Enhanced HPLC method for boar taint quantification

Boar taint is an unpleasant odour found in the carcasses of entire male pigs, resulting from androstenone and skatole accumulation during pubertal development, and impacting pork quality. This study proposes the validation of an adapted chromatographic method for quantifying skatole and androstenone in the pigs’ liquid fat using fluorescence detection. A good chromatographic separation was achieved, with skatole (SKA) and androstenone (AND) elution at 4.4 and 9.9 min., respectively. An external calibration method was applied, with calibration curves correlation coefficient of 0.9999 for both analytes. Detection limit values were 1.53 and 16.02 ng/g for SKA and AND, respectively. SKA recovery was 99.72±2.34 % (2.34 % RSD) and 102.84±1.62 % (1.57 % RSD) for AND. Results showed good precision values (repeatability <2.46 % RSD for SKA, <6.85 % RSD for AND; intermediate precision <2.87 % RSD for SKA, <6.98 % RSD for AND). The method‘s robustness was tested and the values were within the reference ranges. The validation results proved that the adaptation of an existing method resulted in good assessments of robustness, reliability and accuracy.9814-6B05-9C03 | Ricardo Miguel Pereira PintoN/

Corncob as carbon source in the production of xanthan gum in different strains Xanthomonas sp.

Xanthan gum (XG) is a biopolymer obtained in fermentation and used as a rheology control agent in aqueous systems and in stabilizing emulsions and suspensions. XG, together with other polysaccharides, can form soft, cohesive composite gels. The carbon source in the fermentative process is responsible for one-third of the production costs, and the search for less expensive and sustainable alternatives is ongoing. The use of agricultural residues such as the corncob is highly suggestive due to their abundance. This study aims to evaluate the use of derived hemicellulose fractions from the alkaline extraction of corncob as a carbon source in the production of XG in trials using four strains of Xanthomonas sp. (629, 1078, 254, and S6). The results indicate that strain 629 provides the higher yield (8.37 ± 5.75 g L−1) while using a fermentation medium containing a carbon source of saccharose (1.25%), hemicellulose fractions (3.75%), and salts. In this same medium, the strain 629 produces gum in 3% aqueous solution, showing the higher apparent viscosity (9298 ± 31 mPa s−1) at a shear rate of 10 s−1 at 25 °C. In conclusion, corncob is proven to be a promising sustainable alternative carbon source in the obtention of XG, improving the economic viability of the process within a biorefinery context. Saccharose must, however, also be included in the fermentation medium.0F1A-358B-43B5 | Fernando Jorge Ribeiro da MataN/

Nutrient‐efficient catfish‐based aquaponics for producing lamb's lettuce at two light intensities

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We acknowledge funding provided by FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC): LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE), UIDB/50020/2020 & UIDP/50020/2020 (LSRE-LCM), UIDB/00313/2020 & UIDP/00313/2020 (CQC-IMS) and Rede Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (RNRMN, UC-NMR).BACKGROUND: Aquaponic systems are sustainable processes of managing water and nutrients for food production. An innovate nutrient-efficient catfish-based (Clarias gariepinus) aquaponics system was implemented for producing two cultivars of two leafy vegetables largely consumed worldwide: lamb's lettuce (Valerianella locusta var. Favor and Valerianella locusta var. de Hollande) and arugula (Eruca vesicaria var. sativa and Eruca sativa). Different growing treatments (4 × 2 factorial design) were applied to plants of each cultivar, grown at two light intensities (120 and 400 ∼mol m−2 s −1). During growth, several morphological characteristics (root length, plant height, leaf number, foliage diameter and biggest leaf length) were measured. At harvest, plants were weighed and examined qualitatively in terms of greenness and health status. Additionally, leaf extracts were obtained and used to determine total phenolic contents, antioxidant capacities, and levels of cytotoxicity to Caco-2 intestinal model cells. RESULTS: After a 5-week growth period, both lamb's lettuce cultivars presented high levels of greenness and health status, at both light intensities, particularly the var. de Hollande that also showed higher average performance in terms of plant morphology. In turn, arugula cultivars showed lower levels of greenness and health status, especially the cultivar E. vesicaria var. sativa submitted to direct sunlight during growth. In addition, plant specimens submitted to higher levels of light intensity showed higher contents in antioxidants/polyphenols. Cultivars with a higher content in antioxidants/polyphenols led to higher Caco-2 cell viability. CONCLUSION: For successful industrial implementation of the aquaponics technology, different and optimized acclimatizing conditions must be applied to different plant species and cultivars. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Elemental composition and bioaccessibility of farmed oysters (Crassostrea gigas) fed different ratios of dietary seaweed and microalgae during broodstock conditioning

Free PMC article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/31428337/[Correction added on 8 July 2019, after first online publication: New affiliation was added for Jorge Machado, José Fernando Gonçalves, and Paulo Vaz‐Pires.]The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) culture has been expanding, thereby leading to a greater importance of hatcheries. Broodstock conditioning is very important in the hatchery process, in which diet composition may have a strong influence on the offspring production and quality. Therefore, the current study evaluated elemental composition and bioaccessibility of oysters fed different ratios of dietary seaweed (SW) and microalgae. The dietary conditioning consisted of direct replacement of microalgae by SW at four substitution levels (0%, 25%, 50%, and 100% diet). It was observed that oysters fed 100% SW had the highest levels of Be, Cu, Zn, Sr, and Cd. The most important trend was a concentration decline of most elements with progressively lower levels of SW substitution for microalgae in the feeds. No Cd or Pb hazard (contents below 1.0 mg/kg for Cd and 1.5 mg/kg for Pb) was found in oyster meat. Regarding elemental bioaccessibility, values were similar, near 100% in the cases of Cu, Br, and I. Only for Mn and Pb, bioaccessibility percentages deviated more from 100%. Indeed, the value for Pb was 50% ± 7% (initial group), and for Mn, all values were equal or lower than 29% ± 2% (final group of oysters fed microalgae). It was observed that Mn, Cd, and Pb bioaccessibility increased with a growing share of microalgal biomass in the feed. Therefore, this study showed that SW incorporation into the feed influences elemental composition and bioaccessibility of the oysters.The current study was supported by Project INNOVMAR— Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resources (NORTE‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐000035) within the line “INSEAFOOD, Innovation and valorization of seafood products,” funded by the Northern Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Moreover, the study was funded by the project AQUAMAX (Ref. 16‐02‐01‐FMP‐0047). This work was also supported by the following Postdoctoral Grants: Ref.: SFRH/BPD/102689/2014 (“Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia,” FCT) for the author Carlos Cardoso, Ref.: SFRH/BD/129795/2017 (“Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia,” FCT) for the author Joana Matos, and DIVERSIAQUA (MAR2020) for the author Cláudia Afonso.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nutritive Value and Bioactivities of a Halophyte Edible Plant: Crithmum maritimum L. (Sea Fennel)

Research funded by FEDER/COMPETE and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) via grants UIDB/00313/2020 and UIDP/00313/2020 to CQC, LA/P/0045/2020 to ALiCE, UIDB/50020/2020 and UIDP/50020/2020 to LSRE-LCM, and UIDB/MAR/04292/2020 to MARE, and to the Integrated Programme of SR&TD “Smart Valorization of Endogenous Marine Biological Resources Under a Changing Climate” (Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000018) and to Rede Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (RNRMN, UC-NMR).Crithmum maritimum L. (sea fennel), an edible xerophyte of coastal habitats, is considered an emerging cash crop for biosaline agriculture due to its salt-tolerance ability and potential applications in the agri-food sector. Here, the nutritional value and bioactive properties of sea fennel are described. Sea fennel leaves, flowers, and schizocarps are composed of carbohydrates (>65%) followed by ash, proteins, and lipids. Sea fennel’s salty, succulent leaves are a source of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic acid. Extracts obtained from flowers and fruits/schizocarps are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols and show antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis, Candida albicans, and Candida parapsilosis. Plant material is particularly rich in sodium (Na) but also in other nutritionally relevant minerals, such as calcium (Ca), chlorine (Cl), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S), beyond presenting a potential prebiotic effect on Lactobacillus bulgaricus and being nontoxic to human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 model cells, up to 1.0% (w/v). Hence, the rational use of sea fennel can bring nutrients, aroma, and flavor to culinary dishes while balancing microbiomes and contributing to expanding the shelf life of food products.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Crithmum maritimum L. (Sea Fennel)

Funding Information: Research funded by FEDER/COMPETE and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) via grants UIDB/00313/2020 and UIDP/00313/2020 to CQC, LA/P/0045/2020 to ALiCE, UIDB/50020/2020 and UIDP/50020/2020 to LSRE-LCM, and UIDB/MAR/04292/2020 to MARE, and to the Integrated Programme of SR&TD “Smart Valorization of Endogenous Marine Biological Resources Under a Changing Climate” (Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000018) and to Rede Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (RNRMN, UC-NMR). Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.Crithmum maritimum L. (sea fennel), an edible xerophyte of coastal habitats, is considered an emerging cash crop for biosaline agriculture due to its salt-tolerance ability and potential applications in the agri-food sector. Here, the nutritional value and bioactive properties of sea fennel are described. Sea fennel leaves, flowers, and schizocarps are composed of carbohydrates (>65%) followed by ash, proteins, and lipids. Sea fennel’s salty, succulent leaves are a source of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic acid. Extracts obtained from flowers and fruits/schizocarps are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols and show antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis, Candida albicans, and Candida parapsilosis. Plant material is particularly rich in sodium (Na) but also in other nutritionally relevant minerals, such as calcium (Ca), chlorine (Cl), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S), beyond presenting a potential prebiotic effect on Lactobacillus bulgaricus and being nontoxic to human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 model cells, up to 1.0% (w/v). Hence, the rational use of sea fennel can bring nutrients, aroma, and flavor to culinary dishes while balancing microbiomes and contributing to expanding the shelf life of food products.publishersversionpublishe

New Emigration and Portuguese Society: Transnationalism and Return

This chapter addresses the theme of transnationalism and return in recent Portuguese emigration, namely the flows that occurred after the turn of the century. It starts with a brief theoretical overview on those topics, which constitute two relatively neglected characteristics of Portuguese emigration. Next, based on a survey carried out in 2014–2015 to more than 6000 recent emigrants, it reveals some of the links that they maintain with their home country, as well as their plans for the future, which include settlement in the destination country, return and re-emigration. Lastly, it examines data on returning emigrants – especially those that returned between 2001 and 2011 – extracted from the 2011 Census. The evidence reveals a significant number of returns, including individuals at both working and retirement ages and at all skill levels, thus exposing the unexpected complexity of movements. The results are based on the research project “Back to the future: new emigration and links with Portuguese society” (REMIGR), which aimed to ascertain the extent and characteristics of the new emigration wave. The project included an overview of emigration and return to and from all regions of the world, as well as case studies in UK, France, Luxembourg, Angola, Mozambique and Brazil.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of EGFR genetic variants on glioma risk and patient outcome

B.M. Costa and M. Viana-Pereira contributed equally to this work; The authors thank the Immunochemotherapy Department of Hospital S. Marcos, and Clinica Laboratorial Dr. Edgar Botelho Moniz, S. Tirso, Portugal, for their helpful assistance in the management of controlsBACKGROUND: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) regulates important cellular processes and is frequently implicated in human tumors. Three EGFR polymorphisms have been described as having a transcriptional regulatory function: two single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the essential promoter region, -216G/T and -191C/A, and a polymorphic (CA)(n) microsatellite sequence in intron 1. We aimed to elucidate the roles of these EGFR polymorphisms in glioma susceptibility and prognosis. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study with 196 patients with glioma and 168 cancer-free controls. Unconditional multivariate logistic regression models were used to calculate ORs and 95% confidence intervals. A Cox regression model was used to evaluate associations with patient survival. False-positive report probabilities were also assessed. RESULTS: None of the EGFR -216G/T variants was significantly associated with glioma risk. The -191C/A genotype was associated with higher risk for glioma when the (CA)(n) alleles were classified as short for ≤16 or ≤17 repeats. Independently of the (CA)(n) repeat cutoff point used, shorter (CA)(n) repeat variants were significantly associated with increased risk for glioma, particularly glioblastoma and oligodendroglioma. In all tested models with different (CA)(n) cutoff points, only -191C/A genotype was consistently associated with improved survival of patients with glioblastoma. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings implicate EGFR -191C/A and the (CA)(n) repeat polymorphisms as risk factors for gliomas, and suggest -191C/A as a prognostic marker in glioblastoma. Impact: Our data support a role of these EGFR polymorphisms in determining glioma susceptibility, with potential relevance for molecularly based stratification of patients with glioblastoma for individualized therapies.Schering-Plough Farma, PortugalFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - SFRH/BPD/33612/2009; SFRH/BD/29145/200

Glossário de responsabilidade social

Este Glossário de Responsabilidade Social é um produto da RSO PT, pelo que as referências ao mesmo deverão ser efetuadas mencionando o nome do documento e os seus autores: Rede RSO PT, GT ISO 26000, Glossário de Responsabilidade Social, (2013)Este Glossário de Responsabilidade Social foi desenvolvido no âmbito da Rede RSO PT, no Grupo de Trabalho da ISO 26 000 (GT ISO 26000). A missão do GT ISO 26000 consiste em promover e aprofundar o conhecimento sobre a norma NP ISO 26000 Linhas de Orientação para a Responsabilidade Social. O Glossário de Responsabilidade Social seguiu a estrutura da norma de referência NP ISO 26000 Linhas de orientação para a responsabilidade social, pelo que os termos se encontram associados aos sete temas da norma.APEE; APSHSTDC; BSD; Câmara Municipal da Amadora; Câmara Municipal de Loures; Câmara Municipal de Oliveira de Azeméis; CIG; CITE; Coordenada Social; CTCV; Edit Value; GEBALIS; IAPMEI; Instituto de Informática, IP; Instituto Português da Qualidade; Montepio; Process Advice; State of The Art; Universidade Abert