56 research outputs found
Constructing ethanol-derived bioactive extracts using the brown seaweed Zonaria tournefortii (J.V.Lamouroux) Montagne performed with Timatic extractor by means of response surface methodology (RSM)
Understanding the biochemical and antioxidant composition and capacity of a target biomass is the first step to its
selectivity as functional food which can enhance the ability to promote health by reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
The main purpose of this work was to employ response surface methodology (RSM) to determine the effect of the
independent variables, % of ethanol (50–96%), time of sonication (0–20 min), and number of extraction cycles (6–18
cycles) in the primary extract of brown seaweed Zonaria tournefortii, studying the yield variation of some bioactive
compounds, assessing the potential of these bioextracts to integrate as a natural additives or supplements in the functional
food industry. The extractions were performed employing “Green Chemistry” techniques executed with the Timatic
extractor, which applied pressurized ethanol solution at a maximum pressure of 8.5 bar through milled dehydrated biomass
in the extraction vessel. Several parameters were assessed in the primary bioactive extract which included extract yield
(11.56–28.49 g (100 g)−1 dw), total chlorophyll content (0.14–1.42 g (100 g)−1 dw), total carotenoid content (0.35–0.80 g
(100 g)−1 dw), total fucoxanthin content (0.04–0.13 g (100 g)−1 dw), total phenolic content (3.58–5.84 g (100 g)−1 dw),
total flavonoid content (0.22–4.70 g (100 g)−1 dw), DPPH (56.05–76.45%), and reducing activity (3.83–6.04 g (100 g)−1
dw). A second objective was to determine the suitability of the residue for subsequent extraction of valuable compounds
such as fucoidan (4.87 to 6.59 g (100 g)−1 dw) and cellulose (18.88 to 20.27 g (100 g)−1 dw), implementing the first step to
a biorefinery strategy, using a cascade approach.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Validation of a spectrophotometric methodology for a rapid iodine analysis in algae and seaweed casts
Iodine plays an important role in human metabolism and its deficiency is particularly harmful in pregnancy and childhood. It remains a major public health concern
in many countries, especially in Portugal. The main purpose of this work was to develop a validated spectrophotometric analysis for a fast and reliable iodine
quantification in algal samples. Absorbance was determined at 410 nm demonstrating a good linearity (R2 ≈ 1.0) in the range of 0–0.06 mg I/100 g. LOD and LOQ
were 1.7 × 10−3 and 5.0 × 10−3 mg I/100 g, respectively. Accuracy was determined using recovery and varied between 101 and 118%. For precision analysis, an
intra-day test performance (RSD = 8.7%) and a repeatability assay (RSD = 3.8%) were performed. Matrix effect assessment demonstrated that this had a negligible
effect (3.2%) in the iodine quantification. The spectrophotometric method was externally validated, for iodine quantification in algal samples, by INSA certified
laboratory. The correlation coefficient between external iodine quantification and our work was R2 ≈ 0.9, showing a good correlation. Applicability was assessed in
25 macroalgae species (5 green, 9 red and 11 brown), 12 seaweed casts, collected in Canary Islands and 1 microalga (Isochrysis galbana) provided by ITC (Instituto
Tecnologico de Canarias).This work was financially supported by ISOPlexis, University of
Madeira; DemoBlueAlgae “Desenvolvimento de metodologias e
optimização dos processos de cultivo e processamento de macroalgas
para a indústria e economia azul” PROCiência 2020 (M1420-01-0247-
FEDER000002); MACBIOBLUE “Proyecto demostrativo y de transferencia tecnológica para ayudar a las empresas a desarrollar nuevos
produtos y procesos en el ambito de la Biotecnología Azul de la
Macaronesia” (MAC/1.1b/086), program Interreg MAC 2014–2020;
ARDITI - Regional Agency for the Development of Research Technology
and Innovation (M14-20-09-5369-FSE-000001) Doctorate in Business
and UBQ II, Unidade de Bioquímica (UBQ II company). Also, the authors present their acknowledgment to DRCT (Azores Regional
Government) for co-financing, the Portuguese National Funds, through
FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, and as applicable co-financed by the FEDER within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement by
funding the cE3c centre (UID/BIA/00329/2013) and to DRCT for
funding Azorean Biodiversity Group.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Helminth parasites of the oceanic horse mackerel Trachurus picturatus Bowdich 1825 (Pisces: Carangidae) from Madeira Island, Atlantic Ocean, Portugal
The helminth parasite fauna of the oceanic horse mackerel Trachurus picturatus Bowdich 1825, caught off the Madeira Islands was composed of six different taxa. Prevalence and abundance of larval Anisakis sp. (Nematoda: Anisakidae) and Nybelinia lingualis (Trypanorhyncha: Tentaculariidae), the most common parasite taxa, were 24.3%, 0.9 and 37.9%, 0.7, respectively. Bolbosoma vasculosum (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) and the monogeneans Heteraxinoides atlanticus (Monogenea: Heteraxinidae) and Pseudaxine trachuri (Monogenea: Gastrocotylidae) were comparatively rare. The depauperate helminth fauna of the oceanic horse mackerel at Madeira compared to other geographical regions of the north-eastern Atlantic, namely the Azores banks and the West African coast, may be attributed to the paucity of nutrients off oceanic islands and to a low density of the fish population.This work was partially supported by the Portuguese
Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) Pluriannual
Programs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Evaluation of fucoxanthin contents in seaweed biomass by vortex-assisted solid-liquid microextraction using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection
Fucoxanthin is considered an important marine bioactive compound with biological properties with promising effects, namely on health. A simple and efficient
analytical methodology is proposed for its quantification in seaweed biomass by using vortex-assisted solid-liquid microextraction (VASLME) followed by reversed
phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) photodiode array detection (PDA) analysis. This microextraction uses reduced quantities of sample
(25 mg) and solvent (300 μL of ethanol) to efficiently extract this high-valued xanthophyll, in a vortex time of 15 min. These extraction parameters were optimized
performing a Central Composite Design (CCD) analysis, running 32 individual experiments. In turn, the method validation was assessed. The linearity of the method
was confirmed (R2 = 0.99998) in a concentration range from 12 to 3600 μg·g−1 dw. Also, good sensitivity and accuracy results were observed through the LOD
(3.33 μg·g−1
), LOQ (10.09 μg·g−1
) and recovery (varied from 95 to 97%) assessments. Good precision was also verified, with intra-day variation within 2.0–3.3%,
and inter-day within 1.0–3.8%. Matrix effect was also evaluated and an acceptable variation of 3.4% was found. The method applicability was confirmed by the
analysis of 22 seaweed biomass samples and fucoxanthin content was found to vary from about 10 to 853 μg·g−1 dw. This method demonstrated a good performance
and can be successfully implemented for a rapid, reliable and accurate screening of fucoxanthin in seaweed biomass.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Dimensionamento e sobreposição de nichos dos portunídeos (Decapoda, Brachyura), na Enseada da Fortaleza, Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brasil
Mangrove sedimentary characteristics and implications for crab Ucides cordatus (Crustacea, Decapoda, Ucididae) distribution in an estuarine area of the Amazonian region
Brachyura (Crustacea, Decapoda) associated to Schizoporella unicornis (Bryozoa, Gymnolaemata) in Ubatuba bay (SP), Brazil
Population structure and relative growth of the Amazon shrimp Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller, 1862) (Decapoda: Palaemonidae) on two islands in the fluvial-estuarine plain of the Brazilian Amazon
Ecological distribution and population structure of Acantholobulus schmitti (Rathbun, 1930) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Xanthoidea) on the southeastern Brazilian coast
Population biology of Macrobrachium jelskii (Miers, 1877) (Decapoda, Palaemonidae) from an artificial pond in Bahia, Brazil
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