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Food from the wild—roles and values of wild edible plants and fungi
Publication . Catarino, Luis; Romeiras, Maria Manuel; Fernandes, Ângela
Pine Nutshells and Their Biochars as Sources of Chemicals, Fuels, Activated Carbons, and Electrode Materials
Publication . Sen, Umut; Rodrigues, João F. G.; Almeida, Daiana; Fernandes, Ângela; Gonçalves, Margarida; Martins, Marta; Santos, Diogo M. F.; Pereira, Helena
Pine nutshells (PNSs) are lignocellulosic waste materials with limited use in domestic
heating. However, a biorefinery approach may be applied to fractionate PNSs and produce chemicals,
materials, and improved solid fuels. In this study, we fractionated PNSs and produced antioxidant
extracts, lignins, polysaccharides, chars, and activated carbons and analyzed their potential applica-
tions. Pyrolytic kinetic modeling as an alternative method to chemical fractionation was also tested.
The results showed that the PNS contains low amounts of extracts with weak thiobarbituric acid
reactive substances (TBARS) antioxidant properties, while its lignin content is remarkable (50.5%).
Pyrolytic kinetic modeling was comparable to wet chemical analysis for estimating lignin yield.
Moderate-temperature pyrolysis of the PNS resulted in a 23% char yield. The PNS chars showed
improved fuel characteristics, retained 36% water, and leached 151 mg/L potassium into the water.
The steam activation of PNS biochars at 750 ◦C resulted in oxygen-enriched activated carbons with
specific surface areas up to 467 m2/g. The overall results indicate promising biochar applications of
the PNS for soil amendment and supercapacitor uses.
Exploring the Bioactive Properties of Hydroethanolic Cork Extracts of Quercus cerris and Quercus suber
Publication . Sen, Ali Umut; Almeida, Daiana; Silveira, Tayse F. F. da; Pires, Tânia S. P.; Añibarro-Ortega, Mikel; Mandim, Filipa; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C. F. R.; Pereira, Helena; Fernandes, Ângela
The bioactive properties of underutilized corks such as Quercus cerris cork and planted
Quercus suber cork in the Eastern Mediterranean are not well-known but are crucial in developing
lignocellulosic biorefineries. To assess their biological potential, hydroethanolic cork extracts of Quer-
cus cerris and Quercus suber were analyzed for phenolic composition, antioxidant, antiproliferative,
antimicrobial activities, and hepatoxicity, as well as NO-production inhibition. Here, we show that
a mild hydroethanolic extraction of Q. cerris and Q. suber corks yielded 3% phenolic extracts. The
phenolic composition was similar in both cork extracts, with phenolic acids and ellagitannins as the
primary compounds. The bioactivity of hydroethanolic cork extracts from Q. cerris surpassed that of
Q. suber and showed effectiveness against all cancer cell lines tested. This first comprehensive study
on the bioactivities of different corks involves detailed characterizations of phenolic compounds of
cork extracts using UPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn, evaluations of the antioxidant properties with TBARS and
OxHLIA methods, evaluation of antiproliferative activity against gastric (AGS), lung (NCI-H460),
colon (CaCo2), and breast cancer (MCF7) cell lines, as well as evaluations of hepatotoxicity and
NO-production inhibition. The findings from this study will help bolster the potential of using
underutilized cork-rich barks as a valuable resource in bark-based biorefineries.
Using Analytic Hierarchy Process to Assess Beekeeping Suitability in Portuguese Controlled Areas: A First Approach
Publication . Roque, Natália; Fernandez, Paulo; Silveira, Carlos; Vilas-Boas, Miguel; Anjos, Ofélia
Beekeeping management is greatly influenced by spatial factors (e.g., land use/land cover,
roads, or electrical energy networks), so GIS are a powerful tool to overlap and relate a variety of spa-
tial data levels and, consequently, a very useful tool for beekeeping activity planning. This study was
developed within the intervention area of three controlled zones managed by Portuguese Beekeepers
Associations. The methodology, based on multi-criteria decision analysis, integrates several criteria,
such as hydrographic networks, road networks, soil occupation, solar radiation, and electromagnetic
radiation sources. These criteria were proposed and evaluated through online questionnaires carried
out with beekeepers. Concerning the selected criteria and the respective geographical data, the
most relevant were land use/land cover and water availability, with a significance of 44% and 24%,
respectively. The beekeeping suitability map enabled us to evaluate the degree of compliance for the
actual location of apiaries, with 60% of the apiaries being installed in high potential areas. In the
context of beekeeping planning, the potential of the techniques applied seems to be an important tool
for optimizing the location of apiaries and the profitability of beekeeping.
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Funding agency
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Funding programme
Concurso para Atribuição do Estatuto e Financiamento de Laboratórios Associados (LA)
Funding Award Number
LA/P/0007/2020