Value-Added Lipids from Plant Foods and Respective Applications Mariana C. Pedrosa, Jonata M. Ueda, Sandrina A. Heleno, Márcio Carocho, Filipa S. Reis, Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira, Lillian Barros Food Byproducts Management and their Utilization, 2024 Since ancient times, man has used plants as a food source, associating their consumption with nutritional and health benefits. Among the nutrients obtained from plants, which the consumer associates more with beneficial health effects than those obtained from the animal diet, we can highlight the lipids. Lipids play a vital role in plant or animal biology, as they are a source of energy and can also act as hormones or signaling molecules. In plants, the lipid content varies according to the species, but this fraction is mainly constituted by polar and nonpolar lipids and acyl glycerides. The main classes of lipids found in plants include glycerols, phospholipids, glycolipids, sterols, free fatty acids, vitamins, waxes, carotenes, terpenes, hydrocarbons, phenolics, tocols, chlorophyll pigments, and their derivatives. Given the importance of these nutrients and their effects on human health, obtaining and using them as value-added molecules with a potential industrial application at different levels can and should be analyzed. Nowadays, several sectors (e.g. food, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical) invest in the search and characterization of different molecules to be used, such as functional and/or nutraceutical ingredients. Hence, promoting the concept of circular 92economy and sustainability of processes and products, byproducts have been identified as an excellent source of interest compounds. With these aspects in mind, this chapter presents the main vegetable sources of lipids, emphasizing food byproducts, the beneficial effects of these molecules on human health, ways of obtaining and extraction methodologies, and the potential for application in different sectors.
Powdered Foods: Structure, Processing, and Challenges: A Review Jonata M. Ueda, Patricia Morales, Virginia Fernández-Ruiz, Anabela Ferreira, Lillian Barros, Marcio Carocho, Sandrina A. Heleno Applied Sciences Switzerland, 2023 Powdered foods are easy to store and transport, with a longer shelf life that minimizes potential waste, contributing to sustainable development. Each food category has a unique composition, responsible for its chemical and physical attributes, which directly influences the stability of powdered products. The drying method used is essential to obtain the desired characteristics of the powdered food, and the choice of each technology can provide unique morphological properties regarding size, shape, and density, among other factors. Furthermore, rehydration properties must also be investigated, as they play a fundamental role in the reconstitution of powdered foods, influencing the dispersion and dissolution of the powder in liquids. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the powdered food manufacturing process and its advantages. Special attention is given to the desirable properties of food powders, challenges related to stability, powdered food reconstitution properties, and case studies regarding many powdered foods.
Polyphenol Composition by HPLC-DAD-(ESI-)MS/MS and Bioactivities of Extracts from Grape Agri-Food Wastes Jonata M. Ueda, Karoline Ribeiro Griebler, Tiane C. Finimundy, Daniele B. Rodrigues, LavÃnia VerÃssimo, Tânia C. S. P. Pires, João Gonçalves, Isabel P. Fernandes, Eliana Pereira, Lillian Barros, Sandrina A. Heleno, Ricardo C. Calhelha Molecules, 2023 Background: Grape agri-food wastes, such as skin, seeds, and other discarded by-products, contain phytochemical compounds that offer potential health benefits. Methods: This study aimed to investigate the polyphenol composition and bioactivities of different extracts obtained from grape marc and seeds, with the goal of exploring their potential for application as natural food additives. Results: Regardless of the extraction method used (dynamic maceration, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE)), all extracts exhibited relatively high concentrations of phenolic compounds. The chemical characterization of the extracts revealed the presence of specific compounds and chemical groups associated with each extraction methodology. Moreover, the extracts displayed satisfactory antioxidant activities, especially in inhibiting lipoperoxidation as assessed by the TBARS assay. Additionally, the extracts demonstrated effective inhibition against different strains of bacteria and fungi known as food contaminants. Taken together, these findings indicate that those extracts have the potential to be tested as natural antioxidants and preservatives with sustainable origins in food and beverage systems. Among the extraction methods evaluated, traditional maceration and UAE provided extracts with the highest antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Conclusions: Our results suggest the opportunity to explore grape marc and seeds discarded by the winery industry in Portugal as natural sources of bioactive compounds, which could be employed as functional food ingredients or technological additives. The valorization of grape biowastes offers a promising strategy to reduce waste and harness their potential health benefits.
Emerging Strategies to Combat Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): Natural Agents with High Potential Sandrina A. Heleno, Maria J. Alves, Jonata M. Ueda, Catarina Milho, Anton Soria-Lopez, Maria Carpena, Tânia Pires, Miguel A. Prieto, Jesus Simal-Gandara, Ricardo C. Calhelha, Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira, Lillian Barros Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2023 Infectious diseases have always been a concern for human health, responsible for numerous pandemics throughout history. Even with the advancement of medicine, new infectious diseases have been discovered over the years, requiring constant effort in medical research to avoid future problems. Like the emergence of new diseases, the increase in resistance of certain bacterial strains also becomes a concern, carried out through the misuse of antibiotics, generating the adaptation of certain microorganisms. Worldwide, the resistance developed by several bacterial strains is growing exponentially, creating awareness and developing novel strategies to control their evolution a mandatory research topic. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an example of a bacterial strain that causes serious and mortal infections. The fact is that this bacterial strain started to develop resistance against commonly used antibiotics, first to penicillin and against methicillin. Thus, the treatment against infections caused by MRSA is limited and difficult due to its capacity to develop defense mechanisms against the antibiotic's action. Given the urgency to find new alternatives, the scientific community has been developing interesting research regarding the exploitation of natural resources to discover bioactive molecules that are able to inhibit/kill MRSA. In this sense, several natural matrices, namely plants, have shown great potential against MRSA, due to the presence of phenolic compounds, molecules with high antimicrobial capacity due to their chemical structure and arrangement.
Fermented food/beverage and health: current perspectives Alessandra Durazzo, Marcio Carocho, Sandrina A. Heleno, Mariana C. Pedrosa, Jonata M. Ueda, Lillian Barros, Eliana B. Souto, Antonello Santini, Massimo Lucarini Rendiconti Lincei, 2022
Improving the physicochemical properties of a traditional Portuguese cake - “económicos†with chestnut flour Filipa A. Fernandes, Mariana C. Pedrosa, Jonata M. Ueda, Elisabete Ferreira, Paula Rodrigues, Sandrina A. Heleno, Márcio Carocho, Miguel A. Prieto, Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira, Lillian Barros Food and Function, 2022 “Económicos†are traditional Portuguese pastry products; although their production is low-cost, their nutritional value is equally low.
Food Additives from Fruit and Vegetable By-Products and Bio-Residues: A Comprehensive Review Focused on Sustainability Jonata M. Ueda, Mariana C. Pedrosa, Sandrina A. Heleno, Márcio Carocho, Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira, Lillian Barros Sustainability Switzerland, 2022 Food waste is one of the fundamental issues when it comes to environmental impacts, and this type of waste results in the food’s loss itself, but also that of water, energy, fertilizers, and other resources used for its production. Many vegetable parts are removed from the final product before reaching retail (peels, roots, and seeds), and these raw materials are rich sources of highly valuable molecules such as phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins, and other compounds with health benefits (prevention of several diseases, improvement of the immune system, regulating gastrointestinal transit, and others). Therefore, substantial efforts have been made to find technological solutions to avoid food waste, namely through its reuse in the food chain, thus promoting the circular economy and sustainability. This review focuses on the biggest wastes generated by the food industry, the most common destinations, and case studies applying these by-products or biowaste in the food industry.
