Gestão de alergénios na indústria alimentar

Com vista à conclusão do Mestrado em Biotecnologia e Inovação na Escola Superior de Biotecnologia na Universidade Católica Portuguesa no Porto, foi proposto um estágio a ser desenvolvido em ambiente empresarial, com o intuito de adquirir experiência naquela que viria a ser a realidade de trabalho futura. O estágio decorreu na MC, nas suas instalações da Maia, por um período de 6 meses. Durante o estágio tive a oportunidade de trabalhar diretamente com as equipas de Análise Sensorial e Desenvolvimento de Produto, da Direção de Qualidade&Investigação, nos quais me foi permitido acompanhar diversas tarefas que fazem parte da rotina de cada um dos departamentos. O principal objetivo do estágio foi adquirir experiência e conhecimentos, em contexto de trabalho, no setor alimentar, e poder auxiliar, tanto quanto me fosse possível, na resolução de desafios e constrangimentos que pudessem surgir. Um dos constrangimentos encontrados – e aquele que viria a ser o tema da minha tese de mestrado – foi a temática dos alergénios nos produtos alimentares. A presença de alergénios vestigiais nos alimentos com origem em contaminações cruzadas é hoje um problema com impacto crescente no setor alimentar. Tal deve-se ao facto de cada vez mais indivíduos serem suscetíveis a substâncias alergénicas, o que limita a sua possibilidade de escolha aquando da aquisição de produtos alimentares. Posto isto, foi feito um estudo aprofundado acerca dos alergénios no setor alimentar e estudada a possibilidade de avaliar o risco de contaminações cruzadas dos géneros alimentícios durante toda a cadeia produtiva. No final do estudo chegou-se à conclusão de que ainda há muito trabalho para fazer no que se refere à gestão de alergénios na indústria. Verificou-se que apesar de existirem e serem implementados protocolos de higienização de alergénios na indústria de produção, ainda há espaço para criar outras estratégias que suportem uma gestão mais eficiente dos alergénios, uma vez que continuam a ser adotadas medidas preventivas generalizadas, nomeadamente a identificação no rótulo de todos os alergénios que entram nas instalações das fábricas, sem serem feitos testes que confirmem a sua existência no produto final. Para isso é necessário que sejam levados a cabo mais estudos científicos a partir dos quais se poderão tomar decisões concretas e fundamentadas acerca da forma como a gestão dos alergénios deve ser feita, nomeadamente com o desenvolvimento de mais métodos de deteção de alergénios, cujos procedimentos sejam padronizados entre laboratórios. É também importante que sejam feitas avaliações mais abrangentes que verifiquem se existem quantidades minimais de alergénios a partir dos quais se desencadeia uma reação alérgica para a maioria dos indivíduos, no sentido de perceber se será possível retirar rotulagens preventivas dos produtos.With the aim to complete the master’s in Biotechnology and Innovation at the School of Biotechnology of the Portuguese Catholic University in Porto, an internship was enrolled in a business environment with the goal of acquiring experience in what would become the future work reality. The internship took place at MC’s facilities in Maia, for the period of 6 months. During the internship I had the opportunity to work directly with the Análise Sensorial e Desenvolvimento de Produto team, from Direção de Qualidade&Investigação, in which I was allowed to monitor several tasks that made part of the daily routine of these departments. The main goal of the internship was to acquire experience and knowledge in the food industry, and to be able to, as much as possible, help solving problems and constraints that could arise. One of the constraints found that would be the subject of this master’s thesis was the issue of allergens in food products. The presence of trace allergens in food due to cross contamination is now a problem with growing impact on the food industry. This is because more individuals are susceptible to allergenic substances, limiting their choice when purchasing food products. For this matter, a detailed study was carried out on allergens in the food industry as well the possibility of assessing the risk of cross contamination of food throughout the production chain. At the end of the study, we concluded that there is still more information to be studied and gathered regarding allergen management in the industry. It was found that although allergen hygiene protocols exist and are implemented, there is still room to create other strategies that support a more efficient management of allergens, since generalized preventive measures continue to be adopted, namely the labelled indication of all allergens that enter the factory premises, without tests being carried out to confirm their existence in the final product. For this reason, it is necessary to develop more scientific research, from which concrete and reasoned decisions can be taken regarding how allergens should be managed, namely the development of other methods for detection of these substances and their standardization. It is also mandatory that more comprehensive studies are carried out to verify whether there are minimal amounts of allergens from which an allergic reaction is triggered in most individuals, in order to understand if it will be possible to remove preventive labelling of products regarding this matter

Alternative potency tests for quality control of immunobiologicals: a critical review of the validation approach

Introduction: In addition to low reproducibility, in vivo potency tests used in the quality control of immunobiological products require too many animals, causing them significant pain and suffering. In the last decades, many studies have been conducted to validate alternative methods for quality control and batch release of products such as vaccines and other immunobiologicals, especially for potency tests. Objective: To discuss validation studies on alternative methods proposed for replacing the in vivo potency tests and the used statistical approach, as well as to propose harmonization of terminology and to design validation studies for alternative potency methods. Method: A review of scientific databases was carried out to compile the products, data on the validation procedures and to verify their inclusion in the pharmacopeias. Results: Four trials were incorporated into the pharmacopeias. Statistical approaches included mainly regression assessment, ANOVA and Chi-square test. Conclusions: It is a challenge to conduct appropriate validation studies that are widely accepted by regulatory authorities, especially where validation centers have not yet been established. A clear indicator of this difficulty was the low number of methods for biological products incorporated into the guidelines.TÍTULO PT: Testes de potência alternativos para controle de qualidade de imunobiológicos: revisão crítica da abordagem de validação Introdução: Os ensaios de potência in vivo utilizados no controle da qualidade de imunobiológicos requerem o uso de muitos animais, e além da baixa reprodutibilidade, causam dor e sofrimento significativos. Nas últimas décadas, muitos estudos foram desenvolvidos para validar métodos alternativos para o controle da qualidade e liberação de lotes de produtos como vacinas e outros imunobiológicos, especialmente para os testes de potência. Objetivo: Discutir os estudos de validação sobre métodos alternativos para substituir ensaios de potência in vivo, a abordagem estatística utilizada e propor a harmonização da terminologia e o desenho para os estudos de validação de métodos alternativos de potência. Método: Uma pesquisa de revisão foi realizada em bases de dados científicos para compilar os produtos e dados dos procedimentos de validação, verificando sua inclusão nas farmacopeias. Resultados: Quatro ensaios foram incorporados em farmacopeias. As abordagens estatísticas incluíram principalmente a avaliação da regressão, ANOVA e teste de Qui-quadrado. Conclusões: É um desafio realizar estudos de validação adequados que sejam amplamente aceitos pelas autoridades reguladoras, especialmente onde os centros de validação ainda não foram estabelecidos. Um indicador claro dessa dificuldade foi o baixo número de métodos para produtos biológicos incorporados nas diretrizes

Conversação e deliberação sobre questões sensíveis: um estudo sobre o uso das razões que circulam nos media

A discussão informal tem despertado crescente interesse em estudos sobre deliberação. Contudo, são raros os estudos que examinam o engajamento das pessoas em contextos conflitantes. Este artigo investiga o modo pelo qual sujeitos de grupos sociais em conflito fazem uso de razões concorrentes que circulam nos media para negociar suas opiniões sobre uma “questão sensível”: a redução da maioridade penal. Para tanto, foram realizados cinco grupos de discussão em Belém (PA) e Belo Horizonte (MG), com policiais militares e moradores e adolescentes de periferia. A partir da adaptação do Discourse Quality Index, este estudo analisa: as justificativas expressas pelos participantes; o respeito entre os grupos; o papel das histórias pessoais na discussão. Investiga-se, ainda, o fluxo de argumentos antes e após a apresentação do material dos media. Os resultados contribuem para compreender a dinâmica através da qual os sujeitos se situam num “espaço de razões” em debates plurais

A conservation roadmap for the subterranean biome

The 15th UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (COP15) will be held in Kunming, China in October 2021. Historically, CBDs and other multilateral treaties have either alluded to or entirely overlooked the subterranean biome. A multilateral effort to robustly examine, monitor, and incorporate the subterranean biome into future conservation targets will enable the CBD to further improve the ecological effectiveness of protected areas by including groundwater resources, subterranean ecosystem services, and the profoundly endemic subsurface biodiversity. To this end, we proffer a conservation roadmap that embodies five conceptual areas: (1) science gaps and data management needs; (2) anthropogenic stressors; (3) socioeconomic analysis and conflict resolution; (4) environmental education; and (5) national policies and multilateral agreements.Peer reviewe

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Droplet counter-current chromatography of indole alkaloids from Tabernaemontana hilariana

This paper reports the separation of the indole alkaloids from the benzene extract of the root barks of Tabernaemontana hilariana (Apocynaceae). The crude alkaloid fraction was fractionated by droplet counter-current chromatography using a low polarity mixture (hexane:ethyl acetate:ethanol:water). Nine indole alkaloids (3-hydroxycoronaridine, coronaridine, voacangine, 3-(2-oxopropyl) coronaridine, voacangine hydroxyindolenine, ibogamine, voacangine pseudoindoxyl, coronaridine pseudoindoxyl and tabernanthine) were identified using thin laver chromatography gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Gas chromatographic analysis of indole alkaloids from Tabernaemontana hilariana

A fast and efficient procedure was elaborated to identify the alkaloid constituents from Tabernaemontana hilariana (Apocynaceae). The strategy based on fractioning of the crude alkaloid fraction in small silica cartridges followed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), capillary gas chromatography-flame ionization detection as well as high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry afforded voacangine, coronaridine, ibogamine, voacangine pseudoindoxyl, voacangine hydroxyindolenine, 3-hydroxycoronaridine and 3-(2-oxopropyl)coronaridine. (C) 1997 Elsevier B.V. B.V

Quantitative determination of furocoumarins in samples of Carapia by capillary gas chromatography

The occurrence of furocoumarins in the Moraceae has already been demonstrated. We present here the results concerning the chemical composition and quantification of furocoumarins from carapia (Dorstenia species, Moraceae) employed in Brazil because of its medicinal properties against skin diseases. A capillary gas chromatographic procedure is described for the simultaneous determination of the furocoumarins (psoralen, bergapten, pimpinellin, and isopimpinellin) in rhizomes and aerial parts of Dorstenia tubicina, Dorstenia asaroides and Dorstenia vitifolia and in commercial samples. The method is shown to be sensitive and reproducible, and may have application in the analysis of carapia crude drugs

Rapid determination of furanocoumarins in creams and pomades using SPE and GC

A solid-phase extraction and chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) method has been developed for the routine analysis of psoralen, bergapten, isopimpinellin and pimpinellin in creams and pomades employed in Brazil for the treatment of vitiligo. The calibration curve for psoralen was linear in the range 10-100 mu g ml(-1), for bergapten 5-90 mu g ml(-1), for pimpinellin 10-90 mu g ml(-1) and for isopimpinellin 5-100 mu g ml(-1). The best recoveries of the furanocoumarins in the creams analysed were 94-97%, whereas in the pomades, recoveries were 94-96%. The R.S.D. of the quantitative analysis of the furanocoumarins in the products analyses were within 5%. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved