Group Laboratorio de Tecnología de Alimentos (LTA), Escuela de Química y Alimentos
FURG – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brasil
Director Prof: Prof. Dr. Carlos Prentice.
ACTIVITY GROUP’S DESCRIPTION
Since 1999, the group of Technology of Vegetable Origin Products of the Laboratory of Food Technology has been working with basic and applied research, focusing mainly on the development of food products from raw materials and by-products of the region’s vegetable products industries, as well as the obtaining of new ingredients and bioactive molecules, generated by the research in this area.
In the case of chia, the researchers of the group have been working with the seeds characterization and evaluation and then subjected to enzymatic treatment for separation of proteins by hydrolysis and fractionation of their peptides, as well as to obtain lipids by different operational methods, such as physical press and supercritical extraction, and the extraction of mucilage to include them as ingredients in baking and oil products.
The School of Chemistry and Food is one of the educational units of the FURG and its mission is the higher education and the production of knowledge, integrated into teaching, research and extension, in the domain of food engineering, chemistry and related areas, seeking scientific, technological, cultural and socioeconomic local, regional and national progress, in the perspective of sustainable development, social inclusion and knowledge democratization, respecting its philosophy and being in line with the Institutional Development Plan of the FURG, a University which is located in the port of Rio Grande, Southern extreme of Brazil, and is known as the “University of Coastal and Oceanic Ecosystems”.
RESEARCH TEAM
Dra. Myriam de las Mercedes Salas Mellado – Profesora Titular
M. Sc. Sibele Santos Fernandes
Alumna de doctorado
CHIA INVESTIGATIONS
PARTICIPACIÓN EN PROYECTOS DE INVESTIGACIÓN
- Biopolímeros y péptidos bioactivos para envases sostenibles de alimentos (desde 2015)
Descripción: Desarrollo de nuevas fuentes sostenibles de envases para alimentos a partir de biopolímeros naturales como proteínas, o polisacáridos que se derivan de organismos vivos y pueden utilizarse en la producción de envases, artículos desechables y, en mezclas con polímeros sintéticos construidos genéticamente, para preparación de películas flexibles.
Agencias financiadoras: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq y MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Capacitación de los discentes del Programa de Postgrado en Ingeniería y Ciencia de Alimentos de la FURG para actuar en nanotecnología (desde 2013)
Descripción: Desarrollo de estudios y acciones de Enseñanza, Investigación y Extensión que vengan a consolidar la capacitación de profesionales en nanotecnología, relacionados con la ingeniería y ciencia de alimentos de la Universidad Federal de Rio Grande, con el objetivo de hacerlos aptos para atender la actual demanda de innovación en su área de actuación.
Financiador: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul – FAPERGS.
PUBLICACIONES
- Fernandes, S. S.; Salas-Mellado, M. M. Development of mayonnaise with substitution of oil or egg yolk by the addition of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) mucilage. Journal of Food Science, 83, 74-83, 2018.
- Coelho, M. S.; Salas-Mellado, M. M. How extraction method affects the physicochemical and functional properties of chia proteins. LWT / Food Science + Technology, 96, 26-33, 2018.
- Fernandes, S. S.; Salas-Mellado, M. M. Effect of oil replacement in mayonnaise by chia (Salvia hispanica L) mucilage. Integrative Food, Nutrition and Metabolism, 5, 1-4, 2018
- Coelho, M. S.; Soares-Freitas, R. M. N.; Arêas, J. A. G.; Gandra, E. A.; Salas-Mellado, M. M. Peptides from chia present antibacterial activity and inhibit cholesterol synthesis. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 73, 101-107, 2018.
- Fernandes, S. S.; Salas-Mellado, M. M. Addition of chia seed mucilage for reduction of fat content in bread and cakes. Food Chemistry, 227, 237-244, 2017.
- Coelho, M. S.; Salas-Mellado, M. M. Alegación de salud de las proteínas de semilla de chía: Actividad antioxidante. Alimentación Latinoamericana, 334, 64-69, 2017.
- Coelho, M. S.; Salas-Mellado, M. M. Biological properties of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) proteins. Salvia hispanica L: Properties, applications and health. 1ed. 2016, p. 1-30.
- Coelho, M. S.; Salas-Mellado, M. M. Effects of substituting chia (Salvia hispanica L.) flour or seeds for wheat flour on the quality of the bread. LWT / Food Science + Technology, 60, 729-736, 2015.
- Coelho, M. S.; Salas-Mellado, M. M. Pan formulado con adición de harina de chía (Salvia hispanica L.). Heladería Panadería Latinoamericana, 40, 66-70, 2014.
- Coelho, M. S.; Salas-Mellado, M. M. Chemical characterization of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) for use in food products. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 2, 263-269, 2014.