Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco

RC IPCB - Scientific Repository

Repository of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco

The mission of the Repository of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco is to provide Open Access to scientific publications of the Polytechnic. Its main aims are: dissemination of the Polytechnic scientific publications; long-term preservation and archiving of its publications; scientific and technical knowledge sharing in order to promote further research and new production of knowledge; and maximization of scientific publication impact both in academia and different research fields.

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Recent Submissions

Edible insects: Consumption, perceptions, culture and tradition among adult citizens from 14 countries

Publication . Raquel P. F. Guiné; Sofia G. Florença; Costa, Cristina A.; Correia, Paula M. R.; Lopes, Luísa Cruz; Esteves, Bruno; Ferreira, Manuela; Fragata, Anabela; Cardoso, Ana P.; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, O.; Boustani, Nada M.; Bartkiene, Elena; Chuck-Hernández, Cristina; Djekic, Ilija; Tarcea, Monica; Sarić, Marijana Matek; Kruma, Zanda; Korzeniowska, Malgorzata; Papageorgiou, Maria; González Árias, Leticia; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Damarli, Emel; Ferreira, Vanessa; Bayraktaroğlu, Emre; Arpa, Fatmanur Ozyurek

Although edible insects (EIs) are encouraged as a sustainable source of protein, their consumption is not as generalised as other types of food that are internationally accepted. While in some regions of the world, EIs are part of the gastronomic and cultural traditions, in other regions, people are not so receptive to this type of food, and some people even express some disgust towards it. Hence, this research focused on the habits of the participants regarding the consumption of insects as well as their perceptions about EIs being or not a part of the local culture or gastronomic patrimony. A questionnaire survey was implemented in fourteen countries (Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey), and globally, 7222 adult participants responded to the questionnaire. SPSS software (version 28) was used to process the data and carry out chi-square tests and Factor Analyses (FA). The obtained results showed significant differences between countries for all the questions included in the survey, either those regarding the habits of the participants or their opinions about the facts linked with EI tradition or cultural aspects. It was found that participants from Mexico consume EIs more than in all other countries and that strong motivations that would lead to consumption among those who do not consume include curiosity and food shortage. The solution obtained with FA considering the ten statements of the scale consisted of two factors: F1—Culture and Tradition of EIs (α = 0.675) and F2—Acceptance of EIs (α = 0.614). In conclusion, the consumption of EIs and the perceptions of people are highly variable according to geographic location and cultural environment.

2024-10-25Journal article

Open access

Plant-based beverages: Consumption habits, perception and knowledge on a sample of Portuguese citizens

Publication . Anjos, O.; Pires, Patrícia C.P.; Gonçalves, Joana; Estevinho, Letícia M.; Mendonça, António G.; Guiné, Raquel P. F.

Plant-based beverages (PBB) consumption has increased significantly worldwide due to an interest in vegetarian/vegan diets, taste preferences, health and ethical and environmental issues. Therefore, this study intends to investigate consumption habits, consumer preferences and consumers’ level of knowledge about PBB. In this study, a voluntary, anonymous questionnaire survey was applied to a sample of participants from Portugal. The sample was recruited by convenience, and therefore, the distribution among the groups was not even. Data analysis involved different statistical techniques: basic statistics, chi-square tests, factor analysis, cluster analysis and tree classification analysis. The results indicated that the most consumed PBB were almond, soy and oat beverages. The majority of consumers chose these beverages for nutritional and health reasons, while a smaller number consumed them as part of a vegetarian or vegan diet. The main motivations for consuming PBB are mainly associated with sustainability and health benefits. The results regarding the respondents’ knowledge about PBB revealed that a health-related profession was the most significant predictor. These results allowed us to conclude that the factors of nutrition, health, ethics and practice of a vegetarian/vegan diet influence the consumption of PBB. It was also concluded that being in a healthcare profession, along with age and professional status within this field, were significant factors influencing the level of knowledge about PBB.

2024Research article

Open access

Enhancing strawberry tree fruit spirit: effects of oak wood ageing

Publication . Anjos, O.; Antunes, Carlos Alberto Simões; Pedro, Soraia; Alves, Sheila Oliveira; Canas, Sara; Caldeira, Ilda

The present study focuses on the impact of wood ageing on strawberry tree fruit spirit, a high quality beverage in Mediterranean regions, particularly Portugal. It explores the chemical and sensory changes resulting from ageing the spirit for two periods of time with oak wood of varying toasting levels. Analysis included acidity, colour, pH, dry extract, volatile compounds (methanol, acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate and fusel alcohols), identified and quantified through GC-MS and GCFID, and low molecular weight compounds, quantified by HPLC (gallic acid, ellagic acids, syringic acid, vanillin, syringaldehyde, coniferaldehyde, sinapaldehyde, furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and 5-methylfurfural). Sensory evaluations were made by a trained panel. Results showed enhanced colour and enrichment with volatile and low molecular weight compounds due to oak wood contact, with slight differences among toasting levels. Almost all parameters increased with ageing time, as confirmed by principal component analysis, which effectively discriminated between aged spirits and toasting level. These findings contribute to understanding and optimizing the ageing process of strawberry tree fruit spirit for commercialization. Medium toasted oak yielded the best results.

2024Conference object

Open access

Bee pollen and bee bread as source of protein and bioactive compounds

Publication . Campos, M. G.; Kacemi, Rachid; Anjos, O.

The need for diets with adequate amounts of proteins and essential amino acids is increasingly demonstrated. For chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegeneration, dietary interventions can sometimes serve as a treatment strategy. This request is important even for other target populations such as malnourished children or the elderly, but also vegetarians and/or athletes. For all these situations, meat, fish and eggs are available on the market as sources of protein, but in vegetarian and/or calorie-restricted eating plans it is always a problem to find sources of protein, so we must consider looking for new options. Both bee pollen and bee bread are, depending on the botanical origin, a possible choice. These products are also a source of minerals and vitamins, providing added value to complement an unbalanced diet and boost the immune system. Many other constituents of these two bee products can also be used in drug discovery to develop new medicines and/or contribute to other therapeutic strategies. The best known are phenolic and polyphenolic compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant bioactivity, among many other applications. More recent research reveals that bee pollen and bee bread are also good sources of spermidines. These compounds have emerged as well-tolerable calorie restriction mimetics targeting several age-associated molecular and physiological adversities. To ensure that all possible applications of these two products obtain the best final result, product quality control must be guaranteed. For Bee Pollen, the ISO standard was already completed in 2023, ISO 24382:2023- Bee pollen Specifications. Currently, the same group (ISO/TC 34/SC 19/WG 3) has started working on the Project ISO/AWI 25097 - Management standards for the production and packaging of bee pollen. Additionally, they intend to propose a new project related to Bee Bread. Another advance was a compilation of Standard Methods that can be used for analytical control (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00218839.2021.1948240), published by the Bee Pollen Working Group of the International Honey Commission in 2021. In conclusion, conditions exist to allow bee pollen and bee bread to be high- quality dietary products.

2024Conference object

Open access

Revestimentos comestíveis ativos para prevenir defeitos de cor no queijo

Publication . Ferraz, Ana Rita Simões; Pintado, Cristina Santos; Anjos, O.

O queijo é um alimento vivo, considerado um ecossistema bio complexo colonizado por um grupo diversificado de microrganismos, conhecido como microbiota do queijo, proveniente do leite cru, culturas iniciadoras e culturas adjuntas. Esses microrganismos são os principais contribuintes para os atributos sensoriais percebidos de diferentes queijos devido à sua complexa interação com proteínas do leite, carboidratos e gorduras, que ocorrem principalmente em um importante processo tecnológico na fabricação de queijo, conhecido como maturação. A maturação do queijo é um fenômeno complexo que envolve várias reações bioquímicas. A proteólise é o evento bioquímico multi-etapas mais importante na maturação do queijo. Ela é responsável pelo desenvolvimento de várias características organolépticas, englobando tanto o sabor quanto a textura. Uma alta proteólise resulta em um alto conteúdo de aminoácidos livres, que têm sido descritos como substrato para defeitos de cor no queijo (azul, rosa e marrom). Há alguns anos, casos de defeitos de cor nas superfícies dos queijos têm sido relatados na literatura. Inconsistências esporádicas na aparência do queijo podem resultar em um rebaixamento do queijo e uma consequente perda econômica para os produtores.Para controlar o aparecimento de fungos e outras bactérias do gênero Pseudomonas spp, filmes/revestimentos comestíveis têm sido desenvolvidos como embalagens ativas que podem conter vários compostos para estender a vida útil do queijo sem comprometer as características organolépticas do queijo. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar várias formulações baseadas em isolado de proteína do soro de leite. Utilizamos ácidos orgânicos (lático e cítrico) como agentes antibacterianos, nisina como anti-listeria e natamicina como agente antifúngico em várias formulações. Também utilizamos melanina produzida por Pseudomonas putida ESACB 191, como corante e antioxidante para desenvolver uma nova linha de revestimentos comestíveis. A caracterização físico-química dos revestimentos comestíveis foi realizada através de análise FTIR-ATR e vários parâmetros reológicos, como tensão de tração, extensibilidade e permeação de vapor de água. O principal objetivo deste estudo é selecionar a melhor formulação para ser aplicada ao queijo e prevenir defeitos de cor durante a maturação e vida útil do queijo.

2024Conference paper

Open access