CERNAS – CENTRO DE RECURSOS NATURAIS, AMBIENTE E SOCIEDADE
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- Analysing the different interrelationships of soil organic carbon using machine learning approaches: Assessing the specific case of PortugalPublication . Pereira Domingues Martinho, Vítor João; Ramos, Tiago Brito; Castanheira, Nádia; Cunha, Carlos; Ferreira, António José Dinis; Pereira, José Luís da Silva; Sánchez-Carreira, Maria del CarmenGiven the importance of soil organic carbon (SOC) for sustainability, policymakers and researchers are particularly concerned with identifying the conditions that promote carbon storage in the soil. These assessments provide relevant support for the design of policy instruments aimed at increasing soil quality and its carbon sequestration capacity. The new technologies associated with the digital transition can bring relevant added value, namely through artificial intelligence methodologies, where machine learning approaches are important. In this context, this research aims to analyse the several interrelationships of SOC in the specific Portuguese context, with a focus on highlighting its main predictors and providing proposals for stakeholders (including policymakers). To achieve these objectives, statistics from the INFOSOLO database were considered and evaluated using machine learning algorithms to select the most important SOC predictors and identify accurate models. These interrelationships were quantified with cross sectional regressions and optimisation models. The results obtained provide relevant information for the design of adjusted policy measures that promote sustainable practices and increase soil quality. Generally, Portuguese soils have low organic carbon content due to soil features, climate circumstances and land management. Adjusted management of agroforestry activities is possibly the easiest part to deal with in this context.
- Biopreparados agroecológicos como solução biológicaPublication . Simões, Joana; de Vasconcelos Teixeira Aguiar da Costa, Daniela; Costa, Cristina Amaro daNa sociedade atual, a sustentabilidade ambiental e social é uma preocupação crescente, em particular na produção de alimentos que se traduz na crescente procura por produtos seguros para os ecossistemas e para o consumidor final. A utilização de biopreparados, com base na (re)utilização de recursos naturais existentes na exploração, é uma parte integrante de sistemas produção agroecológicos. Estudaram se sete biopreparados agroecológicos no projeto RESTORE - biopReparados Em SisTemas prOdução agRoEcológicos [projeto UIDB/00681/2020] – vinagre de figo-da-índia, vinagre de beldroega, sumo fermentado de laranja, extrato de alho, infusão de urtiga, decocção de cavalinha e biopreparado de alho e malagueta. O trabalho consistiu em: aplicação de inquérito aos agricultores sobre biopreparados utilizados; seleção e produção, análise físico-química e microbiológica e avaliação de efeitos in vivo de biopreparados. Foram realizados 17 inquéritos a produtores, na região Centro. Os biopreparados foram selecionados a partir da informação dos agricultores. Em laboratório, procedeu-se à quantificação de compostos fenólicos totais, análise da capacidade antioxidante e a da inibição de atividade microbiana, em bactérias e fungos, em três momentos temporais diferentes e com base no tipo de conservação estabelecida: logo após a preparação do biopreparado; três e seis meses após a conservação em fresco e seis meses após conservação por congelação. Os ensaios de campo foram realizados em viveiros de alface, em estufa, desde a sementeira até à transplantação. O sumo fermentado de laranja e os vinagres apresentam os melhores resultados em composição fenólica e capacidade antioxidante. Em termos de inibição de atividade microbiológica, o biopreparado de alho e malagueta é o que demonstra uma inibição mais consistente. A decocção de cavalinha demonstra apresentar melhores resultados enquanto bioestimulante no cultivo de alface. É essencial dar continuidade a estudos de avaliação dos efeitos dos biopreparados para melhorar o conhecimento sobre os mesmos e os seus efeitos, bem como para fundamentar uma tomada de decisão mais adequada.
- Comparative Analysis of Secondary Metabolite Production by Cophinforma mamane and Aspergillus niger Preserved for Long-Term MethodsPublication . Padrón-Antonio, Yuliana; Falcão, Lucas; Souza, Anne; Andrade, Cleudiane; Silva, Paulo; Barbosa, Larissa; Jr, Sérgio; Correia, Ana Cristina; Jordão, António; Albuquerque, PatriciaEndophytic fungi are recognized for their capacity to produce bioactive metabolites, yet their metabolic output is strongly modulated by preservation strategies. This study evaluated the influence of three long-term preservation methods—PDA slants with mineral oil (PB), Castellani’s method (PC), and filter paper with mineral oil (PF)—on the production of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity by the Amazonian endophytes Cophinforma mamane and Aspergillus niger. Post-reactivation morphological analyses revealed method-dependent changes in colony pigmentation, texture, and sporulation intensity. PB preservation induced the most vigorous growth and enhanced sporulation in A. niger. For extracellular metabolites (AcOEt extracts), PB yielded the highest total phenolic content in A. niger (258.24 mg GAE/g), whereas PF and PC favored C. mamane (154.48 and 153.33 mg GAE/g). For intracellular ethanolic extracts, PB was most effective for C. mamane, producing 206.19 mg GAE/g for total phenols and the highest antioxidant activities (EC50 = 1.40 mg/mL and FRAP = 95.61 μmol TE/g). HPLC–DAD identified protocatechuic acid as the predominant compound, which was especially abundant in PC and PF-preserved A. niger (60.76 and 85.38 μg/mg, respectively). Multivariate correlations indicated syringic (r = 0.53) and p-coumaric (r = 0.63) acids as the main contributors to antioxidant potential. These findings demonstrate that preservation methods may positively or negatively modulate fungal biosynthetic capacity, underscoring the importance of species-specific preservation protocols for maintaining metabolic stability in culture collections.
- Fermented Beverages from Amazonian Fruits: Nutritional Characteristics and Bioactive CompoundsPublication . Bátista, Bárbara; Correia, Ana Cristina; Jordão, António; Albuquerque, PatríciaFermented beverages are drinks that undergo a fermentation process involving yeasts, bacteria, or other microbial groups, leading to the conversion of natural sugars into alcohol, acids, and gases. Beer, wine, kombucha, kefir, and cider are examples of fermented beverages produced and consumed worldwide, representing a rapidly growing market. However, demands for these products have expanded beyond aspects such as size, shape, and storage conditions. There is an increasing demand for eco sustainable, fresh products tailored to individuals with dietary restrictions and/or enriched with nutrients and health-promoting compounds. In this context, the market has witnessed a surge in alternative fermented beverages made from nutrient-rich or exotic-flavored raw materials, highlighting their versatility. A noteworthy example is the application of Amazonian fruits, which, despite being primarily consumed fresh by local populations, have been extensively characterized in scientific studies for their abundance of molecules with beneficial effects and their use in products like juices, ice creams, and fermented beverages. Thus, this review aims to explore the nutritional composition and microbiological aspects of different fermented beverages produced from several Amazonian fruits.
- Five models and ten predictors for energy costs on farms in the European UnionPublication . Pereira Domingues Martinho, Vítor JoãoEnergy costs are the main concerns of the agricultural stakeholders, because of their economic, environmental, and social impacts on the farms and the development of interrelated activities. In fact, it is important to save costs with the energy use to improve the profitability of the farms, but the level of these costs is often interlinked with the options to manage the energy consumption and the respective implications on sustainability. This framework highlights the importance of good management and planning for energy utilisation in the farming sector, namely to promote a balanced and integrated rural development. Considering these perspectives, this research intends to identify which factor, and how, impacted the energy costs in the European Union farms over the last decades. To achieve these objectives data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network database were considered for the European Union agricultural regions and the period 2013–2021. This statistical information was analysed through machine learning approaches following the procedures proposed by the software IBM SPSS Modeler. The linear support vector machine, regression, random forest, random trees, and the classification and regression tree are the most accurate models. On the contrary, the level of production, the size of farms, the economic and financial structure, and policy measures are the most important predictors. The findings here may be important insights for the European Union farming stakeholders, specifically to allow the design of policies for a more adjusted energy resources management.
- From Household to Public Sphere: Women Farmers, Gender Inequality, and Collective Mobilisation.Publication . Gomes, Diana; Bandeira, Cristina; Costa, Cristina Amaro daThe MAIs Project – Women Farmers in Inland Territories – aimed to empower and promote the civic and associative participation of women farmers in S. Pedro do Sul and Sabugal, contributing to the advancement of gender equality in these regions. Using a participatory approach grounded in the principles of community development, activities were structured along three axes of intervention: personal/social, technical, and collective. This article analyses gender inequality in civic participation and highlights popular education as a key tool for strengthening collective action. When considering community mobilisation in rural contexts, it is essential to recognise the role of trust-based networks and the coordination between public policies and local actors. Women farmers face structural barriers that limit their engagement in the public sphere, including the burden of domestic and agricultural labour and persistent patriarchal norms. Thus, the centrality of labour and the gendered division of responsibilities emerged as key factors in understanding patterns of political participation and the development of collective action.
- Integrated Soil Management: Food Supply, Environmental Impacts, and Socioeconomic FunctionsPublication . Pereira, José Luís da Silva; Pereira Domingues Martinho, Vítor JoãoThis Editorial refers to the Special Issue “Integrated Soil Management: Food Supply, Environmental Impacts, and Socioeconomic Functions”. The Special Issue highlights bringing a broader perspective on soil management, namely in its relationship with food supply, environmental dimensions, and socioeconomic activities. From a total of twenty-six manuscripts submitted for consideration and peer review, fourteen were accepted for publication and inclusion in this Special Issue (two reviews and twelve articles). The published contributions are listed below followed by a description review to encourage the reader to explore them.
- Optimized Production of Fungal Polygalacturonase Using Cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum) Peel as Substrate and Its Effect on Clarification of Cupuaçu JuicePublication . Falcão, Lucas; Monteiro, Trisha; Azevedo, Sthéfanny; Batista, Bárbara; Jordão, António; Albuquerque, PatríciaPectinolytic enzymes play a key role in many beverages manufacturing processes, improving their clarification and filtration steps. Fungal pectinases are considered promising green catalysts for industrial applications, and they can be produced using fruit-processing residues as substrate. In this study, we investigated the optimal conditions to produce polygalacturonase from Aspergillus brasiliensis in a solid-phase bioprocess, using cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum) peel as substrate. Then, the pectinolytic extract was applied in the clarification of cupuaçu juice. A central composite design was used to determine the optimal fungal cultivation conditions. Thus, the optimal fungal cultivation (maximum production of 11.81 U/g of polygalacturonase) was obtained using cupuaçu peel with 80% moisture, at 34 ◦C, for 7 days in a medium containing 4.2% phosphorus and 2.6% nitrogen. The enzymatic extract showed greater activity at 60 ◦C and stability at a pH range between 5.0 and 7.0. The pectinolytic extract was able to clarify the cupuaçu juice, causing a 53.95% reduction in its turbidity and maintaining its antioxidant activity. Our results demonstrate that the cupuaçu peel can be used as a substrate to produce polygalacturonase, and the enzymatic extract produced can be applied in the cupuaçu juice processing, contributing to the circular economy.
- Phenolic content, volatile composition and sensory profile of red wines macerated with toasted woods from different South American botanical speciesPublication . Jordão, António; Correia, Ana Cristina; Vasconcelos Botelho, Renato; Ortega-Heras, Miriam; González-SanJosé, MariaThe use of wood species from South American origin was not previously considered for wine aging. Thus, this work focuses on the comparative analysis of phenolic content, volatile composition and sensory characteristics of a red wine macerated with woods, in form of toasted cubes, from jequitibá, jaqueira, ipê, amburana and lenga species. All wines macerated with these woods showed a tendency for an increase of the phenolic parameters evaluated. This tendency was more evident in wine chromatic characteristics, especially for the wine macerated with jequitibá wood, where significantly higher color intensity and total color difference values was detected. For volatile composition, the different wood species induced significant changes on wine volatile profile. Thus, 3-hydroxy-4-phenyl-2-butanone was only detected in wine macerated with jaqueira wood, while benzophenone, ethyl pentadecanoate, D-citronellol, linalool, geranic acid and isovainillic acid were only detected in wine macerated with amburana wood. For sensory profile, wine macerated with amburana wood showed significantly higher scores for “coconut”, “toasted” and “floral” aroma descriptors, while for taste and overall appreciation this wine also showed a tendency for a slightly higher score. The outcomes of this research improved the knowledge of the use of several South American wood species on red wine characteristics.
- Suggestions for promoting SOC storage within the carbon farming framework: Analyzing the INFOSOLO databasePublication . Cunha, Carlos; Castanheira, Nádia Luísa; Ramos, Tiago Brito; Martinho, Vítor João Pereira Domingues; Ferreira, António José Dinis; Pereira, José Luís da Silva; Sánchez-Carreira, Maria del CarmenThe new world challenges under climate change call for eco-friendly practices that make agriculture’s economic and social dimensions compatible with environmental preservation and ecosystem resilience. Carbon farming has emerged as an interesting alternative for dealing with these new frameworks, as it promotes conservation agriculture with practices that increase carbon sequestration in soils and plants. Considering these motivations, this research intends to bring more insights into the levels of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the Portuguese context, and this variable is interrelated with land use, land attributes, and soil characteristics. Statistical information from the INFOSOLO legacy database was analyzed through statistical methodologies and machine-learning approaches. The findings provide interesting support for the stakeholders about the influence of land use and soil types on the levels of SOC.