GreenUPorto - Research Center in Sustainable Agri-food Production

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Novel approach for a controlled delivery of essential Oils during long-term maize storage: clove bud and pennyroyal oils efficacy to control sitophilus zeamais, reducing grain damage and post-harvest losses

Publication . Sousa, Pedro A. S.; Neto, Joana; Barbosa, Joana V.; Peres, Joana; Magro, Ana; Barros, Graça; Sousa, José M.; Magalhães, Fernão D.; Mexia, António; Aguiar, Ana A. R. M.; Bastos, Margarida M. S. M.

Maize grains represent a significant contribution for assuring food safety all over the globe. Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), also known as the maize weevil, is one of the most destructive pests in stored maize, causing qualitative and quantitative losses. To control S. zeamais populations in maize storage sites, synthetical chemical insecticides are applied. However, these are often used wastefully, have environmental implications, and can induce the development of resistant populations. In this work, the insecticidal and grain protecting efficacy of an innovative macro-capsule delivery device, loaded with essential oils from Clove bud and Pennyroyal, as well as their combined solutions, was tested against naturally S. zeamais-infested maize grains. The blend of both compounds incorporated in a controlled release device reduced losses by more than 45% over a long storage period of twenty weeks, diminishing the survivability of maize weevils by over 90%. The usage of the blend at a concentration of 370 L L􀀀1 air with an antioxidant showed the best results, however, by halving the concentration 185 L L􀀀1 air , a significant control of S. zeamais populations was still achieved.

2023-04Journal article

Open access

Application of the CATA methodology with children: Qualitative approach on ballot development and product characterization of innovative products

Publication . Rocha, Célia; Ribeiro, José Carlos; Lima, Rui Costa; Prista, Catarina; Raymundo, Anabela; Vaz Patto, Maria Carlota; Cunha, Luís Miguel

There is an increasing importance of the role of children and adolescents in the food market and to successfully develop food products intended for them, it is necessary to apply proper sensory evaluation methodologies. Although children can execute traditional methods for food liking and preference evaluation, traditional sensory descriptive methods may not be suitable for them and it is necessary to assess their ability to perform novel sensory profiling methods. Thus, this study aimed to assess children’s acceptance of an innovative food product – cookies incorporating fermented grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) flour – and their ability to describe a sensory profile using a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) approach. Two different types of cookies (salty and sweet) were developed, differing in the level of substitution of wheat flour by fermented grass pea flour (between 0 and 40%). The cookies were evaluated by two sensory panels of 60 children (8–12 years), who assessed the overall liking using a 7-point facial hedonic scale and the sensory profile of the samples using a CATA ballot with 21 sensory terms previously developed through focus groups with children. Children showed the ability to discriminate the different samples with the hedonic scale and according to their sensory profile. Results revealed that the focusgroup with children is an adequate way to generate CATA ballots and that the CATA approach is adequate to evaluate how children discriminate the sensory profile of food products. Furthermore, the food neophobia level of the children negatively impacted their acceptance of the food products

2021Journal article

Open access