Editorial | The main challenge faced by agriculture is to produce enough food for a continued increase in population, however in the context of ever-growing competition for water and land, climate change, droughts and anthropic water scarcity, and less-participatory water governance. Such a context implies innovative issues in agricultural water management and practices, at both the field and the system or the basin scales, mainly in irrigation to cope with water scarcity, environmental friendliness, and rural society welfare. Therefore, this special issue was set to present and discuss recent achievements in water, agriculture, and food nexus at di erent scales, thus to promote sustainable development of irrigated agriculture and to develop integrated approaches to water and food. Papers cover various domains including: (a) evapotranspiration and crop water use; (b) improving water management in irrigated agriculture, particularly irrigation scheduling; (c) adaptation of agricultural systems to enhance water use and water productivity to face water scarcity and climate change; (d) improving irrigation systems design and management adopting multi-criteria and risk approaches; (e) ensuring sustainable management for anthropic ecosystems favoring safe and high-quality food production, as well as the conservation of natural ecosystems; (f) assessing the impact of water scarcity and, mainly, droughts; (g) conservation of water quality resources, namely by preventing contamination with nitrates; (h) use of modern mapping technologies and remote sensing information; and (i) fostering a participative and inclusive governance of water for food security and population welfare | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Vegetable proteins proved to be good emulsifiers for food emulsions with dietetic advantages. The use of these emulsions as car- riers for healthy ingredients, such as colourings, with antioxidant and other beneficial properties, is an interesting subject. In this work, the capacity of the biomass of the microalga Chlorella vulgaris (which has been widely used as a food supplement) as a fat mimetic, and its emulsifier ability, was evaluated. Pea protein emulsions with C. vulgaris addition (both green and orange – carotenogenic) were prepared at different protein and oil contents. The rheological properties of the respective food emulsions were measured in terms of the viscoelastic properties and steady state flow behaviour and texture properties. It was observed that the two microalgal forms evidenced a fat mimetic capacity in these emulsions, the performance of the green stage of this C. vulgaris organism was significantly (p < 0.05) better than the orange stage.

Doutoramento em Engenharia Alimentar. Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior de Agronomia | The main objective of this study was, to evaluate the microbiological quality and safety of water and RTE foods sold on the streets of Maputo. For this, 83 RTE street food samples from 83 different vendors and 116 water samples from different sources were analyzed. Selected bacterial isolates were molecularly identified and characterized. High levels of unsatisfactory samples were found in both hot (76.7%) and cold (75%) foods. Based on staphylococcal counts, approximately 25% of the food samples were unsatisfactory/potentially hazardous. A high level of fecal contamination was detected in all types of water samples. In Escherichia coli isolates from food and water, the highest percentages of resistance were for the ß-lactams imipenem (35.5 and 39.3%, respectively) and ampicillin (39.3 and 46.4%, respectively). Multidrug resistance was observed in 31.3% of the isolates, being higher in water isolates (45.5%) than food isolates (19.2%). ESBL was the most frequent (57.7%) antibiotic resistance gene among those encoding β-lactamases, while tetA was the most frequent (50%) among non-β-lactamase genes. Furthermore, 73% of the multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates also had virulence genes. The most frequent virulence gene was sec (30.3%) followed by the hlb (24.2%) and sak and sed genes (12.5% each). Regarding the presence of antibiotic resistance genes in Staphylococcus, blaZ (penicillin resistance) was the most frequent (74.2%) followed by mecA (methicillin resistance) and vancA (vancomycin resistance) genes (43.9% and 42.4%, respectively. Staphylococcus isolates had a high ability to form biofilms on different materials and these biofilms were resistant to high concentrations of methicillin (32 g/ml). The results reported here show that water and food sold on the streets of Maputo, Mozambique, pose a potential risk to public health. | O principal objectivo deste estudo foi avaliar a qualidade microbiológica e a segurança da água e dos alimentos RTE vendidos nas ruas de Maputo. Para isso, foram analisadas 83 amostras de comida de rua RTE de 83 vendedores diferentes e 116 amostras de água de diferentes origens. Os isolados bacterianos selecionados foram identificados e caracterizados molecularmente. Foram encontrados elevados níveis de amostras insatisfatórias, tanto em alimentos quentes (76,7%) quanto em alimentos frios (75%). Com base na contagem de estafilococos, aproximadamente 25% das amostras de alimentos eram insatisfatórias/potencialmente perigosas. Foi encontrado um elevado nível de contaminação fecal em todos os tipos de amostras de água. Nos isolados de Escherichia coli provenientes de alimentos e água, as maiores percentagens de resistência foram para os ß-lactâmicos imipenem (35,5 e 39,3%, respectivamente) e ampicilina (39,3 e 46,4%, respectivamente). A multirresistência foi observada em 31,3% dos isolados, sendo maior nos isolados de água (45,5%) do que nos isolados de alimentos (19,2%). ESBL foi o gene para β-lactamases mais frequente (57,7%), enquanto tetA foi o mais frequente (50%) entre genes não β-lactamases. Além disso, 73% dos isolados de E. coli multirresistentes também tinham genes de virulência. O gene de virulência mais frequente foi sec (30,3%), seguido pelos genes hlb (24,2%) e sak e sed (12,5% cada). Em Staphylococcus, blaZ (resistência à penicilina) foi o gene mais frequente (74,2%), seguido pelos genes mecA e vancA (43,9% e 42,4%, respectivamente). Staphylococcus mostrou capacidade de formar biofilmes em diferentes materiais e esses biofilmes eram resistentes a elevadas concentrações de meticilina (32 g/ml). Os resultados aqui relatados mostram que a água e os alimentos vendidos nas ruas de Maputo, Moçambique, representam um risco potencial para a saúde pública. | N/A

Mestrado em Agronomia Tropical e Desenvolvimento Sustentável - Instituto Superior de Agronomia

The use of natural colourings in food products presents nutritional advantages, and certain pigments are associated with functional properties, e.g. antioxidant effects. This can be very advantageous in food products with high fat contents like mayonnaises. The aim of this work was to study the effect of adding natural pigments, lutein and phycocyanin, to the water and oil phases, respectively, of oil-in-water pea protein-stabilized emulsions, beyond the desirable and expected development of a green colour. The emulsions were prepared with 3% (w/w) pea protein, 65% (w/w) vegetable oil, and varying concentrations of lutein and phycocyanin (0.25–1.25% w/w). Emulsions containing both pigments, in different proportions (total pigment concentration of 0.5%, w/w) were also prepared. Oscillatory and steady-state measurements, as well as droplet size distribution and textural profile tests, were performed. The addition of lutein to the disperse oil phase promoted a decrease of the emulsions’ rheological and textural parameters, while the addition of phycocyanin to the water (continuous) phase resulted in an increase of these properties. When using combinations of both pigments, an increase of the rheological and textural parameters with phycocyanin proportion was apparent, and a synergetic effect due to the presence of both pigments was found.

Mestrado em Engenharia Alimentar - Instituto Superior de Agronomia | This thesis aims to study and analyze the country’s food security situation on a global level, but especially at a regional/local level. The study of this dissertation occurred in two specific regions, the district of Água-Grande and Mé-Zóchi, and allowed a better understanding of these important regions. A sample was selected through a stratified random sampling, with 110 survey equally distributed across different locations in the two districts. In this study, in 2014, it was found that there aren’t any significant differences in diet consumption in the two districts. The calorie intake, on average, in the two districts is about 3484.1 kcal/EH/day, and this value is higher in the district of Água-Grande (3601.26 Kcal/EH/day) compared to the district of Mé-Zóchi (3366.95 kcal/EH/day). Regarding the protein intake, it is also higher in the district of Água-Grande (120 g/EH/day) relative to the district of Mé-Zóchi (102.73 g/EH/day). In terms of quality of life indicators, the families of Mé-Zóchi show better results than the ones from Água-Grande. It is clear that the two regions studied are the most "central" and the most developed of the country, but we can say, in general, that they have good conditions of supply and food availability. In addition to improving the economic conditions (more revenue) it is necessary adequate food policy, distribution, investment in education and the efficient use of existing resources to improve food security.

The aim of this study was to investigate the pathogenic potential and antibiotic resistance of 59 Escherichia coli isolates from ready-to-eat (RTE) street food (n = 31) and drinking water (n = 28) sold in the city of Maputo, Mozambique. The isolates were characterized by XbaI subtyping analysis via pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Multiplex PCRs were performed targeting five virulence genes (stx, lt, st, astA, and eae) and three groups of antibiotic-resistant genes, namely ß-lactamases (extended-spectrum ß-lactamase and AmpC), tetracycline (tetA, tetB, and tetM) and sulfamethoxazole/ trimethoprim (sul1, sul2, and sul3). The stx virulence gene, encoding the Shiga/Vero (VT) toxin produced by the verotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC), was identified with similar frequency in isolates from food (5/31) and water (6/28). The highest percentages of resistant isolates from food and water were found for ß-lactams imipenem (35.5 and 39.3%, respectively) and ampicillin (39.3 and 46.4%, respectively). Multidrug resistance was observed in 31.3% of the isolates, being higher in E. coli isolates from water (45.5%) compared to RTE street food isolates (19.2%). Virulence genes were detected in 73% of the multidrug-resistant isolates. Concerning antibiotic-resistant genes, ESBL was the most frequent (57.7%) among -lactamases while tetA was the most frequent (50%) among non- -lactamases | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion