Filipa Alexandra Fernandes

• Pharmacy and Chemistry of Natural Products
• Polytechnic Institute of Bragança

To meet the demand for gluten‐free (GF) products, this study developed artisanal fresh pasta using teff, rice, and buckwheat flours, enhanced with mineral‐rich thermal waters (TW). A mixture design approach optimised flour proportions to balance texture, cooking time, water absorption, and cooking loss, along with functional properties such as tota...

While the market is full of different dietary supplements, in most countries, legislation is clear and strict towards these products, with severe limitations on their health claims. Overall, the claims cannot go beyond the consumption of a said supplement will contribute to a healthy diet. Thus, the supplement industry has been reacting and changin...

Cistus ladanifer L., Acacia dealbata L., and Aloysia citrodora Paláu were subject to an optimization procedure for two extraction techniques (heat-assisted extraction (HAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE)). The extracts were then analyzed by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS for their phenolic profile (cistus—15 compounds, acacia—21 compounds, and lemon ver...

This work proposes the application of astaxanthin-rich H. pluvialis wet paste (HPW) as a partial substitute for wheat flour in the preparation of filloas, a dish that combines the basic ingredients of industrial bakery. The nutritional and color profile of HPW-enriched samples was evaluated by comparative analysis with a mixture of synthetic food d...

Plants have been the target of a growing interest by the scientific community in chemical and nutritional characterization studies, due to the presence of bioactive compounds and their potential industrial use, namely in food and pharmaceutical sectors. Different secondary metabolites found in plants ensure their survival and reproduction. Non-alka...

"Económicos" are traditional Portuguese pastry products; although their production is low-cost, their nutritional value is equally low. Since it is a widely consumed product in the Trás-os-Montes region, it is important to add value to it without making significant changes to the traditional recipe. Thus, this work has the main objective to increas...

The production of citrus juice generates a large quantity of by-products, which are often discarded or used for animal feed. However, several studies have shown its richness in valuable compounds, namely organic acids. Thus, this work intended to valorize orange and lime peels as renewable sources of citric acid. An experimental design combining fi...

The plant kingdom is an endless source of molecules that can be applied in almost all realms of society. The food industry has profited from the use of plants and their derived materials for many decades. Recently, the food industry has been looking into plants to find different ways of either preserving, coloring or sweetening foods. In this work,...

Haematococcus pluvialis Flotow is a microalga used as a nutraceutical, due to its high content in bioactive compounds, mainly carotenoids, in which astaxanthin stands out [1]. Furthermore, H. pluvialis has shown a high antioxidant potential, and combined with its intense red colour, this microalga could have dual functionality: as a colourant and a...

In the present work, sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) were exploited for their preservative purposes, as viable alternatives to artificial ones. The ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds was pre-optimized using factorial screening analysis, prior to applying response surface methodology (RSM). The o...

Citric acid, quercetin, dried chestnut flowers and an aqueous extract of chestnut flowers were screened as candidates for preserving a drinkable nutraceutical preparation for 45 days. The assays encompassed antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, nutritional and chemical profiles, and individual profiles of fatty acids and mineral composition, al...

Ocimum basilicum var. purpurascens (red rubin basil) is a basil variety rich in anthocyanin compounds, commonly used in the food industry as an aromatic plant. In this study, the nutritional and chemical compositions of red rubin basil leaves were analysed, as well as, the antimicrobial activity and hepatotoxicity of their hydroethanolic extract. C...

Heat-Assisted Extraction (HAE) was used for the optimized production of an extract rich in anthocyanin compounds from Ocimum basilicum var. purpurascens leaves. The optimization was performed using the response surface methodology employing a central composite experimental design with five-levels for each of the assessed variables. The independent...