Browsing by Author "Maia, Maria Luz"
Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Acorn flours: a novel source of bioactives and nutritional benefitsPublication . Rodrigues, Cristina V.; Maia, Maria Luz; Babo, Pedro; Pintado, ManuelaIntroduction: In Portugal, acorns (Quercus spp.) are highly abundant, being produced around 401,585 tonnes annually. Yet, about 55% remains in fields, leading to the waste of this biomass and promoting potential environmental issues (e.g. soil degradation) (Castro et al., 2022, Zhou and Wang, 2020). This challenge is further exacerbated by the increasing global population, which exerts mounting pressure on our food systems. However, acorn by-products hold great promise as a source of bioactive ingredients, offering solutions to maximize food utilization, promote upcycling, and introduce innovative nutritional and health benefits (Mahmud et al., 2022) . This potential is especially evident in acorns’ kernel, which is rich in valuable bioactive compounds suitable for the development of value-added products. The acorn kernel is highly abundant in phenolic compounds (e.g. tannins, quercetin, gallic acid), oil rich in fatty acids (e.g. oleic acid, linoleic acid), tocopherols, carotenoids (e.g. β-carotene), and phytosterols (e.g. β-sitosterol), which hold potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects (Szabłowska and Tańska, 2024). Moreover, starch recovered from the acorns’ kernel can be applied as a thickening and stabilizer agent in food formulations (Castro et al., 2024), and can hold promising characteristics, which can lead to the improvement of the gut microbiome. Objectives: The present work aimed to characterize the kernel flour from two acorn species: Quercus pyrenaica and Quercus rotundifolia, provided by LandraTech, in a way to valorize them, through potential food applications, promoting circular economy within the industry. Results and main conclusions: Overall, the valorization of the acorn raw materials, exemplified by the flours obtained from its kernel, not only offers promising ways for sustainable and novel food applications, but also underlines the importance of turning waste into valuable resources in the global food industry, as a circular economy approach.
- Exploring the potential of quercus robur kernel and shell for novel food applicationsPublication . Maia, Maria Luz; Rodrigues, Cristina V.; Babo, Pedro; Pintado, ManuelaIntroduction: Acorns are produced in abundance across Portugal, yet remain largely underutilized, with only 1% being currently incorporated into human diets. However, acorns, as a sustainable, gluten-free, and nutrient-rich raw material, align with current consumer trends. Additionally, acorn by-products present significant potential as sources of bioactive ingredients, offering opportunities to enhance food utilization, encourage upcycling, and deliver new nutritional and health benefits. Rich in bioactive compounds like fatty acids, phenolic compounds, and tocopherols—known for their antioxidant properties—acorns also stand out for their high mineral content, making them a valuable addition to traditional foods. Objective: This study focuses on characterizing the kernels and shells of Quercus robur, an endemic Portuguese species supplied by LandraTech. For that purpose, the two samples, kernel, and shells, were ground as flour and then analyzed regarding the physicochemical characteristics and nutritional value, complemented by the determination of their aqueous extract’s antioxidant activity through ABTS and DPPH assays. Conclusions: The characterization of kernels and shells from Quercus robur highlights the significant potential of acorns from native Portuguese oaks as valuable raw materials for sustainable and innovative food applications. This study also emphasizes the importance of exploring underutilized residues as viable resources for the global food industry, promoting a circular economy approach.
- The iogeneration intervention study at Lisbon: iodine status and iodised salt consumption in school-aged childrenPublication . Mota, Inês Barreiros; Pestana, Diogo; Marques, Cláudia; Teixeira, Diana; Morais, Juliana; Faria, Ana; Cortez, Ana Paula Bidutte; Quaresma, Raquel; Pinto, Edgar; Fernandes, Virgínia Cruz; Maia, Maria Luz; Rosário, André; Keating, Elisa; Leite, João Costa; Almeida, Agostinho; Azevedo, Luís; Lima, Rui Matias; Calhau, Conceição
- Valorization of Quercus rotundifolia acorn kernel and shell towards innovative food applicationsPublication . Maia, Maria Luz; Rodrigues, Cristina V.; Babo, Pedro; Pintado, ManuelaIntroduction: Acorns, the fruit of oak trees, are abundantly produced in 36% of Portuguese forest area; however, this fruit is greatly underutilized, with only 1% being used for human nutrition. As Portugal is a gross importer of food, it is highly important to valorize this resource given its proven nutritional value. The sustainable production, gluten-free and nutritious value associated to this raw-material are perfectly aligned with consumer trends. Furthermore, acorn by-products hold great promise as a source of bioactive ingredients, offering solutions to maximize food utilization, promote upcycling, and introduce innovative nutritional and health benefits1,2. Acorns are an example of a raw material that enhances traditional foods with bioactive compounds, including fatty acids, phenolic compounds, and tocopherols, all of which have effective antioxidant properties. Furthermore, acorns are notable for their high mineral content. Objectives: The present work aimed to characterize the kernel and the shells from acorns of an endemic Portuguese species: Quercus rotundifolia, provided by LandraTech, to foster their valorization through innovative food applications promoting a circular economy. Results and main conclusions: Overall, the characterization of kernel and shells obtained from Quercus rotundifolia acorn presented a promising insight into the remarkable value of the acorns from endemic Portuguese oaks as resourceful raw materials for sustainable and novel food applications. Additionally, this study underlines the importance of investigating the neglected forestall residues as potential resources for the global food industry, as a circular economy approach.
- Valorizing acorn byproducts: exploring health-promoting bioactive compounds and efficient starch recovery methodsPublication . Rodrigues, Cristina V.; Maia, Maria Luz; Babo, Pedro; Pintado, ManuelaIntroduction: Food shortages and waste management have become major global issues. Thus, agrifood and natural resources upcycling has been used as a novel strategy towards sustainability and circular economy. In Portugal, acorns (Quercus spp.) are produced abundantly; however, about 55% is left on the fields, leading to a significant resource loss. Acorn kernels from Quercus rotundifolia are especially rich in bioactive (e.g., phenolic compounds) and nutritional compounds making them valuable and versatile sources for developing innovative food products. Acorn’s starch, particularly, holds distinctive physicochemical and nutritional characteristics, ideal for gluten-free, low-sugar uptake, and prebiotic applications. Hence, it aligns with the growing global demand for sustainable, functional, and allergen-friendly food solutions. This work emphasizes the acorn’s oxidized kernel upcycling potential to support circular economy. Moreover, since acorns are endemic in many regions worldwide, this approach represents a model for reducing food waste while addressing global needs for health-conscious and sustainable food products. Objective: This work focused on the valorization of the oxidized kernel from Quercus rotundifolia, a Portuguese endemic species, as a byproduct of acorn processing provided by LandraTech. This work aimed to: i) characterize the nutritional and physicochemical composition of this overlooked raw material, and ii) extract starch for the development of value- added, gluten-free food products. This aligns with sustainability goals by transforming agricultural waste into innovative, health-promoting solutions, towards circular economy. Conclusions: Our work demonstrates that the OKL is a sustainable resource of bioactive and nutritional compounds (e.g., starch, phenolic compounds, potassium) for the development of value-added, and gluten free food products. Moreover, the alkaline starch extraction was revealed to be efficient (yield of 39.56%), although further optimization and characterization are needed. Overall, this work emphasizes the importance of upcycling food byproducts, contributing to waste reduction, sustainability, and circular economy.
- The value of acorn byproducts: exploring novel ingredients and nutritional benefitsPublication . Rodrigues, Cristina V.; Maia, Maria Luz; Babo, Pedro; Pintado, ManuelaIntroduction: In Portugal, acorns (Quercus spp.) are highly abundant, with an annual production of approximately 401,585 tonnes. Yet, about 55% remains in fields, leading to the waste of this biomass1. However, acorn byproducts are a novel source of bioactive compounds, offering a solution for reducing food waste, supporting sustainability, and delivering valuable nutritional benefits and health-promoting properties2. This potential is especially evident in acorn kernels, which contain oil, abundant in fatty acids, phenolic compounds (e.g., tannins, gallic acid), and starch3, all of which hold promising characteristics for developing value-added products within the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. The extraction of oil from oxidized acorn kernels (OKL), presents new opportunities for the sustainable use of this abundant endemic resource, transforming waste into functional ingredients with innovative applications. Objectives: This work focused on the valorization of the oxidized kernel from Quercus rotundifolia, a Portuguese endemic species, as a byproduct of acorn processing provided by LandraTech. This work aimed to: i) characterize the nutritional and physicochemical composition of this overlooked raw material, and ii) optimize the extraction and yields of its oil, for the potential formulation of value-added products. Results and main conclusions: In conclusion, the valorization of acorn byproducts, particularly the oxidized kernel from Quercus rotundifolia, emphasizes the importance of recovering and repurposing biomass waste, into new value-added ingredients, towards sustainability. This process fosters circular economy by upcycling these by-products into nutritionally rich and health-beneficial resources, with potential applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.