sábado, 21 de abril de 2018
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quarta-feira, 18 de abril de 2018
Cocoa bean roasting can preserve both chocolate health benefits, taste
Date: April 4, 2018 Source: Penn State Summary: Manipulating the temperature and the length of time under which cocoa beans are roasted can simultaneously preserve and even boost the potency of some bioactive and antioxidant compounds while protecting desired sensory aspects of chocolate, according to researchers.
Manipulating the temperature and the length of time under which cocoa beans are roasted can simultaneously preserve and even boost the potency of some bioactive and antioxidant compounds while protecting desired sensory aspects of chocolate, according to Penn State researchers.
That finding flies in the face of previous studies that indicate that roasting always results in a reduction in the polyphenol content in the beans. Cocoa polyphenols are believed to have a positive influence on human health, especially with regard to cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders and cancer prevention.
Chocolate, a food usually consumed for pleasure, in recent years has been reconsidered as a source of healthy compounds, noted lead researcher Joshua Lambert, associate professor of food science. The goal of the study, he explained, was to learn whether the roasting of cocoa beans could both preserve preferred flavor characteristics and boost health benefits.
Researchers investigated the impact of whole-bean roasting on the polyphenol content, aroma-related chemistry and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of cocoa under a range of roasting conditions. The inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity is a potential anti-obesity strategy.
Pancreatic lipase breaks down triglycerides into fatty acids, which then get absorbed through the lining of the small intestine. A pancreatic lipase inhibitor prevents the formation of fatty acids and therefore prevents absorption of dietary fats into the body.
In the study, total phenolics, epicatechin, and smaller proanthocyanidins were reduced by roasting at temperatures under 302 degrees Fahrenheit, Lambert pointed out. By contrast, roasting at 302 F or above increased the levels of catechin and larger proanthocyanidins, which have a greater ability to inhibit pancreas lipase.
Consistent with these changes, researchers found that cocoa roasted at 338 F better inhibited pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity than cocoa roasted at lower temperatures. Cocoa aroma-related compounds increased with roasting above 212 F, whereas deleterious sensory-related compounds formed at more severe temperatures, 338 F.
The research findings suggest that cocoa roasting can be optimized to increase the content of some polyphenols and boost anti-pancreas-lipase activity, while maintaining a favorable aroma profile, Lambert pointed out.
"Our results show that if you look at the individual polyphenolic content or the individual polyphenol compounds in cocoa, roasting causes some of them to go down while some of them go up," he said. "It is more complicated than saying that roasting leads to a decrease in phenolic content, and that by extension roasting reduces the health beneficial effects of cocoa."
The findings of the research, which were recently published on-line in Food Chemistry, will be of interest to chocolate makers, Lambert believes, because of an increasing demand for chocolate products offering enhanced health benefits. He cited as an example Mars company's CocoaVia cocoa-extract supplement that promises to deliver 375 mg of cocoa flavanols -- antioxidants -- in each serving to promote good health.
Beyond cocoa and chocolate, going forward Lambert predicted that more attention will be focused on how processing can affect the health beneficial effects of food.
"The effects of roasting and processing are complex and it's important to better understand what's going on in terms of the effect of the processing on the chemistry of the food," Lambert said. "We need to know how processing really affects the biological activity rather than to make an assumption that processing is always bad and that unprocessed or minimally-processed foods are always more healthful."
One case in point are studies that show that the human body is able to absorb lycopene better from tomato sauce than from raw tomatoes -- cooking tomatoes improves the bioavailability of the antioxidant, he said.
Also involved in the research at Penn State were Todd Stanley and Charlene Van Buiten, graduate students in food science; Scott Baker, undergraduate student in food science; Ryan Elias, associate professor of food science; Ramaswamy Anantheswarana, professor of food science and chairman of the Cocoa, Chocolate, and Confectionery Research Group at Penn State.
The National Institutes of Health and the Silvio and Edith Crespo Faculty Award in Chocolate supported this research.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Penn State. Original written by Jeff Mulhollem. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Todd H. Stanley, Charlene B. Van Buiten, Scott A. Baker, Ryan J. Elias, Ramaswamy C. Anantheswaran, Joshua D. Lambert. Impact of roasting on the flavan-3-ol composition, sensory-related chemistry, and in vitro pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of cocoa beans. Food Chemistry, 2018; 255: 414 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.02.036
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Penn State. "Cocoa bean roasting can preserve both chocolate health benefits, taste." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 April 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180404163629.htm>.
Manipulating the temperature and the length of time under which cocoa beans are roasted can simultaneously preserve and even boost the potency of some bioactive and antioxidant compounds while protecting desired sensory aspects of chocolate, according to Penn State researchers.
That finding flies in the face of previous studies that indicate that roasting always results in a reduction in the polyphenol content in the beans. Cocoa polyphenols are believed to have a positive influence on human health, especially with regard to cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders and cancer prevention.
Chocolate, a food usually consumed for pleasure, in recent years has been reconsidered as a source of healthy compounds, noted lead researcher Joshua Lambert, associate professor of food science. The goal of the study, he explained, was to learn whether the roasting of cocoa beans could both preserve preferred flavor characteristics and boost health benefits.
Researchers investigated the impact of whole-bean roasting on the polyphenol content, aroma-related chemistry and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of cocoa under a range of roasting conditions. The inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity is a potential anti-obesity strategy.
Pancreatic lipase breaks down triglycerides into fatty acids, which then get absorbed through the lining of the small intestine. A pancreatic lipase inhibitor prevents the formation of fatty acids and therefore prevents absorption of dietary fats into the body.
In the study, total phenolics, epicatechin, and smaller proanthocyanidins were reduced by roasting at temperatures under 302 degrees Fahrenheit, Lambert pointed out. By contrast, roasting at 302 F or above increased the levels of catechin and larger proanthocyanidins, which have a greater ability to inhibit pancreas lipase.
Consistent with these changes, researchers found that cocoa roasted at 338 F better inhibited pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity than cocoa roasted at lower temperatures. Cocoa aroma-related compounds increased with roasting above 212 F, whereas deleterious sensory-related compounds formed at more severe temperatures, 338 F.
The research findings suggest that cocoa roasting can be optimized to increase the content of some polyphenols and boost anti-pancreas-lipase activity, while maintaining a favorable aroma profile, Lambert pointed out.
"Our results show that if you look at the individual polyphenolic content or the individual polyphenol compounds in cocoa, roasting causes some of them to go down while some of them go up," he said. "It is more complicated than saying that roasting leads to a decrease in phenolic content, and that by extension roasting reduces the health beneficial effects of cocoa."
The findings of the research, which were recently published on-line in Food Chemistry, will be of interest to chocolate makers, Lambert believes, because of an increasing demand for chocolate products offering enhanced health benefits. He cited as an example Mars company's CocoaVia cocoa-extract supplement that promises to deliver 375 mg of cocoa flavanols -- antioxidants -- in each serving to promote good health.
Beyond cocoa and chocolate, going forward Lambert predicted that more attention will be focused on how processing can affect the health beneficial effects of food.
"The effects of roasting and processing are complex and it's important to better understand what's going on in terms of the effect of the processing on the chemistry of the food," Lambert said. "We need to know how processing really affects the biological activity rather than to make an assumption that processing is always bad and that unprocessed or minimally-processed foods are always more healthful."
One case in point are studies that show that the human body is able to absorb lycopene better from tomato sauce than from raw tomatoes -- cooking tomatoes improves the bioavailability of the antioxidant, he said.
Also involved in the research at Penn State were Todd Stanley and Charlene Van Buiten, graduate students in food science; Scott Baker, undergraduate student in food science; Ryan Elias, associate professor of food science; Ramaswamy Anantheswarana, professor of food science and chairman of the Cocoa, Chocolate, and Confectionery Research Group at Penn State.
The National Institutes of Health and the Silvio and Edith Crespo Faculty Award in Chocolate supported this research.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Penn State. Original written by Jeff Mulhollem. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Todd H. Stanley, Charlene B. Van Buiten, Scott A. Baker, Ryan J. Elias, Ramaswamy C. Anantheswaran, Joshua D. Lambert. Impact of roasting on the flavan-3-ol composition, sensory-related chemistry, and in vitro pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of cocoa beans. Food Chemistry, 2018; 255: 414 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.02.036
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Penn State. "Cocoa bean roasting can preserve both chocolate health benefits, taste." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 April 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180404163629.htm>.
Practicing Tai Chi helps improve respiratory function in patients with COPD
Tai Chi offers a low-cost, easily accessible alternative to pulmonary rehabilitation, study finds
Date: April 4, 2018 Source: Elsevier
Summary:
Currently, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is used where available to improve exercise capacity and quality of life, but the treatment requires access to trained staff and specialized facilities. A new study looked at Tai Chi as a lower cost, more easily accessed treatment option. Investigators found that this slow, methodical form of exercise is equivalent to PR for improving respiratory function in patients with COPD.
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New health benefits discovered in berry pigment
Date: April 5, 2018 Source: University of Eastern Finland Summary: Naturally occurring pigments in berries, also known as anthocyanins, increase the function of the sirtuin 6 enzyme in cancer cells, a new study shows. The regulation of this enzyme could open up new avenues for cancer treatment.
Naturally occurring pigments in berries, also known as anthocyanins, increase the function of the sirtuin 6 enzyme in cancer cells, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. The regulation of this enzyme could open up new avenues for cancer treatment. The findings were published in Scientific Reports.
Sirtuins are enzymes regulating the expression of genes that control the function of cells through key cellular signalling pathways. Ageing causes changes in sirtuin function, and these changes contribute to the development of various diseases. Sirtuin 6, or SIRT6 for short, is a less well-known enzyme that is also linked to glucose metabolism.
Berries get their red, blue or purple colour from natural pigments, anthocyanins.
"The most interesting results of our study relate to cyanidin, which is an anthocyanin found abundantly in wild bilberry, blackcurrant and lingonberry," says Minna Rahnasto-Rilla, Doctor of Pharmacy, the lead author of the article.
Cyanidin increased SIRT6 enzyme levels in human colorectal cancer cells, and it was also discovered to decrease the expression of the Twist1 and GLUT1 cancer genes, while increasing the expression of the tumour suppressor FoXO3 gene in cells.
The researchers also designed a computer-based model that allowed them to predict how different flavonoid compounds in plants can regulate the SIRT6 enzyme.
The findings indicate that anthocyanins increase the activation of SIRT6, which may play a role in cancer pathogenesis. The study also lays a foundation for the development of new drugs that regulate SIRT6 function.
Working at the School of Pharmacy of the University of Eastern Finland, the Sirtuin Research Group studies whether anthocyanins found in berries could activate SIRT6 function and, consequently, reduce the expression of cancer genes and cancer cell growth. The group also develops new compounds targeting the epigenetic regulation of gene function.
The Finnish-American study included researchers from the University of Eastern Finland and the National Institute on Ageing in the US. The study was funded by the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and the US National Institute of Health.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Eastern Finland. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Minna Rahnasto-Rilla, Jonna Tyni, Marjo Huovinen, Elina Jarho, Tomasz Kulikowicz, Sarangan Ravichandran, Vilhelm A. Bohr, Luigi Ferrucci, Maija Lahtela-Kakkonen, Ruin Moaddel. Natural polyphenols as sirtuin 6 modulators. Scientific Reports, 2018; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22388-5
Cite This Page:
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University of Eastern Finland. "New health benefits discovered in berry pigment." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 April 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180405093200.htm>.
Naturally occurring pigments in berries, also known as anthocyanins, increase the function of the sirtuin 6 enzyme in cancer cells, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. The regulation of this enzyme could open up new avenues for cancer treatment. The findings were published in Scientific Reports.
Sirtuins are enzymes regulating the expression of genes that control the function of cells through key cellular signalling pathways. Ageing causes changes in sirtuin function, and these changes contribute to the development of various diseases. Sirtuin 6, or SIRT6 for short, is a less well-known enzyme that is also linked to glucose metabolism.
Berries get their red, blue or purple colour from natural pigments, anthocyanins.
"The most interesting results of our study relate to cyanidin, which is an anthocyanin found abundantly in wild bilberry, blackcurrant and lingonberry," says Minna Rahnasto-Rilla, Doctor of Pharmacy, the lead author of the article.
Cyanidin increased SIRT6 enzyme levels in human colorectal cancer cells, and it was also discovered to decrease the expression of the Twist1 and GLUT1 cancer genes, while increasing the expression of the tumour suppressor FoXO3 gene in cells.
The researchers also designed a computer-based model that allowed them to predict how different flavonoid compounds in plants can regulate the SIRT6 enzyme.
The findings indicate that anthocyanins increase the activation of SIRT6, which may play a role in cancer pathogenesis. The study also lays a foundation for the development of new drugs that regulate SIRT6 function.
Working at the School of Pharmacy of the University of Eastern Finland, the Sirtuin Research Group studies whether anthocyanins found in berries could activate SIRT6 function and, consequently, reduce the expression of cancer genes and cancer cell growth. The group also develops new compounds targeting the epigenetic regulation of gene function.
The Finnish-American study included researchers from the University of Eastern Finland and the National Institute on Ageing in the US. The study was funded by the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and the US National Institute of Health.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Eastern Finland. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Minna Rahnasto-Rilla, Jonna Tyni, Marjo Huovinen, Elina Jarho, Tomasz Kulikowicz, Sarangan Ravichandran, Vilhelm A. Bohr, Luigi Ferrucci, Maija Lahtela-Kakkonen, Ruin Moaddel. Natural polyphenols as sirtuin 6 modulators. Scientific Reports, 2018; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22388-5
Cite This Page:
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University of Eastern Finland. "New health benefits discovered in berry pigment." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 April 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180405093200.htm>.
Sweet potato history casts doubt on early contact between Polynesia and the Americas
Date: April 12, 2018 Source: Cell Press Summary: New evidence shows that sweet potatoes arose before there were any humans around to eat them. The findings also suggest that the sweet potato crossed the ocean from America to Polynesia without any help from people. The discovery raises doubts about the existence of pre-Columbian contacts between Polynesia and the American continent.
This image shows detail of a flower of Ipomoea cordatotriloba, a close wild relative of sweet potato from South America.
Credit: Pablo Munoz-Rodriguez
Evidence reported in the journal Current Biology on April 12 shows that sweet potatoes arose before there were any humans around to eat them. The findings also suggest that the sweet potato crossed the ocean from America to Polynesia without any help from people. The discovery raises doubts about the existence of pre-Columbian contacts between Polynesia and the American continent.
"Apart from identifying its progenitor, we also discovered that sweet potato originated well before humans, at least 800,000 years ago," says Robert Scotland from the University of Oxford. "Therefore, it is likely that the edible root already existed when humans first found this plant."
Scotland and colleagues set out to clarify the origin and evolution of the sweet potato, which is one of the most widely consumed crops in the world and an important source of vitamin A precursors. They also aimed to explore a question that has been of interest for centuries: how did the sweet potato, a crop of American origin, come to be widespread in Polynesia by the time Europeans first arrived? In fact, researchers have suggested that the sweet potato's early presence in Polynesia was evidence of pre-European contacts between Americans and Polynesians.
The researchers combined genome skimming and target DNA capture to sequence the whole chloroplasts and 605 single-copy nuclear regions from 199 specimens representing the sweet potato and all of its crop wild relatives. The data strongly suggest that sweet potato arose after a genome duplication event. Its closest wild relative is Ipomoea trifida. The findings confirm that no other extant species was involved in the sweet potato's origin.
Phylogenetic analysis of the DNA sequences produced conflicting family trees. However, the researchers report, those conflicting patterns can be explained by a dual role for I. trifida. Sweet potato arose from I. trifida and later hybridized with I. trifida to produce another, independent sweet potato lineage.
"We demonstrate that the existence of those two different lineages is the result of an ancient hybridization between sweet potato and its progenitor," says Munoz-Rodriguez, first author of the paper. "We conclude that sweet potato evolved at least 800,000 years ago from its progenitor, and then after the two species became distinct, they hybridized."
The findings come as good news for the future of the sweet potato. That's because the loss of genetic diversity in crops is a major threat for food security. One way to improve or reinforce desirable properties in food crops is to cross them with their closest wild relatives. So, Scotland says, the identification of the sweet potato's progenitor opens the door to a more accurate understanding of its potential role in sweet potato breeding.
The new view on sweet potato history also has major implications for understanding human history.
"Our results challenge not only the hypothesis that the sweet potato was taken to Polynesia by humans, but also the long-time argued existence of ancient contacts between Americans and Polynesians," Munoz-Rodriguez says. "These contacts were considered as true based on evidence from chickens, humans, and sweet potato. Evidence from chickens and humans is now considered questionable, and thus sweet potato was the remaining biological evidence of these alleged contacts. Therefore, our results refute the dominant theory and call into question the existence of pre-European contacts across the Pacific."
Story Source:
Materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Pablo Muñoz-Rodríguez, Tom Carruthers, John R.I. Wood, Bethany R.M. Williams, Kevin Weitemier, Brent Kronmiller, David Ellis, Noelle L. Anglin, Lucas Longway, Stephen A. Harris, Mark D. Rausher, Steven Kelly, Aaron Liston, Robert W. Scotland. Reconciling Conflicting Phylogenies in the Origin of Sweet Potato and Dispersal to Polynesia. Current Biology, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.03.020
Cite This Page:
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Cell Press. "Sweet potato history casts doubt on early contact between Polynesia and the Americas." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 April 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180412140845.htm>.
This image shows detail of a flower of Ipomoea cordatotriloba, a close wild relative of sweet potato from South America.
Credit: Pablo Munoz-Rodriguez
Evidence reported in the journal Current Biology on April 12 shows that sweet potatoes arose before there were any humans around to eat them. The findings also suggest that the sweet potato crossed the ocean from America to Polynesia without any help from people. The discovery raises doubts about the existence of pre-Columbian contacts between Polynesia and the American continent.
"Apart from identifying its progenitor, we also discovered that sweet potato originated well before humans, at least 800,000 years ago," says Robert Scotland from the University of Oxford. "Therefore, it is likely that the edible root already existed when humans first found this plant."
Scotland and colleagues set out to clarify the origin and evolution of the sweet potato, which is one of the most widely consumed crops in the world and an important source of vitamin A precursors. They also aimed to explore a question that has been of interest for centuries: how did the sweet potato, a crop of American origin, come to be widespread in Polynesia by the time Europeans first arrived? In fact, researchers have suggested that the sweet potato's early presence in Polynesia was evidence of pre-European contacts between Americans and Polynesians.
The researchers combined genome skimming and target DNA capture to sequence the whole chloroplasts and 605 single-copy nuclear regions from 199 specimens representing the sweet potato and all of its crop wild relatives. The data strongly suggest that sweet potato arose after a genome duplication event. Its closest wild relative is Ipomoea trifida. The findings confirm that no other extant species was involved in the sweet potato's origin.
Phylogenetic analysis of the DNA sequences produced conflicting family trees. However, the researchers report, those conflicting patterns can be explained by a dual role for I. trifida. Sweet potato arose from I. trifida and later hybridized with I. trifida to produce another, independent sweet potato lineage.
"We demonstrate that the existence of those two different lineages is the result of an ancient hybridization between sweet potato and its progenitor," says Munoz-Rodriguez, first author of the paper. "We conclude that sweet potato evolved at least 800,000 years ago from its progenitor, and then after the two species became distinct, they hybridized."
The findings come as good news for the future of the sweet potato. That's because the loss of genetic diversity in crops is a major threat for food security. One way to improve or reinforce desirable properties in food crops is to cross them with their closest wild relatives. So, Scotland says, the identification of the sweet potato's progenitor opens the door to a more accurate understanding of its potential role in sweet potato breeding.
The new view on sweet potato history also has major implications for understanding human history.
"Our results challenge not only the hypothesis that the sweet potato was taken to Polynesia by humans, but also the long-time argued existence of ancient contacts between Americans and Polynesians," Munoz-Rodriguez says. "These contacts were considered as true based on evidence from chickens, humans, and sweet potato. Evidence from chickens and humans is now considered questionable, and thus sweet potato was the remaining biological evidence of these alleged contacts. Therefore, our results refute the dominant theory and call into question the existence of pre-European contacts across the Pacific."
Story Source:
Materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Pablo Muñoz-Rodríguez, Tom Carruthers, John R.I. Wood, Bethany R.M. Williams, Kevin Weitemier, Brent Kronmiller, David Ellis, Noelle L. Anglin, Lucas Longway, Stephen A. Harris, Mark D. Rausher, Steven Kelly, Aaron Liston, Robert W. Scotland. Reconciling Conflicting Phylogenies in the Origin of Sweet Potato and Dispersal to Polynesia. Current Biology, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.03.020
Cite This Page:
MLA
APA
Chicago
Cell Press. "Sweet potato history casts doubt on early contact between Polynesia and the Americas." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 April 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180412140845.htm>.
Adolescents' cooking skills strongly predict future nutritional well-being
Confidence in cooking ability led to fewer fast food meals, more meals as a family, and more frequent preparation of meals with vegetables in adulthood, according to a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
Date: April 17, 2018 Source: Elsevier
Summary:
Evidence suggests that developing cooking and food preparation skills is important for health and nutrition, yet the practice of home cooking is declining and now rarely taught in school. A new study found that developing cooking skills as a young adult may have long-term benefits for health and nutrition.
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terça-feira, 17 de abril de 2018
Dez fatos sobre o coentrão
Texto:
Giovanna Brito Lins - Graduanda em Ciência e Tecnologia e Ciências Biológicas na Universidade Federal do ABC
Marcos Roberto Furlan - Engenheiro Agrônomo - Professor - Faculdade Cantareira/Unitau
No Brasil, esta espécie (foto) é mais comum no Norte e no Nordeste, onde é cultivada principalmente nos quintais. Seu nome científico é Eryngium foetidum L. e pertence à família Apiaceae. Popularmente, devido à semelhança no sabor e no aroma com o coentro, é conhecida principalmente por coentrão.
Embora seja utilizada como hortaliça e condimento, possui, comprovadamente, propriedades medicinais. Em alguns estados brasileiros como o Amazonas, serve como uma boa fonte de renda para pequenos agricultores, pois é uma planta com alto consumo e ótima aceitação popular.
Foto: Eryngium foetidum
Não se sabe ao certo sua origem, mas acredita-se que seja natural da América do Sul, embora também possa ser encontrada com facilidade na América Central e na Ásia. É uma herbácea perene que normalmente atinge até 30 cm de altura, tendo, por vezes, crescimento espontâneo principalmente nas regiões Norte e Nordeste. Desenvolve-se bem em climas quentes, preferindo solo fértil (embora possa crescer em condições adversas) e úmido. Suas folhas são relativamente grandes e duras.
10 usos e curiosidades sobre o coentrão
1. Tradicionalmente, esta planta é utilizada na medicina popular como diurético, antídoto contra alguns venenos, febrífugo, emenagogo, antiespasmódico e afrodisíaco (http://nerua.inpa.gov.br/NERUA/08.htm), além de possuir vitaminas A, B1, B2 e C; sais minerais tais como cálcio e ferro e ser excelente fonte de fibras e antioxidantes.
2. É considerado ingrediente essencial na preparação do tacacá e pato no tucupi. Pode ser, ainda, usado na preparação de peixes, moquecas e sopas além de ser possível encontrar receitas de shakes e doces na internet.
3. É possível encontrar descrições da planta na obra do século XVI "Tratado Descritivo do Brasil " de 1587, que informava à Portugal sobre espécies de plantas e animais encontradas no Brasil. Segue-se, para o coentrão, o seguinte: "Há uma erva que se chama nhambí, que se parece na folha com coentro, e queima como mastruços, a qual os comem os índios e mestiços crua, e temperam as panelas dos seus manjares com ela, de quem é mui estimada.".
Referência: História da alimentação no Brasil, do Luis da Câmara Cascudo.
4. Pertence à Família Apiaceae, a qual inclui, por exemplo, aipo, alcarávia, cenoura, cominho, coentro, erva-doce, funcho, salsinhas, dentre outros. Outras denominações populares são: chicória, chicória-do-amazonas, chicória-do-pará, coentro-de-caboclo, coentro-japonês, coentro-verdadeiro e nhambi, dentre outras.
5. O constituinte do óleo essencial responsável pelo cheiro característico, comum também ao coentro (Coriandrum sativum), é o trans-2-tridecaenal. Este composto é agradável para algumas pessoas, para outras não e, ainda, pode passar despercebido por outras. Ainda não se sabe exatamente os motivos destas distinções, embora estudos mostrem que podem ser culturais ou mesmo genéticos.
6. O epíteto específico "foetidum" vem do latim e significa "fedido", em referência ao cheiro da planta. O nome do gênero é derivado de "eryngion", o nome popular grego da planta Eryngium maritimum.
7. A praga mais comum associada à plantação do coentrão, é o lepidóptero Plutella xylostella, conhecido como traça-das-crucíferas.
8. Diferente do coentro comum, o coentrão é rústico quanto às exigências de cultivo. Pode sobreviver por até 2 anos (é bianual) e as folhas resistem por dias, quando guardadas na geladeira.
9. Ainda é considerada uma PANC (Planta Alimentícia Não Convencional), uma vez que seu consumo somente é considerável em algumas regiões do Brasil.
10. Tem se mostrado promissora a exportação desta planta para o Reino Unido e Oriente Médio. (https://www.fag.edu.br/upload/revista/cultivando_o_saber/57746a41661d2.pdf)
Outras fontes: