Browsing by Author "Andrade, Carlos"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Catostylus tagi (Class: Scyphozoa, Order: Discomedusae, Suborder: Rhizostomida, Family: Catostylidae) life cycle and first insight into its ecologyPublication . Gueroun, Sonia K.M.; Torres, Tatiana M.; Santos, Antonina dos; Vasco Rodrigues, Nuno; Canning-Clode, João; Andrade, CarlosJellyfish proliferations, which are conspicuous and natural events, cause blooms that may lead to severe consequences for anthropogenic activities and ecosystem structure and functioning. Although research during the last decade has focused on factors influencing the different jellyfish life stages, few species currently have their full life cycle known. In this context, we describe for the first time the developmental stages in the life cycle of Catostylus tagi, from planula to young medusa, reared in the laboratory. The species displays the typical Rhizostomida metagenetic life cycle. Mature scyphistomae display 16 tentacles and a total body length of 1.5 ± 0.2 mm. Only podocyst production and strobilation were observed. Strobilation, occurring continuously under laboratory conditions, was mainly polydisc. The eight-rayed typical ephyrae, with a total body diameter of 2.4 ± 0.4 mm at detachment, showed development typical of the Rhizostomida. As a first step in studying this species’ ecology, we also present preliminary assessments of: (i) the influence of different temperature and salinity regimes on planulae survival, settlement and metamorphosis and (ii) the effect of temperature and diet on asexual reproduction. The results showed a high tolerance of planulae to a wide range of salinities (15‰to 25‰), while polyp development was significantly faster at higher temperature (20–25º C). Strobilation onset was 2–3 times faster at 20º C (10.6 ± 5.4 to 15 ± 6.6 day at various tested diet) than at 15º C (32.2 ± 3 day). Feeding was a key factor as unfed polyps never underwent strobilation during the trial. Finally, we present the spatial and seasonal distribution of C. tagi in the Tagus estuary (Portugal) in 2019, showing its occurrence throughout the year (except in April), with most observations recorded on the northern shoreline. As C. tagi shows the ability to form blooms and a wide tolerance for temperature and salinity (for planulae and medusae stage), it is essential to understand its life cycle.
- Evaluation of fatty acids profile as a useful tool towards valorization of by-products of agri-food industryPublication . Ferreira, Rui; Lourenço, Sílvia; Lopes, André; Andrade, Carlos; Câmara, José S.; Castilho, Paula; Perestelo, RosaWorldwide, the food industry generates a large number of by-products from a wide variety of sources. These by-products represent an interesting and economical source of added value components with potential functionalities and/or bioactivities, which might be explored for industrial purposes, encouraging and promoting the circular economy concept. In this context, the current work aimed to evaluate the fatty acids (FAs) profile using gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (GC–FID) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), as well as the determination of related health lipid indices (e.g., atherogenic (AI) and thrombogenic (TI)) as a powerful strategy to investigate the potential applications of different agri-food by-products for human nutrition and animal feeding. This work results showed that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are the predominant group in grape pomace (72.7%), grape bunches (54.3%), and brewer’s spent grain (BSG, 59.0%), whereas carrot peels are dominated by monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs, 47.3%), and grape stems (46.2%), lees (from 50.8 to 74.1%), and potato peels (77.2%) by saturated fatty acids (SFAs). These findings represent a scientific basis for exploring the nutritional properties of agri-food by-products. Special attention should be given to grape pomace, grape bunches, and BSG since they have a high content of PUFAs (from 54.3 to 72.7%) and lower AI (from 0.11 to 0.38) and TI (from 0.30 to 0.56) indexes, suggesting their potential to provide a variety of health benefits against cardiovascular diseases including well-established hypotriglyceridemia and anti-inflammatory effects, products to which they are added.
- Exploring the potential of wine industry by-products as source of additives to improve the quality of aquafeedPublication . Câmara, José S.; Lourenço, Sílvia; Silva, Catarina; Lopes, André; Andrade, Carlos; Perestrelo, RosaThe recent growing concern driven by consumer interest in the safety and quality of seafood, has boosted the search for healthy and functional aquafeeds. The current study represents the first approach to assess the potential of volatile composition of the wine industry by products (e.g., grape pomace, grape stems, lees), as additives for improving the quality of fish feeds in terms of organoleptic characteristics (e.g., aroma and flavor) and health benefits. Headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC–MS) was used to establish the volatile profile of wine industry by-products. A total of 153 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which belong to different chemical families, comprising 36 esters, 31 carbonyl compound, 20 alcohols, 18 terpenoids, 17 acids, 11 furanic compounds, four volatile phenols, two lactones, and 14 miscellaneous, were identified. Esters and terpenoids showed a positive contribution to the aquafeeds aroma with fruity, sweet, green, fresh, and berry notes, whereas some acids (e.g., hexanoic acid) and terpenoids (e.g., limonene) could be used as antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiproliferative agents. Our findings confirmed the potential of wine industry by-products as a rich source of essential compounds to enhance the quality of aquafeeds towards the valorization of winery waste based on the concept of circular economy. Further investigation on the extraction, isolation and purification of VOCs from a natural bio-source will guarantee the safety of the aquafeed and compliance with the requirements of the animal feed industry.
- Population density, reproduction cycle and nutritional value of Sphaerechinus granularis (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in an oceanic insular ecosystemPublication . Lourenço, Sílvia; José, Ricardo; Neves, Pedro; Góis, André; Cordeiro, Nereida; Andrade, Carlos; Ribeiro, CláudiaSea urchins play an important role in island coastal ecosystems as keystone species and as potential Resources for harvesting and aquaculture. In Southern Europe, the most valuable and harvested species is the European purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, but there is a growing interest to explore other edible Species like the blunt sea urchin Sphaerechinus granularis. The echinoderms biodiversity of Madeira archipelago was previously described, but their local habitat, population densities and size distribution, important to establish their harvest and aquaculture potential, are poorly known. The present study aimed to evaluate S. granularis population in the oligotrophic and narrow insular shelf of Madeira archipelago, mainly regarding its habitat, densities, reproduction season and roe marketable characteristics. Sphaerechinus granularis was found in low densities (0.01 ind./m2) from shallow to deep reefs (5–30 m). The highest densities occurred in shallow waters and breakwaters in association to encrusting algae, turf and erect brown macroalgae. Here, the low primary productivity ecosystem influenced the long reproductive season of the local population. This population showed a relatively high gonadosomatic index (maximum GI of 8), high gonad weight (5.00–12.19 g) with high proportion of bright yellow and orange gonads (37.5–60%) between February and November. Additionally, the high level of total carotenoids, the high PUFA (particularly EPA) content, and the ratio n-6/n-3 close to one support the high nutritional value of S. granularis roe. The trend of incremental GI between September and November and the increasing content of PUFA in autumn suggests this could be the preferential harvesting season. This information is key to evaluate a sustainable exploitation of this living marine resource.