Center for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies

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Effect of olive pomace extract application and packaging material on the preservation of fresh-cut Royal Gala apples

Publication . Madureira, Joana; Melgar, Bruno; Delgado Alves, Vitor; Moldão, Margarida; Margaça, Fernanda M. A.; Santos-Buelga, Celestino; Barros, Lillian; Cabo Verde, Sandra

The efficiency of natural olive pomace extracts for enhancing the quality of fresh-cut appleswas compared with commercial ascorbic acid and two different packaging films (biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) and oriented polypropylene (OPP)) were tested. The composition of atmosphere inside the packages, the physicochemical parameters (firmness, weight loss and color), the microbial load, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of fresh-cut apples were evaluated throughout 12 days of storage at 4 C. After 12 days of refrigerated storage, a significant decrease in O2 was promoted in PLA films, and the weight loss of the whole packaging was higher in PLA films (5.4%) than in OPP films (0.2%). Natural olive pomace extracts reduced the load of mesophilic bacteria (3.4 0.1 log CFU/g and 2.4 0.1 log CFU/g for OPP and PLA films, respectively) and filamentous fungi (3.3 0.1 log CFU/g and 2.44 0.05 log CFU/g for OPP and PLA films, respectively) growth in fresh-cut apples after five days of storage at 4 C, and no detection of coliforms was verified throughout the 12 days of storage. In general, the olive pomace extract preserved or improved the total phenolic index and antioxidant potential of the fruit, without significant changes in their firmness. Moreover, this extract seemed to be more effective when combined with the biodegradable PLA film packaging. This work can contribute to the availability of effective natural food additives, the sustainability of the olive oil industries and the reduction of environmental impact. It can also be useful in meeting the food industries requirements to develop new functional food products.

2023-05Journal article

Open access

Chalcolithic copper production and use in the western end of the Iberian Peninsula: the testimony of Castro de Chibanes (Portugal)

Publication . Valério, Pedro; Soares, Joaquina; Alves, Luís C.; Silva, Rui J.C.; Araújo, Maria de Fátima; Silva, Carlos Tavres da

Recent archaeological excavations identified a prehistoric occupation at Castro de Chibanes (Setúbal Peninsula, Portugal) displaying ceramic crucibles and metal artefacts in stratigraphic levels assigned to 2500–1900 cal BC. Apart from basic tools such as flat axes and awls, the collection includes ceramic crucibles, with emphasis to an uncommon example with a pouring lip and four feet. The studied set was completed with metal prills and artefacts from neighbouring Chalcolithic settlements of Rotura and Pedrão. The studied collection was characterised by chemical and microstructural techniques (p-EDXRF, micro-PIXE, optical microscopy and SEM-EDS). Overall, the results point to a local production of copper with variable arsenic contents, agreeing with the composition of artefacts (Cu with 0.14 to 4.4 wt% As), whose post-casting manufacture included hammering and annealing (recrystallized grains and annealing twins), although with incipient conditions that prevented a full compositional homogenisation. These results were compared with the Chalcolithic metallurgy of southwestern Iberian Peninsula, allowing to integrate the Setúbal Peninsula region into a wider context of metal production and use during the 3rd millennium BC. Finally, a supposed Bell Beaker “tanged dagger” was found to be composed by a leaded bronze alloy with a worked microstructure exhibiting Cu-Fe sulphides with high Se contents. The contradiction between analytical features and ancient chronology led to a revision of the typology and chronology of this bronze, showing the importance of the integration of analytical and archaeological research.

2023Journal article

Restricted access

Bioburden in sleeping environments from Portuguese dwellings

Publication . Viegas, Carla; Dias, Marta; Monteiro, Ana; Faria, Tiago; Lage, Joana; Carolino, Elisabete; Caetano, Liliana Aranha; Gomes, Anita Q.; Almeida, Susana Marta; Verde, Sandra Cabo; Belo, Joana; Canha, Nuno

A wider characterization of indoor air quality during sleep is still lacking in the literature. This study intends to assess bioburden before and after sleeping periods in Portuguese dwellings through active methods (air sampling) coupled with passive methods, such as electrostatic dust cloths (EDC); and investigate associations between before and after sleeping and bioburden. In addition, and driven by the lack of information regarding fungi azole-resistance in Portuguese dwellings, a screening with supplemented media was also performed. The most prevalent genera of airborne bacteria identified in the indoor air of the bedrooms were Micrococcus (41%), Staphylococcus (15%) and Neisseria (9%). The major indoor bacterial species isolated in all ten studied bedrooms were Micrococcus luteus (30%), Staphylococcus aureus (13%) and Micrococcus varians (11%). Our results highlight that our bodies are the source of the majority of the bacteria found in the indoor air of our homes. Regarding air fungal contamination, Chrysosporium spp. presented the highest prevalence both in after the sleeping period (40.8%) and before the sleeping period (28.8%) followed by Penicillium spp. (23.47% morning; 23.6% night) and Chrysonilia spp. (12.4% morning; 20.3% night). Several Aspergillus sections were identified in air and EDC samples. However, none of the fungal species/strains (Aspergillus sections Fumigati, Flavi, Nidulantes and Circumdati) were amplified by qPCR in the analyzed EDC. The correlations observed suggest reduced susceptibility to antifungal drugs of some fungal species found in sleeping environments. Toxigenic fungal species and indicators of harmful fungal contamination were observed in sleeping environments.

2021Journal article

Restricted access

The materialization of an iconography: a LBA/EIA metallic representation of an “anchoriform” or “anchor idol” (?) from the Fraga dos Corvos habitat site (Eastern Trás-os-Montes, Portugal)

Publication . Senna-Martínez, João Carlos; Luís, Elsa; Mendes, Carlos; Valério, Pedro; Araújo, Maria de Fátima; Soares, António M. Monge

A metallic artefact recorded in a LBA/EIA context in Northern Portugal, which can be one of the first known material representations of the so-called Southwestern Bronze Age “anchoriform” or “anchor idol”, is presented. The artefact comes from an intrusive LBA/EIA context into a MBA level at the hilltop settlement of Fraga dos Corvos (Macedo de Cavaleiros, Bragança, Northern Portugal). It is made of a ternary bronze alloy (Cu-Sn-Pb), consequently integrating the impressive Fraga dos Corvos collection of bronze artefacts currently known, whose affiliation, whether typological or in terms of chemical composition, should be mostly sought in Southwestern Iberian Peninsula. The significance of the presence of such artefact in this archaeological site is discussed, taking into account that it is chronologically and geographically far away from its cultural source.

2022Journal article

Open access