María José Aliaño-González

Universidad de Cádiz | UCA · Department of Analytical Chemistry

In this chapter, we explore the vast potential of Portuguese agroforestry biomass as a sustainable source of valuable biomolecules. Focusing on the extraction, characterization, and valorization of compounds, such as polysaccharides, phenolics and essential oils from native species like carob, cork oak, aromatic plants or maritime pine, we highligh...

Worldwide, populations face issues related to water and energy consumption. Water scarcity has intensified globally, particularly in arid and semiarid regions. Projections indicate that by 2030, global water demand will rise by 50%, leading to critical shortages, further intensified by the impacts of climate change. Moreover, wastewater treatment n...

Cellulose has been widely explored as a sustainable alternative to synthetic polymers in industrial applications, thanks to its advantageous properties. The introduction of chemical modifications on cellulose structure, focusing on cationic and hydrophobic modifications, can enhance its functionality and expand the range of applications. In the pre...

Cellulose and lignin, sourced from biomass, hold potential for innovative bioprocesses and biomaterials. However, traditional fractionation and purification methods often rely on harmful chemicals and high temperatures, making these processes both hazardous and costly. This study introduces a sustainable approach for fractionating acacia wood, focu...

The exponential increase in the production and transportation of petroleum-derived products observed in recent years has been driven by the escalating demand for energy, textiles, plastic-based materials, and other goods derived from petroleum. Consequently, there has been a corresponding rise in spills of these petroleum derivatives, particularly...

The Folla Redonda grape is indigenous to the region of Rias Bajas in Galicia, Spain. This grape is distinguished by its characteristic acid flavor and pulp of remarkable coloration. Despite the wine obtained from this grape is highly valued by consumers of this region for its surprising acidic notes and thickness, it is important to note that it is...

Garnacha variety is one of the most important red Mediterranean grape cultivars grown in the world. However, it may not reach optimum chromatic characteristics in warm climates such as Andalusia (Southern Spain). This study analyses the impact of the application of microwaves over the crushed grapes (MW) at laboratory scale over two vintages on the...

Resumen El anhídrido sulfuroso (SO2) es el conservante más empleado en la industria agroalimentaria y enológica por sus propiedades antioxidantes y antimicrobianas. Sin embargo, también es un alérgeno que puede provocar problemas de salud en personas sensibles a él. Por otra parte, la madera de poda procedente de los viñedos es uno de los principal...

Wine lees, an important by-product of the wine industry, pose a major environmental problem due to the enormous quantities of solid–liquid waste that are discarded annually without defined applications. In this study, the optimization of a method based on a Box–Behnken design with surface response has been carried out to obtain extracts with high a...

The fruits of Arbutus unedo L. have a crimson colour and are enriched with remarkable concentrations of bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins and polyphenols. These fruits are commonly used in the production of a Portuguese Protected Geographical Indication distillate called “Aguardente de Medronho”. During this process, a solid pomace is genera...

The present investigation endeavors to optimize a method based on enzyme-assisted extraction for the efficient retrieval of bioactive compounds from mulberry, leveraging its notable health-promoting properties. A combined approach of Plackett–Burman design followed by Box–Behnken design was employed for determining the crucial extraction parameters...

In the present investigation, the optimization of a pressurized solid–liquid extraction of polyphenols from Pinus pinaster Aiton needles and bark residues has been carried out using new deep eutectic solvent systems (DES). A Box–Behnken design with response surface methodology was implemented, with six variables, including solid:liquid ratio, water...

Vine shoots are the main by-products of grapevine pruning with no added value. In the present study, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were used as alternatives to traditional chemical solvents, for the extraction of phytochemicals from grapevine shoots. Three levulinic acid-based DESs were tested for the first time, and their performance was compared...

Deep eutectic solvents represent an important alternative in the field of green solvents due to their low volatility, non-toxicity, and low synthesis cost. In the present investigation, we propose the production of enriched polyphenolic extracts from maritime pine forest residues via an ultrasound-assisted approach. A Box–Behnken experimental desig...

Gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS) are widely used techniques in the analysis of complex mixtures due to their various advantages, such as high selectivity, reproducibility, precision, and sensitivity. However, the data processing is often complex and time-consuming and requires a great deal of experience, which might be a serious d...

Betalains are water-soluble pigments that have exhibited important pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anticancer, antilipidemic and antimicrobial activity. These compounds have been isolated in numerous purple plants or fruits, as is the case of the wild species under the Opuntia genus. The fruits of these species are often disregarded...

Several investigations have proven the presence of anthocyanins in different parts of açai plants. These compounds are responsible for the notable therapeutic properties of açai such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anticonvulsant. We have therefore optimized an enzyme-assisted extraction method for the anthocyanins...

BACKGROUND The search for alternatives to sulfur dioxide (SO2) in white wine production is a tough challenge for the oenological industry. The current article investigates the effectiveness of several preservatives in protecting Verdejo white wines. The following wines were elaborated: without preservative (CT wines), with SO2 (SO2 wines), with sti...

The consumption of mushrooms has considerably increased in recent years because of their beneficial nutritional properties due to their essential amino acids, proteins, and dietary fiber content. Recent research has shown that they are also rich in polysaccharides and phenolic compounds. These compounds exhibit decisive free radical and ROS scaveng...

A new microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was developed for the fast analysis of non-coloured phenolic content in grapes. The stability of 25 phenolic compounds under the microwave extraction conditions was assessed to define the optimal temperature. Several variables were evaluated to study their influence on the extraction process, includi...

In arson fires, ignitable liquids (ILs) are frequently used to start combustion. For this reason, detecting IL residues (ILRs) at the fire scene is a key factor in fire investigation to determine whether a crime has been committed as well as to establish the modus operandi of the perpetrator. In the present study, the application of headspace-gas c...

There is high concern about the exposure of firefighters to toxic products or carcinogens resulting from combustion during fire interventions. Firefighter turnout gear is designed to protect against immediate fire hazards but not against chemical agents. Additionally, the decontamination of firefighter personal protective equipment remains unresolv...

In the European Union (EU), a total of 11,301,345 hectares are dedicated to the cultivation of fruit trees, mainly olive orchards, grapevines, nut trees (almond, walnut, chestnut, hazelnut, and pistachio), apple and pear trees, stone fruit trees (peach, nectarine, apricot, cherry, and plum), and citrus fruit trees (orange, clementine, satsuma, mand...

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) is a fruit rich in vitamins, fatty acids, minerals, essential oils and phenolic compounds, including anthocyanins. In the present work, two anthocyanin extraction methods from blackcurrant samples based on Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE) and Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE) have been developed. A Plackett–Burman...

Purple potato is one of the least known and consumed potato varieties. It is as rich in nutrients, amino acids and starches as the rest of the potato varieties, but it also exhibits a high content of anthocyanins, which confer it with some attractive health-related properties, such as antioxidant, pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory and other promisi...

Erica australis plants have been used in infusions and folk medicine for years for its diuretic and antiseptic properties and even for the treatment of infections. In addition, a recently published thorough study on this species has demonstrated its antioxidant, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic and even antitumoral activities. These...

The objective of the present study is to develop an optimized method where headspace-ion mobility spectrometry is applied for the detection and discrimination between four petroleum-derived products (PDPs) in water. A Box–Behnken design with a response surface methodology was used, and five variables (incubation temperature, incubation time, agitat...

Wine is one of the most consumed beverages around the world. It is composed of alcohols, sugars, acids, minerals, proteins and other compounds, such as organic acids and volatile and phenolic compounds (also called polyphenols). Polyphenols have been shown to be highly related to both (i) wine quality (color, flavor, and taste) and (ii) health-prom...

In recent years, consumers’ preference for fruits such as blueberry has increased noticeably. This fact is probably related to their bioactive components such as anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, vitamins, minerals, and tannins that have been found in blueberries by the latest research studies. Both total anthocyanins (TA) and total phenolic compou...

Grapevine shoots are considered one of the most important by-products of vineyards with a production between 2 and 5 tons/year/hectare. They have a variety of applications according to their content of compounds of interest, such as polyphenols, proteins and stilbenes. Stilbenes are extremely valuable compounds for the plant kingdom and the populat...

The detection of ignitable liquids (ILs) can be crucial when it comes to determining arson cases. Such identification of ILs is a challenging task that may be affected by a number of factors. Microbial degradation is considered one of three major processes that can alter the composition of IL residues. Since biodegradation is a time related phenome...

Grapevine canes are viticulture waste that is usually discarded without any further use. However, recent studies have shown that they contain significant concentrations of health-promoting compounds, such as stilbenes, secondary metabolites of plants produced as a response to biotic and abiotic stress from fungal disease or dryness. Stilbenes have...

According to European Union Regulation, honey is a food product whose composition cannot be modified. However, high-quality honey is often adulterated by adding sweeteners of other sugar compounds. This paper studies the suitability of Ion Mobility Spectra from generated headspace as a method for the detection and discrimination of honey adulterate...

The present research intends to develop a new method based on headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) for the detection and determination of patin fish oil adulterated with different percentages of palm oil, because it is a cheaper vegetable oil. Five variables that affect headspace generation (incubation time and tempera...

Aroma is one of the main characteristics of coffee specimens. Different mixtures of Arabica and Robusta coffees are usually found in the market to offer specific aroma or flavor profiles to consumers. However, the mixed samples or their proportions are not always identified in the product labels. Since the price of Arabica is much higher than that...

Two optimized methods for ultrasound-assisted extraction were evaluated for the extraction of two types of acai bioactive compounds: Total anthocyanins (TAs) and total phenolic compounds (TPCs). For the extraction optimization, a Box Behnken factorial design of different variables in the following intervals was used: Methanol-water (25%–75%) for so...

Currently, açai is one of the most important fruits present in the world. Several studies have demonstrated its high content in phenolic compounds and anthocyanins. Both of them are responsible of interesting properties of the fruit such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant or anticancer. In the present study, two optimized pressurized liquid extracti...

In this work, two methods based on microwave-assisted extraction techniques for the extraction of both anthocyanins and total phenolic compounds from açai have been developed. For that, a full factorial design (Box-Behnken design) has been used to optimize the following four variables: solvent composition (25–75% methanol in water), temperature (50...

La miel es uno de los productos más adulterados del mercado agroalimentario, con importantes consecuencias tanto a nivel económico como de posibles reacciones alérgicas. Por este motivo es de gran importancia contar con métodos rápidos y sencillos que permitan la detección y discriminación de mieles adulteradas. En el presente trabajo se llevó a ca...

Las denominaciones de origen protegidas (D.O.P) son organizaciones legales de la UE que aseguran el origen geográfico y botánico de la miel. Distintos productores pueden encontrarse asociados a D.O.P.s siempre que cumplan sus disposiciones legales. Sin embargo, es de gran importancia contar con métodos analíticos que aseguren el origen geográfico d...

According to European Union regulations, honey is a pure product and adding to or removing from it any kind of substance is illegal. Nevertheless, its adulteration by adding inexpensive and artificial adulterants is a common practice. This paper deals with the use of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS) combined with chemometric tools...

Nowadays, adulteration of honey is a frequent fraud that is sometimes motivated by the high price of this product in comparison with other sweeteners. Food adulteration is considered a deception to consumers that may have an important impact on people’s health. For this reason, it is important to develop fast, cheap, reliable and easy to use analyt...

The destructive nature of fire together with a variety of interfering products from pyrolysis or background compounds among others, still offer a challenge on the proper identification of ignitable liquid residues (ILRs) in fire investigations. Nowadays, analysts use chromatography-mass spectrometry to try and classify ignitable liquids (IL) into o...

Escape ClassRoom "CSI 1.0" is an educational escape room proposed as an interactive analytical chemistry exercise for the evaluation of undergraduate students at the end of the subject. This approach is a new form of live action learning activity in which the students have to solve an analytical problem, namely, "an alleged crime". From this initia...

La miel es un producto natural al que no está permitido añadirle ni substraerle ningún compuesto. Durante los últimos años las aplicaciones asociadas a esta sustancia han crecido y variado notablemente, desde usos alimentarios hasta medicinales. Su alto consumo supone un gran aumento en su precio respecto a otros edulcorantes. Razón por la que la a...

El café es uno de los productos agroalimentarios más consumidos por la humanidad, debido a los numerosos beneficios descubiertos en relación a su composición. Los granos de café se obtienen del fruto del Cafeto, que es un árbol pequeño con dos principales especies botánicas reconocidas, Cafeto Arábica y Cafeto Robusta. Los granos de café de ambas e...

La miel es un producto natural de gran reconocimiento que ha sido consumido a lo largo de la historia por el hombre con usos desde alimentarios hasta medicinales. La miel es un alimento puro, producido por las abejas a partir del néctar de las flores, al que no está permitido adicionarle ni quitarle ninguna sustancia [1]. Por lo tanto, su calidad v...

A fast and correct identification of ignitable liquid residues in fire debris investigation is of high importance in forensic research. Advanced fast analytical methods combined with chemometric tools are usually applied for these purposes. In the present study, the Headspace Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) combined with ch...

In recent years pollution due to hydrocarbon spills has increased markedly as a result of the numerous advances in technologies and industrial processes. Anthropogenic activities (accidental or illegal) are responsible for most of these incidents. In some cases, the spills are not detected at the moment they occur and the contaminants are subjected...

In forensic and environmental sciences, the identification of petroleum-based products is an important task to establish not only the origin of a given residue but also the hazard level or the appropriate cleanup procedure. A new strategy for the fingerprinting of petroleum-based products (PP) in water samples (seawater and freshwater) for rapid an...

In a fire investigation the rapid detection of the presence of ignitable liquids like gasoline is of great importance as it allows appropriate treatment of the remains, the identification of prevention methods and detects the possible presence of an arsonist. In some cases, analysts cannot access the fire scene in the first few hours due to the dan...

In the present study, a non-separative analytical method based on HS-MS eNose (headspace mass spectrometry electronic nose) is presented as a rapid alternative for the fingerprinting of petroleum-based products. As in a real situation, the fuel liquid would usually be supported on a solid porous material or water, different fuel products (gasoline,...

In the present study, a novel analytical method based on IMS (Ion Mobility Spectrometry) is presented as a rapid alternative for the characterization of different ignitable liquid residues in burned samples. IMS is a recent green technique since it does not require the use of any solvents and does not contaminate the environment with other many adv...