https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/21377 2026-09-17T12:06:41Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/50196 Title: Impacto do sistema de manejo orgânico e não orgânico na composição, fermentação e qualidade de cafés arábica Abstract: Brazil has recently expanded the areas dedicated to organic coffee cultivation to meet the growing demand for high-quality coffee free from toxic residues. This study investigated the influence of organic (O) and non-organic (NO) management systems on the chemical composition and physical characteristics of coffee fruits, as well as on fermentation performance and beverage quality. Fermentations were conducted for 36, 60, 84, and 108 h under self-induced anaerobic conditions, using two fruit treatments (natural cherry, NC, or pulped cherry, CD) and two fermentation modes (submerged fermentation, SMF, or solid-state fermentation, SSF). pH and temperature were monitored throughout the processes, and texture, color, and concentrations of sugars, organic acids, alcohols, and bioactive compounds were determined in both fresh and fermented fruits. When evaluating coffee fruits under O and NO management subjected to the same fruit treatment (CD or NC), no significant differences were detected in total protein, lipids, sucrose, glucose, fructose, theobromine, caffeine contents, or apparent density. O fruits showed higher concentrations of citric and lactic acids, whereas NO fruits presented higher levels of succinic acid. Fruit treatment and fermentation mode exerted a greater influence on the composition of fermented fruits and beverage sensory characteristics than the management systems. Although the organic management system presented lower productivity compared to the conventional system, it demonstrated potential to produce beverages of equivalent quality. 2026-02-19T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/50166 Title: Desenvolvimento de biofilme comestível com potencial aplicação em feridas de pets Abstract: Skin lesions can cause serious harm to the animal organism, especially when treatment fails to prevent secondary bacterial infections. The difficulty in establishing efficient protocols for wound healing, coupled with the indiscriminate use of drugs in veterinary medicine, has become a serious public health problem. In this sense, the first chapter of this work addressed a literature review seeking to elucidate skin infections and the properties of Curcuma longa L. and Mentha piperita as potential phytotherapeutic agents for the treatment of these wounds. To this end, qualitative bibliographic research was carried out using recognized scientific databases. Scientific works published in the last 15 years were considered. After the bibliographic survey, the plants Curcuma longa and Mentha piperita proved to be promising healing agents due to their structure containing active principles such as flavonoids, triterpenes, alkaloids, and biomolecules that can act in various phases of the wound healing process. Given this, there is a need for further research into alternative methods of inoculating medicinal plants into film-forming matrices for anti-inflammatory and antibacterial use, acting as adjuvants in the healing process. Chapter 2 presents the results of an experiment conducted to obtain a thermoplastic starch-based biofilm formulation incorporating Curcuma longa L. and Mentha piperita as potential phytotherapeutic agents to act as wound healers. To this end, powders were produced from the chosen medicinal plants. A biofilm was produced by incorporating turmeric and mint into polymeric matrices. Subsequently, the biofilms were characterized in terms of appearance, thickness, mechanical properties, moisture absorption (MA) and solubility (SW), water vapor sorption, surface and cross-sectional morphology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Then, they were evaluated for antimicrobial capacity against pathogens of interest (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas spp., Escherichia coli, Enterobacter spp., and Proteus spp.). It was possible to produce a biofilm with good visual appearance, minimal air bubbles, transparency, homogeneity, and flexibility. Furthermore, parameters such as thickness, tensile strength, and elongation percentage yielded satisfactory results, forming a high-quality biofilm. SEM images showed that starch biofilms with turmeric and mint have a porous structure and multilayer dispersion ideal for wound dressings, favoring absorption, controlled release, and therapeutic properties. For TGA, the higher the concentration of compounds attributed to the film, the greater the temperature changes. Factors such as the low solubility and bioavailability of turmeric should be considered to produce biofilms containing this natural compound. Therefore, future studies should consider ways to enhance the action of these bioactive compounds. A possible alternative is the use of more concentrated powders, using only the compounds present in these plants with known antimicrobial action. 2025-08-25T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/49390 Title: Impactos de processos de secagem na qualidade do café Arábica (Coffea arabica L.) Abstract: In the coffee drying process, the use of mechanical dryers has grown in order to reduce quality losses, save time, and increase production efficiency. Fixed-bed dryers offer the lowest acquisition and maintenance costs, allowing for the processing of large volumes. This type of equipment requires strict control of drying parameters such as fruit mass temperature, layer height, airflow, and hot air temperature. In addition to equipment conditions, fruit characteristics also influence drying quality. Thus, after harvesting, the fruits need to be washed and separated into different stages of maturation: cherry coffee fractions (denser and more moisture) and overripe fractions (less dense and less moisture). In this sense, the present work aimed to evaluate the impacts of drying processes on the quality of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) in fixed-bed dryers with different useful operating volumes (12, 15 and 18 m³) at the cherry and overripe stages of maturation. It identifies potential impacts caused by differences in dryer size and initial moisture content, identifies which parameters directly impact moisture removal behavior, and predicts mathematical models for drying under each condition, assisting producers in deciding on the best drying parameters. This study is divided into three chapters. The first presents a theoretical study based on data obtained from scientific literature, with emphasis on publications indexed in the Elsevier (ScienceDirect), SpringerLink, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, MDPI, and SciELO databases. It covers the main fundamentals related to the drying of agricultural products, coffee quality and processing, fermentation processes, kinetic modeling, and drying technologies, providing a scientific basis for the research. The second chapter comprises a study that relates different drying volumes and maturation stages to the final beverage quality, through physicochemical and sensory analyses, and evaluates the relationship between quality and the possible occurrence of natural fermentations in drying process. The third chapter presents a mathematical modeling study of the fixed-bed drying process under these same conditions, emphasizing the influence of equipment dimensions on moisture behavior and the prediction of kinetic models that best describe the drying of each volume and maturation stage. This study offers novel contributions to the understanding of mechanical drying behavior at different volumes and maturation stages, suggesting the presence of fermentations in the process and highlighting that the smaller volumes are recommended for obtaining coffees with higher sensory quality, as the height of the fruit layer significantly impacts the moisture removal rate. The Midilli mathematical model best describes the fixed-bed drying data and aids in the reproducibility and predictability of processes. This led to the creation of a decision flowchart to assist producers in determining the ideal drying volume for each stage of maturation and final objective. 2026-02-25T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/49257 Title: Obtenção e caracterização do pó do aquoso da folha de Ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata) seco por spray drying Abstract: Ora-pro-nóbis (*Pereskia aculeata*) is an Unconventional Food Plant (UFP) belonging to the Cactaceae family, recognized for its high protein content as well as its fiber, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. Traditionally used in cooking, its leaves can be consumed raw or sautéed. The presence of mucilage, proteins, and bioactive compounds attracts interest from both the food and pharmaceutical industries: the former for the enrichment of functional products, and the latter due to studies on antioxidant activity and nutraceutical potential. Because it is highly perishable, its consumption is largely restricted to family farming, which hinders large-scale commercialization. Drying aids in the preservation of perishable foods and facilitates the storage, transport, and application of the resulting powders in food products. Therefore, this study aimed to obtain and characterize a powder derived from the aqueous extract of ora-pro-nóbis leaves produced via spray drying. To this end, the study evaluated the effect of heat treatment prior to drying, as well as drying with and without the use of maltodextrin as a carrier agent, and the effect of temperature (100°C and 140°C) on the physicochemical properties (moisture, water activity, hygroscopicity, antioxidant activity, total chlorophylls, protein content, morphology, and particle size) of the resulting powder. The results showed that the powder obtained with heat treatment and the use of maltodextrin generally exhibited lower moisture content compared to the powder obtained without heat treatment or the carrier agent. Powder hygroscopicity ranged from 13.81% to 26.60%, influenced primarily by the addition of maltodextrin. Regarding color, the powders with higher lightness (L*)—that is, the lighter-colored ones—were those obtained using maltodextrin, likely due to the white color of the carrier agent. The powders exhibited a tendency toward green (a* parameter) and yellow (b* parameter) coloration. Antioxidant capacity was also evaluated, with the highest values observed in experiment 4, which involved heat treatment at 140°C without the use of maltodextrin. Partial degradation of the chlorophyll present in the leaves occurred due to the heat treatment, influencing the chlorophyll content results for the resulting powders. The treatments performed had no impact on protein analysis results. SEM images show that the particles generally exhibit irregular morphology, rough surfaces, and a tendency to agglomerate. The largest particle sizes were found in experiments 3 (100°C, with heat treatment, without maltodextrin) and 4 (140°C, with heat treatment, without maltodextrin). 2026-06-30T00:00:00Z