield (*R), Deposit Formation (DF) in the drying chamber, humidity (X_w), water activity (a_w), Hygroscopicity (H), Solubility (S), wettability (Hu), color (L*, a* y b*), recovery of PAC (Ca, vitamins C, D_3 and E), Peroxide Index (PI) and particle size (D_(10), D_(50) y D_(90)). The results were analyzed statistically from the Statgraphics XVI.I software and through analysis of variance with 5% level of significance. In general, response variables were affected by all independent variables. The experimental optimization defined the CP+PAC process conditions as follows: IAT: 170°C; OAT: 85.8°C; ADV: 26676 rpm; VPC: 1.6＂ H_2O; MD: 7.0%; and with quality attributes: X_w: 1.7±0.4%; a_w: 0.171±0.018; H: 8.4±0.5%; S: 58.4±2.1%; Hu: 263.0±19.8s; L*: 79.5±0.9; a*: 1.5±0.1; b*: 9.5±0.4; PI: 2.4±1.3 meq H_2O_2/kg oil; DFC: 32.4±2.3%; *R: 44.0%; D_(10): 1.70±0.05 μm; D_(50): 8.46±2.09 μm; D90: 78.18±24.30 μm; Ca: 41.7±2.3%; Vit.C: 32.4±6.2%; Vit.D_3: 7.8±1.8%; Vit.E: 6.1±1.9%; making it a hygroscopic product, potentially sensitive to oxidative processes, which can cause changes in color, strange flavors or odors.

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Organochlorine Pesticides Detection in Blacberry (Rubus sp.,) by Electronic Nose

The objective of the present investigation was to detect the organochlorine pesticides presence in Blackberry (Rubus sp.,) by means of the Electronic Nose, generating in the future an alternative tool for the early detection of these types of pollutants. The studied samples were randomly collected in the main market of the city of Pamplona, Norte de Santander (Colombia), followed by physical (surface area, color and firmness) and chemical (moisture, pH, soluble solids and titratable acidity) analysis to establish the appropriate maturity index. Organochlorine pesticide residues were detected (Aldrin, Beta-BHC, Delta-BHC, Gamma-BHC, Endosulfan I, Endosulfan II, 4, 4-DDE) by the coupled Gas Chromatography-Electroantennographic Detection recording (GCEAD) and finally the measurement and validation of the method were made with the Electronic Nose. It was determined that the multisensory system is able to detect organochlorine pesticides in concentrations of 0.5; 0.7 and 1 ppm. The Electronic Nose application has potential as an alternative method for the early detection of traces of organochlorines and therefore for the innocuity of the agricultural products.

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Biotechnological Production of Xylitol from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches Hydrolysate

This study evaluated the biomass and xylitol production using Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) hydrolysates. Candida tropicalis ATCC 13803, which produces xylitol, was cultivated in the synthetic media Yeast extract Peptone Xylose (YPX), Medium Minimum Xylose (MMX) and hemicellulosic Hydrolysates medium (HR). Biomass concentration was evaluated in the synthetic media to identify the best medium for the biomass production. Hemicellulosic hydrolysates were obtained by dilute acid hydrolysis of OPEFB. All fermentations were performed in 100 mL Erlenmeyer flasks containing 40 mL of medium with 20 g/L xylose, initial pH 5, 6, 119 rpm and 30°C for 72 h. During the fermentations the cellular concentration was determined spectrophotometrically by Optical Density (OD) at 620 nm and the kinetics parameters and xylitol production were evaluated. The best synthetic medium for biomass production was YPX with 2.52 g/L at 30 h. The xylitol yield and yield values for HR media were 0.41 g/g and 0.10 g/L.h, respectively.

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Effect of Maltodextrin and Gum Arabic Concentration on the Rheological Behavior of Sapote (Calocarpum sapota Merr) Pulp

The aim of this research was to measure the effect of maltodextrin and gum Arabic on the rheological behavior of the sapote pulp. The rheological behavior of fruit pulp is modified with the addition of encapsulants which in turn influences the energetic performance of spray drying. In such processes, both maltodextrin and gum arabic are used as encapsulants of fruit pulp and acting as sugars protectors and thus reducing caramelization reactions. The experiment was conducted under a completely randomized design with 2×4 factorial arrangements (Factors: encapsulants and concentration). A Rheometer (AR 1500ex) was used for conducting the flow trials on continuous ramp on the pulp with encapsulants concentrations of 15, 20, 25 and 30% (w/w). Ostwald de Waele's model was adjusted to apparent viscosity data with determination coefficients greater than 0.994, apart from that, the consistency index (k) and the flow behavior index (n) showed significant differences (p≤0.05) between encapsulants and concentrations used. Those n values lower than one characterize the encapsulated pulp as pseudoplastic flow and the presence of hysteresis among the ascending and descending curves indicate that this is time-dependent fluid with thixotropic nature. The apparent viscosity of the pulp increased with the rise in the encapsulants concentration for the same shear rate, being the gum arabic the one with the greater values. Results will contribute to the improvement of the pump systems design of spray dryers.

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Synthesis and Electrochemical Characterization of Polypyrrole/Sodium p-Toluenesulfonate Biofilms Supported on Cassava Starch Conductive Polymers for Applications in Electrical Charge Accumulators

The aim of this study is to evaluate how the number of dopants in the cassava starch polymer and the oxidation potential of the cathode influence the electrical energy accumulation properties. Materials are synthesized by two stages: In the stage I, synthesis of the conductive polymer was performed from cassava starch, plasticizers and lithium perchlorate; later, in the stage II, salt-doped polypyrrole was electrochemically synthesized. Sodium ptoluenesulfonate and lithium perchlorate were used as doping salts. Characterization of materials were performed by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry. The best results were obtained for assays 1 and 4 constituted by1.5 g of starch and 0.5 V for the cathode and 3 g of starch and 0.7 V for the cathode, respectively. Respective specific charge capacities and specific energies were 3.765×10^(-4) Ah/kg and 3.477×10^(-5) Wh/kg for the assay 1 and 2.234×10^(-4) Ah/kg and 9.095×10^(-5) Wh/kg for the assay 4. These responses are associated with a higher values of electrical conductivity for the assay 1 and 4 by EIS, favoring the mobility of the charges within the materials; Finally, the stability of assay voltammograms indicates how their properties can be maintained at the time.