Publications by authors named "Mariana Pedrosa"

Duckweed ( L.) is a small floating aquatic plant that has an important economic impact in several industrial areas. With its high biomass production, reasonable protein content, and resilience to several climates, it has been attracting increasing interest for potential use in animal and human food systems.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The practice of sports may lead to neurological injuries. While relatively uncommon (overall incidence of approximately 2.5%), and mostly benign and transient, some conditions may be life-threatening and permanent.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

"Económicos" are traditional Portuguese pastry products; although their production is low-cost, their nutritional value is equally low. Since it is a widely consumed product in the Trás-os-Montes region, it is important to add value to it without making significant changes to the traditional recipe. Thus, this work has the main objective to increase the nutritional power of "económicos" through the incorporation of chestnut () fruit flour.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In forensic anthropology, there is an inherent difficulty in estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI). This study aimed to assess whether there is a correlation between changes in the bone mineral component and the PMI estimation. Samples of femur and humerus from 80 identified individuals with known post-mortem interval were analyzed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Secondary metabolites are molecules with unlimited applications that have been gaining importance in various industries and studied from many angles. They are mainly used for their bioactive capabilities, but due to the improvement of sensibility in analytical chemistry, they are also used for authentication and as a quality control parameter for foods, further allowing to help avoid food adulteration and food fraud, as well as helping understand the nutritional value of foods. This manuscript covers the examples of secondary metabolites that have been used as qualitative and authentication molecules in foods, from production, through processing and along their shelf-life.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Even though much is known about bone mineral and matrix composition, studies about their relationship with several bone properties and its alterations related to bone diseases such as osteoporosis are practically non-existent in humans. Thus, the development of methods to understand the effects of bone properties at a microscopic level is paramount. This research aimed to evaluate whether Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) band intensity ratios correlate with femoral bone mass, bone mineral content (BMC) (total and femoral neck), bone mineral per unit area (BMD) (total, femoral neck, greater trochanter, intertrochanteric region, and Ward's area) and the area (total and femoral neck).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the present work, sage ( L.) and basil ( L.) were exploited for their preservative purposes, as viable alternatives to artificial ones.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Muffins are snacks made with flour and chocolate, and there is a growing interest in using natural food additives instead of synthetic ones.
  • Researchers studied plant extracts like rosemary, lemon balm, and oregano for their potential as natural preservatives in chocolate muffins by analyzing their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
  • The study found that rosemary extract was the most effective natural preservative, maintaining the muffins' quality similarly to potassium sorbate, despite having fewer phenolic compounds than lemon balm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In forensic anthropology, the application of traditional methods for estimating the biological profile of human skeletal remains is often hampered by poor preservation and skeletal representativeness, compromising their reliability. Thus, the development of alternative methods to the morphometric analysis of bones to estimate the biological profile of human remains is paramount. The age of an individual can cause changes in bone morphology, mass and size, as well as in its chemical composition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF