Development of a UPLC-MS/MS method for establishing Serra da Estrela´s free amino acids profile

Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM-UID/EQU/50020/2019,strategic funding UID/BIO/04469/2019-CEB and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004), strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2014–CIMOand by Project 02/SAICT/ 2016/23290-QCLASSE, funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identification of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes using metagenomic approaches

Composting units which handle lignocellulosic residues are suitable sources of novel and promising lignocellulose-degrading enzymes such as cellulases, xylanases and amylases. These enzymes have practical application in many industries where lignocellulose is converted into several added-value bioproducts. However, the effective conversion of lignocellulose by a sustainable process is currently incomplete. Therefore, there is a need to find novel and robust catalysts to overcome this fact. Function- and sequence-based metagenomic approaches were used to identify novel lignocellulose-degrading enzymes with interesting industrial applications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of Environment and Social Gradient on Leptospira Infection in Urban Slums

Leptospirosis, a life-threatening zoonotic disease, has become an important urban slum health problem. Epidemics of leptospirosis now occur in cities throughout the developing world, as the growth of slum settlements has produced conditions for rat-borne transmission of this disease. In this prevalence survey of more than 3,000 residents from a favela slum community in Brazil, Geographical Information System (GIS) and modeling approaches identified specific deficiencies in the sanitation infrastructure of slum environments—open sewers, refuse, and inadequate floodwater drainage—that serve as sources for Leptospira transmission. In addition to the environmental attributes of the slum environment, low socioeconomic status was found to independently contribute to the risk of infection. These findings indicate that effective prevention of leptospirosis will need to address the social factors that produce unequal health outcomes among slum residents, in addition to improving sanitation

Serra da Estrela cheeses free amino acids profiles by UPLC-DAD-MS/MS and their application for cheese origin assessment

Serra da Estrela cheese is a high-value Portuguese Protected Designation of Origin cheese, produced with raw ewe milk. Thus, information regarding its composition is of utmost relevance for both consumers and certified producers. In this work, the chromatographic profiles of free amino acids in cheeses (45 days of maturation, 6 producers located in 5 municipalities and produced from November 2017 to March 2018) were established by UPLC-DAD-MS/MS. The proposed method allowed detecting 19 free amino acids and cystine with overall limits of detection and quantification lower than 44 mol/L (1.4 mg/100 g cheese, wet matter) and then 134 mol/L (4.2 mg/100 g cheese, wet matter), respectively. In all cheeses, 17 free amino acids were quantified including 8 essential amino acids (histidine, leucine-isoleucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine) and 9 non-essential amino acids (arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, proline, serine and tyrosine). The amounts of the free amino acids, essential free amino acids, branched chain free amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) plus the free amino acids ratios (mg/g protein) were further used to identify the producer of Serra da Estrela cheeses. Linear discriminant analysis coupled with the simulated annealing variable selection algorithm was used allowing the correct classification of 96% and 90±8% of the samples, for leave-one-out and repeated K-fold cross-validation procedures, respectively. The satisfactory predictive performance pointed out the possibility of using cheeses amino acids profiles as origin biomarkers for authenticity control, warranting the correctness identification of the cheese producer/brand, which is quite relevant for ensuring the consumer confidence and satisfaction when purchasing this high-value dairy food.This work was financially supported by Associate Laboratory LSRELCM – UID/EQU/50020/2019, strategic funding UID/BIO/04469/2019-CEB and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000004), and strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2014–CIMO funded by – funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). The authors would also like to acknowledge the funding provided by the approved Project, with reference 02/SAICT/ 2016/23290, entitled Characterization and Valorization of QSE PDO and its ability for health promotion (QCLASSE), financed by FCT. S. I. Falcão thanks National funding by FCT- Foundation for Science and Technology, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio