Genesis and emplacement of felsic Variscan plutons within a deep crustal lineation, the Penacova-Regua-Verin fault: An integrated geophysics and geochemical study (NW Iberian Peninsula)

Multidisciplinary studies integrating, U-Pb geochronology, whole-rock geochemical data, isotope geochemistry, anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) studies and gravimetry were carried out on the Vila Pouca de Aguiar and the Aguas Frias-Chaves porphyritic biotite granite plutons. Both plutons occur independently in a distance of about 20 km. The Vila Pouca de Aguiar and Aguas Frias-Chaves plutons are examples of late to post-orogenic felsic Variscan granites in northern Portugal (NW Iberian Peninsula). The U-Pb zircon analyses yield a consistent age of 299 +/- 3 Ma which is considered to be the emplacement age of the two plutons. These granites are weakly peraluminous, show high HREE and Y (and low P) contents which are consistent with them being I-type. This is also supported by their weakly evolved isotopic compositions, (87)Sr/(86)Sr(i) = 0.7044-0.7077 and epsilon Nd = - 2.0 to - 2.6, as well as by the whole rock oxygen isotope (delta(18)O VSMOW) ranging from + 9.7 parts per thousand to + 11.0 parts per thousand. The emplacement of granite magma took place after the third Variscan deformation phase (D(3)) in an extensional tectonic regime, large scale uplift and crustal thinning. The integration of different data suggests that both plutons have the same feeding zone aligned within the Penacova-Regua-Verin fault (PRVF) and that both have the same structure which is related to late Variscan phases. The thicker shape for the Aguas Frias-Chaves pluton comparing to that of the Vila Pouca de Aguiar pluton is compatible with different depths of PRVF sectors. The available data led us to propose a model of partial melting of a meta-igneous lower crustal source rather than an open-system of mantle-crust interaction. The interaction between the continental crust and invading malfic magmas could have been limited to mere heat transfer and, perhaps, local intermingling

Approaches in biotechnological applications of natural polymers

Natural polymers, such as gums and mucilage, are biocompatible, cheap, easily available and non-toxic materials of native origin. These polymers are increasingly preferred over synthetic materials for industrial applications due to their intrinsic properties, as well as they are considered alternative sources of raw materials since they present characteristics of sustainability, biodegradability and biosafety. As definition, gums and mucilages are polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates consisting of one or more monosaccharides or their derivatives linked in bewildering variety of linkages and structures. Natural gums are considered polysaccharides naturally occurring in varieties of plant seeds and exudates, tree or shrub exudates, seaweed extracts, fungi, bacteria, and animal sources. Water-soluble gums, also known as hydrocolloids, are considered exudates and are pathological products; therefore, they do not form a part of cell wall. On the other hand, mucilages are part of cell and physiological products. It is important to highlight that gums represent the largest amounts of polymer materials derived from plants. Gums have enormously large and broad applications in both food and non-food industries, being commonly used as thickening, binding, emulsifying, suspending, stabilizing agents and matrices for drug release in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the food industry, their gelling properties and the ability to mold edible films and coatings are extensively studied. The use of gums depends on the intrinsic properties that they provide, often at costs below those of synthetic polymers. For upgrading the value of gums, they are being processed into various forms, including the most recent nanomaterials, for various biotechnological applications. Thus, the main natural polymers including galactomannans, cellulose, chitin, agar, carrageenan, alginate, cashew gum, pectin and starch, in addition to the current researches about them are reviewed in this article.. }To the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfíico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for fellowships (LCBBC and MGCC) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nvíel Superior (CAPES) (PBSA). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) (JAT)

Oil encapsulation techniques using alginate as encapsulating agent: applications and drawbacks

International audienceOils are used in agriculture, nutrition, food and cosmetics; however, these substances are oxidisable and may readily lose their properties. To reduce their degradation or to mask certain undesirable aspects, one strategy consists in encapsulating the oil in inert structures (capsules). The capsules are classified according to the morphology, the number of cores and size, can be produced by several techniques: jet-cutting, vibrating jet, spray-drying, dispersion and milli-microfluidic. Among the polymers used as a membrane in the capsules, alginates are used in oil encapsulation because of their high gelling capacity, biocompatibility and low toxicity. In the presence of calcium ions, the alginate macromolecules crosslink to form a three-dimensional network called hydrogel. The oil encapsulation using alginate as encapsulating material can be carried out using technologies based on the external, internal or inverse gelation mechanisms. These capsules can found applications in areas as cosmetics, textile, foods and veterinary, for example