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- Edible Insects: Perceptions of Marketing, Economic, and Social Aspects among Citizens of Different CountriesPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Correia, Paula; Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Esteves, Bruno; Ferreira, Manuela; Fragata, Anabela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, Ofélia; Bartkiene, Elena; Djekic, Ilija; Matran, Irina M.; Čulin, Jelena; Klava, Dace; Chuck-Hernández, Cristina; Korzeniowska, Malgorzata; Boustani, Nada M.; Papageorgiou, Maria; Gutiérrez, Bernardo Prieto; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Damarli, Emel; Ferreira, VanessaBecause edible insects (EI) have been, in recent years, recommended as a nutritious animal protein food with enormous environmental advantages over other sources of animal protein for human consumption, studies aimed at investigating the consumer perspective have become more prominent. Hence, this study intended to examine the perceptions of participants from different countries about the commercialization and economic and social impacts of edible insects. The study was made using a questionnaire survey, and data were collected in Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey. The final number of received answers was 7222 participants. For the treatment of the results, different statistical techniques were used: factor analysis, internal reliability by Cronbach’s alpha, cluster analysis, ANOVA to test differences between groups, and Chi-square tests. The results obtained confirmed the validity of the scale, constituted by 12 out of the 14 items initially considered, distributed by 4 factors: the first related to the economic impact of EIs, the second related to the motivation for consumption of EIs, the third related to the places of purchase of EIs, and the fourth corresponding to a question presented to the participants as a false statement. A cluster analysis allowed identifying three clusters, with significant differences between them according to all the sociodemographic variables tested. Also, it was found that the participants expressed an exceptionally high level of agreement with aspects such as the difficulty in finding EIs on sale, knowledge acting as a strong motivator for EI consumption, and the role of personalities and influencers in increasing the will to consume EIs. Finally, practically all sociodemographic variables were found to be significantly associated with perceptions (country, sex, education, living environment, and income), but not age. In conclusion, the perceptions about EI commercialization were investigated and revealed differences among samples originating from different countries. Moreover, the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were found to be strongly associated with their perceptions.
- Effects of Pre- and Post-Harvest Factors on the Selected Elements Contents in Fruit JuicesPublication . Paula, Francisco; Guiné, Raquel; Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Duarte, Armando; Fragata, Anabela; Reis, ManuelPre- and post-harvest factors determine the levels of the selected risk elements in100% fruit juices. The juices samples closely followed the Brix international reference values. Fruit juices presented the following order of the elements mean concentrations: cadmium (1.597 μg/l), chromium (2.767 μg/l), lead (20.75 μg/l), nickel (73.37 μg/l), zinc (545.9 μg/l), and iron (1792 μg/l), measured by AAS. The pre-harvest factors (origin, fruit, and agriculture) and the post-harvest factors (blending, packaging, conservation, pasteurisation, and process) were evaluated according to the manufacturers information and were correlated with the elements concentrations of fruit juices. A strong relationship was detected between the fruit species used for the juice production (i.e. pre-harvest factor) and their elements concentrations. Furthermore, multiple correspondence analysis was used for reducing the data dimension by grouping the factors. The zinc concentration was detected as a potential proxy for the identification of the fruit juices manufacturing process.
- Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Cherry Seeds: A Preliminary StudyPublication . Dulyanska, Yuliya; Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Esteves, Bruno; Ferreira, José; Domingos, Idalina; Lima, Maria João; Correia, Paula; Ferreira, Manuela; Fragata, Anabela; Barroca, Maria João; Moreira da Silva, Aida; Guiné, Raquel P. F.Agri-food waste has proved to be a valuable bioresource that can be used to obtain a variety of valuable materials, ingredients and chemicals. The optimum conditions for extracting bioactive compounds from sweet cherry seeds (SCS) with different solvents and temperatures were tested in this work. The choice criteria were based on the most efficient extracting capacity while looking for cleaner techniques with lower health or environmental impacts. Some extracting solvents (methanol, ethanol and water) were tested in different combinations and temperatures. The obtained extracts were evaluated for total phenolic compounds and some families of phenolics as well, using spectrophotometric methods. The results obtained showed that the highest extraction of total phenolic compounds was at 70 °C with 60:40 ratio water:ethanol (2.65 mg GAE/g), while maximum flavonoids were obtained at 80 °C and 50% ethanolic aqueous solution (7.26 mg QE/g). The highest value for ortho-diphenols was 21.47 mg GAE/g for 50 °C and water:ethanol 50:50 solution. The highest proanthocyanidins and flavonols were obtained for 50:50 solution at 70 °C (6.43 mg CE/g and 3.88 mg QE/g, respectively), while the same solution at 80 °C allowed obtaining maximum phenolic acids (1.68 mg CAE/g). The extraction of anthocyanins was found to vary significantly with concentration and temperature, being highest in the range 35–40 °C, when using an 80:20 water:ethanol solution. Hierarchical clustering showed three clusters, while factor analysis resulted in two factors and four groups of samples. In conclusion, it was found that extracts obtained from sweet cherry seeds have relevant bioactive compounds with applications in the food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries.
- The impact of extraction temperature and solution concentration on the antioxidant activity of sweet cherry seeds’ extractsPublication . Dulyanska, Y.; Cunha, Margarida; Lima, M. J.; Correia, Paula; Ferreira, Manuela; Fragata, Anabela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Barroca, Maria João; Silva, A.; Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Esteves, Bruno; Ferreira, José; Domingos, Idalina; Guiné, Raquel P. F.Sweet cherry seeds, a valuable lignin-cellulose raw material for the production of polyurethane foams 1, are also a significant source of different phenolic compounds 2 and can be a good source of natural antioxidants, which can play an important role in preventing the formation of free radicals and protection against degenerative diseases. Considering sustainability, the main objective of this project was the use of cherry by-products (seeds) to produce extracts rich in antioxidant compounds. In this work, the seed extracts were obtained with the addition of different combinations of ethanolic solution (water:ethanol ratios - 50:50; 60:40; 80:20; 100:0 v:v) and at different temperatures (35, 50, 70 and 80 °C), all under magnetic stirring for 40 minutes. Then, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated through spectrophotometric methods, using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulfonic acid)) radicals, and also the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power Assay (FRAP). All measurements were replicated at least in triplicates and were expressed as mg Trolox equivalents per gram (mg TE/g). Statistical analysis was performed using the JAVA software. ANOVA tests show that there is a statistically significant effect of temperature, water percentage and temperature on the antioxidant activity evaluated by the three methods used (p> 0.001 in all tests). The percentage of water is the variable that most contributes to this effect. Individual Post Hoc comparisons show, for all tests, that in general the temperatures induce differences in antioxidant activity, except 70 °C and 80 °C in DPPH and FRAP, and 80 °C and 50 °C in ABTS. Regarding the percentage of water, it was found that all samples are different from each other, except the FRAP, in which no significant differences between 50 and 60% of water were found. In conclusion, no major differences between the ABTS, DPPH and FRAP methods were found. Temperature and percentage of water have a significant effect on the concentration of antioxidant activity in all methods. In that way, the cherry pit is a good by-product to produce extracts with high content of antioxidant activity, being that the 70° C with 50:50 and 60:40 water:ethanol solutions are the most favorable conditions to potentiate the antioxidant activity.
- Edible Insects: Consumption, Perceptions, Culture and Tradition Among Adult Citizens from 14 CountriesPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Florença, Sofia De Guiné E; Costa, Cristina Amaro Da; Correia, Paula; Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Esteves, Bruno; Ferreira, Manuela; Fragata, Anabela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Campos, Sofia; Anjos, Ofélia; Boustani, Nada M.; Bartkiene, Elena; Chuck-Hernández, Cristina; Djekic, Ilija; Tarcea, Monica; Sarić, Marijana Matek; Kruma, Zanda; Korzeniowska, Malgorzata; Papageorgiou, Maria; Árias, Leticia González; Černelič-Bizjak, Maša; Damarli, Emel; Ferreira, Vanessa; Bayraktaroğlu, Emre; Arpa, Fatmanur OzyurekAlthough edible insects (EIs) are encouraged as a sustainable source of protein, their consumption is not as generalised as other types of food that are internationally accepted. While in some regions of the world, EIs are part of the gastronomic and cultural traditions, in other regions, people are not so receptive to this type of food, and some people even express some disgust towards it. Hence, this research focused on the habits of the participants regarding the consumption of insects as well as their perceptions about EIs being or not a part of the local culture or gastronomic patrimony. A questionnaire survey was implemented in fourteen countries (Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey), and globally, 7222 adult participants responded to the questionnaire. SPSS software (version 28) was used to process the data and carry out chi-square tests and Factor Analyses (FA). The obtained results showed significant differences between countries for all the questions included in the survey, either those regarding the habits of the participants or their opinions about the facts linked with EI tradition or cultural aspects. It was found that participants from Mexico consume EIs more than in all other countries and that strong motivations that would lead to consumption among those who do not consume include curiosity and food shortage. The solution obtained with FA considering the ten statements of the scale consisted of two factors: F1—Culture and Tradition of EIs (α = 0.675) and F2—Acceptance of EIs (α = 0.614). In conclusion, the consumption of EIs and the perceptions of people are highly variable according to geographic location and cultural environment.
- Effects of pre- and post-harvest factors on the selected elements contents in fruit juicesPublication . Paula, F.J.A.; Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Duarte A.C., A.C.; Fragata, Anabela; Reis, M.A.LPre- and post-harvest factors determine the levels of the selected risk elements in100% fruit juices. The juices samples closely followed the Brix international reference values. Fruit juices presented the following order of the elements mean concentrations: cadmium (1.597 μg/l), chromium (2.767 μg/l), lead (20.75 μg/l), nickel (73.37 μg/l), zinc (545.9 μg/l), and iron (1792 μg/l), measured by AAS. The pre-harvest factors (origin, fruit, and agriculture) and the post-harvest factors (blending, packaging, conservation, pasteurisation, and process) were evaluated according to the manufacturers information and were correlated with the elements concentrations of fruit juices. A strong relationship was detected between the fruit species used for the juice production (i.e. pre-harvest factor) and their elements concentrations. Furthermore, multiple correspondence analysis was used for reducing the data dimension by grouping the factors. The zinc concentration was detected as a potential proxy for the identification of the fruit juices manufacturing process.
- Chemical Composition and Optimization of Liquefaction Parameters of Cytisus scoparius (Broom)Publication . Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Almeida, Daniela; Dulyanska, Yuliya; Domingos, Idalina; Ferreira, José; Fragata, Anabela; Esteves, BrunoInvasive plants spread in such a way that they are threats to native species and to biodiversity. In this context, this work aims to determine possible valorizations of Scotch Broom Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link. This species harvested in the Viseu region was used in the present study. The eco-valorization of these renewable resources was made by conversion into liquid mixtures that can later be used in the manufacture of valuable products. For a better understanding of the results obtained, a chemical characterization of the Cytisus scoparius branches (CsB) was made. The ash content, extractives in dichloromethane, ethanol and water, lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose of the initial material were determined. Liquefaction was made in a reactor with different granulometry, temperatures and time. Results show that Broom is mainly composed of cellulose (36.1%), hemicelluloses (18.6%) and lignin (14.6%) with extractives mainly soluble in ethanol, followed by water and a small amount in dichloromethane. Ashes were around 0.69%, mainly composed of potassium and calcium. Generally, smaller size, higher solvent ratio, higher temperature and higher time of liquefaction lead to higher liquefaction. The highest percentage of liquefaction was 95% which is better than most of the lignocellulosic materials tested before.
- Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of extracts obtained form cherry seeds.Publication . Dulyanska, Y.; Cruz-Lopes, Luísa; Esteves, Bruno; Ferreira, José; Domingos, Idalina; Lima, M. J. Reis; Correia, Paula; Ferreira, Manuela; Fragata, Anabela; Barroca, Maria João; Silva, A. M.; Guiné, Raquel P. F.Annual cherry production in Portugal is around 19,000 tonnes, in an area of about 6,450 ha and covering about 11,100 farms, concentrated in some northern and central interior territories. It is also in these regions that in recent decades there has been a significant increase in farms specialized in the production of cherry, using new cultivars and new technologies in a business production model. Apart from being consumed in fresh form, cherries are used for many food preparations, like sweets, jellies or confectionary. In the plants that transform cherries, a significant amount of cherry seeds (also called cherry pits) is generated as residue or waste. The possible usage of these residues as raw material for extraction of compounds with antioxidant properties is beneficial in term of economic value as well as environmental impact. Hence, the objective of this work was to obtain extract rich in compounds with antioxidant activity from cherry seeds. The cherry seeds were obtained from a local waste management company, Nutrofertil, located in Tondela, in the district of Viseu (Portugal). They were grinded and then submitted to extraction procedures testing different operating conditions: magnetic stirrer versus ultrasound, different solvents (methanol, ethanol, water) and temperatures (from 35 ºC to 80 ºC). For the obtained extracts antioxidant activity was evaluated through spectrophotometric methods, using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulfonic acid)) radicals, and also the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power Assay (FRAP). All measurements were replicated at least trice, and were expressed as mg Trolox equivalents per gram (mg TE/g). The results obtained for the different experimental conditions indicated that least efficient extractions at ambient temperature were obtained with methanol using magnetic stirrer and with water using ultrasounds, for which the antioxidant activities measured by the DPPH method were 0.26 and 0.33 mg TE/g and by the ABTS method were 0.82 and 0.86 mg TE/g, respectively. Most efficient methods were water:ethanol (at 50% concentration) and water (100%), using magnetic stirrer in both cases. Highest antioxidant activity was obtained for water:ethanol by the DPPH method (0.72 mg TE/g) and for water (100%) by the ABTS method (1.25 mg TE/g). Tests with different concentrations for the aqueous solutions of ethanol and at different temperatures revealed that with increasing concentration of water the antioxidant diminished, from 0.62 to 0.27 mg TE/g at 35 ºC using the DPPH method. Additionally, the variation in temperature allowed reaching a maximum extraction of compounds with antioxidant activity at 70 ºC and decreasing thereafter. The maximum values obtained were registered at 70 ºC for all cases and were 0.74 mg TE/g for the water:ethanol 50:50 (v/v) by the DPPH method, 2.16 mg TE/g for the water:ethanol 60:40 (v/v) by the ABTS method and 3.43 mg TE/g for the water:ethanol 60:40 (v/v) by the FRAP method. The results obtained by the different methods were concordant in terms of the observed trends but giving different values of the measured antioxidant activity, which is a common characteristic observed in these types of evaluation techniques. This research allowed establishing some operational conditions that should be selected in order to maximize the extraction of compounds with antioxidant activity from cherry seeds. The use of ultrasounds was not found beneficial and the magnetic stirrer technique revealed to be more useful. Also the use of methanol was not found suitable, which is a good point given that this solvent is more pollutant and has more problems of toxicity. With respect to temperature, it was found that temperatures higher than 70 ºC are not beneficial because they induce the degradation of some bioactive compounds thus reducing the antioxidant activity of thee extracts.
- Extração de compostos fenólicos de caroço de cerejaPublication . Dulyanska, Yuliya; Guiné, Raquel P. F.; valente, Luisa; Esteves, Bruno; Ferreira, José; Domingos, Idalina; Correia, Paula; Ferreira, Manuela; Fragata, Anabela; Cardoso, Ana Paula; Barroca, Maria João; Silva, Aida Moreira; Lima, M. J.Os resíduos agroalimentares provaram ser um biorecurso que pode ser usado para obter uma variedade de materiais, ingredientes e produtos químicos valiosos. Neste trabalho foram testadas as condições ótimas para extração de compostos bioativos dos caroços de cereja com diferentes solventes e temperaturas. Os critérios escolhidos basearam-se na capacidade de extração mais eficiente, buscando técnicas mais limpas e com menor impacto no meio ambiente. Alguns solventes de extração foram testados em diferentes combinações e temperaturas. Os extratos obtidos foram avaliados utilizando métodos espectrofotométricos quanto a compostos fenólicos totais, bem como algumas famílias de compostos fenólicos. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a maior extração de compostos fenólicos totais foi a 70°C com razão água:etanol de 60:40 (% v/v) (2,65 mg GAE/g), enquanto os máximos resultados para flavonoides foram obtidos a 80°C e solução aquosa etanólica 50% (7,26 mg QE/g). O maior valor para orto-difenóis foi de 21,47 mg GAE/g para 50°C e solução água:etanol 50:50. As maiores quantidades de proantocianidinas e flavonóis foram obtidas para solução 50:50 a 70 °C (6,43 mg CE/g e 3,88 mg QE/g, respetivamente), enquanto a mesma solução a 80 °C permitiu obter o máximo de ácidos fenólicos (1,68 mg CAE/ g). A extração de antocianinas varia significativamente com a concentração e temperatura, sendo mais alta na faixa de 35-40 °C, quando se utiliza uma solução de água:etanol 80:20. Em conclusão, verificou-se que os extratos de caroços de cereja obtidos possuem compostos bioativos relevantes com aplicações nas indústrias alimentícia, farmacêutica ou cosmética.
- Análise agroecológica de caroços de cereja liquefeitos utilizando FTIR-ATRPublication . Dulyanska, Y.; Esteves, Bruno; Guiné, Raquel; Ferreira, José; Domingos, Idalina; Lopes, Rogério; Lima, Maria; Correia, Paula; Fragata, Anabela; Ferreira, Manuela; Barroca, Maria João; Silva, Aida; Lopes, Luísa P. CruzA agroecologia, combina princípios ecológicos com práticas agrícolas, tem ganho crescente relevância no desenvolvimento de práticas sustentáveis. Esta área valoriza não apenas a produção eficiente de alimentos, mas também a utilização responsável e inovadora dos resíduos agrícolas. Neste contexto, a análise de produtos derivados de cultivos frutícolas, como a caroço de cereja (Prunus avium L.), mostra ser uma área promissora para a identificação de novas estratégias de valor acrescentado. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo analisar o material liquefeito de caroço de cereja doce (Prunus avium L.) e apresentar novas estratégias de valor acrescentado para as possíveis transformações deste produto. Utilizando a espectroscopia FTIR-ATR, foram investigados tanto o material liquefeito quanto os resíduos sólidos resultantes destas liquefações, além do material original de Prunus avium L. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que o material original e o resíduo sólido liquefeito apresentam espectros semelhantes, enquanto as principais diferenças foram observadas entre o material original e o material liquefeito. Estas diferenças indicam potenciais caminhos para o aproveitamento eficiente e sustentável dos resíduos, promovendo a valorização de subprodutos agrícolas e contribuindo para um modelo de produção mais ecológico e economicamente viável. Desta forma, este estudo insere-se na linha de pesquisas que visam fortalecer a sustentabilidade na agricultura, através da inovação e da otimização dos resíduos agrícolas.