81 research outputs found
Consumer perception of salt consumption and health effects: preliminary results
[PT] O sal é um ingrediente, um condimento e um nutriente, desempenhando
um papel fulcral na alimentação humana. No entanto, o seu uso em excesso
está associado a hipertensão arterial, um problema de saúde pública.
Pretendeu-se avaliar a perceção do consumidor sobre o consumo de sal e
os efeitos na saúde, visando sinalizar as principais fragilidades da população
portuguesa relativas ao conhecimento sobre esta temática e quais as
áreas prioritárias de intervenção. Foram inquiridos até ao momento 115 indivíduos,
com idades compreendidas entre 16 e 83 anos. Apesar do nível
considerável de literacia dos inquiridos, existe ainda algum desconhecimento
relativo às alternativas ao uso do sal e à importância da avaliação
frequente da tensão arterial. É necessário continuar a tomar medidas que
permitam a redução do teor de sal dos alimentos, contribuindo para a melhoria
do estado de saúde da população portuguesa.[EN] Salt is an ingredient, a condiment and a nutrient, playing a major role in
human nutrition. However, its excessive use is associated with hypertension,
a public health problem. This study intended to evaluate consumers'
perception of salt consumption and health effects, in order to signal the
main weaknesses of the Portuguese people on this issue and to point out
the priority areas of intervention. Up to now 115 individuals have answered
the questionnaire (age between 16 to 83 years). Despite the considerable
level of literacy of subjects, there is still a lack of knowledge concerning
alternatives to the use of salt and the importance of frequent assessment
of blood pressure. It is necessary to continue to take measures for the
reduction of salt content in food, contributing to the improvement of health
status of the portuguese population.Trabalho financiado pelo INSA, IP (projeto PTranSALT-2012DAN828).
TGA agradece a bolsa de doutoramento financiada pela Fundação
para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Fundo Social Europeu e Ministério da
Educação e Ciência (SFRH/BD/99718/2014)
Current Trends in Liquid-Liquid Microextraction for Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Food and Water
Are there differences from a nutritional point of view between bakery products with and without gluten?
A doença celíaca é uma doença autoimune, desencadeada pela ingestão
de glúten, em indivíduos com predisposição genética. O tratamento desta
doença passa, única e exclusivamente, pela prática de uma alimentação
isenta de glúten, ao longo de toda a vida do doente celíaco. Por este motivo,
a indústria alimentar tem investido no aumento de oferta e variedade de produtos
alimentares isentos de glúten. Este trabalho de investigação pretendeu
avaliar diferenças, do ponto de vista nutricional, entre produtos de pastelaria
com e sem glúten. Em 2015, foram adquiridos 14 produtos, dos quais 9 com
glúten e 5 sem glúten. Determinaram-se os teores de gordura total, de sal
e o perfil de ácidos gordos. As bolachas tipo “Crackers” e tipo “Maria” sem
glúten apresentaram teores de gordura superiores aos produtos similares
com glúten. No entanto, é muito importante avaliar que tipo de gordura se
encontra nestes alimentos. Nas bolachas tipo “Maria” sem glúten a gordura
era maioritariamente monoinsaturada, cuja ingestão está associada a um
efeito protetor no desenvolvimento de doença coronária. Sendo este tipo de
alimentos, apreciado por todas as faixas etárias, mas sobretudo por jovens,
é muito importante alargar este trabalho de investigação a uma maior gama
de produtos.The coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by the ingestion of
foodstuffs with gluten in genetically predisposed individuals. The treatment
of this disease is based on a gluten-free diet, which should be followed
throughout life by the coeliac patient. For this reason, the food industry has
developed efforts to increase the supply and variety of gluten-free foods.
This research aimed to evaluate the differences from a nutritional point
of view of bakery products with and without gluten. During 2015, 14 products
of which 9 were with gluten and 5 were gluten-free were acquired in
different food chains. Total fat, salt and fatty acid profile were determined
in the selected samples. The "Crackers" and "Maria" gluten-free biscuits
present a higher fat content than similar products with gluten. However, it
is very important to evaluate what type of fat can be found in these foods.
In "Maria" gluten-free biscuits fat is mostly monounsaturated, whose intake
is associated with a protective effect on the development of coronary heart
disease. As this type of food, is appreciated by all the age groups, but especially
by young people, it is very important to extend this research to a
wider range of products.Este trabalho foi financiado pelo INSA, no âmbito do projeto PTran-
SALT (2012DAN828). Tânia Gonçalves Albuquerque agradece a
bolsa de doutoramento (SFRH/BD/99718/2014) financiada pela
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Fundo Social Europeu
e Ministério da Educação e Ciência.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Importance of vitamin C evaluation in infant and follow-on formulas
A vitamina C tem um papel crucial no crescimento e desenvolvimento
saudáveis de bebés. As fórmulas infantis são muito consumidas por esta
faixa etária e como tal, é de extrema importância garantir que esta vitamina
esteja presente em concentrações adequadas. No presente trabalho de
investigação, determinou-se o teor de vitamina C total, ácido L-ascórbico
e ácido desidroascórbico em fórmulas infantis e compararam-se os resultados
obtidos com os limites estabelecidos no Regulamento Delegado
(UE) 2016/127. Em 2016, foram adquiridas 7 fórmulas infantis, 4 fórmulas
para lactentes e 3 fórmulas de transição. Os teores totais de vitamina C determinados
variaram entre 65,4 ± 0,28 e 134 ± 1,27 mg/100 g de amostra,
encontrando-se dentro dos limites estabelecidos pela legislação em vigor.
Uma vez que este tipo de produtos alimentares é muito importante na
alimentação de consumidores de uma faixa etária tão jovem e tão vulnerável
como são os lactentes, impõe-se a sua regulamentação, segurança e
controlo da qualidade.Vitamin C plays a very important role in the healthy growth and development
of babies. Infant and follow-on formulas are frequently consumed by
this age group and it is extremely important to ensure that this vitamin is
present in adequate concentrations in this type of products. This research
aimed to determine the total vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic
acid contents in infant foods, and compare the results obtained with
the limits established in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127.
In 2016, 7 infant foods, 4 infant formulas and 3 follow-on formulas, were
acquired. All vitamin C contents obtained for the analysed samples, ranged
from 65.4 ± 0.28 to 134 ± 1.27 mg/100 g of sample, and were within the
established limits. Since this type of food products is very important to a
group of consumers belonging to an age group as young and as vulnerable
as the infants, regulation, safety and quality control of this type of products
is of extreme importance.Este trabalho foi financiado pelo Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor
Ricardo Jorge no âmbito do projeto BioCOMP (2012DAN730).
Tânia Gonçalves Albuquerque agradece a bolsa de doutoramento
(SFRH/BD/99718/2014) financiada pela Fundação para a Ciência
e a Tecnologia, Fundo Social Europeu e Ministério da Educação e
Ciência.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Evaluating the impact of sprouting conditions on the glucosinolate content of Brassica oleracea sprouts
The glucosinolates content of brassica plants is a distinctive characteristic, representing a healthy advan-
tage as many of these compounds are associated to antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties. Brassica
sprouts are still an underutilized source of these bioactive compounds. In this work, four varieties of bras-
sica sprouts (red cabbage, broccoli, Galega kale and Penca cabbage), including two local varieties from the
North of Portugal, were grown to evaluate the glucosinolate profile and myrosinase activity during the
sprouting. Also the influence of light/darkness exposure during sprouting on the glucosinolate content
was assessed. Glucosinolate content and myrosinase activity of the sprouts was evaluated by HPLC meth-
ods. All sprouts revealed a higher content of aliphatic glucosinolates than of indole glucosinolates, con-
trary to the profile described for most of brassica mature plants. Galega kale sprouts had the highest
glucosinolate content, mainly sinigrin and glucoiberin, which are recognized for their beneficial health
effects. Penca cabbage sprouts were particularly richer in glucoraphanin, who was also one of the major
compounds in broccoli sprouts. Red cabbage showed a higher content of progoitrin. Regarding myrosi-
nase activity, Galega kale sprouts showed the highest values, revealing that the use of light/dark cycles
and a sprouting phase of 7?9 days could be beneficial to preserve the glucosinolate content of this variety.B514-8F2F-A1FB | Ana ValeN/
Pre-meal tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) intake can have anti-obesity effects in young women?
The effect of pre-meal tomato intake in the anthropometric indices and blood levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose, and uric acid of a young women population (n = 35, 19.6 ± 1.3 years) was evaluated. During 4 weeks, daily, participants ingested a raw ripe tomato (∼90 g) before lunch. Their anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured repeatedly during the follow-up time. At the end of the 4 weeks, significant reductions were observed on body weight (−1.09 ± 0.12 kg on average), % fat (−1.54 ± 0.52%), fasting blood glucose (−5.29 ± 0.80 mg/dl), triglycerides (−8.31 ± 1.34 mg/dl), cholesterol (−10.17 ± 1.21 mg/dl), and uric acid (−0.16 ± 0.04 mg/dl) of the participants. The tomato pre-meal ingestion seemed to interfere positively in body weight, fat percentage, and blood levels of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, and uric acid of the young adult women that participated in this study.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Multi-frequency multimode modulated technology as a clean, fast, and sustainable process to recover antioxidants from a coffee by-product
Coffee chaff is a major coffee roasting by-product that could be valued as a source of antioxidants. In the present work, we compared classic, but optimized, solid-liquid extraction conditions with a new concept, namely, the Multi-frequency Multimode Modulated (MMM) vibration technique. The extracts obtained by both methods were analysed and compared in relation to several parameters, namely, phenolics profile (by HPLC/DAD), 5-caffeoylquinic acid content, total phenolics content, and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power. Compared to an optimized solid-liquid extraction (using a hydroethanolic solvent (1:1) at 40 °C for 60 min), the acoustic probe allowed a higher recovery of antioxidants in only 10 min and using only water as extraction solvent. Moreover, the effects that arise from the acoustic cavitation in the medium allowed the suppression of the sample preparation step (grinding). These results show that this type of technology can be of high interest to recover antioxidants from natural matrices, in a green, fast and very efficient way.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
3D-nanostructured Au electrodes for the event-specific detection of MON810 transgenic maize
In the present work, the development of a genosensor for the event-specific detection of MON810 transgenic maize is proposed. Taking advantage of nanostructuration, a cost-effective three dimensional electrode was fabricated and a ternary monolayer containing a dithiol, a monothiol and the thiolated capture probe was optimized to minimize the unspecific signals. A sandwich format assay was selected as a way of precluding inefficient hybridization associated with stable secondary target structures. A comparison between the analytical performance of the Au nanostructured electrodes and commercially available screen-printed electrodes highlighted the superior performance of the nanostructured ones. Finally, the genosensor was effectively applied to detect the transgenic sequence in real samples, showing its potential for future quantitative analysis
Suitability of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) extract rich in rosmarinic acid as a potential enhancer of functional properties in cupcakes
Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) and its extracts have been frequently reported as possessing bioactive properties, offering the potential for use in development/enrichment of food products with additional functional capabilities, providing health benefits to consumers. The antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activity of lemon balm extract, as well as its potential hepatotoxicity were thoroughly evaluated. The extracts were then incorporated into cupcakes and their preserving effect, chemical composition, colour parameters and antioxidant activity were compared with those provided by potassium sorbate. In general, the variables with the largest differences among different storage times were energy level, sucrose, glucose, palmitic acid (C6:0) and oleic acid (C18:1n9). On the other hand, L ∗ (top), a ∗ (top), b ∗ (top), pH, capric acid (C10:0) and lauric acid (C12:0) showed the greatest variation according to cupcake formulation. The results observed indicate that the lemon balm extract rich in rosmarinic acid can provide advantageous functional properties to bakery products.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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