Sonia Santos

• PhD
• University of Aveiro

In the present work, a new approach comprising the use of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) with bio-based molecular solvents for extracting phytosterols from the macroalga Codium tomentosum was developed. Preliminarily, four different solvents (ethanol, ethyl acetate, 2-meth-yltetrahydrofuran and propan-2-ol) at two distinct temperatures (40 an...

The physicochemical and sensory properties of wines are influenced by several factors, starting in the vineyard and evolving during the winemaking stages. After bottling, variables such as bottle position, closure type, storage temperature, and storage time shape wine characteristics. In this study, red wines stored for approximately 0.5 and 3 year...

The bioaccessibility and bioavailability of phenolic compounds (PC) influence directly their role in disease prevention/control. Studies have evaluated this ability through complex plant and food matrices, which may reflect more a synergistic effect of the matrix than the ability of the PCs, hindering their individual exploitation in nutraceutical...

Artemisinin, a drug used to treat malaria, can be chemically synthesized or extracted from Artemisia annua L. However, the extraction method for artemisinin from biomass needs to be more sustainable while maintaining or enhancing its bioactivity. This work investigates the use of aqueous solutions of salts and ionic liquids with hydrotropic propert...

In this study the viability of the integrated exploitation of E. globulus leaf essential oil and triterpenic acids was evaluated through the development of a novel extraction process that can be implemented sequentially in a biorefinery context. Thus, essential oil (EO) collected by hydrodistillation was used for the first time as a bio-based solve...

E. globulus leaves have been mainly exploited for essential oil recovery or for energy generation in industrial pulp mills, neglecting the abundance of valuable families of extractives, namely, triterpenic acids, that might open new ways for the integrated valorization of this biomass. Therefore, this study highlights the lipophilic characterizatio...

Valorization of wastes rich in valuable compounds is one of the most relevant topics in biorefinery and circular economy. Kiwifruit industry wastes are a potential source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, which, in turn, exhibit many biological activities with potential health benefits. With the aim of developing a green approach...

The accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in the body is implicated in numerous diseases, being methylglyoxal (MGO) one of the main precursors. One of the strategies to reduce AGEs accumulation might be acting in an early stage of glycation by trapping MGO. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate, for the first time, the potential of eld...

The chemical composition, investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and antibacterial activity of lipophilic extractives of three varieties of Opuntia ficus-indica roots from Algeria are reported in this paper for the first time. The results obtained revealed a total of 55 compounds, including fatty acids, sterols, monoglycerides and lo...

Proanthocyanidin’s molecular characteristics, especially mean degree of polymerization (mDP), have a high impact on their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Nevertheless, the mDP of proanthocyanidin’s extracts obtained from the same plant species can change due to the use of different plant varieties or by using plant material grown in d...

Exposure to nutritional stress during early ontogeny can generate latent effects that are carried over to later developmental stages and affect their growth performance. However, the compensatory role played by food quality at such later stages is not well known in invertebrates with bi-phasic life cycles. Here, larvae of the caridean shrimp Palaem...

Agroforestry by-products have gained rising attention in recent years as they represent inexpensive and abundant raw materials that are a source of added-value chemicals, e.g., for food and pharmaceutical applications, as well as for bioenergy generation. Pinus pinaster Ait. bark extracts are consumed worldwide for their cardiovascular benefits, wh...

Zizyphus lotus L. is a perennial shrub particularly used in Algerian folk medicine, but little is known concerning the lipophilic compounds in the most frequently used parts, namely, root bark, pulp, leaves and seeds, which are associated with health benefits. In this vein, the lipophilic fractions of these morphological parts of Z. lotus from Moro...

The extraction of proanthocyanidins (PACs), despite being an important and limiting aspect of their industrial application, is still largely unexplored. Herein, the possibility of combining eutectic solvents (ESs) with microwave assisted extraction (MAE) in the extraction of PACs from grape pomace (GP) is explored, aiming to improve not only the ex...

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) consumption has been growing in the last years, generating a large number of stalks (~10% of the berries bunch) that are still under-valorized. This study focused on the evaluation of elderberry stalks as a source of high-value phytochemicals. In this vein, the essential mineral content and lipophilic composition were...

Improvement of dietary and ecological biodiversity, namely by exploring autochthonous varieties, is a key point to the construction of a more sustainable food system and planetary health. However, the environmental sustainability continues to face huge challenges, reflecting the importance of achieving a better understanding about the functional ro...

The main goal of this study was to chemically characterize an aqueous S. nigra flower extract and validate it as a bioactive agent. The elderflower aqueous extraction was performed at different temperatures (50, 70 and 90 °C). The extract obtained at 90 °C exhibited the highest phenolic content and antiradical activity. Therefore, this extract was...

Macroalgae of the genus Ulva have long been used as human food. Local environmental conditions, among other factors, can have an impact on their nutrient and phytochemical composition, as well as on the value of the seaweed for food and non-food applications. This study is the first to initiate a comparison between commercial Ulva spp. from differe...

Currently available proanthocyanidins extraction methods rely on dedicated crops and have low specificity and yield which limits their industrial application. Consequently, the development of novel methodologies and the use of sustainable sources is of great importance. Eutectic solvents have been proposed has good alternatives for conventional sol...

Proanthocyanidins are polymers of catechin and its derivatives that are present in high amounts in almost all plants. These compounds have several industrial applications such as leather production with their usage expected to increase dramatically in the coming years. As the industrial process sustainability becomes a concern for modern societies,...

Fruit enzymatic browning (EB) inhibition continues to be a challenge in the Food Industry. This physiological disorder results mainly from the oxidation of natural phenolic compounds by polyphenoloxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POX) leading to the formation of brown pigments. EB can be controlled with the application of antioxidants, reducing/inhibit...

The Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) is one of the most traded bivalves in the world. Knowing its harvesting location is therefore paramount to guarantee the safety of consumers. The present study employs fatty acid (FA) profiles of the adductor muscle (AM) to reveal the most likely harvesting location of four batches of Manila clams suspected...

The lipophilic composition of Allium triquetrum L. bulbs, flowers and leaves was studied for the first time, by GC-MS. Sixty-two compounds were firstly identified in A. triquetrum L. Fatty acids represented the major lipophilics in the studied extracts, with (9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadeca-9,12,15-trienoic and (9Z,12Z)-octadeca-9,12-dienoic acids as the major...

Acacia dealbata biomass, either from forest exploitation or from the management of invasive species, can be a strategic topic, namely as a source of high-value compounds. In this sense, the present study aimed at the detailed characterization of the lipophilic components of different morphological parts of A. dealbata and the evaluation of their cy...

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are one of the most studied nanosystems with great potential for biomedical applications, including cancer therapy. Although some gold-based systems have been described, the use of green and faster methods that allow the control of their properties is of prime importance. Thus, the present study reports a one-minute micro...

The current interest of the scientific community for the exploitation of high-value compounds from macroalgae is related to the increasing knowledge of their biological activities and health benefits. Macroalgae phenolic compounds, particularly phlorotannins, have gained particular attention due to their specific bioactivities, including antioxidan...

The brown macroalgae Bifurcaria bifurcata have gained special attention due to their ability to biosynthesize linear diterpenes (rarely found in other species). However, the conventional extraction methods normally used to extract these compounds involve organic solvents and often high temperatures, leading to the degradation of thermo-labile compo...

Salix spp. have been exploited for energy generation, along with folk medicine use of bark extracts for antipyretic and analgesic benefits. Bark phenolic components, rather than salicin, have demonstrated interesting bioactivities, which may ensure the sustainable bioprospection of Salix bark. Therefore, this study highlights the detailed phenolic...

Conductive natural-based separators for application in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) were fabricated by combining a bacterial polysaccharide, i.e. bacterial cellulose (BC), and an algae sulphated polysaccharide, i.e. fucoidan (Fuc). The diffusion of fucoidan aqueous solution containing a natural-based cross-linker, viz. tannic acid, into t...

Marine resources are considered as a very promising source of bioactive molecules, and macroalgae in particular have gained special attention, due to their structurally diverse composition. Particular interest has been devoted to the brown macroalga Bifurcaria bifurcata, due to their abundance in bioactive linear diterpenes. In this appraisal, a th...

Substantial amounts of vine wastes are produced during vineyard management, and the chemical profiling of high-value lipophilic phytochemicals is becoming crucial in order to find a complementary route towards their integrated valorisation. The prospection of bioactive phytochemicals from unripe grape, vine shoot, vine cane, stalk and leaf dichloro...

Obesity is a public health problem and a risk factor for pathologies such type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Given these clinical implications, there is a growing interest to understand the pathophysiological mechanism of obesity. Changes in lipid metabolism have been associated with obesity and...

Worldwide, foodborne diseases are a growing public health problem. Among the infectious bacteria, non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica serovars (NTS) are the major cause of hospitalization and death, and the emergence and spread of their antibiotic-resistance is becoming a worldwide health issue. This, coupled with the restrictions of antibiotics use...

Salix (Salicaceae) species bark extracts are traditionally consumed due to their anti-inflammatory and analgesic benefits, mainly attributed to phenolic compounds. However, this biomass could be further exploited calling upon other extractive components, namely the lipophilic fraction. Hence, the present study highlights, for the first time, the ch...

Three different high performance liquid chromatography columns were accessed for phenolic compounds (PC) separation in the hydrophilic fraction of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Two fully porous C18 bonded silica phases and one partially porous biphenyl column were used. Biphenyl column allowed for an increase of more than 30% in peak capacity (nc)...

Porphyrins are known as effective photosensitizers and can be an interesting key in phototreatment of water contaminated with micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals. They already showed to be efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of dyes, chlorophenols and other pollutants. This work demonstrates the applicability of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pen...

The long-term effect of thermal pasteurization (TP) and high-pressure processing (HPP) of orange juices stored under refrigeration, on the bioactive components and antioxidant activity, was compared. Total phenolic content (TPC), flavonoid, anthocyanin, and carotenoid contents, the individual content of major phenolic components, and the antioxidan...

The utilization of natural compounds, such as phenolic acids and biopolymers, in the healthcare domain is gaining increasing attention. In this study, bacterial nanocellulose (BC) membranes were loaded with ionic liquids (ILs) based on phenolic acids. These ionic compounds, with improved solubility and bioavailability, were prepared by combining th...

This study aimed to assess the effect of high pressure (300 and 600 MPa) and enzymatic extraction (pectinase and cellulase) on the phenolic compounds profile, antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity of extracts from pomegranate by-products. Antimicrobial activity against eight different strains of pathogenic and contaminant bacteria and aga...

Homogeneous, translucent and flexible films of chitosan (CH) and ellagic acid (EA) were prepared by solvent casting. Various concentrations of EA (0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0% w/w relative to CH) were used in order to evaluate their UV-blocking properties. In addition, the photochemical stability of the films was also studied via artificial solar light i...

Macroalgae have been seen as an alternative source of molecules with promising bioactivities to use in the prevention and treatment of current lifestyle diseases. In this vein, the lipophilic fraction of short-term (three weeks) cultivated Bifurcaria bifurcata was characterized in detail by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). B. bifurcata...

Scabiosa stellata L. is the less-studied plant of the species belonging to the genus Scabiosa, but the fact that several Scabiosa species are used in traditional medicine is an incentive to study this species. The profile of the S. stellata hexane extract was established by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and allowed to conclude that fatty aci...

Nowadays, the “green synthesis” of different types of nanostructures, e.g. metallic nanoparticles (NPs), using plant extracts, emerged as a powerful, sustainable and economical design tool due to the panoply of plants available. However, the main challenge in this emerging area is still the strict control of the morphology (shapes) and dimensions o...

Purpose: Studies associate specific fatty-acids (FA) with the pathophysiology of inflammation. We aimed to analyze the impact of exercise on adipose tissue FA profile in response to a high-fat diet (HFD) and to ascertain whether these exercise-induced changes in specific FA have repercussions on obesity-related inflammation. Methods: Sprague-Daw...

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) lipophilic and polar extract dietary supplementation effects were evaluated according to diabetes management indices, using an in vivo model. A research pipeline was constructed, that ranged from extract preparation, partial chemical characterization and toxicity evaluation, to examining the elderberry extract dietary...

Besides being traditionally used to relieve hepatobiliary disorders, Cynara cardunculus L. has evidenced anticancer potential on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This study highlights the antiproliferative effects of lipophilic extracts from C. cardunculus L. var. altilis (DC) leaves and florets, and of their major compounds, namely cynaropicr...

The composition of the lipophilic and phenolic fractions of the wood of Eucalyptus grandis cultivated in Portugal, Brazil and South Africa, was studied. The lipophilic fraction of the studied E. grandis wood is mainly composed of sterols, fatty acids and phenolic compounds. Three triterpenic acids were detected for the first time in the wood extrac...

Lipophilic compounds present in dichloromethane extracts of five brown macroalgae from the Portuguese coast were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Their dicarboxylic acids, long-chain aliphatic alcohols, and monoglyceride profile are reported for the first time. Additionally, other new compounds were also first reported: 24-...

Retama sphaerocarpa is a shrub widely used in traditional medicine. Owing to the huge demand for bioactive natural components, it is fundamental to study in detail the composition of this kind of plants. In this vein, the phenolic fraction of grains and stems from R. sphaerocarpa grown in Algeria was thoroughly investigated by ultra-high-performanc...

The Maillard reaction product 3-deoxyglucosone (3DG) was quantified in wines, by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis after derivatization with ortho-phenylenediamine. Both sweet red Port wines and dry white wines were analysed during natural and forced aging. In natural aging, and for dry white wines, 3DG is negatively...

Metoprolol is a β-blocker highly prescribed for the treatment of heart diseases. It is not efficiently removed in wastewater treatment plants and it has been detected not only in the treated effluents, but also in natural waters. Thus, the knowledge of its fate in the environment is an important issue, and photodegradation is an important degradati...

The lipophilic composition of wild Arbutus unedo L. berries, collected from six locations in Penacova (center of Portugal), as well as some general chemical parameters, namely total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity was studied in detail to better understand its potential as a source of bioactiv...

Technical hydrolysis lignin (THL) was micronized by grinding in a rotary-jet mill to obtain a fraction of approximately 5 mm. Both initial and milled THLs were liquefied by thermal alkaline treatment at 220°C for 2 h. Upgraded THLs that were nonmilled (L1) and milled (L2) were desalted by treatment with cation-exchanged resin and were dried. Micron...

Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis (DC) (Cca) grows under the semi-arid conditions as those of south of Portugal. Given to high cellulose and hemicelluloses contents, paper pulp production has been proposed [1]. Moreover, the extraction of bioactive compounds could also be considered for an integrated valorization of Cca. Sesquiterpene lactones (SL...

Nanobiotechnology has emerged as a fundamental domain in modern science, and metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are one of the largest classes of NPs studied because of their wide spectrum of possible applications in several fields. The use of plant extracts as reducing and stabilizing agents in their synthesis is an interesting and reliable alternative...

The Back Cover picture illustrates the green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using an Eucalyptus globulus bark extract. Santos et al. elucidated, through the use of advanced chromatographic techniques, the precise role of each family of compounds present in the plant extracts used in the bio-based synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles. Phenol...

The aim of this work was to examine the effect of Cu(II) on the degradation of thiram (Thi) in aqueous solutions, since the literature focused on this effect is scarce and copper based fungicides can be applied together with thiram or during the same season to agricultural crops. The effect of Cu(II) on the degradation of thiram was followed by bot...

The phenolic composition of Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis (DC) from south of Portugal was determined by analyzing the methanol/water/acetic acid (49.5:49.5:1) extracts of the different morphological parts of the plant, through high temperature-ultra high pressure liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. From the twenty-eight phenolic co...

Linoleic acid (LA) was converted into hydroperoxides by a cloned lipoxygenase from bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PALOX) expressed in Trichoderma reesei. Its conversion was first analyzed for different LA concentrations. Then, a face-centred experimental design was used to study the effects of different variables (pH: 4.0–10.0; temperature: 5.0–...

The phenolic composition of cork powder and black condensate, two by-products from the cork industry, was investigated by the first time using high-performance liquid chromatography-multi-stage mass spectrometry (HPLC–MSn). The same methodology of extraction was applied to cork, for comparative purposes. Eighteen phenolic compounds were identified in...

Linoleic acid was converted into hydroperoxides by a Gaeumannomyces graminis tritici lipoxygenase produced recombinantly in Trichoderma reesei. Hydroperoxide production was optimized using a face-centred experimental design in order to study the effects of pH, temperature and time on the conversion of linoleic acid into four regioisomeric hydropero...

Phenolic composition, antioxidant and breast cancer antiproliferative activities of water and methanol/water derived extracts from olive pomace (OP) and dry olive mill residue (DOR), from Portuguese industries, were studied. DOR water (DORW) extracts showed the highest extraction yield; as well as the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and hydrox...

In this study, the relevance of photodegradation processes on the persistence of the fungicide thiram in waters was investigated. The photodegradation of thiram in Milli-Q water and in aqueous solutions of humic and fulvic acids, as well as the photodegradation in spiked river water were studied. Both pure thiram and one of its commercial formulati...

This study represents the first phytochemical research of phenolic components of Sercial and Tinta Negra Vitis vinifera L. The phenolic profiles of Sercial and Tinta Negra V. vinifera L. grape skins (white and red varieties, respectively) were established using high performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection–electrospray ionisation tan...

The transthyretin amyloidoses (ATTR) are devastating diseases characterized by progressive neuropathy and/or cardiomyopathy for which novel therapeutic strategies are needed. We have recently shown that curcumin (diferuloylmethane), the major bioactive polyphenol of turmeric, strongly suppresses TTR fibril formation in vitro, either by stabilizatio...

The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of phenolic compounds from Eucalyptus globulus bark was carried out along with detailed analysis of the extracts for the first time. The extracts were accessed in terms of: (i) extraction yield (EY), (ii) total phenolic content by Folin–Ciocalteu method (TPC), (iii) phenolics quantified by high performance liqu...

The phenolic composition of Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus urograndis (E. grandis × E. urophylla) and Eucalyptus maidenii bark is reported for the first time. High performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC–ESI-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MSn) analysis of the methanol:water (50:50) extracts allowed to ide...

This study reports the identification of oligomeric alkenylperoxides by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS ² ), during the oxidation of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids with Fenton's (Fe ²⁺ /H 2 O 2 ) and Fe ²⁺ /O 2 systems. The reactions were followed by ferrous oxidation‐xylenol orange metho...

An integrated methodology for the identification and quantification of linoleic acid hydroperoxides (HPODEs) mixtures, obtained by the Fenton’s reaction and by enzymatic oxidation, is reported. Unambiguous identification of the HPODEs formed (13-hydroperoxy-(9Z,11E)-octadecadienoic acid, 13-hydroperoxy-(9E,11E)-octadecadienoic acid and 9-hydroperoxyoc...

High-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n)) were used to investigate the phenolic constituents in methanol, water, and methanol/water extracts of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. bark. Twenty-nine phenolic compounds were identified, 16 of them referenced for the firs...

The phenolic fraction of cork from Quercus suber L. was obtained following two distinct fractionation schemes, namely methanol/water extraction followed by ethyl ether fractionation and sequential extraction with methanol and water. The extracts were studied in terms of total phenolics content, using Folin-Ciocalteu method, detailed chemical analys...

The detailed chemical composition of lipophilic and polar extractives of cork and cork by-products generated throughout industrial processing was investigated by GC-MS. Triterpenes (cerine, friedeline, and betulinic acid) were the major components detected in lipophilic fraction. Betulinic acid is the main triterpene identified in industrial cork p...