Utilização do Instagram® como estratégia para disseminação de conhecimento acerca da ciência dos alimentos

As mídias sociais podem ser utilizadas como ferramenta de divulgação de informações. Esse trabalho relata as atividades realizadas pelo projeto de extensão “Farmalimentos”, utilizando o Instagram® como meio de divulgação de conteúdo científico na área de ciência dos alimentos, no intuito de combater as desinformações disseminadas pela sociedade. O projeto é composto por discentes e docentes do curso de Farmácia da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Os temas dos posts foram definidos em conjunto, elaborados pelos discentes, sob supervisão dos docentes orientadores. Durante o período de 12 de novembro de 2019 a 02 de setembro de 2021, ocorreram 31 publicações na conta @farmalimentos. Os quadros “Você sabia?”, “Mito ou verdade?” e “Fraudes alimentares” tiveram alcance de 974, 775 e 754 contas, respectivamente. Esperamos ter contribuído para a formação dos estudantes e divulgação de informações fidedignas para população, de forma a auxiliar na escolha por alimentos mais saudáveis e seguros

Microbiological, technological and therapeutic properties of kefir: a natural probiotic beverage

Kefir is a fermented milk beverage produced by the action of bacteria and yeasts that exist in symbiotic association in kefir grains. The artisanal production of the kefir is based on the tradition of the peoples of Caucasus, which has spread to other parts of the world, from the late 19th century, and nowadays integrates its nutritional and therapeutic indications to the everyday food choices of several populations. The large number of microorganisms present in kefir and their microbial interactions, the possible bioactive compounds resulting of microbial metabolism, and the benefits associated with the use this beverage confers kefir the status of a natural probiotic, designated as the 21th century yoghurt. Several studies have shown that kefir and its constituents have antimicrobial, antitumor, anticarcinogenic and immunomodulatory activity and also improve lactose digestion, among others. This review includes data on the technological aspects, the main beneficial effects on human health of kefir and its microbiological composition. Generally, kefir grains contain a relatively stable and specific microbiota enclosed in a matrix of polysaccharides and proteins. Microbial interactions in kefir are complex due to the composition of kefir grains, which seems to differ among different studies, although some predominant Lactobacillus species are always present. Besides, the specific populations of individual grains seem to contribute to the particular sensory characteristics present in fermented beverages. This review also includes new electron microscopy data on the distribution of microorganisms within different Brazilian kefir grains, which showed a relative change in its distribution according to grain origin

Bacterial community dominance in a sewage-driven eutrophic coastal lagoon by next generation sequencing: initial findings

Abstract: This study investigates the presence of bacterial dominance in one of the most studied sewage-driven eutrophic coastal lagoons, the Imboassica Lagoon in Macaé (RJ), Brazil, utilizing high-throughput sequencing of 16S rDNA. Water samples were collected from three sites within the lagoon. Total microbial DNA was extracted, and the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. A total of 744,879 partial 16S rRNA sequences were clustered, revealing the absence of a single bacterial dominance in the sewage-driven eutrophic coastal lagoon. The prominent phyla detected in the lagoon were Cyanobacteria (27.8%), Proteobacteria (23.7%), and Actinobacteria (14.6%). Proteobacteria emerged as the most abundant phylum in the sewage-impacted lagoon site, whereas Cyanobacteria dominated the other two sampling sites. Among families, Synechococcaceae predominated with genus Synechococcus exhibited the highest prevalence. Families of potentially toxic Cyanobacteria represented less than 1% of the total families. The sewage-impacted lagoon section displayed greater bacterial diversity and richness. The dominance of bacterial communities associated with raw sewage, such as members of the Enterobacteriaceae family, was not confirmed, constituting only 0.75% of the families in the most affected site. This study presents the initial analysis of the bacterial community in the Imboassica Lagoon and suggests that dominance in the lagoon responds to the eutrophication and sewage discharge