Browsing by Author "Afonso, Tiago Barros"
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- A circular economy approach to leather by products valorization towards a zero-waste processPublication . Bonifácio-Lopes, Teresa; Afonso, Tiago Barros; Coscueta, Ezequiel; Costa, Eduardo M.; Pintado, ManuelaIntroduction: The tanning industry has a significant waste production and is a major contributor to environmental pollution; The adoption of circular economy principles will help repurposing by-products with a focus on reutilizing leather remnants; With this approach, the objective is to minimize environmental damage and effectively manage waste; This will contribute to sustainability with a reduction of overall waste and will align with UN sustainability goal 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) through the re-use of by products. Objectives: Exploration of different enzymes and conditions to enhance leather industry hydrolysis process to achieve a more sustainable and circular approach; Creation of versatile functional coatings within the leather industry; Utilization of commercial enzyme (Protabate P) and alternative enzymes (Bromelain and Alcalase) to validate its use; Valorization of protein-rich leather by-products. Conclusion: Protabate P 10% 24 h had higher hydrolysis degree (49.66%) and higher total protein (55103.43 μg protein/mL) than all the other enzymes. Regarding antioxidant activity, Alcalase 10% 24 h showed higher values (39.32 μM Trolox equivalents/mL). Apart from total protein, Bromelain 10% 24 h showed the lowest values for hydrolysis degree and antioxidant activity. Between time 0 and pre-final, molecules with MW <0.2 kDa consistently have a higher area. Conducting an enzyme inactivation (2 h/90 ºC) might result in molecule aggregation, leading to an increase in molecules with MW exceeding 50 kDa. Re-using leather byproducts can help the tanning industry to reduce the waste and achieve the UN sustainability goal nr 12. This study outlines the potential of re-using leather by-products to create versatile functional coatings through a circular and more sustainable process.
- A circular economy approach to leather by products valorization towards a zero-waste processPublication . Bonifácio-Lopes, Teresa; Afonso, Tiago Barros; Coscueta, Ezequiel; Costa, Eduardo; Pintado, ManuelaThe tanning industry, known for its significant waste production, has a great environmental footprint and is one of the main contributors of environmental pollution. To address this concern, this industry has been actively adopting circular economy principles to repurpose the by-products it generates. One of its key focuses is the reutilization of leather by-products, aiming to minimize environmental harm through effective waste management and resource conservation. This strategy shift not only contributes to reducing overall waste but also aligns itself with the 12nd UN sustainability goal (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) by the re-use of its own byproducts. This study focused on exploring different enzymes and hydrolysis conditions for the repurposing of leather byproducts. The objective is to enhance the existing leather industry hydrolysis process, with a primary focus on achieving a more sustainable and circular approach towards the creation of versatile functional coatings within the leather industry. For this purpose, hydrolysis processes using commercial (ProtaBate P) and alternative enzymes (Bromelain and Alcalase) were optimized targeting its reduction from 24 to 6h reactions. Samples MW was determined through SE-HPLC analyses and hydrolysis percentage (TNBS), total protein (BCA) and antioxidant activity (ORAC) were also evaluated. The results demonstrate that all the enzymes had an effect in the leather by-product. It is also possible to conclude that Alcalase provided a better hydrolysis performance than ProtaBate P and Bromelain. Alcalase had higher hydrolysis percentage (70.12%), MWs between 10 and 50 kDa and a higher antioxidant activity (34.51 vs 32.87 µM Trolox equivalent/mL sample). This study outlines the potential of re-using leather by-products to create versatile functional coatings through a circular and more sustainable process.
- Exploring the bioactive potential of mushroom aqueous extracts: antimicrobial, antioxidant, and prebiotic propertiesPublication . Afonso, Tiago Barros; Marçal, Sara; Vale, Pedro; Sousa, Ana Sofia; Nunes, João; Pintado, ManuelaMushrooms provide essential nutrients and bioactive compounds, namely glucans, protein, and phenolic compounds. In this study, two aqueous extractions were performed (M1 and M2) using Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus eryngii, and Agrocybe cylindracea. In M1, a hot extraction (extract M1) (90 °C, 700 rpm, 1 h) was performed. In M2, a room-temperature extraction (extract M2A) followed by a hot extraction (extract M2B) (90 °C, 700 rpm, 1 h) of the extract M2A residue was performed. The M2B extracts showed the lowest extraction yields (12.58–21.78%), while the other yields ranged between 30.91% and 46.03%. All extracts had high protein (12.09–32.97 g/100 g of dry extract), glucan (12.69–48.57 g/100 g of dry extract), and phenolic contents (7.90–16.65 mg GAEs/g of dry extract) and high antioxidant (ABTS and ORAC assays), antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and prebiotic activities. So, they have potential to be used as functional ingredients or natural preservatives. Extracts from A. cylindracea stood out since they had higher protein content, antioxidant activity, and prebiotic activity (extract M1) and inhibited a higher number of foodborne bacteria (only extract M2A). However, unlike extracts from P. ostreatus and P. eryngii, at 40 mg/mL, they had cytotoxic effects.
- Phenolic compounds from by-products for functional textilesPublication . Afonso, Tiago Barros; Bonifácio-Lopes, Teresa; Costa, Eduardo Manuel; Pintado, Manuela EstevezTextile dyeing is known to have major environmental concerns, especially with the high use of toxic chemicals. The use of alternatives such as natural dyes rich in phenolic compounds has become extremely appealing in order to move towards a more sustainable circular economy. Phenolic dyes have the potential to functionalize textile fabrics with properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and UV protection. Wastes/residues from the agri-food industries stand out as highly attractive sources of these compounds, with several by-products showing promising results in textile dyeing through the implementation of more sustainable and eco-friendly processes. This review presents an up-to-date exploration of the sources of phenolic compounds used in the textile industry over the past two decades, with a primary focus on the functional properties they provide to different fabrics. The research highlights a surge in interest in this theme since 2017, accentuating a noticeable upward trend. Throughout this review, emphasis is given to by-products from the agri-food industry as the sources of these compounds. The reviewed papers lay the foundation for future research, paving the way for exploring the potential of raw materials and by-products in the creation of functional and smart textiles.
- SE-HPLC as a tool to guide the production of novel peptide fractions for textile applicationPublication . Bonifácio-Lopes, Teresa; Afonso, Tiago Barros; Coscueta, Ezequiel; Costa, Eduardo M.; Pintado, ManuelaIntroduction: Textile industry needs more bio centered solutions - the industry needs to adopt circular economy principles to repurpose its by-products; There is a need to re-utilize leather by-products and to develop biobased products1,2; SE-HPLC aids in the selection and production of peptide-rich solutions, these solutions are intended for use as functional coatings in textiles. This methodology helps optimize the formulation of coatings for desired functional properties. Objectives: Utilize SE-HPLC to gather fundamental data on the hydrolysis of protein-rich byproducts. Select and produce peptide-rich solutions suitable for functional textiles coatings. Evaluate different enzymes and hydrolysis conditions using SE-HPLC. Repurpose protein-rich leather by-products effectively using SE-HPLC guided strategies. Conclusions: Alcalase 10% 6 hours had higher hydrolysis degree (70.12%) than all the other enzymes percentage/time of hydrolysis Between time 0 and pre-final, molecules MW lower than 0.2 kDa consistently have a higher area. Conducting an enzyme inactivation (2 hours/90ºC) might result in molecule aggregation, leading to an increase in molecules with MW exceeding 50 kDa. Utilizing this technique facilitates the identification of the optimal time/enzyme concentration ratio. It enables industries to repurpose waste effectively while developing new bio-based products through hydrolysis. Specifically, it aids in the production of functional coatings, offering a sustainable solution for waste utilization and product innovation.
- SE-HPLC as a tool to guide the production of novel peptide fractions for textile applicationPublication . Bonifácio-Lopes, Teresa; Afonso, Tiago Barros; Coscueta, Ezequiel; Costa, Eduardo; Pintado, ManuelaAs the need for more bio centered solutions within the textile industry, complex increases it has been the role of R&D industries and academia to find within themselves tools that can guide the discovery and development of biobased products and solutions. One technique that nowadays plays a key role in the sustainable development of novel textile solutions is Size Exclusion HPLC (SE-HPLC). While on its core SE-HPLC is a high-throughput analytical method that has long been used for the routine analysis of proteins and their aggregation status, it is nowadays being used as key tool in the textile industry efforts of valorizing the estimated 4 million tons of protein- rich wastes generated by the tanning industry. In this setting SE-HPLC is providing fundamental information regarding the hydrolysis of the protein-rich wastes and in selecting and producing peptide rich solutions to be applied as functional coating in textiles. This work provides an example of such process as it shows how SE-HPLC was used to explore different enzymes and hydrolysis conditions to reuse protein rich leather by-products. The commercial enzyme, Protabate P, and an alternative enzyme, Alcalase, were used to hydrolyze leather by-products. Hydrolyzations were done during 6 and 24 hours while also trying to reduce the enzyme concentration used by the industry. The peptide size of the samples was then evaluated using size exclusion (SE- HPLC) to help determine how the hydrolysis can affect the molecular weight of the peptides present within the leather by-products and the prevalent molecular weight was between <0.2, 3-5, and 5-10 kDa. The hydrolysis percentage rate was also determined by using TNBS methodology and both enzymes tested affected the leather by-products, being Alcalase the one with a higher hydrolysis rate (70%). The utilization of this technique can assist in identifying the optimal time/enzyme concentration ratio, thereby enabling the industry to simultaneously repurpose waste and develop new bio- based products through hydrolysis, such as functional coatings.