Universidad del Papaloapan

Micronutrient deficiency or malnutrition, particularly iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), is a serious global health problem and represents a challenge for the agri-food sector. Crop biofortification has emerged as a strategy to increase the mineral content of the target organs. To improve and maximize biofortification, alternatives, such as nanotechnology (mainly nanoparticles), have been proposed and studied. The objective of this minireview was to highlight the responses of nanometric forms of Zn and Fe used in crop biofortification, which can guide the design and/or selection of the most appropriate form to efficiently promote the bioaccumulation of these nutrients. Studies have shown that Fe and Zn applied as nanoparticles (NPs), in different shapes (including spherical, irregular and wurtzite crystals), sizes and doses significantly influence their absorption, translocation rates and ion bioavailability in plants. Spherical NPs are the most common Fe (1-100 nm) and Zn (12-81 nm) nanoforms used. The supplementation routes include foliar application, drench and seed priming, with responses depending on the dose applied, which ranged from 20-500 mg L-1 for Fe NPs and 10-1000 mg L−1 for Zn NPs. Biofortification with Zn NPs increased the Zn content up to 230 % in wheat grains and 56.61 % in melon fruits. Similarly, Fe contents in cucumber fruits and rice grains increased by 71.37 % and 155.91 %, respectively, when Fe NPs were applied. Different forms of Fe and Zn NPs offer promising strategies to enhance the synthesis and accumulation of bioactive compounds as well as the accumulation of Fe and Zn in plants. However, their use in a wider range of crops requires further study.

One of the main challenges in commercial rabbit production is the high nutritional demands in primiparous females, which, together with their limited intake capacity, reduces their body fat stores and could be partly responsible for their low reproductive performance. Supplementation strategies with rich sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids in primiparous rabbits could compensate for their low reproductive performance. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the addition of increasing levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to the diet of rabbits on embryo development and embryo quality in New Zealand rabbits. Thirty New Zealand females aged 28-30 d and weighing an average of 587.5±35 g at the start of the experiment were randomly distributed into three feeding treatments: T0: (n=10) commercial diet, TCLA1 (n=10): commercial feed +2.5% CLA, TCLA2 (n=10): commercial feed +5.0% CLA, and were fed ad libitum with commercial balanced feed containing 18% crude protein and 12% crude fibre during the experimental phase (120 d). The females were exposed to a male for mating and sacrificed at 72 h postcoitus to obtain the embryos. No significant differences (P>0.05) were observed in the final weight of the animals between treatments. However, females fed with CLA presented a higher body condition compared to the control group (P<0.05). The TCLA2 group females presented an average of 9.5±1.467 embryos recovered per female, showing a significant difference (P<0.05) compared to the TCLA1 and T0 treatments. The embryos from the TCLA1 and TCLA2 treatments presented a higher percentage of excellent and good quality embryos compared to the control group (P<0.05). In conclusion, supplementation with 2.5 and 5.0% conjugated linoleic acid does not affect the final weight of female rabbits but significantly improves their body condition, the number of embryos recovered and embryo quality. These results highlight the potential of CLA as a nutritional tool to optimise reproductive efficiency in rabbit production systems.

The main objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of extrusion temperature (ET), feed moisture content (FMC), and the proportion of huitlacoche relative to corn starch (HCP/Starch) on the physicochemical, techno-functional, and color properties of an extruded snack, using response surface methodology to optimize processing conditions and product quality. A Box–Behnken design and response surface methodology were used to model and optimize the process. The responses analyzed included residence time (RT), specific mechanical energy (SME), expansion index (EI), bulk density (BD), texture (Tex), water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), pH, and color parameters (L*, a*, b*, C*, h°, and ΔE). Results showed that the huitlacoche proportion significantly affected BD, Tex, WSI, and color, while ET and FMC mainly influenced EI, SME, and other techno-functional traits. Multi-response optimization indicated that 150.4 °C, 15.8 g/100 g FMC, and 10–20 g/100 g HCP/Starch maximized EI (2.27) and minimized BD (0.40 g/cm3), Tex (17.5 N), and SME (347.6 J/g). The overall performance was summarized by global desirability (0.83–0.88), a metric that combines all responses into a single scale (0 = poor; 1 = is the most desired goal). The optimized conditions produced snacks with acceptable hydration capacity, pH, and color, supporting huitlacoche as a viable functional ingredient. These findings demonstrate the potential of this traditional resource for developing sustainable, value-added, and health-oriented extruded foods.

The aim of this research was to apply MCTs, Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), to reduce the EsSense25 and MemVOC vocabularies and evaluate them with coffee consumers in remote and sensory laboratory contexts. In the first stage, coffee experts evaluated both vocabularies to generate reduced lists. In the second stage, the response time for complete and reduced lists was analyzed using a pilot group of consumers. Finally, in the third stage, the complete and reduced lists were applied to coffee consumers in remote and laboratory contexts using the check-all-that-apply (CATA) technique, and their correlation was evaluated through Multiple factor analysis (MFA). The results showed that with AHP, the EsSense25 and MemVOC lists were reduced to 10 emotions and 11 memories, while TOPSIS yielded 16 emotions and 15 memories. Significant differences were found in response times between contexts and lists. In the remote context, the evaluation of the complete list took 340 s, while the reduced lists by TOPSIS and AHP required 244 and 160 s, respectively. In the sensory laboratory, the response time for the complete list was 485.8 s, while the reduced lists required 236.3 s for TOPSIS and 131.4 s for AHP, respectively. The correlation between complete and reduced lists ranged from 0.63 to 0.76 in the remote context and from 0.81 to 0.87 in the sensory laboratory. It is concluded that MCTs are an efficient alternative to reduce extensive lists of emotions and memories based on expert opinions, facilitating rapid and effective evaluations with consumers.

The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of solar and hybrid dryers on the physicochemical characteristics, fingerprints, and cognitive-sensory perceptions of Mexican consumers of traditional tostadas made with corn of different races. Corn tostadas from different native races were evaluated with solar and hybrid (solar-photovoltaic solar panels) dehydration methods. Proximal chemical quantification, instrumental analysis (color, texture), fingerprint by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and sensory-cognitive profile (emotions and memories) and its relationship with the level of pleasure were carried out. The data were evaluated using analysis of variance models, Cochran Q, and an external preference map (PREFMAP). The results showed that the drying method and corn race significantly (p < 0.05) affected only moisture content, lipids, carbohydrates, and water activity. Instrumental color was influenced by the corn race effect, and the dehydration type influenced the fracturability effect. FTIR fingerprinting results revealed that hybrid samples exhibited higher intensities, particularly associated with higher lime concentrations, indicating a greater exposure of glycosidic or protein structures. Race and dehydration type effects impacted the intensity of sensory attributes, emotions, and memories. PREFMAP vector model results revealed that consumers preferred tostadas from the Solar-Chiquito, Hybrid-Pepitilla, Hybrid-Cónico, and Hybrid-Chiquito races for their higher protein content, moisture, high fracturability, crunchiness, porousness, sweetness, doughy flavor, corn flavor, and burnt flavor, while images of these tostadas evoked positive emotions (tame, adventurous, free). In contrast, the Solar-Pepitilla tostada had a lower preference because it was perceived as sour and lime-flavored, and its tostada images evoked more negative emotions and memories (worried, accident, hurt, pain, wild) and fewer positive cognitive aspects (joyful, warm, rainy weather, summer, and interested). However, the tostadas of the Solar-Cónico race were the ones that were most rejected due to their high hardness and yellow to blue tones and for evoking negative emotions (nostalgic and bored).

University teaching is a fascinating activity but not without challenges, particularly in small, newly established universities or those located in geographically and economically disadvantaged areas. Among the most significant challenges faced by professors in such institutions is the lack of resources and teaching materials for subjects with a practical orientation. Faced with this situation, a central question arises: What role do professors’ creativity and innovation play in navigating these precarious conditions? The main objective of this paper is to share experiences and classroom practices in contexts of scarcity, where access to specialized software for business education programs is limited. Based on these experiences, a case study was developed as both an educational resource and a pedagogical strategy. This case study is shared with peers facing similar circumstances, with the aim of contributing to the quality of university students’ academic preparation.

A challenge in the design of biocompatible polymers involves the use of non-cytotoxic catalysts in the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactones. In this study, a family of seven mono-, di-, and tricarboxylic acids was used as organocatalysts for the ROP of ε-caprolactone (CL) and l-lactide (l-LA). The use of a long-chain aliphatic alcohol such as 1-docosanol (C22OH) has been demonstrated to accelerate the polymerization rate. For the ROP of CL, carboxylic acids with pka values less than 4 and an increase in functional groups exhibited the highest catalytic efficiency. In contrast, the ROP of l-LA exhibited conversion that was independent of the number of carboxyl groups or pka. Random copolymers of PCL-co-PLLA were successfully synthesized using citric acid as an organocatalyst and C22OH as an initiator. Increasing the l-LA content was observed to reduce the melting enthalpy without compromising semi-crystallinity, which is a behavior that is attributed to the docosyl terminal group.

Abstract Globally, Mexico ranks ninth among the main producers of pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.), despite its production system still relying on field-based vegetative propagation, which limits the establishment of new cultivation areas. Consequently, the primary challenge in Mexico is the implementation of in vitro cultivation protocols that enable rapid and effective propagation of pineapples. This study describes a pilot-scale production process for the Cayena Lisa and MD-2 varieties, covering the establishment of in vitro cultures using waste plant material, the propagation of shoots from fruit crowns, acclimatisation, adaptation to the field, and subsequent fruiting in the Papaloapan Basin region, the main production area in Mexico. We evaluated the production of shoots induced with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), monitoring the shoot forming capacity (SFC) and the geometric rates of propagation up to the fourth subculture in both semi-solid and liquid Murashige and Skoog (MS) media. In the leaf culture, four types of morphogenic responses were observed: direct organogenesis, rhizogenesis, and both direct and indirect somatic embryogenesis in both varieties. During the rooting stage, we achieved 100% efficiency using indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or activated charcoal. The follow-up extended to flowering and fruiting in the field, where pineapples were harvested with weights of 1.41 kg (13.9 °Brix) and 1.27 kg (14.43 °Brix). Finally, the procedure was scaled up using temporary immersion bioreactors (TIB) in both normal and double phases, alternating with closed containers.

Abstract The use of insects as food is a hot topic today and the obtaining and comprehensive characterisation of insect meals is relevant since any scientific information represents progress towards the real use of these ‘new foods’. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of flours obtained from Sphenarium purpurascens Ch. and Nauphoeta cinerea, identify the main components and know their functional properties and thermal profile in flours and their mixtures to establish their potential applications as ingredients in the food and feed industry. The results revealed that flours and their mixtures can be used to increase the nutritional value of foods, especially thanks to their high protein content (35%–38%); in addition, their potential uses are numerous and range from baking, snacks, drinks and meat substitutes thanks to their techno-functional and thermal properties. Regarding the thermal profile, this study presents results above 250 °C that have not been reported before for these insects and relate to the decomposition of acetylglucosamine units and the evaporation of low molecular weight volatile products that have not been reported for the flours of these insects. This study represents an advance in terms of the use of insects, pending attention to issues such as innocuity.