Carlos Simões - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Drafts by Carlos Simões
Zenodo, 2023
Este artigo aborda a evolução da avaliação de riscos, partindo de uma perspectiva empírica e perc... more Este artigo aborda a evolução da avaliação de riscos, partindo de uma perspectiva empírica e perceptível para uma fundamentada cientificamente, com ênfase na gestão de riscos na indústria alimentar. Iniciamos com a discussão sobre como o risco é inicialmente percebido e identificado através de observações e experiências práticas. Em seguida, exploramos a transição para uma avaliação mais rigorosa e quantitativa, baseada em métodos científicos. A definição de risco da ISO 31000 e o conceito de "risk source" são introduzidos como elementos cruciais na estruturação de uma gestão de riscos eficaz. Além disso, discutimos a importância de se adoptar uma abordagem que se paute pela precaução na estimativa do índice de gravidade do perigo, especialmente em casos que envolvem consequências sérias para a saúde pública: o artigo destaca a relevância do princípio da precaução, conforme adoptado pela União Europeia, como justificativa para uma abordagem mais cautelosa na tomada de decisões relacionadas com a gestão de riscos. Este trabalho visa oferecer uma visão integrada e abrangente sobre a avaliação e gestão de riscos, enfatizando a importância de equilibrar percepções empíricas com análises baseadas em evidências científicas, o princípio da precaução e as vulnerabilidades específicas de certos processos.
Zenodo, 2023
Current research on the complex effects of climate change on agriculture, food security, and huma... more Current research on the complex effects of climate change on agriculture, food security, and human health is summarized in this review. It examines how climate change may affect agricultural productivity both negatively and positively. It discusses the difficulties brought on by a rise in pests, a shortage of water, and degraded soil, as well as any potential advantages like CO2 fertilization and longer growing seasons. The analysis goes into additional detail about the consequences for food security, highlighting the threats that changing climate conditions have to food safety and availability. It draws attention to growing worries about pesticide residues, mycotoxin contamination in crops, and foodborne diseases. The review also discusses the growing risk of vector-borne illnesses impacting human health as a result of changes in disease vectors' geographic ranges brought on by climate change. In order to fully comprehend and address these intricate difficulties, more study is clearly required, as the document's conclusion calls for integrated mitigation and adaptation methods. The review provides a resource for comprehending how agricultural practices, food safety, and public health are impacted by climate change.
Zenodo, 2023
The Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA) is an integral part of food safety management in the fo... more The Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA) is an integral part of food safety management in the food industry. This review aims to introduce an enhanced MRA model that incorporates essential criteria based on the Bradford Hill criteria for causality. By integrating these criteria into a decision tree framework, the model aims to offer a more rigorous and evidence-based approach to hazard identification and risk characterization. Preliminary applications of this model suggest its potential for improving the accuracy and reliability of MRA in food processing environments.
Several publications report the ubiquitous presence of Alternaria mycotoxins in numerous fruits a... more Several publications report the ubiquitous presence of Alternaria mycotoxins in numerous fruits and vegetables. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducted a risk assessment on several of the key Alternaria toxins in 2011, including alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tentoxin (TEN), and tenuazonic acid (TeA). Recently, the RASFF Portal reported multiple TeA and AOH incidences in processed tomato products. Previous investigations revealed the presence of Alternaria mycotoxins in several tomato products. In a 2016 EFSA assessment, tomatoes and tomato-based products were identified as important contributors to dietary exposure to various Alternaria toxins. These products are popular in Mediterranean diets, and Alternaria toxin incidence data will be beneficial for future risk assessments to identify possible consumer health problems. Furthermore, Alternaria, which affects tomato plants, is one of the most frequent diseases impacting this crop globally. Prevention and control of the disease are fundamental. Controlling the disease requires developing measures that are effective against the pathogen and safe for the environment. In any case, fungicides used must be authorized and registered for use, application and treatment. The fundamental issue in modern tomato production is a relatively limited selection of available treatments for controlling phytopathogenic fungi, as well as the development of fungal resistance to the agents now in use.
Bacillus coagulans has been used as the reference microorganism in the sterilization of double an... more Bacillus coagulans has been used as the reference microorganism in the sterilization of double and triple-concentrated aseptically produced tomato paste, despite the absence of a target or criterion in the sterilization of such high-acid food products. In the present review, to validate the choice of B. coagulans as the target microorganism in this process, the thermal resistance parameters of the microorganisms associated with the spoilage of tomato products were compiled. The D-and z-values were used to calculate the sterilization temperatures necessary to achieve 7, 6, and 5 logarithmic reductions of the potential microbial population in a standard aseptic processing system used in the tomato industry. This process is known to cause color degradation, with an increase in the rate of nonenzymatic browning of tomato paste. The calculated values were compared and the results from industrial production were evaluated to ascertain that using B. coagulans as the target microorganism in the sterilization of aseptically processed tomato paste will ensure microbiological stability and compliance with the legal requirements related to foodborne pathogens while allowing to minimize the effects of this thermal process on the quality of tomato paste as well as improve heat-economy, which is critical in an industrial process where energy costs account for a significant portion of total expenses.
Papers by Carlos Simões
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most widely consumed fruiting vegetables, yet it is a... more Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most widely consumed fruiting vegetables, yet it is also a significant source of food allergens. The allergenic potential of tomatoes is influenced by their protein composition, which varies by cultivar, processing methods, and physical structure (peel, pulp, seeds). Key allergens include lipid transfer proteins (LTPs), profilins, pathogenesis-related proteins, and seed-specific proteins like vicilin and legumin. Processing methods, such as drying and thermal treatments, reduce the allergenicity of many heat-labile proteins but leave heat-resistant allergens, such as LTPs, largely intact. This review explores the properties of the known tomato allergens and the impact of processing on their allergenic potential.
Zenodo, 2023
Este artigo aborda a evolução da avaliação de riscos, partindo de uma perspectiva empírica e perc... more Este artigo aborda a evolução da avaliação de riscos, partindo de uma perspectiva empírica e perceptível para uma fundamentada cientificamente, com ênfase na gestão de riscos na indústria alimentar. Iniciamos com a discussão sobre como o risco é inicialmente percebido e identificado através de observações e experiências práticas. Em seguida, exploramos a transição para uma avaliação mais rigorosa e quantitativa, baseada em métodos científicos. A definição de risco da ISO 31000 e o conceito de "risk source" são introduzidos como elementos cruciais na estruturação de uma gestão de riscos eficaz. Além disso, discutimos a importância de se adoptar uma abordagem que se paute pela precaução na estimativa do índice de gravidade do perigo, especialmente em casos que envolvem consequências sérias para a saúde pública: o artigo destaca a relevância do princípio da precaução, conforme adoptado pela União Europeia, como justificativa para uma abordagem mais cautelosa na tomada de decisões relacionadas com a gestão de riscos. Este trabalho visa oferecer uma visão integrada e abrangente sobre a avaliação e gestão de riscos, enfatizando a importância de equilibrar percepções empíricas com análises baseadas em evidências científicas, o princípio da precaução e as vulnerabilidades específicas de certos processos.
Zenodo, 2023
Current research on the complex effects of climate change on agriculture, food security, and huma... more Current research on the complex effects of climate change on agriculture, food security, and human health is summarized in this review. It examines how climate change may affect agricultural productivity both negatively and positively. It discusses the difficulties brought on by a rise in pests, a shortage of water, and degraded soil, as well as any potential advantages like CO2 fertilization and longer growing seasons. The analysis goes into additional detail about the consequences for food security, highlighting the threats that changing climate conditions have to food safety and availability. It draws attention to growing worries about pesticide residues, mycotoxin contamination in crops, and foodborne diseases. The review also discusses the growing risk of vector-borne illnesses impacting human health as a result of changes in disease vectors' geographic ranges brought on by climate change. In order to fully comprehend and address these intricate difficulties, more study is clearly required, as the document's conclusion calls for integrated mitigation and adaptation methods. The review provides a resource for comprehending how agricultural practices, food safety, and public health are impacted by climate change.
Zenodo, 2023
The Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA) is an integral part of food safety management in the fo... more The Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA) is an integral part of food safety management in the food industry. This review aims to introduce an enhanced MRA model that incorporates essential criteria based on the Bradford Hill criteria for causality. By integrating these criteria into a decision tree framework, the model aims to offer a more rigorous and evidence-based approach to hazard identification and risk characterization. Preliminary applications of this model suggest its potential for improving the accuracy and reliability of MRA in food processing environments.
Several publications report the ubiquitous presence of Alternaria mycotoxins in numerous fruits a... more Several publications report the ubiquitous presence of Alternaria mycotoxins in numerous fruits and vegetables. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducted a risk assessment on several of the key Alternaria toxins in 2011, including alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tentoxin (TEN), and tenuazonic acid (TeA). Recently, the RASFF Portal reported multiple TeA and AOH incidences in processed tomato products. Previous investigations revealed the presence of Alternaria mycotoxins in several tomato products. In a 2016 EFSA assessment, tomatoes and tomato-based products were identified as important contributors to dietary exposure to various Alternaria toxins. These products are popular in Mediterranean diets, and Alternaria toxin incidence data will be beneficial for future risk assessments to identify possible consumer health problems. Furthermore, Alternaria, which affects tomato plants, is one of the most frequent diseases impacting this crop globally. Prevention and control of the disease are fundamental. Controlling the disease requires developing measures that are effective against the pathogen and safe for the environment. In any case, fungicides used must be authorized and registered for use, application and treatment. The fundamental issue in modern tomato production is a relatively limited selection of available treatments for controlling phytopathogenic fungi, as well as the development of fungal resistance to the agents now in use.
Bacillus coagulans has been used as the reference microorganism in the sterilization of double an... more Bacillus coagulans has been used as the reference microorganism in the sterilization of double and triple-concentrated aseptically produced tomato paste, despite the absence of a target or criterion in the sterilization of such high-acid food products. In the present review, to validate the choice of B. coagulans as the target microorganism in this process, the thermal resistance parameters of the microorganisms associated with the spoilage of tomato products were compiled. The D-and z-values were used to calculate the sterilization temperatures necessary to achieve 7, 6, and 5 logarithmic reductions of the potential microbial population in a standard aseptic processing system used in the tomato industry. This process is known to cause color degradation, with an increase in the rate of nonenzymatic browning of tomato paste. The calculated values were compared and the results from industrial production were evaluated to ascertain that using B. coagulans as the target microorganism in the sterilization of aseptically processed tomato paste will ensure microbiological stability and compliance with the legal requirements related to foodborne pathogens while allowing to minimize the effects of this thermal process on the quality of tomato paste as well as improve heat-economy, which is critical in an industrial process where energy costs account for a significant portion of total expenses.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most widely consumed fruiting vegetables, yet it is a... more Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most widely consumed fruiting vegetables, yet it is also a significant source of food allergens. The allergenic potential of tomatoes is influenced by their protein composition, which varies by cultivar, processing methods, and physical structure (peel, pulp, seeds). Key allergens include lipid transfer proteins (LTPs), profilins, pathogenesis-related proteins, and seed-specific proteins like vicilin and legumin. Processing methods, such as drying and thermal treatments, reduce the allergenicity of many heat-labile proteins but leave heat-resistant allergens, such as LTPs, largely intact. This review explores the properties of the known tomato allergens and the impact of processing on their allergenic potential.