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- Occurrence of aflatoxins in food commodities produced and consumed in Angola and MozambiquePublication . Matusse, Cláudio; Tolentino, Aritson; Lucamba, Zelda; Afonso, Sandra; Venâncio, Armando; Bila, João; Macuamule, Custódia; Rodrigues, PaulaAflatoxins, the mycotoxins produced by molds from the genus Aspergillus sect. Flavi that infest food and feed commodities, are a pressing issue in most African countries and their presence has led to a surge in health problems and food insecurity. The lack of effective monitoring and control in the Portuguese-Speaking African Countries (PALOP) has resulted in the underestimation of these mycotoxins. !e present work aimed to determine the occurrence of total aflatoxins (AFs) in several agricultural products – corn, beans, cassava flour, peanuts and rice – produced and consumed in the provinces of Cuanza Sul, Angola, and of Chongoene and Gaza, Mozambique. During 2023 and 2024, 236 samples (96 from Angola and 140 from Mozambique) were collected from local markets and analyzed for AFs using the lateral flow strip AgraStrip® Pro WATEX® (Romer) method. For Mozambique, 44% of all samples were positive for AFs (median=4.9 µg/kg). The highest incidence and contamination levels were found in corn, with all samples contaminated, ranging from the LOD to as high as 9200 µg/kg (median=26.9 µg/kg). Of these, 63% were contaminated above the Maximum Tolerable Limit (MTL) established by the Codex Alimentarius (15 µg/kg).
- Assessment of farmer's knowledge about fungi and mycotoxin in Southern MozambiquePublication . Bila, João; Macuamule, Custódia; Bombe, Amina; Ribeiro, Maria Isabel; Venâncio, Armando; Afonso, Sandra; Rodrigues, PaulaMycotoxins find their way into the human and animal body through the consumption of mycotoxin contaminated foods, which may result in acute or chronic intoxication. This study aimed to assess knowledge about fungi and mycotoxins among farmers in the provinces of Gaza and Inhamban.e, in southem Mozamhique.Data were collected using quantitative study hased on non-probabilistic questionnaire, covering 180 farmers from Gaza (90) and Inhambane (90) Provinces, from October to November 2022. Data were subjected to descriptive and statistical analysis. The majority of farmers were aged 36 or over (75.0%), were female (75.2%), had no education or only had primary education (80.6%) and had been a farmer for longer 15 years old (64.4%). The level of knowledge about fungi and mycotoxins is mainly explained by the province of residence, followed by the level of education, age and gender, with producers with higher levels of education and of male gender recording a higher level of knowledge. Regarding mycotoxins, most fanners have never heard about these toxic compounds. Likewise, regardless of the province, a significant number of farmers did not know or have never accounted for production losses or income losses due to fungal or mycotoxin contamination.
- Strategic Co-Design for Territorial Innovation: Defining Challenges within WEPublication . Barroso, Bárbara; Pereira, Fernando A.; Costa, Cláudia S.; Barbedo, Inês; Antão, Celeste; Almeida-de-Souza, Juliana; Rodrigues, Pedro M.; Ferro-Lebres, Vera; Lachovicz, RebecaThis paper explores a strategic co-design process undertaken in the rural municipality of Miranda do Douro, Portugal, aimed at formulating locally grounded innovation challenges. Situated within the framework of a broader initiative [blinded for peer-review], the study highlights the preparatory phase prior to student involvement, emphasizing how collaborative methodologies shaped a community responsive innovation agenda. The research is anchored in theoretical perspectives on social and territorial innovation, drawing from concepts such as situated cocreation, collaborative governance, and active listening in peripheral contexts. These frameworks underscore the relational, adaptive, and context-sensitive nature of cocreation practices in rural and marginalized territories. Methodologically, the process involved an initial phase of internal mapping and stakeholder identification, followed by focus groups to gather local insights. Through iterative synthesis and validation with community actors, five strategic challenges emerged – ranging from cultural heritage preservation to agricultural valorization and linguistic revitalization. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how co-design can operate as a strategic tool for territorial innovation, particularly in low-density regions. It offers a replicable model that blends participatory methods with academic facilitation, enabling inclusive governance and reinforcing local agency. By reframing challenge formulation as a dialogic and situated act, the approach enhances legitimacy, ownership, and transformative potential in contexts often excluded from mainstream innovation agendas.
- Empirical Validation of the Dart Model in University Business Collaboration: We Working and Envisioning Co Creation Community of PracticePublication . Rodrigues, Pedro M.; Costa, Cláudia S.; Barbedo, Inês; Pereira, Fernando A.; Almeida-de-Souza, Juliana; Barroso, Bárbara; Antão, Celeste; Lachovicz, Rebeca; Ferro-Lebres, VeraHigher Education faces significant challenges, including internationalization (Msomphora, 2025), digital transformation - in particular the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into traditional methods and cybersecurity (Parambil et al., 2024), students increasing expectations (Amanzhol et al., 2024), pressure for higher alumni employability rates (Schueller, 2023), the increased need of interdisciplinary approaches and for active faculty involvement in fostering sustainability education (Abo-Khalil, 2024). Higher education institutions (HEIs) are rethinking how they design learning experiences and engage with stakeholders (Gill and Singh, 2020). One of the most promising approaches in this scenario is Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) (Jackson and Dean, 2023), particularly the value co-creation methodologies, where learners, educators, and external partners actively collaborate in the production of educational experiences and innovations (Schmied et al., 2024). Analyzing HEI considering the Service-Dominant Logic (Vargo and Lusch, 2004), co-creation shifts the traditional paradigm of education delivery from a unidirectional model to one where all participants contribute meaningfully to shared outcomes. Beyond the higher-education challenges outlined above, a substantial WIL/WIE literature positions work integrated approaches as curriculum-embedded strategies to build graduate employability and professional identity while offering clear design guidance for programs and partnerships (Rowe & Zegwaard, 2017; Billett, 2024). Recent syntheses further consolidate definitions, models and quality indicators across sectors, providing an authoritative reference point for institutions scaling co-creation with industry (Zegwaard & Pretti, 2023). Within this theoretical landscape, the DART model—comprising Dialogue, Access, Risk Assessment, and Transparency—emerged as a practical framework to operationalize co-creation. The DART elements are designed to foster trust, engagement, and mutual learning, making them particularly relevant for higher education settings, where collaborative innovation and experiential learning are increasingly prioritized (Nagarethenam, Shamim and Ghazali, 2018). Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) and its closely related strand, Work-Integrated Education (WIE), emphasize intentional, curriculum-embedded collaboration among higher education institutions (HEIs), workplaces, and students to enhance employability, relevance, and innovation in teaching and learning. In this perspective, co-creation is not merely a pedagogical add-on but a governance logic that distributes agency and responsibility across actors. The DART model operationalizes co-creation by specifying relational and informational conditions under which HEIs and external partners can jointly design, deliver, and evaluate learning and innovation outcomes. Positioning DART within WIL/WIE clarifies how structured communication, equitable resource access, shared risk governance, and openness enable practical, scalable collaboration between universities and companies. This study extends that conversation by empirically testing a context-adapted DART scale with workplace partners engaged in a university–business co-creation program. A representative case in which the DART model can be applied is the WE: Working and Envisioning Community of Practice, particularly its Complex Challenge Based Learning activities, based on co-creation principles Bragança Polytechnic University | Instituto Politécnico de Bragança. WE is a faculty-led, cross institutional ecosystem that convenes professors-facilitators, students from diverse backgrounds, and external stakeholders to co-create solutions to complex, future-oriented challenges. Grounded in a culture of dialogue, trust, innovation, and critical thinking. WE operates on 8–12-week challenge cycles with a structured cadence: joint scoping with company representatives (week 0–1), iterative problem framing and prototyping with weekly checkpoints (weeks 2–10), and a final review delivering actionable insights or prototypes (weeks 11–12). Roles are codified – teachers acting as facilitators ensure process fidelity and responsiveness; company representatives guarantee access to data, facilities, and decision-makers; student teams own proactive communication and evidence-based proposals. Since 2017, the ecosystem has catalyzed regional engagement by coordinating more than 100 co-creation initiatives - reportedly 115 across research reports, prototypes, professional internships, and patents—thereby strengthening university–industry–society ties and generating practical outcomes for national and international development. Although the DART model has been widely cited in business literature, empirical validations of its structure in the context of educational co-creation are scarce. This study contributes to this gap by translating and testing a Portuguese version of the DART scale among external stakeholders participants in the WE Complex Challenge Based Learning program, aiming to understand how these stakeholders perceive value co-creation practices in a higher education setting. The outcomes offer not only theoretical contributions to the cocreation literature but also practical insights for institutions seeking to optimize their collaboration frameworks with external partners.
- Olive oil by-products as potential alternative substrates for xylooligosaccharides productionPublication . Cordeiro, Ana; Fernandes, Andreia; Peres, António M.; Rodrigues, Lígia R.; Amorim, CláudiaOlive pomace (OP) and olive stones (OS) are industrial by-products from the olive oil production. These residues have a high percentage of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which makes them a good source of fermentable sugars and xylan, as well as a potential alternative substrate for xylooligosaccharides (XOS) production. In this work, OP and OS were chemically characterized and used for the first time as a xylan source to produce XOS through direct fermentation by Bacillus subtilis 3610 containing the xylanase gene xyn2 from Trichoderma reesei. OS presented the highest potential for XOS production. The fermentation process was further optimized for this residue in terms of residue concentration (5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 g L-1), pH (5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0), and temperature (30, 37, 45 and 50°C). The highest total sugars yield (27 ± 2 mg g-1) was achieved after 12 h, using 20 g L-1 of OS at pH 7.0 and 45°C.
- Discriminação de azeites ‘Verdeal Transmontana’ de acordo com a idade das oliveiras recorrendo à espectroscopia no infravermelho por transformada de FourierPublication . Lamas, Sandra; Baptista, Paula; Santamaria-Echart, Arantzazu; Barreiro, Filomena; Peres, António M.; Pereira, José Alberto; Rodrigues, Nuno; Baptista, PaulaO efeito da idade das oliveiras na qualidade do azeite é ainda pouco conhecido. Nesse sentido, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a influência da idade da oliveira na qualidade e composição dos azeites, usando a cv. Verdeal Transmontana como modelo. Para tal foram selecionadas 15 oliveiras jovens (< 20 anos), 15 com idade intermédia (entre 20 e 50 anos) e 15 centenárias (> 100 anos), de cujas azeitonas foram extraídos azeites. Nos azeites avaliaram-se os parâmetros de qualidade (acidez, índice de peróxidos, coeficiente de extinção específica no ultravioleta, avaliação sensorial), atividade antioxidante e estabelecidos os espetros no infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIR). Todos os azeites obtidos podem ser classificados como azeite virgem extra. A idade da planta influenciou alguns parâmetros, sem que tenha uma tendência linear. Os azeites extraídos de oliveiras com idade intermédia, apresentaram valores superiores de atividade antioxidante e teor em fenóis totais. A aplicação da análise discriminante linear (LDA), conjuntamente com o algoritmo metaheurístico de seleção de variáveis (SA), aos espetros de FTIR, permitiram estabelecer um modelo FTIR-LDA-SA, com base nas transmitâncias (%) registadas para 10 números de onda selecionados (2860, 2856, 2783, 1329, 1094, 918, 739, 723, 683, e 615 cm-¹). O modelo apresentou sensibilidade e especificidade de 100%, permitindo identificar corretamente as idades de todas as oliveiras estudadas, com base nos espectros FTIR, de acordo com a validação cruzada k-fold. O sucesso alcançado na previsão permite concluir que a técnica FTIR pode ser usada como uma ferramenta não invasiva/não-destrutiva de identificação da idade das oliveiras com base nos espectros de transmitância dos azeites extraídos.
- Predicting the shelf-life of extra virgin olive oil during storage at 22 and 50ºC, using a kinetic modelling approachPublication . Ferreiro, Nuno Manuel; Pereira, José Alberto; Peres, António M.; Rodrigues, NunoOlive oil (OO) is a high-value food due to its appreciated sensory attributes and health benefits. The shelf life (SL) of an OO is a key parameter, being influenced by the olive cultivar, agro-climatic, extraction and storage conditions. So, kinetic models were developed for 3 physicochemical quality parameters (peroxide value and the extinction coefficients at 232 and 268 nm), to estimate the SL, based on a Time to Reach the legal Upper Limit (TRUL) approach. For that, a ripe EVOO, stored in amber glass bottles, in the dark and during 5 weeks, at 22 and 50ºC, was used. Zero-, first-, and second-order kinetic models were evaluated, and the best correlations were achieved for the zero-order model. Based on this model, the SL of the stored EVOOs were predicted to be 47-210 days and 35-80 days at 22 and 50ºC, respectively. As expected, the SL decreased for the higher storage temperature, being the lowest values predicted for K232 and K268, data, for 22 and 50ºC, respectively.
- Assessing the prebiotic potential of xylooligosaccharides produced by one-step fermentation using agro-residuesPublication . Cordeiro, Ana; Fernandes, Andreia; Sousa, Joana; Cardoso, Beatriz; Alves, Joana; Silvério, Sara; Peres, António M.; Rodrigues, Lígia R.; Amorim, CláudiaThe prebiotic effect is a fundamental concept in the fields of nutrition and gut health, referring to the beneficial effects of specific non-digestible dietary components on the gut microbiota, including xylooligosaccharides (XOS). These compounds function as food sources for beneficial gut bacteria, fostering their growth and activity. In this work, in vitro studies were performed to evaluate the prebiotic potential of XOS produced from olive stones (OS) and coffee silver skin (CSS) via a one step fermentation using a recombinant Bacillus subtilis 3610 harbouring the xylanase gene xyn2 from Trichoderma reesei. This potential was compared with a commercially available prebiotic oligofructose (Orafti®, BENEO, Germany). A mixture of human faeces from four healthy donors aged between 24 and 28 years old was used as inoculum. The pH variation and the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), gases, and ammonia were analysed during the 48 hours fermentations. The prebiotic supplementation resulted in a reduction of the pH value over time, with oligofructose presenting the most significant pH drop at 48 hours (ΔpH=3.65). The addition of prebiotics also significantly increased the production of beneficial SCFAs, with oligofrutose exhibiting a notable increase in the production of lactic and acetic acid production after 48 hours (28.0±0.1 and 28±1 mM, respectively), while OS-XOS and CSS-XOS demonstrated a more prominent rise towards the production of acetic acid (14.8±0.4 and 20.4±0.1 mM, respectively), butyric acid (2.5±0.3 and 3.29±0.04 mM, respectively), and valeric acid (75±1 and 110±14 mM, respectively) at 48 hours. Remarkably, the gas analysis revealed that the addition of OS/CSS-XOS fully suppressed the production of CH4 and increased the CO2 generation after 48 hours (2.6±0.7 and 5.20±0.05 mmol.L-1medium, respectively). These findings strongly suggest that the XOS produced from OS and CSS holds potential prebiotic properties for human health.
- Optimisation of stability and colouring power of double emulsion systems loaded with Daucus carota L.Publication . Teixeira, Liandra Gracher; Silva, Samara Cristina; Colucci, Giovana; Santamaria-Echart, Arantzazu; Peres, António M.; Dias, Madalena M.; Barreiro, FilomenaAnthocyanins (ACNs) are water-soluble bioactive flavonoids found in flowers, roots, leaves, seeds, and stalks. ACNs cover a wide palette of colours, from blue and purple through orange to red1,2. They are used in the food industry (food colourant with E163 code), namely in fruit juice concentrates, nectars, jellies, yoghurts, marmalades, potato chips, ice creams, and soft drinks, replacing the synthetic Red 40 colourants. They also have diversified pharmaceutical and cosmetic uses due to their colouring and antioxidant attributes. However, their instability due to pH, light, and temperature is a major concern. This study used a double water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2) emulsion technique to prevent rapid colour loss and colour variability with pH of a commercial black carrot extract (Fig. 1). A Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) 22 was used to examine the effects of colourant concentration (wt%) and emulsion ratio ((W1/O)/W2) on stability parameters (droplet size (D4,3), creaming index (CI), and colourimetric values (L*, a*). The main objective was to find an optimised formulation in terms of colourant potential and emulsion stability. Measurements were taken at 1, 7, 15, and 30 days. The optimal experimental design revealed two optimal solutions: 1) 48/52 (W1/O)/W2 ratio with 6 wt.% colorant, and 2) 41/59 (W1/O)/W2 ratio with 11 wt.% colourant. These formulations showed lower creaming index and droplet sizes with higher colourant potential. After accounting for the effect of time, the optimal condition was 6 wt% colourant concentration and 48/52 v/v (W1/O)/W2 emulsion ratio. A stable colour was maintained after 30 days (L*: 44.11±0.03, a*: 25.79±0.01, D4;3: 9.62 ± 0.1 µm, and CI: 14.55±0.99%). These findings are promising and might be applicable to produce novel colourants to be applied in several industries, such as food and cosmetics.
- Desarrollo de modelos predictivos para la selección de genotipos de aceituna de mesa menos susceptibles a Bactrocera oleae (Rossi)Publication . González-Fernández, Antonio; Rallo, Pilar; Peres, António M.; Pereira, José Alberto; Morales-Sillero, AnaLa mosca del olivo (Bactrocera oleae Rossi), considerada como la plaga más devastadora en los olivares, causa importantes pérdidas en la producción y en la calidad de la aceituna de mesa y del aceite de oliva a nivel mundial. Esto conlleva a que se le otorgue atención a la tolerancia a esta plaga en los programas de mejora del olivo durante el proceso de selección de genotipos. Son múltiples los factores que influyen en la preferencia de la mosca del olivo por ciertas variedades, entre otros los parámetros físicos y químicos del fruto, que deben interpretarse de forma colectiva. Los objetivos de este trabajo han sido identificar las diferencias de susceptibilidad a B. oleae en una selección de genotipos y desarrollar modelos predictivos basados en rasgos físicos y químicos del fruto, capaces de predecir el comportamiento de la mosca. Para ello se han empleado frutos de cuatro genotipos: dos selecciones avanzadas del programa de mejora genética de aceituna de mesa de la Universidad de Sevilla, y dos variedades tradicionales muy apreciadas para el aderezo (US 06-1388; US-06-194; ‘Hojiblanca’; ‘Kalamon’), todos procedentes de un ensayo de material vegetal localizado en Morón de la Frontera (Sevilla). En condiciones controladas de laboratorio, se ha estudiado, por un lado, la preferencia de la mosca mediante bioensayos de oviposición y, por otro lado, se han desarrollado modelos predictivos basados en parámetros como el peso, tamaño, color y textura del fruto, además de los contenidos en compuestos fenólicos.