Effects of the equilibrium atmosphere on Taleggio cheese storage in micro perforated packaging

Taleggio is an Italian smear-ripened cheese, whose complex microbiota demands the optimisation of the packaging system to avoid excessive changes during storage. Metabolic processes of the cheese rind microbiota can be usefully exploited in equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging (EMAP) by balancing microbiota respiration and film permeation. Here, we present the application of three different micro perforated EMAPs as models for smear-ripened cheese compared to two control packaging configurations. Analyses of the main microbial groups, headspace gas, textural profile, and sensory properties were performed to find the best packaging for storage. Results showed that two of the alternative micro perforated packaging systems were able to control the excessive changes during storage, thus limiting fungal overgrowth and allowing the typical development of smear microbiota with minor changes to hardness and cohesiveness. Finally, the sensory evaluation positively favoured one of the alternatively packed cheeses based on its compactness, typical dairy traits, and minor off-flavours. These findings showed that EMAP can be a valid alternative solution to control the storage of Taleggio cheese. Further studies could be conducted to evaluate this system on other smear cheeses

Writing 3D In vitro models of human tendon within a biomimetic fibrillar support platform

Tendinopathies are poorly understood diseases for which treatment remains challenging. Relevant in vitro models to study human tendon physiology and pathophysiology are therefore highly needed. Here we propose the automated 3D writing of tendon microphysiological systems (MPSs) embedded in a biomimetic fibrillar support platform based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) self-assembly. Tendon decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) was used to formulate bioinks that closely recapitulate the biochemical signature of tendon niche. A monoculture system recreating the cellular patterns and phenotype of the tendon core was first developed and characterized. This system was then incorporated with a vascular compartment to study the crosstalk between the two cell populations. The combined biophysical and biochemical cues of the printed pattern and dECM hydrogel were revealed to be effective in inducing human-adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) differentiation toward the tenogenic lineage. In the multicellular system, chemotactic effects promoted endothelial cells migration toward the direction of the tendon core compartment, while the established cellular crosstalk boosted hASCs tenogenesis, emulating the tendon development stages. Overall, the proposed concept is a promising strategy for the automated fabrication of humanized organotypic tendon-on-chip models that will be a valuable new tool for the study of tendon physiology and pathogenesis mechanisms and for testing new tendinopathy treatments.The authors thank Hospital da Prelada (Porto, Portugal) for providing adipose tissue samples. The authors acknowledge the financial support from Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER 000021 supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Union Framework Program for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020, under the Twinning Grant Agreement 810850-Achilles, and European Research Council Grant Agreement 772817 and 101069302, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for the Ph.D. grant PD/BD/129403/2017 (to S.M.B.) financed through the doctoral program in Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells (TERM&SC), for Contract 2020.03410.CEECIND and 2022.05526.PTDC (to R.M.A.D.). The authors acknowledge Doctor Alberto Pardo for performing the rheology measurements of the PL bioink. The schematics in Figures 1, 2A, 4A, and 6A and Table of Contents graphic were created with BioRender.com

Intrinsically bioactive cryogels based on platelet lysate nanocomposites for hemostasis applications.

The currently used hemostatic agents are highly effective in stopping hemorrhages but have a limited role in the modulation of the wound-healing environment. Herein, we propose an intrinsically bioactive hemostatic cryogel based on platelet lysate (PL) and aldehyde-functionalized cellulose nanocrystals (a-CNCs). PL has attracted great attention as an inexpensive milieu of therapeutically relevant proteins; however, its application as a hemostatic agent exhibits serious constraints (e.g., structural integrity and short shelf-life). The incorporation of a-CNCs reinforced the low-strength PL matrix by covalent cross-linking its amine groups that exhibit an elastic interconnected porous network after full cryogelation. Upon blood immersion, the PL-CNC cryogels absorbed higher volumes of blood at a faster rate than commercial hemostatic porcine gelatin sponges. Simultaneously, the cryogels released biomolecules that increased stem cell proliferation, metabolic activity, and migration as well as downregulated the expression of markers of the fibrinolytic process. In an in vivo liver defect model, PL-CNC cryogels showed similar hemostatic performance in comparison with gelatin sponges and normal material-induced tissue response upon subcutaneous implantation. Overall, owing to their structure and bioactive composition, the proposed PL-CNC cryogels provide an alternative off-the-shelf hemostatic and antibacterial biomaterial with the potential to deliver therapeutically relevant proteins in situ.The authors thank Hospital da Prelada (Porto, Portugal) for providing adipose tissue samples and Instituto Portugues do Sangue e Transplantacio-IPST (Portugal) (Porto, Portugal) for providing platelet concentrates. The authors would like to thank Alain Morais and Isabel Pires for their support in the in vivo procedure and histological evaluation, respectively. The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for all useful and helpful comments on our manuscript. This work was supported by the European Research Council grant agreement no. 772817, FCT/MCTES (Fundacio para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia/Ministerio da Ciencia, Tecnologia, e Ensino Superior) and the Fundo Social Europeu atraves do Programa Operacional do Capital Humano (FSE/POCH) in the framework of Ph.D. grant PD/59/2013-PD/BD/113807/2015 (BBM) and CEECIND/01375/2017 (MGF), Norwegian Research Council for project no. 287953

Social weaknesses versus environmental conservation of Extractive Reserves in the Amazon.

As Reservas Extrativistas (RESEXs) na Amazônia foram criadas visando melhorar as condições de vida de seus habitantes e proteger os recursos naturais. Buscando observar esta realidade, este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as políticas sociais e produtivas na perspectiva da sustentabilidade socioambiental de duas RESEXs da Amazônia brasileira. Os dados e informações foram gerados por meio de observações, entrevistas e uso de questionário com 150 moradores de 29 comunidades das RESEXs Alto Juruá (Acre) e Rio Ouro Preto (Rondônia) localizadas na Amazônia Ocidental brasileira. Os resultados indicam que o distanciamento entre políticas sociais, econômicas e políticas de proteção florestal conduziu as RESEXs ao declínio. A conclusão é que a sustentabilidade dessas áreas depende de políticas sociais associadas às políticas econômicas, ecológicas e parcerias que valorizemos recursos ambientais e garantam a manutenção d e condições de vida dos habitantes