Analysis of factors influencing the physical, chemical and sensorial properties of Serra da Estrela cheeses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical, color, textural, and sensorial characteristics of Serra da Estrela cheese and also to identity the factors affecting these properties, namely thistle ecotype, place of production, dairy and maturation. The results demon- strated that the cheeses lost weight mostly during the first stage of maturation, which was negatively correlated with moisture content, being this also observed for fat and protein contents. During maturation the cheeses became darker and with a yellowish coloration. A strong corre- lation was found between ash and chlorides contents, being the last directly related to the added salt in the manufacturing process. The flesh firmness showed a strong positive correlation with the rind harness and the firmness of inner paste. Stickiness was strongly related with all the other textural properties being indicative of the creamy nature of the paste. Adhesiveness was posi- tively correlated with moisture content and negatively correlated with maturation time. The trained panelists liked the cheeses, giving high overall assessment scores, but these were not significantly correlated with the physicochemical properties. The salt differences between cheeses were not evident for the panelists, which was corroborated by the absence of correlation between the perception of saltiness and the analyzed chlorides con- tents. The Factorial Analysis of the chemical and physical properties evidenced that they could be explained by two factors, one associated to the texture and the color and the other associated with the chemical properties. Finally, there was a clear influence of the thistle ecotype, place of production and dairy factors in the analyzed properties.

Factors Affecting the Body Mass Index in Adolescents in Portuguese Schools

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children is increasing; hence, it was aimed to assess the Body Mass Index (BMI) in school children aged from 10 to 18 years for girls and to 17 for boys, as well as to identify the factors influencing BMI. This study included 742 students who answered a questionnaire previously approved for application in schools. The results showed some sociodemographic factors associated with BMI classes: age, school year, practicing high competition sport, being federate in a sport or having a vegetarian diet. The educational factors associated with BMI classes included only seminars given at school by a nutritionist. Behavioural factors significantly associated with BMI included: learning in classes, playing in the open air, reading books or use of internet. As conclusion, the results demonstrated that several factors affect BMI, and hence some actions could be taken in order to change them so as to reduce the prevalence of overweight, namely reinforcing the role of school and a more active participation of nutritionists in the education of the adolescents.