Browsing by Author "Fraga-Corral, M."
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- Antibacterial Use of Macroalgae Compounds against Foodborne PathogensPublication . Silva, Aurora; Silva, Sofia A.; Lourenço-Lopes, C.; Jimenez-Lopez, C.; Carpena, M.; Gullón, P.; Fraga-Corral, M.; Domingues, Valentina; Barroso, M. Fátima; Simal-Gandara, J.; Prieto, M. A.The search for food resources is a constant in human history. Nowadays, the search for natural and safe food supplies is of foremost importance. Accordingly, there is a renewed interest in eco-friendly and natural products for substitution of synthetic additives. In addition, microbial contamination of food products during their obtaining and distribution processes is still a sanitary issue, and an important target for the food industry is to avoid food contamination and its related foodborne illnesses. These diseases are fundamentally caused by certain microorganisms listed in this review and classified according to their Gram negative or positive character. Algae have proven to possess high nutritional value and a wide variety of biological properties due to their content in active compounds. Among these capabilities, macroalgae are recognized for having antimicrobial properties. Thus, the present paper revises the actual knowledge of microbial contaminants in the food industry and proposes antimicrobial algal compounds against those pathogenic bacteria responsible for food contamination as valuable molecules for its growth inhibition. The capacity of algae extracts to inhibit some major food pathogen growth was assessed. Moreover, the main applications of these compounds in the food industry were discussed while considering their favorable effects in terms of food safety and quality control
- Enhancing the detection of Dinophysis spp. using electrochemical genosensorsPublication . Pereira, Eduarda; Silva, Aurora; Morais, Stephanie L.; Costa-Rama, Estefanía; Moreira, Patrícia R.; Fraga-Corral, M.; Torrado, Ana M.; Rodríguez, Francisco; Barros, Piedade; Cruz, Agostinho; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Prieto, M. A.; Simal-Gandara, J.; Silva, Nádia F. D.; Santos, Marlene; Barroso, M. FátimaHarmful algal blooms (HABs) pose a significant threat to the environment and public health. These blooms are defined by an accumulation of microscopic algae in water, and they can occur inlakes, rivers, estuaries, orcoastal areas. Factors like the unregulated runoff of agricultural and industrial wastes into the aquatic environment are believed to have transformed these ecosystems into favorable habitats for algae growth and proliferation. As a result, the frequency of these blooms is rising worldwide. Although these blooms are mostly harmless, certain species, namely dinoflagellates from the genus Dinophysis, produce toxins that pose a risk for human health. Therefore, the need for technological developments towards fast and precise detection of these toxin-producing microalgae is critical to prevent socio economical damages, as well as to assess the ecological status of marine ecosystems. In this work, an analytical approach based on an electrochemical genosensor device was developed to create a low-cost platform able to detect two dinoflagellate species from the genus Dinophysis: D.acuminataand D.acuta. The design of the DNA-based sensor involved three key steps: i) Sensing phase: consisted by a mixed self-assembled monolayer composed by a linear DNA capture probe and mercaptohexanol on to the disposable screen-printed gold electrodessurface; ii) Hybridization of complementary DNA sequence by using a sandwich format assay with enzymatic labels and iii) Electrochemical detection by chronoamperometry using an enzymatic scheme to amplify the electrochemical signal. The best analytical conditions used to study the relationship between electrochemical signal and DNA target concentration, to produce the best electrochemical genosensor device. Molecular biology tools, namely Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), will be used for further validation of the electrochemical genosensor to confirm its reliability. These advancements in analytical technologies contribute to the on going efforts in environmental management and public health protection by providing effective means for detectingand mitigating the risks associated with HABs. Further research and widespread implementation of these methods are required to ensure the safety and sustainability of aquatic ecosystems, safeguard public health, and facilitate proactive environmental management practices.
- A HPLC‐DAD method for identifying and estimating the content of fucoxanthin, β‐carotene and chlorophyll a in brown algal extractsPublication . Lourenço-Lopes, C.; Fraga-Corral, M.; Garcia-Perez, P.; Carreira-Casais, A.; Silva, Aurora; Simal-Gandara, J.; Prieto, M.A.Seaweeds are photosynthetic organisms that have high contents of pigments. The coloration of each alga is defined by the content and combination of pigments synthesized, which varies among species and environmental conditions. The most abundant pigments in algae are chlorophylls and carotenoids, lipophilic molecules that can be used as natural colorants and have high acceptance by consumers. In this work, a simple and short hands-on time HPLC-DAD method for identifying and estimating the pigment content of algal extracts, specifically fucoxanthin, β-carotene and chlorophyll a was carried out. Using this optimized method, a pigment screening was performed on the ethanolic extracts obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction from nine brown algal from the Atlantic coastline: Ascophyllum nodosum, Bifurcaria bifurcata, Fucus spiralis, Himanthalia elongata, Laminaria saccharina, Laminaria ochroleuca, Pelvetia canaliculata, Sargassum muticum and Undaria pinnatifida. HPLC results permitted to highlight L. saccharina and U. pinnatifida as promising sources of these three target pigments containing a total amount of 10.5 – 11.5 mg per gram of dry weight. Among them, the most abundant one was fucoxanthin, an added-value compound with a high potential to be commercially exploited by different industries, such as the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical sectors.
- Is it possible to prevent Harmful Algal Blooms? An electrochemical genosensor that detects dinoflagellates could be the answerPublication . Pereira, Eduarda; Silva, Aurora; Morais, Stephanie L.; Costa-Rama, Estefanía; Moreira, Patrícia R.; Fraga-Corral, M.; Torrado, Ana M.; Rodríguez, Francisco; Barros, Piedade; Cruz, Agostinho; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Prieto, M. A.; Simal-Gandara, J.; Silva, Nádia F. D.; Santos, Marlene; Barroso, M. FátimaHarmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are a very common phenomenon in the last few years that results from the accumulation of microalgae, such as dinoflagellates of the Dinophysis genus. Hence, the development of analytical technologies capable of detecting these microorganisms and thereby avoiding environmental and public health crisis, has become a major priority. Biosensors have been gaining recognition lately given their notable assets: they are fast, sensitive and allow in situ analysis.