Valorisation of Wasted Immature Tomato to Innovative Fermented Functional Foods.

In this study, the lactic fermentation of immature tomatoes as a tool for food ingredient production was evaluated as a circular economy-oriented alternative for valorising industrial tomatoes that are unsuitable for processing and which have wasted away in large quantities in the field. Two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were assessed as starter cultures in an immature tomato pulp fermentation to produce functional food ingredients with probiotic potential. The first trial evaluated the probiotic character of (LAB97, isolated from immature tomato microbiota) and (C1090, from the INIAV collection) through in vitro gastrointestinal digestion simulation.

Diversity and biological activities of medicinal plants of Santiago island (Cabo Verde).

Plants continue to constitute key elements of medical practice in West African countries. The Cabo Verde archipelago hosts a great diversity of medicinal plants and local markets are considered important sites for trading plants harvested by rural communities. This study has two main goals: (i) to assess the medicinal uses of native species in Santiago, the biggest island of the archipelago, and (ii) to evaluate the antioxidant, antimicrobial and antidiabetic/antihyperglycemic activities of two native trees ( and ) used in traditional medicine and traded in local markets.

A global analysis of avian island diversity-area relationships in the Anthropocene.

Research on island species-area relationships (ISAR) has expanded to incorporate functional (IFDAR) and phylogenetic (IPDAR) diversity. However, relative to the ISAR, we know little about IFDARs and IPDARs, and lack synthetic global analyses of variation in form of these three categories of island diversity-area relationship (IDAR). Here, we undertake the first comparative evaluation of IDARs at the global scale using 51 avian archipelagic data sets representing true and habitat islands.

A New Perspective for Vineyard Terroir Identity: Looking for Microbial Indicator Species by Long Read Nanopore Sequencing.

Grapevine is one of the most important fruit crops worldwide, being Portugal one of the top wine producers. It is well established that wine sensory characteristics from a particular region are defined by the physiological responses of the grapevine to its environment and thus, the concept of terroir in viticulture was established. Among all the factors that contribute to terroir definition, soil microorganisms play a major role from nutrient recycling to a drastic influence on plant fitness (growth and protection) and of course wine production.

Influence of Air-Drying Conditions on Quality, Bioactive Composition and Sensorial Attributes of Sweet Potato Chips.

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.

Dietary Exposure to Toxic Metals (Cd, Pb and Hg) from Cereals Marketed in Madeira and the Azores.

Cereals and cereal-based foods continue to be basic foods in all diets. Despite being known for their high nutritional value; they can also contain contaminants (hazards) such as toxic metals. This study assesses the Cd, Pb and Hg dietary exposure from cereals and derivatives marketed in Madeira and the Azores and characterizes the risks by evaluating the Cd and Hg intake contributions to the tolerable intakes and by estimating the Margin of Exposure (MOE) in the case of Pb.

Effects of Wolbachia on Transposable Element Expression Vary Between Drosophila melanogaster Host Genotypes.

Transposable elements (TEs) are repetitive DNA sequences capable of changing position in host genomes, thereby causing mutations. TE insertions typically have deleterious effects but they can also be beneficial. Increasing evidence of the contribution of TEs to adaptive evolution further raises interest in understanding what factors impact TE activity.

Seabird and reef conservation must include coral islands.

Tropical seabirds exert key roles in reef ecosystems but face growing threats from climate change, especially on coral reef islands (CRIs). Therefore, we advocate for a more comprehensive, global data exchange on CRIs and CRI-dependent seabirds and outline steps for improving their study and conservation.

A fluorescence method to detect cyanophycin in the symbiotic cyanobacterium, .

The cyanophycin content of the heterocystous nitrogen-fixing symbiotic cyanobacterium, , which inhabits an ovoid cavity in the dorsal leaf lobes of the fern, , is seldom analyzed. To study the cyanophycin content in vegetative cells and heterocysts of , we used three fluorochromes: aluminum trichloride, lead citrate and Wilson citroboric solution and Coomassie brilliant blue. Blue and yellow fluorescence were emitted from the polar nodes and cytoplasm cyanophycin granules of the heterocysts when stained with the three fluorochromes.

Valorization of Seaweed Wracks: Inclusion as Additive in Diets for Grass Carp ().

Macroalgae have been recently described as a potential ingredient for aquafeeds, exerting several physiological benefits. Grass carp () is a freshwater species, which has been the major fish species produced in the world in the last years. In order to determine the potential use of macroalgal wracks in fish feeding, juveniles were fed with an extruded commercial diet (CD) or the CD supplemented with 7% of a wind dried-powder (1 mm) from either a multispecific macroalgal wrack (CD + MU7) or a monospecific macroalgal wrack (CD + MO7) obtained from Gran Canaria island (Spain) coasts.

Non-Lethal Detection of in Fish.

Emergent infectious diseases have an increasing impact on both farmed animals and wildlife. The ability to screen for pathogens is critical for understanding host-pathogen dynamics and informing better management. is a pathogen of concern, associated with disease outbreaks worldwide, affecting a broad range of fish, amphibian, and reptile hosts, but research has been limited.

Detection of Geothermal Anomalies in Hydrothermal Systems Using ASTER Data: The Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande Case Study (Azores, Portugal).

Current-day volcanic activity in the Azores archipelago is characterized by seismic events and secondary manifestations of volcanism. Remote sensing techniques have been widely employed to monitor deformation in volcanic systems, map lava flows, or detect high-temperature gas emissions. However, using satellite imagery, it is still challenging to identify low-magnitude thermal changes in a volcanic system.

Antimalarial and Cytotoxic Activity of Native Plants Used in Cabo Verde Traditional Medicine.

Medicinal plants have historically been a source of drugs in multiple applications, including the treatment of malaria infections. The Cabo Verde archipelago harbors a rich diversity of native plants, most of which are used for medicinal purposes. The present study investigated the in vitro antiplasmodial activities of four native plants from Cabo Verde (i.

The Potential of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi to Modulate below and Aboveground Communities May Be Mediated by 1-Octen-3-ol.

It is known that ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi can modulate below and aboveground communities. They are a key part of belowground communication as they produce a vast array of metabolites, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as 1-octen-3-ol. Here, we tested if the VOC 1-octen-3-ol may be involved in the ECM fungal mechanisms that modulate below and aboveground communities.

The Association between Prematurity, Antibiotic Consumption, and Mother-Infant Attachment in the First Year of Life.

Antibiotics have individual and public-health drawbacks. Nevertheless, mother-infant attachment quality and maternal sensitivity are associated with antibiotic use. Ambivalent-attached infants are more likely to consume antibiotics than other infants.

In search of the Goldilocks zone for hybrid speciation II: hard times for hybrid speciation?

Hybridization opens a unique window for observing speciation mechanisms and is a potential engine of speciation. One controversially discussed outcome of hybridization is homoploid hybrid speciation by reciprocal sorting, where a hybrid population maintains a mixed combination of the parental genetic incompatibilities, preventing further gene exchange between the newly formed population and the two parental sources. Previous work showed that, for specific linkage architectures (i.

Inter- and intra-island speciation and their morphological and ecological correlates in Aeonium (Crassulaceae), a species-rich Macaronesian radiation.

Background And Aims: The most species-rich and ecologically diverse plant radiation on the Canary Islands is the Aeonium alliance (Crassulaceae). In island radiations like this, speciation can take place either within islands or following dispersal between islands. Aiming at quantifying intra- and inter-island speciation events in the evolution of Aeonium, and exploring their consequences, we hypothesized that (1) intra-island diversification resulted in stronger ecological divergence of sister lineages, and that (2) taxa on islands with a longer history of habitation by Aeonium show stronger ecological differentiation and produce fewer natural hybrids.

Geographical shifts in the successional dynamics of inland dune shrub communities.

Species' environmental requirements and large-scale spatial and evolutionary processes determine the structure and composition of local communities. However, ecological interactions also have major effects on community assembly at landscape and local scales. We evaluate whether two xerophytic shrub communities occurring in SW Portugal follow constrained ecological assembly dynamics throughout large geographical extents, or their composition is rather driven by species' individualistic responses to environmental and macroecological constraints.

The magnetic signal from trunk bark of urban trees catches the variation in particulate matter exposure within and across six European cities.

Biomagnetic monitoring increasingly is applied to assess particulate matter (PM) concentrations, mainly using plant leaves sampled in small geographical area and from a limited number of species. Here, the potential of magnetic analysis of urban tree trunk bark to discriminate between PM exposure levels was evaluated and bark magnetic variation was investigated at different spatial scales. Trunk bark was sampled from 684 urban trees of 39 genera in 173 urban green areas across six European cities.

Long-term changes in macroinvertebrate communities across high-latitude streams.

Long-term records of benthic macroinvertebrates in high-latitude streams are essential for understanding climatic changes, including extreme events (e.g. floods).

How genomics can help biodiversity conservation.

The availability of public genomic resources can greatly assist biodiversity assessment, conservation, and restoration efforts by providing evidence for scientifically informed management decisions. Here we survey the main approaches and applications in biodiversity and conservation genomics, considering practical factors, such as cost, time, prerequisite skills, and current shortcomings of applications. Most approaches perform best in combination with reference genomes from the target species or closely related species.

Survey data of public awareness on climate change and the value of marine and coastal ecosystems.

The long-term provision of ocean ecosystem services depends on healthy ecosystems and effective sustainable management. Understanding public opinion about marine and coastal ecosystems is important to guide decision-making and inform specific actions. However, available data on public perceptions on the interlinked effects of climate change, human impacts and the value and management of marine and coastal ecosystems are rare.