Sapientia
Repositório Científico da UAlg
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Evaluation of the chemical properties of tomato products enriched with plant-based ingredients
Publication . Ngameni Tchonkouang, Rose Daphnee; Martey, Dorcas Martekie; Gago, Custódia; Guerreiro, Adriana; Raposo, Sara; Rodrigues, Brígida; Vieira, Margarida; Antunes, Maria Dulce
Reformulating tomato-based products with beneficial plant-based ingredients is a promising approach for enhancing dietary quality. In this study, the chemical properties of reformulated tomato products—a juice and a sauce enriched with pea protein, olive powder, and tomato peel powder—were evaluated alongside the tomatoes used as raw material (cultivar ‘H1657’) to determine the changes occurring during their conversion into reformulated products. The chemical properties were assessed by analyzing lycopene, antioxidant capacity (by total phenolic content, DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP), sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose), and organic acids (citric, malic, ascorbic, and oxalic acids). The results showed that the fruit had the highest contents of glucose and fructose. Citric, malic, and oxalic acids were lower in the reformulated products than in the fruit sample, while ascorbic acid did not differ significantly. The sauce and fresh fruit exhibited the highest lycopene, ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP, whereas the juice had the lowest. Polyphenol content was highest in the sauce followed by the fruit and then the juice. The results suggest that incorporating plant-based ingredients into the sauce formulation can help compensate for nutrient losses that occur during tomato processing, making it a promising tomato-based product.
The Rio Grande Rise: current knowledge and future frontiers for deep-sea science, mineral resources and governance
Publication . Jovane, Luigi; Ulsen, Carina; Galante, Douglas; Bernardini, Simone; Bergo, Natascha Menezes; Braga, Elisabete de Santis; Brandini, Frederico P.; Carrion, Ronaldo; Castro, David Lopes de; Constantino, Renata R.; Bin Hassan, Muhammad; Janasi, Valdecir de Assis; Jeck, Izabel King; Junior, Marco Antonio Couto; Lima, Fabiola A.; de Oliveira Júnior, Luciano; Marques, Simone; Massola, Gustavo M.; Mestre, Nelia C. C.; Mohriak, Webster; Monlevade, Eduardo F.; Oliveira, Carina Costa de; Pellizari, Vivian Helena; Portes, Marcelo Cecconi; Praxedes, Adriane G. P.; Rodrigues, Fabio; Rodrigues, Lucas C. V.; González Sanz, Francisco Javier; Silveira, Ilson C. A. da; Soto, Jules M. R.; Souza-Neto, Pedro Walfir; Sumida, Paulo Y. G.; Tagliaro, Gabriel T.; Silva, Solange Teles da; Turra, Alexander; Santos, Roberto Ventura; Yamamoto, Marcio; Mello, Sidney L. M.
The Rio Grande Rise (RGR) is the largest oceanic plateau in the South Atlantic and represents a key natural laboratory for understanding oceanic plateau formation, deep-sea circulation, ecosystem functioning, and ferromanganese crust development. This study presents a critical synthesis of current scientific knowledge on the RGR, integrating geological, geophysical, oceanographic, biological, and geochemical evidence published over the last two decades. Geophysical data reveal a complex tectono-magmatic evolution involving Late Cretaceous plume-related volcanism, crustal thickening, rifting, and subsequent subsidence. The structural framework of the plateau is dominated by the Cruzeiro do Sul Rift, which plays a central role in controlling sedimentation, magmatism, and seawater circulation. Oceanographic studies demonstrate that the interaction between the southern branch of the South Equatorial Current and the complex topography of the RGR generates intense internal tides and bottom currents, strongly influencing sediment transport and benthic habitats. Biological investigations indicate that the RGR hosts diverse deep-sea communities, including sponge grounds, cold-water corals, and associated fauna, whose distribution is tightly linked to geomorphology and hydrodynamics. Ferromanganese crusts occurring on the plateau preserve valuable geochemical records of oceanographic and redox conditions, although their spatial distribution, thickness, and metal budgets remain incompletely constrained. Despite major advances, significant knowledge gaps persist regarding crustal structure, sedimentary evolution, ecosystem functioning, and mineral formation processes. This review highlights these uncertainties and outlines research priorities necessary to improve understanding of oceanic plateaus and deep-sea systems in the South Atlantic.
Impact of climate change on portuguese marine coastal environments
Publication . Pinto, Miguel; Bueno-Pardo, Juan; Marta-Almeida, Martinho; Leitão, Francisco
The potential impacts of climate change on marine habitats were assessed using RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 projections of environmental parameters that included sea surface temperature (SST), pH, salinity, planktonic productivity (PP) and current strength (CS). The analysis was conducted separately for three distinct oceanographic regions of the Portuguese coastline (North, Centre and South) up to the middle of the century. Temporal trends in environmental variables were assessed using time series analyses. Overall, changes expected up to the middle of the century include increasing SST and PP, decreasing pH and salinity, and slight increases in CS. Spatial–temporal analyses revealed high present–future environmental overlay for most environmental variables. However, changes in individual environmental variables cumulatively resulted in statistically significant changes in environmental similarity. Still, the projected changes are not expected to exceed ecological thresholds, above which they would be likely to alter species’ habitat suitability or to result in species distribution shifts. Anomaly analyses suggest that present–future shifts do not surpass 1/5 (pH, PP, CS) or 2/3 (salinity) of the unit, regardless of projection and area, while SST anomalies ranged from −1.1 °C to 1.1 °C. Compared to IPCC large-scale predictions for Atlantic/Mediterranean regions, the intensity of shifts on the Portuguese coast may be lower.
Do personality traits matter for safety behaviour? The boundary role of safety training
Publication . Sousa, Cátia; Coelho, Anne
Safety behaviour in the workplace is influenced by both individual characteristics and organizational practices; however, the conditions under which these factors interact remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on an interactionist perspective, this study examines whether perceived safety training effectiveness functions as a contextual condition that shapes the influence of personality traits on safety behaviour. A cross-sectional design was adopted, and data were collected through an online questionnaire from 268 workers across diverse professional backgrounds. Measures included safety behaviour, personality traits (neuroticism and conscientiousness), and perceived safety training effectiveness. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, multiple regression, and moderation analyses, controlling for age and gender. The results showed that neuroticism was negatively associated with safety behaviour, whereas conscientiousness did not present a significant effect when perceived safety training effectiveness was included in the model. Perceived safety training effectiveness emerged as the strongest predictor of safety behaviour. Importantly, perceived safety training effectiveness moderated the relationship between conscientiousness and safety behaviour, such that its influence was stronger at lower levels of training and diminished as training increased. These findings suggest that perceived safety training effectiveness was associated with a weaker relationship between conscientiousness and safety behaviour. By suggesting that the relationship between personality traits and safety behaviour may depend on organizational conditions, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of safety behaviour and highlights the central role of training as a key organizational resource for promoting safer work practices.
Thermal plasticity with physiological trade-offs in the invasive cichlid australoheros facetus under warming scenarios in mediterranean-type rivers
Publication . Santos, Emanuel; Gregorio, Silvia; Costa, Rita; Molina, Juan M.; Guerreiro, Pedro Miguel
Introduction: Climate warming and drought are intensifying thermal stress in Mediterranean freshwater systems, potentially favoring invasive fish with broad physiological tolerance. Extended environmental tolerance and increased aerobic scope are indicative of the potential to sustain, perform and disseminate in challenging conditions. Objective: We aimed to determine the thermal scope of the invasive Australoheros facetus inhabiting southern Portuguese drainages using an array of physiological proxies. Methodology: We evaluated the thermal biology of the species across a wide temperature gradient to test how warming affects metabolic performance, thermal tolerance, and biochemical status. Fish collected from Algarve watercourses were exposed to 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 35 °C (n = 15 per condition, 10–60 g) for at least a week, and intermittent respirometry was used to determine standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR) and aerobic scope (AS). Group Q10 was derived from metabolic rates. Plasma and tissue biomarkers of energy metabolism and oxidative stress were analyzed. Critical thermal maximum (CTmax) was assessed in fish acclimated for a week at 10, 20 and 30 °C (n = 10) using a 1 °C/min thermal ramp. Results: Intermediate temperatures (15–25 °C) supported the best overall physiological performance, combining stronger aerobic capacity with higher antioxidant protection. In contrast, 30–35 °C imposed clear physiological costs: maintenance metabolism increased disproportionately, aerobic scope declined, and cellular protection weakened, indicating the onset of heat stress. Despite this, A. facetus showed marked thermal plasticity, with CTmax increasing significantly with acclimation temperature. Fish acclimated to 30 °C had higher CTmax than fish acclimated to 20 °C and 10 °C, although the thermal safety margin decreased progressively as the acclimation temperature rose. Liver antioxidant activity also peaked at intermediate temperatures and declined at the warmest treatments, reinforcing the mismatch between acute tolerance and sustained performance. Conclusions: These results show that A. facetus is highly heat tolerant but that tolerance comes with energetic and cellular trade-offs near upper thermal limits. Despite this limitation at extreme conditions, the combination of broad tolerance and functional performance under warm intermediate conditions may help to explain its invasion success and stand as a competitive advantage in increasingly hot low-flow Iberian freshwater ecosystems.