CBQF - Contribuições em Revistas Científicas / Contribution to Journals
URI permanente para esta coleção:
Navegar
Entradas recentes
- Microbial fuel cells integrated in constructed wetlands: systematic review on current status, challenges, and opportunitiesPublication . Ojediran, Adetunji; Carrillo, Valentina; Pereira, Sofia Isabel Almeida; Rosa-Santos, Paulo; Rodrigues, Ana Cristina; Calheiros, Cristina Sousa CoutinhoIntroduction: Constructed wetlands (CWs) are widely applied as low energy, nature-based wastewater treatment systems, particularly in decentralized contexts, while microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are increasingly being investigated to recover energy through bioelectrochemical processes that are favored by the redox gradients present within CWs. The integration of these two sustainable solutions is gaining increasing attention due to its potential to generate synergistic benefits. However, despite the growing number of studies on CWMFC systems, there still remains a lack of consolidated synthesis regarding system design, performance outcomes, and intensification strategies (approaches that enhance process efficiency by accelerating reaction rates, improving electron transport, and maintaining redox stratification for stable system operation). Consequently, several critical knowledge gaps persist, including limited reporting on long-term stability and durability, insufficient economic assessments, lack of standardized design and performance metrics, and underrepresentation of microbial community structure and function.Methodology: This review covers CW-MFC studies published between 2010 and 2026 across several regions of the world and includes laboratory, mesocosm, pilot, and full-scale systems, focusing on system design, operational strategies, microbial processes, treatment, and energy recovery performance.Results: Most CW-MFC studies are at laboratory and pilot scale, with limited full-scale applications, and their performance depends primarily on reactor and flow regime configurations, electrode materials and their positioning, substrate type, and redox gradient profile. Many studies have reported encouraging Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and nutrient removal efficiencies, with values reaching up to 99% COD removal, 95% Total Phosphorus (TP) removal, and 100% ammonium-nitrogen (NH4 +-N) removal. CW-MFC systems generally improve organic matter and nutrient removal compared to conventional CWs; however, the electrical energy recovered is typically low and tends to decrease with increasing system scale.Discussion: Overall, CW-MFC systems are best regarded as sustainable, multifunctional wastewater treatment technologies rather than primary energy recovery systems, as their practical feasibility is more constrained by long-term stability, material durability, and insufficient economic reporting rather than by treatment performance.
- Enzymatic hydrolysates from Fucus vesiculosus: optimal process, chemical profile and bioactivityPublication . Nova, Paulo; Coelho, Marta; Cunha, Sara A.; Machado, Manuela; Costa-Pinto, Ana R.; Gomes, Ana MariaFucus vesiculosus (FV) is a brown macroalga rich in bioactive compounds with significant industrial potential. This study aimed to produce enzyme-assisted water-soluble hydrolysates from FV with optimized antioxidant activity using Box–Behnken experimental designs. Two extraction methods were evaluated: cellulase alone (FVc) and a combination of cellulase and alcalase (FVca). The optimization focused on enzyme concentration, temperature, and incubation time, measuring extraction yield, total phenolic content as determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu assay (non-specific reducing capacity index, FC-derived TPC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Results demonstrated that the combined dual-enzyme (FVca) treatment was highly efficient, simultaneously maximizing the extraction yield (39.41%) and the overall reducing capacity (TAC of 142.80 µmol TE/g, ORAC of 477.64 µmol TE/g, and a FC-derived TPC of 252.57 mg GAE/g). Due to its higher potential, FVca was further characterized, revealing a rich profile of essential amino acids, low-molecular-weight peptides, and a diverse phenolic profile, dominated by phloroglucinol (6.23 mg/g). In addition, the FVca hydrolysate demonstrated severe abiotic interference with the redox viability assay at 10 mg/mL in Caco-2 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell cultures. These findings highlight that combining cellulase and alcalase effectively solubilizes key bioactive compounds, yielding a hydrolysate highly promising for industrial and biotechnological applications.
- Ready-to-eat meat foods as potential vectors for the transmission of antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus faeciumPublication . Piccioni, Giorgia; Gabucci, Claudia; Cesare, Andrea Di; Sabatino, Raffaella; Sbaffi, Tomasa; Mangiaterra, Gianmarco; Meli, Maria Assunta; Roselli, Carla; Manaia, Célia M.; Vaz-Moreira, Ivone; Savelli, David; Lorenzetti, Cinzia; Lullo, Stefania Di; Primavilla, Sara; Massacci, Francesca Romana; Scoccia, Eleonora; Diaconu, Elena Lavinia; Franco, Alessia; Blasi, Giuliana; Citterio, Barbara; Petruzzelli, AnnalisaEnterococcus faecium , a member of the human gut microbiota and the second most abundant enterococcal species after E. faecalis , is an important agent of healthcare-associated infection. Its high capacity to acquire antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) makes infections difficult to treat. This study investigated ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products, typical of central Italy, as potential vectors of antibiotic-resistant enterococci, focusing on E. faecium . A total of 148 enterococcal strains, 36 of which were identified as E. faecium , were isolated. Among 22 distinct clones, eight were resistant to tetracycline (TET), two also to linezolid (LZD), and one showed a multidrug-resistance phenotype. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration testing, supported by whole-genome sequence analysis. Both LZD-resistant strains harbored LZD resistance genes ( optr A or a combination of optr A and poxt A), while only one isolate demonstrated horizontal gene transfer via conjugation. The isolates were further characterized for virulence factors and biofilm formation capacity, both under basal conditions and following exposure to simulated upper gastrointestinal transit. All eight TET resistant strains presented genotypic virulence traits. Following exposure to simulated upper gastrointestinal transit, these isolates demonstrated high survival rates, maintaining both their antibiotic resistance phenotypes and biofilm-forming capacity. These findings highlight the potential role of the analyzed RTE meat products as vehicles for virulent and antibiotic-resistant E. faecium strains capable of surviving upper gastrointestinal exposure. The study underscores the need to implement enterococci surveillance in the food sector to improve monitoring of resistant E. faecium and to limit its possible dissemination and association in clinical risks.
- Mushroom-derived phenolic compounds as emerging prebiotic-like modulators of gut microbiota, intestinal health, and metabolismPublication . Garcia, Juliana; Olo-Fontinha, Eva; Silva, Jani; Dias-Costa, Rui; Alves, Maria José; Gouvinhas, IreneBackground/Objectives: Mushroom-derived phenolic compounds are gaining attention as bioactive molecules with potential roles in gut microbiota modulation, intestinal health, and metabolic regulation. Although mushroom polysaccharides are well established as fermentable substrates, the contribution of fungal phenolics to microbiota–host interactions remains less defined. This review aimed to critically analyse the evidence supporting mushroom-derived phenolic compounds as emerging prebiotic-like modulators of gut microbiota, intestinal function, and host metabolism. Methods: A narrative critical review was conducted using scientific literature retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Studies addressing phenolic profiling in edible and medicinal mushrooms, gastrointestinal digestion, colonic fermentation, microbial biotransformation, gut microbiota modulation, intestinal barrier function, inflammation, and metabolic outcomes were considered. Particular attention was given to chromatographic and mass spectrometry-based studies, in vitro digestion/fermentation models, mechanistic studies, animal experiments, clinical trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. Results: Current evidence shows that mushrooms contain diverse phenolic compounds, mainly phenolic acids such as gallic, protocatechuic, caffeic, p-coumaric, ferulic, vanillic, syringic, and cinnamic acids. Due to limited small intestine absorption, a substantial fraction of these compounds may reach the colon, where they undergo microbial biotransformation into smaller phenolic metabolites. These metabolites may influence microbial ecology, support beneficial taxa, modulate short-chain fatty acid production indirectly, attenuate oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling, and contribute to intestinal barrier integrity. However, most evidence derives from in vitro and preclinical studies, while human data remain limited and are mainly based on whole-mushroom interventions. Conclusions: Mushroom-derived phenolic compounds are promising prebiotic-like modulators within the microbiota–metabolite–host axis. Nevertheless, their specific contribution cannot yet be quantitatively distinguished from that of other mushroom constituents, particularly β-glucans, chitin, and other fungal polysaccharides, because most available evidence derives from whole-mushroom matrices, crude extracts, or polysaccharide-rich preparations rather than isolated phenolic fractions. Future studies should compare whole mushroom preparations, polysaccharide-rich fractions, and standardized phenolic-rich extracts, integrating metabolomics, microbiome profiling, and well-designed clinical trials to clarify the relative mechanistic and therapeutic relevance of mushroom phenolics. Future studies should use standardized phenolic-rich extracts, metabolomics, microbiome analysis, and well-designed clinical trials to clarify their mechanistic relevance, clinical significance, and translational potential.
- Fructooligosaccharides enhance the gut–liver effects of raspberry polyphenols in a rat model of diet-induced metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver diseasePublication . Fotschki, Bartosz; Kopcewicz, Marta; Fotschki, Joanna; Machcińska-Zielińska, Sylwia; Słowińska, Mariola; Sawicki, Tomasz; Wiczkowski, Wiesław; Sójka, Michał; Janda, Elżbieta; Ognik, Katarzyna; Jurgoński, Adam; Silva, Sara; Juśkiewicz, JerzyBackground MASLD is closely linked to gut–liver axis dysfunction, including altered microbial activity, disturbed bile acid metabolism, and hepatic lipid accumulation. Raspberry polyphenols may help counteract these disturbances, whereas fructooligosaccharides (FOS) may enhance their microbial transformation and biological activity. Methods and results Male Wistar rats were fed for 12 weeks with a control diet, a high-fat low-fiber diet (HF), or HF diets supplemented with raspberry polyphenols alone (HF + PP) or combined with FOS (HF + PP + FOS). Compared with HF feeding alone, the combined treatment produced the most favorable response, including lower hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol accumulation, improved plasma lipid indices, higher hepatic and plasma levels of polyphenol-derived metabolites, reduced hepatic Ahr/AHR expression, increased Cyp8b1/CYP8B1 expression, enhanced short-chain fatty acid production, altered cecal bile acid profile, lower activity of selected bacterial enzymes, and a distinct shift in cecal microbiota composition. Conclusion Combined supplementation with raspberry polyphenols and fructooligosaccharides partly alleviated selected metabolic and intestinal disturbances induced by a high-fat, low-fiber diet. The findings may support the involvement of the gut–liver axis and suggest that FOS may strengthen the functional effects of raspberry polyphenols by promoting microbial fermentation and increasing the formation and availability of smaller bioactive metabolites. Overall, the combination of a polyphenol-rich raspberry preparation with a microbiota-targeting prebiotic may represent a nutritionally relevant strategy for supporting metabolic homeostasis under MASLD-like conditions.
- Nutritional and physicochemical effects of photoperiod and germination time in oat sprouts as foodPublication . Orhun, Gul Ebru; Akın, Melekşen; Orhun, Eda; Gotcheva, Velitchka; Bartkiene, Elena; Rocha, João MiguelThe present work aims to explore the impact of the photoperiod and germination time on the quality of oat sprouts for food consumption. To that purpose, oat (Avena sativa L.) sprouts were germinated from seeds at two different photoperiods (12 and 24 h of exposure to light) throughout nine days. Samples of germinated oat sprouts were analyzed for changes in nutritional and physicochemical composition, viz. vitamin C (ascorbic acid), carotenoids, vitamin B3 (niacin), plumule height, dry-matter, dietery fibers, total oil and total protein content. When comparing with the original oat seeds, significant increase in the content of vitamins, carotenoids and dietery fibers, and a decrease in dry matter was observed in germinated oat sprouts over the time. Results showed that both the photoperiod and germination time had a significant impact on the analyzed parameters. The germinating regime of 12 h light per day for 9 days proved to be the most appropriate for obtaining oat sprouts with the highest value of carotenoids and vitamin B3 and the second highest value of vitamin C. The germinating regime of 12 h light per day for 9 days also the highest mean plumule height response was obtained from treatment 3 with an average of 7.1 cm.
- Nitrogen climate smart: cutting UK agricultural emissions using a farmer-focused theory of changePublication . Guest, Emily J.; Vickers, Roger; Allen-Stevens, Tom; McArthur, John; Kindred, Daniel; Iannetta, Pietro P. M.; Howard, Becky; Wilkinson, Tom; Hague, Ben; Melita, Skye; Hannam, JacquelineThe UK is facing increasing pressure to achieve net zero emissions to limit environmental damage and climate change. The agricultural sector contributes 12% of UK anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and thus has a crucial role in reducing UK total emissions. Despite knowledge and solutions being generated by agricultural research projects, many struggle to make impactful and measurable change which lasts beyond the lifetime of a short funding cycle. In this paper, we use the lack of uptake of UK-grown pulses, especially faba beans, despite their large potential for cutting carbon emissions, as an example of the gap between research and land management change. Despite their well-known environmental and nutritional benefits, pulses only comprise an estimated 5% (1 in 20) of UK arable rotations, compared to the rotational maximum of 20% (1 in 5), a switch which would reduce GHG emissions by 3.4 Mt CO2 equivalent (e) per annum. This would be equivalent to 7% of UK agricultural emissions, mainly achieved through reducing mineral nitrogen fertiliser usage and replacing soybean meal in livestock rations. While it is recognised that this 3.4 Mt per year target reduction cannot be achieved in the duration of a 4-year research programme, we propose a “theory of change” for maximising lasting impact that can be followed when designing future agricultural research programmes. Using the Nitrogen Climate Smart (NCS) project as a case study, we demonstrate a pathway to impact through meaningful farmer engagement, co-designed research questions, on-farm trials and knowledge exchange, essential to delivering long-term and long-lasting shifts in land management practice and climate impact, alongside bridging the gap between research, practice and policy.
- Alginate-based edible coating incorporating green tea extract for preserving postharvest quality and safety of white mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)Publication . Alves, Jade Morais; Silva, Bruna Heloiza Gomes da; Melo, Adma Nadja Ferreira de; Oliveira, Louise Iara Gomes de; Batista, André Ulisses Dantas; Lima, Marcos dos Santos; Silva, Ruthchelly Tavares da; Pintado, Maria Manuela; Magnani, MarcianeThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of a sodium alginate based edible coating incorporated with green tea extract (GTE) (Camellia sinensis) on the postharvest quality attributes and antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes in white mushrooms during refrigerated storage. The phenolic profile of GTE was characterized, and its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against L. monocytogenes (1.6 mg/mL) was determined. Sodium alginate coatings, with (ALG-GTE) or without GTE (ALG) at MIC (1.6 mg/mL), were characterized (functional groups, solubility in water, moisture, thickness, water contact angle and color) for their chemical and physical properties. The effects of ALG-GTE coatings on quality parameters (firmness, weight loss, color, pH, sugars and organic acids), enzymatic activity [polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD) and pectin methylesterase (PME)], antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes (5 log CFU/g), and surface characteristics (3D optical profilometry) were assessed in white mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) during refrigerated storage (8 days, 4 ± 1 °C, 90–95% RH). The ALG-GTE coatings preserved sugar composition, particularly rhamnose, reduced organic acids accumulation and delayed weight and firmness loss, reduced color changes, and decreased PME activity in coated white mushrooms. L. monocytogenes counts decreased by 1.4 log CFU/g after 1 day, and no viable cells were detected after 2 days (< 1.5 log CFU/g) in ALG-GTE coated white mushrooms. In addition, ALG-GTE coated white mushrooms exhibited smoother surfaces than uncoated samples. These findings highlight the potential of ALG-GTE coatings as a sustainable alternative capable of improving the microbiological safety and delaying the postharvest changes in fresh mushrooms.
- Underutilised crops for a sustainable future: promoting resilience and nutrition in global food systemsPublication . Moreira, Diana; Santos, Carla; Silva, Marta Nunes da; Pinto, Elisabete; Knez, Marija; Iannetta, Pietro; Tran, Fanny; Czeglédi, Alexandra; Bassignana, Chiara Flora; Migliorini, Paola; Landschoot, Sofie; Dewitte, Kevin; Haesaert, Geert; Mattas, Kostadinos; Chiffoleau, Yuna; Vasconcelos, Marta W.The increasing vulnerabilities of global food systems call for diversified and sustainable strategies. Underutilised Crops (UCs) are receiving renewed attention as promising resources to strengthen production systems and diets, yet their potential remains insufficiently realised due to limited production, commercialisation, policy support, and consumer awareness. This review explores the role of UCs around two main themes: UCs promoting agricultural resilience and UCs promoting nutritional resilience. The first explores their capacity to diversify production, enhance adaptation to climate change and boost agroecosystems. The second highlights their contribution to dietary diversity, improved nutrition, and public health. For both themes, attention is given to the benefits, challenges and barriers associated with their adoption, ranging from agronomic constraints to socio-economic and cultural factors. The review also highlights the development of innovative tools to valorise their potential and explores possible futures for UCs in global food systems, drawing on insights from four H2020 sister projects: RADIANT, CROPDIVA, BIOVALUE, and DIVINFOOD. By combining opportunities and challenges, this review highlights the strategic role of UCs in building healthy, resilient and sustainable food systems. It aims to contribute to ongoing debates and to stimulate collaborative efforts towards unlocking the full potential of these crops, enabling them to move from the margins to the centre of resilient and inclusive food systems.
- β-amyloid-stratified six-stage Alzheimer’s disease discrimination via multiband MRI histogram and GLCM featuresPublication . Menezes, José; Barbosa, Maria Inês; Rodrigues, Pedro MiguelAccurate and early characterization of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression remains a major clinical challenge, particularly in biologically heterogeneous stages such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We propose an sMRI-based machine learning framework for multi-stage AD discrimination, encompassing six clinical groups (cognitively normal (CN, n=103), subjective memory complaints (SMC, n=54), early MCI (EMCI, n=151), MCI (n=229), late MCI (LMCI, n=117), and AD (n=114)), with explicit β-amyloid (Aβ) stratification of MCI subtypes (+/−). T1-weighted sMRI scans from 768 ADNI subjects were analyzed using histogram and GLCM texture features across multiple anatomical planes and multi-scale wavelet decompositions. The framework demonstrated robust performance across 36 pairwise comparisons under stratified 5-fold cross-validation with SMOTE and RUS, achieving AUC > 0.95 in well-separated tasks (e.g., AD vs EMCI−) and in SMC vs AD and SMC vs MCI+. More challenging “gray-zone” distinctions (e.g., EMCI− vs EMCI+) showed moderate performance (AUC ≈ 0.62–0.67), with RUS providing the most overall balanced results. Feature analysis revealed dominant contributions from GLCM descriptors, complemented by histogram features, with highest discriminability in Level-2 wavelet sub-bands (HL2 and LH2). Aβ stratification enabled a more biologically grounded interpretation of disease progression, improving discrimination in later stages while remaining challenging in early-stage comparisons. Overall, sMRI radiomics provides an interpretable framework for capturing stage-specific structural patterns in AD, highlighting the importance of biological stratification and robust validation.