Browsing by Author "Pinho, O."
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Can lycopene be considered an effective protection against cardiovascular disease?Publication . Costa-Rodrigues, João; Pinho, O.; Monteiro, PedroLycopene is a bioactive component mainly found in tomato. It is characterized by a high antioxidant potential, the highest among carotenoids. Mainly due to this property, lycopene has been suggested to display many beneficial effects, including its potential cardioprotective role. Despite some contradictory observations, which appear to be mainly caused by discrepancies in the different experimental protocols applied in the different studies, growing evidence points to clear benefits of lycopene in the maintenance of cardiovascular function and health. The knowledge about lycopene's preventive effects in atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases, must be translated into changes in food patterns, aiming to increase the consumption of tomato, tomato-containing products, or other foods with high lycopene content, which can have an important impact on cardiovascular disease, particularly in countries where this represents a major public health concern.
- Exposure risks to carcinogens in food: formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in grilled muscle foodsPublication . Pinto, Edgar; Viegas, O.; Pinho, O.; Ferreira, IsabelDiet contains almost all the necessary ingredients to support the human life. However, chemicals that had a deleterious effect may also be present. Such chemicals can occur naturally in the food, others are synthetic and some are produced during cooking. Cooking toxicants have been receiving special attention in the last decades concerning their formation, occurrence, mitigation, and the impact on human health. The risk of exposure to these compounds depends on the kind of diet, eating habits and cooking practices.
- Groundwater from infiltration galleries used for small public water supply systems: contamination with pesticides and endocrine disruptorsPublication . Mansilha, Catarina; Melo, A.; Ferreira, Isabel M. P. L. V. O.; Pinho, O.; Domingues, Valentina F.; Pinho, C.; Gameiro, P.Infiltration galleries are among the oldest known means used for small public water fountains. Owing to its ancestral origin they are usually associated with high quality water. Thirty-one compounds, including pesticides and estrogens from different chemical families, were analysed in waters from infiltration galleries collected in Alto Douro Demarcated Wine region (North of Portugal). A total of twelve compounds were detected in the water samples. Nine of these compounds are described as presenting evidence or potential evidence of interfering with the hormone system of humans and wildlife. Although concentrations of the target analytes were relatively low, many of them below their limit of quantification, four compounds were above quantification limit and two of them even above the legal limit of 0.1 lg/L: dimethoate (30.38 ng/L), folpet (64.35 ng/L), terbuthylazine-desethyl (22.28 to 292.36 ng/L) and terbuthylazine (22.49 to 369.33 ng/L).
- Nutrient adequacy of Nfuma, the flour from Strychnos Madagascariensis fruitPublication . Ribeiro, M.; Chemane, S.; Pinto, Edgar; Khan, M.; Ferreira, I.M.P.L.V.O.; Casal, S.; Pinho, O.; Viegas, O.African native fruits play a significant role in reducingmicronutrient deficiencies and increasing the income of poor rural communitiesin developing countries. In Mozambique, the fruit of Strychnosmadagascariensis is usually processed into flour, nfuma, and is consumed by local communities during staple food shortage.However, there is practically no data on its nutritional value. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the nutritional composition and adequacy of nfuma. Flours were collected from four districts of Mozambique and analyzed using AOAC methods for proximate composition, HPLC for sugars, vitamin E and carotene profiles and ICP-MS and FAAS for minerals. The estimated daily intake of nutrients, as % of EFSA dietary reference values (DRVs), was calculated assuming an average daily consumption of 100 g and 50 g of nfuma for adults and children, respectively. Nfumapresents high content of fat (~27%), fiber (> 6%), sugars (~10%), vitamin E (6.7 to 8.0 mg/100 g) and carotenes (2.2 to 2.6 mg/100 g). Oleic acid was the main fatty acid ofnfuma (~16g/100 g of flour). The mineral composition reveals K (~1200 to 1700 mg/100g) and Mn (~4 mg/100g) as the main macro-mineral and trace element, respectively. Regarding current DRVsfor adults, the consumption of 100 g of nfuma provides 30% of fiber, 27-48% of alpha-linolenic acid, 55-63% of vitamin A and 56-66% of vitamin E. Moreover, nfuma can contribute to the daily intake of Mg, K, and Mn (22 - 26%, 40% and > 100% of DRVs, respectively). Due to its high β-carotene content, the daily consumption of 50 g of nfuma provides 82% of vitamin A DRV for toddlers, representing a promising food-based strategy to alleviate the high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in Mozambique. This fruit flour stands out for its high fat content, mainly composed by MUFA, delivering vitamin E and carotenes, together with naturally occurring sugars and high fiber content. Its local use to enrich maize-based porridges or to develop healthier new food products deserve to be technologically approached for wider valorization.
- Quantification of endocrine disruptors and pesticides in water by gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Method validation using weighted linear regression schemesPublication . Mansilha, Catarina; Melo, A.; Rebelo, H.; Ferreira, Isabel M. P. L. V. O.; Pinho, O.; Domingues, Valentina F.; Pinho, C.; Gameiro, P.Amulti-residue methodology based on a solid phase extraction followed by gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was developed for trace analysis of 32 compounds in water matrices, including estrogens and several pesticides from different chemical families, some of them with endocrine disrupting properties. Matrix standard calibration solutions were prepared by adding known amounts of the analytes to a residue-free sample to compensate matrix-induced chromatographic response enhancement observed for certain pesticides. Validation was done mainly according to the International Conference on Harmonisation recommendations, as well as some European and American validation guidelines with specifications for pesticides analysis and/or GC–MS methodology. As the assumption of homoscedasticity was not met for analytical data, weighted least squares linear regression procedure was applied as a simple and effective way to counteract the greater influence of the greater concentrations on the fitted regression line, improving accuracy at the lower end of the calibration curve. The method was considered validated for 31 compounds after consistent evaluation of the key analytical parameters: specificity, linearity, limit of detection and quantification, range, precision, accuracy, extraction efficiency, stability and robustness.