Serra da Estrela is a Portuguese traditional cheese produced with raw ewe's milk from "Churra Mondegueira" and "Bordaleira" autochthonous breeds and the wild thistle flower (Cynara cardunculus L.), which benefits from the status of Protected Designation of Origin. Cheese chemical composition, namely the fatty acids profile, depends on milk composition and on manufacturing practices. Thus, the identification of possible chemical biomarkers capable of classifying Serra da Estrela cheeses according to the dairy manufacturing plant, geographical origin or production date would be of utmost relevance for producers and consumers. A typical fatty acids profile, including 23 saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, was identified for the studied cheeses, being butyric, caproic, caprilic, capric, lauric, miristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and its trans-isomer and α-linolenic acids the most abundant ones (relative mean abundances ranging from 1.4% ± 0.5% to 23.9% ± 1.9%). Linear discriminant models were established based on the most discriminative fatty acids (namely, caproic, caprilic, undecanoic, lauric, pentadecanoic, palmitic, palmitoleic, heptadecanoic, oleic, linoleic trans-isomer, heneicosanoic and arachidonic acids) that included less abundant fatty acids, which were selected using the simulated annealing algorithm. The established models enabled assessing cheeses' origin (models based on 10-12 fatty acids) and/or production date (model based on 20 fatty acids) with predictive sensitivities of 71-88%. Therefore, fatty acids profiles coupled with chemometric techniques, could be foreseen as a fingerprint of cheese's genuineness, enhancing the consumers' confidence when purchasing this high-value cheese.
Olive anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum spp., is one of the most damaging fruit diseases in olive crops worldwide. Their control is very difficult and relies mostly in the use of copper-based fungicides. The plant-associate fungal community has been increasingly recognized for playing an important role in plant health and fitness. Thus, in this work, the olive-associated fungi of cultivars with different levels of resistance to anthracnose were characterized to identify potential protecting fungi for a sustainable strategy of biocontrol. A culture-dependent approach was used to assess both epiphytic and endophytic fungal communities of leaves from the olive cultivars Madural (susceptible to anthracnose) and Cobrançosa (moderately tolerant), and the isolates obtained were identified by rRNA sequencing. Overall, the Ascomycota phylum and Aureobasidium genus were the most dominant, being epiphytes that are significantly more diverse and abundant than endophytes. Host plant (at cultivar level) had a negligible effect on the composition of the fungal communities of the leaves. Future research needs to highlight the most prominent taxa arising from different cultivars and to decipher these complex interactions between plants and fungi and assess their role in plant health.
Purpose This study aims to determine the physicochemical and fatty acids composition of Serra da Estrela cheese (SEC), as well as health-related lipid indices, like the atherogenic and thrombogenic indices, and to evaluate the influence of producer, geographical origin and production date. Design/methodology/approach All 24 SEC produced between November 2017 and March 2018 were collected at selected certified producers and analyzed by NIR spectrophotometer and by GC. Data were statistically evaluated by chemometric tools. Findings In all evaluated SEC, 23 fatty acids were quantified. Cheese origin influenced nutritional and health-related lipid indices). The cheeses were characterized by a relative high abundance of saturated fatty acids (67-76%), followed by a medium content of monounsaturated fatty acids (17-25%) and by low level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (5-7%). A putative positive association between cheese consumption and healthy lipid indices could be reached. Practical implications The contents of some medium and long chain fatty acids as well as of nutritional and health indices were influenced by cheese producer, geographical origin and production date pointing out the need for standardizing production procedures. Social implications The SEC plays a key role in the local economy, being an endogenous product with unique sensory characteristics and nutritional potential, for which the knowledge of the lipids profile and health indices is of utmost relevance. Originality/value SEC is an iconic Portuguese cheese with Protected Designation of Origin. Based on the results, like health-related lipid indices, evaluated for the first time, a positive association between cheese consumption and healthy lipid indices could be envisaged.
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