Estudo da incidência de doença celíaca na Região Autónoma da Madeira

A doença celíaca (DC) é um distúrbio de má absorção intestinal, causada pela ingestão de glúten e tem como único tratamento uma dieta livre de glúten (DLG). Este estudo teve como objectivo determinar a prevalência, a incidência e os melhores marcadores sorológicos de DC na Região Autónoma da Madeira (RAM), através da análise dos pedidos no serviço de Patologia Clínica do Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça, com marcadores de DC durante o período de Janeiro de 2002 a Dezembro de 2010. A determinação dos marcadores sorológicos (anticorpos antitransglutaminase tecidular IgA (AATA) e IgG (AATG), anticorpos anti-gliadina IgA (AAGA) e IgG (AAGG)) foi realizada no analisador automático ImmunoCAP 250, que utiliza a técnica Fluoro-Enzyme ImmunoAssay (FEIA). Dos 1004 pedidos que requereram marcadores sorológicos para a DC, 214 obtiveram um ou mais marcadores positivos, que pertencem a 130 indivíduos distintos. Quarenta e quatro (44) indivíduos realizaram biópsia intestinal e 38 foram positivas com aspectos morfológicos compatíveis com o diagnóstico de doença celíaca. A doença atingiu mais as crianças que os adultos e foi mais frequente no sexo feminino do que no masculino. A prevalência de DC na RAM de acordo com os resultados das biópsias foi de 15,3 casos por 100.000 habitantes e a incidência foi de 1,9/100.000 habitantes, com uma tendência crescente nos últimos anos. O anticorpo anti-transglutaminase tecidular IgA foi o marcador mais sensível (95,5%), correspondendo ao melhor marcador na detecção inicial de DC. Todas as amostras de crianças com idade inferior a 2 anos devem ser adicionalmente testados para anticorpos anti-gliadina, devido à sua maior sensibilidade (92,3%) em relação aos anticorpos anti-transglutaminase tecidular IgA (84,6%). Este trabalho procurou contribuir para um melhor conhecimento do perfil de doença celíaca da população da RAM.

As lojas dos museus e o seu papel na valorização e divulgação das instituições museológicas da Região Autónoma da Madeira

Ao longo da sua existência as instituições museológicas foram evoluindo em termos estruturais e culturais e repensando as suas políticas, adaptando-as aos novos tempos. O Museu é agora encarado como um espaço activo, dinâmico e atractivo onde as colecções já não são o único objectivo e a pessoa assume um papel central. Procurando sintonizar-se com as necessidades e exigências das comunidades que pretendem servir, os museus começaram a utilizar o marketing como forma de proporcionar aos seus visitantes um conjunto de benefícios capazes de satisfazer ou melhorar a sua experiência de visita. Efectivamente o sucesso dos museus depende hoje do tipo de produto oferecido ao cliente, dos serviços, da acessibilidade, da comunicação e do entretenimento, além do carácter educativo, tornando-se por isso necessário oferecer um leque mais alargado de serviços, para ir ao encontro de um mercado cada vez mais exigente. A combinação da actividade principal do museu com a oferta de serviços complementares, como as lojas, desempenha um papel fulcral na obtenção de visitas satisfatórias. As lojas de museu são actualmente consideradas como uma política incontornável de valorização e divulgação dos museus, constituindo igualmente uma fonte de financiamento com crescente importância. O propósito deste trabalho, visa o estudo das lojas dos museus da Região Autónoma da Madeira, perceber a sua importância na divulgação dos museus e do património regional e propor melhorias ao seu funcionamento, para que as lojas dos museus locais vejam desenvolvidas todas as suas potencialidades em termos de comunicação e maximização de receitas.

Changes in volatile composition of Madeira wines during their oxidative ageing

The influence of the age in the volatile composition of Madeira wines made with Boal, Malvazia, Sercial and Verdelho varieties and aged in oak barrel during 1, 11 and 25 years old was been studied. For this purpose, the evolution of volatile compounds: higher alcohols, ethyl esters, fatty acids, furan compounds, enolic compounds, γ-lactones, dioxanes and dioxolanes, of the four most utilised varieties were determined using liquid–liquid extraction with dichloromeihane. Octan-3-ol was used as internal standard. The wines made with these varieties showed great differences in sugar content and small variations on pH and alcoholic degree. The results show that during ageing, the concentration of fatty acids ethyl esters, acetates and fatty acids decrease significantly contrarily to the great increase of ethyl esters of diprotic acids. There is a strong correlation between sotolon, 2-furfural, 5-methyl-2-furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural and 5-ethoxymethyl-2-furfural with wine ageing. These findings indicate that these compounds can be used as ageing wine markers. Among the molecules studied, sotolon [3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone] was one of the few molecules present in concentrations above the perception threshold in Madeira wines. 5-Eihoxymethyl-2-furfural formed from 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural and 2-furfural, derived from sugars, are also involved in the aroma of sweet fortified white wines aged in oxidative conditions. The sensory properties change significantly after long periods of conservation.

Multivariate analysis for the classification and differentiation of Madeira wines according to main grape varieties

In order to differentiate and characterize Madeira wines according to main grape varieties, the volatile composition (higher alcohols, fatty acids, ethyl esters and carbonyl compounds) was determined for 36 monovarietal Madeira wine samples elaborated from Boal, Malvazia, Sercial and Verdelho white grape varieties. The study was carried out by headspace solid-phase microextraction technique (HS-SPME), in dynamic mode, coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Corrected peak area data for 42 analytes from the above mentioned chemical groups was used for statistical purposes. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied in order to determine the main sources of variability present in the data sets and to establish the relation between samples (objects) and volatile compounds (variables). The data obtained by GC–MS shows that the most important contributions to the differentiation of Boal wines are benzyl alcohol and (E)-hex-3-en-1-ol. Ethyl octadecanoate, (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol and benzoic acid are the major contributions in Malvazia wines and 2-methylpropan-1-ol is associated to Sercial wines. Verdelho wines are most correlated with 5-(ethoxymethyl)-furfural, nonanone and cis-9-ethyldecenoate. A 96.4% of prediction ability was obtained by the application of stepwise linear discriminant analysis (SLDA) using the 19 variables that maximise the variance of the initial data set.

Heterocyclic acetals in Madeira wines

The maturation of Madeira wines usually involves exposure to relatively high temperatures which affect the aroma and flavour composition leading to the formation of the typical and characteristic bouquet of these wines. The formation of heterocyclic acetals (1,3-dioxanes and 1,3-dioxolanes) was investigated in order to determine levels and for possible use as indicators of wine age. The results show a linear correlation of the investigated acetals with wine age but suggest that the acetalization reaction is not particularly affected by the drastic oxidative conditions observed during maturation.

Varietal flavour compounds of four grape varieties producing Madeira wines

Boal, Malvasia, Sercial and Verdelho are the main white grape varieties used in Madeira wine production. To estimate the free fraction of varietal aroma compounds of these varieties, 39 samples of musts were analysed to determine their content of monoterpenols and C13 norisoprenoids (terpenoids), using dynamic headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The r-values for linearity studies of the analytical method used, varied between 0.977 (nerolidol) and 0.999 (linalool). The repeatability for each compound varied between 2.5% (citronellol) and 11.8% (β-ionone). The mean values from three vintages (1998, 1999 and 2000) confirmed that these musts have differentiated contents of terpenoids. In opposition to Verdelho musts, Malvasia showed the highest free terpenoids content. In order to establish relations between the compounds and the varieties under investigation, principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis were applied to the data, revealing a good separation and classification power between the four groups as a function of varietal origin.

3-Hydroxy-4, 5-dimethyl-2 (5 H)-furanone levels in fortified Madeira wines: Relationship to sugar content

The maturation of Madeira wines usually involves exposure to relatively high temperatures and humidity levels >70%, which affect the aroma and flavor composition and lead to the formation of the typical and characteristic bouquet of these wines. To estimate the levels of sotolon [3-hydroxy4,5-dimethyl-2(5 H )-furanone] and their behavior over time, 86 aged Madeira wines samples (1-25 years old), with different sugar concentrations, respectively, 90 g L-1 for Boal, 110 g L-1 for Malvazia, 25 g L -1 for Sercial, and 65 g L-1 for Verdelho varieties, were analyzed. Isolation was performed by liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane followed by chromatographic analysis by GC-MS. The reproducibility of the method was found to be 4.9%. The detection and quantification limits were 1.2 and 2.0 µgL-1, respectively. The levels of sotolon found ranged from not detected to 2000 µgL-1 for wines between 1 and 25 years old. It was observed that during aging, the concentration of sotolon increased with time in a linear fashion ( r ) 0.917). The highest concentration of sotolon was found in wines with the highest residual sugar contents, considering the same time of storage. The results show that there is a strong correlation between sotolon and sugar derivatives: furfural, 5-methylfurfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and 5-ethoxymethylfurfural. These compounds are also well correlated with wine aging. These findings indicate that the kinetics of sotolon formation is closely related with residual sugar contents, suggesting that this molecule may come from a component like sugar.

Impact of forced-aging process on Madeira Wine flavor

The aim of this study was to determine the optimal temperature and baking time to obtain a Madeira wine considered typical by an expert panel. For this purpose simultaneous descriptive analyses of typical Madeira wines were performed, and seven descriptors were selected: “dried fruit”, “nutty”, “musty”, “baked”, “oak”, “mushroom”, and “brown sugar”. Up to 10 odor-active zones were the most frequently cited by the members of the GC-olfactometry panel as corresponding to the panel’s descriptors. The odor importance of each of the zones reported by the GC-O analysis was ranked by AEDA. Three odor zones were identified as common to both Malvasia and Sercial wines and had retention indices (RI) of 1993 (“brown sugar” and “toasted”), 2151 (“brown sugar”), and 2174 (“nutty”, “driedfruits”);sotolonwasidentifiedasresponsibleforthislastaroma.Severalmoleculeswereselected to be quantified on baked wines on the basis of AEDA results and expected Maillard volatiles, such as sotolon, furfural, 5-methylfurfural, 5-ethoximethylfurfural, methional, and phenylacetaldehyde. It was observed that typicity scores were positively correlated with the concentrations of sotolon and sugar and baking time and negatively with the fermentation length.

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with solid phase microextraction as a powerful tool for quantification of ethyl carbamate in fortified wines. The case study of Madeira wine

An analytical methodology based on headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography—time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC–ToFMS) was developed for the identification and quantification of the toxic contaminant ethyl carbamate (EC) directly in fortified wines. The method performance was assessed for dry/medium dry and sweet/medium sweet model wines, and for quantification purposes, calibration plots were performed for both matrices using the ion extraction chromatography (IEC) mode (m/z 62). Good linearity was obtained with a regression coefficient (r2) higher than 0.981. A good precision was attained (R.S.D. <20%) and low detection limits (LOD) were achieved for dry (4.31 μg/L) and sweet (2.75 μg/L) model wines. The quantification limits (LOQ) and recovery for dry wines were 14.38 μg/L and 88.6%, whereas for sweet wines were 9.16 μg/L and 99.4%, respectively. The higher performance was attainted with sweet model wine, as increasing of glucose content improves the volatile compound in headspace, and a better linearity, recovery and precision were achieved. The analytical methodology was applied to analyse 20 fortified Madeira wines including different types of wine (dry, medium dry, sweet, and medium sweet) obtained from several harvests in Madeira Island (Portugal). The EC levels ranged from 54.1 μg/L (medium dry) to 162.5 μg/L (medium sweet).

Content in metallic ions of wines from the Madeira and Azores archipelagos

This study determines for the first time Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Sr, Li and Rb contents in wines from the archipelagos of Madeira and Azores (Portugal). The greater part of the mean content for the different parameters fell within the ranges described in the literature, except for sodium whose higher content may be due to the effect of marine spray. ANOVA was used to establish the metals with significant differences in mean content between the wines from both archipelagos, between table and liquor wines of Madeira, and between wines of Pico and Terceira Islands from the Azores archipelago. Principal component analysis shows differences in the wines according to the wine-making process and/or the equipment employed. Stepwise linear discriminant analysis achieves a good classification and validation of wines according to the archipelago of origin, and the island in the case of Azores wines.

Effectiveness of different solid-phase microextraction fibres for differentiation of selected Madeira island fruits based on their volatile metabolite profile: identification of novel compounds

A headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) procedure based on five commercialised fibres (85 μm polyacrylate – PA, 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane – PDMS, 65 μm polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene – PDMS/DVB, 70 μm carbowax/divinylbenzene – CW/DVB and 85 μm carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane – CAR/PDMS) is presented for the characterization of the volatile metabolite profile of four selected Madeira island fruit species, lemon (Citrus limon), kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa), papaya (Carica papaya L.) and Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia). The isolation of metabolites was followed by thermal desorption gas chromatography–quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC–qMS) methodology. The performance of the target fibres was evaluated and compared. The SPME fibre coated with CW/DVB afforded the highest extraction efficiency in kiwi and papaya pulps, while in lemon and plum the same was achieved with PMDS/DVB fibre. This procedure allowed for the identification of 80 compounds, 41 in kiwi, 24 in plums, 23 in papaya and 20 in lemon. Considering the best extraction conditions, the most abundant volatiles identified in kiwi were the intense aldehydes and ethyl esters such as (E)-2-hexenal and ethyl butyrate, while in Chicasaw plum predominate 2-hexenal, 2-methyl-4-pentenal, hexanal, (Z)-3-hexenol and cyclohexylene oxide. The major compounds identified in the papaya pulp were benzyl isothiocyanate, linalool oxide, furfural, hydroxypropanone, linalool and acetic acid. Finally, lemon was shown to be the most divergent of the four fruits, being its aroma profile composed almost exclusively by terpens, namely limonene, γ-terpinene, o-cymene and α-terpinolene. Thirty two volatiles were identified for the first time in the fruit or close related species analysed and 14 volatiles are reported as novel volatile metabolites in fruits. This includes 5 new compounds in kiwi (2-cyclohexene-1,4-dione, furyl hydroxymethyl ketone, 4-hydroxydihydro-2(3H)-furanone, 5-acetoxymethyl-2-furaldehyde and ethanedioic acid), 4 in plum (4-hydroxydihydro-2(3H)-furanone, 5-methyl-2-pyrazinylmethanol, cyclohexylene oxide and 1-methylcyclohexene), 4 in papaya (octaethyleneglycol, 1,2-cyclopentanedione, 3-methyl-1,2-cyclopentanedione and 2-furyl methyl ketone) and 2 in lemon (geranyl farnesate and safranal). It is noteworthy that among the 15 volatile metabolites identified in papaya, 3-methyl-1,2-cyclopentanedione was previously described as a novel PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) agonist, having a potential to minimize inflammation.

In-depth search focused on furans, lactones, volatile phenols, and acetals as potential age markers of Madeira wines by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with solid phase microextraction

The establishment of potential age markers of Madeira wine is of paramount significance as it may contribute to detect frauds and to ensure the authenticity of wine. Considering the chemical groups of furans, lactones, volatile phenols, and acetals, 103 volatile compounds were tentatively identified; among these, 71 have been reported for the first time in Madeira wines. The chemical groups that could be used as potential age markers were predominantly acetals, namely, diethoxymethane, 1,1-diethoxyethane, 1,1-diethoxy-2-methyl-propane, 1-(1-ethoxyethoxy)-pentane, trans-dioxane and 2-propyl-1,3-dioxolane, and from the other chemical groups, 5-methylfurfural and cis-oak-lactone, independently of the variety and the type of wine. GC × GC-ToFMS system offers a more useful approach to identify these compounds compared to previous studies using GC−qMS, due to the orthogonal systems, that reduce coelution, increase peak capacity and mass selectivity, contributing to the establishment of new potential Madeira wine age markers. Remarkable results were also obtained in terms of compound identification based on the organized structure of the peaks of structurally related compounds in the GC × GC peak apex plots. This information represents a valuable approach for future studies, as the ordered-structure principle can considerably help the establishment of the composition of samples. This new approach provides data that can be extended to determine age markers of other types of wines.

Desenho e implementação da presença web do Rali Vinho da Madeira

A promoção de qualquer evento passa, em muito, pela utilização da Internet como meio de disponibilização e propagação de conteúdos, através de um website ou de redes sociais. Mas não é só para a disponibilização de conteúdos que estes websites são úteis. A adição de funcionalidades permite torná-los em plataformas mais completas e com os mais diversos propósitos, incluindo elementos para a gestão do próprio evento. Este projeto surge da necessidade da organização do Rali Vinho Madeira (RVM) em substituir a plataforma existente, insuficiente para as necessidades atuais na área da divulgação pública do evento e na gestão das inscrições e registo de diversas entidades participantes no evento. Assim, o objetivo principal deste projeto passou pelo desenvolvimento de um novo website que implementasse os requisitos de forma satisfatória tanto para a organização do RVM como para os utilizadores. Ao mesmo tempo foi também importante garantir que o servidor onde estaria alojada a nova plataforma possuiria o melhor desempenho possível em condições reais, usando para o efeito um plano de testes de carga para validar as configurações escolhidas e detetar atempadamente possíveis problemas. Um último componente da plataforma do RVM, desenvolvido ainda no âmbito deste trabalho, foi o desenvolvimento de uma aplicação web para consulta dos resultados em equipamentos mobile, como smartphones e tablet’s. Ao longo deste documento são descritas as várias etapas do projeto, de onde se destacam: (1) a avaliação de websites para melhorar a caracterização dos requisitos, (2) o processo de análise, especificação e desenvolvimento da plataforma, e (3) a realização de testes de carga como meio de validação das configurações do servidor para um desempenho satisfatório durante a prova. O módulo Rally Entries, central para a organização e também para este projeto, transforma uma plataforma simples de disponibilização de conteúdos num sistema para gestão das inscrições de diversas entidades no âmbito do RVM. Além da descrição da implementação e das funcionalidades deste módulo, é ainda descrita a forma como este componente será capaz de se adaptar a novos requisitos em futuros eventos. A validação da plataforma desenvolvida passou por um contato com os utilizadores através de inquéritos. No geral os resultados obtidos foram positivos, comparativamente à plataforma existente e a websites de outros ralis. Como evento integrante das atividades da Federação Internacional do Automóvel (FIA) e da Federação Portuguesa de Automobilismo e Karting, o website também integrou a avaliação do evento feito por estas organizações, tendo recebido em ambas as avaliações 4 pontos em 5 possíveis. Por último, os testes de carga realizados revelaram ser uma grande ajuda na preparação da plataforma, principalmente para os períodos de pico de acessos, tendo esta sido capaz de responder de forma previsível à carga a que foi sujeita.