Mutagenic activity removal of selected disperse dye by photoeletrocatalytic treatment

The degradation of black dye commercial product (BDCP) composed of C.I. Disperse Blue 373, C.I. Disperse Orange 37, C.I. Disperse Violet 93 dyes was investigated by photoelectrocatalysis process. The dyes have shown high mutagenic activity with Salmonella strain YG1041 and TA98 with and without S9. Samples of BCPD dye submitted to conventional chlorination and photoelectrocatalytic oxidation were compared monitoring its products by HPLC using a diode array detector, spectrophotometry UV-vis, TOC removal, and mutagenicity potency. The photoelectrocatalytic method operating with Ti/TiO(2) as anode at +1.0 V and UV illumination presented fast oxidation of test solutions containing 10 mg L(-1) of dye in 0.1 mol L(-1) NaCl pH 4.0 leading to 100% of discoloration, 67% of mineralization, and negative response to all tested Salmonella strains. The formation of Cl(aEuro cent), CL(2) (aEuro cent) on photoelectrocatalytic medium improved the efficiency of the method in relation to conventional chlorination method that promoted 100% of discoloration, but only 8% of TOC removal and more mutagenic product.

Chlorination treatment of aqueous samples reduces, but does not eliminate, the mutagenic effect of the azo dyes Disperse Red 1, Disperse Red 13 and Disperse Orange 1

The treatment of textile effluents by the conventional method based on activated sludge followed by a chlorination step is not usually an effective method to remove azo dyes, and can generate products more mutagenic than the untreated dyes. The present work evaluated the efficiency of conventional chlorination to remove the genotoxicity/mutagenicity of the azo dyes Disperse Red 1, Disperse Orange 1, and Disperse Red 13 from aqueous solutions. The comet and micronucleus assays with HepG2 cells and the Salmonella mutagenicity assay were used. The degradation of the dye molecules after the same treatment was also evaluated, using ultraviolet and visible absorption spectrum measurements (UV-vis), high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD), and total organic carbon removal (TOC) analysis. The comet assay showed that the three dyes studied induced damage in the DNA of the HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. After chlorination, these dyes remained genotoxic, although with a lower damage index (DI). The micronucleus test showed that the mutagenic activity of the dyes investigated was completely removed by chlorination, under the conditions tested. The Salmonella assay showed that chlorination reduced the mutagenicity of all three dyes in strain YG1041, but increased the mutagenicity of Disperse Red 1 and Disperse Orange 1 in strain TA98. With respect to chemical analysis, all the solutions showed rapid discoloration and a reduction in the absorbance bands characteristic of the chromophore group of each dye. However, the TOC was not completely removed, showing that chlorination of these dyes is not efficient in mineralizing them. It was concluded that conventional chlorination should be used with caution for the treatment of aqueous samples contaminated with azo dyes. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Produção de bioetanol a partir de um resíduo orgânico proveniente da central de compostagem da LIPOR

Mestrado em Engenharia Química

Exposição ocupacional a mercúrio: associação com a atividade da paraoxonase humana e vitaminas A e E

Mestrado em Segurança e Higiene no Trabalho

Contributo para a determinação simultânea, por cromatografia líquida de alta resolução, de carotenoides, vitamina A e vitamina E em amostras compostas por diferentes matrizes alimentares

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Química e Biológica

An interdisciplinary approach to the study of colour in portuguese manuscript illuminations

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Conservação e Restauro, especialidade Teoria, História e Técnicas, pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Application of ionic liquids and enzymes for the removal of proteinaceous layers from polychrome of works of art and evaluation of the cleaning effectiveness

Dissertação Apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Conservação, especialização em Pintura

A closer look at brazilwood and its lake pigments

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Mestrado em Conservação e Restauro, especialização em Ciências da Conservação

Estudo da ação danificadora do 2,2'-Bipyridyl no DNA na presença de radiação UV

Em 2008, foram estimados no mundo, cerca de 12.7 milhões de novos casos de cancro e 7,6 milhões de mortes por cancro, sendo que 56% dos casos e 64% das mortes ocorreram nos países em desenvolvimento. Estes números indicam que é necessário se encontrar novos meios de combater este flagelo. Uma das possibilidades é encontrar moléculas intercalantes do ácido desoxirribonucleico (DNA) que se degradem na presença de radiação ou partículas carregadas de baixa energia que criem condições de induzir lesões no DNA, inibidoras da replicação e que portanto contribuam para a não proliferação de células cancerígenas. Assim, nesta dissertação analisou-se a influência do agente intercalante 2,2'-Bipyridyl do DNA em presença de radiação UV, 254 nm, na degradação do DNA. Os danos criados no DNA foram analisados pelas técnicas de espectroscopia de ultravioleta-visível e de infravermelho. Os resultados obtidos permitiram inferir que a cinética de degradação do DNA é mais eficiente na presença do composto 2,2'-Bipyridyl e que o ataque pelos produtos da decomposição do 2,2'-Bipyridyl é feito a todas as bases, embora com constantes características diferentes, sendo a ataque à guanina com uma constante de tempo maior. Estes resultados permitem concluir que este composto pode ser um possível candidato a indutor de lesões no DNA.

Estudo da aplicação de adesivos de cura UV em conservação e restauro de vidro e vitral

Do presente trabalho resultou a submissão de um artigo, com o título UV Curing Adhesives for Conservation of Glass- Chemical and Mechanical Stability, para comunicação oral em conferência internacional intitulada Recent Advances in Glass and Ceramics Conservation, a ocorrer em Wroclaw, Polónia, de 25 a 29 de Maio de 2016, no âmbito do ICOM-CC Glass and Ceramics Working Group Interim Meeting.

Sol-gel entrapped biosystems: enzyme(s) and whole cells

In this work two different procedures to utilize the sol-gel technology were applied to immobilize/encapsulate enzymes and living cells. CO2 has reached levels in the atmosphere that make it a pollutant. New methods to utilize this gas to obtain products of added value can be very important, both from an environmentally point of view and from an economic standpoint. The first goal of this work was to study the first reaction of a sequential, three-step, enzymatic process that carries out the conversion of CO2 to methanol. Of the three oxidoreductases involved, our focus was on formate dehydrogenase (FateDH) that converts CO2 to formate. This reaction requires the presence of the cofactor β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in reduced form (NADH). The cofactor is expensive and unstable. Our experiments were directed towards generating NADH from its oxidized form (NAD+), using glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). The formation of NADH from NAD+ in aqueous medium was studied with both free and sol-gel entrapped GDH. This reaction was then followed by the conversion of CO2 to formate, catalysed by free or sol-gel entrapped FateDH. The quantification of NADH/NAD+ was made using UV/Vis spectroscopy. Our results showed that it was possible to couple the GDH-catalyzed generation of the cofactor NADH with the FateDH-catalyzed conversion of CO2, as confirmed by the detection of formate in the medium, using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The immobilization of living cells can be advantageous from the standpoint of ease of recovery, reutilization and physical separation from the medium. Also dead cells may not always exhibit enzymatic activities found with living cells. In this work cell encapsulation was performed using Escherichia coli bacteria. To reduce toxicity for living organisms, the sol-gel method was different than for enzymes, and involved the use of aqueous-based precursors. Initial encapsulation experiments and viability tests were carried out with E. coli K12. Our results showed that sol-gel entrapment of the cells was achieved, and that cell viability could be increased with additives, namely betaine that led to greater viability improvement and was selected for further studies. For an approach to “in-cell” Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments, the expression of the protein ctCBM11 was performed in E. coli BL21. It was possible to obtain an NMR signal from the entrapped cells, a considerable proportion of which remained alive after the NMR experiments. However, it was not possible to obtain a distinctive NMR signal from the target protein to distinguish it from the other proteins in the cell.

Propriedades antioxidantes e compostos bioactivos em vinhos portugueses monocasta

Tem sido atribuída ao vinho a designação de alimento antioxidante, devido ao seu alto teor em compostos polifenólicos, pelo que o seu consumo moderado pode apresentar efeitos benéficos para a saúde do consumidor. Neste trabalho foram estudados 228 vinhos portugueses monocastas (190 tintos, 30 brancos e 8 rosés), produzidos em 8 regiões do país, (Alentejo, Algarve, Península de Setúbal, Lisboa, Tejo, Verdes, Dão e Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro) a partir de 12 castas tintas (Alfrocheiro, Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez-Tinta Roriz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Castelão, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Tinta Miúda, Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira e Vinhão) e 6 castas brancas (Antão Vaz, Arinto, Chardonnay, Fernão Pires, Malvasia Fina e Verdelho). Estes vinhos foram avaliados quanto à sua composição fenólica por HPLC-DAD, propriedades antioxidantes (reacção de Folin-Ciocalteu, poder de redução férrica, FRAP e capacidade de sequestração do radical DPPH) e foram caracterizados por UV-VIS. Observaram-se correlações fortes entre as actividades antioxidantes dos vinhos e as suas características cromáticas, nomeadamente as suas absorvâncias a 420, 520 e 620 nm, mas também com as absorvâncias a 280 nm, 320 nm ou 360 nm que correspondem a compostos fenólicos não corados. As castas Alicante Bouschet e Petit Verdot destacaram-se quanto às suas propriedades antioxidantes, enquanto as regiões da Península de Setúbal e do Dão revelaram ter características que favorecem a actividade antioxidante dos vinhos nelas produzidos, por comparação com vinhos das mesmas castas produzidos noutras regiões. A análise de HPLC permitiu detectar 52 compostos fenólicos (17 ácidos hidroxibenzóicos ou derivados, 8 flavanóis ou procianidinas, 12 ácidos hidroxicinâmicos e 7 flavonóis) presentes na maior parte dos vinhos tintos analisados. Os resultados obtidos neste trabalho evidenciam a complexidade de factores que determinam as propriedades biológicas e composição fenólica dos vinhos tintos, rosés ou brancos, e que incluem casta, parâmetros edafo-climáticos e características do processo de vinificação.

Caracterización, procesamiento e industrialización del grano de quinoa, cultivado en la provincia de Córdoba - Argentina. Characterization, processing and industrialization of quinoa seed harvested in the province of Córdoba - Argentina

La quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd), es un pseudocereal originario de la región Andina. Fue utilizada como alimento básico por los pueblos nativos. La quinoa, la papa y el maíz constituyeron el trinomio base de la alimentación indígena de este continente. La colonización española fue desplazando su cultivo a favor del trigo europeo y otros cereales, quedando reducida a las zonas altas de la región andina. La Quínoa ha adquirido una considerable atención en los últimos tiempos, principalmente por la calidad de sus proteínas y la ausencia de gluten en ella. Su empleo está ampliamente difundido en los países andinos, especialmente Bolivia y Perú, con un notable crecimiento de la superficie sembrada. En nuestro país la explotación de este cultivo se ubica principalmente en las provincias norteñas de Salta y Jujuy. En estos últimos años se ha reivindicado su cultivo y los granos privados de saponinas son considerados como un excelente alimento, reconocido por la OMS, la FAO y la NASA. Además de la calidad de sus lípidos y vitaminas, y al elevado contenido en almidón, la quinoa posee una proteína de excelente calidad nutricional y libre de gluten, lo que hace a este grano especialmente indicado para la alimentación de personas que sufren de la enfermedad celíaca o del síndrome de intestino irritado. El presente proyecto está orientado al aprovechamiento integral del grano de quinoa. Es nuestra intensión aquí, demostrar que dicho grano, cultivado en la provincia de Córdoba, permitirá elaborar productos alimenticios asi como también derivados de su industrialización. Para este objetivo se cuenta con las instalaciones de la Planta Piloto del Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), de la UNC, así como de intrumental moderno y acorde, como HPLC, GC, Espectrofotómetro UV-Vis, rotavapores de laboratorio e industrial, cámara fría, balanzas analíticas y de precisión, muflas, estufas, molinos y tamices, así como también, contamos con profesionales, algunos de ellos realizando su tesis doctoral en este tema. En cuanto a los objetivos que se persiguen, se espera obtener productos tales como sopas, papillas, productos para panadería y galletería y salsas. En el plano industrial, se pretende elaborar concentrados proteicos, almidón y saponinas. Como se dijo más arriba, a nivel internacional la quinoa ha comenzado a extender sus fronteras, y es así que hoy el principal productor mundial de este grano, Bolivia, destina un porcentaje importante de su producción a la exportación. La creciente demanda mundial de quinoa a hecho que se constituya en un cultivo estratégico y de alto valor, con precios internacionales que rondan los U$S 1200 la tonelada. Si a esto unimos que la planta presenta una gran resistencia a la sequía, que se adapta bien a terrenos salitrosos, arenosos y pobres, podemos comprender la importancia que adquiere para nuestra provincia, toda vez que en la misma existen zonas geográficas potencialmente aptas para su cultivo. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) is a pseudocereal originating in the Andean region. It was used as a staple food by native peoples. Quinoa, potatoes and corn were the tree most important indigenous staple food to this part of South America. Spanish colonization was marginalized cultivation in favor of European wheat and other grains, displacing it to the highlands of the Andean region. Quinoa has recently gained considerable attention, mainly by its protein quality and lack of gluten. Its use is widespread in the Andean countries, especially Bolivia and Peru, with a notable increase in plantings. In our country, the exploitation of this crop is located mainly in the northern provinces of Salta and Jujuy. In recent years its cultivation has been promoted, and the grains once free of saponins are considered an excellent food, recognized by WHO, FAO and NASA. In addition to its lipid and vitamins, and high starch contain, quinoa protein has an excellent nutritional value and it is free of gluten, making it particularly suitable for this grain to feed people with celiac disease or irritable bowel syndrome. This project aims at an integral development of quinoa grain. It is our intention here to demonstrate that this grain grown in the province of Córdoba, can produce food products resulting from local industrialization. This team has access to the facilities of the Pilot Plant of the Institute of Science and Food Technology (ICTA) of the UNC, and the modern equipments in it, as HPLC, GC, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, laboratory and industrial rotary evaporators, cold storage, analytical and precision balances, flasks, ovens, grinders and screens. Also, we have an important professional staff, some of them doing their thesis on this subject. With regard to the objectives pursued, we expect to obtain products such as soups, baby food, bakery products and biscuits and sauces. At the industrial level, it aims at producing protein concentrates, starch and saponins.

Simple and fast methods based on solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography with UV detection for the monitoring of caffeine in natural and waste waters as marker of anthropogenic impact

Two concentration methods for fast and routine determination of caffeine (using HPLC-UV detection) in surface, and wastewater are evaluated. Both methods are based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) concentration with octadecyl silica sorbents. A common “offline” SPE procedure shows that quantitative recovery of caffeine is obtained with 2 mL of an elution mixture solvent methanol-water containing at least 60% methanol. The method detection limit is 0.1 μg L−1 when percolating 1 L samples through the cartridge. The development of an “online” SPE method based on a mini-SPE column, containing 100 mg of the same sorbent, directly connected to the HPLC system allows the method detection limit to be decreased to 10 ng L−1 with a sample volume of 100 mL. The “offline” SPE method is applied to the analysis of caffeine in wastewater samples, whereas the “on-line” method is used for analysis in natural waters from streams receiving significant water intakes from local wastewater treatment plants

Marjojen flavonoidien uuttaminen

Flavonoidit ovat kasvien polyfenolisia sekundäärimetaboliitteja, jotka koostuvat 15-hiilisestä C6-C3-C6-perusrungosta. Niillä on havaittu useita terveyden kannalta edullisia ominaisuuksia kuten antioksidatiivisia, antikarsinogeenisia, antiallergeenisia, anti-inflammatorisia, estrogeenisia sekä antimikrobiaalisia vaikutuksia. Kasvimateriaalia käyttävän elintarviketeollisuuden sivuvirrat ovat flavonoidi-pitoisten jakeiden arvokkaita raaka-aineita. Tässä työssä tarkoituksena oli tutkia marjojen puristusjäännöksen sisältämien flavonoidien uuttamista ja uuttautumiseen vaikuttavia tekijöitä kuten liuottimen koostumusta ja määrää, uuttolämpötilaa ja -aikaa sekä liuottimen lisäaineita. Uutteet analysointiin HPLC:lla käyttäen ODS-2-kolonnia ja gradienttieluointia. Komponentit detektoitiin niille tyypillisillä UV-VIS-aallonpituuksilla ja identifioitiin vertaamalla flavonoidiprofiililtaan tunnettujen marjojen kromatogrammeihin. Antosyaanien kvantitatiiviseen analysointiin käytettiin spektrofotometrista pH-eromenetelmää ja tulokset ilmoitettiin syanidiini-3-glukosidina. Uutteiden kestävyyttä tutkittiin säilyttämällä näytteitä eri olosuhteissa sekä lisäämällä niihin uuton saantoon ja komponenttien säilyvyyteen vaikuttavia aineita. Useimmat tutkituista hapoista paransivat flavonoidien saantoa ja uutteiden säilyvyyttä, mutta esim. askorbiinihapon lisääminen nopeutti tiettyjen uutteen sisältämien flavonoidien tuhoutumista.