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Red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) is a non-migratory bird found mainly in the Iberian
Peninsula whose conservation status is Least Concern. However, in the last decades there
has been a growing concern for the loss of habitat quality due to the results of either land
abandonment or farming intensification.
This study was conducted in an agrosilvopastoral land use system called montado.
Com este trabalho pretende-se dar um contributo para o estudo dos factores de variação radial e axial da espessura dos anéis de crescimento de pinheiro bravo. O trabalho foi desenvolvido com base em técnicas de análise de imagem e tem como objectivo final incluir a variação dos anéis de crescimento na qualidade dos produtos finais serrados da madeira desta espécie.
A informação para o estudo da variação das camadas de crescimento baseou-se numa amostra de tiras radiais e de discos nos níveis de altura 0, 5, 10, 15, 17 e 20 m de árvores de quatro estações em Portugal. A amostragem em discos permitiu a medição das camadas de crescimento em várias direcções e a posterior criação de um modelo tridimensional do tronco com base nos anéis de crescimento.
A variação das camadas de crescimento foi analisada em sequência vertical, onde se analisam os anéis de crescimento em cada nível, obtendo-se assim o crescimento das árvores e quais as suas variação ao longo do tempo, e em sequência oblíqua onde se pode analisar o comportamento dos 13 anos terminais ao longo da árvore. Efectuou-se uma análise de variância para diferentes factores onde se contabilizou a percentagem de variação correspondente a cada um desses factores. Verificou-se que a maior parte da variação se deve à variação lenho juvenil/lenho adulto.
O modelo tridimensional do tronco foi desenvolvido numa interface que permite observar a variação das camadas de crescimento nas diferentes secções transversais a níveis de altura especificados. De futuro este modelo será integrado na reconstrução tridimensional já desenvolvida para o Pinheiro bravo e que descreve a geometria do tronco e os anéis internos. O objetcivo final será o uso da informação sobre as camadas de crescimento em programas de simulação de serração de forma a constituir mais um parâmetro de qualidade dos produtos finais.
In this paper we analyze the transversal variation of Acacia melanoxylon R. Br. wood porosity, using five trees with 40cm dbh collected in the Ponte de Lima region, in northwestern Portugal. Variation of porosity, vessel area, width and density were used to evaluate tree vessel variation, in order to relate it with other wood properties. Each value of these variables represents a mean of 60 vessels measurement. We collected five wood disks at the bottom, 5, 15, 35 and 65% of total height, and commercial top of those five trees, in order to acquire three radial cores at 10, 50 and 90% near the pith, and in north and south directions.
We found great variability along the tree concerning the axial and radial positions. Porosity is higher near the bottom and lower at the top; vessel number varies inversely. Vessels width and density are similar at the different height levels. Radial variation show that porosity, vessel area and vessel width all increase, and density decreases, with distance to the pith.
Principal components analysis was used to investigate the differences in vessel characteristics and levels in the trees, as well as their interaction. This methodology allowed us to determine how close, or how independent, the study variables were. We conclude there is a group of vessel morphologic characteristics which depend strongly on each other – porosity and vessel area and vessel number are negatively correlated with the other. The variation between North and south direction is not significant, because the values are very similar and the trees don’t present a higher eccentricity.
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No presente trabalho estudou-se o comportamento de três amostras de madeira de Eucalyptus globulus nacional, com massas volúmicas básicas entre 467 kg/m3 e 600 kg/m3, no processo de cozimento kraft e analisou-se as características biométricas do material fibroso. As matérias primas em estudo apresentam rendimentos em pasta entre 49 e 59% e as fibras exibem dimensões muito diferentes. O valor médio da espessura de parede das fibras variou entre 2.5 e 3.5 μm, respectivamente para a madeira de massa volúmica básica 467kg/m3 e 600 kg/m3. A largura das fibras varia de forma muito menos acentuada. Em consequência, as fibras de parede fina exibem elevadas flexibilidade e colapsibilidade em estado húmido, enquanto que as de maior espessura de parede são muito mais rígidas. O efeito da refinação sobre estas propriedades é igualmente diferente. As características biométricas reflectem-se de forma muito acentuada na necessidade de refinação e nas características do papel.
Refining is an important unit operation in the paper production process and consists in the mechanical beating of the pulp fibres in an aqueous medium. The refining conditions affect fibre morphology, pulp suspension characteristics and paper properties.
In this study we investigated the effect of refining intensity - given by the specific edge load (SEL) - on the fibre and paper properties. Lower refining intensity led to lower fibre cutting, lower fines generation, and lower ºSR development. Commercial Eucalyptus globulus bleached pulp was refined in a pilot refiner, using different specific edge loads (0.05; 0.1 and 0.2 J/m) and specific energy consumption of 40, 80 and 120 kWh/ton in order to evaluate paper potential.
The highest specific edge load tested (0,2 J/m) resulted in a lower average fibre length, as a result of a higher fibre cutting. The papers produced presented higher mechanical resistance, but increasing refinement energy from 80 to 120 kWh/ton did not improve paper properties. On the contrary, with a lowest specific edge load (0,05 J/m), the papers obtained for different specific energy consumption exhibited lower density (i.e., higher open structure, higher air permeability and lower smoothness).
This text presents some results on the variation of Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon R. Br.) annual growth rings thickness in Portugal, as well as the best models to evaluate total volumes stand trees, under or over-bark.
Annual ring thickness evaluations were done on 261 wood sample disks collected at the usually used levels. With the purpose of obtaining those disks, 20 sample trees of 40cm dbh were harvested in four northwest sites of Portugal.
The study of earlywood and latewood thickness leads to the conclusion that the wood type is responsible for 16% of ring size variance, and earlywood is 61% larger in average than latewood. The site, number of ring and its interaction are responsible for 12% of annual woody increment variation. Respective residuals are very relevant in both cases - 75 and 88%.
Based on the study of those wood variables, the four places were arranged into three independent homogeneous groups. Differences between averages of earlywood and latewood thickness were significative, as well as those between North and South exposures.
The selected model (v=β1*dβ2*hβ3) that uses sites as dummy variables for stand tree volumes estimation is also presented. Maximum expected errors perform values between 155dm3 to mean maximum volumes of 1362dm3 under-bark, and 169dm3 to mean maximum volumes of 1459dm3 over-bark.
Potential of cypress wood for pulp production.
In this work we study the behaviour in kraft cooking and papermaking of 6 Acacia melanoxylon wood chip samples, with basic densities of 449, 489, 493, 505, 514 and 616 kg/m3. The wood chip samples were screened and submitted to the kraft cooking process. Experiments were carried out with 1000-g o.d. of wood in a forced circulation digester. The cooked chips were disintegrated, screened and washed. The screened and total yields, kappa number and pulp viscosity were determined according to the standard methods. The morphological properties of pulp fibres were determined by image analysis of a diluted suspension in a flow chamber in Morfi®. The unbleached kraft pulps were submitted to a bleaching D0E1D1E2D2 sequence and their papermaking potential evaluated. The pulps were beaten in a PFI mill at 500, 2500 and 4500 revolutions under a refining intensity of 1.7 N/mm. Paper handsheets were prepared according to the Scan standard and tested regarding structural, mechanical and optical properties.
Regarding the pulping potential, the pulp yield ranged between 47.7 and 57.7%. The selected wood samples provided bleached kraft pulps with markedly different biometrics characteristics. In fact, the mean values of fibre length, fibre width and coarseness ranged between 0.77 and 0.98 mm, 17.8 and 19.4 μm, 4.8 and 6.2 mg/100m, respectively. As expected, these biometrics characteristics have very high impact on paper structure, including smoothness, and on mechanical and optical properties, for the unbeaten pulps. At a given beaten level, the differences between pulps remain very high. Moreover, for a given paper density, tensile and tear strength, and light scattering coefficient are significantly different. To reach a given paper density, however, the different pulps required very different energy consumptions in
beating.
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A total of 120 Acacia melanoxylon R. Br. (Australian blackwood) stem discs, belonging to 20 trees from four sites in Portugal, were used in this study. The samples were kraft pulped under standard identical conditions targeted to a Kappa number of 15. A Near Infrared (NIR) partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was developed for the Kappa number prediction using 75 pulp samples with a narrow Kappa number variation range of 10 to 17. Very good correlations between NIR spectra of A. melanoxylon pulps and Kappa numbers were obtained. Besides the raw spectra, also pre-processed spectra with ten methods were used for PLS analysis (cross validation with 48 samples), and a test set validation was made with 27 samples. The first derivative spectra in the wavenumber range from 6110 to 5440 cm-1 yielded the best model with a root mean square error of prediction of 0.4 units of Kappa number, a coefficient of determination of 92.1%, and two PLS components, with the ratios of performance to deviation (RPD) of 3.6 and zero outliers. The obtained NIR-PLSR model for Kappa number determination is sufficiently accurate to be used in screening programs and in quality control.
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Pinus pinaster wood is very susceptible to fungal degradation and that could be a great problem for its commercialization. In this work it was tested the capacity of limonene to prevent fungal development of two degradative fungi, Trametes versicolor e Trichoderma citroviride, on Punus pinaster wood.
The compression properties of cork were studied on samples grouped in three density classes: 0.11 - 0.15, 0.15 - 0.19 and 0.19 - 0.25 g cm3. In all cases, cork had higher strenght for the radial compression. There were significant differences between cork samples with higher density showed overall larger resistance to compression in the three directions.
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GIS based analysis to support the beekeeping planning.
A apicultura desempenha um papel de relevo e importância crescente na sustentabilidade e
desenvolvimento das áreas rurais. Apesar do número de apicultores não profissionais ser
elevado na região de Castelo Branco, assiste-se atualmente a um grau de profissionalização
mais elevado no sector é notório o aumento de apicultores profissionais de grande dimensão
e com uma formação de nível avançado neste sector. Por outro lado as infraestruturas criadas
na região permitem o aumento, com qualidade, da prática da apicultura e transformação dos
diferentes produtos da colmeia.
The aim of this work was to develop computational intelligence models based on neural networks (NN), fuzzy models (FM), and support vector machines (SVM) to predict physicochemical composition of bee pollen mixture given their botanical origin. To obtain the predominant plant genus of pollen (was the output variable), based on physicochemical composition (were the input variables of the predictive model), prediction models were learned from data. For the inverse case study, input/output variables were swapped. The probabilistic NN prediction model obtained 98.4% of correct classification of the predominant plant genus of pollen. To obtain the secondary and tertiary plant genus of pollen, the results present a lower accuracy. To predict the physicochemical characteristic of a mixture of bee pollen, given their botanical origin, fuzzy models proven the best results with small prediction errors, and variability lower than 10%.
Bee pollen contains almost all nutrients required by the human organism as well as diverse health-promoting substances. However, its composition and nutritional value greatly depend on the botanical origin. As such, it is importante to develop a rapid and non-expensive methodology that allows studying its characteristics, making labelling more objective and easier. The FTIR-ATR technique was used to predict some nutritional parameters in 126 bee pollen samples. FTIR-ATR spectrum obtained in the region between 4000 and 400 cm−1 with PLS Regression models were used to correlate spectral information with the data obtained using reference methods. In this first approach with pollen samples, good correlation models with appropriate accuracy were obtained for the evaluated parameters with r2 varying from 74.8 to 97% and residual prediction deviation between 2.0 and 5.8. These results suggest that FTIR-ATR may be a useful technique for assessing bee pollen’s composition.
The aim of this work is to develop a tool to predict some pulp properties e.g., pulp yield, Kappa number, ISO brightness (ISO 2470:2008), fiber length and fiber width, using the sapwood and heartwood proportion in the raw-material. For this purpose, Acacia melanoxylon trees were collected from four sites in Portugal. Percentage of sapwood and heartwood, area and the stem eccentricity (in N-S and E-W directions) were measured on transversal stem sections of A. melanoxylon R. Br. The relative position of the samples with respect to the total tree height was also considered as an input variable. Different configurations were tested until the maximum correlation coefficient was achieved. A classical mathematical technique (multiple linear regression) and machine learning methods (classification and regression trees, multi-layer perceptron and support vector machines) were tested. Classification and regression trees (CART) was the most accurate model for the prediction of pulp ISO brightness (R = 0.85). The other parameters could be predicted with fair results (R = 0.64–0.75) by CART. Hence, the proportion of heartwood and sapwood is a relevant parameter for pulping and
pulp properties, and should be taken as a quality trait when assessing a pulpwood resource.
The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic method with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) was used for predicting the alcoholic strength, the methanol, acetaldehyde and fusel alcohols content of grape-derived spirits. FTIR-ATR spectrum in the mid-IR region (4000-400 cm(-1)) was used for the quantitative estimation by applying partial least square (PLS) regression models and the results were correlated with those obtained from reference methods. In the developed method, a cross-validation with 50% of the samples was used for PLS analysis along with a validation test set with 50% of the remaining samples. Good correlation models with a great accuracy were obtained for methanol (r(2)=99.4; RPD=12.8), alcoholic strength (r(2)=97.2; RPD=6.0), acetaldehyde (r(2)=98.2; RPD=7.5) and fusel alcohols (r(2) from 97.4 to 94.1; RPD from 6.2 to 4.1). These results corroborate the hypothesis that FTIR-ATR is a useful technique for the quality control of grape-derived spirits, whose practical application may improve the efficiency and quickness of the current laboratory analysis.
A tool to predict the tensile properties of cork was applied in order to be used for material and application selection. The mechanical behaviour of cork under tensile stress was determined in the tangential and axial direction. Cork planks of two commercial quality classes were used and samples were taken at three radial positions in the planks.For the construction of the predictive model, nine properties were measured: mechanical properties (Young’s modulus, fracture stress and fracture strain) and the physical properties (porosity, number of pores, density, approximation of the pores to elliptical and circular shape and distance to the nearest pore). The aim of this research work was to predict the mechanical properties from the physical properties using neural networks.Initially, the problem was approached as a regression problem, but the poor correlation coefficients obtained made the authors define a classification problem. The criterion used for the classification problem was the test error rate, training the neural network with a variety of neurons in the hidden layer until the minimum error was achieved. The influence of each individual variable was also studied in order to evaluate their importance for the prediction of the mechanical properties.The results show that the Young’s modulus and fracture stress can be predicted with an error rate in test of 10.6 and 10.2 %, respectively, being the measure of the approximation of the pores to elliptical shape avoidable. Regarding the fracture strain, its prediction from physical properties implies an excessive error.
A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic method with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and partial least squares (PLS) regression model for the prediction of sugar content in honey samples was calculated. Standards of trehalose, glucose, fructose, sucrose, melezitose, turanose and maltose were used to identify and quantify the individual sugar components in 63 honey samples by HPAEC-IPAD. Fructose and glucose are the highest sugars in honey with an average value of 36% and 26%, respectively. The 1stDer spectra with MSC or SLS in the wave number range from 1500 to 750cm(-1) provide the best calibration model with a r(2) of 86.60 and 86.01 with RPD of 2.6 and 2.55, respectively for fructose and glucose. For turanose and melezitose good models were also found. The FTIR-ATR showed to be a good methodology to quantify the main sugar content in honey and easily adapted to routine analysis.
In this work different formulations of blueberry liquor were tested and characterised based on their physico-chemical and sensory characteristics.
This study aimed to evaluate the potential of FT-Raman spectroscopy in the prediction of the chemical composition of Lavandula spp. monofloral honey. Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression models were performed for the quantitative estimation and the results were correlated with those obtained using reference methods. Good calibration models were obtained for electrical conductivity, ash, total acidity, pH, reducing sugars, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), proline, diastase index, apparent sucrose, total flavonoids content and total phenol content. On the other hand, the model was less accurate for pH determination. The calibration models had high r2 (ranging between 92.8% and 99.9%), high residual prediction deviation - RPD (ranging between 4.2 and 26.8) and low root mean square errors. These results confirm the hypothesis that FT-Raman is a useful technique for the quality control and chemical properties' evaluation of Lavandula spp honey. Its application may allow improving the efficiency, speed and cost of the current laboratory analysis.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of phenolic compounds of Portuguese flora as a source of flavonoids for use in research of new active molecules using a previous screening by HPLC/DAD. Some of these compounds have bioactive properties as antioxidant and will study in order to determine its anti-inflammatory action. On the other hand, for example, flavones are possible research targets with benzodiazepine-like activity and isoflavones as estrogen-like. When these molecules appear much methylated or hydroxylated, anti-redox potential and antibacterial ability can be assessed. The samples were collected directly into stamens of plants and served as the basis for identification of pollen material collected by bees. The samples analyzed were: Carpobrotus edulis (L.) N.E.Br., Tilia spp., Viburnum tinus L. and Opuntia spp. Approximately 10 mg of pollen sample are dried and extracted with 50% ethanol (1:1, v/v), after was assisted by ultrasonication (30 min), centrifuged at 5000 rpm during 10 min and the supernatant used for HPLC/DAD according Campos and Markham [1]. The compounds structures were determined by UV absorption spectroscopy according Campos and Markham [1]. The more flavonoids common structure in the samples was of 3-O-glycosides of quercetin and kaempferol, and phenolic polymers acids. The less common structure is a derivative of kaempferol that have derivatization at the ring in C6 or C8 alkyl, which makes evident for further evaluation of their therapeutic activity, for the ability to GABAa binding receptors may be one of the possibilities. The studied species present a probability of being able to establish a relationship with greater therapeutic potential (Figure 1).
There are almost 1 380 species of Acacia found throughout the world. In Portugal the most common Acacia is Acacia dealbata Link and is an invasive species that occupy surrounding area gradually. Several studies were made in order to evaluate some potential uses for these species in order to try delaying their territorial expanding [1]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the source of flavonoids in A. dealbata pollen for use in research of new active molecules using a prior screening by HPLC/DAD. A. dealbata pollen samples were collected directly from the flower stamens and were used for the large scale extraction and isolation of flavonoids [2]. Approximately 10 mg of pollen sample was dried and extracted with 50% ethanol (1:1, v/v) assisted by ultrasonication (30 min), centrifuged at 5000 rpm during 10 min and the supernatant used for HPLC/DAD analysis in a Gilson 170 system with a Waters Spherisorb ODS2 (5 mm) (4.6 × 250 mm) column stabilized at 25 ° C by using an eluent mixture of water-acetonitrile gradient with a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min. The standard chromatograms at 260 and 340nm l [3,4] and spectral data between 220 and 400nm were collected (spectral zone of the phenolic acids and flavonoids in this study). The compounds' structures were determined by UV absorption spectroscopy according to Campos and Markham [4]. The most common flavonoids structures observed in A. dealbata pollen samples were naringenin-chalcone derivatives with different retention times. The other relevant compounds present in A. dealbata pollen were luteolin derivatives (with 6- or 8-O-substitutions), a dihydroflavonol, quercetin derivatives with 3-O-substitutions and a phenolic acid derivative and two unknown compounds (Figure 1). The two compounds not identified will be the focus of the further research. From the data collected it will be done the biological approach in order to validate some bioactivities.
Stem and wood characterization of Acacia melanoxylon as an introduced species in Europe
Natural cellular materials can be found nearly everywhere in nature: from wood to leaves and cork or looking at the human bone, these structures have been studied more intensively over the last decades. Some of them have been showing exceptional mechanical properties that can compete or even surpass their synthetic competitors. The following sections plan to give a concise overview of some of these materials and their mechanical properties.
Sugar identification of Lavandula spp. Honey.
Most of the studies on olive oil preservation during storage are focused on the type of conditioning rather than on the most efficient type of bottle seal to be used. However, the bottle closure is also an important issue because of the negative impact that oxygen has on olive oil quality and flavor.
The aim of this study was to assess the performance of a natural cork stopper as a closing system of glass bottles for olive oil.
To evaluate the effect of a bottle closure, a storage trial over 24 months, after harvest, was performed comparing the effect of three types of glass bottle closure on virgin olive oil quality: screw cap, natural cork and bar top cork stopper. The bottle neck of those with a natural cork stopper was covered with bee's wax. The results for quality criteria showed that all three types of bottle closure acted in a very similar way for most of the studied parameters. However, based on FTIR-ATR spectral information it was possible to separate the samples with different closure systems at the end of the storage period. These differences could be given by the retention of some volatile compounds detected by sensory evaluation.
The olive oil oxidation parameters were not highly affected by the cork stopper. However, for olive oil quality characterization with a cork stopper, more studies are needed for the volatile composition.
Ligustrum lucidum Aiton and its berries have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for around two thousand years. In the present study, L. lucidium berries harvested in two regions of Portugal were studied. Haemolytic activity and inhibition of oxidative haemolysis as well as the enzyme inhibitory activities (α-amylase enzyme and acetylcholinesterase) were assessed. Results suggest that the different biological activities varied according to the region where samples were collected. Results demonstrated that the sample obtained from region R1 was the most efficient extract for all parameters evaluated, presenting the lowest values of IC50, 10.67 ± 0.46 μg/mL for the inhibition of erythrocyte oxidative haemolysis, 58.28 ± 3.77 μg/mL for the α-amylase enzyme and 67.67 ± 2.10 μg/mL for the acetylcholinesterase inhibition. L. Lucidum berries may be an interesting source of compounds for use in the development of the therapeutic armamentarium for diseases where enzymatic disruption is believed to play a role
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Avaliação da robustez de modelos derivativos PLS-R em espectroscopia usando o número de pontos da suavização espectral.
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Bee pollen is one of nature's healthful food products with promising nutritional and therapeutic properties due to its chemical composition, particularly its protein content, which includes almost all the essential amino acids. Nevertheless the composition in lipids it is not completely known and supposedly will be highly variable depending on the floral origin. As such, this parameter must be ascertained in line with the research for bioactivity [1].
The aim of this work was to evaluate some health-related lipid indexes of bee pollen, namely omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio (n-6/n-3); polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid ratio (PUFA/SAT), atherogenic index (AI) and thrombogenic index (TI) in samples harvested in Portugal. The selected parameters were calculated from the Fatty-Acid Profile, which was determined as previously reported by Bárbara et al. [3].
Bee pollen samples, after harvest, were cleaned and frozen at -20 oC and were codified according the predominant pollen. Figure 1 associates the lipid indexes of the different samples with their botanical origins.
n-6/n-3 and PUFA/SAT ratios were in within the limits recommended by World Health Organization (below 4.0 and above 0.45, respectively), suggesting that bee pollen is a good product with the nutritional point of view, with potential beneficial effects for the consumer's health. Also, both AI and TI indexes of this natural product were low, even though this effect depended on bee pollen's botanical origin (Figure 1).
Development of a spirit drink produced with strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) fruit and honey.
The compression properties of cork were studied for samples of different density. The densities were grouped into three classes: low density (0.13–0.15), mid density (0.15–0.19) and high density (0.19–0.25). The porosity of the cork samples increased from the low to the high density class, with porosity coefficients of 5.1%, 6.9% and 9.4%, respectively. The difference in the porosity was associated with structural features, namely the presence of thick walled cork cells and the presence of lignified cells lining the pores. The stress–strain curves were similar for all cases, showing an elastic compression up to a yield point of about 5% strain, followed by a plateau with a small slope. The cork strength was higher in the radial direction than in the other directions. The density influenced the compression such that the corks with high density presented higher stiffness in compression in three directions: Young’s modulus was 17.4, 22.6 and 26.1 MPa for low, mid and high density corks respectively. This density effect was more evident in the plateau region of the progressive buckling of the cell walls (σ30 was respectively 1.07, 1.29 and 1.54 MPa for the three density classes). The recovery of dimensions after compression in each direction was also studied following compression to 50% strain. The recovery was on average 50% of the initial deformation on the first day, and almost total after 15 days. The recovery was higher for corks with low density and in non-radial directions..
The production of wine brandies requires their stage in wooden barrels, for a minimum period of time, a process called ageing or maturation. Due to the high cost of this process, alternative technologies are being studied in order to accelerate the ageing process, such as the use of wood fragments inside of stainless steel tanks. The present work evaluates the influence of different ageing technologies on the sensory profile of the brandy. A brandy was aged, during two years, in 650 L wooden barrels and in 3000 L stainless steel tanks. Both had Limousin oak (Quercus robur) and Portuguese chestnut staves (Castanea sativa). The brandy samples were profiled by descriptive sensory analysis during the ageing period.
The results showed that the kind of ageing system influences topaz, golden, woody, caramel, coffee, green and unctuous attributes, as well as the overall brandy quality. Despite these differences, the multidimensional analysis of the sensory results was not able to clearly distinguish the brandy samples from different ageing systems.
The results, obtained at industrial scale, revealed an interesting alternative for the manufacturers: wine brandies can be produced through the use of wooden staves inside stainless steel tanks. Since this alternative ageing system provides a similar brandy sensory profile than the one obtained through wooden barrels, this new data can be used by researchers and manufacturers in order to develop new products. Furthermore, this alternative ageing technology allows the reduction of the ageing process costs.
Bee pollen is a healthful food product with a good nutritional profile and therapeutic properties. However, the storage conditions may affect its composition and characteristics. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the storage conditions on chemical composition of different monofloral bee pollen samples, namely acidity (pH), water activity, total acidity and the content of fibre, ash, reducing sugars, protein, lipids, total phenols and total flavonoids. Nine bee pollen samples were harvested in three places in the Northeast of Portugal and divided into two aliquots: one was frozen at −20°C, while the other was dried at 42°C, until reaching moisture of 6–8%. Even though differences in the botanical origin are a significant factor explaining the variation between samples, the storage method was also found to be a highly significant factor for several parameters: reducing sugars, lipids, total phenols and total flavonoids. Higher counts were obtained on the frozen bee pollen samples regarding aerobic mesophiles and moulds and yeasts. Even so, for all samples and conservation methods, the values were below those given by the standards.
Our study suggests that it is better to consume bee pollen frozen at −20°C in comparison to that dried in an electric oven.
Honey spirit is an alcoholic beverage produced by fermentation followed by distillation of the honey must, which has distinct organoleptic characteristics derived mostly from the raw material used. In order to accurately monitor the quality of the product throughout the distillation process (head, heart and tail stages), FT-RAMAN spectroscopy was applied. Dark honey, light honey and honey obtained following waxes' wash was used to produce honey spirit. The pH, alcoholic strength, methanol content, acetaldehyde content, ethyl acetate content and higher alcohols content were evaluated during the distillation process. The FT-RAMAN technique was used to obtain spectral information for all fractions collected during beverage production. The results suggest that the honey spirit had good quality concerning the volatile composition and methanol was not detected in any sample. FT-RAMAN is promising for the online monitoring of the distillation process in order to improve the final quality of this beverage.
Themanufacture ofmineralNfertilisers by theHaber–Bosch process is highly energy-consuming.
The nutrient recovery technologies from wastes through low-cost processes will improve the sustainability of the agricultural systems. This work aimed to assess the suitability of the gas-permeable membrane (GPM) technology to recover N from an anaerobic digestate and test the agronomic behaviour of the ammonium sulphate solution (ASS) obtained. About 62% of the total ammonia nitrogen removed from digestate using GPM was recovered, producing an ASS with 14,889 +/- 2324 mg N L-1, which was more than six-fold higher than in digestate. The ASS agronomic behaviour was evaluated by a pot experiment with triticale as a plant test for 34 days in a growth chamber. Compared with the triticale fertilised with the Hoagland solution (Hoag), the ASS provided significantly higher biomass production (+29% dry matter), N uptake (+22%), and higher N agronomic efficiency 3.80 compared with 1.81 mg DM mg-1N in Hoag, and a nitrogen fertiliser replacement value of 133%.
These increases can be due to a biostimulant effect provided by the organic compounds of the ASS as
assessed by the FT-Raman spectroscopy. The ASS can be considered a bio-based mineral N fertiliser
with a biostimulant effect.
Caracterização química e nutricional de “Azeites de Montanha”
Fruit juice does not have the same nutritional value as fresh fruit with regards to the vitamin, mineral and dietary fibre contents and the antioxidant properties. However, it can be part of a healthy diet if it is produced with the minimal addition of sugar. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the FTIR-ATR technique to discriminate the authenticity (concerning the addition of other pulps) and amount of sugar in peach nectars. This technique is usually used in food analysis because it does not require sample preparation, is quick and allows for the determination of several parameters with a single sample aliquot. The nutritional information provided on the labels of 69 samples of 23 different brands of commercial peach juice, was analysed. The differences in the nutritional composition and in the ingredients were determined according to an analysis of the labels. The largest differences observed between the samples were the sugar contents, the percentages of pulp and the addition of other pulps. All samples were analysed by FTIR-ATR equipped with a controlled temperature flow-through cell. The spectral multivariate analysis suggested it was possible to identify differences in the amount of sugar present and identify the presence of fruit pulps other than peach.
As modificações sensoriais verificadas durante o envelhecimento das aguardentes vínicas são influenciadas pelo tipo de madeira (espécie botânica e origem geográfica) e pelo tratamento térmico das vasilhas. Os trabalhos realizados ao longo de vários anos demonstraram as interessantes características sensoriais das aguardentes envelhecidas em vasilhas de madeira de castanheiro, sobretudo com queima média e queima forte.
Neste trabalho pretendeu-se comparar, partindo da mesma aguardente vínica inicial, o perfil sensorial de aguardentes envelhecidas em vasilhas de madeira de castanheiro (sistema tradicional) com aguardentes envelhecidas em depósitos de inox com aduelas de madeira da mesma espécie (sistema alternativo). Para o efeito avaliaram-se os resultados da análise sensorial descritiva quantificada, realizada por um painel treinado utilizando uma ficha de prova previamente desenvolvida para o efeito.
Alternative technologies have been extensively investigated towards a more sustainable ageing of red wine, but few studies were made on wine spirits. Moreover, the effect of micro-oxygenation on wine spirits’ ageing is still unknown. This work examined the effect of micro-oxygenation and wood staves applied in 1000 L stainless steeltanksversus250 L wooden barrels on the phenolic composition and chromatic characteristics acquired by the wine spirit over the first six months of ageing. Two different kinds of wood, Limousin oak and chestnut, were used. Significantly higher total phenolic content and individual contents of low molecular weight phenolic compounds (syringic acid, ellagic acid, vanillin, syringaldehyde, coniferal dehyde, sinapaldehyde and umbelli-ferone) were obtained with micro-oxygenation and staves than with barrels, for both kinds of wood. Accordingly, greater colour evolution (lower lightness, higher saturation and higher intensities of red, yellow and brown hues) was achieved in the former. These results were ascribed to a faster extraction and its balance with several phenomena involving the wood-derived compounds in the specific environment created by the direct supply of oxygen. A synergistic effect between the alternative technology and the chestnut wood was also observed.
Sociodemographic characteristics, including regional variations, have been associated with different food consumption patterns. Behavioral factors and lifestyle variables may also contribute to different food dietary trends. In this way, the present study intended to investigate the consumption habits of the most relevant types of dairy products around the world and relate them to sociodemographic factors, for example, age, sex, education and country as well as with some anthropometric and behavioral aspects, for example, body mass index, satisfaction with body weight and exercise or sedentary lifestyles. One other objective of the study was to categorize the lifestyles of the participants, according to measured variables linked with hours of inactivity or exercise, in order to use these as possible differentiating variables for the consumption of dairy products. The study involved a questionnaire survey undertaken on a non-probabilistic convenience sample of participants from Portugal (PT) and Brazil (BR), and participation was voluntary and anonymous. The data analysis involved different statistical techniques: basic statistics, chi-square tests, factor analysis, cluster analysis and tree classification analysis. The results showed that semi skimmed milk is never consumed by about half of the participants (47.4% for PT and 46.7 for BR), and those numbers increase for skimmed (64.8% for PT and 50.9% for BR), chocolate flavored milk (82.6% for PT and 65.6% for BR) and enriched milks (94.8% for PT and 85.3% for BR). Cheeses are also consumed in the two countries by small numbers of people. The number of participants consuming imported cheeses in both countries was particularly low (only 4.0% consume these more than once a week in both countries), suggesting national products may be preferred. It was further observed that those who consume cheese do it seldom (once a week) or sometimes (2-3 times per week). Butter is also consumed by only about half of the adult population (43.8% for PT and 49.5% for BR), but the percentage of those who never consume butter increases for skimmed butter (66.0% for PT and 82.6% for BR) and unsalted butter (70.2% for PT and 69.1% for BR). The consumption of yogurts also follows similar low consumption patterns. The most frequently consumed yogurt types in Portugal are liquid (30.5% consume regularly) and natural yogurts (34.8% consume regularly), while in Brazil the most frequent are creamy fruit pulp yogurt (14.4% consume regularly), liquid (13.7% consume regularly) and Greek type yogurt (10.2% consume regularly). A factor analysis and a cluster analysis established groups according to lifestyles, as follows: 1-Screeners, 2-Exercisers, 3-Travelers and 4-Others. These lifestyles were found to be influential in the consumption of dairy products for all classes of dairy tested: milk, cheese, yogurt and butter. For example, the screeners were found to consume more milk, more butter, more cheese and more yogurt. Additionally, other influential factors were age, sex, education, BMI and satisfaction with body weight. Nevertheless, country was not a meaningfully discriminant variable in relation to the other variables included in the classification analysis. The results concluded that, despite some small differences in the patterns of consumption of dairy products in both countries, the levels of consumption of dairy products are extremely low, for all classes studied (milk, cheese, yogurt or butter). Additionally, it was concluded that some factors are influential on the level of consumption of dairy products, and therefore decision makers can plan their interventions according to the characteristics of the targeted segments of the population, according to lifestyle, age, sex, education, BMI and satisfaction with body weight.
Spirits are alcoholic beverages commonly consumed in European countries. Their raw
materials are diverse and include fruits, cereals, honey, sugar cane, or grape pomace. The main aim of
this work is to present and discuss the source, quality control, and legal limits of methanol in spirits
produced using fruit and honey spirits. The impact of the raw material, alcoholic fermentation, and the
distillation process and aging process on the characteristics and quality of the final distilled beverage
are discussed. In addition, a critical view of the legal aspects related to the volatile composition of
these distillates, the origin and presence of methanol, and the techniques used for quantification are
also described. The methanol levels found in the different types of spirits are those expected based on
the specific raw materials of each and, almost in all studies, respect the legal limits.
Vibrational spectroscopy applied to honey spirit characterization.
Digestate contains many essential nutrients for crops, including nitrogen (N) and phosphorus
(P), and it can alter the biogeochemical cycle of nutrients and soil functionality. This work
aimed to assess the fertilizing effects of digestate on chemical and biological soil properties in a
field experiment in eastern Portugal with two horticultural crops involving nine treatments: control
without fertilization; mineral N fertilization with 85 kg ha1; fertilization with digestate (DG) with
increasing N rates (85, 170, 255, or 340 kg N ha1); and fertilization with different combinations of
digestate plus mineral N (DG at 85 or 170 kg N plus 60 kg mineral N ha–1 or DG at 170 kg N plus
25 kg mineral N ha–1). In addition to N, digestate supplied significant amounts of P, Ca, K, and
Mg and significantly increased soil Olsen P, mineral N, and organic C. At high doses, it decreased
phosphatase and -glucosidase activities, as well as fungi and bacterial biomass, compared to the
control or mineral N fertilization, and it also negatively affected soil P and C cycling capacity and
microbial biomass. The organic to total N ratio and the N to P ratio in digestate are crucial properties
for evaluating its agronomic management as fertilizer.
Comunicação apresentada no 8.º Simpósio de Vitivinicultura do Alentejo que decorreu em Évora de 5 a 7 de Maio de 2010.
A Acacia melanoxylon R. Br. (acácia-austrália ou austrália) cresce bem em Portugal, em povoamentos puros ou mistos com Pinus pinaster Aiton, ainda que apresente fortes constrangimentos ecológicos e legais.
Apesar de algumas dificuldades, por exemplo na secagem, a madeira de austrália é usada em mobiliário e produtos manufacturados devido, principalmente, à sua textura e cor escura. Pode também ser usada para pasta, sendo plantada em muitos países com esse propósito juntamente com Acacia mangium e A. dealbata. O seu potencial papeleiro tem sido estudado por vários autores (CLARK et al., 1991; GUIGAN et al., 1991; FURTADO, 1994; GIL et al., 1999; PAAVILAINEN, 2000; SANTOS et al., 2002; SANTOS et al., 2006).
A indústria florestal em Portugal depende fortemente do pinheiro-bravo e do eucalipto, com a consequente competição negativa, entre as várias indústrias, para a mesma matéria-prima.
Em Portugal existem muitos povoamentos espontâneos com acácia, nomeadamente A. dealbata e A. melanoxylon. Enquanto a A. dealbata é considerada um problema ecológico, a A. melanoxylon não o é e está bem adaptada às condições portuguesas. Por este motivo poderá ser considerada uma espécie produtora de matéria-prima alternativa das serrações e da indústria papeleira, e poderá evitar largas áreas de monocultura e minimizar o risco de incêndio.
O acréscimo anual em diâmetro da acácia (0,89 cm.ano-1) excede o do pinheiro-bravo (0,58 a 0,85 cm.ano-1) (TAVARES et al., 2004) e aproxima-se do eucalipto (0,84 a 0,96 cm.ano-1) (TOMÉ et al., 2001).
As propriedades da madeira sólida de acácia (Massa volúmica média - 650 kg.m-3 ± 75, Tensão média de rotura à flexão ± sd - 146 N.mm-2 ± 24, Módulo de elasticidade médio ± sd - 14200 N.mm-2 ± 2160 e Tensão média de rotura à compressão axial ± sd - 61 N.mm-2 ± 7) permitem considerá-la uma espécie alternativa ao pinheiro-bravo (630 kg.m-3 ± 75, 130 N.mm-2 ± 33, 10500 N.mm-2 ± 3590 e 47 N.mm-2 ± 10) (MACHADO e CRUZ, 2005).
As madeiras de pinheiro-bravo e de acácia podem ser, em geral, classificadas como de fraca a média densidade, de média resistência e rigidez. A qualidade do pinho é muito variável, sendo o seu potencial reconhecido a partir de dados provenientes de povoamentos de elevada qualidade (MACHADO e CRUZ, 2005).
Relativamente ao potencial papeleiro, para uma dada resistência à drenagem (30 ºSR), os papeis produzidos a partir de acácia apresentam densidades aparentes mais elevadas que as de eucalipto (0,80 to 0,66 g/cm3) (SANTOS et al., 2004). Isto é devido à menor massa linear e mais elevada flexibilidade e colapsabilidade das suas fibras (SANTOS et al., 2006).
Apesar do ligeiramente maior comprimento de fibra, esta produz papeis com boa relação entre a dispersão de luz e a lisura, ainda com boa resistência à tracção e a baixos níveis de consumo de energia na refinação. Este comportamento demonstra que as fibras de acácia apresentam um potencial de utilização interessante, pelo menos quando usadas juntamente com fibras de eucalipto na produção de papel para impressão e escrita.
Este artigo diz respeito à análise do potencial da acácia como fonte de matéria-prima para a indústria Portuguesa (como madeira sólida e pasta e papel), reunindo informação da gestão florestal, da qualidade da madeira e da fibra. Será usado conhecimento adquirido em projectos de investigação anteriores e resultados preliminares da investigação em curso sobre A. melanoxylon proveniente de povoamento mistos (com P. pinaster) e puros, no norte de Portugal.
In this paper we report new data about two wood species that could play a role in the Portuguese forest as raw material for the paper industry: Cupressus arizonica and Cupressus sempervirens. Results on the behaviour of wood samples taken from 16 year-old trees, (two per species and two height levels), have shown lower kraft pulp yields than reference pine softwoods, as a consequence of higher lignin content. The pulps from C. sempervirens present values of fibre lenght and coarseness slightly lower than the Nordic Pinus sylvestris, but properties of pulp fibres from C. arizonica are significantly lower.
Trabalho apresentado no 9.º Encontro de Química dos Alimento que decorreu em 2009.
Beekeeping offers a great development potential, as a source of food, as a nutritional complement and
also as raw material provider to several activities. Moreover, biodiversity improvement conservation,
incentive for retention of natural habitats and an ideal activity for forest conservation programmes are
important factors associated with this activity.
Honey is a natural sweet product that is produced in almost all Portuguese Regions. Honeys from
certain areas are preferred mainly because of their sensory characteristics, which are related to their
floral origin. The pollen and nectar variability influences the honey flavour and determines its
commercial quality.
The aims of this work are: geographical identification of existing apiaries in the central region of
Portugal; identification and quantification of floral sources; characterization of honey (sensory and
physico-chemical); construction of thematic maps supporting the new hives installation, predicting
the honey characteristics.
This methodology has been applied in a Portuguese studied area (Vila Velha de Ródão). A first
identification of the apiaries allowed the establishment of the potential zones to future beekeepers
installation (Lidónio et al., 2009) (Figure 1). In order to complete the previous information, it is in
progress the identification and quantification of species for apiculture interest as well as the honey
physical and chemical characterization.
Potential apiculture development characterization has been mapped using the following attributes:
surrounding area for 200 vegetation units (Forestry zones, agricultural zones and bush zones); slopes
warm temperate (warm and very hot); the surrounding area, about 200m, around the water lines and
water points; surrounding feeding apiary area (50m diameter); urban admissible legal boundary (100
m diameter for each apiary). It was also considered, the shading maps because of its importance on
hive production and bee behaviour. Shading values considered favourable are between 0 and 127. A
methodological procedure was developed, aiming the potential beekeeping map construction.
Identification of favourable areas, for future beekeepers apiaries installation, will be possible in result
of this study.
In many Portuguese regions some beekeepers transport their hives, according to the floral sources
development in order to reach regions where the production of some species is higher, allowing the
improvement of some crop pollinization, for a specific month. Vila Velha de Rodão area, about
10885ha, presents excellent conditions for proper development of beekeeping.
It is well documented that the pollen quality and variability, influences the honey flavour and quality
(Anjos et al., 2009). The studied region is limited by the major watercourses and their respective
valleys and steep slopes. Predominantly those uncultivated land, presents high biodiversity with high
beekeeping potential. Some of the most important species present in this region are, Lavandula
pedunculata (Miller) Cav., Cistus ladanifer L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Erica umbellata L., Erica
13th AGILE International Conference on Geographic Information Science 2010 Page 2 of 3
Guimarães, Portugal
australis L., Erica lusitanica, Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull, Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss., Echium
plantagineum L., Genista triacanthos Brot., Quercus rotundifolia Lam, Quercus pyrenaica Willd.,
Cytisus multiflorus (L'Hér.) Sweet and Cytisus striatus (Hill) Rothm, Arbutus unedo L., Eucalyptus
globulus Labill. and Juniperus oxycedrus L. (Almeida, 2004; Carvalhinho, 2004; Monteiro, 2003).
In future works, iso-quality mapping, for beekeeping potential characterization, will be concluded,
for central Portugal. This will allow the beekeepers installation optimization and support a honey
production sustainable management.
DOI 10.1007/s10086-012-1286-2
In this work we compare the results of three experimental series of tests used as a first
approach on selection of natural products for wood preservation.
The aim of the present work was to assess the impact of different vegetable diets in the sensory
acceptability of Senegalese sole.
Wood samples of Cupressus arizonica, C. lusitanica, and C. sempervirens were evaluated for chemical, anatomical, and pulp characteristics as raw material for pulp production. Two 17-year-old trees per species were harvested, and wood samples were taken at a height of 2 m. Wood chips from Pinus pinaster (Portugal) and P. sylvestris (Finland) were used as references. C. arizonica differed from C. lusitanica and C. sempervirens with significantly lower (p < 0.05) tracheid diameter and wall thickness in the earlywood. The total extractives contents were 3.9%, 3.3%, and 2.5% for C. lusitanica, C. sempervirens, and C. arizonica, respectively, lower than the 5.1% for P. pinaster and 4.5% for P. sylvestris. Klason lignin content ranged from 33.0 to 35.6%, higher than the 28.0 to 28.7% for the pinewoods. The kraft pulp yields for C. arizonica, C. lusitanica, and C. sempervirens were 37.7%, 36.7%, and 38.7%, respectively, with kappa numbers of 32.0, 31.6, and 28.7, respectively; the yield values were 40.8% and 42.8%, with kappa numbers of 23.4 and 21.0, for P. pinaster and P. sylvestris, respectively. The cypress species are clearly different from pine in relation to wood pulping behavior. Among the cypress, C. sempervirens provided the best pulping results
Comunicação da qual só está disponível o resumo.
Planners require solutions that address routine work needs and seems essential to improving efficiency and
productivity. There are a great number of different factors related to beekeeper activity as well the quality and
productivity of different bee products. The spatial analysis is a powerful tool for overlap and relates various levels
of information on a map, and consequently a very useful for beekeeping activity planning. This work proposes
and applies a methodology to potential beekeeping assessment in Montesinho Natural Park, a region in the
northwest of Portugal. The beekeeping potential maps were developed with the following data sources: legal
standards, vegetation, land use, topography, water resources, roads, electromagnetic fields, and some honey
physico-chemical analysis. The design and implementation of spatial analysis model based on Geographic
Information System (GIS) to beekeeping planning activities has already been described by Anjos et al (2014).
Spatial analysis techniques allows to define the potential beekeeper map supporting the beekeeper management
in this region. Anjos O, Silva G, Roque N, Fernandez P, 2014. GIS based analysis to support the beekeeping
planning. Book of abstracts of the International Symposium on Bee Products 3rd edition – Annual meeting of the
International Honey Commission (IHC), Faculty of medicine, University of Rijeka, p:61
The odorants compounds of aged wine brandies comprise compounds deriving from the wood, from the distillate and from the reactions that occur inside the barrel. The aim of this work was to study the kinetics of the odorant compounds of a wine brandy during two years of ageing in two ageing systems. The odorant compounds in the analysed brandies changed significantly over the time, but with different evolution patterns. The wood related compounds increased over time, with the highest increase in the first months of ageing. The kinetics of cis, trans-β-methyl-γ-octalactone, acetovanillone and of seven volatile phenols are established for the first time in brandies. Moreover, a significant effect of the ageing system was found on the kinetics of the wood related compounds. These results pointed out the interest of these compounds as a tool to discriminate different ageing technologies.
This study provides innovative information on the simultaneous use of Limousin oak and chestnut wood in the ageing of wine brandy. Ageing was performed in 650-L wooden barrels and in 3000-L stainless steel tanks with staves over a 2-year period. Effect of both kinds of wood in the brandy features depended on the ageing technology. Stainless steel tanks with staves originated lower enrichment of the brandy in dry extract (0.89 vs. 1.25 g L−1), total phenolics (22.33 vs. 29.40) and low molecular weight extractable compounds (119.83 vs. 231.65 mg L−1), but promoted a faster evolution of the analytical colour (lower L*, higher C*, a* and b*) and sensory colour (topaz and greenish vs. golden). The aroma and flavour profiles of the brandy were not significantly influenced by the ageing technology. Therefore, it is a promising option for both ageing technologies because it ensures the quality of brandy, together with a lower cost of the wood and exemption of the blending operation.
In this study, the accuracy of mathematical techniques such as multiple linear regression, clustering, decision trees (CART) and neural networks was evaluated to predict Young’s modulus, compressive stress at 30% strain and instantaneous recovery velocity of cork. Physical properties, namely test direction, density, porosity and pore number, as well as test direction were used as input. The better model was achieved when a classification problem was performed. Only compressive stress at 30% strain can be predicted with neural networks with an error rate of about 20%. The prediction of Young’s modulus and instantaneous recovery velocity led to unacceptably high error rates due to the heterogeneity of the material.
Bee pollen is a health food with nutritional and therapeutic properties. The aim of this work was to evaluate free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) in selected samples obtained from local beekeepers in Castelo Branco (Portugal). The identification of the floral origin was performed using acetolysis method.
Each sample of bee pollen (0.10 ± 0.01 g) was extracted with methanol, ethanol and water [1, 2] to evaluate which solution provided the best extract. All the experiments were analysed in quadruplicate. The total polyphenol content of bee pollen was analysed by spectrophotometry at 725nm using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent with ferulic acid as a standard. FRSA was evaluated according to the DPPH · and ABTS ·+ methods.
In relation to the content of total polyphenols, the FRSA values varied considerably. Different floral species present species-specific activity [1] but these are dependent on the analytical method and the extraction solvent. On average, the highest polyphenol content was observed in methanol bee pollen extracts with the exception of the mixture B and the Echium sp. pollen (Table 1). For the total FRSA with DPPH and ABTS methods, ethanol pollen extracts show higher activity with the exception of Trifolium spp. where the aqueous extract gives the higher result (Table 1). Mixture B and C ethanolic extracts give the best FRSA values.
The ANOVA shows for the three methods that there are significant differences between solvent extracts and protocols, however the variation between the solvent extracts is similar in the different procedures.
Most of the fibre raw materials used by the pulp and paper industry are from a small number of tree species. For instance, Eucalyptus and Pinus species are the major industrial pulpwood sources obtained from forests
characterized by a relatively low biodiversity. The large monoculture areas also increase environmental risks such as those related to biotic attacks or forest fires. Diversification of industrial fibre sources has therefore been a
matter of research and the characterization of different raw materials has been made in view of their pulping
potential. Acacia melanoxylon R. Br. (blackwood) grows well in Portugal in pure or mixed stands with Pinus pinaster Aiton, and is valued as a timber species with potential for sawmills. In addition, the wood anatomical and chemical characteristics also allow to consider the species as an alternative raw material for the pulp industry. Acacia species, with their relatively short, flexible and collapsible fibres, have potential to produce papers with good trade-offs between light scattering/tensile strength and smoothness/tensile strength, at low energy consumption in refining. The pulping and paper making potential of blackwood has been studied by several authors showing an overall good pulping aptitude under the same experimental conditions of kraft pulping as used for eucalypt pulping with pulp yields ranging between 47 and 58 %. The presence of heartwood should be taken into account because it decreases the raw-material quality for pulping due to the higher extractives content. Heartwood proportion should therefore be considered as a quality variable when using A. melanoxylon wood in pulp industries.
This chapter describes the characterization of the A. melanoxylon wood pulping performance, regarding yield and kappa number, and the pulp and paper properties. The application of fast spectroscopic technologies for pulp quality determination is also described.
HPLC/DAD fingerprint of standardize extracts from Ligustrum lucidum Aiton berries, for bioactive activity screening.
O mel é um alimento natural composto maioritariamente por hidratos de
carbono (sobretudo frutose e glucose) e quantidades menores de proteínas, vitaminas,
ácidos orgânicos e compostos fenólicos. Neste trabalho foi avaliado, para 49 méis da
região de Castelo Branco, o teor de água, teor em hidroximetilfurfural (HMF), índice
diastásico, pH e acidez livre, condutividade elétrica, perfil de açúcares, cor e atividade
antioxidante. Foi efetuada a contagem de fungos no mel, sendo que 42 amostras
apresentaram valores inferiores a 100 UFC/g e apenas uma das amostras apresentou
contagem de 2500 UFC/g, o que é indicador de boas práticas de higiene por parte dos
produtores da região. O teor de água e acidez livre encontram-se dentro dos limites
legislados. Verificou-se que 4 amostras apresentam condutividade elétrica superior a 0,8
mS/cm e três amostras teores de HMF superior a 40 mg/kg. O rácio frutose/glucose varia
entre 1,2 e 1,6 sendo que a trealose apenas foi detetada nos conselhos de Sabugal e Sertã,
levantando a hipótese de que o perfil de açúcares pode ser um parâmetro diferenciador
do mel. Observou-se que os méis mais escuros apresentam menor teor de maltose, e
valores mais elevados de acidez, condutividade elétrica e atividade antioxidante. A
análise em componentes principais revela que apenas os méis provenientes de Sabugal e
Belmonte se diferenciam dos restantes, sendo, no entanto, necessário analisar mais
amostras para validar estes resultados.
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Screening of different ageing technologies of wine spirit by application of Near-Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy and volatile quantification.
Mead, one of the oldest fermented drinks, is derived from the fermentation of diluted honey by yeasts. In the context of wine production, several procedures are applied to stabilize the beverage and to improve its organoleptic properties. This study aims to evaluate the impact of adding fining agents on the production of mead. In general, the best results were obtained for the samples containing just one fining agent instead of two combined. However, the best performance was obtained for the combined fining agents (bentonite + gelatine + egg albumin). Tannins decreased significantly the content of volatile compounds. On the other hand, silica appears to be the best fining agent, resulting in the lowest loss of volatile compounds. Thirty‐six volatile compounds were determined by gas chromatograph–flame ionization detector and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, including alcohols (42.5%), carbonyl compounds (40.4%), acetates (14.4%) and esters (1.8%). Eleven volatile compounds had odour activity values >1, representing those with a major impact on the aroma of mead. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in 10 volatile compounds independently to the type of treatment used and no differences (p > 0.05) were observed for remaining compounds.
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The aim of this work was to develop computational intelligence models based on neural networks (NN), fuzzy models (FM), and support vector machines (SVM) to predict physicochemical composition of bee pollen mixture given their botanical origin. To obtain the predominant plant genus of pollen (was the output variable), based on physicochemical composition (were the input variables of the predictive model), prediction models were learned from data. For the inverse case study, input/output variables were swapped. The probabilistic NN prediction model obtained 98.4% of correct classification of the predominant plant genus of pollen. To obtain the secondary and tertiary plant genus of pollen, the results present a lower accuracy. To predict the physicochemical characteristic of a mixture of bee pollen, given their botanical origin, fuzzy models proven the best results with small prediction errors, and variability lower than 10%.
Different ageing technology of wine spirits (WSs) has been investigated, but little has
been published on the chemical evolution of aged WS during storage in bottle. The purpose of
this study was to examine how 12 months of storage in bottle affected the evolution of antioxidant
activity (DPPH, FRAP and ABTS assays), total phenolic index (TPI) and low molecular weight (LMW)
compounds content of the WSs aged through alternative technology using three micro-oxygenation
levels (MOX) and nitrogen control (N). Results revealed the ability of phenolic compounds from
aged WSs to scavenge free radicals during storage in bottle. Among the in vitro antioxidant-activity
methods, FRAP assay was the more effective to differentiate WSs according to the ageing technology.
Concerning the overall influence of storage in bottle on antioxidant activity, and TPI and LMW compounds content, the higher results were obtained for the MOX modalities (O15, O30 and O60), which
showed a similar evolution. In summary, this study provides innovative information, demonstrating
that the differences between the aged WSs imparted throughout the ageing process (resulting from
different MOX levels) were mostly retained, and only slight modifications during storage in bottle
were found.
Some diseases still need better therapeutic approaches, including the prevention of development. Natural resources are investigated with this purpose; among them, we decided to use an
invasive plant as a main strategy. This will help in two ways: screening new compounds in flowers
prevents the plant from causing widespread damage by controlling the dissemination and also obtains crude material for further applications. In the present study, flower extracts from Acacia dealbata
Link harvested in Portugal were studied during three stages of flowering. Phenolic compounds were
evaluated using HPLC/DAD and the total phenolics as the total flavonoids content was determined.
The bioactivities screened were antioxidant potential, inhibitory activities of some enzymes (acetylcholinesterase, lipase and α-glucosidase) and, to complete the screening, the inhibition of microbial
growth was determined against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, as well as for yeasts. The
data obtained suggested that the hydroethanolic extracts gave good results for all these biological
activities and varied according to the maturation status of the flowers, with the early stage being
the most active, which can be related to the chalcones content. This new approach will lead to the
possible control of the invasive plant and also future perspective research for therapeutic purposes.
As espécies exóticas invasoras são uma das principais causas de perda de
biodiversidade, afetando seriamente as atividades económicas e sociais em
espaço rural.
Em Portugal, as plantas lenhosas invasoras com maior impacto nas áreas
florestais são Acacia spp. ocupando cerca de 18.000 ha. O aumento
crescente deve-se, entre outros fatores, aos incêndios florestais, em que o
efeito do fogo estimula a germinação e o crescimento de novos rebentos.
O controlo destas invasoras é essencial, mas tem custos elevados. O projeto
multidisciplinar Acacia4FirePrev (https://www.acacia4fireprev.com/) procura
alternativas de valorização económica desta biomassa, visando diminuir os
custos do seu controlo. Porém, é indispensável aumentar a consciência
pública sobre o papel das acácias na alteração dos ecossistemas e no risco
de incêndio rural, através de ações de Ciência Cidadã (CC) e Educação
Ambiental (EA). Esta é uma das tarefas do projeto o qual procura: (i)
identificar lacunas de conhecimento para o desenvolvimento de programas
de educação e disseminação da informação; (ii) aumentar o envolvimento
das comunidades locais e escolares; (iii) envolver a população na
identificação das áreas invadidas por acácia e realização do seu controlo.
O projeto têm dinamizado várias atividades de CC e EA, a vários público alvo,
nomeadamente: (i) público em geral através de organização de ações
de identificação das acácias; (ii) profissionais, através da produção de um guia de identificação com a descrição das técnicas de controlo; (iii) escolas,
através do desenvolvimento de material didático para os alunos e
atividades de sensibilização e acolhimento para encarregados de educação;
(iv) representantes da comunidade em zonas de grandes áreas de acacial.
As atividades realizadas têm tido elevada aceitação, concluindo-se que o
debate, as oportunidades e os desafios desta abordagem, que conjuga CC e
EA, levam a uma melhor informação e consequentemente melhor controlo
desta invasora.
Os insetos têm sido apontados como uma fonte alternativa e mais sustentável de proteína animal, que pode ajudar a alimentar a crescente população mundial. Devido à menor pegada e impacto ambiental, a substituição parcial da proteína animal por
insetos pode contribuir para a preservação do meio ambiente e dos ecossistemas naturais. No entanto, o consumo de insetos comestíveis, embora culturalmente aceite em algumas comunidades, não é prontamente aceite noutras. Assim, este trabalho
investigou o conhecimento, atitudes, hábitos de consumo e grau de aceitabilidade de insetos ou produtos derivados entre consumidores portugueses. Este estudo foi baseado numa pesquisa por questionário, realizada numa amostra de 213
participantes.
Os resultados mostraram que os portugueses tendem a ter perceções corretas sobre as questões de sustentabilidade relacionadas com a utilização de insetos como alternativa a carnes convencionais. No entanto, o grau de conhecimento sobre o valor nutritivo dos insetos e possíveis efeitos na saúde é baixo. Entre os indivíduos pesquisados, apenas uma pequena percentagem indicou já ter comido insetos, consumidos maioritariamente no estrangeiro, por iniciativa própria, seja em restaurantes ou em festas/eventos sociais. Não surpreendentemente, observou-se que há uma maior relutância em consumir
insetos inteiros do que em ingeri-los como ingredientes utilizados em preparações alimentares. Assim, em conclusão, a investigação revelou que os portugueses ainda apresentam alguma resistência para aderir ao consumo de insetos como
alternativa a outros produtos cárneos, mas não se descarta que o mercado de produtos à base de insetos possa ser uma forma de ultrapassar a neofobia associada a este tipo de alimentos num país tradicionalmente não comedor de insetos.
Caracterização do perfil fenólico em extratos de flores de acácia spp.
A comprehensive overview of the sustainability of wood-based technologies for the production of high-quality and differentiated wine spirits, and the research carried out in this field is provided in this chapter. Barrels are actively involved in the wine spirit's composition and sensory changes due to the transfer of oxygen, and extractive compounds from wood to the beverage. The key physicochemical phenomena and determining factors at the aging stage are illustrated with regard to the sustainable use of wood both in barrels and through innovative technologies for wine spirit's aging. A broad perspective is offered to readers on the fair and sustainable use and reuse of wood, the circular economy and its relationship with cooperage efficiency, including responsible relations/commitments in the entire value chain (from the forest to the aged wine spirit).
Antioxidant ativities of wine spirits aged by a sustainable technology using chestnut wood staves and micro-oxygenation.
The use of alternative oak wood products (AOP), such as chips, cubes and staves, among other, from different geographical origins is a common practice for wine aging, where the micro-oxygenation (MOX, adding small doses of oxygen constantly over time) is essential to obtain a final wine more stable in time and with similar characteristics of barrel-aged wine. The aim of this work was to identify if spectroscopic techniques allow to discriminate wines aged with alternative oak products (chips and staves) from different oak woods (American, French and Spanish) and a floating micro-oxygenation (20 µg·L−1) after 10 years of bottling and compared to those aged in barrels. The spectral information and analysis were performed in a FTIR-ATR, with 128 scans per spectrum at a spectral resolution of 8 cm-1 in the wavenumber range from 4,000 to 450 cm-1. Principal component analyses of spectral information were performed using the Unscrambler® X. The results indicate that with this technique it is possible to clearly separate the wines aged by the three systems (chips, staves and barrels) in the case of American oak. In the case of French oak, wines aged in chips were clearly differentiated from wines aged in staves with those aged in barrels between the two. It is also possible to clearly separate aged wines with different Spanish oak systems. The application of FTIR-ATR appears to be a powerful technique for discriminating the quality of wines aged by different AOPs and wood barrels from different geographical origins.
Different ageing technology of wine spirits (WSs) has been investigated, but little has
been published on the chemical evolution of aged WS during storage in bottle. The purpose of this study was to examine how 12 months of storage in bottle affected the evolution of antioxidantactivity (DPPH, FRAP and ABTS assays), total phenolic index (TPI) and low molecular weight (LMW)compounds content of the WSs aged through alternative technology using three micro-oxygenationlevels (MOX) and nitrogen control (N). Results revealed the ability of phenolic compounds fromaged WSs to scavenge free radicals during storage in bottle. Among the in vitro antioxidant-activity
methods, FRAP assay was the more effective to differentiate WSs according to the ageing technology.Concerning the overall influence of storage in bottle on antioxidant activity, and TPI and LMW compoundscontent, the higher results were obtained for the MOX modalities (O15, O30 and O60), whichshowed a similar evolution. In summary, this study provides innovative information, demonstratingthat the differences between the aged WSs imparted throughout the ageing process (resulting from different MOX levels) were mostly retained, and only slight modifications during storage in bottle were found.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Honey bee broods (larvae and pupae) can be consumed as human food, offering a rich
nutritional value. Therefore, the objective of this work was to present an overview of the nutritional value of the honey bee brood and its gastronomic potential. The results indicated that honey bee broods are rich in protein (including essential amino acids), fat (essentially saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids), carbohydrates, vitamin C and those of the B complex, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorous. The results further highlight some variability
according to the stage of development, with increasing content of fat and protein and decreasing carbohydrates from the larval to the pupal stages. The production of the honey bee brood in the hive, as well as its removal, can impact the wellbeing of the hive. This limits the production potential of the brood aimed at application for gastronomic purposes. The consumption and purchase of honey bee broods as food may be accessible in specialised markets where, for example, ethnic communities consume this type of food. However, in some markets, insects or products produced from insects are not readily accepted because of neophobia and disgust. The role of culinary chefs allied
to traditional ways of preparing culinary dishes that include honey bee broods are relevant to motivate more people in western societies to consume of these types of food products.
As an easily adapted culture, with overloaded production in some parts of the globe, apples
and their by-products are being redirected to pharmaceutical, canning and beverages industries, both
alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Fermentation is generally considered to increase the bioavailability of
bioactive compounds found in apple, by impacting, through a high degree of changes, the product’s
properties, including composition and health-promoting attributes, as well as their sensory profile.
Probiotic apple beverages and apple vinegar are generally considered as safe and healthy products
by the consumers. Recently, contributions to human health, both in vivo and in vitro studies, of
non-alcoholic fermented apple-based products have been described. This review highlighted the
advances in the process optimization of apple-based products considering vinegar, cider, pomace,
probiotic beverages and spirits’ technologies. The different processing impacts on physical-chemical,
nutritional and sensory profiles of these products are also presented. Additionally, the harmful effects
of toxic compounds and strategies to limit their content in cider and apple spirits are illustrated. New
trends of fermented apple-based products applicability in tangential industries are summarized.
New lifestyles, higher incomes and better consumer awareness are increasing the demand for a year-round supply of innovative food products. In past decades, important developments have been achieved in areas related to food and the food industry. This review shows that factors influencing performance in new product development (NPD) are dynamic and continuously guiding project development. The data obtained by direct involvement of consumers can impact positively successful product development and enhance the company's financial performance. The study of consumer behaviour and attitudes towards new foods encompasses multiple aspects, such as preference, choice, desire to eat certain foods, buying intentions and frequency of consumption. Additionally, both the consumers' willingness to purchase and the willingness to pay a premium are important in NPD, launching and success.
