ESACB - Artigos em revistas com arbitragem científica
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
- Information about nutritional aspects of edible insects: Perspectives across different European geographiesPublication . Guiné, Raquel P. F.; Florença, Sofia G.; Costa, Cristina A.; Correia, Paula M.R.; Ferreira, Manuela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, O.; Bartkiene, Elena; Matek Sarić, MarijanaEdible insects (EIs) have recently gained attention as an alternative and more sustainable food, emerging as an alternative to other protein foods with higher environmental impacts, like bovine meat. EIs contain a valuable composition of macro and micronutrients, important for human nutrition. Nevertheless, their consumption is not yet widespread in Western countries, such as in Europe. This work aimed to study how consumers in three different European locations perceive the role of EIs in human nutrition. Data collection was carried out by a questionnaire survey in three countries (Croatia, Lithuania, and Portugal), and 1723 participants were included in the study. For the treatment of the data, SPSS software was used, and chi-square tests and tree classification analysis were performed. The results showed that for all the statements presented to the participants, significant differences were found in information about EIs according to country. The results further highlighted that the participants were better informed about the high protein content of EIs, while not being well informed about their possible anti-nutritive effects. Tree classification revealed that the most important discriminating variable was country, with Lithuanian participants being better informed than those from Portugal or Croatia.
- Insect-based chitin and chitosan from whole body sources and rearing by-products: Extraction, physicochemical, structural and bioactivity characterisationPublication . Navarro, P.; Ribeiro, J.C.; Luís, Â.; Domingues, F.; Anjos, O.; Cunha, L.M.Fractionation of edible insects and their rearing by-products can lead to expanded industrial applications and extraction of value-added products. The main goal of this study was to extract chitin and synthesise chitosan from three different insect sources ‒ Tenebrio molitor larvae, adult Acheta domesticus and A. domesticus rearing by-products (legs and wings). Furthermore, the physicochemical, structural, and bioactive properties of insect-derived chitin and chitosan were characterised and compared to commercial crustacean-based samples. Chitin was isolated from defatted sources through chemical hydrolysis followed by decolourisation and was deacetylated with a strong alkaline solution to synthesise chitosan. Notably, A. domesticus rearing by-products yielded the highest chitin and chitosan content. Chitin and chitosan derived from insects exhibited physicochemical and structural characteristics consistent with the α-polymorphic form, similar to the commercial samples. Differences were found in surface morphology, with insect-derived samples presenting large and irregular flakes and porosity, while the crustacean-derived samples presented irregularly arranged fibres and a more regular and smoother surface. As for antioxidant activity, although all chitosan samples demonstrated poor DPPH radical scavenging activity, this study showed for the first time that insect-derived chitosan presents lipid peroxidation inhibition ability. All chitosan samples presented antimicrobial activity against different pathogenic bacteria, with K. pneumoniae being the most susceptible strain. Nevertheless, there is potential for enhancement of the biological properties through modifications on the molecular weight and deacetylation degree. This research introduces the potential of cricket-rearing by-products as sustainable sources of chitosan with functional bioactive properties.
- A revisit of plant food waste along food supply chains: Impacts and perspectivesPublication . Gonçalves, Joana; Anjos, O.; Guiné, Raquel P. F.More than one billion tons of the food produced in the world ends up being wasted every year, accounting for about one-third of the food produced globally. For this reason, the problem of food waste management has been the focus of the different actors intervening in the food supply chains, who recognize that food waste has not only environmental but also economic and social impacts. This review focuses on foods of plant origin wasted at different stages of their life, namely primary production, transformation/processing, transportation, sales, catering and the domestic level. It addresses the subject from multiple angles, considering the environmental, economic and social perspectives. The review was based on a search carried out within scientific databases, for example, ScienceDirect, Scopus and the Web of Science. The results highlighted that in the generation and management of food waste from plant origin, there is a clear difference between developed and developing countries, with these last showing higher losses in production, principally the transportation and storage of the foods. Contrarily, in developed countries, excess food produced and not consumed is the strongest contributor to food waste. Valorization of agricultural waste and industrial residues for application into animal feed or agricultural fertilizers, or through the recovery of valuable compounds for industrial purposes, are some of the ways to deal with food waste while generating additional economic value and reducing environmental impact. However, there is still a need to modify processes and behaviors to reduce food waste and improve the sustainability of supply chains. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct research to identify and report food waste so that stakeholders can contribute positively to solving this problem.
- Elemental and nutritional characterisation with vibrational spectroscopy analysis of Ulva sp., Gracilaria multipartita, and Sargassum muticumPublication . Mouga, Teresa; Almeida, Mariana M.; Pitacas, F.I.; Rodrigues, A.M.; Vitória, Cláudia; Anjos, O.Macroalgae are rich in bioactive compounds with potential therapeutic applications, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and nutritional properties. In this study, the biochemical composition of three seaweed species—Ulva sp., Gracilaria multipartita, and Sargassum muticum—was analysed, focusing on their mineral content and macronutrient profile. The ash, protein, fibre, lipid, and carbohydrate contents ranged from (dw) 26.56 to 33.53 g/100 g, 10.13 to 18.43 g/100 g, 0.11 to 0.19 g/100 g, 5.83 to 10.88 g/100 g, and 42.48 to 53.27 g/100 g, respectively. The findings indicate that the species studied are excellent sources of essential minerals, particularly magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, and trace elements, such as iron, zinc, copper, and manganese. Sargassum muticum exhibited the highest mineral content and thus holds significant promise for further exploration in biomedical and therapeutic contexts. FTIR, FT-RAMAN, and FT-NIR analysis highlight the presence of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, including cell wall phycocolloids, and phenolic compounds. These results underscore the potential of macroalgae as natural sources of bioactive compounds for health-related applications, highlighting their value beyond traditional dietary supplementation.
- Recognition of activities of daily living and environments using acoustic sensors embedded on mobile devicesPublication . Pires, Ivan Miguel; Marques, Gonçalo; Nuno M. Garcia; Nuno Pombo; Francisco Flórez-Revuelta; Susanna Spinsante; Teixeira, M.C.C.; Eftim ZdravevskiThe identification of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) is intrinsic with the user’s environment recognition. This detection can be executed through standard sensors present in every-day mobile devices. On the one hand, the main proposal is to recognize users’ environment and standing activities. On the other hand, these features are included in a framework for the ADL and environment identification. Therefore, this paper is divided into two parts—firstly, acoustic sensors are used for the collection of data towards the recognition of the environment and, secondly, the information of the environment recognized is fused with the information gathered by motion and magnetic sensors. The environment and ADL recognition are performed by pattern recognition techniques that aim for the development of a system, including data collection, processing, fusion and classification procedures. These classification techniques include distinctive types of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), analyzing various implementations of ANN and choosing the most suitable for further inclusion in the following different stages of the developed system. The results present 85.89% accuracy using Deep Neural Networks (DNN) with normalized data for the ADL recognition and 86.50% accuracy using Feedforward Neural Networks (FNN) with non-normalized data for environment recognition. Furthermore, the tests conducted present 100% accuracy for standing activities recognition using DNN with normalized data, which is the most suited for the intended purpose.
- Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity characteristics of seven biopreparations used in organic farmingPublication . Simões, Joana; Peleja, Ana; Neves, Cláudia M.B.; Costa, Daniela V.T.A.; Correia, Helena Esteves; Pinto, António; Wessel, Dulcineia; Delgado, F.M.G.; Carneiro, João; Horta, Carmo; Bahcevandziev, Kiril; Vidal, Maria M.B.; Filipe, Olga M.S.; Costa, Cristina Amaro daAgroecological transition is a major societal challenge and it is urgent to support technical solutions to answer farmers demand towards the necessary changes. The project RESTORE - biopReparados Em SisTemas prOdução agRoEcológicos aimed to study and validate the production, conservation, and use of seven biopreparations by characterizing and testing them in lettuce nurseries. The biopreparations used include prickly pear vinegar, purslane vinegar, fermented orange juice, garlic extract, nettle infusion, horsetail decoction and a biopreparation of garlic and chilli. The in vitro microbiological characterization and chemical analysis of the biopreparations, which included phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity, allowed us to understand their properties and to propose the most appropriate conservation strategy. The tests were conducted in four different moments: during the biopreparations’ manufacturing, after six months of frozen storage, and after three and six months of fresh storage. One-Way ANOVA in SPSS 29.0 and PCA comparison tests were used to analyze the results. Fermented orange juice and vinegars were the biopreparations that showed the greatest outcomes in terms of antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition. Purslane vinegar had the highest average inhibition against germs. The concentration of phenolic compounds, the antioxidant capacity, and the antibacterial activity of the biopreparations varied with time and type of conservation. It is crucial to conduct more trials, using different species and recipes, to support farmers’ decision making and adoption of agroecological solutions.
- Enhancing the nutritional value of a sugar-free Greek-style yoghurt by incorporating strawberry-tree (Arbutus unedo L.) fruit and peach (Prunus persica)Publication . Carriço, Raquel; Marcos, Joana; Baptista, Cátia; Vasconcelos, Vanessa; Beato, Helena; Riscado, Ana; Silveira, Ana; Pitacas, F.I.; Paulo, Luísa; Rodrigues, A.M.; Palma, Maria Lídia; Nicolai, Marisa; Menezes, Regina; Pereira, Paula; Espírito Santo, Christophe; Cristóvão, Mário; Brandão, InêsAs consumers become more health-conscious, they are increasingly seeking out foods that offer potential health benefits, such as yoghurts. To encourage more sustainable and healthy consumption habits, it is important to develop food products using local food ingredients. This study focused on fermented dairy products, namely by developing various formulations of Greek yoghurt using strawberry-tree fruit (Arbutus unedo L.) (STF) and peach (Prunus persica) puree, with no added sugar. Both peach and STF were sourced locally. A sensory analysis was performed to determine the preferred formulation, selecting either z1 (20% STF and 80% peach) or z2 (30% STF and 70% peach). After comparing the two, z1 emerged as the preferred formulation. For this formulation, physicochemical and microbiological analyses were conducted. A Greek yoghurt that incorporates peach and STF was developed while satisfying the requirements for “low-fat”, “low-saturated fat”, and “no added sugars” nutrition claims. These are all important features that align with the guidelines provided by the World Health Organization in promoting a healthy diet that encourages reduced fat and saturated fat intake, limited consumption of added sugars, and increased fibre content. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time describing a Greek yoghurt containing STF purée.
- Screening wild birds for tick-borne zoonotic pathogens in PortugalPublication . Loureiro, F.; Mesquita, João R.; Cardoso, Luis; Santos-Silva, S.; Moreira, G.; Bento, J. T.; Soeiro, V.; Gonçalves, A.; Silva, F.; Barradas, P. F.; Matos, Ana Cristina; Matos, M.; Coelho, A. C.
- Detection of Bagaza virus in Europe: A scoping reviewPublication . Loureiro, Filipa; Mesquita, João R.; Cardoso, Luis; Matos, Ana; Matos, Manuela; Coelho, Ana CláudiaThe Bagaza virus (BAGV) belongs to the genus Orthoflavivirus (Ntaya serocomplex) and emerged in Europe, Spain, in 2010. The natural transmission cycle of this virus is perpetuated by Culex spp. mosquitoes and viraemic birds. The ability of BAGV to cause infection in several game birds from the family Phasianidae has been well-studied. BAGV is antigenically similar to other orthoflaviviruses from the Japanese encephalitis serocomplex, such as the West Nile and Usutu viruses, a circumstance which can lead to cross-reactivity in less specific serological techniques (e.g., ELISA). Severe implications in animal health has already been described, but some aspects of the dynamics of transmission and the limits of zoonotic potential of BAGV still need to be clarified. Further investigation focused on epidemiological surveillance in high-risk areas would be beneficial for prevention and control of new outbreaks. The present study is a systematic review of the BAGV reports in Europe.
- Molecular and serological screening support the lack of Coxiella burnetii circulation in wild birds of PortugalPublication . Loureiro, Filipa; Mesquita, João R.; Cardoso, Luis; Pintado, Cristina Santos; Gonçalves, S. Gomes; Matos, Ana; Soeiro, V.; Gonçalves, A.; Silva, Filipe; Matos, Manuela; Coelho, Ana CláudiaCoxiella burnetii is a highly infectious zoonotic pathogenic bacterium that has a major economic impact in the livestock industry throughout the world and causes unpredictable outbreaks in humans worldwide. Although it is known that birds are potential reservoirs of C. burnetii, their role in the epidemiological cycle of the pathogen has not been fully verified. Due to its non-specific symptoms and clinical signs, it is certainly an underdiagnosed disease. The objective of this study was to obtain more information on C. burnetii prevalence in wild birds in Portugal. Blood, plasma, and other tissue samples were obtained from wild birds admitted at wildlife rehabilitation centres in Portugal in the scope of passive surveillance. Antibodies specific to C. burnetii were screened using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Evidence of C. burnetii infection was sought based on the detection of bacterial DNA. No positive results were found, either in terms of antibodies to C. burnetii or molecular biology. These serological findings do not indicate the endemic circulation of C. burnetii in wild birds, which can be considered relevant information. However, a more complete and serialized approach over time is necessary to be able to make real inferences about the endemicity of the pathogen in the country and its dispersion among wild avian populations. qPCR results were also negative, a finding suggesting that this host population may not play a significant role in the transmission dynamics of C. burnetii. Given the importance of wild bird species as natural reservoirs of this zoonotic bacterium, we consider these data useful for multidisciplinary work in the prevention and control of Q fever, following a One Health approach.