A novel and simpler alkaline hydrolysis methodology for extraction of ferulic acid from brewer’s spent grain and its (partial) purification through adsorption in a synthetic resin

This work aims to develop simpler methodologies of extracting ferulic acid (FA) from brewer’s spent grain (BSG). BSG is produced by brewing companies at high amounts all over the year and does not possess a direct application. Thus, its use as raw material for extraction of bioactive compounds has gained attention in the last years. FA has different interesting applications in cosmetics, food industry, and pharmaceutics. Several studies aim for its extraction from BSG by various methods, namely alkaline hydrolysis. In the present work, we suggest the use of autoclave to process higher amounts of BSG in a lab scale. A simplification of the regular post-hydrolysis procedures is also proposed to decrease the number of experimental steps and energy costs and to simultaneously increase the extraction yield (up to 470 mg of FA per 100 g of BSG). The adsorption of extracted FA in a synthetic resin is suggested as a partial purification method.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Resíduos da indústria agro-alimentar como possíveis fontes de ácido ferúlico

A indústria agro-alimentar produz anualmente uma grande quantidade de subprodutos, ainda tratados como desperdício. A indústria cervejeira, em particular, está associada à produção de vários resíduos, entre os quais o bagaço de malte, também designado bagaço de cerveja ou dreche. Sendo produzida numa razão de 20 kg por cada 100 litros de cerveja, só na Ilha da Madeira a produção de dreche ultrapassa as 2000 toneladas/ano. O presente trabalho foi realizado com o intuito de estudar a utilização da dreche como material de partida para a extracção de ácido ferúlico, um ácido hidroxicinâmico com elevada bioactividade e aplicações. A caracterização físico-química da dreche permitiu determinar um teor de humidade de aproximadamente 70% e um teor de cinzas de cerca de 3,6%. A distribuição granulométrica da dreche seca, revelou que cerca de 70% das partículas que a constituem têm dimensão entre 1 e 0,25 mm. A extracção com acetona produziu um extracto contendo 5 compostos de natureza fenólica, determinados por LC-MS. A hidrólise alcalina – uma das técnicas que permitem a extracção de compostos como o ácido ferúlico a partir de matrizes lenhocelulósicas – foi estudada em amostras de dreche submetidas a tratamento prévio. O pré-tratamento com ácido diluído demonstrou ser eficiente na extracção do ácido ferúlico a partir da dreche. A extracção em autoclave mostrou ser eficiente na extracção do ácido ferúlico [0,28% (m/m)] e uma simplificação do procedimento posterior à reacção de hidrólise alcalina fez aumentar o rendimento de extracção em cerca de 84%, comparativamente ao procedimento habitual. As condições óptimas de hidrólise alcalina em tubos autopressurizados aconteceram a 120 ºC, por 1,5 horas, num rácio de 20 mL/g e NaOH (1,5%). O processo de purificação do ácido ferúlico extraído por adsorção numa resina sintética resultou em percentagens de adsorção de 90,83% e de dessorção em torno dos 68,70%

Fish processing industry residues: a review of valuable products extraction and characterization methods

Fish processing industry has experienced significant growth, playing an important role in the world economy. The increased exploration of marine resources contributes to the generation of considerable amounts of biowaste, which ends up as discards. In the face of the resultant disposal and environmental problems, many efforts have been made to deal with the fishery waste in more efficient ways. Nowadays, these by-products are regarded as important sources of high added value compounds, such as hydroxyapatite, collagen, gelatin, lipids, enzymes, hydrolysates and bioactive peptides, with great potential for human health applications. The present paper aims to review the current methods of extraction and characterization of added value products from fish by-products, as well as their actual and potential applications.This work was supported by FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (projectPEst-OE/QUI/UI0674/2019, CQM, Portuguese Government funds), and through Madeira 14–20 Program, project PROEQUIPRAM—Reforço do Investimento em Equipamentos e Infraestruturas Científicas na RAM (M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000008) and by ARDITI-Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação Tecnologia e Inovação, through the project M1420-01-0145- FEDER-000005—Centro de Química da Madeira—CQM+ (Madeira 14-20). The work was also performed in the frame of project MarineBlueRefine PROCiência2020 (Portaria nº 371/2015, de 16/12), M1420- 01-0247-FEDER-000006; Pedro Ideia is the recipient of a PhD Grant under the project M1420-09-5369-FSE-000001.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Extraction and characterization of hydroxyapatite-based materials from grey triggerfish skin and black scabbardfish bones

The conversion of food industry by-products to compounds with high added value is nowadays a significant topic, for social, environmental, and economic reasons. In this paper, calcium phosphate-based materials were obtained from black scabbard fish (Aphanopus carbo) bones and grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) skin, which are two of the most abundant fish by-products of Madeira Island. Different calci nation temperatures between 400 and 1000°C were employed. Materials obtained from calcination of bones of black scabbard fish were composed by homogeneous mixtures of hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HAp) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-Ca3(PO4)2, β-TCP). Because of the high biocompatibility of HAp and the good resorbability of β-TCP, these natural biphasic materials could be very relevant in the field of biomaterials, as bone grafts. The ratio between HAp and β-TCP in the biphasic compound was dependent on the calcination temperature. Differently, the material obtained from skin of grey triggerfish contained HAp as the main phase, together with small amounts of other mineral phases, such as halite and rhenanite, which are known to enhance osteogenesis when used as bone substitutes. In both cases, the increase of calcination temperature led to an increase in the particles size with a consequent decrease in their specific surface area. These results demonstrate that from the fish by-products of the most consumed fishes in Madeira Island it is possible to obtain bioceramic materials with tunable composition and particle mor phology, which could be promising materials for the biomedical fieldinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Shellfish consumption preferences in an oceanic archipelago

A survey on shellfish consumption preferences was conducted in the Eastern Atlantic archipelago of Madeira. A total of 402 valid questionnaires were collected from locals older than 15 years old. Gender, age, highest education level, work status and salary were considered in the sample composition. Participants were inquired about frequency, amount and risks associated with consumption, as well as concerns regarding the freshness of seafood. Shellfish appears to be consumed less than once a week, and 79.1% of these consumers prefer limpets. GLM analysis showed that total salary amount was the demographic variable which most affects seafood consumption. The results indicated that the majority of the respondents consume limpets less than once a week, in an amount that varies between a quarter and a half dose. With regard to health concerns, most respondents are conscious of the importance of products’ freshness and approximately half of them are aware of the existence of risks associated with consumption. In general, the awareness about freshness and possible risks of consumption is dependent on the level of education. Limpets are preferably consumed during summer, both grilled and cooked, respectively. The present study provides preliminary information on shellfish consumption trend in the archipelago of Madeira. Raising the awareness of seafood consumers in line with a health surveillance network in preparation in Macaronesia could be an important tool for spreading information related to the risks associated to its consumption

A pandemia da COVID-19 e o governo digital: o caso dos municípios da Região Autónoma da Madeira

A pandemia da COVID-19 e os consequentes confinamentos tiveram um grande impacto na sociedade. Neste contexto, os governos locais tiveram de se adaptar às circunstâncias, adaptando as suas agendas políticas e ajustando os seus procedimentos internos. No caso português, os governos locais apesar de já estarem dotados de alguns mecanismos e ferramentas de comunicação digitais, tiveram de efetuar alterações de modo a minimizar alguns impactos decorrentes da pandemia. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal observar a perceção dos atores políticos locais quanto à importância atribuída ao governo digital, perante o contexto da pandemia da COVID-19. Para tal, procedeu-se ao estudo de caso dos municípios da Região Autónoma da Madeira, recorrendo a entrevistas semiestruturadas e à recolha de dados secundários relevantes à investigação de modo a caraterizar os municípios em estudo e traçar o perfil dos autarcas entrevistados. Os resultados confirmam que os atores políticos têm uma perceção positiva sobre a importância do governo digital no contexto em causa, embora não tenha sido possível relacionar o perfil dos entrevistados e as caraterísticas dos municípios com essa perceção. Constatou-se também que a pandemia influenciou a adoção de novos mecanismos digitais e que os atores políticos possuem uma perceção positiva sobre a perenidade desses mecanismos no pós-pandemia.With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, local governments were challenged, as this phenomenon had a major impact on society. Local governments had to adapt to the circumstances and transform their political agendas, adjusting their internal procedures. In the Portuguese case, although local governments are already equipped with some digital communication mechanisms and tools, they had to make some changes to minimize some impacts resulting from the pandemic. The main objective of this work is to observe the perception of local political actors regarding the importance attributed to digital government, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, a case study of municipalities in the Autonomous Region of Madeira was carried out, using semi-structured interviews and the collection of secondary data relevant to the investigation to characterize the municipalities under study and outline the profile of the interviewed mayors. The results confirm that political actors have a positive perception about the importance of digital government in the context in question, but it was not possible to relate the profile of the interviewees and the characteristics of the municipalities with this perception. It was also found that the pandemic influenced the adoption of new digital mechanisms and that political actors have a positive perception about the perpetuity of these mechanisms in the post-pandemic period.Mestrado em Ciência Polític

A Política social no capitalismo contemporâneo: uma reinterpretação da moderna sociedade burguesa

Dar-se-á enfoque à análise do sistema social que distingue a época burguesa, enfatizando o nexo antitético entre suas estruturas e conjunturas. Destacando o caráter particularmente histórico das formas sociais tipicamente capitalistas, o texto sugere a necessidade de reconceituar o capitalismo, com base na teoria crítica de marxiana, para pensar as tendências e desafios da política social no capitalismo contemporâneo.