Leticia M. Estevinho

Instituto Politécnico de Bragança | IPB · Departamento Biologia e Biotecnologia

Geopropolis has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. In this study, the botanical origin, physicochemical profile, and biological activities of geopropolis from Melipona scutellaris harvested during rainy and dry seasons were investigated. Palynological analysis identified over 50 pollen types, with Schinus terebinthifolius and Cecropia...

Citation: Ferreira, P.; Chahed, A.; Estevinho, L.M.; Seixas, N.; Costa, R.; Choupina, A. Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing of Glucanase Inhibitor Protein in Phytophthora cinnamomi. Plants 2023, 12, 3821. https:// Abstract: Ink disease is considered one of the most significant causes contributing to the decline of chestnut orchards. The reduced yi...

Propolis is a natural product produced by bees that contains a complex mixture of compounds, including phenolic compounds and flavonoids. These compounds contribute to its biological activities, such as antioxidant capacity. This study analysed the pollen profile, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant properties, and phenolic compound profile o...

The interest in high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) is mostly focused on the inactivation of deleterious enzymes, considering the quality-related issues associated with enzymes in foods. However, more recently, HHP has been increasingly studied for several biotechnological applications, including the possibility of carrying out enzyme-catalyzed reactio...

Over the years, many biological and synthetic agents have been explored and tested in attempts to halt the spread of cancer and/or cure it. Currently, several natural compounds have and are being considered in this regard. For example, paclitaxel is a potent anticancer drug that originates from the tree Taxus brevifolia. Paclitaxel has several deri...

Bee Pollen is a valuable and useful natural food product that can be used for different purposes, among which medical ones. This matrix is deemed a superfood because of its chemical composition, which is rich in nutrients and possesses significant bioactivities, including antioxidant and microbiological properties. Nevertheless, the storage conditi...

Mature lymphoid neoplasms arise de novo or by the transformation of more indolent lymphomas in a process that relies on the stepwise accumulation of genomic and transcriptomic alterations. The microenvironment and neoplastic precursor cells are heavily influenced by pro-inflammatory signaling, regulated in part by oxidative stress and inflammation....

Chicha gum is a natural polymer obtained from the Sterculia striata plant. The hydroxyl groups of its structure have a chemical affinity to form hydrogels, which favors the association with biologically active molecules, such as nerolidol. This association improves the biological properties and allows the material to be used in drug delivery system...

Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides and Scaptotrigona depilis are species of stingless bees capable of producing propolis, which has considerable bioprospecting potential. In this context, the objective of this study was to determine the chemical compositions and evaluate the antimicrobial activity of propolis produced by M. q. anthidioides and S....

Obesity is an epidemic disease worldwide, associated with oxidative stress and the development of several other diseases. Bauhinia rufa (Bong.) Steud. is a native Brazilian Cerrado medicinal plant popularly used for the treatment of obesity. In this context, we investigated the chemical composition of the methanolic extract of B. rufa leaves (MEBr)...

Polyphenol-rich foods protect the cellular systems of the human body from oxidative damage, thereby reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). We investigated the effect of phenolic-rich apple/berry juice (chokeberry, blueberry, and cranberry) on lipidemic profiles in overweight/obese women. The 6 week single-arm pr...

Honey is a value-added product rich in several types of phenolic compounds, enzymes, and sugars recently explored in biomedical and food applications. Nevertheless, even though it has a low water activity (aW ≈ 0.65) that hinders the development of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms, it is still prone to contamination by pathogenic microorganis...

This study successfully applied a potentiometric E‐tongue with 20 cross‐selectivity lipidic polymeric membranes in the discrimination of three semi‐quantitative groups, that represented the following intervals of honey adulteration percentage with cane sugar: 0%; ]0, 10]%; ]10, 20]% of adulteration. We analysed five different types of Portuguese ho...

A lab-made electronic nose (Enose) with vacuum sampling and a sensor array, comprising nine metal oxide semiconductor Figaro gas sensors, was tested for the quantitative analysis of vapor–liquid equilibrium, described by Henry’s law, of aqueous solutions of organic compounds: three alcohols (i.e., methanol, ethanol, and propanol) or three chemical...

Wounds are considered a clinically critical issue, and effective treatment will decrease complications, prevent chronic wound formation, and allow rapid healing. The development of products based on naturally occurring materials is an efficient approach to wound healing. Natural polysaccharides can mimic the extracellular matrix and promote cell gr...

Bee pollen is a beehive product that has increased the attention of both researchers and consumers. The main goal of the present study was to evaluate 69 heterofloral dried bee pollen samples harvested in two regions of the northeast of Portugal (Mogadouro and Vimioso). For such, the botanical origin of the samples and several physicochemical param...

Some diseases still need better therapeutic approaches, including the prevention of development. Natural resources are investigated with this purpose; among them, we decided to use an invasive plant as a main strategy. This will help in two ways: screening new compounds in flowers prevents the plant from causing widespread damage by controlling the...

O presente estudo teve por objetivo realizar a identificação dos fungos encontrados na própolis produzido por Apis mellifera L. da Baía do Iguape, Brasil. Para tanto, foram utilizadas técnicas morfológicas, bioquímicas e moleculares, sendo averiguado o perfil de restrição gerado por espaçador interno transcrito (ITS1 e ITS4). O tamanho dos produtos...

The deteriorating quality of commercial honey is caused by thermal pasteurization and long-term storage being this is highly dependent on the severity of the thermal treatment applied in the pasteurization process (Scepankova, Estevinho, Paula, & Saraiva, 2021). Therefore, it is important to continue to investigate methods to reduce undesirable cha...

Honey is a natural food of worldwide economic importance. Over the last decades, its potential for food, medical, cosmetical, and biotechnological applications has been widely explored. One of the major safety issues regarding such applications is its susceptibility to being contaminated with bacterial and fungi spores, including pathogenic ones, w...

Abstract Current analysis systematically reviews data available in the literature on the anti-bacterial activity of Annona muricata extracts (AME) against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Search was undertaken at four electronic databases and studies’ quality were assessed. Results were summarized and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MI...

Honey is a natural food product very famous for its health benefits for being an important source of antioxidant and phenolic compounds. Euphorbia honeys obtained from different regions of Morocco were evaluated for their ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase, lipoxygenase, tyrosinase and xanthine oxidase activities. Their antioxidant properties...

“Bee pollen” is pollen collected from flowers by honey bees. It is used by the bees to nourish themselves, mainly by providing royal jelly and brood food, but it is also used for human nutrition. For the latter purpose, it is collected at the hive entrance as pellets that the bees bring to the hive. Bee pollen has diverse bioactivities, and thus ha...

Honey is a natural product rich in several phenolic compounds, enzymes, and sugars with antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial potential. Indeed, the development of honey-based adhesives for wound care and other biomedical applications are topics being widely investigated over the years. Some of the advantages of the us...

The effect of different culinary treatments (confit, grill, roast and marinate) on the nutritional composition, the content of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds, the antioxidant activity (evaluated by DPPH and FRAP assays) and the sensory properties (colour, texture and sensory analysis) of wild Boletus edulis (stipe and cap) was studied. The...

The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has prompted the development of alternative therapies, including the use of natural products with antibacterial properties. The antibacterial properties of Zantaz honey produced in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated and...

Propolis, a heterogeneous matrix produced by honeybees, is an antioxidant amongst other valuable biological properties. Nevertheless, the practical application of propolis, especially for the food industry, is still limited due to its relative high hydrophilicity and strong/unpleasant taste and aroma. Accordingly, microencapsulation arises a potent...

Concerned about the trend to reduce salt consumption, the meat industry has been increasing the strategies to produce and commercialize products where the reduction or even the replacement of NaCl is an important goal. The aim of this study was to test the effect of partial NaCl replacement by KCl and Sub4Salt® on the quality of pork sausages. Thre...

This work studied the production of mead using second category honey and the immobilized cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in sodium alginate, with concentrations of 2% and 4%, and their reuse in five successive fermentations. The immobilized cells with 4% alginate beads were mechanically more stable and able to allow a greater number of reuses, ma...

Zantaz honey is a monofloral variety produced from the melliferous plant Bupleurum spinosum (Apiaceae), a shrub that grows mainly in the Atlas Moroccan Mountains. Determination of the polyphenol composition revealed that methyl syringate accounts for more than 50% of total polyphenols, which represents a very useful parameter for the characterizati...

Monofloral Lavandula spp. honey is very appreciated by consumers due to its characteristic and pleasant aroma and flavor. Given the economic importance of this type of honey, it is important to develop a rapid and non-expensive methodology that allows certifying its quality. In this context, this study aimed to compare the applicability and accurac...

Natural products may be applied in a wide range of domains, from agriculture to food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, the antioxidant properties and the capacity to inhibit some enzymatic activities of Euphorbia resinifera and Euphorbia officinarum aqueous extracts and honeys were assessed. The physicochemical characteristics were also...

Spirits are alcoholic beverages commonly consumed in European countries. Their raw materials are diverse and include fruits, cereals, honey, sugar cane, or grape pomace. The main aim of this work is to present and discuss the source, quality control, and legal limits of methanol in spirits produced using fruit and honey spirits. The impact of the r...

Bee pollen has been promoted as a dietary supplement for humans due to its nutritional and bioactive properties. Sixty-two samples of Apis mellifera dehydrated bee pollen collected in Brazil (eight states and Federal District) were analyzed for phenolic compounds, flavonoids, antioxidant activity using DPPH, b-carotene and ORAC methods, and anti-mi...

This study aimed to characterize honey of Melipona scutellaris regarding its physicochemical parameters using the electronic tongue (e-tongue) technique combined with the multivariate statistical analysis for honey differentiation. Physicochemical parameters were evaluated following official methods of chemical analyses. A potentiometric electronic...

This study compared the nutraceutical potential of Apis mellifera and Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides honeys from the semiarid region of Bahia, Brazil, using microbiological, melissopalynological, and physicochemical techniques. Total phenols and flavonoids and the antioxidant activity were also determined. All samples had good microbiological...

The importance of microbiology has grown exponentially since the development of genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, making it possible to clarify microbial biogeochemical processes and their interactions with macroorganisms in both health and disease. Particular attention is being payed to applied microbiology, a discipline that deals with t...

Melipona scutellaris Latreille, 1811 is of economic importance for local beekeepers, besides its relevance in the pollination of native plant species of the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Currently, data on the use of floral resources by Meliponini colonies are scarce, particularly in urban environments. We evaluated the botanical origin, the microbiol...

Fruits are sources of bioactive compounds that are responsible for several biological activities. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the chemical composition of the pulp of the Brazilian Savanna fruit Dipteryx alata; evaluate its toxic effects, influence on the life expectancy of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and its antioxidant activit...

Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi is a medicinal plant widely used for the treatment of various diseases. The secondary metabolites responsible for the pharmacological properties can be produced directly by the plant or by endophytic fungi. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diversity of endophytic fungi of different parts of S. terebinth...

Pollen in honey reflects its botanical origin and melissopalynology is used to identify origin, type, and quantities of pollen grains of the botanical species visited by bees. This study aimed to identify the pollen spectrum of honeys from Apis mellifera and stingless bees produced in the semi-arid region of Bahia, Brazil. We analysed 78 honey samp...

The buriti oil (Mauritia flexuosa L.) can be associated with polymeric matrices for biomedical applications. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of chitosan gel (CG) associated with buriti oil (CGB) as a healing agent. The fatty acids and volatile compounds composition of buriti oil were performed and the composite gels were characterized using...

The effect of an extreme heat processing on Zantaz honey samples was studied using a panel of physicochemical parameters, antioxidant activities and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. Honey samples were heated at 121 °C for 30 min and the heat processing effect was confirmed indirectly through the assessment of hydroxymethylfurfural content, for which the valu...

Special Issue Information Dear Colleagues, Polysaccharides are natural organic compounds also known as biopolymers, due to the repetition of some types of monomers depending on their origin. In general, they may come from animal or vegetable. The types of monomers and functional groups can be influenced the characteristics of each material and the...

Numerous studies have explored the antibacterial properties of different types of honey from all around the world. However, the data available describing how honey acts against bacteria are few. The aim of this study was to apply a flow cytometry (FC) protocol to examine and characterize the primary effects of three varieties of honey (avocado, che...

Plants and their corresponding botanical preparations have been used for centuries due to their remarkable potential in both the treatment and prevention of oxidative stress-related disorders. Aging and aging-related diseases, like cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders, which have increased exponentially, are int...

Honey spirit is an alcoholic beverage produced by fermentation followed by distillation of the honey must, which has distinct organoleptic characteristics derived mostly from the raw material used. In order to accurately monitor the quality of the product throughout the distillation process (head, heart and tail stages), FT-RAMAN spectroscopy was a...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of lyophilization and drying in stove on phenolic compounds content and the biological activity of Apis mellifera and Trigona spinipes pollens produced in Brazil. In general, the bee pollen produced by T. spinipes presented highest antioxidant activity in dried and fresh samples assessed either by...

The chemical profile of Dalbergia ecastaphyllum has been indicated as the botanical origin of Brazilian red propolis, an apicultural product with proven therapeutic properties. However, few studies have investigated this plant species. This study evaluated and compared microbiological quality, chemical composition, and antioxidant activity of stem...

Mead is an alcoholic beverage, resulting from the fermentation of honey and water, although it is an old drink, some fermentation products are still unknown. Biogenic amines have driven research on food and beverages due to their toxicity and capacity to cause damage to the human health. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of biogenic amines...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of red propolis extract, as a natural additive, in yogurt. For this, yogurt was produced with red propolis extract (YRP), to replace the additive chemical potassium sorbate, used in the commercial yogurt (CY). Analysis for apparent viscosity, texture and sensorial acceptance were performed. Appar...

For the first time, the anti-hemolytic activity and the enzyme inhibitory activities of Dalbergia ecastaphyllum leaves extracts were tested against α-amylase, α-glucosidase, lipase, acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, tyrosinase and hyaluronidase. The phenolic profile of the obtained extracts was also investigated by high-performance liqui...

Mead is a traditional beverage that results from the alcoholic fermentation of diluted honey performed by yeasts. Although the process of mead production has been optimized in recent years, studies focused on its sensory properties are still scarce. Therefore, the aim of this work was to analyse the sensory attributes of mead produced with free or...

Several studies have explored the antimicrobial properties of manuka honey (MkH). However, the data available regarding antibacterial action mechanisms are scarcer. The aim of this study was to scrutinize and characterize primary effects of manuka honey (MkH) upon the physiological status of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (as Gram-posit...

The antioxidant activity of bee pollen (mainly composed by Cistus ladanifer pellets) was explored in the context of black pudding production. For this purpose, three black pudding formulations comprising varying antioxidant compounds (sodium ascorbate, bee pollen and bee pollen extract) were produced. Bee pollen was characterized according to the b...

Ligustrum lucidum Aiton and its berries have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for around two thousand years. In the present study, L. lucidium berries harvested in two regions of Portugal were studied. Haemolytic activity and inhibition of oxidative haemolysis as well as the enzyme inhibitory activities (α-amylase enzyme and acetylcholines...

The comparison of Zantaz honey samples harvested in Morocco in two different years was performed through chemometric analysis of routinely assessed parameters. The objective was to study how the pollen profile of this newly reported honey shapes its physicochemical characteristics as well as to determine its monoflorality threshold, which has not y...

Bee pollen is a healthful food product with a good nutritional profile and therapeutic properties. However, the storage conditions may affect its composition and characteristics. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the storage conditions on chemical composition of different monofloral bee pollen samples, namely acidity (pH), water activity,...

Following harvest, bee pollen must be submitted to processing in order to maintain properties for consumers' health insurance. In this study it were evaluated the changes on the lipid profile, contents of vitamin C, β‐carotene and lycopene of bee pollen samples submitted to two conservation methods (freezing and drying). It were quantified 11 fatty...