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- FIG (Ficus Carica L.) Bioresidues as sources of bioactive compounds and natural pigments for the food industryPublication . Shiraishi, Carlos S.H.; Zbiss, Yosra; Roriz, Custódio Lobo; Carocho, Márcio; Domingos, Sara; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Alves, Maria José; Abreu, Rui M.V.; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Barros, LillianThe 17 goals of sustainable development address several topics, such as: (2) Zero hunger and sustainable agriculture; (9) Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; (12) Responsible consumption and production; that are essential for the promotion of the circular economy, product development and conscious production [1]. Fig is a food matrix, cultivated in Portugal and valued by the Portuguese people for consumption in natura, being also used in wines, liqueurs, and jams. As this fruit is very appreciated and consumed, it´s cultivation leads to the production of tons of leaves, usually discarded [2]. Therefore, in the present work, the leaves of five fig varieties (Figure 1), namely Dauphine (Da), Longue d'Aout (La), Pasteliere (Pa), Marseille (Ma) and Bourjassote Noire (Bn), were nutritionally and chemically characterized to detect possible bioactive molecules. The antioxidant and antimicrobial, activities were also analyzed, to provide the food industry with natural additives in alternative to the artificial ones; and at the same time, promote the circular economy. Regarding the nutritional profile of the five leaves, La sample exhibited the highest amount in proteins (18.0±0.6 g/100g dw), while Pa revealed the highest content in fats (2.2±0.1 g/100g dw). The highest moisture content was presented by Da leaves (17.3±0.1 g/100g fw), and for the ashes, La sample was the one that presented the highest value (14.18±0.06 g/100g fw). Concerning the organic acids, these molecules were most abundant in Ma leaves, where it was possible to identify oxalic, malic and citric acids with a total of 139.6±0.4 mg/g dw. For the soluble sugars profiling, in all samples it was possible to identify five sugars, namely, fructose, glucose, sucrose, trehalose, and raffinose in different concentrations; however, Da leaves revealed the higher amount (17±1 g/100g dw). Tocopherols where also analyzed, and in all samples, three of the four isoforms where detected, being Pa sample standing for the predominance of these compounds (4.14±0.05 mg/100 g dw). For the bioactive analysis, different assays were performed, and Pa sample showed the strongest antioxidant potential for the TBARS assay, with an EC50 value of 105±5 mg/mL. For the antimicrobial activity assay, Da leaf extract was the one displaying the best results, by presenting Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) ranging from 1.25 to 10 mg/mL against the tested bacterial strains. On the other hand, for the antifungal activity, the samples present very similar profiles, with the exception of the Pa sample, that present the lowest MIC of 5 mg/mL for Aspergillus fumigatus. In general, these leaf extracts can be used in the food industry namely in pastry and bakery products as promising sources of bioactive compounds, and at the same time, this reuse of biowaste promotes circular economy, and reduces the impact of biowaste resulting from the fig industry, thus meeting some of the goals of sustainable development.
- New trends from fungi secondary metabolism in the pharmaceutical industryPublication . Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Shiraishi, Carlos S.H.; Ribeiro, Lúcia Marisa Maia; Carocho, Márcio; Abreu, Rui M.V.; Coutinho, Paula; Barros, Lillian; Vaz, Josiana A.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that can produce a wide range of secondary metabolites with a significant impact on society. Some metabolites are exploited for their activity as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and anti-microbial agents, and in the production of cancer vaccines, among other pharmaceutical applications. Since the discovery of penicillin, the pharmaceutical industry has been greatly interested in fungi as sources of natural bioactive compounds, and fungi metabolites have made an indispensable contribution to improving human and animal health throughout the last decades. Starting with the development of antibiotics, the pharmaceutical industry has increasingly turned to these compounds for a variety of applications. The increase in the number of patents registered worldwide is a strong indicator that the market realizes the great potential of fungi secondary metabolites. In general, the pharmaceutical industry trend is centered on adopting different strategies to discover new drugs, and fungi secondary metabolites are viewed as having significant potential. This chapter explores the current pharmaceutical applications of secondary metabolites found in fungi. Initially, the most recent mushroom studies and their commercial pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical applications are explored. An overview of the different classes of fungi secondary metabolites with biologically relevant activities is then presented. Recently marine fungi were found to be a rich source of secondary metabolites. Due to the recent relevancy of marine fungi, an overview of marine fungi secondary metabolites with relevant pharmaceutical-related activities is also presented. Finally, the potential of fungi metabolites as a source of natural pigments and the methodologies used to characterize and explore fungi secondary metabolites are also analyzed.
- Blockchain revolution in food supply chains: A positive impact on global food loss and wastePublication . Shiraishi, Carlos S.H.; Roriz, Custódio Lobo; Carocho, Márcio; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.; Abreu, Rui M.V.; Barros, Lillian; Heleno, Sandrina A.The rising global population has created an urgent need for increased food production. Food loss and waste remain significant challenges throughout the food supply chain, from cultivation to consumption. Blockchain, a decentralized peer-to-peer network that stores information can help making food more traceable, from production to consumption. It can also help enhance food production sustainability, transparency, quality and safety. By tracking all aspects of food it plays a crucial role in reducing food loss and waste. Several organizations that have briefly introduced this technology, along with the Internet of Things, although the real benefit of blockchain is achieved when several players in the food chain adhere to this technology. This review emphasizes how blockchain was adapted to the food chain, its challenges, benefits and limitations, and how some food sectors have used this technology. A brief perspective on how the Internet of Things and Blockchain will evolve in the future.
- Food additives from fruit and vegetable by-products and bio-residues: a comprehensive review focused on sustainabilityPublication . Ueda, Jonata Massao; Pedrosa, Mariana C.; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Carocho, Márcio; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, LillianFood waste is one of the fundamental issues when it comes to environmental impacts, and this type of waste results in the food’s loss itself, but also that of water, energy, fertilizers, and other resources used for its production. Many vegetable parts are removed from the final product before reaching retail (peels, roots, and seeds), and these raw materials are rich sources of highly valuable molecules such as phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins, and other compounds with health benefits (prevention of several diseases, improvement of the immune system, regulating gastrointestinal transit, and others). Therefore, substantial efforts have been made to find technological solutions to avoid food waste, namely through its reuse in the food chain, thus promoting the circular economy and sustainability. This review focuses on the biggest wastes generated by the food industry, the most common destinations, and case studies applying these by-products or biowaste in the food industry.
- Optimization of heat and ultrasound-assisted extraction of Eucalyptus globulus leaves reveals strong antioxidant and antimicrobial propertiesPublication . Lima, Laíres; Pereira, Ana I.; Vaz, Clara B.; Ferreira, Olga; Dias, Maria Inês; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Barros, Lillian; Carocho, MárcioThe extraction of phenolic compounds from eucalyptus leaves was optimized using heat and ultrasound-assisted techniques, and the bioactive potential of the resulting extract was assessed. The independent variables, including time (t), solvent concentration (S), and temperature (T) or power (P), were incorporated into a fivelevel central composite design combined with Response Surface Methodology. Phenolic content was determined by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS and used as response criteria. The developed models were successfully fitted to the experimental data to identify the optimal extraction conditions. Heat-assisted extraction proved to be the most efficient method for phenolic recovery, yielding 27 ± 2 mg/g extract under optimal conditions (120 min, 76.5 ◦C, and 25 % ethanol, v/v). The extracts exhibited a high concentration of phenolic glycoside derivatives, including gallotannin, quercetin, and isorhamnetin. These findings suggest that the extracts hold promise as natural additives in food technology, owing to their moderate antimicrobial activity and strong antioxidant properties.
- Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Rubus Idaeus Bioresidues: A Full Screening on Phenolic Composition and Bioactive PotentialPublication . Plasencia, Paula; Finimundy, Tiane C.; Carocho, Márcio; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Añibarro-Ortega, Mikel; Pires, Tânia C.S.P.; Barreiro, Filomena; Garcia, Pablo A.; Barros, Lillian; Heleno, Sandrina A.Purpose Rubus idaeus cultivation has boosted productivity due to its high nutritional value. In consequence, waste produc- tion increased. The discarded biomass, including leaves and aerial components, can be transformed into valuable functional ingredients for industrial applications, such as cosmetics. Studying their bioactivity potential is highly relevant. Methods According to the present idea, the research involved producing extracts from raspberry plant branches and leaves by employing four different techniques: aqueous decoction, aqueous infusion, hydroethanolic maceration, and ultrasound- assisted extraction (UAE). Subsequently, these compounds were screened for their bioactive potential, including antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic properties. Results The ultrasound-assisted extraction produced extracts rich in phenolic compounds, whereas the infusion and macera- tion methods resulted in higher flavonol contents. Among the identified phenolic compounds, hydrolyzable tannins, particu- larly galloyl-bis-HHDP-glucose, were the most dominant ones. Regarding antioxidant potential, the decoction extract was the strongest, while the infusion showed the greatest potential for inhibiting lipid peroxidation. The UAE extract was found to be highly effective as an antibacterial agent. Both infusion and UAE extracts demonstrated the highest anti-inflammatory potential. Conclusion The combination of these results highlights the sample’s bioactive potential and the importance of exploiting bioresidues as unique, sustainable candidates for industrial applications.
- Natural food additives: Quo vadis?Publication . Carocho, Márcio; Morales, Patricia; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.In a time where the public is more aware and interested with what they eat, natural additives have been gaining interest both from the food industries and the consumers. Some studies show that consumers prefer food prepared with natural additives rather than chemical ones, due to health reasons. Although quite promising, natural additives still face some drawbacks and limitations as well as conflicting information. In this manuscript, the most important natural additives are overviewed, as well as their use, benefits and risks. The future of these molecules along with new types of additives are also summarized.
- Tools to develop dairy ingredients: bioactive and preservative purposesPublication . Khouja, Dora; Fernandes, Filipa Alexandra; Carocho, Márcio; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Rodrigues, Paula; Zaghdoudi, Khalil; Barros, Lillian; Heleno, Sandrina A.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.Phytosterols can be ingested and consequently absorbed by the human body, leading to a direct absorption competition with cholesterol, thus reducing its absorption [1]. Mushrooms are described as having several bioactive components, such as mycosterols (ergosterol), which, similarly to phytosterols, exhibit a strong hypocholesterolemic potential [2]. Thus, the objective of this work was to obtain mycosterol enriched extracts from A. bisporus L. bio-waste for further incorporation in sheep cottage cheese, in order to develop a functional food with hypocholesterolemic effects. Sheep cottage cheeses with pure ergosterol, and a control cheese with no incorporation were prepared. The extracts were obtained by ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) and the identification and quantification of their compounds was achieved through HPLC-UV. The toxicity and hypocholesterolemic activity were sought through a CaCo2 cell line. In terms of analysis, the nutritional value was analyzed according to AOAC procedures, the physical parameters included texture, external colour and water activity, and the microbial load (total aerobic mesophiles, enterobacteria, Psychrotrophic bacteria, yeasts, molds and Staphylococcus aureus) was also analyzed along a shelf life of 9 days according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 6887-1:2003 [3,4]. No significant differences were verified for the nutritional parameters. The color of the cheeses incorporated with the extract hinted towards a browner tone when compared to the other two samples (cottage cheese with ergosterol and control cottage cheese). A dominance of palmitic acid followed by oleic and capric acids was detected, being the saturated fatty acids the predominant ones. Lactose and glucose were the two detected soluble sugars; being glucose only observed in cheese incorporated with A. bisporus, probably present in the extract. Also, the incorporations did not cause any significant alterations to normal microbial growth. Despite an increase of enterobacteria in the cheeses with the incorporation of the two agents, this increase was also verified for the control cottage cheese. CaCo2 cells absorbed 43.89% of cholesterol from the control cheese, while the cheese with pure ergosterol reduced cholesterol absorption by approximately 21.1%, and cheese with A. bisporus by approximately 30.24%. These results highlight the capacity of ergosterol to reduce the absorption of cholesterol, being an interesting candidate for the development of functional foods.
- Extraction optimization of bioactive compounds from Thymus ulgaris L.: comparison of heat-assisted and ultrasound-assisted extractionsPublication . Caleja, Cristina; Pereira, Eliana; Sprea, Rafael M.; Finimundy, Tiane C.; Carocho, Márcio; Amaral, Joana S.; Prieto Lage, Miguel A.; Barros, LillianPlants have been used since ancient times due to their biological action associated mainly with several phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds1. Thymus vulgaris L. is a species described as a potential source of natural molecules with applications in the food industry, but also in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry due to its antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory effects2. In this sense, the present study aimed to compare extraction systems in terms of phenolic compounds from T. vulgaris through the heat-assisted (HAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) techniques, aiming to improve its potential for industrial applications. For this propose, an extraction optimization was studied using three independent variables, time (t, minutes), solvent (S, % of ethanol), and temperature (T, ºC) or power (P, W), in a three-level Box-Behnken design, analyzing the surface methodology (RSM). The extraction yield and the content in phenolic compounds identified by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS were the experimental responses applied. The polynomial models were successfully fitted to the experimental data and used to determine the optimal HAE and UAE conditions. Nineteen phenolic compounds were identified, nine of which were phenolic acids (mainly caffeic acid derivatives) and ten flavonoids: flavan-3-ols (catechin derivatives), flavones (quercetin derivatives), flavonols (apigenin and luteolin derivatives) and flavanones (eriodictyol derivatives). The conditions obtained for the optimal extraction of phenolic compounds, that allowed the experimental validation of the predictive model are 3% ethanol (v/v) for 89 minutes at a temperature of 98º C for HAE and 77% ethanol (v/v) for 17 minutes at 207 W for UAE. Extraction optimization is important from an industrial point of view, as it allows obtaining extracts with a high content of bioactive compounds. Considering that the phenolic composition appears in literature as a direct influence on bioactive properties, the optimization processes will allow a better exploitation of extracts, ensuring the greatest cost reduction for the industry.
- Patente Nacional Nº 110859 - Obtenção de uma solução a partir de extratos de Rosmarinus officinalis L. para utilização como revestimento alimentarPublication . Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, Lillian; Carocho, Márcio; Machado, Jorge Manuel Vaz; Abrantes, Jorge Dinis; Garcia, Maria Pereira da CruzA presente invenção descreve o processo de obtenção de uma solução semi-sólida para ser usada como revestimento de alimentos por imersão, a partir de extratos de alecrim e outros componentes antioxidantes. Este processo demonstra várias vantagens, nomeadamente: em relação à obtenção do extrato de alecrim, este é obtido facilmente e sem recurso a solventes poluentes, demonstrando ainda um bom rendimento e uma forte capacidade antioxidante. Em relação à solução de revestimento, apresenta poucos componentes e todos eles sem implicações nefastas para a saúde, além do facto de ser composta por componentes baratos e ser de fácil elaboração, permitindo conservar os alimentos de uma forma natural e sem recorrer a processamento adicional ou a utilização de plásticos, indo de encontro ao que muitos estudos indicam acerca da preferência dos consumidores.