Determination of ascorbic acid and acetylsalicylic acid in commercial preparations using an electronic tongue

The electronic tongue is a multi-sensors system used to identify the basic standards of taste, such as sweet, salty, sour and bitter, at levels not detectable by humans. Although the main purpose of electronic tongue is the qualitative analysis, the quantitative analysis of substances in a liquid matrix is also possible, having been the subject of these preliminary studies the application of electronic tongue to pharmaceutical products. In this way, the aim of the current study was the quantitative analysis of ascorbic acid (AA) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in several commercial preparations using an electronic tongue. For that, solutions of standard compounds or of commercial preparations contain ascorbic acid and acetylsalicylic acid were analizes by an electronic tongue. The obtained data were using to determine the concentrations of the solutions thought através do multiple linear regression method. The preliminary tests showed that it is possible to quantify the ascorbic acid in effervescent formulations of vitamin C, using the predictor model obtained by multiple linear regression. In the case of acetylsalicylic acid it was verified that the matrix of the analgesics or antipyretics drugs significantly affect the signs of the electronic tongue. The electronic tongue can be used determined ascorbic acid in effervescent formulations while it is necessary developed more selective sensors to acetylsalicylic acid in order to improve the predictive power of electronic tongue quantification of this compound

Numerical assessment of the influence of cutting operations on the fatigue strength of metals

Presentation delivered by Luis Antonio Gonçalves from CIMNE during the 17th International Conference on Computational Plasticity, Fundamentals and Applications (COMPLAS) taking place from 5 – 7 of September in Barcelona, Spain.The Fatigue4Light project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 10100684

Food Extract of Purple Yam (Dioscorea trifida L.f.) from Brazil: Optimization of Extraction Method, Characterization, In Vivo Toxicity, and Antimicrobial Activity

Purple yam (Dioscorea trifida) has high agricultural productivity in the Amazon region but has not been much investigated. Multivariate strategies were employed to optimize the method to obtain a food extract rich in functional compounds. The optimal conditions showed that the combination of 0.2 g of dried purple yam with 15 mL of citric acid (1%) under agitation in a water bath at 36 °C for 4 min yields an extract with a high content of peonidin-3-O-glucoside-5-O-glucoside, peonidin-3-O-feruloylglycosideum-5-O-glycosideum, peonidin-3-Op-coumaroylglycosideum-5-O-glycoside, quinic acid, apigenin 8-C-xyloside-6-C-glycoside (vicenin 3), quinic acid, apigenin 6-C-xyloside-8-C-glycoside (vicenin 1), and isorhamnetin-O-dihexoside. Our extract also presented 56.91 ± 0.76 mg 100 g−1 of total anthocyanins, 417.05 ± 11.37 mg 100 g−1 total carotenoids, and 493.09 ± 6.38 mg GAE 100 g−1 of total phenolic compounds. In a Galleria mellonella, in vivo model consumption safety was for up to 150 g by 70 kg of body weight. In addition, it inhibited the growth of Gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli). The simple, fast, and ecofriendly extraction conditions, combined with the biological effects of our extract, gives us a great potential for its application in food or packaging technologies.This study was funded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Funding 001). The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) provided financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021). The FCT through the institutional scientific employment program contract provided contract for L. Barros. The BPI La Caixa Foundation, within project titled “AquaeVitae—Thermal Water as a Source of Life and Health” — “PROMOVE – The future of the Interior” call 2020, provided contract for T. Silveira.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The evolution and current status of organic beekeeping in Portugal

The Portuguese beekeeping sector is one of the most resilient and persistent farming activities in the last decade. In the last five years, the figures reveal a counter cycle behavior with an increment in the number of colonies, apiaries and beekeepers, as shown in the National Beekeeping Program: there are 16.403 beekeepers with a total of 550.757 colonies. Following the same positive trend, the conversion from conventional to organic production as evolved in the period 2004/2012, from 738 up to 28.607 colonies (5% of the beekeeping sector), with a estimated production of 570 tons of certified honey, corresponding to an income of € 1.800.000. Even so, these figures are still below other European countries with similar environment potentialities like Italy, where the organic beekeeping represents more than 100.000 colonies (8% of total colonies) and even below the 7.6% that the organic farming represents in the Portuguese agriculture, which would be equivalent to more than 42.000 colonies. The sector organization and professionalization, the country natural resources (diverse nectar flows of high value) and the additional value given to organic products were expected to be self-sufficient factors for a sustainable enhancement of the number of organic beekeepers. However, it is been clear from the Portuguese experience that those key factors do not work alone without a continuous promotion of the production mode, focusing in the certification procedure, the specificities of beekeeping management and in the market approach: the distribution of Portuguese organic beekeepers is more concentrated in areas where the local organizations are more proactive towards the organic production. Additionally, it is interesting to notice that the profile of the organic beekeeper reveal some particularities: it is younger, with an academic background, frequently a degree in natural sciences or technologies complemented by specific beekeeping training. The interest for organic beekeeping, which represents the main income, arose from the commercial advantages, the environment protection but also from the influence of the local organization. More than 90% of the present Portuguese organic beekeepers are strongly engaged with the production mode, but highlight as the weakest points the efficacy and limitations of varroa treatments and a market value below their expectations

Antropoceno na Amazônia: A dinâmica do uso e cobertura da terra do município de Garrafão do Norte, Pará, Brasil: Anthropocene in the Amazon: The dynamics of land use and land cover in the municipality of Garrafão do Norte, Pará, Brazil

O presente trabalho analisou as mudanças de uso e cobertura da terra na localidade, de forma espacial e temporal, nos anos de 2000 e 2020, por meio da plataforma Google Earth Engine (GEE). Utilizou-se a imagem do satélite Landsat-5/TM relativo ao ano de 2000 e imagem do satélite Landsat-8/OLI-TIRS referente ao ano de 2020. Os resultados apontam que houve uma redução de 135,91 km² de cobertura vegetal, correspondendo a 10,51% de perda proveniente das atividades antrópicas que ocorreram em Garrafão do Norte, especialmente, em relação à agricultura com os cultivos de dendê, mandioca e laranja e à pecuária com as pastagens, pois juntos apresentam um aumento de 198,06% que equivalem a 305,02 km² de área antropizada. Portanto verificou-se que o município de Garrafão do Norte segue o padrão de desenvolvimento econômico dos municípios amazônicos, onde acontece a diminuição das áreas florestais para a ampliação de suas atividades produtivas, como o cultivo de dendê, sendo este um dos principais geradores do desflorestamento da região, caracterizando o cenário do Antropoceno na Amazônia. This study analyzed changes in land use and land cover in the area, spatially and temporally, between 2000 and 2020, using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. The Landsat-5/TM satellite image for the year 2000 and the Landsat-8/OLI-TIRS satellite image for the year 2020 were used. The results indicate a reduction of 135.91 km² of vegetation cover, corresponding to a 10.51% loss resulting from human activities that occurred in Garrafão do Norte, especially in relation to agriculture with oil palm, cassava and orange crops and livestock with pastures, as together they represent an increase of 198.06%, equivalent to 305.02 km² of human-altered area. Therefore, it was found that the municipality of Garrafão do Norte follows the economic development pattern of Amazonian municipalities, where there is a reduction in forest areas to expand their productive activities, such as palm oil cultivation, which is one of the main generators of deforestation in the region, characterizing the Anthropocene scenario in the Amazon

AVALIAÇÃO DE CULTIVARES DE MILHO PARA PRODUÇÃO DE SILAGEM DE ALTA QUALIDADE

Na safra 97/98, no campo experimental da UFPR em Palotina - PR, foi realizado um ensaio a campo com o objetivo de observar o desempenho de 12 cultivares de milho (Zea mays L.), utilizadas para ensilagem. Foram avaliados os seguintes parâmetros: porcentagem de proteína bruta (PB), de fibra em detergente ácido (FDA), de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) e de nutrientes digestíveis totais (NDT). Também foram estimados os valores da ingestão de matéria seca (IMS), da digestibilidade da matéria seca (DMS) e do valor relativo nutricional (VRN). Os resultados não mostraram diferenças significativas (p>0,05) entre cultivares, quanto aos parâmetros: porcentagem de proteína bruta (PB), de fibra em detergente ácido (FDA) e de digestibilidade da matéria seca (DMS). Nos outros parâmetros observou-se diferenças significativas (p0.05) were found between the cultivars in regard to crude protein, acid detergent fiber and dry matter digestibility. On the other hand, significant differences (