Ergosterol as a rapid measurement of Ganoderma rot of oil palm

Palm oil (PO) is a very important commodity for many countries and especially Indonesia and Malaysia who are the predominant producers. PO is used in ca. 30% of supermarket foods, cosmetics, cooking and as biodiesel. The growth of oil palms in plantations is controversial as the production methods contribute to climate change and cause environmental damage [1]. The plant is subjected to a devastating disease in these two countries caused by the white rot fungus Ganoderma. There are no satisfactory methods to diagnose the disease in the plant as they are too slow and/or inaccurate. The lipid compound ergosterol is unique to fungi and is used to measure growth especially in solid substrates. We report here on the use of ergosterol to measure the growth of Ganoderma in oil palms using HPLC and TLC methods [2]. The method is rapid and correlates well with other methods and is capable of being used on-site, hence improving the speed of analysis and allowing remedial action. Climate change will affect the health of OP [1] and rapid detection methods will be increasingly required to control the disease. [1] Paterson, RRM, Kumar, L, Taylor, S, Lima N. Future climate effects on suitability for growth of oil palms in Malaysia and Indonesia. Scientific Reports, 5, 2015, 14457. [2] Muniroh, MS, Sariah M, Zainal Abidin, MA, Lima, N, Paterson, RRM. Rapid detection of Ganoderma-infected oil palms by microwave ergosterol extraction with HPLC and TLC. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 100, 2014, 143–147.

Aplicação da metodologia TRIZ a um sistema de aproveitamento de águas pluviais de uma unidade hospitalar

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Civil

O simbólico como estratégia para a alteração comportamental: o caso Águas do Porto

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação (área de especialização em Publicidade e Relações Públicas)

The isolation of Aspergillus spp from harvested maize in three Portuguese regions

In Portugal, maize is the cereal that involves more agriculture explorations. Aspergillus spp., among other species, are usually associated with this cereal, during drying and storage, making this commodity susceptible to mycotoxins (such as aflatoxins, ochratoxins, and cyclopiazonic acid). The aim of this study was to evaluate the mycotoxigenic potential of isolated Aspergillus strains from these maize samples and correlate it with the sampling place, the weather conditions, and local practices during drying and storage. The samples were collected between November 2008 and April 2009 in maize association of producers facilities in Coimbra, Santarém and Portalegre. The isolated strains were divided in three distinct groups, Aspergillus section Flavi, Aspergillus section Nigri and others Aspergillus. The preliminary results show that there are differences between the incidence of these groups in the three sampling places, especially in Coimbra, probably due to a lower mean temperatures and higher humidity levels. These data will be presented and discussed.