The role of Spartina maritima and Sarcocornia fruticosa on trace metals retention in Ria Formosa, Portugal

Over the last years, phytoremediation has become an increasingly recognized pathway for contaminant removal from water and shallow soils. Assessing the phytoremediation potential of wetlands is complex due to variable conditions of hydrology, soil/sediment types, plant species diversity, growing season and water chemistry. Physico-chemical properties of wetlands provide many positive attributes for remediating contaminants. Saltmarsh plants can sequestrate and inherently tolerate high metal concentrations found in saltmarsh sediments

Preliminary evaluation of decolourisation of procion and everdirect dyes by yeasts

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Techniques for Extraction of Brewer’s Spent Grain Polyphenols: a Review

Million tons of brewer’s spent grain (BSG) are annually produced worldwide as brewing industry by-products. BSG represents a valuable source of phenolic compounds, which have attracted much attention due to their diverse health benefits. Relevant strategies have been developed for their efficient extraction, in order to commercially exploit these resources. This review focuses on the current extraction methods used to obtain phenolic compounds from BSG, ranging from more traditional to advanced techniques. The commonly used methods are the conventional solid–liquid extractions, employing organic solvents, alkaline, and enzymatic reactions. However, the inherent difficulties in screening and obtaining these compounds have led to the development of advanced extraction techniques. Pressurized fluid extraction, supercritical extractions, and microwave-assisted and ultrasound-assisted extractions are some of the novel extraction techniques that have been recently explored. These techniques have been mostly applied for phenolic recovery from barley and malt, as well as other types of cereals. In this review, it is shown that these novel techniques may provide an innovative approach to extract phenolics from BSG or related products, following an in-depth discussion on the major strengths and weaknesses identified in each technique.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Innovative approach for decolorizing textile effluents using yeast-alginate capsules

Textile industry is an economic activity that produces high volumes of effluents used in fabric processing that are discharged in the environment [1]. These discharged effluents loaded with synthetic dyes and other chemicals, are resistant to biodegradation and persistent in water, and are responsible for toxicity and mutagenic effects on the aquatic life, causing a potential risk to the aquatic ecosystems [2]. Traditionally, industry uses classic chemical methods to treat these effluents that are expensive and potentially harmful, since it could further generate large quantities of toxic by-products that are also difficult to eliminate [3]. In order to aid and complement the traditional wastewater treatment, a yeast-based solution for decolorization of textile industrial wastewater is under evaluation. This research aims to develop a new and innovative biological solution for the effective decolorization of the textile effluents usingalginate-calcium capsules filled with a proven decolorizing yeast.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

HPLC- MS Flavonoid determination and antioxidant capacity of Brazilian dehydrated bee pollen

Bee-pollen, produced by Apis mellifera bees, is an important source of proteins, lipids, vitamins and minerals for the hive, being considered one of nature's most completely nourishing foods. Its composition may vary according to the geographical region and its quality is influenced by harvest method and processing conditions. Although it has good nutritional components, beepollen contains significant amounts of polyphenols with recognized health benefits, including antioxidant activity. The present study aimed to evaluate the flavonoid composition, using HPLC-MS technique; and the antioxidant activity, using two different methods (DPPH and ORAC), of eight dehydrated bee-pollen samples collected in different Brazilian apiaries. The sample with the highest antioxidant capacity using DPPH method was produced in Rio Grande do Sul State (110.85 mol TE/g) while the sample with the least antioxidant capacity was collected in Bahia State (9.97 mol TE/g). The same sample from Rio Grande do Sul State presented the highest antioxidant capacity using ORAC method (542.00 mol TE/g), while the lowest value was observed in a sample from Mato Grosso State (133.70 mol TE/g). The flavonoid analysis using HPLC-MS revealed the following variations: catechin (0.69 to 0.75 mg/100 g); naringenine (4.57 to 18.36 mg/100 g); rutin (3.36 to 46.80 mg/100 g); quercetin (1.86 to 67.91 mg/100 g) and kaempferol (5.50 to 44.97 mg/100 g). In the sample with the highest antioxidant capacity (Rio Grande do Sul State) was observed 40 peaks in the HPLC-MS, while the samples with the lowest antioxidant capacities the number of peaks were 25 (Mato Grosso State) and 22 (Bahia State); therefore, the variety of compounds may have influenced the antioxidant capacity of the samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Subcritical water extraction of antioxidants from mountain germander (Teucrium montanum L.)

In the present work, antioxidant compounds from Teucrium montanum were extracted by subcritical water. The influence of extraction temperature and pressure on antioxidant activity of extracts has been investigated in terms of extraction yield (EY), total phenolic content (TPC), and DPPH-radical scavenging activity (DPPH-RSA) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Additionally, the compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The highest EY (42.63%), TPC (174.61 ± 4.09 mg GAE/g DE) and antioxidant activity by DPPH-RSA (176.23 ± 8.76 mg TE/g DE) and FRAP (141.71 ± 5.21 mg AAE/g DE) were seen in extracts obtained at temperature of 160 °C and pressure of 10 bar. HPLC analysis revealed that naringin and gallic acid were the principle antioxidant compounds in subcritical extracts. According to the results, SWE has a great potential in exploitation of natural sources of bioactive compounds and production of pharmacologically-active fractions.The project 6818 – Transnational Cooperation, Agreement between Portugal (FCT) and Serbia (MSTD) is acknowledged. This work was also funded by project TR 31014 financially supported by the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development. Authors are also grateful for financial support from project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000011-311 Qualidade e Segurança Alimentar-uma abordagem (nano) tecnológica. The financial support from FCT/MEC through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020 through the project UID/QUI/50006/2013-POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265, is also acknowledged. M.F. Barroso (SFRH/BPD/78845/2011) and Manuela M. Moreira (SFRH/BPD/97049/2013) are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia for their postdoctoral fellowships.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Continuous adsorption studies of pharmaceuticals in multicomponent mixtures by agroforestry biochar

In this study, the adsorption of a multicomponent mixture of active pharmaceutical compounds, such as Venlafaxine (VLX), Trazodone (TRZ) and Fluoxetine (FLX), was studied in a biochar fixed-bed column. The selection of appropriate biochar (eucalyptus, grapevine cane and holm tree biochar) as an adsorbent was carried out through batch assays. An insight into the adsorption mechanism and its correlation with the chosen biochars was performed, showing that electron donor/acceptor interaction is the main mechanism involved. Equilibrium and kinetic batch adsorption experiments were performed and the results demonstrated that eucalyptus biochar was the most viable option for the removal of the pollutants, individually and combined. Column adsorption experiments were performed and Thomas, Yoon-Nelson and Yan models were adjusted to the breakthrough curves. This multicomponent system exhibited a synergetic behavior for TRZ and an antagonist for VLX and FLX, when compared to the single and multicomponent systems previously evaluated in batch assays. The treatment of real wastewaters, spiked with pollutants, has demonstrated the removal efficiency of multicomponent mixtures. Finally, the adsorbent regeneration by elution in different solutions was also investigated and methanol proved to be the most effective eluent for the column regenerationThis work has been finantially supported by the project CTM2017-87326-R funded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER "Una manera de hacer Europa", project ED431C 2021/43 funded by Xunta de Galicia and ERDF, and ERA-NET Cofund WaterWorks2015 Call funded by the EU and FCT/UEFISCDE/FORMAS through the REWATER International Research project. This work was also supported by UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020 by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT Portugal)/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES Portugal) through national funds. Manuela M. Moreira (project CEECIND/02702/2017) also acknowledge for her financial support financed by national funds through FCT and to REQUIMTE/LAQV. Funding for open access charge: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Brewer’s spent grains protects against oxidative DNA damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG), obtained from barley malt during brewing, contains high amounts of phenolic acids, predominantly ferulic and p-coumaric acids. The protective effects of BSG extracts against oxidative DNA damage induced by H2O2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were investigated using an optimized yeast comet assay and flow cytometry. The results indicated that BSG extracts from black malt exhibited a 5-fold reduction in the genotoxic effects of H2O2, compared to the 2-fold decrease by the BSG extracts from pilsen malts. Flow cytometry analysis with dichlorofluorescein diacetate demonstrated that the intracellular oxidation of S. cerevisiae is also reduced to approximately 50% in the presence of 20-fold diluted BSG extracts. BSG extracts obtained from pilsen and black malt types exert dose-dependent protective properties against the genotoxic effects induced by ROS and decrease intracellular oxidation of yeast cells.This work received financial support from the European Union (FEDER Funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) through project Pest-C/EQB/LA0006/2013 and PEst-C/BIA/UI4050/2011. The work also received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds) under the framework of QREN through Project NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000069. DOC receives a postdoc grant through the project Operação Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000011. MMM wishes to acknowledge to FCT for her postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/97049/2013). The authors also thank Unicer – Bebidas de Portugal, S. A. for the supply of BSG samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessment of drying conditions of a yeast-based solution for application on textile industrial wastewater treatment plants

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Avaliação do risco cardiovascular global numa população da zona Norte do País

As doenças cardiovasculares lideram as causas de mortalidade em Portugal. Os factores de risco (FR) associados são sexo masculino, idade avançada, hipertensão arterial, tabagismo e dislipidemias, cuja sinergia amplifica o risco cardiovascular global (RCG). Realizou-se um rastreio em indivíduos da região Norte de Portugal, com o objectivo de determinar o RCG, pela tabela derivada do projecto SCORE. Verificou-se excesso de peso e pressão arterial elevada em mais de metade da amostra. Observou-se que RCG passa a alto risco acima dos 50 anos. O RCG permite estimar a interacção de FR individuais, permitindo definir estratégias interventivas, com potenciais ganhos em saúde.Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of mortality in Portugal. Most common associated risk factors (RF) are male gender, advanced age, hypertension, smoking and dyslipidemia, whose effects’ interaction increases the global cardiovascular risk (GCR.) We conducted a screening in individuals from Northern Portugal, in order to determine the RCG through the table derived from the SCORE project. We observed overweight and high blood pressure in more than half of the sample. RCG becomes elevated above the age of 50 years. The RCG allows estimating the interaction of individual RF, enabling the definition of an intervention, with potential gains in health