From chicken to salad: cooking salt as a potential vehicle of Salmonella spp. and listeria monocytogenes cross-contamination

Epidemiological studies show that improper food handling practices at home account for a significant portion of foodborne illness cases. Mishandling of raw meat during meal preparation is one of the most frequent hazardous behaviours reported in observational research studies that potentially contributes to illness occurrence, particularly through the transfer of microbial pathogens from the raw meat to ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. This study evaluated the transfer of two major foodborne pathogens, Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes, from artificially contaminated chicken meat to lettuce via cooking salt (used for seasoning) during simulated domestic handling practices. Pieces of chicken breast fillets were spiked with five different loads (from ca. 1 to 5 Log CFU/g) of a multi-strain cocktail of either S. enterica or L. monocytogenes. Hands of volunteers (gloved) contaminated by handling the chicken, stirred the cooking salt that was further used to season lettuce leaves. A total of 15 events of cross-contamination (three volunteers and five bacterial loads) were tested for each pathogen. Immediately after the events, S. enterica was isolated from all the cooking salt samples (n = 15) and from 12 samples of seasoned lettuce; whereas L. monocytogenes was isolated from 13 salt samples and from all the seasoned lettuce samples (n = 15). In addition, S. enterica and L. monocytogenes were able to survive in artificially contaminated salt (with a water activity of 0.49) for, at least, 146 days and 126 days, respectively. The ability of these foodborne pathogens to survive for a long time in cooking salt, make it a good vehicle for transmission and cross-contamination if consumers do not adopt good hygiene practices when preparing meals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Table salt as vehicle for Campylobacter spp. cross-contamination

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antioxidant potential of three medicinal species of topical traditional use in Northeastern Portugal: Juglans regia L., Malva neglecta Wallt. and Scrophularia scorodonia L.

The decoctions of some widespread species from the northeastern Portuguese region are traditionally used for their vulnerary properties and in the treatment of various skin disorders, wounds or burns. Juglans regia L. (walnut), Malvaneglecta Wallt.(mallow) and Scrophulariascorodonia L.(balm leave figwort)are good examples of such species. The leaves of J. regia and the aerial parts of M. neglecta are used as disinfectants and anti-inflammatory, while the aerial parts of S. scorodonia are used as a vulnerary. Furthermore, these plants are often mixed to enhance its action [1]. The present study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of decoctions and methanolic extracts of the mentioned three plants.The antioxidant activity was accessed by five in vitro assays: scavenging effects on DPPH (2 ,2-diphenyl-1 -picrylhydrazyl) radicals, reducing power (measured in FolinCiocalteu and ferricyanide Prussian blue assays), inhibition of β-carotene bleaching and inhibition of lipid peroxidation in brain cell homogenates by TSARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) assay. Walnut samples (methanolic extract and decoction) gave the highest antioxidant activity (lowest EC50 valuesin all the assays), followed by figwortand mallow samples. The observed antioxidant activity is certainly related to the phenolic compounds present in the studied samples and reported in another abstract presented in the same symposium

Chemical composition of cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis heads: the impact of harvesting time

Cardoon is a multi-purpose crop with several industrial applications, while the heads (capitula) are edible and commonly used in various dishes of the Mediterranean diet. Several reports in the literature study the chemical composition of the various plants parts (leaves, flower stalks, bracts, seeds) aiming to industrial applications of crop bio-waste, whereas for the heads, most of the studies are limited to the chemical composition and bioactive properties at the edible stage. In the present study, cardoon heads were collected at six different maturation stages and their chemical composition was evaluated in order to determine the effect of harvesting stage and examine the potential of alternative uses in the food and nutraceutical industries. Lipidic fraction and the content in fatty acids, tocopherols, organic acids, and free sugars were determined. Lipidic content decreases with the maturation process, while 22 fatty acids were detected in total, with palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids being those with the highest abundance depending on harvesting time. In particular, immature heads have a higher abundance in saturated fatty acids (SFA), whereas the samples of mature heads were the richest in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). The a-tocopherol was the only isoform detected being present in higher amounts in sample Car B (619 μ g/100 g dw). Oxalic, quinic, malic, citric and fumaric acids were the detected organic acids, and the higher content was observed in sample Car E (15.7 g/100 g dw). The detected sugars were fructose, glucose, sucrose, trehalose and raffinose, while the highest content (7.4 g/100 g dw) was recorded in sample Car C. In conclusion, the maturation stage of cardoon heads influences their chemical composition and harvesting time could be a useful means to increase the quality and the added value of the final product by introducing this material in the food and nutraceutical industries.This work was financially support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020). We also thank the FCT for the PhD grant (SFRH/BD/146614/2019) of F. Mandim. The authors are also grateful to the financial support though the TRANSCoLAB (0612_TRANS_CO_LAB_2_P).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biblioteca escolar, livros, leitura: interações e diálogos

A coletânea “Biblioteca escolar, livros e leitura: diálogos e interações” reflete o trabalho de investigação e engajamento de pesquisadores de diferentes instituições de ensino superior e institutos de pesquisa nacionais e internacionais. As reflexões manifestadas nesta obra respaldam a relevância do tema para o desenvolvimento em suas múltiplas facetas, principalmente em razão das demandas contemporâneas evidenciadas nas abordagens e relatos contidos nesta obra. Nesse sentido, a leitura como ato individual frente ao texto analógico ou ao virtual, sem dúvida, é precedida por outra feita de modo coletivo que Paulo Freire, em “Pedagogia do Oprimido”, chama de uma leitura do mundo, o real.Com isso, pretendemos iluminar, sem ter a pretensão de esgotar, a questão das bibliotecas escolares nas suas várias vertentes, quer do ponto de vista do seu papel dentro da escola, quer do trabalho que se desenvolve no seu seio. Muito embora a realidade brasileira e portuguesa sejam distintas, esta obra auxilia a problematizar as indicações do Manifesto IFLA/UNESCO, tornando evidente que a biblioteca escolar integra o processo educativo e auxilia o desenvolvimento da missão e do currículo escolar. A BE é um recurso pedagógico da escola, fundamental para o desenvolvimento do espírito crítico, da liberdade de expressão e da democracia: “O acesso às coleções e aos serviços deve orientar-se nos preceitos da Declaração Universal de Direitos e Liberdade do Homem, das Nações Unidas, e não deve estar sujeito a qualquer forma de censura ideológica, política, religiosa ou a pressões comerciais.

RecFinder – a new tool to find phage proteins responsible for host recognition

(Bacterio)phages are bacterial viruses that represent the most abundant and genetically diverse biological entities on the planet [1,2]. The largest virus group, the order Caudovirales (containing 96% of all known phages), has evolved recognition peptides for efficient virus-host interaction [3]. The peptides, usually located at the phage tail fiber, baseplate and other tail proteins mediate recognition and attachment specifically to bacterial cell wall receptors - lipopolysaccharides, teichoic acids, proteins and flagella. These proteins responsible for host recognition and binding (HBP) are macromolecular machines that make the process of infection highly efficient and finely regulated, and most likely play an important role in the evolutionary success of tailed phages. As a result of this specific binding affinity certain phages can only infect certain bacteria, determining in this manner the phage host range [4]. (...

Antioxidant properties of different dietary supplements based on Agaricus blazei Murrill

In 2012, the market for nutraceuticals earned $90 billion worldwide and it is predicted to reach$33.6 billion in the next four years. Agaricus blazei Murrill mushroom is native to Brazil and widely cultivated due to nutritional and medicinal value [I ,2]. Its beneficial effects have long been recognized, becoming popular as ordinary food, increasing also its production and marketing as dietary supplements (3]. A. blazei is traditionally used to combat a variety of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, hepatitis and hypercholesterolemia [2]. The use of dietary supplements based on A. blazei has grown significantly, due to pharmacological studies reporting antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, immunostimulant, apoptotic and chemopreventive effects [2,3], attributed to ®-glucans and other bioactive compounds, such as steroids, tocopherols and phenolic compounds [4]. Herein, the antioxidant activity of A. blazei capsules enriched with fmits of Malpighia glabra L. (acerola), Solanum melongena L. (eggplant) and Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açai), calcium and chitosan, were evaluated though in vitro assays: DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, reducing power, inhibition of G-carotene bleaching and inhibition of lipid peroxidation in brain homogenates by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TSARS) assay. Two capsules (daily recommended dose) were dissolved in 100 mL of distilled water in order to prepare a stock solution. Several dilutions were tested until determination of EC50 values (concentration responsible for 50% of antioxidant activity or 0.5 of absorbance in reducing power assay). Globally, all the tested formulations showed high antioxidant activity. A. blazei with acerola gave the highest DPPH scavenging activity (EC50=0.81±0.0 1 mg/mL) and reducing power (EC50=0.53±0.0 1 mg/mL). Nevertheless, A. blazei with ayai showed the highest activity in the lipophilic assays: f3 - carotene bleaching inhibition (EC50=0.55±0.02 mg/mL) and lipid peroxidation inhibition by TSARS assay (EC50=O. 14±0.01 mg/mL). The studied formulations might be useful as antioxidants-enriched supplements to prevent some of the diseases related to oxidative stress

Study of chemical changes and antioxidant activity variation induced by gamma-irradiation on wild mushrooms: comparative study through principal component analysis

Mushrooms are especially sensitive to senescence, browning, water loss and microbial attack. Furthermore, wild species are characterized for their seasonality, demanding the development of suitable preservation technology. Gamma-irradiation was previously tested in wild Lactarius deliciosus, being verified that its application up to 1 kGy did not imply significant changes in chemical parameters. Herein, the effects of higher gamma-irradiation doses, typically used in natural food matrices like fruits or vegetables, were assessed in Boletus edulis Bull.: Fr. and Hydnum repandum L.: Fr. by checking for changes in nutritional parameters, free sugars, tocopherols, fatty acids, organic acids and antioxidant activity indicators. To have representative samples, the used carpophores were collected in different maturity stages, using the same number of specimens for each stage and also for each mushroom species. The specific effects of each tested irradiation were evaluated in an integrated manner through principal component analysis. The correspondent biplots indicate that differences caused by gamma-irradiation are enough to separate irradiated and non-irradiated samples of both mushrooms. Nevertheless, nutritional profiles were not affected in high extension, indicating that gamma-irradiation, up to the doses used in this work, might represent a useful mushroom conservation technology.Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to research centres CIMO (PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2011) and REQUIMTE (PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2011). Â. Fernandes, J.C.M. Barreira and A.L. Antonio thank FCT, POPH-QREN and FSE for their grants (SFRH/BD/76019/2011, SFRH/BPD/72802/2010 and SFRH/PROTEC/67398/2010, respectively)

Agricultura familiar e política pública: o programa Brasil sem miséria em Japonvar-MG (2014-2018) / Family agriculture and public policy: the Brazilian program without misery in Japvar-MG (2014-2018)

O problema desta pesquisa é a investigação da implementação e o impacto de política pública para a agricultura familiar, privilegiando como objeto de estudo o município de Japonvar-MG, período de 2014-2018, ao norte do Estado de Minas Gerais. Com os objetivos de verificar a implementação, execução e impactos de política pública para o setor de agricultura familiar em Japonvar, em âmbito do Programa de Fomento às Atividades Produtivas Rurais do Plano Brasil Sem Miséria. Buscou-se analisar a implementação do Programa e seus impactos quanto aos níveis de melhoria da produtividade de atividades agrícolas e de melhoramento das condições materiais de vida de agricultores beneficiários do Programa. A pesquisa abrange duas etapas: primeiramente foi feito pesquisa bibliográfica e feita a análise de 81 projetos produtivos e 81 relatórios da Empresa de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural de Minas Gerais, com dados do Programa, após dez meses de execução. Inicialmente, constatou-se que as principais atividades desenvolvidas foram a avicultura e suinocultura caipiras. Na segunda etapa, foi realizada pesquisa de campo para levantamento de dados junto aos agricultores, com a submissão de questionário estruturado com questões abertas e fechadas no mês de outubro de 2018, a fim de analisar a execução e impactos do Programa para o período de três anos após sua implementação (2014-2018). Para essa etapa privilegiou-se as localidades com maior número de agricultores que estruturam as atividades de suinocultura e avicultura. O universo da pesquisa constitui-se de 12 beneficiários sendo seis responsáveis dos grupos familiares que estruturam cada uma das atividades, estes subdivididos em 2 subgrupos, um com três beneficiários do sexo masculino e três do sexo feminino, a fim de obter as informações de forma mais verticalizada, e assim identificar o impacto do Programa nas comunidades rurais de Santa Rosa, Corisco e Beco (Japonvar) em um período mais alargado, com enfoque para as principais atividades, visto que informam sobre as tradições agrícolas. Com os recursos os agricultores beneficiários promoveram suas atividades agrícolas, melhorando suas condições materiais e reafirmando suas tradições agrícolas. O Programa de Fomento às Atividades Produtivas Rurais do Plano Brasil Sem Miséria possibilitou aos agricultores incrementarem o número de animais em atividades estruturadas com o Programa, promovendo melhoramento das condições de instalação destas atividades e consequentemente, melhorias na unidade de produção familiar, contribuindo para aumento de renda e lucro. 

O uso da fluorescência a laser (DIAGNOdentTM) no diagnóstico de cáries oclusais in vivo: revisão sistemática

This systematic review was conducted to assess the accuracy of laser fluorescence (DIAGNOdentTM) for diagnosis of occlusal caries in permanent teeth, using any sort of gold standard. The MEDLINE, LILACS, BBO and Cochrane library databases accessed by BIREME were searched for English, Spanish and Portuguese-language papers published between 1982 and 2003. Four works in English were selected. DIAGNOdentTM was found to be an accurate method for diagnosis of occlusal caries, mainly if employed simultaneously with visual inspection.Esta revisão sistemática foi realizada para avaliar a precisão da fluorescência a laser (DIAGNOdentTM) para o diagnóstico da cárie oclusal em dentes permanentes, utilizando qualquer tipo de gold standard. As bases de dados MEDLINE, LILACS, BBO e Cochrane Library, acessadas via BIREME, foram utilizadas para a busca de artigos em idioma inglês, espanhol e português, publicados de 1982 a 2003. Foram selecionados quatro trabalhos em inglês. Foi observado que o DIAGNOdentTM é um método preciso para o diagnóstico da cárie oclusal, principalmente se associado à inspeção visual