CIMO - Editoriais, Cartas, Notas, Prefácios, Correções, Indexados à WoS/Scopus
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Browsing CIMO - Editoriais, Cartas, Notas, Prefácios, Correções, Indexados à WoS/Scopus by Issue Date
Now showing 1 - 10 of 55
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Editorial-Special Issue - Nutraceuticals in human health and diseasePublication . Estevinho, Leticia M.The term “nutraceutical”, derived from the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical” was coined in 1989 to describe substances that could be used as foods that possess health benefits. The range of nutraceutical products is widely diverse and may be divided into three main categories: (i) natural products, comprising, among others, herbs and spices; (ii) dietary supplements; and (iii) functional foods. Based on food sources, nutraceuticals can be classified as: (i) dietary fibres of plant origin; (ii) probiotics, which are live microbial feed supplements; (iii) prebiotics, dietary ingredients that selectively alter the composition or metabolism of gut microbiota; (iv) polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 or omega-6 fatty-acids; (v) antioxidant vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin E and carotenoids; (vi) biologically active phytochemicals like polyphenols; and (vii) spices, whose main components are terpenes and other constituents of essential oils.
- Editorial: Removal of expression of concern: segneanu et al. Helleborus purpurascens-amino acid and peptide analysis linked to the chemical and antiproliferative properties of the extracted compoundsPublication . McPhee, Derek J.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.The article [1] published in Molecules was the subject of a law suit related to authorship. We previously published an Expression of Concern to highlight this fact to readers. A final judgment has now been made and no changes to the authorship are required. We wish to reiterate that the published authors were found not to be at fault in choosing to publish the article in Molecules and were responsible for all aspects of the reported work.
- Editorial: Antioxidants and prooxidants: effects on health and agingPublication . Carocho, Márcio; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Morales, Patricia; Soković, MarinaReactive species are compounds related to two types of molecules, the reactive oxygen species and the reactive nitrogen species. These compounds are produced in the normal metabolism of cells and may take part in the pathological process named oxidative stress, which is promoted when the balance between free radicals and antioxidants tends to favour the former. As a result, the excess of free radicals within the human body leads to oxidative stress, resulting in the development or potentiation of many types of diseases, namely, chronic disorders, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis [1].
- Editorial: Ecosystem services, sustainable rural development and protected areasPublication . Castro-Pardo, Mónica de; Azevedo, João; Fernández, PascualEnhancing social and economic development while preserving nature is one of the most significant challenges for humankind in the current century. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment showed an alarming degradation of ecosystems across the world due to unprecedented changes in land use and ecosystem management driven by human societies in the 20th century [1]. At the same time, poverty and extreme poverty persist in many regions of the world, especially in rural areas, despite programs focused on ecosystems or development and reduction of poverty [2]. Problems related to both ecosystem condition and poverty may be aggravated in the near future if ecosystem destruction and degradation are not reverted. The 2019 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report [3] highlights the deterioration of ecosystems and the reduction in the supply of ecosystem services worldwide due to increasing pressures and drivers of change in the last 50 years, which have rendered conservation (Aichi Biodiversity Targets) and sustainability (2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals) objectives impossible to achieve unless transformative changes take place in society at both local and global scales.
- Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi, the causal agent of chestnut brown rot reported from PortugalPublication . Coelho, Valentim; Gouveia, Maria EugéniaTo ensure fruit quality and promote good storage practices, it is important to identify the fungi associated with chestnut (Castanea sativa) nut rots. In 2018, in the Trás-os-Montes region of Portugal, five orchards were selected and 300 fruits were collected from the ground by hand during the harvest period. In the laboratory, the fruits were observed visually and the number of decayed nuts recorded. Morphological symptoms were evaluated in diseased nuts and with the help of a scalpel, five sections (2 × 2 mm) of an infected cotyledon were cut for fungal isolation. Sections of the nuts were dipped in 70% (v/v) ethanol for 2 minutes and placed in 90 mm diameter Petri dishes containing potato dextrose agar (PDA; 39 g/l) to allow mycelial growth. Plates were incubated at 25 ±2ºC for seven days in the dark. Single colonies were transferred to new PDA plates to obtain purified isolates for subsequent identification. Identification of purified isolates was initially based on morphological characteristics and species identification obtained by molecular methods. DNA extraction was performed using the REDExtract-N-Amp™ Plant PCR Kit (Sigma-Aldrich, USA), and the ITS region amplified using the universal primers ITS1 and ITS4 (White et al., 1990). The amplified ITS region was sequencing by Stabvida Laboratories (Caparica, Portugal). Sequences were compared with published sequences in the GenBank databases using BLAST. Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi was isolated from chestnut nuts which had cotyledons with a whitish-brown colour (Fig. 1). On PDA, the mycelium of G. smithogilvyi was woolly with a greyish colour and colonies developed in concentric circles (Fig. 2). This fungal species was found in 0 to 4.3% of fruits in the studied orchards (Table 1). Isolates Samil4.1, Samil6.1 and Brg-16 were preserved on agar slopes and kept at 4 ºC in the fungal collection of Instituto Politécnico de Bragança. The GenBank Accession Nos. of these sequences are MN956833, MN960397 and MN960408. G. smithogilvyi was identified in an industrial processing plant in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the proportion of infected nuts were 8.0, 5.3 and 5.0% respectively. These values are in line with the study conducted by Driss (2019) on industrial samples from Portugal where it was observed 6.4% of the nuts were affected by G. smithogilvyi. This is the first detection of G. smithogilvyi on chestnut nuts in orchards in Portugal. This species has been reported as the main or among the major endophytes of chestnut tree (Visentin et al., 2012) and was isolated from rotten nuts from several countries in Europe and Asia, and in Australia (Lione et al., 2018). The disease symptoms in nuts are a colour alteration and texture degradation and sometimes the kernels are dehydrated (Lione et al., 2018). Several attacks can affect fruit production (Vannini et al., 2017).
- Focus issue: pastoralism and rangelands in mountainsPublication . Azevedo, João; Clark, V. Ralph; Millar, Joanne; Mukwada, Geofrey; Postigo, Julio C.; Wurzinger, Maria; Mathez-Stiefel, Sarah-LanMountain rangelands (open grasslands, mixed forest meadows, closed forests, and alpine lakes and wetlands) play vital roles for humans, supporting livestock grazing, hunting, and harvesting of plants. They thus provide livelihoods for a large number of rural mountain communities across the globe. These systems are also key for water supply to lowland areas and watershed health, carbon sequestration and storage, fire regulation, and, increasingly, recreational use and tourism. They are vital for the conservation of mountain species and habitats, including endemic species and habitats exclusive to mountains. Many of these ecosystems require management to maintain species diversity and productivity and supply a range of high-quality ecosystem services.
- Editorial: Natural compounds in food safety and preservationPublication . Ferreira, Susana; Sanchez, Gloria; Alves, Maria José; Fraqueza, Maria J.Food safety is a global challenge, with foodborne diseases posed as a relevant concern for human health, and food microbial spoilage being a problem for agri-food companies (1). Considerable research has been dedicated to diverse approaches that can be applied to control foodborne pathogens and microbial spoilage, among which the potential use of natural compounds has been highlighted as a strategy for improving food safety, but also quality and extending selflife (1–3). Furthermore, the negative consumer perception of the synthetic preservatives used in food industry, associated with an increasing demand for maintenance of nutritional and quality properties, has encouraged the pursue for the use of natural-based preservatives in food production (1–3). In this context, in this Research Topic, natural antimicrobial compounds have been highlighted by their activity against Chronobacter spp. in infant powdered formula by Yemi¸s and Delaquis. The authors reviewed the potential of natural compounds from plants, microbial and animal sources as alternatives to synthetic chemical preservatives, addressing nutritional, toxicological, and regulatory issues. In fact, the use of natural antimicrobial compounds needs to be guided considering the regulatory framework, and so the authors suggest the use of well-studied single compounds over multiple-component preparations. Among the natural compounds, essential oils have been pointed as promising antimicrobial mixtures. Yousefi et al. reviewed the potential application of essential oils with antilisterial activity inmeat and poultry products, since contaminatedmeat products are recognized as onemain source for Listeria monocytogenes infection. The authors described the efficiency of several essential oils in the control of L. monocytogenes, whilst addressing the mechanism of action of some selected compounds and the major drawbacks associated with the application of essential oils in food products. The activity of natural compounds in food is dependent of various factors, namely on the complexity and composition of the product, this highlights the need of the validation of antimicrobial activity in food matrixes. Kiprotich et al. explored the use of thyme oil combined with Yucca schidigera extract to marinate raw chicken breast meat in lemon juice. The authors considered the potential of antimicrobial marinade formulations as an approach to reduce enteric pathogens. Based on their results, thyme oil showed to be an enhancer of the inactivation of Salmonella enterica on raw chicken breast, increasing the antimicrobial efficacy of lemon juice marinade containing yucca extract to emulsify the thyme oil.
- Editorial note to the special issue “Risk factors for sporadic foodborne diseases by meta-analysis of observational studies”Publication . Gonzales-Barron, Ursula; Cadavez, Vasco; Thebault, Anne; Kooh, Pauline; Sanaa, MoezEpidemiological studies are valuable tools for investigating the origin of outbreaks and also sporadic cases in order to better understand the circumstances of foodborne disease occurrence. It is common to report ad hoc analyses of compiled data of food-borne disease outbreaks, however, such analyses including sporadic cases remain relatively rare. In the literature, several case-control and cohort studies have been published that investigate associations of sporadic foodborne diseases with diverse exposure pathways, foods, food handling practices and health pre-conditions in different populations. This special issue compiles several epidemiological studies of spo- radic cases of leading foodborne infectious diseases, and summarises the measurements of associations (odds ratios) of risk factors with the occurrence of sporadic cases. These odds ratio estimates in combination with the frequency of exposure to risk factors will allow the contribu- tions of the different risk factors to be assessed based on calculations of attributable fractions. Source attribution has been traditionally accom- plished by different methods such as epidemiological studies, microbial subtyping models, comparative exposure assessments and expert’s knowledge elicitation. Yet, there has been very few publications using meta-analysis to better understand risk factor identification and help prioritize and quantify interventions measures to reduce the impact of foodborne diseases.
- Target and non-target approaches for food authenticity and traceabilityPublication . Amaral, Joana S.
- Preface to 2nd International Conference on Optimization, Learning Algorithms and Applications (OL2A)Publication . Pereira, Ana I.; Andrej, Košir; Fernandes, Florbela P.; Pacheco, Maria F.; Teixeira, João Paulo; Lopes, Rui PedroThis CCIS volume 1754 contains the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Optimization, Learning Algorithms and Applications (OL2A 2022), a hybrid event held during October 24–25, 2022. OL2A 2022 provided a space for the research community on optimization and learning to get together and share the latest developments, trends, and techniques, as well as to develop new paths and collaborations. The conference had more than three hundred participants in an online and face-to-face environment throughout two days, discussing topics associated with optimization and learning, such as state-of-the-art applications related to multi-objective optimization, optimization for machine learning, robotics, health informatics, data analysis, optimization and learning under uncertainty, and Industry 4.0.