Abstract
The aim of the present research project is the identification and quantification by gas chromatography with mass detector (GC-MS) of compounds impacting on food quality and human health. Cholesterol is a chemically stable compound present in foods; however, it can degrade during processing and storage, mainly due to cell membrane rupture, as well as due to food exposure to heat, light, radiation and oxygen, generating the cholesterol oxides, which are considered atherogenic, cytotoxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic. The natural pigments carotenoids and anthocyanins, in addition to their colorant properties, are bioactive compounds and, consequently, human health promoters, since they play key roles in the body defense system. During food processing and storage, these pigments can undergo degradation, oxidation or isomerization generating new compounds, which can impact both the color and the aroma (volatile compounds) of the final product. The knowledge of the changes in these sensory properties is important to obtain processed foods, such as fruit juices, with acceptable sensory attributes during their whole shelf life. The quality and the shelf life of milk and milk products depend on the enzyme activity and on the chemical reactions of the major milk components. These factors will modulate the formation of volatile compounds which are responsible for the development of desirable flavors or off flavors. The complementary projects aim to monitor the quality of coffee, coffee-based products and peaches canned in a controlled atmosphere by the identification and quantification of volatile compounds. Moreover, the stability of the fatty acids will be verified in the presence of natural antioxidants, the trans isomers (trans fats) will be characterized and defense response secondary compounds of plants, such as salicylic acid, will be identify. The acquisition of the GC-MS will enable a large increase of knowledge in this area, since the target compounds are directly or indirectly related to food quality and stability, as well as to human health. In addition, the study of such compounds is also fundamental to the development of novel functional food products. (AU)
Scientific publications(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)