Evaluation of a numerical method to predict the polyphenol content in monovarietal olive oils

Three monovarietal virgin olive oils obtained from olives grown under biological agricultural system, in Portugal, with different ripening stages, were studied in what concerns the parameters usually related with oxidation status (total polyphenols, tocopherols, chlorophylls and carotenoids, peroxide values, oxidative stability, specific extinction coefficients K232 and K270 and titratable acidity). A total of 18 samples were analyzed: seven from Cv. Cobranc¸osa (maturation indices 1–7), five from Cv. Madural (maturation indices 3–7) and six from Cv. Verdeal Transmontana (maturation indices 1–6). Oxidative stability and polyphenols profile presented high correlation coef- ficients. Given this high correlation, a numerical method was developed and evaluated to predict total polyphenols contents in olive oil. The method is based on the kinetic equation of the oxidation process in the presence of antioxidants and on Rancimat profiles. Total polyphenols contents obtained with this method were similar to those obtained by the Folin-Ciocalteau method

Chemometric characterization of three varietal olive oils (Cvs. cobrancosa, madural and verdeal Transmontana) extracted from olives with different maturation indices

This paper evaluates the usefulness of three chemical parameters (compositions on tocopherols, sterols and fatty acids) as a tool to discriminate three varietal olive oils (Cvs. Cobrançosa, Madural and Verdeal Transmontana), which are permitted cultivars for the production of ‘‘Trás-os-Montes olive oil’’, a Portuguese protected designation of origin (PDO) product. The olives were collected during the year crop 2000/2001 from the same orchard, in order to eliminate the geographical and climatic influences. Lots with different maturation indices were prepared to allow the evaluation of the ripening stage on the characteristics of varietal olive oils produced from each cultivar. Statistical methods such as multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), principal components analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were used to evaluate significant differences on the studied parameters. Regarding the results, the three cultivars were clearly discriminated

Cardiopulmonary exercise test in patients with refractory angina: functional and ischemic evaluation

Objectives: Refractory angina (RA) is a chronic condition clinically characterized by low effort tolerance; therefore, physical stress testing is not usually requested for these patients. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is considered a gold standard examination for functional capacity evaluation, even in submaximal tests, and it has gained great prominence in detecting ischemia. The authors aimed to determine cardiorespiratory capacity by using the oxygen consumption efficiency slope (OUES) in patients with refractory angina. The authors also studied the O2 pulse response by CPET and the association of ischemic changes with contractile modifications by exercise stress echocardiography (ESE). Methods: Thirty-one patients of both sexes, aged 45 to 75 years, with symptomatic (Canadian Cardiovascular Society class II to IV) angina who underwent CPET on a treadmill and exercise stress echocardiography on a lower limb cycle ergometer were studied. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03218891. Results: The patients had low cardiorespiratory capacity (OUES of 1.74 ± 0.4 L/min; 63.9±14.7% of predicted), and 77% of patients had a flattening or drop in O2 pulse response. There was a direct association between Heart Rate (HR) at the onset of myocardial ischemia detected by ESE and HR at the onset of flattening or drop in oxygen pulse response detected by CPET (R = 0.48; p = 0.019). Conclusion: Patients with refractory angina demonstrate low cardiorespiratory capacity. CPET shows good sensitivity for detecting abnormal cardiovascular response in these patients with a significant relationship between flattening O2 pulse response during CEPT and contractile alterations detected by exercise stress echocardiography

Avaliação do impacte de fogos florestais nos recursos hídricos subterrâneos

O presente trabalho corresponde ao relatório final do Projecto POCI/AGR/59180/2004 “Avaliação do Impacte de Fogos Florestais nos Recursos Hídricos Subterrâneos” e nele se avalia o impacto dos fogos no meio hídrico superficial e subterrâneo, considerando as alterações quantitativas no meio hídrico – escoamento superficial, recarga, evapotranspiração – e de qualidade. Na avaliação da alteração da qualidade das águas consideraram-se como fontes de contaminação os solos ardidos e as cinzas da matéria vegetal ardida, cuja caracterização foi realizada em ensaios de queima e de lixiviação. Os poluentes avaliados foram os elementos inorgânicos, os metais pesados e os hidrocarbonetos. Os trabalhos de campo visaram a caracterização das unidades florísticas das áreas ardidas, recolha de amostras para os ensaios de queima e lixiviação assim como a amostragem das águas superficiais e subterrâneas para a avaliação das alterações na sua qualidade e a evolução da poluição ao longo do tempo.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologi