Determinação do bisfenol A e éter diglicidílico do bisfenol A em alimentos enlatados

O Bisfenol A (BPA) é um composto químico produzido a larga escala. De facto a produção mundial de BPA por ano é superior a 3,5 milhões de toneladas. Devido às suas características de resistência e elasticidade este composto é utilizado na produção de diversos produtos, como policarbonato e resinas epóxi. As resinas epóxi são obtidas comercialmente a partir da reação entre o bisfenol A e a epicloridrina que resulta no éter diglicidílico de bisfenol A, também conhecido como BADGE e estão presentes no revestimento de embalagens de alimentos enlatados. A União Europeia estabeleceu um limite de migração específica (LME) para o BPA de 0,6 mg/kg de alimento (Regulamento (EU) nº 10/2011 da comissão 2011). O presente trabalho teve como propósito a determinação de BPA e de BADGE em materiais em contato com alimentos. Neste sentido, procedeu-se ao desenvolvimento, otimização e validação de um método para determinação destes dois compostos por Cromatografia Líquida de Ultra Eficiência acoplada a um Detetor de Fluorescência (UHPLC-FL). Foram analisadas amostras de pescado enlatado, de diferentes marcas, disponíveis no mercado português, no período de Janeiro a Julho de 2017. Os parâmetros de validação determinados foram a especificidade, linearidade e gama de trabalho, limite de deteção, limite de quantificação, repetibilidade, precisão e exatidão. Os valores da Precisão (expressos em % de desvio padrão relativo) encontram-se em conformidade com os citérios de validação para métodos analíticos, tendo sido sempre inferiores a 4,9% e a recuperação foi aceitável nos 4 níveis de fortificação testados. Verificou-se que todas as amostras cumpriram com os limites máximos permitidos pela legislação europeia em vigor, garantindo assim a segurança do consumo destes alimentos.O presente trabalho insere-se no projeto “Desenvolvimento de metodologias para avaliação de componentes de embalagens alimentares poliméricas e determinação das suas propriedades estruturais e mecânicas (2016 DAN 1283), financiado pelo Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge.N/

Tripping over emerging pathogens around the world: A phylogeographical approach for determining the epidemiology of Porcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2), considering global trading

AbstractPorcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2) is an emerging virus associated with a number of different syndromes in pigs known as Porcine Circovirus Associated Diseases (PCVAD). Since its identification and characterization in the early 1990s, PCV-2 has achieved a worldwide distribution, becoming endemic in most pig-producing countries, and is currently considered as the main cause of losses on pig farms. In this study, we analyzed the main routes of the spread of PCV-2 between pig-producing countries using phylogenetic and phylogeographical approaches. A search for PCV-2 genome sequences in GenBank was performed, and the 420 PCV-2 sequences obtained were grouped into haplotypes (group of sequences that showed 100% identity), based on the infinite sites model of genome evolution. A phylogenetic hypothesis was inferred by Bayesian Inference for the classification of viral strains and a haplotype network was constructed by Median Joining to predict the geographical distribution of and genealogical relationships between haplotypes. In order to establish an epidemiological and economic context in these analyses, we considered all information about PCV-2 sequences available in GenBank, including papers published on viral isolation, and live pig trading statistics available on the UN Comtrade database (http://comtrade.un.org/). In these analyses, we identified a strong correlation between the means of PCV-2 dispersal predicted by the haplotype network and the statistics on the international trading of live pigs. This correlation provides a new perspective on the epidemiology of PCV-2, highlighting the importance of the movement of animals around the world in the emergence of new pathogens, and showing the need for effective sanitary barriers when trading live animals

Avaliação dos Hábitos de Consumo e Grau de Conhecimento Sobre Embalagens Alimentares e População Portuguesa

As embalagens alimentares têm como principal função a proteção dos alimentos de fatores que alterem as suas propriedades organoléticas, valor nutricional e segurança microbiológica. Contudo, os materiais utilizados no revestimento das embalagens podem interagir com os alimentos, havendo a migração de determinados compostos para os alimentos. A maioria das latas metálicas usadas para a conserva de alimentos é revestida internamente por um material epóxi-fenólico que tem como base o bisfenol A (BPA) e epicloridrina. Estes dois compostos reagem e produzem uma resina de baixo peso molecular, onde se inclui o éter diglicidílico do bisfenol A (BADGE). Com o avanço da tecnologia, surgiram as embalagens ativas e as embalagens inteligentes. As embalagens ativas podem ser de dois tipos: de emissão ou absorção. Estas têm como função a interação entre a embalagem e o alimento, através da emissão de compostos ou da absorção de gases ou substâncias provenientes do alimento. Em relação às embalagens inteligentes, a sua função principal é monitorizar as condições do alimento e do meio envolvente do alimento e informar o consumidor das mesmas. Este estudo teve como objetivo o perceber os hábitos de consumo de latas de conserva numa amostra da população portuguesa e aferir o seu conhecimento sobre embalagens ativas e inteligentes. Foi elaborado um questionário online com 26 questões. Dos inquiridos, a maioria era do sexo feminino (66 %), entre os 18 e os 24 anos de idade (62 %), e com formação superior (licenciatura, mestrado ou doutoramento) (76 %). De acordo com os resultados obtidos, verificou-se que 70 % dos inquiridos consome alimentos enlatados, dos quais aproximadamente 72 % tem preferência por atum. Em relação aos compostos químicos presentes no revestimento das embalagens de conserva, aproximadamente 74 % respondeu não ter conhecimento sobre o bisfenol A e BADGE. No tema das embalagens alimentares, apenas 15 % dos inquiridos tinha conhecimento da função principal das embalagens inteligentes, enquanto 13 % declarou conhecer o objetivo das embalagens ativas. Com os resultados obtidos, pode afirmar-se que a população portuguesa consome um elevado número de produtos em latas de conserva, nomeadamente o atum, apesar de poucos inquiridos possuírem conhecimento sobre a migração de bisfenóis para os alimentos. Em relação às embalagens alimentares inovadoras, apenas uma pequena fração dos inquiridos tem conhecimento da sua existência e das funções que desempenham.N/

Nanodispersions of beta-carotene: effects on antioxidant enzymes and cytotoxic properties

Beta-carotene is a carotenoid precursor of vitamin A, known for its biological activities. Due to its high hydrophobicity, nanonization processes, i.e. the transformation into nanoparticles, can improve its water affinity, and therefore the activity in aqueous systems. The objective of this study was to produce beta-carotene nanoparticles by the solid dispersion method and to evaluate their effects on the activity of glutathione-S-transferase and acetylcholinesterase enzymes using Drosophila melanogaster (DM) homogenate, the superoxide dismutase- and catalase-like activities under in vitro conditions, and their cytotoxic properties against tumor and non-tumor cells. The formed nanometric beta-carotene particles resulted in stable colloids, readily dispersed in water, able to modulate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and presenting high potential to control the cholinergic system. Beta-carotene nanoparticles, at concentrations much lower than the pure pristine beta-carotene, presented in vitro mimetic activity to superoxide dismutase and altered glutathione-S-transferase activity in DM tissue. The content of hydrogen peroxide was neither affected by the nanoparticles (in aqueous solution) nor by pristine beta-carotene (in DMSO). In the cytotoxic assays, beta-carotene nanoparticles dispersed in water showed activity against four different tumor cell lines. Overall, beta-carotene nanoparticles presented significant bioactivity in aqueous medium surpassing their high hydrophobicity constraint.The authors thank CNPq, CAPES and Fundação Araucária for the support. The authors are also grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (strategic project UID/AGR/00690/2013) and R. Calhelha contract, and to the project POCI-01-0145- FEDER-006984 – Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM funded by the FEDER through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) – and by national funds through FCT. This work was also funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds (FEEI) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-023289: DeCodE and Project Mobilizador ValorNatural®.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antioxidants extraction from Pinhão (Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze) coats and application to zein films

Seeds from Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze are consumed after cooking and their coats discarded. Both coats and the cooking water present phenolic compounds, which may be used to improve mechanical properties and provide antioxidant characteristics to films. The objective of this work was to obtain and pinhão coat extracts and to apply these polyphenolic-rich extracts in zein films. Phenolic compounds composition, extraction yield and antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP) of the extracts were determined. The most abundant molecules present in the hydroethanolic extract were (+)-catechin and an (epi)catechin dimer, whereas protocatechuic acid were predominant in the both cooking water and ethanolic extracts. Glass transition temperature of zein was not found in the extract-loaded films. Morphological changes were also caused by the presence of the extracts yielding smoother surfaces. The extracts added to zein films led to a three-fold increase in tensile strength (from 5.80 MPa to 17.65 MPa) and two-fold increase in the elongation at break (from 1.60% to 3.18%).Authors thank to CNPq (Chamada Universal– MCTI/CNPq Nº 14/ 2014, Processo 447768/2014-0), CAPES (Master's scholarship) and Fundação Araucária (Programa Universal/Pesquisa Básica e Aplicada 24/2012, protocolo 7334133700514041013) for the finantial support. Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 – Associated Laboratory LSRELCM funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Systematic study on the extraction of antioxidants from pinhão (araucaria angustifolia (bertol.) Kuntze) coat

Food by-products containing bioactive substances have attracted attention due to the possibility of adding values to residues of the food industry. In this work, the extraction of phenolic compounds from pinhão seed coats (Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze) using a central composite rotatable design was applied to obtain prediction models for the extract volume yield, total phenolic content, total phenolic acids and total flavonoids. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were implemented showing an evident poor effect of the temperature on phenolic compounds extraction, which is in accordance with the prediction model obtained by the experimental design for total phenolic acids. Volume yield presented a high positive correlation with extraction temperature, followed by solvent composition. Scanning electron microscopy showed that higher temperatures and lower ethanol percentages resulted in highly defibrillated pinhão coats that retained more extract after the extraction process, leading to lower volume yield percentages.Authors thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for the master scholarship and the ‘Centro Multiusuário de Caracterização de Materiais (CMCM) of UTFPR-Campus Curitiba’ for the SEM analysis. Authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013) and L. Barros contract. The authors are also grateful to FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal programme for financial support through the project 0377_Iberphenol_6_E. Also to POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 (LA LSRE-LCM), funded by FEDER, through POCICOMPETE2020 and FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synthesis and biochemical studies of 17-substituted androst-3-enes and 3,4-epoxyandrostanes as aromatase inhibitors

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TC9-4T0WJXG-2/2/58305e64e3c068f352293a693f168db

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of enzymatic and antioxidant activity, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of curcumin-loaded solid dispersions

Curcumin, the main bioactive polyphenolic compound in Curcuma longa L. rhizomes has a wide range of bioactive properties. Curcumin presents low solubility in water and thus limited bioavailability, which decreases its applicability. In this study, cytotoxic effects of curcumin solid dispersions (CurSD) were evaluated against tumor (breast adenocarcinoma and lung, cervical and hepatocellular carcinoma) and non-tumor (PLP2) cells, while cytotoxic and genotoxic effects were evaluated in Allium cepa. The effect of the CurSD on the acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), glutathione S-transferase (GST), andmonoamine oxidase (MAO A-B) enzymes was determined, as well as its capacity to inhibit the oxidative hemolysis (OxHLIA) and the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). CurSD are constituted by nanoparticles that are readily dispersible in water, and inhibited 24% and 64% of the AChE and BChE activity at 100μM, respectively. GST activity was inhibited at 30μM while MAO-A and B activity were inhibited at 100μM. CurSD showed cytotoxicity against all the tested tumor cell lines without toxic effects for non-tumor cells. No cytotoxic and genotoxic potential was detected with the Allium cepa test.CurSD maintained the characteristics of free curcumin on the in vitro modulation of important enzymes without appreciable toxicity.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (strategic project UID/AGR/00690/2013) and the research contracts of J. Pinela (Project AllNatt, POCI-01-0145- FEDER-030463) and R. Calhelha. To the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER- 006984 – Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM funded by FEDER through COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) – and by national funds through FCT. This work was also funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-023289: DeCodE and Project Mobilizador Norte-01-0247-FEDER-024479: ValorNatural®.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

TPCS/PBAT blown extruded films added with curcumin as a technological approach for active packaging materials

The development of active packaging is a relevant topic demanding the development of films with diverse properties to preserve specific foodstuff. The objective of this work was to obtain extruded TPCS/PBAT films containing curcumin and evaluate it as an active antimicrobial and antioxidant packaging to protect chia oil from oxidative degradation. Morphology, thermal, mechanical, antimicrobial, and antioxidant evaluation of the films were conducted to determine whether the presence of curcumin affected the film’s properties. Infrared Spectroscopy indicated that curcumin addition affected the crosslinking reaction between citric acid and starch, which explains the changes in hydrophilicity and mechanical strength of the films. The incorporation of curcumin conferred antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) bacteria, as well as antioxidant activity. Films were tested as chia oil packaging, being verified that they successfully prevented oil degradation under accelerated stability test (60 °C for 7 days), demonstrating the feasibility of using TPCS/PBAT biodegradable films containing curcumin to obtain active packaging materials.Authors thank to CNPq (Chamada Universal– MCTI/CNPq Nº 14/2014, Processo 447768/2014-0), CAPES (Coordenação de Pessoal de Nível Superior Master's scholarship) and Fundação Araucária (Programa Universal/Pesquisa Básica e Aplicada 24/2012, protocolo 7334133700514041013) for the finantial support. This work was financially supported by Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM (UID/EQU/50020/2019) funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), and Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal). CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2019) through FEDER under Program PT2020. To the national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for I.P. Fernandes contract.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze extract as a source of phenolic compounds in TPS/PBAT active films

There is growing interest in the development of biodegradable packaging materials containing natural antioxidant extracts. In this sense, the use of extracts obtained from agro-industrial byproducts has proved to be a sustainable alternative. In this study, Pinhão extract, a byproduct of Pinhão (Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze) seed consumption, was characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn, demonstrating the presence of eight phenolic compounds, (+)-catechin and (−)-epicatechin being the most abundant molecules. TPS/PBAT films containing Pinhão extract were produced by blown extrusion and their properties (tensile properties, thermal characteristics and microstructure) were evaluated in order to determine the effect of the presence of extracts. Results suggested that the interaction between the phenolic compounds of the extract and the polymeric matrix caused the reduction in the crystallinity degree, and an increase in the starch glass transition temperature. The presence of Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze extract significantly (p < 0.05) affected the color and opacity of the film. Regarding water vapor permeation, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was detected. However, the water solubility and the contact angle with water (polar solvent) and diiodomethane (non-polar solvent) significantly changed due to the extract addition. Moreover, the Pinhão extract conferred significant antioxidant capacity to the TPS/PBAT films as determined by DPPH, suggesting that this material can be applied as an active packaging material.The authors thank CNPq (Chamada Universal – MCTI/CNPq no. 14/2014, Processo 447768/2014-0), CAPES (Master’s scholarship) and Fundação Araucária (Programa Universal/ Pesquisa Básica e Aplicada 24/2012, protocolo 7334133700514041013) for the financial support and they also thank Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM – UID/EQU/50020/2019 – funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2019) and to the national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for L. Barros contracts. The authors are also grateful to FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal programme for financial support through the project 0377_Iberphenol_6_E.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio