Qualidade de puré de kiwi armazenado sob vácuo

[POR] Apesar da riqueza nutricional do kiwi, este é um fruto ainda pouco consumido, pela relativamente baixa conveniência no consumo. Assim, um puré de kiwi, pronto a ser utilizado na preparação de sobremesas, batidos, etc, pode constituir um produto minimamente processado com potencialidade de ser comercializado. Neste estudo, foi avaliado o efeito do armazenamento sob vácuo a 4ºC na qualidade de puré de kiwi (variedade Hayward). O puré de kiwi armazenado sob vácuo manteve um teor mais elevado de ácido L-ascórbico, expresso em base seca, do que o puré armazenado ao ar e não perdeu peso durante 9 dias. O teor em ácido L-ascórbico do puré de kiwi foi comparado com o teor desta vitamina em fatias de kiwi armazenadas nas mesmas condições, tendo estas apresentado valores significativamente mais elevados durante o armazenamento. [ENG]Although the nutritional wealth of kiwi, this is a fruit still little consumed, for its structure and low convenience consumption. Thus, puree of kiwi ready to be used in the preparation of dessert, shakes, etc, may be a minimally processed product with potential for commercialization. In this study, the effect of the storage under vacuum at 4ºC on the quality of puree of kiwi (variety Hayward) was evaluated. Puree of kiwi stored under vacuum presented a higher content of L-ascorbic acid, expressed in dry basis, and lost less water than the samples stored in air. The content of L-ascorbic acid of puree of kiwi was compared with the content of this vitamin in slices of kiwi stored in the same conditions, the latter presenting values significantly higher during storage.Os autores agradecem à Associação Portuguesa de Kiwicultores (APK) o fornecimento dos kiwis. O primeiro autor usufruiu de uma bolsa Sócrates-Erasmus

The Portuguese tool for menu planning for school children

[resumo][abstract

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Impacto do processamento mínimo em cenouras (cv. Nantes) embaladas em vácuo

A grande preocupação por parte dos consumidores com a nutrição, a satisfação e e o bem-estar físico, bem como a disponibilidade cada vez menor para a preparação de refeições, influenciaram os seus hábitos alimentares nos últimos anos. Esta situação levou ao aparecimento de uma nova categoria de produtos, os minimamente processados (MP). Os produtos MP são apresentados ao consumidor convenientemente descascados, descaroçados ou cortados em embalagens adequadas, com características de produto fresco e prontos a utilizar sendo, no entanto, mais perecíveis do que o seu equivalente fresco. O armazenamento sob vácuo constitui uma tecnologia promissora para uma grande variedade de produtos. Neste estudo, propomo-nos a avaliar o impacto do processamento mínimo em atributos de qualidade da cenoura (cv. Nantes). O embalamento sob vácuo revelou um efeito benéfico, embora ligeiro, na manutenção da cor