Publications by authors named "Rui M S C Morais"

Two monoterpenoid lactones, loliolide () and -loliolide (), were isolated from the crude dichloromethane extract of a microalga, sp.). The structures of loliolide () and -loliolide () were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR analysis, as well as a comparison of their H or/and C NMR data with those reported in the literature.

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spp. seaweeds thrive in the cold temperate waters of the northern hemisphere, specifically in the littoral and sublittoral regions along rocky shorelines. Moreover, they are known to be a rich source of bioactive compounds.

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The use of by-products as a source of bioactive compounds with economic added value is one of the objectives of a circular economy. The olive oil industry is a source of olive pomace as a by-product. The olive pomace used in the present study was the exhausted olive pomace, which is the by-product generated from the air drying and subsequent hexane extraction of residual oil from the olive pomace.

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The present review paper focuses on recent developments in edible films and coatings made of base compounds from biological sources, namely plants, animals, algae, and microorganisms. These sources include by-products, residues, and wastes from agro-food industries and sea products that contribute to sustainability concerns. Chitosan, derived from animal biological sources, such as crustacean exoskeletons, has been the most studied base compound over the past three years.

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Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been documented as potential vitamin B12 producers and may constitute an exogenous source of cobalamin for the microalga , which has been described as being able to perform vitamin uptake. Hence, there is an interest in discovering novel B12-producing probiotic LAB. Therefore, the purpose of the current work was to perform a phenotype-genotype analysis of the vitamin B12 biosynthesis capacity of LAB isolated from bioreactors, and investigate their probiotic potential.

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The micro- and nanoencapsulation of bioactive compounds has resulted in a large improvement in the food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and agriculture industries. These technologies serve, on one side, to protect, among others, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, polyphenols, flavours, antimicrobials, colorants, and antioxidants, and, on the other hand, to control the release and assure the delivery of the bioactive compounds, targeting them to specific cells, tissues, or organs in the human body by improving their absorption/penetration through the gastrointestinal tract. The food industry has been applying nanotechnology in several ways to improve food texture, flavour, taste, nutrient bioavailability, and shelf life using nanostructures.

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The aim of the present work was to study the effect of the osmotic dehydration (OD) pre-treatment on the mass transfer kinetics and water activity (a) of apple cubes during hot air drying. The adequacy of different mathematical models to describe the moisture content of the product during this process was also evaluated. Apple cubes were osmotically dehydrated with sucrose or sorbitol solutions at 60 °C, and then dried by air at 25-80 °C.

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In recent years, scientists have become aware that human microbiota, in general, and gut microbiota, in particular, play a major role in human health and diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, among others. A large number of evidence has come to light regarding the beneficial effects, either for the host or the gut microbiota, of some foods and food ingredients or biochemical compounds. Among these, the most promising seem to be polysaccharides (PS) or their derivatives, and they include the dietary fibers.

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Epidemiological studies have shown a relation between antioxidants and the prevention of several chronic diseases. Microalgae are a potential novel source of bioactive molecules, including a wide range of different carotenoids that can be used as nutraceuticals, food supplements and novel food products. The objective of this review is (i) to update the research that has been carried out on the most known carotenoids produced by marine microalgae, including reporting on their high potentialities to produce other less known important compounds; (ii) to compile the work that has been done in order to establish some relationship between carotenoids and oxidative protection and treatment; (iii) to summarize the association of oxidative stress and the various reactive species including free radicals with several human diseases; and (iv) to provide evidence of the potential of carotenoids from marine microalgae to be used as therapeutics to treat or prevent these oxidative stress-related diseases.

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There is a current tendency towards bioactive natural products with applications in various industries, such as pharmaceutical, biomedical, cosmetics and food. This has put some emphasis in research on marine organisms, including macroalgae and microalgae, among others. Polysaccharides with marine origin constitute one type of these biochemical compounds that have already proved to have several important properties, such as anticoagulant and/or antithrombotic, immunomodulatory ability, antitumor and cancer preventive, antilipidaemic and hypoglycaemic, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, making them promising bioactive products and biomaterials with a wide range of applications.

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Aims: The influence of two culture media and three different concentrations of sulphate in the medium on the growth of two strains of Porphyridium cruentum and on the production, composition and viscoelastic characteristics, and antimicrobial properties of the sulphated exopolysaccharide (EPS) were studied.

Main Methods: A Bohlin C50 rheometer was used to evaluate the viscosity and elasticity of the EPS solutions. HSV virus, types 1 and 2, Vaccinia virus and Vesicular stomatitis virus were used along with two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis) and one Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria, for testing the antimicrobial activity of EPS.

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Marine microalgae and cyanobacteria are very rich in several chemical compounds and, therefore, they may be used in several biological applications related with health benefits, among others. This review brings the research up-to-date on the bioactive compounds produced by marine unicellular algae, directly or indirectly related to human health. It covers and goes through the most studied applications of substances such as PUFA, sterols, proteins and enzymes, vitamins and pigments, in areas so diverse as human and animal nutrition, therapeutics, and aquaculture.

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Marine microalgae have been used for a long time as food for humans, such as Arthrospira (formerly, Spirulina), and for animals in aquaculture. The biomass of these microalgae and the compounds they produce have been shown to possess several biological applications with numerous health benefits. The present review puts up-to-date the research on the biological activities and applications of polysaccharides, active biocompounds synthesized by marine unicellular algae, which are, most of the times, released into the surrounding medium (exo- or extracellular polysaccharides, EPS).

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The main objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of astaxanthin after drying and storage at different conditions during a 9-week period. Recovery of astaxanthin was evaluated by extracting pigments from the dried powders and analysing extracts by HPLC. The powders obtained were stored under different conditions of temperature and oxygen level and the effects on the degradation of astaxanthin were examined.

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