Avaliação da toxicidade de suco de caju (Anacardium occidentale) processado por plasma frio e ultrassom

Abstract

Emerging technologies have been extensively studied to be used as an alternative to conventional processing methods, as they trigger changes in the matrix, most of the time positive, and are promising in food preservation and in the inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms. Although non-thermal technologies are widely studied in food science, studies on the toxicity of foods exposed to non-thermal processing are scarce. The objective of this work was to assess the toxicidityand the protective effect of unprocessed and non-thermal processed cashew apple juice against oxidative stress in brine shrimp (Artemia salina). For this purpose, acute toxicity and protective effect tests on nonprocessed and non-thermally processed cashew juice on A. salina were carried out. Samples resulting from experiments were investigated regarding mortality, oxidative enzymes, and morphology. There was no mortality of nauplii exposed to non-processed and sonicated cashew juice. However, plasmolized samples provoked deaths at 1000 μg/mL-1. Sonicated sample was the only sample that presented a protective effect against hydrogen peroxide stress. Most cashew juice samples caused structural damage to nauplii. Antioxidant enzymes activity did not change significantly. The result of applying nonthermal treatments to food is dependent on the matrix used. More studies are needed to investigate the products generated by cashew juice raw and non-thermal processed technologies.