Used food oils: physical-chemical indicators of quality degradation

Comunicação apresentada em 11th Baltic Conference on Food Science and Technology “Food science and technology in achanging world” FOODBALT 2017 Conference Proceedings. Jelgava, LLUUsed food oil (UFO), designated as frying oil, is a residue. Degradation by reuse or during storage, may occur by contacting, chemical, enzymatic and microbiological pathways, but oxidation is a major concern of the industry, as it affects sensory and nutritional quality of edible oils, with potentially toxic compounds formation. In Portugal, UFO's main destination still is the sewerage system, an environmental problem and waste of raw material, which can be re-qualified for non-food uses. However, quality control applied to UFO's, often results into expensive analysis inappropriate for small laboratories and catering industry. This project, developed with the Musketeers Group Portugal co-promotion (2012-2016), aimed to identify low-cost physicochemical parameters for further implementation as UFO's Quality Degradation Indicators (QDI) indicating defects quickly and accurately. UFO's analysis was tested on the use, for industrial frying, and by degradation induced in the laboratory (frying and heat stability tests) by applying following parameters: moisture, water activity (a(w)), total acidity, peroxide index, iodine index, colour (CIE, CIE Lab), UV absorbency, total polar compounds and microbiological indicators. Internal procedures (ESAS) were validated, redefining working ranges and test conditions, as standards procedures did not provide reliable results for the entire life cycle of oils, whose profile changes with time and reuse. Results demonstrate significant differences with quick response parameters as Total Acidity, Peroxide Index and CIE Lab colour, outlined as QDI's. Moisture, aw and CIE Lab colour proved to be inadequate for this purpose. Iodine Index and UV Absorbency are more complex and time-consuming and were profiled as reference methods.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Machine learning models based on clinical indices and cardiotocographic features for discriminating asphyxia fetuses—Porto retrospective intrapartum study

Perinatal asphyxia is one of the most frequent causes of neonatal mortality, affecting approximately four million newborns worldwide each year and causing the death of one million individuals. One of the main reasons for these high incidences is the lack of consensual methods of early diagnosis for this pathology. Estimating risk-appropriate health care for mother and baby is essential for increasing the quality of the health care system. Thus, it is necessary to investigate models that improve the prediction of perinatal asphyxia. Access to the cardiotocographic signals (CTGs) in conjunction with various clinical parameters can be crucial for the development of a successful model. This exploratory work aims to develop predictive models of perinatal asphyxia based on clinical parameters and fetal heart rate (fHR) indices. Single gestations data from a retrospective unicentric study from Centro Hospitalar e Universitário do Porto de São João (CHUSJ) between 2010 and 2018 was probed. The CTGs were acquired and analyzed by Omniview-SisPorto, estimating several fHR features. The clinical variables were obtained from the electronic clinical records stored by ObsCare. Entropy and compression characterized the complexity of the fHR time series. These variables' contribution to the prediction of asphyxia perinatal was probed by binary logistic regression (BLR) and Naive-Bayes (NB) models. The data consisted of 517 cases, with 15 pathological cases. The asphyxia prediction models showed promising results, with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) >70%. In NB approaches, the best models combined clinical and SisPorto features. The best model was the univariate BLR with the variable compression ratio scale 2 (CR2) and an AUC of 94.93% [94.55; 95.31%]. Both BLR and Bayesian models have advantages and disadvantages. The model with the best performance predicting perinatal asphyxia was the univariate BLR with the CR2 variable, demonstrating the importance of non-linear indices in perinatal asphyxia detection. Future studies should explore decision support systems to detect sepsis, including clinical and CTGs features (linear and non-linear).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Potential of Tree and Shrub Legumes in Agroforestry Systems

Climate variability and changes are utmost important primary drivers of biological processes. They are intimately associated with a wide array of abiotic stresses, highlighting the vulnerability of ecosystems and endangering biodiversity. Nitrogen‐fixing trees and shrubs (NFTSs) constitute a unique group of plants for their wide range of applications at the environmental, social and economic levels. In this chapter, we review and analyse the potential of this group of legumes in agroforestry towards sustainable agriculture in Africa. In the first part, the intertwined pillar of sustainable agriculture is brought forward under the context of growing population and climate changes. The second part addresses general aspects of legumes, including botany and the symbiosis with rhizobia. The third part includes the application of NFTS as N‐fertilizers in agroforestry, highlighting the importance of an accurate choice of the crop(s)/NFTS combination(s) and cropping type (intercropping, multistrata or fallows). The implementation of agroforestry systems with NFTS should be supported by fundamental research strategies such as stable isotopes and systems biology and preceded by experimental assays, in order to identify the factors promoting N‐losses and to design appropriate management strategies that synchronize legume‐N availability with the crop demand

Bombeamento de água no meio rural, análise econômica de duas configurações fotovoltaicas e uma elétrica convencional

Apesar do grande potencial de aplicação, a tecnologia de bombeamento fotovoltaico não está mais disseminada por requerer um grande aporte de investimento inicial, ainda que seus custos de operação sejam reduzidos por não depender da compra de combustível, como é o caso dos sistemas com energia fóssil, ou do pagamento de tarifa elétrica, como é o caso dos sistemas elétricos convencionais. Este trabalho apresenta uma avaliação econômica de duas configurações de sistemas fotovoltaicos de bombeamento e a respectiva comparação com a alternativa de atendimento com a rede elétrica convencional. Através dos resultados e premissas de um estudo de caso no estado de São Paulo, pôde-se constatar que para um único atendimento, nas potências necessárias, que são usualmente baixas, a opção fotovoltaica é mais competitiva para distâncias superiores a 1 km da rede.In spite of the great potential of application, the photovoltaic pumping technology is not more disseminated by requesting a great contribution of initial investment, although its operation costs are reduced for not depending of the purchase of fuel, as it is the case of the systems with fossil energy, or of the payment of electric tariff, as it is the case of the conventional electric systems. This work presents an economic evaluation of two configurations of photovoltaic pumping systems and the respective comparison with the attendance alternative with the conventional electric grid. Through the results and premises of a case study in the state of São Paulo, it could be verified that for an only attendance, in the necessary potencies, that they are usually low, the option photovoltaic is more competitive for distances higher than 1 km of the grid.Asociación Argentina de Energías Renovables y Medio Ambiente (ASADES

Bombeamento de água no meio rural, análise econômica de duas configurações fotovoltaicas e uma elétrica convencional

Apesar do grande potencial de aplicação, a tecnologia de bombeamento fotovoltaico não está mais disseminada por requerer um grande aporte de investimento inicial, ainda que seus custos de operação sejam reduzidos por não depender da compra de combustível, como é o caso dos sistemas com energia fóssil, ou do pagamento de tarifa elétrica, como é o caso dos sistemas elétricos convencionais. Este trabalho apresenta uma avaliação econômica de duas configurações de sistemas fotovoltaicos de bombeamento e a respectiva comparação com a alternativa de atendimento com a rede elétrica convencional. Através dos resultados e premissas de um estudo de caso no estado de São Paulo, pôde-se constatar que para um único atendimento, nas potências necessárias, que são usualmente baixas, a opção fotovoltaica é mais competitiva para distâncias superiores a 1 km da rede.In spite of the great potential of application, the photovoltaic pumping technology is not more disseminated by requesting a great contribution of initial investment, although its operation costs are reduced for not depending of the purchase of fuel, as it is the case of the systems with fossil energy, or of the payment of electric tariff, as it is the case of the conventional electric systems. This work presents an economic evaluation of two configurations of photovoltaic pumping systems and the respective comparison with the attendance alternative with the conventional electric grid. Through the results and premises of a case study in the state of São Paulo, it could be verified that for an only attendance, in the necessary potencies, that they are usually low, the option photovoltaic is more competitive for distances higher than 1 km of the grid.Asociación Argentina de Energías Renovables y Medio Ambiente (ASADES

Bombeamento de água no meio rural, análise econômica de duas configurações fotovoltaicas e uma elétrica convencional

Apesar do grande potencial de aplicação, a tecnologia de bombeamento fotovoltaico não está mais disseminada por requerer um grande aporte de investimento inicial, ainda que seus custos de operação sejam reduzidos por não depender da compra de combustível, como é o caso dos sistemas com energia fóssil, ou do pagamento de tarifa elétrica, como é o caso dos sistemas elétricos convencionais. Este trabalho apresenta uma avaliação econômica de duas configurações de sistemas fotovoltaicos de bombeamento e a respectiva comparação com a alternativa de atendimento com a rede elétrica convencional. Através dos resultados e premissas de um estudo de caso no estado de São Paulo, pôde-se constatar que para um único atendimento, nas potências necessárias, que são usualmente baixas, a opção fotovoltaica é mais competitiva para distâncias superiores a 1 km da rede.In spite of the great potential of application, the photovoltaic pumping technology is not more disseminated by requesting a great contribution of initial investment, although its operation costs are reduced for not depending of the purchase of fuel, as it is the case of the systems with fossil energy, or of the payment of electric tariff, as it is the case of the conventional electric systems. This work presents an economic evaluation of two configurations of photovoltaic pumping systems and the respective comparison with the attendance alternative with the conventional electric grid. Through the results and premises of a case study in the state of São Paulo, it could be verified that for an only attendance, in the necessary potencies, that they are usually low, the option photovoltaic is more competitive for distances higher than 1 km of the grid.Asociación Argentina de Energías Renovables y Medio Ambiente (ASADES

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Wild Beets (Beta spp.) from the Western Iberian Peninsula and the Azores and Madeira Islands

In this work, using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, we present new insights into the genetic diversity, differentiation, and structure of Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima of western Iberia and the Azores and Madeira islands and of B. macrocarpa from southern Portugal. B. macrocarpa occurs only in southern Portugal and frequently in sympatry with B. vulgaris subsp. maritima, showing genetic introgression. B. macrocarpa has a better-defined structure than B. vulgaris subsp. maritima, which has a high degree of admixture. A great differentiation (FST ranging from 0.277 to 0.184) was observed among the northern populations of B. vulgaris subsp. maritima. In contrast, only a small differentiation (FST ranging from 0.000 to 0.026) was detected among the southern B. vulgaris subsp. maritima populations. The inland B. vulgaris subsp. maritima populations (“RIO” and “VMT”) are distinct from each other, which also occurs with the two islands’ populations (“MAD” and “AZO”). The existence of two distinct Atlantic Sea currents can explain the fact that Madeira is related to the southern populations, while the Azores is related to the northern populations. We consider that understanding the relationships existing within Beta spp. is key to future genetic studies and for the establishment of conservation measures. Our results show that the southern coastal areas of Portugal should be considered as a potential site for in situ conservation of the beet wild relatives. Special attention is needed in what concerns B. macrocarpa because this is a rare species that also occurs in a sympatric relationship with B. vulgaris subsp. maritimainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Óleos alimentares usados: caracterização físico-química para selecção de indicadores de degradação de qualidade e de melhores práticas laboratoriais disponíveis

Os óleos alimentares fazem parte da dieta humana. Processos de fritura e reutilizações sucessivas conduzem a degradações irreversíveis, por diferentes vias e agentes intervenientes, sendo a via oxidativa provavelmente a mais importante. Avaliar o estado de degradação e definir o destino de óleos alimentares usados (OAU’s), são questões colocadas ao nível da nutrição/saúde humanas e ambiental. Pretende-se seleccionar parâmetros físico-químicos e estabelecer melhores práticas laboratoriais disponíveis (MPLD), para uma rápida e eficaz deteção de estados de degradação incipiente/severa de OAU’s, com fim à recomendação como Indicadores de Degradação da Qualidade. O fator económico pesa nessa decisão. Propõe-se a análise de OAU’s em contexto real de uso e com degradação induzida em laboratório. Aplicando MPLD’s identificaram-se variáveis críticas, redefiniram-se gamas de trabalho e condições de ensaio, pois os procedimentos normativos não permitem obter resultados em conformidade com critérios de aceitação técnica para todo o ciclo de vida do óleo, cujo perfil se altera com a reutilização. As conclusões são ainda preliminares. Dos parâmetros já estudados, aw, AT e IP revelam-se promissores como indicadores de degradação da qualidade; H% mostra-se pouco interessante. Análises microbiológicas e de custos darão suporte às conclusões da análise físico-química. Edible oils are components of human diet. The frying process and the reuse of the cooking oil leads to its irreversible degradation through different pathways and agents involved, where the oxidative pathway is probably the best known and studied process of degradation. Questions like: what is the actual state of degradation of the oil and what will be the final disposition of edible used oil (EUO), are doubts that concerns both human nutrition and health and environmental terms. The present work aims to identify physicochemical parameters and best laboratory practices available (BLPA), to allow a rapid and effective detection of states of incipient/severe degradation of used cooking oils in order to recommend them as Quality Degradation Indicators. The economic criterion weighs in that decision. We propose the analysis of EUO's in real use and by degradation induced in the laboratory. Applying BLPA's, were identified critical variables, redefined working range and test conditions, as the regulatory procedures do not provide results in accordance with acceptance technique criteria for the entire life cycle of oil, whose profile changes with reuse. Conclusions are still preliminary. Parameters already studied, aw, TA and PI seem promising as indicators of quality degradation; H% appears to be unattractive. Microbiological and costs will support the conclusions of physicochemical analysis

Fabrication of poly(lactic acid) – poly(ethylene oxide) electrospun membranes with controlled micro to nanofiber sizes

Biodegradable poly(L-lactide acid) (PLLA) nanofiber membranes were prepared by electrospinning of PLLA and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The selective removal of PEO by water allows to obtain smaller fiber diameters and to increase the porosity of the membranes in comparison to PLLA membranes obtained under the same electrospinning conditions. After removal of PEO membranes with fiber sizes of 260 nm and average porosity close to 80% are obtained. Thermal and infrared results confirm the poor miscibility of PLLA and PEO, with the PEO randomly distributed along the PLLA fibers. On the other, PLLA and PEO mixing strongly affect their respective degradation temperatures. The influence of the PEO in the electrospinning process is discussed and the results are correlated to the evolution of the PLLA fiber diameter

Óleos alimentares usados: selecção de indicadores de degradação de qualidade

Óleos alimentares usados (OAU) são usualmente designados como óleos de fritura. A degradação, por reutilizações sucessivas ou durante o armazenamento, pode ocorrer por diferentes vias: contacto, química, enzimática e microbiana. A degradação oxidativa é, provavelmente, a mais importante e estudada: é uma das maiores preocupações económicas da indústria, pois afecta a qualidade sensorial e nutritiva dos óleos alimentares, com a formação de compostos potencialmente tóxicos para consumo humano. Em Portugal, embora se implemente a recolha obrigatória dos OAU’s (que incorre na sua mistura, com perda de rastreabilidade), o principal destino final é ainda o envio para a rede de esgotos, prática proibida mas recorrente, um problema ambiental e um desperdício de matéria-prima, que pode e deve ser requalificada e valorizada, inclusive por novas abordagens, uma vez conhecido o seu perfil. Na outra face da questão, a caracterização físico-química específica de OAU’s é uma área de I&D insuficientemente explorada. Neste projecto, pretende-se identificar parâmetros físico-químicos de baixo custo, com resposta rápida e rigorosa no contexto da análise de OAU’s, com fim à selecção de Indicadores de Degradação da Qualidade (IDQ). Aplicando Melhores Práticas Laboratoriais Disponíveis (MPLD), a partir do normativo foram criados procedimentos internos ESAS, identificando variáveis críticas e redefinindo gamas de trabalho e condições de ensaio. As conclusões são preliminares. Os ensaios exploratórios mostram diferenças significativas nos três lotes e em parâmetros estudados. AT, IA, IP, cor CIELab e aw, são promissores como IDQ’s. IndI, cor CIE e Absorvência UV, perfilam-se como métodos de referência.Used edible oils (UFO) are usually designated as frying oils. Degradation by successive reuse or during storage, may occur through different pathways: contacting, chemical, enzymatic and microbiological, where the oxidative pathway is probably the best known and studied process of degradation. Is a major economic concern of the industry, as it affects the sensory and nutritional quality of edible oils, with the formation of potentially toxic compounds for human consumption. In Portugal, although the mandatory collection of UFO's it implemented (which incurs in its mixture, with loss of traceability), its primary end use still is sending to the sewerage system, a prohibited but common practice, an environmental problem and a waste of raw materials, which should be requalified and valued, even by new technical approaches, once UFO's profile is known. In addition, the specific physicochemical characterization of UFO's is a research area insufficiently explored. The present project aims to identify low-cost physicochemical parameters, with rapid and accurate response in the context of analysis of UFO's, in order to recommend them as Quality Degradation Indicators (QDI). Applying Best Laboratory Practices Available (BLPA), internal procedures (ESAS) were created, based on standards, identifying critical variables and redefining working range and test conditions. Conclusions are still preliminary. The previous tests show significant differences in the three oils and in parameters studied. TA, AI, IP, CIELab color and aw, seem promising as QDI's. IndI, CIE color and UV Absorbency, profiling reference methods