Lina F. Ballesteros
University of Minho
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Featured researches published by Lina F. Ballesteros.
Carbohydrate Polymers | 2015
Lina F. Ballesteros; Miguel A. Cerqueira; J. A. Teixeira; Solange I. Mussatto
Spent coffee grounds (SCG), obtained during the processing of coffee powder with hot water to make soluble coffee, are the main coffee industry residues and retain approximately seventy percent of the polysaccharides present in the roasted coffee beans. The purpose of this study was to extract polysaccharides from SCG by using an alkali pretreatment with sodium hydroxide at 25°C, and determine the chemical composition, as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the extracted polysaccharides. Galactose (60.27%mol) was the dominant sugar in the recovered polysaccharides, followed by arabinose (19.93%mol), glucose (15.37%mol) and mannose (4.43%mol). SCG polysaccharides were thermostable, and presented a typical carbohydrate pattern. Additionally, they showed good antioxidant activity through different methods and presented high antimicrobial percent inhibition against Phoma violacea and Cladosporium cladosporioides (41.27% and 54.60%, respectively). These findings allow identifying possible applications for these polysaccharides in the food industry.
Industrial waste | 2012
Solange I. Mussatto; Lina F. Ballesteros; Sílvia Lopes Ferreira Martins; J. A. Teixeira
Large amount of wastes is generated every year from the industrial processing of agricultural raw materials. Most of these wastes are used as animal feed or burned as alternative for elimination. However, such wastes usually have a composition rich in sugars, minerals and proteins, and therefore, they should not be considered “wastes” but raw materials for other industrial processes. The presence of carbon sources, nutrients and moisture in these wastes provides conditions suitable for the development of microorganisms, and this open up great possibilities for their reuse in solid-state fermentation (SSF) processes, for example. Agro-industrial wastes can be used as solid support, carbon and/or nutrient source in SSF processes for the production of a variety of value-added compounds.
Carbohydrate Polymers | 2017
Lina F. Ballesteros; J. A. Teixeira; Solange I. Mussatto
The extraction of polysaccharides by autohydrolysis of spent coffee grounds (SCG) was studied. Experimental assays were performed using different temperatures (160-200°C), liquid/solid ratios (5-15ml water/g SCG) and extraction times (10-50min) in order to determine the conditions that maximize the extraction of polysaccharides with high antioxidant activity. Autohydrolysis was demonstrated to be an efficient technique to recover antioxidant polysaccharides from SCG. The best process conditions consisted in using 15ml water/g SCG, during 10min at 160°C. The polysaccharides obtained under these conditions were mainly in the form of galactomannans and arabinogalactans. They presented high antioxidant activity (assessed by four different methods), were thermostable in a large range of temperature, and had a typical carbohydrate pattern, being of interest for industrial applications, mainly in the food area.
Food Chemistry | 2017
Lina F. Ballesteros; Mónica J. Ramírez; Carlos E. Orrego; J. A. Teixeira; Solange I. Mussatto
Freeze-drying and spray-drying techniques were evaluated for encapsulation of phenolic compounds (PC) extracted from spent coffee grounds. Additionally, the use of maltodextrin, gum arabic and a mixture of these components (ratio 1:1) as wall material to retain the PC and preserve their antioxidant activity was also assessed. The contents of PC and flavonoids (FLA), as well as the antioxidant activity of the encapsulated samples were determined in order to verify the efficiency of each studied condition. Additional analyses for characterization of the samples were also performed. Both the technique and the coating material greatly influenced the encapsulation of antioxidant PC. The best results were achieved when PC were encapsulated by freeze-drying using maltodextrin as wall material. Under these conditions, the amount of PC and FLA retained in the encapsulated sample corresponded to 62% and 73%, respectively, and 73-86% of the antioxidant activity present in the original extract was preserved.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules | 2018
Lina F. Ballesteros; Miguel A. Cerqueira; J. A. Teixeira; Solange I. Mussatto
Extracts rich in polysaccharides were obtained by alkali pretreatment (PA) or autohydrolysis (PB) of spent coffee grounds, and incorporated into a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based film aiming at the development of bio-based films with new functionalities. Different concentrations of PA or PB (up to 0.20% w/v) were added to the CMC-based film and the physicochemical properties of the final films were determined. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, as well as determinations of optical and mechanical properties, moisture content, solubility in water, water vapor permeability, contact angle and sorption isotherms were performed. The addition of PA or PB resulted in important changes in the properties of the CMC-based film, mainly in color and opacity. The polysaccharides incorporation significantly improved the light barrier of the film and provided an enhancement or at least a preservation in the physicochemical properties.
Archive | 2018
Lina F. Ballesteros; Michele Michelin; A. A. Vicente; J. A. Teixeira; Miguel Ângelo Parente Ribeiro Cerqueira
This chapter presents the most recent studies on the use of lignocellulosic materials for the development of bio-based packaging materials. It is addressed the incorporation of cellulose and its derivatives, hemicellulose, and lignin in bio-based packaging, and some works where the lignocellulosic materials with few pretreatment are used as filler are also presented. Additionally, it is discussed some bio-based materials extracted from biomass, such as polysaccharides and proteins, but also the chemically synthesized polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), or obtained through biotechnological routes such as polyhydroxyalkanoates.
Archive | 2018
Lina F. Ballesteros; Michele Michelin; A. A. Vicente; J. A. Teixeira; Miguel Ângelo Parente Ribeiro Cerqueira
The use of current packaging materials on food products has as main objective to protect the product for the maintenance of food quality and safety during transportation and storage, but also to attract the attention of the consumers for a particular brand while giving information about the food product. The use of cellulose-based materials as secondary and tertiary packaging has been one of the main applications of lignocellulosic materials in food packaging. Nowadays, the use of lignocellulosic materials incorporated in bio-based materials showed to be a good possibility to reduce the use of petroleum-based materials and thus increase the sustainability. During this chapter are given some commercial examples and research studies of the application of lignocellulosic-based materials as food packaging.
Archive | 2018
Lina F. Ballesteros; Michele Michelin; A. A. Vicente; J. A. Teixeira; Miguel Ângelo Parente Ribeiro Cerqueira
One of the challenges of using bio-based materials for the development and production of packaging is the scale-up of the production process. The industrial technology used is widely influenced by the thermal properties of the materials used (in the case of “dry process”), however for some materials only the “wet process” is suitable in order to obtain good packaging materials. Additionally, the use of lignocellulosic materials as main materials or as fillers/additives is a great challenge and their compatibility with other bio-based materials must be studied case-by-case, according to the material and its main characteristics. The characteristics of the materials used and the production method will influence not only the thermal, mechanical and barrier properties of the packaging but also its optical properties, the solubility of the films and wettability of the coatings. This chapter presents the main processing conditions and methods for the production of bio-based packaging using lignocellulosic materials. The most important properties and characterization methodologies are also presented, and in the end, the biodegradability and life cycle of bio-based packaging materials are discussed.
Archive | 2018
Lina F. Ballesteros; Michele Michelin; A. A. Vicente; J. A. Teixeira; Miguel Ângelo Parente Ribeiro Cerqueira
Lignocellulosic materials have achieved a great recognition during the last years due to their structure and multiple functional properties. These materials when subjected to different pre-treatments are separated into cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, and subsequently, they can be converted into high value-added by-products with specific functional characteristics. Besides the chemical, physical and biological properties exhibited for the lignocellulosic fractions, their renewable nature, biodegradability, availability, and low cost, make them very attractive for the industry, mainly for the development of new multifunctional biopolymers with several applications in different fields. This chapter summarizes the main functional properties of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and their derivatives, including mechanical, chemical, thermal, rheological, optical, and physiological properties, as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.
Archive | 2018
Lina F. Ballesteros; Michele Michelin; A. A. Vicente; J. A. Teixeira; Miguel Ângelo Parente Ribeiro Cerqueira
Lignocellulosic materials (LCMs) are one of the most promising feedstock for several biotechnological purposes. However, these LCMs are highly complex and present a robust structure of difficult access. For the valorization of each fraction of LCMs, a pre-treatment step is necessary in order to alter and/or remove the surrounding matrix of lignin and hemicellulose and increase the cellulose accessibility. Each pre-treatment has a specific effect on the LCM components and generally more than one pre-treatment step is necessary to obtain the fractions. This chapter primarily covers the definition of LCMs, their composition and varied sources. Subsequently, it is presented their structure, and the advantages and disadvantages of the different pre-treatment methods. Furthermore, a section with examples of successful processing technologies and valorization of each LCM component using different pre-treatment technologies is presented.