Elsa Ramalhosa

Salicornia is a genus of salt-tolerant plants capable of growing and producing biomass under conditions that severely constrain conventional agriculture. Beyond its ecological niche as a halophyte, Salicornia has emerged as a multifunctional crop for sustainable food, feed, and bio-based production in saline landscapes. The increasing generation of saline wastewaters and brines from aquaculture, municipal treatment, agro-industrial activities, and greenhouse systems intensifies the need for natural solutions that can recover resources while protecting soils and receiving ecosystems. This review synthesizes current understanding of how Salicornia species perform when irrigated with saline wastewaters, with particular attention to their dual role as productive crops and phytoremediation agents. It further examines the biological mechanisms underlying salt tolerance and the influence of wastewater characteristics on biomass production and phytoremediation performance. Overall, the evidence indicates that Salicornia performs particularly well in nutrient-rich, controlled saline effluents, whereas more complex wastewater matrices require careful contaminant management to ensure biomass quality and safe reuse. This synthesis positions Salicornia as a fundamental species for circular and climate-resilient strategies linking saline wastewater reuse with crop production, while emphasizing that standardized reporting, long-term field validation, and contaminant-aware biomass management remain essential to support wider adoption.

For the first time, red LED irradiation was applied at pilot scale in the table olive industry to evaluate its influence on Negrinha de Freixo cultivar natural fermentation. Physicochemical parameters, microbial dynamics, and sensory attributes were evaluated between 60 and 95 days, with two irradiation periods (60–70 and 85–95 days). Three conditions were examined: control-static, pumping-brine recirculation, and LED-brine recirculation + red light exposure. Color or texture was not affected. The lowest pH values were consistently observed in the LED-treated samples. Total phenolic compounds in olives showed a slight decrease from 60 to day 95; however, significant differences were only detected between the pumping treatment and the other two conditions. At the end of the first LED irradiation period, a growth of lactic acid bacteria and aerobic mesophilic bacteria was observed in the order of log 1.0 CFU/mL in the brine, and the yeast count (log 1.4 CFU/g) and LAB (log 1.2 CFU/g) in the olives relative to the control, while the second irradiation period did not show a significant effect. Sensory analysis revealed that LED- irradiated olives exhibited the highest hardness (5.6) values, whereas control samples presented the highest perception of putrid defect. Overall, the results demonstrate that red LED photostimulation may be promising for application in the table olive industry.

Interest in alternative protein sources has grown, with Spirulina, a microalga belonging to the genus Limnospira (formerly Arthrospira), emerging as a key option. Guided by sustainability principles, this study explored the gelling capacity and hydrogel-forming properties of integral Spirulina biomass (SpB), targeting applications in structured foods. Two experimental designs (DoE) were employed. One to identify key factors influencing hydrogel formation, and another to optimize the formulation (22 wt%, pH 5.6, thermal gelation at 90 °C). Syneresis analysis revealed that high SpB hydrogels experienced less water loss, with the 22% sample losing just 2.51% after 14 days, due to its dense, particulate morphology as observed by means of scanning electron microscopy. Rheological analysis confirmed the optimized formulation’s superior mechanical properties, with a storage modulus (G′) 24-times higher than the low concentration reference sample (~1890 Pa), remaining dominant over the loss modulus (G″) (G′ > G″) across the analysed frequency range, corroborating a strong elastic behaviour. Although the recovery tests showed partial recovery (27.1%) after high shear, the high residual stiffness (≈515 Pa) confirmed the material’s ability to maintain its shape. These results enabled successful 3D printing tests with the optimized hydrogel, pointing out its potential for innovative food applications in structured food design.

Almonds ( Prunus amygdalus Batsch) are consumed worldwide, with great economic importance in Spain. In the present work, six varieties collected in Valencia (Spain) were characterised: ‘Desmayo Rojo’, ‘Guara’, ‘Desmayo Largueta’ and ‘Marcona’ (Spanish varieties), and ‘Ferraduel’ and ‘Ferragnès’ (French varieties). The different varieties differed significantly in nutritional composition, fatty acid profile, and α‐tocopherol content. ‘Desmayo Rojo’ (less known than ‘Desmayo Largueta’) presented the highest content of α‐tocopherol and campesterol. β‐Sitosterol was the major sterol, followed by campesterol and stigmasterol. Concerning sugars, sucrose, stachyose, and raffinose were quantified. The highest concentration of sucrose was found in ‘Ferragnès’, whereas stachyose was higher in ‘Desmayo Largueta’, ‘Desmayo Rojo’ and ‘Guara’. ‘Marcona’ presented the highest value of raffinose. It was possible to separate the six varieties into five groups, keeping the French varieties in the same group. Thus, this work showed the importance of maintaining and guaranteeing this genetic variability, as each variety has unique characteristics.

The traditional fermentation of table olives is a complex and dynamic, process, carried out by a consortium of microorganisms that interact with each other and contribute to the uniqueness and attractiveness of the final product. Fermentation is conducted by yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that coexist in olive fruits. The succession of one microbial population to the detriment of others depends on internal and external factors that affect the process, e.g., the maturation degree of fruits, cultivar, endophytic, or epiphytic state of microorganisms, pH, water activity, temperature, and salt concentration. Thus, studying microbiota evolution and their identification in natural table olive fermentations is paramount. This review aims to provide an overview of the knowledge on the natural fermentation of table olives, namely regarding microbial dynamics, as to report the main species involved in the fermentation process, highlight the influence of the olive oil ecosystem on the origin of the microbiota and consequently on the obtaining of the final product. The results report a total of 97 yeast species and 45 LAB species described in olives and brine over the last few decades.

This work aimed to study the production, for the first time, of three fermented products of chestnut puree (CP) with milk kefir grains, a higher nisin‐producing ( Lactococcus (L . ) lactis CECT 539) and a higher lactic acid‐producing ( Lactobacillus (Lb . ) casei CECT 4043) lactic acid bacteria (LAB). After studying the CP rheology, the ability of the two LAB to assimilate the carbon sources (starch, sucrose, glucose, and fructose) present in the CP was assayed. The two LAB grew well on glucose, fructose, and sucrose, but they did not use starch. Fermentation of CP with the two LAB and kefir grains allowed us to obtain three fermented products that contained no alcohol and low levels of sugars, lactic, and acetic acids, as well as viable cell counts. After 24 h of fermentation, bacterial counts increased by 2.12 log ₁₀ cycles for Lb. casei and 2.44 log ₁₀ cycles for L. lactis . Although the final counts for both LAB were very similar ( p  > 0.05), L. lactis grew faster than Lb. casei and produced a higher concentration of lactic acid. The total microbial counts for kefir increased by 1.16 log ₁₀ cycles, after 28 h of incubation, indicating that the microorganisms of the kefir grains adapted well to the composition of the CP. As no ethanol was detected, these results suggest the possibility of producing healthy, nonalcoholic, and low‐calorie CPs.