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Fontes frias são um fenómeno presente em todos os oceanos, caracterizado pelo fluxo de fluídos e gases ricos em metano, sulfureto ou até petróleo bruto emanados através da interface entre sedimento e água no fundo do mar, e formados através de diversos processos como biogénicos e termogénicos, mas também abiogénicos. Apesar da libertação de fluídos e gases ricos em compostos químicos, muitas vezes tóxicos à vida animal, estes habitats são considerados hotspots de biomassa no fundo oceânico, dependentes fontes de energia alternativa à produção heterotrófica, nomeadamente através da quimiossíntese geralmente mediada por bactérias. Estas bactérias formam frequentemente agregados no solo marinho, denominados como “tapetes bacterianos”, constituindo a base da teia alimentar destes habitats. Ao afastar das zonas de maior concentração de fluídos ricos em hidrocarbonetos onde frequentemente se concentram os tapetes bacterianos, tipicamente é possível observar uma zonação de diferentes comunidades faunísticas presentes, frequentemente descritos como micro-habitats. Esta heterogeneidade espacial de pequena escala é não só impulsionada por diversos fatores físicos e químicos, como também por processos geológicos e atividade biológica. A zonação é frequentemente refletida em diferenças nas densidades populacionais dos diferentes grupos na estrutura das comunidades, e na diversidade. Apesar de ser considerado um fenómeno comum, inclusive nas regiões mais a norte do nosso planeta, os estudos realizados até hoje em fontes frias no Ártico focam-se sobretudo na análise dos processos geológicos subjacentes a este fenómeno, tais como a composição geoquímica dos fluídos e sedimentos destes habitats, enquanto que estudos dedicados à biologia são limitados ao estudo de comunidade microbiana ou de organismos bentónicos da macro- e megafauna, tipicamente de dimensões superiores a 500 m, deixando uma grande falta de conhecimento nos organismos de menor dimensões, a meiofauna. A meiofauna (≥32μm a 1mm) é conhecida como o grupo faunístico mais abundante e diverso em sedimentos marinhos, dos quais o filo Nematoda por norma constitui a fração dominante (>90%). Este grupo é também um componente fundamental nas cadeias tróficas marinhas, bem como no suporte de diversas funções dos ecossistemas como ciclo biogeoquímico dos sedimentos. Até à presente data, estudos realizados em fontes frias no Ártico são muito reduzidos, limitando-se às zonas mais a norte no mar de Barents, como no vulcão de lava Hakon Mosby, e em duas fontes-frias junto da margem norueguesa, Storegga e Nyegga. Os resultados obtidos nesses estudos demostraram importantes observações, tais como uma clara distinção na composição da meiofauna e nematodes entre os diferentes micro-habitats, bem como de zonas de referência adjacentes às zonas de influência da fonte fria (e.x. tapetes bacterianos, campos de poliquetas do grupo Frenulata, etc.). Adicionalmente, observou-se uma relação negativa entre as densidades de meiofauna e macrofauna, suportando a hipótese de uma competição direta pelos recursos existentes, bem como evidência de alterações de comportamento e fisiologia de modo a sobreviver as condições extremas e muitas vezes tóxicas dos sedimentos em fontes frias, tais como ovoviviparidade na Halomonhsytera disjuncta, que permite o desenvolvimento interno de nematodes juvenis no interior do útero das fêmeas até estes terem um crescimento adequado e finalmente serem libertados já com maior resistência a xenobióticos e maior motilidade. No âmbito do projeto AKMA – Advancing knowledge of methane in the Arctic, foram amostradas pela primeira vez duas fontes frias ao largo da costa de Svalbard, nomeadamente junto da região de Prins Karl Forland a 112m de profundidade, bem como na região sul da crista de Vestnesa, a cerca de 870m. Com o auxílio do ROV ÆGIR 6000, foram recolhidas três réplicas de sedimentos em zonas onde existia fluxo ativo e cobertura por tapetes bacterianos, bem como três réplicas em áreas a onde não foi observado fluxo de fluídos ou gases, como referência. Os sedimentos recolhidos tiveram por fim o estudo integrado da meiofauna, bem como características físico-químicas dos sedimentos. Em laboratório, a meiofauna foi extraída dos sedimentos através do método de centrifugação, seguido da contagem e identificação dos grandes grupos da meiofauna. Após contagem, foram recolhidos aproximadamente 150 nemátodes de modo aleatório e montadas lâminas para identificação ao microscópio até ao nível do género quando possível, bem como descrição de atributos funcionais chave de modo a relacionar com potenciais funções no ecossistema. As composições das comunidades de meiofauna, assim como a diversidade estrutural e funcional de nemátodes, foram investigadas em relação ao tipo de micro-habitat, nomeadamente zonas de sedimento cobertas por tapetes bacterianos e referência, em ambas as zonas de estudo localizadas a profundidades distintas. Observações biológicas foram interpretadas em relação a vários dados ambientais recolhidos, como o tipo de sedimento, a temperatura da água e a concentração de metano, entre outros. Neste estudo foram observadas ligeiras diferenças na abundância total de meiofauna entres as zonas de fluxo ativo em comparação à referência da superestação menos profunda (Prins Karl Forland). Por outro lado, a composição de comunidade de nemátodes foi expressamente distinta, sendo que existe uma menor diversidade no geral devido à dominância por parte de dois géneros da família Monhsyteridae (Halomonhystera sp.) e Chromadoridae (Chromadoridae msp1). Na superestação mais profunda (sul da crista de Vestnesa), a densidade geral das comunidades foi expressivamente maior nas áreas de referência sendo que, ao contrário, do habitualmente observado, os copépodes foram o grupo observado mais abundante. As características funcionais dos nemátodes apresentaram diferenças consoante os micro-habitats estudados, indicando que atributos biológicos associados a aspetos funcionais são distintos dependendo das condições do habitat. Nemátodes de grupos tróficos, tais como os epistrate feeders, foram consistentemente dominantes em sedimentos redutores com presença de cobertura de tapetes bacterianos, dos quais possivelmente se alimentam. A reprodução ovovivípara presente nos tapetes bacterianos, associados à emissão de fluídos e óleo na região de Prins Karl Forland, são expressão de uma importante adaptação dos progenitores para garantir a sobrevivência da descendência em ambientes altamente tóxicos como os sentidos neste local. Esta adaptação ao contrário do que observado anteriormente foi não só identificada na Halomonhystera sp., tal como na região do vulcão de lama Håkon Mosby, como também em mais dois géneros, Halanonchus sp. e um género por identificar pertencente à família Cyatholaimidae (Cyatholaimidae msp1). Os resultados obtidos neste estudo permitiram, pela primeira vez, caracterizar comunidades de meiofauna em fontes frias na região do Ártico, sublinhando o impacto que os ambientes reduzidos podem ter nas comunidades de infauna em áreas de risco de destabilização associado às alterações climáticas. Cold seeps are unique habitats characterized by the flow of reduced chemical compounds, often rich in methane, sulfide, and even crude oil, exuding at the seafloor. These habitats are considered energy hotspots, establishing singular conditions, for endemic fauna to thrive. Studies conducted in cold seeps in the Arctic Ocean have mainly investigated their geological and geochemical setting, while biological studies have been focused on the large-sized organisms, such as macro- and megafauna, with an unsettling lack of research on smaller-sized organisms belonging to meiofauna. Under the scope of the AKMA project, two depth-differing sites were sampled, with replicates in both active venting sites with fluids and oil covered by bacterial mats, and reference areas where no active venting was observed. Meiofaunal communities and nematode structural and functional diversity were investigated between the two micro-habitats at each shallow and deep-water site. Meiofaunal and nematode abundance were slightly higher in the bacterial mats at the shallow-water seep site and composed of a less diverse community, with the dominance of two genera from the family Monhysteridae (Halomonhystera sp.) and Chromadoridae (Chromadoridae msp1). At the deeper site overall communities’ densities at the reduced sediments were lower compared to the reference, and meiofauna was predominantly composed of copepods in the bacterial mats, while nematodes were predominant in the reference sediments, where they also recorded a higher genus diversity. Functional traits investigated differed between micro-habitats, indicating that the nematode’s functional role might vary depending on the local environmental conditions. The presence of ovoviviparous reproduction, an adaptation of which parents secure their brood survival in conditions of high toxicity, was identified in three different nematode genera, Halomonhystera sp., Halanonchus sp., and one not yet identified from the family Cyatholaimidae (Cyatholaimidae msp1), proving clues to strategies which nematodes develop to survive and even thrive in reduced environments such as cold seeps.

This study aims to examine youth players’ physiological responses and technical-tactical performance when playing simulated 3x3 and 5x5 basketball games. Fifteen well-trained male basketball players (16.6 ± 0.2 years old) participated in scrimmage basketball games under two different conditions: 3x3 (half-court) and 5x5 (full-court). The players’ heart rate, muscle oxygen saturation and total hemoglobin data were collected and computed to describe physiological responses, while video analysis was used to characterize their technical-tactical performance. A Bayesian one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to quantify the predictive influence of both game conditions on the physiological and the technical-tactical variables. The results indicated that different game conditions influenced the players’ physiological responses slightly, as only hemoglobin sample entropy increased between the 3x3 and 5x5 game scenarios. Conversely, statistical differences in most of the technical-tactical variables were moderate and decisive in favour of the game condition model. Overall, this study emphasizes that playing 3x3 and 5x5 basketball games lead to relatively negligible differences in the players’ physiological response but pronounced variations in their technical-tactical performance. Therefore, important implications may be drawn to the applied field as the specificity of technical-tactical adaptations when playing 3x3 or 5x5 formats should be considered by basketball coaches to better design the training sessions for players that fall within our sample age category.

O "olho de diamante" é o resultado da presença de alterações palpebrais associadas, como entrópio, ectrópio e macroblefaro. Acomete frequentemente cães de raças grandes e gigantes, pois podem apresentar características anatômicas de enoftalmia, instabilidade do músculo/ligamento lateral da pálpebra, pregas faciais e orelhas pêndulares. O tratamento corretivo requer cirurgia das pálpebras, sendo várias técnicas, com suas modificações ou associações, podem ser utilizadas. Assim, o objetivo desse trabalho foi relatar a resolução cirúrgica de um cão da raça Dogue Alemão com “olhos de diamante”, submetido a cantoplastia lateral, obtendo resultados estéticos bastante satisfatórios para a técnica cirúrgica empregada.

In this study cassava starch modified by ozone technology and cellulose nanofibres were used to produce films. These nanocomposites were produced by casting technique using non-modified and ozonated cassava starches, glycerol and, water reinforced with cellulose nanofibres (NCF) at 1%, 2%, and 5%. Films were characterized in terms of mechanical, barrier and functional properties, morphology, opacity and the sealing ability. In general, ozonated cassava films result in increased mechanical properties, water vapour permeability, and hydrophilicity. The addition of cellulose nanofibres, in certain conditions, improved these properties due to the NCF dispersion in the polymeric matrix. However, the formation of agglomerates in higher concentrations (2% and 5%) was visible by SEM images. In specific, the addition of 1% of NCF to the 60 min ozonated film increased the Tensile Strength and the Young Modulus in ~ 117% and ~ 137%, respectively, and decreased the water vapour permeability in ~ 47%, in comparison to the non-modified film without NCF. In conclusion, the addition of NCF to ozonated cassava films improved their properties aiming specific application showing to be an interesting alternative for packaging industries in different areas.

Objetivo: Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a relação entre a classificação de árbitros de futebol de elite e variáveis contextuais e situacionais que caraterizam os jogos arbitrados no decorrer de uma época. Para tal, foi realizada uma regressão ordinal com função Link Logit entre a classificação final e variáveis contextuais e situacionais. As variáveis contextuais revelaram um efeito significativo sobre a classificação final, não se verificando efeitos significativos das variáveis situacionais, sobre a classificação dos árbitros no final da época desportiva. Na globalidade o modelo revelou-se estatisticamente significativo. A probabilidade de obtenção de melhor classificação final dos árbitros aumenta 54.2% com o aumento do número de jogos realizados na I Liga e aumenta 24.8% com aumento do número de jogos equilibrados. Diminui 61.2% com jogos realizados sem equipas Top 3. Os resultados reforçam a influência significativa que os fatores contextuais têm sobre a classificação e avaliação de um árbitro no final da época desportiva. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the classification of elite soccer referees in Portugal and the contextual and situational variables of the matches refereed during the 2016-2017 sports season. In order to analyze the relationship between the final classification and the level of the competition, characterization of the game, result of the game and total number of cards displayed per game, an ordinal regression with Link Logit function was used. The results revealed that the contextual variables have a significant effect on the final classification, with no significant effects of the situational variables. In general, the model statistically explains the final classification of the elite soccer referees at the end of the sports season (X2LP (5) = 40.299, p Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a relação entre a classificação dos árbitros de futebol de elite em Portugal e as variáveis contextuais e situacionais dos jogos arbitrados no decorrer da época desportiva 2016-2017. No sentido de analisar qual a relação entre a classificação final e o nível da competição, caraterização do jogo, resultado do jogo e número total de cartões exibidos por jogo foi realizada uma regressão ordinal com função Link Logit. Os resultados, revelaram que as variáveis contextuais, apresentam um efeito significativo sobre a classificação final, não se verificando efeitos significativos das variáveis situacionais, sobre a classificação final dos árbitros de futebol no final da época desportiva. Na globalidade o modelo revelou-se estatisticamente significativo (X2LP (5) = 40.299, p

Different drying accelerators were studied to improve vegetable drying: acetone (AC), ethanol (ET), isopropanol (ISO) and acetic acid (AA). Pre-treatments were performed by immersion of pumpkin cylinders. Convective drying was performed at 40 °C and air velocity 1 m/s. Different aspects were evaluated: drying kinetics, structural changes (microstructure and macrostructure), thermal profile and viscoelastic and rehydration behaviours. The microstructure was modified by pre-treatments, being more pronounced with AC and AA. Thinner cell walls, changes on turgor and extraction of components and air were reported, affecting the mass transfer. Moreover, the microstructural changes reinforced anisotropy and also affected the macrostructure, changing the viscoelastic behaviour. All pre-treatments resulted in a super-diffusive behaviour, decreasing the drying time from 9% (ISO) to 22% (AC). Possible relations were discussed among the compounds’ physical properties, sample temperature profile, drying kinetics and equilibrium moisture. Rehydration was improved by ET and ISO, but impaired by AA. Although AC accelerates drying, it did not affect the rehydration. The viscoelasticity reflected the structure and composition, with the pre-treatments with higher structure modifications (AA and AC) losing elastic properties. In conclusion, the pre-treatments with isopropanol and ethanol showed better results, improving drying and rehydration, and are thus recommended. Trujillo San Isidro

This opinion paper discussed past, present and future challenges facing food processing. If new challenges can only be overcome using new approaches, new opportunities arise for food processing. The challenges were organized in topics such as safety, preservation, nutrition, sensorial, wellbeing, environmental and future possibilities. In each topic, traditional, emerging and re-emerging challenges were discussed, as well as opportunities to overcome them based on new approaches, innovative interpretation and technologies. Some examples of topics covered by the discussion are food microbiology, allergies, enzyme activity, nutrient retention, incorporation, availability, mechanistic description and modelling, personalized needs, consumer perception, knowledge and feelings about food, the use of water, energy and raw materials to produce food products, as well as space missions.

Em arquitetura o diálogo entre o arquiteto e o cliente e os utilizadores finais do espaço projetado é de extrema importância para a concretização de um projeto que responda às expetativas do utilizador. Desse diálogo deve fazer parte uma participação ativa do utilizador final no processo de conceção do projeto que vai aumentar o seu envolvimento com as propostas que se pretendem executar garantindo assim uma maior satisfação deste com o espaço. O presente estudo foi realizado em parceria com um cliente real, a Galp, e tem como foque a elaboração de um projeto de alteração de uma das suas lojas de conveniência, introduzindo novos conceitos para o espaço comercial. Para além da proposta de alterações pretendia-se consultar os utilizadores finais do espaço e avaliar a sua satisfação perante as propostas apresentadas. Para tal optou-se por realizar testes de satisfação com recurso à Realidade Virtual Imersiva (RVI) enquanto método de simulação do espaço. A RVI foi utilizada em testes com os utilizadores finais e permitiu concluir que os inquiridos consideram que as propostas apresentadas valorizam o espaço comercial e a mobilidade dentro da loja. Conclui-se também que o uso de RVI ajuda a um bom entendimento do espaço. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This work evaluated the ozonation of cassava starch, correlating the process conditions with starch structure and properties. The starch structure was evaluated considering both molecules and granules. Ozonation resulted in an increased number of carbonyl and carboxyl groups with increasing ozone consumption. Moreover, a reduction of large and branched molecules was observed, with the consequent increase of smaller sized molecules. The structural changes significantly influenced the pasting properties, gel texture, water absorption and solubility indexes. As the main result, ozonation improved the hydrogels’ texture. The 145.3 mg O3 gstarch−1 sample produced gels ~280% stronger than the native starch. Moreover, the ozonated starch hydrogels maintained their consistency even at acidic conditions – on the contrary to native starch. Finally, the ozonated starch pastes were clearer than native ones. Therefore, ozone processing gives new possibilities for cassava starch application.

Children aged 10-11 years are in going through a dynamic developmental period marked by rapid changes in body size, shape, and composition, all of which are sexually dimorphic. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of these factors on the postural stability in the pre-pubertal growth spurt. This was a cross-sectional study involving 312 children (152 boys, 160 girls), from 5th and 6th grade (10.8 ± 0.4 years), who were self-assessed as belonging to Tanner stages I and II. Postural balance control was evaluated using the single-legged flamingo balance test. It was observed a significant effect of the ectomorphy, body mass and body height on the postural stability. The variables body fat, endomorphy and mesomorphy did not have statistically significant influence. Additionally, boys and girls aged 10-11 years seem to have similar performance. Determining these anthropometric and morphological parameters effects and gender differences in postural stability is important for many practical fields such as physical education and youth sport.

Ozone technology is an emerging and environmentally friendly technology, which is able to change both starch molecules size and charge. Consequently, new properties are achieved. In this study, biodegradable films were produced from starch modified by ozone technology. Potato starch was ozonated in water suspension using different conditions. The films were produced by casting technique using potato starch, glycerol as the plasticizer, and water as the solvent. The films were characterized in term of morphology, crystallinity, color, and their mechanical, barrier, and functional properties. The ozonation changed the structure and properties of the polymeric matrix, resulting in films with a more homogeneous morphology and enhanced mechanical properties. The 30 min ozonated potato starch formed films with higher Young’s Modulus (64 MPa) and decreased elongation at break (19%), in comparison to the non-modified potato starch (45 MPa and 81%). Moreover, an increase in the contact angle was observed from 31.5° to 60.7°, which was directly related to the ozonation time. This indicates a more hydrophobic surface, which is a desired characteristic. The water vapor permeability (26 g mm/day m2 kPa) was not affected by the ozone processing. Finally, the film transparency was highly improved when ozone was applied, highlighting an interesting property from a commercial perspective. In conclusion, starch modification through ozonation demonstrated to be a good alternative for packaging production.

Among different effects, both ultrasound and ethanol technologies change the product structure and promote mass transfer when used as pre-treatments to improve the food drying. For the first time, their combined application was evaluated as pre-treatment to improve convective drying, as well as the properties of the dried food. Pumpkin cylinders were used as model food, being dried using air at 50 °C and 0.8 ± 0.1 m s−1. Effects on drying and rehydration kinetics, as well as on the energy consumption and carotenoid preservation, were studied. Compared to the Control, all pre-treatments decreased the drying time in more than 48%. The combination of ethanol and ultrasound presented the greatest reduction in both drying time (59%) and energy consumption (44%). The pre-treatments also enhanced the rehydration properties in more than 28%: higher rehydration rate and an increase of water retention were achieved. Possible mechanisms, involving structure modification and mass transfer during pre-treatment and drying process were discussed. Additionally, the extraction of carotenoids due to pre-treatments was negligible when compared to the remarkable effect in avoiding this nutrient degradation during drying. Pre-treated samples preserved ∼100% of the carotenoid content, while the Control samples presented partial degradation (23%). This was explained by the negative effects evidenced by sample thermal history during drying. The results open new perspectives about an innovative method to improve the drying process and product quality by combining ethanol and ultrasound.

In this study, the effect of ultrasound processing on the properties of two packages widely used in food products was evaluated: polyamide (PA) and polyethylene (PE) multilayer packaging. Packages composed of PE/PA/PE (Film A) and PE/PA/PE/PA/PE (Film B) were filled with aqueous and fatty food simulants and treated in an ultrasound water bath (frequency 25 kHz, volumetric power of 9.74 W/L, temperature of 25 °C, and time of 30 and 60 min). Materials were evaluated in term of structure and performance properties. Ultrasound did not or induced small changes in chemical groups, crystallinity, melting temperature, and tensile strength of the films. Film A showed a reduction in heat sealing tensile strength of 25% in the machine direction and 22% in the transverse direction. Film B showed a 20% increase of water vapor transmission rate after ultrasound processing. Although ultrasound had little impact on the properties of the evaluated materials, these modifications do not compromise the use of these packages for applications in ultrasound-processed foods. Therefore, the results indicate that ultrasound can be used as a food processing technology in multilayer PA and PE packaging.

Graphical abstract, Highlights • Vacuum and ethanol pretreatments reduced the acoustic cavitation intensity. • Vacuum pretreatment did not affect drying of celery slices. • Ultrasound and ethanol were the best combination on reducing drying time. • Combination of technologies reduced drying time up to 38%. • Microstructure and shrinkage were considered for effects explanation., This work studied three emerging approaches to improve the convective drying (50 °C, 0.8 m/s) of celery. Celery slices of 2 mm thick were pretreated for 5 min using ultrasound (32 W/L, 40 kHz), vacuum (75 kPa vacuum pressure) and ethanol (99.8% v/v, as drying accelerator) applied individually or in combination. To evaluate individual effects of ultrasound and vacuum, the treatments were also performed with distilled water or air medium, respectively. Moreover, the cavitational level was characterized in each condition. Drying kinetics was evaluated tending into account the drying time required by each treatment and the Page’s model parameters. In addition, microstructural effects and shrinkage were evaluated. As results, ethanol combined with ultrasound significantly improved drying kinetics reducing drying time by around 38%. However, vacuum pretreatment did not affect drying kinetics even in combination with ethanol and/or ultrasound. Microstructural evaluation did not evidence cell disruption, suggesting changes in intercellular spaces, pores and/or cell wall permeability. The use of ethanol and vacuum showed a greater effect on shrinkage after pretreatment and after drying, respectively. In conclusion, at the studied conditions, the drying acceleration by vacuum and ultrasound is lower compared to the effect produced using ethanol.

The development of biodegradable packaging materials has been drawing attention worldwide to minimize the environmental impact of traditional petroleum-based plastics. Nevertheless, it is challenging to obtain bio-based materials with suitable properties for packaging applications. Films produced from a single biopolymer often lack some important properties. An alternative to overcome this limitation is the multilayer assembly. Under this technology, two or more materials with specific and complementary properties are combined into a single-layered structure, thus improving the performance of bio-polymer plastics. This review presents the main aspects of bio-based multilayer film production technologies, discussing their advantages and disadvantages, which have to be considered to produce the most suitable film for each specific application. Most of the studies reported that such films resulted in increased mechanical performance and decreased water, oxygen, and dioxide carbon permeability. This approach allows the addition of compounds leading to antioxidant or antibacterial activity. Finally, a discussion about the future challenges is also presented.

The growing demand for plastics, for packaging and consumption, is a current environmental issue. Although there are many scientific developments concerning material science, knowledge about the public's perception is low, which can delay society's efforts to face this challenge. This study aimed to understand if Brazilians who practice different sustainable actions perceive differently biodegradable, recycled, and common plastics and have different purchase intentions for each specific type of packaging. A total of 1080 Brazilian adults were first classified by their day-to-day attitudes regarding sustainability efforts. Then, their purchase intention and perception about different plastics were assessed. Regardless of sustainability practices, people associate common plastic bags with negative attributes and biodegradable plastic bags with positive attributes. This shows that there is a well-established concept about these types of bags, even if there are some misconceptions (e.g. recyclable) or controversies (e.g. non-polluting). On the other hand, results showed that consumers who adopted more sustainable practices were 3.5 times more willing to pay for biodegradable packages, even though no differences were observed in the accepted price for biodegradable bags between consumer's groups. Finally, the purchase intention comparisons for products packaged in recycled and biodegradable plastics showed the consumers were more interested in those biodegradable plastics and the purchase intention was lower for perishable food (e.g. products that can have higher safety risks). The results are important for understanding environmental policy management in Brazil, highlighting the importance to improve the population's knowledge about different types of plastic, leading to more conscious choices.

Ozone is an interesting alternative for modifying starch, as it is considered an emerging and environmentally friendly technology. New applications for food ingredients are receiving attention, such as 3D printing. Consequently, the impact of emerging technologies on new applications must be understood. In this work, cassava starch was modified by ozone to evaluate its printability. Increasing ozonation time produced a starch with higher carbonyl and carboxyl contents, lower pH and molecular size, and gels with different behaviors (stronger and weaker than the native ones, as a function of processing time). The hydrogels obtained were evaluated in relation to pasting and gel properties, including their printability. The effects of starch concentration, gelatinization temperature and storage period were also evaluated. Starch ozonated for 30 min showed the lowest peak apparent viscosity at all the temperatures and starch concentrations evaluated, and provided the strongest gel. Gels produced by native starches and starches ozonated for 30 min showed good printability when the gelatinization temperature used was 65 °C, but up to this temperature, only starch ozonated for 30 min produced gels with good printability. This work highlights that, by using the ozone process to modify starch and varying the process conditions, it is possible to obtain hydrogels with enhanced pasting properties, gel texture, and printability, thereby expanding the potential of starch applications.

This work studied the ultrasound technology as an alternative to enhance the reaction of sucrose inversion. To achieve it, the effect of ultrasound processing was evaluated in three situations: the reaction (invertase acting on substrate under ultrasound processing), the isolated substrate (sucrose) and the isolated enzyme (invertase). Ultrasound (25 kHz, 22 W/L) processing was conducted under different conditions of pH and temperature. The ultrasound assisted reaction was accelerated in relation to the conventional processing. This process increased the sucrose hydrolysis rate up to 33% at 40 °C, and 30% at 30 °C. The ultrasound as a pre-treatment method did not promote sucrose hydrolysis, but slightly reduced the invertase activity, independently of the pH and temperature of evaluation. Sonication also increased Vmax (increased of 23%) and maintained constant Km, indicating that the ultrasound accelerated mass transfer during the reaction, but did not directly affected the enzyme. In addition, the invertase catalytic efficiency enhanced 27% under sonication. Therefore, ultrasound technology emerges as an interesting alternative to improve the invertase performance, accelerating enzymatic reaction.

This paper studies the interaction between aluminium cans and model solutions formulated to mimic beverages. Different levels of chloride and iron were studied in acid medium in relation to their potential to aluminium corrosion. The paper also evaluates the impact of packaging properties on aluminium corrosion. Among the evaluated concentrations of Cl and Fe, a critical combination to the aluminium alloy integrity was not identified. The apparently random occurrence of corrosion when exposing packaging specimens to the studied solutions was observed, which was attributed to the heterogeneity of the specimens. Three hypotheses were pointed out and discussed to describe the occurrence of corrosion, considering alloy composition and coating property parameters, proposing a new line of studies within this topic.

This study evaluated the use of ultrasound (US), high-shear dispersion (HSD), stirring (ST), and low or high pressure homogenization (LPH or HPH) technologies to modify the goat milk cream (GMC) structure, focusing on improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of its lipids. The GMC structure was evaluated, as well as its creaming and emulsion stability index (ESI). The processed GMC was hydrolyzed by lipase at 50 °C for 300 min, and the fatty acids concentration (FAC) was evaluated over the reaction. ST, HPH, and HSD showed ∼ 90% lower emulsion destabilization, 10 times higher ESI, and smaller fat globule size than unprocessed GMC. The pretreatments increased the hydrolysis rate up to 2.4 times and the final FAC up to 8.7 times. ST (4 min), HPH (40 MPa) and HSD (5 min/ 25,000 rpm) showed the best results, which were correlated with the changes in the GMC structure. The results suggest that the physical treatments impacted the substrate structure, favoring enzyme activity and accelerating the hydrolysis degree. Therefore, the application of physical processes can be an interesting strategy to enhance the hydrolysis of GMC, aiming to produce compounds of industrial interest.