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- Effect of Biochar on Emission of Greenhouse Gases and Productivity of Cardoon Crop (Cynara cardunculus L.)Publication . Barracosa, Paulo; Cardoso, Isabel; Marques, Francisco; Pinto, António; Oliveira, Jorge; Trindade, Henrique; Rodrigues, P.; Pereira, José L.S.Cardoon could be cropped for agro-environmental, industrial, and pharmaceutical purposes. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of biochar on emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4), and productivity of cardoon crop. A pot experiment was run outdoors from April to August 2018, with a cardoon plant per pot. The following four treatments, with four replicates each, were applied: control, soil only; mineral, soil amended with mineral fertilizer (2.5 g N m−2); biochar, soil amended with biochar (1 kg m−2); and mineral+biochar, soil amended with mineral fertilizer (2.5 g N m−2) and biochar (1 kg m−2). The morphological characteristics and biomass production of cardoon plants were evaluated, and the fluxes of N2O, CO2 and CH4 were measured by using the closed chamber technique. The application of biochar combined with mineral reduced N2O emissions by 36% and global warming potential (GWP) by 26% relative to mineral. However, the cumulative CO2 and CH4 emissions as well as yield-scaled GWP were not significantly different among amended soil treatments. Furthermore, the biomass production was increased by 50% by the application of biochar combined with mineral fertilizer relative to mineral. It was concluded that biochar combined with mineral fertilizer is recommended as a pathway mitigation for agro-environmental purposes, because it reduces the global warming potential and could increase the biomass production of cardoon plants.
- A Biomassa Verde e Lenhosa dos Espaços Urbanos como Fonte Energética para os Edifícios Públicos da Cidade de ViseuPublication . Viana, Helder Filipe dos Santos; Pinto, Nuno; Costa, Daniela; Barracosa, PauloA biomassa gerada pelos espaços verdes urbanos constitui uma fonte de resíduos significativa que, muitas vezes, é direccionada directamente para aterros podendo ser aproveitada para fins energéticos, nomeadamente no aquecimento térmico de alguns edifícios públicos. O presente trabalho apresenta a quantificação da biomassa verde indiferenciada gerada pelos espaços verdes urbanos, depositada nos pontos de recolha específicos, e da biomassa lenhosa proveniente das podas realizadas nas árvores existentes na cidade de Viseu. Simultaneamente, estimam-se as necessidades energéticas (eléctricas e térmicas), no Verão e Inverno, dos principais edifícios públicos da cidade. A quantificação dos resíduos produzidos anualmente foi avaliada por inquéritos às empresas responsáveis pelas podas das árvores da cidade, à autarquia e ao centro de tratamento dos resíduos sólidos urbanos, para o período de 2004 a 2007. Fez-se também a estimativa a partir da caracterização dendrométrica do parque arbóreo existente, a qual serviu para comparar e validar os resultados obtidos. As necessidades energéticas médias anuais foram estimadas a partir do inquérito realizado, no período entre 2004 e 2006, em 49 edifícios públicos como escolas, unidades de saúde, edifícios da autarquia, entre outros. Os resultados mostram que as necessidades térmicas médias anuais dos edifícios estudados rondam os 109.245,78 GJ. A biomassa produzida ronda as 106,5 t/ano de resíduos lenhosos e 103,3 t/ano de resíduos verdes, os quais foram convertidos em valores de energia. A biomassa unicamente lenhosa poderia suprir cerca de 10,3% das necessidades térmicas de Inverno, das 19 escolas levantadas nestes estudo. Dado que muita da biomassa produzida na cidade não é contabilizada, uma vez que é depositada juntamente com os resíduos sólidos urbanos, o potencial energético destes resíduos poderia ser muito superior.
- Effect of Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis (DC) in inflammatory bowel diseasePublication . Mateus, Vanessa; Estarreja, João; Silva, Inês Filipa Janeiro; Barracosa, Paulo; Teixeira de Lemos, Edite; Pinto, RuiCynara cardunculus L. var. altilis (DC) is a plant generally associated as an ingredient in the Mediterranean diet. The polyphenols present in this plant provide pharmacological and nutritional properties. C. cardunculus L. has been used throughout animal studies, which demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Since there is not a known cure, the research of new possible pharmacological approaches is essential. This study aims to evaluate the effect of an aqueous extract of C. cardunculus L. dry leaves in a 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis model. Methods: CD-1 mice with TNBS-induced colitis received an intraperitoneal (IP) administration of C. cardunculus L. once per day for 4 days. Results: The C. cardunculus L. demonstrated a beneficial effect in this experimental model of IBD with anti-inflammatory action through the reduction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels. It also demonstrated a beneficial influence on the extra-intestinal manifestations related to IBD, with the absence of significant side effects of its use. Conclusions: The extract of C. cardunculus L. dry leaves can become an interesting tool for new possible pharmacological approaches in the management of IBD.
- Influence of Nitrogen Application and Drip Irrigation on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Yield of Cardoon Crop (Cynara cardunculus L.)Publication . Barracosa, Paulo; Antunes, Manuela; Marques, Francisco; Pinto, António; Oliveira, Jorge; Trindade, Henrique; Pereira, José L.S.Background: Cardoon is a multi-purpose crop with a wide spectrum of potential applications. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of nitrogen (N) application and drip irrigation practices on emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) and morphological characterization and biomass production of cardoon crop. Methods: The experiment was run under field conditions from April to August 2018. The field experiment was a randomized complete block design with three replications and four treatments: (i) non-amended soil as control (CONTR); (ii) mineral N fertilizer and non-irrigated (NITRO); (iii) non-fertilized and drip irrigation (IRRIG); and (iv) mineral N fertilizer and drip irrigation by fertigation (FERTI). The fluxes of N2O, CO2 and CH4 were measured by the closed chamber technique and the morphological characteristics and yield of cardoon plants were evaluated per treatment. Results: Results showed that the N2O emissions and global warming potential were not significantly different among the application of mineral N fertilizer itself or by drip fertigation with an emission rate of 0.5% of N applied and -6,8 t CO2-eq. ha-1. The characteristics related to biomass production did not differ significantly (p>0.05) between amended treatments although numerically higher in IRRIG treatment. Conclusion: It was concluded that the application of mineral N fertilizer itself or drip fertigation had no significant effect on N2O emissions and global warming potential. Additionally, the plant growth, including biomass production, increased due to drip irrigation, but not significantly.
- Analysis of factors influencing the physical, chemical and sensorial properties of Serra da Estrela cheesesPublication . Guiné, Raquel; Tenreiro, Marlene I. C.; Correia, Ana C.; Correia, Paula; Barracosa, PauloThe objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical, color, textural, and sensorial characteristics of Serra da Estrela cheese and also to identity the factors affecting these properties, namely thistle ecotype, place of production, dairy and maturation. The results demon- strated that the cheeses lost weight mostly during the first stage of maturation, which was negatively correlated with moisture content, being this also observed for fat and protein contents. During maturation the cheeses became darker and with a yellowish coloration. A strong corre- lation was found between ash and chlorides contents, being the last directly related to the added salt in the manufacturing process. The flesh firmness showed a strong positive correlation with the rind harness and the firmness of inner paste. Stickiness was strongly related with all the other textural properties being indicative of the creamy nature of the paste. Adhesiveness was posi- tively correlated with moisture content and negatively correlated with maturation time. The trained panelists liked the cheeses, giving high overall assessment scores, but these were not significantly correlated with the physicochemical properties. The salt differences between cheeses were not evident for the panelists, which was corroborated by the absence of correlation between the perception of saltiness and the analyzed chlorides con- tents. The Factorial Analysis of the chemical and physical properties evidenced that they could be explained by two factors, one associated to the texture and the color and the other associated with the chemical properties. Finally, there was a clear influence of the thistle ecotype, place of production and dairy factors in the analyzed properties.
- Instrumental methods as strategic supporting tools for systematic biochemical analysis of serra da estrela sheep milk.Publication . Oliveira, Jorge; Lemos, Carlota; Brito, Manuel; Pinto, António; Coutinho, Rui Coutinho; Barracosa, Paulo; Coelho, Catarina; Dinis, RuiSerra da Estrela sheep crude milk is mandatory for the PDO Serra da Estrela (SE) cheese production. The production system implies the need for systematic knowledge of the values of useful matter (fat and protein) to produce cheese. The knowledge of somatic cell count (SCC) allows to predict the mammary health status of ewes as well as make decisions on the use of crude milk for human consumption, through its transformation into cheese. The need for simple, fast and reliable methodologies for the determination of this parameters is fundamental for the sustainability of this productive sector through milk recording procedure for animal genetic evaluation, as well for the previous analysis of the bulk milk, before the process of elaboration of the PDO SE cheese. Two sets of milk samples were collected: 50 individual samples of Serra da Estrela ewes’ milk from 2 farms for analysis of SCC and 53 samples of Serra da Estrela ewes’ milk (16 individual samples and 37 samples of bulk milk) for analysis of fat and protein contents (Fat% and Prot%). Duplicates of samples were simultaneously analyzed by reference and instrumental methodologies (DCC De Laval optical reader and FT-NIR MasterTM from Büchi) as reliable alternatives for parameters evaluation for the SE sheep milk. The results showed a significant agreement between the pairs of values (type of methodologies) for all parameters, with correlations between 0.925 (Prot%) and 0.960 (SCC) (p<0.001). The linear regressions for the pairs of data of the three parameters studied presented a strong adjustment (with the coefficients of determination between 0.856 and 0.921). The findings showed that both instrumental methodologies applied can be used as alternative to count somatic cells and evaluate fat and protein contents of SE sheep milk and will be useful as strategic measuring devices for milk farmers and cheesemakers.
- Insights into the phenolic composition and in vitro bioactivity of cardoon capitulum: A nutraceutical-oriented valorization studyPublication . Mandim, Filipa; Pinela, José; Marcelino, Sandra; Barracosa, Paulo; Ivanova, Marija; Dias, Maria Inês; Soković, Marina; Celestino, Santos-Buelga; Lillian, BarrosThe capitulum constituents (stigma, corolla, bracts, pappus, and receptacle) of seven cardoon cultivars were studied for their polyphenolic composition and bioactive properties. Fifteen phenolic compounds were identified, secoiridoid, secoxyloganin, and apigenin-O-hexuronoside in higher concentrations. The bracts had the highest concentration of phenolic compounds, and the corolla had the greatest variety. The corolla of F4-1-4 and F1-34-1 cultivars, and bracts of F1-1-1, F1-19-4, and F4-37-1 cultivars revealed the greatest capacity to inhibit the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances formation (IC50 of 38 and 40.4 µg/mL, respectively). The corolla of F1-34-1 cultivar showed higher antihaemolytic activity than the positive control Trolox (IC50 5.5 vs. 20 µg/mL). Bracts of the F4-25-2 cultivar showed higher cytotoxic activity. No hepatotoxicity or anti-inflammatory effects were presented by the studied samples. These bioactivities exhibit a significative correlation with phenolic compounds, in particular flavonoids. Antimicrobial capacity was also observed, with all samples presenting higher antifungal potential than positive controls.
- Cardo MáximoPublication . Barracosa, Paulo
- Influence of cardoon flower (cynara cardunculus L.) and flock lactation stage in PDO Serra da Estrela cheesePublication . Fogeiro, Élia; Barracosa, Paulo; Oliveira, Jorge; Ferreira Wessel, DulcineiaSerra da Estrela (SE) cheese is one of the most appreciated Portuguese cheeses, being produced only from raw ewe's milk, cardoon flower and salt. Cardoon takes part in two important processes in cheese production-coagulation and proteolysis-contributing to its unique features. Furthermore, milk chemical characteristics change during the milking season, being another factor that account for the high variability of cheese attributes. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to study the influence of cardoon flower (commercial, 6 M and 3 M) and flock lactation stage (November 2018, February and April 2019) in the final characteristics of SE cheese. The parameters analysed were moisture, protein, fat and salt contents, texture and colour. Results showed that flock lactation stage has the highest influence in all the studied characteristics, corresponding the early stages of lactation to the most protein-rich and low-fat cheeses. Cardoon flower affects mainly fat and rind colour. This study allows us to conclude that seasonal changes in ewe's milk have a considerable impact in cheese attributes, and that although cardoon type had a more restrained effect, when used with expertise it may help adjust cheese sensory characteristics in order to obtain a final product that matches consumer acceptability requirements.