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Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). The drying process is an essential thermal process for preserving vegetables and can be used in developing dried products as healthy alternative snacks. The effects of air-drying conditions using a convection dryer with hot air at different temperatures (60◦, 65◦, 70◦, 75◦, and 80◦ C, in the range 5–200 min, at a fixed air speed of 2.3 m/s) were tested on the quality of slices (2.0 ± 0.1 mm) of dried sweet potato (Bellevue PBR). For each time and temperature, drying condition, physicochemical parameters (moisture content, CIELab color, texture parameters, total phenolic and carotenoid contents) and a sensory evaluation by a panel at the last drying period (200 min) were assessed. Drying time was shown to have a more significant effect than temperature on the quality of dried sweet potato as a snack, except for carotenoid content. Given the raw tuber content, thermal degradation (p < 0.05) of total phenolic compounds (about 70%), regardless of tested conditions, contrasted with the higher stability of total carotenoids (

Aims The Iberian oak wood-pastures are unique agroforestry systems supporting high levels of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Small rocky outcrops are geological features commonly found in these systems and constitute biodiversity reservoirs, protecting sensitive species from grazing and farming activities. We aimed to assess the relevance of including rocky outcrop conservation within wood-pastures to increase biodiversity. To achieve this goal, we study the plant communities occurring within the outcrops and in the wood-pasture matrix to evaluate the impact of rocky outcrops on the overall plant taxonomic and functional diversities of these systems. Location Montemor-o-Novo (Alentejo, Portugal). Methods We sampled 102 plant communities occurring in outcrops and in the adjacent wood-pasture matrix and analysed alpha, beta, gamma and functional diversities. We identified the main intrinsic factors affecting outcrop plant composition and their functional groups using Linear (LM) and Generalised Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) and characterised the effect of outcrop size throughout Generalised Additive Models (GAMs). Results We found plant richness to be similar in wood-pasture matrix and outcrops. However, beta diversity analysis revealed a high species turnover between both communities. Functional indices indicated a higher plant functional diversity in outcrops and trait analyses identified three functional groups dissimilarly distributed in both communities: i) perturbation and stress-sensitive plants, with outcrops constituting an important refuge for this group, and ii) grazing-tolerant and iii) weedy herbs dominating the wood-pastures. Finally, we also found increased plant richness in outcrops with a higher length of their minor axis, i.e. wider outcrops, and higher rock cover area. Conclusions Our results indicate that the presence of small rocky outcrops in evergreen oak wood-pastures highly increase their gamma and functional diversities. Consequently, outcrop protection strongly impacts overall wood-pasture biodiversity and underline the suitability of including outcrop conservation as a cost-effective solution capable of increasing biodiversity in these agroforestry systems.

Funding Information: This study had the support of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through the PhD grant awarded to C.A. (SFRH/BD/62211/2009). C.A. also acknowledges financial support from FCT, through the strategic project UIDB/00329/2020 granted to cE3c-Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa. M.A. and M.M.-M. also acknowledge financial support from FCT, through the strategic project UIDB/04129/2020 granted to LEAF-Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food Research Unit. E.M.G. acknowledges financial support from FCT, through the strategic project UIDB/04035/2020 granted to GeoBioTec Research Institute. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, as near-fresh foods, are a quick and easy solution to a healthy and balanced diet. The rapid degradation of nutritional and sensory quality during the processing and storage of a product is critical and plant-type-dependent. The introduction of disruptive technological solutions in fresh-cut processing, which could maintain fresh-like quality with less environmental impact, is an emerging research concept. The application of abiotic stress treatments (heat shock and UV-C) induces metabolic responses and microbial effects in plant tissues, potentially slowing down several quality senescence pathways. The previously selected combined and single effects of heat shock (100 °C/45 s; in the whole root) and UV-C (2.5 kJ/m2) treatments and two packaging conditions (oriented polypropylene (OPP) vs. micro-perforated OPP films) on controlling critical degradation pathways of fresh-cut carrots and on promoting bioactive and sensory quality during storage (5 °C, 14 days) were studied. Among the tested combinations, synergistic effects on the quality retention of fresh-cut carrots were only attained for applying heat shock associated with micro-perforated OPP film packaging. Its effects on reducing (3.3 Log10 CFU/g) the initial contamination and controlling microbiological spoilage (counts below the threshold limit of 7.5 Log10 CFU/g), increasing the bioactive content (38% and 72% in total phenolic content and chlorogenic acid, respectively), and preserving fresh quality attributes prove to be a viable alternative technology for shredded carrot processing. publishersversion published

There is a growing interest in Corema album (L.) D. Don fruits due to the unique white colour, mildly acidic lemony flavour and health-promoting properties associated with its bioactive composition. This study performs a physical–chemical characterisation of cultivated C. album fruits from a multi-origin clonal field. The field comprises ten wild populations with distinct geographical origins, grown under the same edaphoclimatic conditions. We analysed fruits CIELab colour parameters, texture profile (TPA), pH, acidity (TA, g.100 mL−1), soluble solids content (SSC, %) and total phenolic content (TPC, mg CAE.100 g−1). Our results showed differences between fruits physical–chemical attributes. Variation patterns in fruits SSC and hardness suggest that the differences might be related to the original geographical location of the populations. The determined TPC levels in all samples were very encouraging at a bioactive level, ranging from 185.3 to 355.6 mg CAE.100 g−1. Fruits from Mira and Pego populations stood out from the ten geographical provenances. Mira fruit samples had higher sweetness and lower acidity, while the Pego ones had firmer fruits and higher phenolic content. The multi-origin clonal field allowed us to offer an interesting scientific comparative background, highlighting the large potential of these berries for introduction in the commercial market. Not only our results support the potential of white crowberry as a new crop; the detected differences also indicate a hidden capacity for small fruit market diversification.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors express their gratitude to Campotec SA for their support in developing this study, in particular given the raw material needed to produce the pulps. Joaquina Pinheiro acknowledges the financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), through the PhD grant (SFRH/BD/24913/2005) and the strategic project UIDB/04292/2020 granted to MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria and European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), through the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Programme (COMPETE 2020) of the Portugal 2020, Centro2020 “SmartBioR - Smart Valorization of Endogenous Marine Biological Resources Under a Changing Climate” (Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000018). Carla Alegria acknowledges the financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), through the post-doc grant (SFRH/BPD/126703/2016) and the strategic project UIDB/00329/2020 granted to the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, cE3c Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa. The present work aimed to evaluate, through thermal degradation kinetics (80 °C to 98 °C in time intervals of 0.5 to 25 min), the effects of different thermal treatments on the biochemical, physicochemical, sensory and microbiological parameters of two mixed fruit and vegetable pulps, a yellow and a red one. The evaluated fruit and vegetable pulps resulted from the mixture of different fruits and vegetables proportions (pineapple, beetroot, strawberry and lemon juice) added to a 50% (p/p) pear-based pulp to maximize their bioactivity, physicochemical stability and sensorial acceptance. Evaluated quality parameters included the determination of peroxidase activity (POD), pH, soluble solids content (SSC), total phenolic content (TPC), CIELab colour, sensory evaluation (colour, taste and aroma) and total mesophilic aerobic counts (TAPC). Regarding heat treatments optimization for both pulps with lower pH, it was concluded that higher temperature treatments (90 to 98 °C) applied over a shorter time (less than 5 min) were more effective to inactivate POD, to reduce the initial microbial load (>2 log10 cycles) and to maximize sensorial attributes. In both mix pulps, total phenolic content (TPC) was not significantly influenced by the different applied time-temperature binomials. From the degradation kinetic models and as an example, it was possible to conclude that POD followed a 1st order kinetic, where the temperature effect was well fitted to the Arrhenius equation. The results allowed to obtain optimized time-temperature binomials for each pulp to simultaneously achieve POD enzyme inactivation, microbial reduction, and maximization of quality parameters relatively to fresh pulps, 90 °C/5 min and 98 °C/2.5 min, for the yellow pulp and red pulp, respectively. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

It is often overlooked that even food production is linked to the ecology of plants and animals. Living organisms respond to environmental short- and long-term variability: acknowledging this may help in the ultimate goal of valorizing a territory/product. We investigated acorns of the two main Quercus species of the Portuguese Montado, a main feed of the renown black Iberian pig. We tested their responses to an aridity gradient by morphological parameters and isotopic signature. Q. rotundifolia and Q. suber acorns did not differ morphologically, even if a higher variability in all parameters was observed in acorns of Q. suber. According to the site-specific Aridity Index, correlations are indicative to higher weight and length only in Q. suber acorns from more arid sites. As for isotopic composition, there were no differences in nitrogen or carbon (&delta, 15N and &delta, 13C) between the two species. However, combining the samples and testing for association with the Aridity Index, we found that more arid sites lead to a 15N enrichment. This result, combined with the positive correlation between AI and acorns length, support the use of acorns as a tool, their isoscapes of nitrogen being a stepping stone for the provenance of the black Iberian pig.

The Mediterranean diet is promoted as one of the healthiest and closely linked to socioecological practices, knowledge and traditions, promoting sustainable food production, and linking geographical origin with food quality and ecosystem services. Consumer adherence to this dietary pattern drives increased consumption of authentic “premium” foods, such as Iberian pig meat and dry-cured ham from Portugal and Spain, argan oil from Morocco, “Djebel” lamb from Tunisia and truffles from Italy and Slovenia, i.e., food products that respond to current ethical, environmental and socially sustainable demands. Geographical indication and appellation of origin can increase traditional food products competitiveness, but the high-value recognition of these products can also lead to economically motivated product adulteration. It is therefore imperative to protect the high added value of these unique food products by ensuring their quality, authenticity, provenance and sustainable production systems. In this review, we provide a critical evaluation of the analytical methods that are currently used for the determination of provenance and authenticity of these Mediterranean products as well as possible strategies for improving the throughput and affordability of the methods discussed.

Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by national funds from PDR2020-101-031501_59 no.—101 Green-Taste: “Development of new food products based on unripened industrial tomatoes”. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Lactic fermentation of unripe green tomatoes as a tool to produce food ingredients is a viable alternative for adding value to industrial tomatoes unsuitable for processing and left in large quantities in the fields. Fermentation using starter cultures isolated from the fruit (plant-matrix adapted) can have advantages over allochthonous strains in obtaining fermented products with sensory acceptability and potentially probiotic characteristics. This paper details the characterisation of the unripe green tomato lactic microbiota to screen LAB strains for use as starter cultures in fermentation processes, along with LAB strains available from INIAV’s collection. Morphological, biochemical (API system), and genomic (16S rDNA gene sequencing) identification showed that the dominant LAB genera in unripe green tomato are Lactiplantibacillus, Leuconostoc, and Weissella. Among nine tested strains, autochthonous Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and allochthonous Weissella paramesenteroides showed tolerance to added solanine (200 ppm) and the best in vitro probiotic potential. The results indicate that the two LAB strains are promising candidates for manufacturing probiotic fermented foods from unripe green tomatoes. publishersversion published

Ficheiro Epigráfico é o suplemento da revista Conimbriga que, criado em 1982, se destina a dar a conhecer inscrições romanas da Hispânia. Estuda-se a marca Apani numa telha romana, que documenta, pela segunda vez até ao momento, o uso desse antropónimo pré-romano no masculino.

In this study we evaluated the effect of abiotic stresses, peeling and shredding, in different carrot tissues as a phenolic synthesis elicitor to improve bioactive quality of shredded carrot as a fresh-cut. The phenolic content (TPC) present in carrot peels (2954 mg kg−1) is up to ∼6 times higher than that of inner tissues (762 and 510 mg kg−1 for cortical parenchyma and vascular tissues, respectively). However, the effect of peel removal is mitigated by the respective tissue proportion in the root (∼11% for peel and ∼89% for inner tissues). Phenolic biosynthesis was verified in all carrot tissues and even when peel was removed, inner tissues were able to significantly accumulate phenolics during low temperature storage (5 °C, 10 d), with increases of 155% (compared to day 0). As key enzyme of the phenylpropanoid pathway, phenolic biosynthesis, in inner tissues, was confirmed by the phenylalanine-ammonia lyase (PAL) activity increase (p

The effect of UV-C treatments (0.32, 0.97, 2.56, 4.16 and 4.83 kJ.m(-2) at 254 nm) on the physical-chemical properties [colour, texture, total phenolic content (TPC), weight loss (WL)], and mesophylic counts of whole tomato, was evaluated during 15 days at 10 A degrees C. During storage, the Ctr samples acquired faster red colour than all UV-C samples (higher a* and lower A degrees h values). Comparing texture of Ctr and UV-C samples at 15(th) storage day, an increase of 9 and 8 % on firmness of treated samples at low UV-C intensities (0.32 and 0.97 kJ.m(-2), respectively) was observed. At the end of the storage, Ctr samples showed ca. 4 Log(10) of mesophylic load, and the samples treated at 0.97 and 4.83 kJ.m(-2) revealed the lowest microbial load (1.9 and 3.2 Log(10), respectively). These results indicate that UV-C radiation, at an appropriate dose, combined with low storage temperature (10 A degrees C) are an effective method to preserve the postharvest life of tomato, without adversely affecting quality parameters.