Active flexible films for food packaging: a review

Active food packaging is a dynamic area where the scientific community and industry have been trying to find new strategies to produce innovative packaging that is economically viable and compatible with conventional production processes. The materials used to develop active packaging can be organized into scavenging and emitting materials, and based on organic and inorganic materials. However, the incorporation of these materials in polymer-based flexible packaging is not always straightforward. The challenges to be faced are mainly related to active agents’ sensitivity to high temperatures or difficulties in dispersing them in the high viscosity polymer matrix. This review provides an overview of methodologies and processes used in the production of active packaging, particularly for the production of active flexible films at the industrial level. The direct incorporation of active agents in polymer films is presented, focusing on the processing conditions and their effect on the active agent, and final application of the packaging material. Moreover, the incorporation of active agents by coating technologies and supercritical impregnation are presented. Finally, the use of carriers to help the incorporation of active agents and several methodologies is discussed. This review aims to guide academic and industrial researchers in the development of active flexible packaging, namely in the selection of the materials, methodologies, and process conditions.Financed by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Incentive System to Research and Technological development, within the Portugal2020 Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program. IPC researchers acknowledge also funding by National Funds through FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, References UIDB/05256/2020 and UIDP/05256/2020

Cytotoxicity of portoamides in human cancer cells and analysis of the molecular mechanisms of action

Portoamides are cyclic peptides produced and released by the cyanobacterial strain Phormidium sp. presumably to interfere with other organisms in their ecosystems ("allelopathy"). Portoamides were previously demonstrated to have an antiproliferative effect on human lung carcinoma cells, but the underlying mechanism of this activity has not been described. In the present work, the effects of portoamides on proliferation were examined in eight human cancer cell lines and two non-carcinogenic cell lines, and major differences in sensitivities were observed. To generate hypotheses with regard to molecular mechanisms of action, quantitative proteomics using 2D gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF/TOF were performed on the colon carcinoma cell line HT-29. The expression of proteins involved in energy metabolism (mitochondrial respiratory chain and pentose phosphate pathway) was found to be affected. The hypothesis of altered energy metabolism was tested in further experiments. Exposure to portoamides resulted in reduced cellular ATP content, likely due to decreased mitochondrial energy production. Mitochondrial hyperpolarization and reduced mitochondrial reductive capacity was observed in treated cells. Furthermore, alterations in the expression of peroxiredoxins (PRDX4, PRDX6) and components of proteasome subunits (PSB4, PSA6) were observed in portoamide-treated cells, but these alterations were not associated with detectable increases in oxidative stress. We conclude that the cytotoxic activity of portoamides is associated with disturbance of energy metabolism, and alterations in mitochondrial structure and function. © 2017 Ribeiro et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.This research was supported by the Structured Program of R&D&I INNOVMAR—Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resources (reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000035, Research Line NOVELMAR), funded by the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE2020) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project was additionally supported by national funds (FCT, Foundation for Science and Technology) with the reference UID/Multi/04423/2013, UID/BIM/04501/2013, UID/IC/00051/2013 and RNEM (National Mass Spectrometry Network). PNL was supported by grant IF/01358/2014 (FCT), and Ralph Urbatzka by grant SFRH/BPD/112287/2015 (FCT). We thank Dr. Jonathan Mark Wilson (Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada) for the correction of the English in the manuscript

Evaluation of HBV-Like circulation in wild and farm animals from Brazil and Uruguay.

The origin of the hepatitis B virus is a subject of wide deliberation among researchers. As a result, increasing academic interest has focused on the spread of the virus in different animal species. However, the sources of viral infection for many of these animals are unknown since transmission may occur from animal to animal, human to human, animal to human, and human to animal. The aim of this study was to evaluate hepadnavirus circulation in wild and farm animals (including animals raised under wild or free conditions) from different sites in Brazil and Uruguay using serological and molecular tools. A total of 487 domestic wild and farm animals were screened for hepatitis B virus (HBV) serological markers and tested via quantitative and qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect viral DNA. We report evidence of HBsAg (surface antigen of HBV) and total anti-HBc (HBV core antigen) markers as well as low-copy hepadnavirus DNA among domestic and wild animals. According to our results, which were confirmed by partial genome sequencing, as the proximity between humans and animals increases, the potential for pathogen dispersal also increases. A wider knowledge and understanding of reverse zoonoses should be sought for an effective One Health response

Nos caminhos da Luz, antigos palacetes da elite paulistana

The present article is dedicated to recover the memory of the old mansions built in\ud the region of Luz Railway Station, from the beginning of the second half of the 19th Century\ud onwards. It was around that time that the region became São Paulo elites first residential\ud neighbourhood, concentrating mansions that expressed the local elaborations of architectural\ud Neo-classicism and Eclecticism. One intends to approach the interpretation processes that\ud characterised such architectural production