Not Available

Funder

Organizational Unit

Publications

Editorial: Emerging unconventional plants for derived food products and ingredients

Publication . Dias, Maria Inês; Corrêa, Rúbia C.G.; Steinmacher, Nadia Cristiane; Pinela, José; Pereira, Carla

The “Emerging Unconventional Plants for Derived Food Products and Ingredients” Frontiers in Nutrition Research Topic aimed to address innovative solutions to ensure food security, such as nutrient-rich alternatives, sustainable agriculture, and advanced industrial technologies, by exploring Unconventional Edible Plants for developing new, nutritious, and safer food products. This Topic falls in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, driven by societal, economic, and environmental factors, to eliminate world hunger and poverty. Research on sustainable agriculture, nutritional profiling, and innovative food development holds promise in integrating these unconventional plants into daily base diets worldwide, a perspective that has been shared in academia, not only for food purposes (1) but also medicine (2). The present Research Topic gathered 41 authors from China, Israel, India, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia that provided in-depth scientific knowledge regarding the potentiality of unconventional plants to be applied as functional ingredients in food and pharmaceutical formulations. The use of Unconventional Plants has been carried out for hundreds of years by local populations, who, knowing their attributes, use them in their daily lives for various purposes. By applying state of the art technologies and methodologies in the studies mentioned above, we have clear examples of the practicality of this topic at an economic level, but above all at a social level.

2024Other

Open access

Melhoria do valor nutricional de microvegetais de acelga através de biofortificação com selénio em agricultura vertical

Publication . Pereira, Alexis; Dias, Maria Inês; Oliveira, Beatriz; Pinela, José

Os sistemas agroalimentares atuais enfrentam grandes desafios associados ao crescimento populacional, às alterações climáticas e ao esgotamento de recursos naturais. Além disso, a deficiência de micronutrientes essenciais, como o selénio, afeta milhões de pessoas em todo o mundo e está associada a sérios problemas de saúde. As alterações climáticas podem agravar esta carência ao reduzir os níveis de selénio nos solos agrícolas e, consequentemente, nos alimentos. Portanto, combater a insegurança alimentar e a malnutrição é uma prioridade na Agenda 2030 da ONU para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Objetivos: Este estudo teve como objetivo produzir e biofortificar microvegetais de acelga com selénio em ambiente controlado e avaliar a sua qualidade nutricional. Metodologia: Os microvegetais de acelga foram cultivados sob condições controladas de temperatura, humidade e fotoperíodo. O selénio foi suplementado através da solução nutritiva como selenito e selenato de sódio em concentrações de 10 a 40 µM. A colheita foi realizada 14 dias após a germinação. Os microvegetais foram analisados quanto à sua composição em elementos minerais (incluindo selénio), ácidos orgânicos, açúcares livres, compostos fenólicos e betalaínas, usando técnicas espectroscópicas e cromatográficas. Resultados: As análises em curso permitirão avaliar o perfil de nutrientes (minerais, ácido ascórbico e açúcares) e constituintes bioativos (compostos fenólicos e betalaínas) nos microvegetais de acelga. Além disso, permitirão identificar a forma inorgânica e a concentração de selénio mais adequadas para a biofortificação dos microvegetais. Discussão: Espera-se que este estudo contribua para o desenvolvimento de métodos de produção alimentar sustentáveis e inteligentes em termos climáticos, capazes de melhorar a qualidade nutricional dos microvegetais de acelga, através do aumento dos teores de selénio e possivelmente de outros micronutrientes. Estes alimentos poderão ajudar a mitigar a deficiência de selénio, particularmente em populações vulneráveis.

2024Conference object

Open access

Exploring the therapeutic potential of Quercus ilex acorn extract in papillomavirus-induced lesions

Publication . Medeiros-Fonseca, Beatriz; Faustino-Rocha, Ana; Pires, Maria João; Neuparth, Maria João; Vala, Helena; Vasconcelos-Nóbrega, Cármen; Gouvinhas, Irene; Barros, Ana Novo; Dias, Maria Inês; Barros, Lillian; Bastos, Margarida M.S.M.; Gonçalves, Lio; Félix, Luís; Venâncio, Carlos; Medeiros, Rui; Costa, Rui Miguel Gil; Oliveira, Paula A.

Papillomaviruses (PVs) infections have been documented in numerous animal species across different regions worldwide. They often exert significant impacts on animal health and livestock production. Scientists have studied natural products for over half a century due to their diverse chemical composition, acknowledging their value in fighting cancer. Acorns (Quercus ilex) are believed to have several unexplored pharmacological properties. This study aimed to evaluate the in vivo safety and cancer chemopreventive activity of an infusion extract of Q. ilex in a transgenic mouse model of human PV (HPV)-16, which developed squamous cell carcinomas through a multistep process driven by HPV16 oncogenes. Q. ilex extract was prepared by heating in water at 90°C and then characterized by mass spectrometry. Phenolic compounds from this extract were administered in drinking water to female mice in three different concentrations (0.03, 0.06, and 0.09 g/mL) over a period of 28 consecutive days. Six groups (n = 6) were formed for this study: group 1 (G1, wildtype [WT], water), group 2 (G2, HPV, water), group 3 (G3, WT, 0.09 g/mL), group 4 (G4, HPV, 0.03 g/mL), group 5 (G5, HPV, 0.06 g/ mL), and group 6 (G6, HPV, 0.09 g/mL). Throughout the experiment, humane endpoints, body weight, food intake, and water consumption were recorded weekly. Following the experimental period, all mice were sacrificed, and blood, internal organs, and skin samples were collected. Blood was used to measure glucose and microhematocrit and later biochemical parameters, such as creatinine, urea, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, and total proteins. Histological analysis was performed on skin and organ samples. The administration of Q. ilex extract resulted in a statistically significant increase in relative organ weight among HPV transgenic animals, indicating adaptive biological response to the tested concentrations. Moreover, a reduction in characteristic skin lesions was observed in animals treated with the 0.06 and 0.09 g/mL extract. These results provide a favorable chemopreventive profile for Q. ilex extract at concentrations of 0.06 and 0.09 g/mL. This study highlights the potential of Q. ilex extract as a safe and effective therapeutic strategy against HPV16- associated lesions in transgenic mouse models. The limitation of our study was the durability of transgenic animals. As a more sensitive species, we must always be careful with the durability of the test. We intend to study concentrations of 0.06 and 0.09 g/mL for longer to further investigate their possible effects.

2024Journal article

Open access

Antioxidant Activity of Foods and Natural Products

Publication . Pinela, José; Dias, Maria Inês; Pereira, Carla; Alonso-Esteban, José Ignacio

Today, there is growing recognition of the importance of antioxidants in promoting human health and well-being. These compounds play a vital role in protecting the organism from oxidative stress, which is implicated in the pathogenesis of various chronic degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, and different types of cancer [1]. Furthermore, antioxidants serve as indispensable agents in food preservation by preventing or slowing down oxidation processes, which could otherwise result in the deterioration of food quality, flavor, color, texture, and nutritional value [2]. This underscores ongoing research endeavors and the emergence of novel applications for antioxidant compounds across different disciplines, including chemistry, food science, nutrition, pharmacology, and medicine. This Special Issue, titled “Antioxidant Activity of Foods and Natural Products”, has brought together an interesting collection of cutting-edge research and development contributions. A total of 30 manuscripts were submitted for consideration, each undergoing the Molecules journal’s rigorous pre-check and peer review process. Ultimately, 12 articles were accepted for publication in this Special Issue, comprising 1 review article and 11 original research articles. These studies address current challenges and topics related to the antioxidant properties of foods and natural products, including the antioxidant activity of plant extracts, botanical preparations, and isolated compounds, the mechanisms of action of antioxidants and pro-oxidants, and their potential therapeutic effects in vitro and in vivo.

2024Journal article

Open access

The Impact of Deficit Irrigation on the Agronomic Performance and Chemical Composition of Scolymus hispanicus L

Publication . Polyzos, Nikolaos; Paschoalinotto, Beatriz H.; Pires, Tânia C.S.P.; Añibarro-Ortega, Mikel; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Dias, Maria Inês; Barros, Lillian; Petropoulos, Spyridon Α.

In the current study, the effects of drought stress on the growth and phytochemical profile of Scolymus hispanicus L. (a.k.a. golden thistle) were evaluated. Plants were treated with three irrigation regimes, e.g., plants that received only rainwater (Control; C), deficit irrigation (I1; 50% of field capacity (FC)), and full irrigation (Ι2; 100% of FC). The fresh weight of the rosette of leaves was not negatively impacted by deficit irrigation, whereas root development was severely restrained compared to control and I2 treatments. Drought stress conditions had a positive effect on the nutritional properties of the golden thistle since the treatments of control and deficit irrigation showed the highest content of macronutrients and energy. Oxalic acid was the richest organic acid, especially under the I1 regime. Similarly, α-tocopherol was the only identified vitamin E isoform, whose content was also doubled in I1 treatment. Raffinose, glucose, and sucrose were the most abundant free sugars in amounts that varied among the irrigation treatments, while the total and distinct free sugar content was the highest for the I1 treatment. The most abundant detected fatty acid compounds were α-linolenic acid, followed by palmitic and linoleic acid, with the highest amount being detected in C, I1, and I2 treatments, respectively. Flavonoids were the only class of polyphenols detected in golden thistle leaves, including mostly kaempferol and quercetin derivatives. The greatest antioxidant potency was shown for the control and I1 treatments (for OxHLIA and TBARS methods, respectively). The evaluated leaf samples recorded a varied antimicrobial effect for the different bacterial strains and fungi, whereas no cytotoxic, hepatotoxic, and anti-inflammatory effects against the tested cell lines were recorded. Finally, the mineral content of leaves was significantly affected by the irrigation regime, with Ca, Mg, Cu, and Zn being the highest for the I1 treatment, while the I2 treatment had the highest content of K, Fe, and Mn and the lowest Na content. In conclusion, deficit irrigation showed promising results since it improved the phytochemical content without compromising the fresh weight of leaves, and thus it could be suggested as a sustainable agronomic practice for producing high-added value products without significant constraints in growth development and yield parameters of golden thistle.

2024Journal article

Open access