Biology and Life Sciences Forum, Volume 17, Issue 1

In submitting conference proceedings to Biology and Life Sciences Forum, the volume editors of the proceedings certify that all papers published in this volume have been subjected to peer review administered by the volume editors relative to the publ...

We want to walk the full path, with a firm step at each stage, following Machado's verses: “Walker there is no path, you make the path as you go” [...]

Prosopis alba and Prosopis chilensis, popularly called carob trees in the South American Chaco, are arboreal species. Carob fruits are an ancestral food for human consumption, mainly in the form of flour. In recent years, the study of carob trees in...

The aim of the present work was to study the effect of the drying process conditions on the antioxidant properties of the integral fruit of kurugua (Sicana odorifera Naud.). The experiments showed that the antioxidant activity of fresh samples of who...

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seed oil is a naturally rich source of α-linolenic (~65%) and linoleic (~20%) essential fatty acids, which are known for their beneficial effects on health. However, they are highly susceptible to oxidative deteriorat...

Oils with high omega-3 fatty acids are known for their multiple health benefits. For this reason, new strategies have been developed to protect these fatty acids from lipid oxidation to incorporate them into foods. Microencapsulation is an attractive...

In regions with a majority population of people belonging to indigenous peoples, the solutions to nutritional challenges such as overweight and obesity can go through the implementation of public policies that encourage the use of local and ancestral...

Over 1.6 billion people (aged 15 years and above) worldwide are currently either overweight or obese, and this number is predicted to increase to 2.3 billion by 2050 (WHO). Excessive or impaired energy storage in the liver incurs a high risk of liver...

The World Health Organization recommends the consumption of legumes and considers them good allies to achieve food security and reduce malnutrition worldwide. Bread offers the possibility of incorporating ingredients to improve one’s diet witho...

The bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) known as the ñuña, numia, or Andean popping bean, native to the central Andes of Peru, is often consumed as a snack food after a quick toasting process. The characterization of two of its varieties, red...

The cooked Andean cereals can be considered a good source of minerals, contributing to the recommended daily intakes as observed in previous works. This study evaluated quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat’s chemical and nutritional compositions and...

In accordance with the current technological advances in the bakery industry, to increase the nutritional value of cookies without affecting their technological and sensorial parameters, critical ingredients of cookie products (flour, sugar, butter)...

Chia seed is the richest vegetable source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. A diet rich in these fatty acids decreases the risk of many chronic non-communicable diseases. The incorporation of omega-3-rich oils in processed foods seems to be an efficien...

Oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions (d < 200 nm) are systems with considerable potential for protecting and delivering sensible ingredients such as chia seed oil rich in ω-3 fatty acids (~64% α-linolenic acid). These systems can be formed...

Despite its high nutritional value, the residue obtained by cold pressing of the chia seeds (expeller) is still undervalued. Expeller is rich in proteins and fibers and contains about 7% omega-3 α-linolenic acid (ALA). Considering that chia see...

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.), an ancestral crop currently revalued for its nutritional properties, is one of the main sources of omega-3 fatty acids. It is a short-day plant and sensitive to frost. The objective of this study was to assess the possibil...

Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) are the third most important grain legume in the world in terms of their area coverage, the volume of production and the amount of trade. The crop is primarily grown in India, being USA, Argentina and Mexico the main pr...

The aim of this work was to determine the shelf life of a gluten-free couscous made from germinated quinoa. Desaponified quinoa of the Tunkahuan variety from Ecuador was used. Quinoa kernels were germinated, dried, milled, agglomerated, and finally s...

Quinoa and amaranth have excellent nutritional compositions. Lactic fermentation is capable of transforming the functional, structural, organoleptic and nutritional properties of raw materials. The objective of this study was to develop a product ana...

Nowadays, consumers show a growing interest in the consumption of foods made with ancestral grains, the main components of the diet of our ancestors. The ancestral grains come from millenary cultivars and have now burst onto the international market...

According to the FAO, the economic potential of quinoa relies on the extraction and processing of its by-products. Starch in quinoa represents a major component. Although it has a limited application (due to its low solubility, high reactivity to hyd...

The aim of this study was the evaluation of the effect of desaponification, soaking, germination and refrigerated storage on the phytase activity, phytic acid content, and nutritional properties of three varieties of quinoa: white, red and black. Des...

Hydrothermal treatments are suitable for modifying the physicochemical properties of flours because they favor the total or partial gelatinization of starch, allowing products with different rheological and water absorption capacities to be obtained....

The demand for food worldwide due to population growth, rising hunger and malnutrition, the adverse effects of climate change, the overexploitation of natural resources, biodiversity loss, and food loss and waste are severe challenges faced by global...

Current nutritional recommendations lead to reformulate traditional products, such as fresh noodles, in order to improve the nutrients, they provide. The objective of this work was to determine the variation of the nutritional profile of fresh noodle...

Pasta is traditionally made from durum wheat semolina, but this can be substituted with other flour or semolina types and pasta can contain other ingredients. The nutritional characteristics depend on the ingredients, but, generally, pasta contains a...

An organic-free method was applied to produce corn starch nanoparticles, which were designed to stabilize Pickering emulsions containing chia oil, the richest vegetable source of omega-3 fatty acids. The liquid stream resulting from a laboratory-scal...