Several species from the Brassica genus are very important agricultural crops in different parts of the world and are also known to be heavy metal accumulators. There have been a large number of studies regarding the tolerance, uptake and defense mechanism in several of these species, notably Brassica juncea and B. napus, against the stress induced by heavy metals. Numerous studies have also been published about the capacity of these species to be used for phytoremediation purposes but with mixed results. This review will focus on the latest developments in the study of the uptake capacity, oxidative damage and biochemical and physiological tolerance and defense mechanisms to heavy metal toxicity on six economically important species: B. juncea, B. napus, B. oleracea, B. carinata, B. rapa and B. nigra.

Fish is a very perishable food and therefore several storage strategies need to be employed to increase its shelf-life, guaranteeing its safety and quality from catch to consumption. Despite the advances in modern fish storage technologies, chilling and freezing are still the most common preservation methods used onboard. The present review aims to summarize strategies to increase the shelf-life of fresh (chilled) and frozen fish, as whole, gutted, or fillet, involving the assessment of different traditional cooling and freezing conditions of different fish species caught in different locations. Although there are other factors that influence the fish shelf-life, such as the fish species and the stress suffered during catch, storage time and temperature and the amount of ice are some of the most important. In addition, the way that fish is stored (whole, fillet, or gutted) also contributes to the final quality of the product. In most studies, whole chilled and frozen fish present longer shelf-life than those preserved as gutted and filleted. However, it should be noted that other factors related to the organism, capture method, and transport to the preparation/processing industry should be considered for shelf-life extension.

In this work we studied the effect of cadmium (Cd) (25 μM), in spinach plants (Spinacea oleracea) growing in nutrient solution, for 1, 2 and 7 days. Spinach growing in the contaminated solution showed a decrease in biomass, chlorophyll content and an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) content, showing that photosynthetic apparatus was affected and lipid peroxidation occurred. The main defence mechanisms against the induced oxidative stress were the activation of catalase, glutathione reductase and guaiacol peroxidase. Glutathione reductase activity suggests that glutathione is involved in the response against Cd toxicity. The uptake of zinc (Zn), potassium (K), iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) was affected, mainly at the higher exposition times. Spinach leaves showed no signs of toxicity and looked healthy although containing up to 35 mg kg⁻¹ dry weight (DW) of Cd. This can present a food security issue as there is no visible indication of the high amounts of Cd in the edible parts of the plant.

We live in a world of limited biological resources and ecosystems, which are essential to feed people. Consequently, diversifying target species and considering full exploitation are essential for fishery sustainability. The present study focuses on the valorization of three low commercial value fish species (blue jack mackerel, Trachurus picturatus; black seabream, Spondyliosoma cantharus; and piper gurnard, Trigla lyra) and of two unexploited species (comber, Serranus cabrilla and boarfish, Capros aper) through the development of marine-based food products with added value. A preliminary inquiry with 155 consumers from Região de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo (Center of Portugal) was conducted to assess fish consumption, the applicability of fish product innovation, and the importance of valorizing discarded fish. Five products (black seabream ceviche, smoked blue jack mackerel pâté, dehydrated piper gurnard, fried boarfish, and comber pastries) were developed and investigated for their sensory characteristics and consumer liking by hedonic tests to 90 consumers. The most important descriptors were identified for each product (texture, flavor, color, and appearance). Comber pastries had the highest purchase intention (88%), followed by black seabream ceviche (85%) and blue jack mackerel pâté (76%). Sensory evaluations showed a clear tendency of consumers to accept reformulated products, with the introduction of the low-value and unexploited species under study.