Identification of anthocyanin pigments in strawberry (cv Camarosa) by LC using DAD and ESI-MS detection

New high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) conditions were developed for the separation of strawberry anthocyanins that provided a good resolution of peaks at a low flow rate compatible with the requirements of the mass spectrometry (MS) detector. A strawberry extract was fractionated by column chromatography and simple fractions containing basically anthocyanins were obtained, making their analysis by HPLC possible using on-line photodiode array detection and MS. Information on the identity of the major and some secondary anthocyanins in strawberry was obtained froth their retention characteristics, UV-visible spectra and mass spectra. The presence in strawberry of the previously reported cyanidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-rutinoside and pelargonidin 3-acetylglucoside was confirmed and cyanidin 3-rutinoside was identified in strawberry for the first time. Furthermore, cyanidin 3-malonyldiglucoside, pelargonidin 3-malylglucoside, a pelargonidin bioside and two possible pelargonidin 3-biosides acylated with acetic acid were also tentatively assigned.Comissão Europeia (Fundo Social Europeu) e Governo Português através do Programa PRODEP (III) - ref.ª 5.3/N/199.006/00-Doutoramento

Improvement of Production Line in the Automotive Industry Through Lean Philosophy

This work refers to concepts and definitions of Lean Philosophy. The main targets were to study how waste reduction can be achieved on a production scenario, by identifying added-value operations, enhance productivity, levelling and over-processing reduction. The project behind this study is a massive one, which involves the installation of seven final production lines and more seven pre-assembly lines, being considered by the company, a project that must be as profitable as possible. After implementation and validation, costs were evaluated and the savings reached 10,9 % (2 159 000 €) considering all costs of industrialization.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluación de reservas corporales de grasa de vacas lecheras a través de un sistema de análisis de imagen

publishedTomo I . Sección: Sistemas Ganaderos-Economía y Gestión. Sesión: Producción de leche. Ponencia nº 3

Anthocyanin composition and related pigments in strawberry

The anthocyanin composition of the strawberry has been object of various studies, but it is still not fully characterized. It is well known the presence af pelarganidin 3 - glucoside (Pg 3 -gluc) as major anthocyanin, usually accompanied of smaller proportions of pelargonidin 3- rutinoside (Pg 3 -rut) and cyanidin 3-glucosid e (Cy. 3- gluc).Comissão Europeia (Fundo Social Europeu) e Governo Português através do Programa PRODEP (III) - ref.ª 5.3/N/199.006/00-Doutoramento

Relación entre la condición corporal y medidas de grasa y de músculo obtenidas por ultrasonografía en tiempo real con vacas de raza Barrosã

publishedTomo I . Sección: Sistemas Ganaderos-Economía y Gestión. Sesión: Vacuno carne II. Ponencia nº 1

Anthocyanin pigments in strawberry

The anthocyanin composition was analysed in strawberry fruits from five different cultivars (cv. Eris, Oso Grande, Carisma, Tudnew and Camarosa). Twenty-five defined anthocyanin pigments were detected, most of them containing Pelargonidin (Pg) as aglycone; some cyanidin (Cy) derivatives were also found. Glucose and rutinose were the usual substituting sugars, although arabinose and rhamnose were also tentatively identified; some minor anthocyanins showed acylation with aliphatic acids. A relevant aspect was the detection of anthocyanin-derived pigments, namely 5-carboxypyranopelargonidin-3-glucoside and four condensed pigments containing C–C linked anthocyanin (Pg) and flavanol (catechin and afzelechin) residues. Total anthocyanin content ranged between 200 and 600mg/kg, with Pg 3-gluc constituting 77–90% of the anthocyanins in the strawberry extracts followed by Pg 3-rut (6–11%) and Cy 3-gluc (3–10%). A notable variability was found among the anthocyanin concentrations in samples of a same variety and harvest, indicating a strongly influence of the degree of maturity, edaphic-climatic factors and post-harvest storage

Reduction of blood nitric oxide levels is associated with clinical improvement of the chronic pelvic pain related to endometriosis

The objective of this prospective study was to determine the plasma levels of nitric oxide (NO) in women with chronic pelvic pain secondary to endometriosis (n=24) and abdominal myofascial pain syndrome (n=16). NO levels were measured in plasma collected before and 1 month after treatment. Pretreatment NO levels (μM) were lower in healthy volunteers (47.0±12.7) than in women with myofascial pain (64.2±5.0, P=0.01) or endometriosis (99.5±12.9, P<0.0001). After treatment, plasma NO levels were reduced only in the endometriosis group (99.5±12.9 vs 61.6±5.9, P=0.002). A correlation between reduction of pain intensity and reduction of NO level was observed in the endometriosis group [correlation = 0.67 (95%CI = 0.35 to 0.85), P<0.0001]. Reduction of NO levels was associated with an increase of pain threshold in this group [correlation = -0.53 (-0.78 to -0.14), P<0.0001]. NO levels appeared elevated in women with chronic pelvic pain diagnosed as secondary to endometriosis, and were directly associated with reduction in pain intensity and increase in pain threshold after treatment. Further studies are needed to investigate the role of NO in the pathophysiology of pain in women with endometriosis and its eventual association with central sensitization.484363369CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQSem informaçã

Avaliação da qualidade e segurança microbiológica de refeições de sushi prontas a consumir em Portugal

Being a food product that contains perishable ingredients and involves a significant degree of manual handling during preparation, sushi is regarded as a potentially hazardous food, which may lead to foodborne disease outbreaks. In Portugal, consumption of takeaway sushi meals has strongly increased throughout the past few years; however, there is limited information regarding its compliance with food quality standards. Under this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality and safety of take-away ready-to-eat sushi meals in Lisbon, Portugal. Sixty- two samples were collected from different origins (restaurant and hypermarket), and each sample was tested for aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, positive coagulase Staphylococci, presumptive Bacillus cereus count, as for detection of pathogenic microorganisms, such as Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, V. cholerae and V. vulnificus. Results revealed that 48.4% (30/62) were deemed unsatisfactory, 35.5% (22/62) were classified as borderline and only 16.1% (10/62) were considered satisfactory. Even though we did not detect the incidence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms in sushi, the presence of B. cereus and coagulase- positive Staphylococci was detected at unsatisfactory levels. Furthermore, significant differences between the place of origin (restaurant vs. hypermarket) and type of fish were also observed. Overall, the high number of samples classified with a level of microbiological quality “unsatisfactory” and “borderline” highlights the need to review good hygiene practices, as well as the quality of the raw materials used, to obtain a final product with a satisfactory quality and safety levelRESUMO - Por ser um género alimentício que contém ingredientes perecíveis e envolve um grau significativo de manipulação manual durante a sua preparação, o sushi é considerado um alimento potencialmente perigoso, que pode causar surtos de doença de origem alimentar. Em Portugal, o consumo de refeições de sushi prontas a consumir tem aumentado ao longo dos últimos anos. No entanto, a informação sobre o cumprimento das normas de qualidade alimentar é limitada. Neste contexto, o presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade e a segurança microbiológica de refeições de sushi prontas para consumo em take-way, na região de Lisboa, Portugal. Foram colhidas 62 amostras de diferentes origens (restaurante e hipermercado), e em cada amostra foi efetuada a contagem de microrganismos aeróbios mesófilos, Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, estafilococos coagulase positiva, Bacillus cereus presuntivos, e deteção de microrganismos patogénicos, tais como: Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio cholerae e Vibrio vulnificus. Os resultados revelaram que 48,4% (30/62) das amostras foram consideradas insatisfatórias, 35,5% (22/62) foram classificadas como “borderline” e apenas 16,1% (10/62) foram consideradas como satisfatórias. Embora não tenham sido detetados microrganismos potencialmente patogénicos nas amostras de sushi, a presença de B. cereus e estafilococos coagulase positivos foram detetados em níveis insatisfatórios. Além disso, também foram observadas diferenças significativas entre o local de origem (restaurante vs. hipermercado) e tipo de peixe. No geral, o elevado número de amostras classificadas com um nível de qualidade microbiológica insatisfatória e “borderline” evidência a necessidade de revisão das boas práticas de higiene, bem como da qualidade das matérias- primas utilizadas, para obter um produto final com qualidade e segurança satisfatóriainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio