Browsing by Author "Parracho, Tiago"
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- Preserving and hydrogel-matrixing the bioactive properties of aromatic medicinal halophytic herbs from the coastline of the Iberian PeninsulaPublication . Parracho, Tiago; Cruz, Pedro F.; Peralta, Claúdia C.; Silva, Cândida G.; Campos, Maria Jorge; Neves, Marta; Cordeiro, Rachel; Trindade, Daniela; Moura, Carla; Almeida, Zaida L.; Pereira, Cidália D.; Guimarães, Carla; Brito, Rui M. M.; Guerra, Mauro; Reboredo, Fernando; Veríssimo, Paula; Vaz, Daniela C.; Santos Ribeiro, VâniaEdible wild plants are part of the ethnobotanic heritage of a certain geographical area and are important sources of essential oils, antioxidants, minerals, and special flavours. Corema album (Portuguese crowberry), Crithmum maritimum (sea fennel), Eryngium maritimum (sea holly), Helichrysum italicum (curry plant) and Otanthus maritimus (cottonweed) wildly flourish along the sandy dunes of the coast of the Iberian Peninsula. These plants are locally known for their beneficial properties, with important value for food, cosmetics and/or medicinal applications. Hence, leaves of these endemic species were collected at four different locations and submitted to different preserving treatments (oven-drying, freezing, and freeze-drying). Acetonic extracts of the different plants submitted to the different post-harvesting treatments were analysed regarding their antioxidant capacities and phenolic contents. Plant extracts were also analysed by diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (DOSY-NMR). In general, freeze-drying was the best method of preserving plant minerals, antioxidants (~4 mgVCEAC/g fw) and polyphenols (~5 mgGAE/g fw). Minerals were quantified via energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and despite their location, all plants were rich in Ca, Cl, K, S and P. Hierarchical clustering and principal component analyses (PCA) pointed towards chemical/metabolic proximity between taxonomic families. Alginate hydrogels loaded with 0.1 % and 0.2 % (w/v) of extracts presented homogenous surface properties by scanning electron microscopy, good mechanical tensile strength (~30 MPa) and antibacterial activity against S. aureus. Edible alginate hydrogels enriched with plant extracts hold great nutraceutical potential to be used as natural preservatives for food coating and packaging or as sources of bioactive compounds for biomedical applications.
- Sand-Dune Plants from the Atlantic Coast of the Iberian Peninsula: Features and ApplicationsPublication . Parracho, Tiago; Vaz, Daniela C.; Veríssimo, Paula; Santos Ribeiro, VâniaPlants with one or more consumable parts are considered edible. Although many plants have been classified as edible (about 27 thousand species), few are used as food. Nonetheless, to overcome food scarcity and excessive dependence on the same plant species, humans have always consumed wild plants, either through direct intake, or as spices, condiments, or oils. Thus, edible wild plants are part of a cultural and genetic heritage assigned to different geographical areas, as well as important sources of essential oils, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and special flavours. Therefore, edible wild plants have been the subject of a growing interest, not only due to their nutritional and medicinal value, but also as a way of diversifying eating habits and of promoting biodiversity and ecological sustainability. The Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula is characterized by rocky cliffs, sandy dunes, and maritime pine forests, where several halophyte wild plants flourish and thrive. Different endemic species such as Corema album (“Camarinha”), Crithmum maritimum (“Funcho-do-mar”), Eryngium maritimum (“Cardo-marítimo”), Helichrysum italicum (“Perpétua-das-areias”) and Otanthus maritimus (“Cordeiros-da-praia”) prosper in these sand-dune environments and are known to present important bioactive compounds, which also show relevant antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Here, we review on the several special features and characteristics presented by this group of autochthonous plants, that show great potential, both in terms of agri-food applications, as well as in terms of cosmetics and other biotechnological uses.