ESAV - DEAS - Artigo em revista científica, indexada ao WoS/Scopus
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
- Knowledge about consumption of fruits and vegetables: comparison between Portuguese and French consumersPublication . Florença, Sofia de Guiné e; Gonçalves, João Carlos; Teixeira-Lemos, Edite; Cunha Silva Reis Lima, Maria Joao; Costa, Cristina Amaro da; de Pinho Ferreira Guiné, Raquel
- Development of a Mediterranean Diet Recipe Index (MedRI)Publication . Florença, Sofia de Guiné e; Filipa P. Costa; de Pinho Ferreira Guiné, Raquel; Cunha Silva Reis Lima, Maria Joao; Teixeira-Lemos, Edite; Costa, Cristina Amaro daBackground/Objectives: The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is globally recognized for its nutritional, environmental, and cultural value. Although several indices assess adherence to the MD and its food environments, none evaluate the alignment of individual recipes with MD principles. This study aimed to develop and validate the Mediterranean Diet Recipe Index (MedRI), a novel scoring tool designed to quantify the concordance of recipes with MD guidelines. Methods: The MedRI was conceptualized through a comprehensive literature review and expert panel assessment, integrating two main dimensions: consumption context and recipe composition. The index evaluates ingredient selection, preparation methods, and food group inclusion, with criteria adapted to specific recipe categories. Validation was conducted using a structured questionnaire administered to 244 adults living in Portugal. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs), Cohen’s kappa, Chi-square tests, Cramer’s V, and principal component analysis (PCA). Results: Validation results demonstrated strong internal consistency and construct validity, confirming the reliability and applicability of the MedRI in assessing recipe alignment with MD principles. Conclusions: The MedRI thus represents a reliable and innovative tool to assess and promote culinary practices consistent with the MD. It holds potential applications in nutrition education, public health policymaking, and gastronomic research, supporting the advancement of sustainable and health-promoting dietary models.
- Bio-Regions as An Innovative Model of Sustainable Rural Development: An Integrative Literature ReviewPublication . Lagoa, Rui; Florença, Sofia de Guiné e; Tibério, Manuel; Gonçalves, Ramiro; Costa, Cristina Amaro daThe Bio-Regions, whose origin dates back to Italy, constitute an innovative model of rural development anchored in endogenous dynamics, valuing territorial specificities, local social capital and participatory governance mechanisms. Its integrated approach seeks to articulate organic farming, environmental sustainability, community cohesion and proximity circuits. This study aims to contribute to the scientific and political debate around Bio-Regions, exploring their transformative potential in the context of territorial public policies. Through an integrative literature review, we sought to understand not only the conceptual and practical evolution of the Bio-Regions, but also the implications of their consolidation in different territorial contexts. The analysis focused on indexed scientific publications and non conventional specialized literature, collected through professional and academic networks. The selection of contributions was guided by thematic criteria, favoring studies that addressed institutional factors, the mobiliza tion of local actors and the role of public policies in the operationalization of this development model. The results highlight the decisive role of the institutional dimension in the consolidation of Bio-Regions, underlining the importance of integrated and participatory political strategies. At the same time, significant gaps in sci entific production are identified, particularly with regard to the systematic assessment of the economic, social and environmental impacts associated with the implementation of the Bio-Regions.
- Recognizing diversity to enable an agroecological transition: understanding the potential of family farmers in PortugalPublication . Costa-Pereira, Inês; Aguiar, Ana A. R. M.; Delgado, Fernanda; Costa, Cristina Amaro daThe agroecological transition of family farms in Portugal poses a significant challenge within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the European Green Deal. Despite their multifunctional contributions to rural territories, family farms—particularly smallholders—remain structurally disadvantaged by policy frameworks that continue to favor large-scale, high-input agricultural models. This study demonstrates that aligning family farming with agroecological principles yields tangible benefits and requires support through differentiated, typology-sensitive public policies. Using a tailored methodology, data were collected from 40 farms initially classified as conventional or agroecological. Ward’s hierarchical clustering, supported by complementary significance tests, identified three distinct farmer typologies: conventional, proto-agroecological, and agroecological. These typologies reflect meaningful differences in ecological integration, systemic thinking, and social engagement. The findings highlight the need for targeted policy frameworks that recognize farm diversity and promote multiple pathways toward agroecology. This typology-based approach provides an empirically grounded foundation for designing more inclusive and context-responsive institutional support for family farmers in Portugal
- Citizen Science and the Food System—A Focus Group Pilot StudyPublication . Florença, Sofia de Guiné e; Amaral, Ana Luísa; Costa, Filipa; Costa, Cristina Amaro da
- 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.
- Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity Characteristics of Seven Biopreparations Used in Organic FarmingPublication . Simões, Joana; Peleja, Ana; Neves, Cláudia; de Vasconcelos Teixeira Aguiar da Costa, Daniela; de Paiva Martins Esteves Correia, Helena Maria; Pinto, António; Ferreira Wessel, Dulcineia; Costa, Cristina Amaro da; Delgado, Fernanda; Carneiro, João Paulo; Horta, Carmo; Bahcevandziev, Kiril; Vidal, Maria; Filipe, OlgaAgroecological transition is a major societal challenge and it is urgent to support technical solutions to answer farmers demand towards the necessary changes. The project RESTORE - biopReparados Em SisTemas prOdução agRoEcológicos aimed to study and validate the production, conservation, and use of seven biopreparations by characterizing and testing them in lettuce nurseries. The biopreparations used include prickly pear vinegar, purslane vinegar, fermented orange juice, garlic extract, nettle infusion, horsetail decoction and a biopreparation of garlic and chilli. The in vitro microbiological characterization and chemical analysis of the biopreparations, which included phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity, allowed us to understand their properties and to propose the most appropriate conservation strategy. The tests were conducted in four different moments: during the biopreparations’ manufacturing, after six months of frozen storage, and after three and six months of fresh storage. One-Way ANOVA in SPSS 29.0 and PCA comparison tests were used to analyze the results. Fermented orange juice and vinegars were the biopreparations that showed the greatest outcomes in terms of antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition. Purslane vinegar had the highest average inhibition against germs. The concentration of phenolic compounds, the antioxidant capacity, and the antibacterial activity of the biopreparations varied with time and type of conservation. It is crucial to conduct more trials, using different species and recipes, to support farmers’ decision making and adoption of agroecological solutions.
- Knowledge about consumption of fruits and vegetables: comparison between portuguese and french consumersPublication . Florença, Sofia de Guiné e; Gonçalves, João Carlos; Teixeira-Lemos, Edite; Cunha Silva Reis Lima, Maria Joao; Costa, Cristina Amaro da; Guiné, RaquelIntrodução: O consumo regular de frutas e legumes nas dosagens recomendadas é incentivado como forma de alcançar um bom estado de saúde para combater doenças crónicas, doenças neurodegenerativas e cancro. No entanto, nos atuais sistemas alimentares industrializados, existe uma tendência para consumir menores quantidades destes alimentos, resultando em problemas e encargos complexos de saúde pública. Objetivo: Investigar o nível de conhecimento sobre o efeito do consumo de frutas e hortícolas na saúde humana numa amostra de participantes franceses e portugueses. Métodos: Foi realizado um inquérito por questionário do tipo transversal de conveniência em ambos os países, em 2020-2021. O questionário foi preparado e traduzido e os dados foram recolhidos online. O questionário continha onze itens a responder numa escala Likert de discordância/concordância de 5 pontos, que variava de 1 (discordo totalmente) a 5 (concordo totalmente). Um total de 640 participantes responderam ao questionário, dos quais 383 eram franceses e 257 portugueses. Resultados: Os resultados mostraram que uma fração significativa dos participantes (60,3%) está informada sobre os efeitos do consumo de vegetais e frutas no combate ao cancro, diabetes, hipertensão arterial ou doenças cardiovasculares. Além disso, a maioria dos participantes (77,2%) sabe que estes alimentos são ricos em micronutrientes, como vitaminas e minerais, ou compostos bioativos benéficos para o bom funcionamento do organismo humano. Ainda assim, um número considerável necessita de melhorar os seus conhecimentos, pois isso é mais evidente entre os participantes portugueses do que entre os franceses (33,8% de participantes desinformados em Portugal comparado com 15,5% em França). Conclusão: O conhecimento dos participantes é insuficiente, pelo que são necessárias mais ações para aumentar o conhecimento como forma de estimular o consumo real de frutas e legumes, de modo a ir ao encontro das diretrizes de uma alimentação saudável.
- Drivers of Health and Wellness Product PurchasesPublication . Florença, Sofia de Guiné e; Amaro da Costa, Cristina Isabel; de Pinho Ferreira Guiné, RaquelNowadays, consumers look at food products not only as ways to satiate hunger, but also as means of improving their healthiness or, at least, a general feeling of healthiness. Modern consumer trends focus on choosing foods that, beyond nutritional value, also bear some kind of health-enhancing properties. Therefore, markets, industrials, academics, and consumers must all come together to build a successful market in the health and wellness food products sector. This chapter discusses different perspectives on this relation, starting from the functional foods markets and moving on to different motivators for purchasing and consuming healthy foods. When the consumers have the possibility of making well-informed food choices, this is pivotal, since it contributes decisively to general public health. It is only through the cooperative work of all partners involved, from the concept to successful marketing of health-promoting food products, that the food sector is able to grow in a sustainable way.
- 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.