The terms 'antioxidant', 'oxidative stress' and 'oxidative damage' are widely used but rarely defined. This brief review attempts to define them and to examine the ways in which oxidative stress and oxidative damage can affect cell behaviour both in vivo and in cell culture, using cancer as an example.

Biochemistry of oxidative stress

Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is the most abundantly available bioresource amounting to about a global yield of up to 1.3 billion tons per year. The hydrolysis of LCB results in the release of various reducing sugars which are highly valued in the production of biofuels such as bioethanol and biogas, various organic acids, phenols, and aldehydes. The majority of LCB is composed of biological polymers such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are strongly associated with each other by covalent and hydrogen bonds thus forming a highly recalcitrant structure. The presence of lignin renders the bio-polymeric structure highly resistant to solubilization thereby inhibiting the hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose which presents a significant challenge for the isolation of the respective bio-polymeric components. This has led to extensive research in the development of various pretreatment techniques utilizing various physical, chemical, physicochemical and biological approaches which are specifically tailored towards the source biomaterial and its application. The objective of this review is to discuss the various pretreatment strategies currently in use and provide an overview of their utilization for the isolation of high-value bio-polymeric components. The article further discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the various pretreatment methodologies as well as addresses the role of various key factors that are likely to have a significant impact on the pretreatment and digestibility of LCB.

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Recent Trends in the Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass for Value-Added Products

Mushrooms have been consumed since earliest history; ancient Greeks believed that mushrooms provided strength for warriors in battle, and the Romans perceived them as the “Food of the Gods.” For centuries, the Chinese culture has treasured mushrooms as a health food, an “elixir of life.” They have been part of the human culture for thousands of years and have considerable interest in the most important civilizations in history because of their sensory characteristics; they have been recognized for their attractive culinary attributes. Nowadays, mushrooms are popular valuable foods because they are low in calories, carbohydrates, fat, and sodium: also, they are cholesterol-free. Besides, mushrooms provide important nutrients, including selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D, proteins, and fiber. All together with a long history as food source, mushrooms are important for their healing capacities and properties in traditional medicine. It has reported beneficial effects for health and treatment of some diseases. Many nutraceutical properties are described in mushrooms, such as prevention or treatment of Parkinson, Alzheimer, hypertension, and high risk of stroke. They are also utilized to reduce the likelihood of cancer invasion and metastasis due to antitumoral attributes. Mushrooms act as antibacterial, immune system enhancer and cholesterol lowering agents; additionally, they are important sources of bioactive compounds. As a result of these properties, some mushroom extracts are used to promote human health and are found as dietary supplements.

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Edible Mushrooms: Improving Human Health and Promoting Quality Life

Insight into progress in pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass

Liquid hot water pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for bioethanol production accompanying with high valuable products.

Making the Process of Enzyme Production in Solid-State Cultivation Cleaner and More Sustainable—Reuse of Raw Materials and a Syringe-Type Bioreactor Enter in the Scene

Ethanol production via co-fermentation of C6 and C5 sugars from steam-pretreated sugarcane bagasse hydrolysates using non-GM yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae CAT-1 and Spathaspora hagerdaliae UFMG-CMY-303

Comparison of liquid hot water and saturated steam pretreatments to evaluate the enzymatic hydrolysis yield of elephant grass

Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar o efeito de pre-tratamentos de sacarose 20%, NaCl 5%, sacarose 10% + NaCl 5%, CaCl 2 1% e polvilho doce 2,5% no tempo de secagem de tomate-cereja, bem como na capacidade de reidratacao e nas caracteristicas sensoriais do produto final. Metades de tomate-cereja oblongo foram imersas nas solucoes e desidratadas a 60 °C em um desidratador de bandejas com ventilacao forcada de ar, ate a umidade final de 25% (base umida). Por meio das curvas de secagem, observou-se que o pre-tratamento mais efetivo foi o de sacarose 10% + NaCl 5%, que reduziu o tempo de processo em 27%. Quanto a reidratacao, o tratamento com sacarose 20% aumentou significativamente a capacidade de absorcao de agua do tomate desidratado, quando comparado com o controle. Ja na avaliacao sensorial dos atributos, a amostra que foi mais bem conceituada foi aquela submetida ao pre-tratamento de sacarose 10% + NaCl 5%, enquanto que a amostra pre-tratada somente com NaCl 5% apresentou as notas mais baixas.

Study of the pre-treatments for the dehydration of cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme).

The aim of this study was to develop and characterize (antioxidant, physicochemical, and microbiological parameters as well as thermal stability) edible antioxidant flour ob-tained from organic grape juice pomace Organic grape pomace from Vitis labrusca L (Isabel and Bordo varieties) was used in the study Physicochemical and microbiological analyses of the flour were performed To characterize the thermal stability, the flour was submitted to different heating times, and the levels of phenolic compounds were determined The total phenolic content (TPC) was quantified by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and the antioxidant capacity was evaluated by the scavenger capacities of free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS•+) The deseeded Bordo variety pomace had the highest content of phenolic compounds and was chosen to develop the edible antioxidant flour This flour showed important phenolic content (13305 mgGAE/g), high fiber concentration (4721 g/100 g), and low fat content (737 g/100 g) Its micro-biological parameters were adequate for food safety The thermal stability evaluation showed that heating at 150 °C for 20 minutes did not affect the total phenolic content Heating using higher temperatures or times decreased total phenolic content in a range of 30% to 65% The flour obtained from organic grape juice pomace exhibited important phenolic content and antioxidant power, thereby proving to be an alternative to enhance the nutritional value of foods for use as an organic flour

Roselei Claudete Fontana

Papers

Making the Process of Enzyme Production in Solid-State Cultivation Cleaner and More Sustainable—Reuse of Raw Materials and a Syringe-Type Bioreactor Enter in the Scene

Ethanol production via co-fermentation of C6 and C5 sugars from steam-pretreated sugarcane bagasse hydrolysates using non-GM yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae CAT-1 and Spathaspora hagerdaliae UFMG-CMY-303

Comparison of liquid hot water and saturated steam pretreatments to evaluate the enzymatic hydrolysis yield of elephant grass

Study of the pre-treatments for the dehydration of cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme).

Organic grape juice pomace as raw material for development of an antioxidant edible flour