UTILIZAÇÃO DO RETENTADO DA ULTRAFILTRAÇÃO DO SUCO DE ACEROLA NA ELABORAÇÃO DE LICOR

Estudou-se a preparação de licor mediante maceração alcoólica da fração retida no processo de ultrafiltração do suco de acerola, em sistema de membranas tubulares com peso molecular de corte de 30-80 kDa, área filtrante de 0,05 m2 e pressão de 200 kPa. As características sensoriais e nutricionais do licor foram avaliadas tendo-se como referência o licor preparado a partir da polpa de acerola fresca pelo mesmo processo de fabricação. Os licores foram preparados partindo-se de mistura 1:1 de polpa de acerola ou do retentado da ultrafiltração e álcool de milho. Após 15 dias de maceração adicionou-se açúcar até concentração de 250 g/L e o teor alcoólico foi ajustado para 18 oGL. Os licores apresentaram teores de vitamina C semelhantes, na faixa de 0,400 g/100 g, cerca de seis vezes mais que a dose diária recomendada para um adulto. As análises microbiológicas da polpa de acerola, do retentado e dos licores atenderam aos padrões estabelecidos pela legislação vigente. O aroma alcoólico tornou-se mais evidenciado no licor de retentado enquanto que o aroma e o sabor frutal mostraram-se mais pronunciados no licor de polpa de acerola. A percepção do aroma doce também foi bastante pronunciada no licor de polpa de acerola. A pungência do licor de retentado mostrou-se menor que a do licor de polpa de acerola. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que o licor elaborado a partir do retentado da ultrafiltração do suco de acerola apresenta características similares às do licor preparado com a própria polpa. UTILIZATION OF ACEROLA JUICE ULTRAFILTRATION RETENTATE IN A LIQUEUR ELABORATION Abstract The preparation of a liqueur by alcoholic maceration of the fraction retained in the acerola juice ultrafiltration process, in tubular membrane system with molecular weight of 30-80 kDa cut-off, filtration area of 0.05 m2 and 200 kPa of transmembrane pressure was studied. The nutritional and sensory characteristics of the liqueur were evaluated having as standard the liqueur prepared from fresh acerola pulp by the same fabrication process. Liqueurs were prepared from a 1:1 mixture of acerola pulp or retentate and corn alcohol. After 15 days of maceration, sugar was added until a concentration of 250 g/L and alcohol grade was adjusted to 18 oGL. The vitamin C content of both liqueurs were similar, about 0,400 g/100 g, corresponding to almost six times the vitamin C recommended dietary allowance for an adult. Microbiological analyses of acerola pulp, retentate and liqueurs attended the standards established by legislation. Alcoholic aroma was more pronounced in the retentate liqueur while the fruit aroma and flavor were more pronounced in the pulp liqueur. The perception of the sweet aroma was also well pronounced in the acerola pulp liqueur. The pungency of the retentate liqueur was lower than the acerola pulp liqueur. The results obtained showed that the liqueur elaborated from the acerola juice ultrafiltration retentate present similar characteristics to the liqueur prepared from the pulp

The ITRAX core scanner, a useful tool to distinguish anthropic vs. climatic influences in lagoon of Aveiro (N Portugal)

The main goal of this work is to distinguish anthropic and climatic influences in sediments from the lagoon of Aveiro (Portugal). This study is based on a core (240-cm long) collected in Murtosa Channel. Optical and X-radiographic images and high-resolution elemental profiles were acquired with ITRAX micro-X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanner. Samples collected at each ≈3 cm along the core were analysed for grain size and total organic carbon. Furthermore, the fine fraction of selected layers was subjected to geochemical analysis by ICP-MS, after total acid digestion of the sediments, and mineralogical analysis, by XRD techniques. A radiocarbon age was determined by AMS, using molluscs shells collected at a depth of 90 cm. Sediments along the core are composed by fine and medium sand, with several mud layers. Sediments composing the first 100-cm may have been deposited after 1950, as it is indicated by the radiocarbon data, the increasing trend of Zn/Al, Pb/Al and Cu/Al and total concentrations of Zn, Pb, Cu, V, Cr, As and Ni in this interval that therefore might be linked with industrial activities of Chemical Complex of Estarreja. The progressive increase of Si/Al, Cl/Al, Rb/Al, K/Al and Br/Al and reduced Al concentrations, from the base to the top of this core, are interpreted as being related to higher marine influence and greater differences in tidal currents with longer exposition to air of the sediments with the consequent formation of brines favouring minerals precipitation in the area (e.g. anhydrite). These results seem to be a consequence of several works developed over time like: i) dredging to improve the navigation access to the harbour, located in the external sector of the lagoon; ii) the control of the course of some rivers influencing the supply of sediments. The tendency of sea level rise may have also emphasized the gradual increase of marine influence in this area. Fine-grained sections, related to an increase in Al, phyllosilicates, organic matter, pyrite and siderite contents would be attributed to phases of greater supply of fine-sediments during heavy rainfall events by the nearby Antuã river and other streams during negative phases of North Atlantic Oscillation. Higher deposition of organic matter enhanced diagenetic changes with pyrite and siderite formation. In the bottom of the core another record of pollution was unveiled to mining activities at the beginning of 20th century.FCT de Portugal - C/CTE/UI4035/2011CNPq - 401803/2010-

Associações de Foraminíferos em Resposta a Variações Ambientais da Laguna de Aveiro -- Portugal

This study is based on the characterization of the sedimentary environment in selected sites, located in Aveiro canals and salt-pans, in the eastern-central and northern part of Aveiro Lagoon. Results of physicochemical parameters measured in water and sediment, as well as grain size, geochemical and microfaunal (benthic foraminifera) data are analyzed. The determinants factors of spatial and seasonal variability of living and dead foraminiferal assemblages were analyzed in two sampling periods, late summer and late winter, in order to study the response of these organisms to the impact caused by pollution and sazonal variation of physicochemical parameters. Biotic and abiotic results are analyzed to discriminate sites with different degree of environmental stress. The conditions of salinity, temperature, pH and Eh in the studied sites vary spatially and seasonally. The sediment in these locations is generally poorly oxygenated, suboxic or even anoxic a few millimeters below the surface. Some of the sites are affected by chemicals derived from industrial effluents and urban contaminants. The most polluted areas by heavy metals such as As, Cr, Cu and Zn are Porto de Salreu, Largo do Laranjo and some locals in the city of Aveiro. Foraminiferal assemblages in the studied sites integrate common lagoonal and estuarine euryhaline and eurythermic species, most of which tolerant to the oxygen reduction. The size of the living foraminiferal communities is reduced and their structure affected by increasing concentrations of heavy metals such as As, Cr, Cu and Zn, as well as by the high variability of environmental parameters such as low Eh, related to depressed levels of oxygen in the sediment, leading to the death of many species. The results also indicate a greater tolerance of some opportunistic species to the Pb enrichment, since the environment offer them abundance and quality of food.Este estudo baseia-se na caracterização do ambiente sedimentar de locais selecionados em canais e salinas da cidade de Aveiro, na zona central leste e na zona norte da Ria de Aveiro. Nessa caracterização foram utilizados os resultados de parâmetros físico-químicos medidos na água e nos sedimentos, assim como dados granulométricos, geoquímicos e microfaunais (foraminíferos bentônicos). Os fatores condicionantes da variabilidade espacial e sazonal das associações viva e morta de foraminíferos foram avaliados em dois períodos de amostragem: no final do verão e no final do inverno, tendo em vista a análise da resposta destes organismos ao impacto causado pela poluição e variação sazonal dos parâmetros físico-químicos. Os resultados bióticos e abióticos foram analisados para discriminar locais com diferente grau de estresseambiental. As condições de salinidade, temperatura, pH e Eh nos locais estudados variam espacial e sazonalmente. O sedimento nesses locais é em geral mal oxigenado, subóxico ou mesmo anóxico em alguns milímetros abaixo da superfície. Alguns dos locais encontram-se afetados por contaminantes químicos derivados de efluentes industriais e urbanos. As zonas mais poluídas por metais pesados como o As, Cr, Cu e Zn incluem o Porto de Salreu, Largo do Laranjo e alguns locais da Cidade de Aveiro. As associações de foraminíferos, nos locais estudados, integram espécies euritérmicas e eurihalinas comuns em ambientes lagunares e estuarinos, sendo majoritariamente tolerantes à redução de oxigênio. A dimensão das comunidades vivas de foraminíferos foi reduzida e a sua estrutura afetada pelo aumento das concentrações de metais pesados como As, Cr, Cu e Zn, assim como, pela variabilidade dos parâmetros ambientais, nomeadamente o Eh, relacionado com as condições de oxigenação do sedimento. Os dados indicam que as condições adversas podem ser causa de morte destes organismos. Sugerem também uma maior tolerância destes organismos ao enriquecimento por Pb, desde que o meio lhes proporcione abundância de alimento

Response of Benthic Foraminifera to organic matter quantity and quality and bioavailable concentrations of metals in Aveiro Lagoon (Portugal)

This work analyses the distribution of living benthic foraminiferal assemblages of surface sediments in different intertidal areas of Ria de Aveiro (Portugal), a polihaline and anthropized coastal lagoon. The relationships among foraminiferal assemblages in association with environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, Eh and pH), grain size, the quantity and quality of organic matter (enrichment in carbohydrates, proteins and lipids), pollution caused by metals, and mineralogical data are studied in an attempt to identify indicators of adaptability to environmental stress. In particular, concentrations of selected metals in the surficial sediment are investigated to assess environmental pollution levels that are further synthetically parameterised by the Pollution Load Index (PLI). The PLI variations allowed the identification of five main polluted areas. Concentrations of metals were also analysed in three extracted phases to evaluate their possible mobility, bioavailability and toxicity in the surficial sediment. Polluted sediment in the form of both organic matter and metals can be found in the most confined zones. Whereas enrichment in organic matter and related biopolymers causes an increase in foraminifera density, pollution by metals leads to a decline in foraminiferal abundance and diversity in those zones. The first situation may be justified by the existence of opportunistic species (with high reproduction rate) that can live in low oxic conditions. The second is explained by the sensitivity of some species to pressure caused by metals. The quality of the organic matter found in these places and the option of a different food source should also explain the tolerance of several species to pollution caused by metals, despite their low reproductive rate in the most polluted areas. In this study, species that are sensitive and tolerant to organic matter and metal enrichment are identified, as is the differential sensitivity/tolerance of some species to metals enrichment.CNPq [401803/2010-4]; [PEst-OE/CTE/UI4035/2014]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

SARS-CoV-2 uses CD4 to infect T helper lymphocytes

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the agent of a major global outbreak of respiratory tract disease known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 infects mainly lungs and may cause several immune-related complications, such as lymphocytopenia and cytokine storm, which are associated with the severity of the disease and predict mortality. The mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in immune system dysfunction is still not fully understood. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 infects human CD4+ T helper cells, but not CD8+ T cells, and is present in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage T helper cells of severe COVID-19 patients. We demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S) directly binds to the CD4 molecule, which in turn mediates the entry of SARS-CoV-2 in T helper cells. This leads to impaired CD4 T cell function and may cause cell death. SARS-CoV-2-infected T helper cells express higher levels of IL-10, which is associated with viral persistence and disease severity. Thus, CD4-mediated SARS-CoV-2 infection of T helper cells may contribute to a poor immune response in COVID-19 patients.</p

SARS-CoV-2 uses CD4 to infect T helper lymphocytes

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the agent of a major global outbreak of respiratory tract disease known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 infects mainly lungs and may cause several immune-related complications, such as lymphocytopenia and cytokine storm, which are associated with the severity of the disease and predict mortality. The mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in immune system dysfunction is still not fully understood. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 infects human CD4+ T helper cells, but not CD8+ T cells, and is present in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage T helper cells of severe COVID-19 patients. We demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (S) directly binds to the CD4 molecule, which in turn mediates the entry of SARS-CoV-2 in T helper cells. This leads to impaired CD4 T cell function and may cause cell death. SARS-CoV-2-infected T helper cells express higher levels of IL-10, which is associated with viral persistence and disease severity. Thus, CD4-mediated SARS-CoV-2 infection of T helper cells may contribute to a poor immune response in COVID-19 patients.</p