Enhancing the nutritional/economical value of small/medium size dairy enterprises products is important for their survival in a competitive market. Probiotic fermented dairy products is a trend ...driven by consumer's acceptance of such products. This study intends the production of probiotic butter with the side possibility of buttermilk valorization by confirming the minimum microbial counts required to claim the probiotic properties of the novel products. Pasteurized milk inoculated with commercial probiotic culture was added to cream, alone or combined with aromatic starters and fermented during 34 hr. Probiotic microorganisms counts evaluated throughout cream fermentation present a final value of around 8 Log CFU/ml. Butter presented values higher than 6 Log CFU/g, within the reference values required to be considered as a probiotic, being softer and with higher humidity than conventional butter. Fermented buttermilk, having the potential commercialization as a probiotic dairy beverage, was also obtained representing a significant contribution to the circular economy.
Practical applications
The use of probiotic fermented dairy products is a trend in the food industry driven by consumer's acceptance and awareness of their health benefits. In this context the production of probiotic butter, with the side possibility of buttermilk valorization, can improve the nutritional and economical value of the products of small/medium size dairy companies contributing for their survival in today's competitive market. This work describes the production process optimization which can also contribute for the valorization of buttermilk through the production of a probiotic drink.
Papel, vida e acontecimento Susana Oliveira Dias
Linguagem em (Dis)curso,
12/2011, Volume:
11, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Open access
O papel-imprensa se efetua como uma máquina que emite signos furiosamente, que faz ver e faz falar dentro de uma sintaxe dominante, forçando a pensar no jogo das representações e a reencontrar o que ...já estava dado. Expõe violentamente um tempo de morte marcado pela centralidade do sujeito no pensamento. Neste texto proponho explorar os conceitos de signo, acontecimento e fabulação de Gilles Deleuze para buscar deslocamentos no pensar o papel-imprensa. Ao desdobrar os signos – atualidade, velocidade, objetividade e veracidade – pela superfície do acontecimento emerge uma violência distinta, afirmativa, um esvaziamento das significações já dadas desses signos que abre para um devir-qualquer-coisa do papel. Possibilidades de que o papel-pesquisa encontre forças de vida pela fabulação.
Crotalicidin (Ctn), a cathelicidin-related peptide from the venom of a South American rattlesnake, possesses potent antimicrobial, antitumor, and antifungal properties. Previously, we have shown that ...its C-terminal fragment, Ctn(15–34), retains the antimicrobial and antitumor activities but is less toxic to healthy cells and has improved serum stability. Here, we investigated the mechanisms of action of Ctn and Ctn(15–34) against Gram-negative bacteria. Both peptides were bactericidal, killing ∼90% of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells within 90–120 and 5–30 min, respectively. Studies of ζ potential at the bacterial cell membrane suggested that both peptides accumulate at and neutralize negative charges on the bacterial surface. Flow cytometry experiments confirmed that both peptides permeabilize the bacterial cell membrane but suggested slightly different mechanisms of action. Ctn(15–34) permeabilized the membrane immediately upon addition to the cells, whereas Ctn had a lag phase before inducing membrane damage and exhibited more complex cell-killing activity, probably because of two different modes of membrane permeabilization. Using surface plasmon resonance and leakage assays with model vesicles, we confirmed that Ctn(15–34) binds to and disrupts lipid membranes and also observed that Ctn(15–34) has a preference for vesicles that mimic bacterial or tumor cell membranes. Atomic force microscopy visualized the effect of these peptides on bacterial cells, and confocal microscopy confirmed their localization on the bacterial surface. Our studies shed light onto the antimicrobial mechanisms of Ctn and Ctn(15–34), suggesting Ctn(15–34) as a promising lead for development as an antibacterial/antitumor agent.
•Habitat loss is one of the main factors explaining the decline of the European turtle dove.•Habitat management measures conducted in 931 hunting grounds from Western Europe were studied.•A large ...proportion promoted self-funded measures which may benefit turtle doves.•The majority provided food and water, but a lower proportion conducted land interventions and at limited scale.•Targeted habitat management and scientific-based monitoring conducted by hunters could help addressing its impacts.
As described in many farmland birds of Europe, habitat loss is one of the main factors explaining the decline of the European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), a migratory columbid which breeds in the Western Palaearctic and winters in Africa. In the countries belonging to the western flyway (which host around 40–50% of the European breeding population), the species was hunted before the implementation of a moratorium in recent years, and it is known that habitat management is conducted to favour game and wildlife. Through a questionnaire we investigated the habitat management conducted in hunting grounds of France, Portugal and Spain (931 respondents), and the measures that may favour turtle doves. The vast majority of respondents were totally or partially in charge of game management (98%), but less than 50% were responsible for decisions regarding farming or forestry. The most frequent measures were supplementary food (73% of respondents), water provision (68%), forest management (50%) and agricultural management (47%). Land interventions were conducted in a high proportion of grounds, but at limited scale (<50 ha/hunting ground). In most cases, the management was self-funded by hunters and game managers. Habitat management measures were rarely targeted exclusively to the turtle dove; interventions were, in contrast, frequently part of management targeting various species simultaneously. Grounds with a tradition of higher number of hunted doves were those more likely to target the species in their management. The likelihood of implementing management tools was mainly linked to variations in hunting pressure rather than to perceptions of turtle dove population trends. As the turtle dove is favoured by the ecotone between woodland and farmland, it is crucial to promote and reward measures beyond food and water provision, involving agricultural and forest management, ideally accompanied by species’ monitoring in hunting grounds. As the current Adaptive Harvest Management Framework promoted by the European Union aims to link hunting opportunities with habitat enhancements, hunting grounds could be crucial to improve turtle dove habitats at large scale and help reversing current population trends.
Crop–livestock integration fosters a holistic view of the agricultural system, which is nowadays particularly relevant due to the rising environmental concerns. Laying hens can contribute to ...improvement of soil chemical properties, but their effects in soil fertility are not fully known. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of grazing laying hens on soil fertility. To meet this goal, we assessed the effects of indigenous laying hens in 22 soil parameters, including chemical, physical, and microbiological parameters, in two farms from the central region of Portugal: an organic horticultural field (A) and a conventional orchard (B). At farm A, the animals grazed during the dry period for 84 continuous days, at a density of 4 m2 per hen. At farm B, the animals grazed during the wet period, at a density of 3.50 m2 per hen, in two periods (34 + 33 days), with a 50 day break period in between grazing. The hens contributed to an increase in the extractable macronutrients phosphorus (P2O5) and potassium (K2O), mineral nitrogen (NH4+-N and NO3−-N), and exchangeable bases calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) in both farms, making these central parameters to consider in their grazing management. At farm A, where soil disturbance is higher, the grazing did not affect soil moisture retention but positively affected soil dry bulk density and contributed to an increase in total aerobic bacteria and nitrogen-fixing bacteria abundances. At farm B, where the hens’ presence led to the understory eradication, soil moisture retention, total aerobic bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and fungi abundances were negatively affected, while soil dry bulk density was unaffected. These results show that hens can significantly contribute to improve soil fertility, but more research is needed regarding their grazing management.
Understanding the role of fire in the water and carbon cycles is crucial for understanding the Earth's system. Remote sensing is a valuable tool for this purpose as it covers large areas consistently ...over time. Furthermore, fire propagation models use vegetation parameters to gather information about wildfire conditions, thus reinforcing the need for vegetation dynamics comprehension. Hence, the study aims to improve vegetation representation of fuel load and moisture content, through remote sensing and in-situ data in Southern Portugal. In this study, three above-ground biomass (AGB) datasets and, for live fuel moisture content (LFMC), biweekly samples over two field sites (Herdade da Mitra and Serra de Ossa) were collected during the period between April and October 2022, counting 246 field samples. These samples combined with satellite data information derived from Sentinel-2 (spectral bands and indices) were used in a machine learning approach, the Random Forest (RF) classifier, considering 30 variables to predict the AGB and LFMC. Results showed reasonable agreement between predicted and observed values, with r2 and RSME values of 0.56 (0.69) and 17.56 ton ha−1 (6.47%) for AGB (LFMC). Finally, the RF model generated wall-to-wall dynamic AGB and LFMC maps. This study allowed a product derived from remote sensing data combined with an RF model to produce reliable information about vegetation conditions essential for wildfire risk assessment and atmosphere fire modelling in Southern Portugal.
The improvement of future responses to drought requires evaluating past management practices. This article presents a methodology to assess drought management through the analysis of six key policy ...dimensions. It uses a qualitative approach that combines different sources of information, including both factual data and stakeholders' perceptions. The assessment is based on a six-case study in Europe having different spatial scales and characteristics, to capture the context-specific nature of response to drought. The results of the assessment help analyze drought management from a risk-management perspective as well as to identify key policy gaps and recommendations.
Key message
There is a need to improve the consistency of international information concerning the conservation status assessment of the species and habitat types in the Natura 2000 reports. National ...Forest Inventories could contribute towards a more objective and harmonised assessment although their use shows some challenges as low precision for rare or small area habitats. Recommendations for a set of 12 structural and functional indicators are provided.
Context
There are differences among Member States as regards applying conservation status assessment and priorities according to the Directive on the conservation of natural habitats (Habitats Directive).
Aims
This paper aims to analyse the consistency as regards forest habitat types reporting and the use and suitability of National Forest Inventories (NFIs) to assess their conservation status, as well as to provide recommendations for harmonised assessments through NFIs.
Methods
A survey was carried out concerning the use of NFI data to report within the commitments of the Habitat Directive. The survey covered 13 European countries, accounting for 62% of forest habitat area. Additionally, case studies were carried out in four countries.
Results
The identification of forest habitat types and the set of quantitative and/or qualitative indicators differ between countries. The use of NFI data is being considered in seven countries and it is expected to increase for the 2013–2018 reporting period. The main challenges reported of use of NFI data are related to the habitat identification and their mapping, and the monitoring frequency, design and costs (i.e. rare or small area habitats).
Conclusion
It is necessary to improve the comparability of the conservation status assessments between countries.
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