PHOTOPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF MYCOSPORINE-LIKE AMINO ACIDS (MAA) IN ACIDIFIED BEVERAGES

• Grant number: 16/25214-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: August 01, 2017
• End date: July 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy
• Principal Investigator: Gustavo Henrique de Almeida Teixeira
• Grantee: Gustavo Henrique de Almeida Teixeira
• Host Investigator: Sean F O Keefe
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States

Abstract

Functional beverages are one of the fastest growing segments in food processing industry due to consumer interest in foods with energy enhancing, anti-ageing, relaxing and general well-being properties. Green tea (Cameilla sinesis L. Kuntze) is a non-fermented tea that contains several polyphenol compounds, mainly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and can be added into fruit juices to produce acidified beverages. As an acidified beverage model, green tea infusions need to have the pH adjusted using organic acids to mimic the fruit beverages. Similar to other food produce, the acidified beverage models are prone to microbial degradation, therefore natamycine has to be added to minimize this contamination. However, both EGCG and natamycine are susceptible to phtodegradation, therefore mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), a family of intracellular compounds involved in the protection of aquatic organisms against solar radiation, will be added into acidified beverage models to prevent photooxidation. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the photoprotective effect of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) in acidified beverage models (green tea infusions), and the specific objectives are: i. extract MAAs from Palmaria palmata (dulse, red dulse, sea lettuce); ii. characterize Palmaria palmata (dulse) extracts; iii. determine the effects of Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Fluorescent lighting on natamycin and EGCG stability in acidified beverage model systems; and iv. determine the efficacy of MAA extracts on natamycin and EGCG stability in acidified beverage model system.

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)

DE ALMEIDA TEIXEIRA, GUSTAVO HENRIQUE; MORELLI, LUIZA; MA, SIHUI; STEWART, AMANDA; O'KEEFE, SEAN FRANCIS. Photoprotective effect of mycosporine-like aminoacids extracts on natamycin, saffron carotenoids and epigallocatechin gallate in acidified beverages exposed to different light sources. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, v. 54, n. 2, p. 440-450, FEB 2019. (16/25214-1)

DE ALMEIDA TEIXEIRA, GUSTAVO HENRIQUE; MA, SIHUI; STEWART, AMANDA C.; WANG, HENGJIAN; O'KEEFE, SEAN FRANCIS. Natamycin photostability in acidified green tea beverage is dependent on mycosporine-like amino acids and epigallocatechin gallate interaction. LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, v. 116, DEC 2019. (16/25214-1)

TEIXEIRA, G. H. A.; O'KEEFE, S. F.. Short communication: Mycosporine-like amino acids protect natamycin against photodegradation in milk exposed to fluorescent or light-emitting diode light. JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE, v. 102, n. 6, p. 4972-4977, JUN 2019. (16/25214-1)