Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) was introduced to Mexico in 1959. Currently there is an estimated planted area of 835.96 ha and a production of 8,730.27 tons. The fruit is mainly consumed fresh, but quickly loses its external appearance due to dehydration and browning, which limits its commercialization, an alternative may be minimal processing and adjuvant treatments that extend the shelf life. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of coating with cactus mucilage (Opuntia ficus-indica), in the preservation of minimally processed rambutan stored at 5 °C, in two types of packaging. The rambutan was sanitized with chlorinated water (80 ppm), the epicarp was removed and batches were formed for each treatment. The factors were type of container (polyethylene bag and polystyrene container), coating (with and without coating) and time (0, 3, 6, 6, 10 and 12 d). The coating consisted of mucilage obtained from developing cladodes (15–21 cm), applied by dipping. All treatments were stored at 5 ℃. Total soluble solids (TSS), firmness (N) and color (L*, a*, b*, chroma and hue angle) were evaluated at each storage period. Also, 40 untrained judges (47% male and 53% female) evaluated sensory acceptability, consumption intention and acceptance/rejection. The results showed significant effect (p ≤ 0.05) of package type on firmness, chroma and hue angle. Coating had an effect on L* value and product acceptability. Consumption intention was higher, and was maintained for 10 days, in fruits with coating and packaged in polyethylene bags, stored at 5 ℃.

Branched micro/nano Se was prepared by the redaction of L-Cys•HCl and H₂SeO₃ in hydrothermal method, as β-CD was used as soft template. The structures of products were characterized by SEM, TEM and XRD. Some important factors influencing the morphology of products were studied and discussed, including the amounts of soft template, the reaction temperature and the reaction time. The results showed that external causes had a potent effect on the morphology of micro/nano Se. The uniform branched micro/nano Se prepared under the optimal reaction condition was rhombohedral trigonal selenium t-Se⁰, but its crystallinity degree was low.

Broccoli has been consumed around the world in various ways; either raw, blanched, frozen, dehydrated or fermented; however, functional foods and nutraceuticals are currently being designed and marketed from broccoli, through the extraction of compounds such as sulforaphane, which according to several studies and depending on its bioavailability has a protective effect on some types of cancer. Likewise, several food technologies are reported to seek to offer innovative foods to increasingly careful and critical consumers, ensuring that they retain their nutritional and sensory attributes even after processing and that they are also safe. In this sense, studies on the effect of processing on compounds of interest to health are of great relevance. Therefore, this article presents an overview on the study of traditionally consumed broccoli and the design of new products from the use of agro-industrial residues that, due to their high content of fiber and fitochemical compounds, can benefit the quality of life of the human population.

This work was carried out with the purpose of generating ecological and silvicultural information oriented to sustainable management. The horizontal structure was evaluated using the importance value index of Curtis and Macintosh, the vertical structure using Finol’s methodology. Through the sociological position index, the percentage natural regeneration and the extended importance value index were estimated in order to infer the permanence of the forest ecosystem. The floristic composition was represented by species of the families Anacardiaceae, Apocynaceae, Fabaceae, Santalaceae, Rhamnaceae, Sapotaceae, Simarubaceae, Ulmaceae, Zygophyllaceae, Capparidaceae, Borraginaceae and Achatocarpaceae. In the horizontal structure, the species with the highest rank was Acacia praecox, followed in order of importance by Schinopsis balansae, Aspidosperma quebracho blanco and Prosopis kuntzei. According to sociological position, Acacia praecox was the most representative species, followed by Patagonula americana, Schinus longifolius, Proposis kuntzei and Aspidosperma quebracho blanco. The species with the best regeneration values were Achatocarpus nigricans and Acacia praecox in the shrub layer and Patagonula americana in the tree layer. The extended importance index consolidated the category of Acacia praecox in the community and gave a better category to Schinopsis balansae, Aspidosperma quebracho blanco, Prosopis kuntzei and Patagonula americana.

In this paper, spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), rod-shape AuNPs and triangular AuNPs were synthesized using CTAB as the coating reagent, and their bactericidal properties against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were studied. By the plate count method and turbidity method, the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) and the minimum bacteriostasis concentrations (MIC) to the two kinds of bacteria were determined. The MIC of rod-shape AuNPs, triangular AuNPs and spherical AuNPs to E. coli were 0.65 μg/mL, 3.71 μg/mL, 21.21 μg/mL, and MBC were 1.30 μg/mL, 11.09 μg/mL, 21.21 μg/mL, respectively. The MIC to S. aureus were 0.26 μg/mL, 0.56 μg/mL, 2.65 μg/mL, while MBC were 0.52 μg/mL, 1.11 μg/mL, 2.65 μg/mL, respectively. The results showed that the bactericidal effect of rod-shape AuNPs on E. coli and S. aureus was higher than that of the other two forms, and the bactericidal effect of three different forms of AuNPs on S. aureus was better than that on E. coli.