Traditional smoked fermented sausages are highly appreciated in Portugal and are mostly manufactured according to traditional procedures. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of autochthonous starter cultures on the safety and quality of a smoked fermented sausage, Painho da Beira Baixa (PBB), preserving its sensory quality. Physicochemical parameters, namely pH and water activity (a_W), microbiological parameters, biogenic amines, colour, texture profile and sensory attributes were assessed. Different starters were selected based on our previous work. Staphylococcus equorum S2M7, Staphylococcus xylosus CECT7057, Lactobacillus sakei CV3C2, Lactobacillus sakei CECT7056 and a yeast strain (2RB4) were co-inoculated in meat batters at defined concentrations. Starters had a significant effect on the reduction of pH. Enterobacteria and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected in inoculated end-product sausages. Moreover, sausages inoculated with S. equorum S2M7/L. sakei CV3C2/yeast 2RB4 showed a significant reduction in the total content of biogenic amines. No significant differences between treatments were observed for colour and texture parameters, except for adhesiveness. The studied starters did not compromise the sensory characteristics of PBB. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study on the quality and safety of this type of smoked fermented sausage from the central region of Portugal.

Rice is the staple food of more than half of the world’s population, which is still growing. The great dependence that agriculture, and rice specially, has on fertilizers alongside extreme events that result from climatic change creates an urge for adaptation. Fertilizers are expensive, finite and a potential environmental problem. Their precise application, by the use of slow-release nanofertilizers, thus avoiding losses and consequently reducing the pressure on water resources, is one step forward in this adaptation. It can reduce costs and protect the environment while ensuring food production. Phosphorous is very important for rice, since it is involved in its flowering and root development, and its low availability to the plants constitutes a serious problem. The delivery of phosphorous through the crop cycle in the form of slow-release phosphorus nanofertilizer (Pnf) instead of the conventional annual bulk application reduces the amount of nutrients applied and increases the absorption by the crop. Combining the fertilizing effect with the use of natural stimulant compounds such as chitosan can protect the crop from diseases and increase its resilience to stress. The use of Pnf reduces the pressure on water resources and avoids imbalances in soil nutrients, thus responding to climatic change challenges and abiotic stresses.

Agriculture is considered a significant climate change (CC) driver due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the loss of fertilizers that contribute to water eutrophication. On the other hand, climate change effects are already impacting agriculture, endangering food security. This paper explores the dichotomies of the effects of agriculture on CC as well as of CC on agriculture, focusing on the contribution that nanofertilizers can bring to this complex system in both directions. The strategies to reduce CC while adapting and mitigating its effects must be a global effort. It is not possible to focus only on the reduction in GHG emissions to stop the effects that are already being felt worldwide. Nanofertilizers, especially slow- and controlled-release nanofertilizers, can reduce the nutrient input and also boost productivity while mitigating some CC effects, such as soil nutrient imbalance and agricultural emissions. As so, this review highlights the benefits of nanofertilizers and their role as a part of the strategy to reduce the reach of CC and mitigate its ever-growing effects, and presents some guidelines for the increased use of these materials in order to enhance their efficacy in this strategy.

In the Mediterranean region, climate change is likely to generate an increase in water demand and the deterioration of its quality. The adoption of precision viticulture and the best available techniques aiming at sustainable production, minimizing the impact on natural resources and reducing production costs, has therefore been a goal of winegrowers. In this work, the water footprint (WFP) in the wine sector was evaluated, from the vineyard to the bottle, through the implementation of a methodology based on field experiments and life cycle assessment (LCA) on two Portuguese case studies. Regarding direct water footprint, it ranged from 366 to 899 L/FU (0.75 L bottle), with green water being the most significant component, representing more than 50% of the overall water footprint. The approach used in the current study revealed that although more than 97.5% of the water footprint is associated with vineyard, the winery stage is responsible for more than 75% of the global warming potential indicator. A linear correlation between the carbon footprint and the indirect blue water footprint was also observed for both case studies. Climate change is expected to cause an earlier and prolonged water stress period, resulting in an increase of about 40% to 82% of blue WFP.

Winery effluents have a high pollution potential, especially those effluents that are obtained from the second racking. However, these effluents are rich in phenolic compounds and polysaccharides and can be potential sources for the recovery of these compounds. Therefore, a process was developed in this study to reduce the pollution potential of the winery effluents from the second racking and to recover the polyphenols and polysaccharides from the effluents by utilizing ultrafiltration (UF) and sedimentation operations. The sedimentation was optimized by varying the pH from 3.8 to 8.0, while the UF experiments were optimized by varying the transmembrane pressure from 0.5 to 4.0 bar and the feed circulation velocity from 0.44 to 0.87 ms⁻¹. This process provided a permeate stream with a reduction in the TOC content by 56.6%, while the polyphenols and the polysaccharides in the concentrate stream were concentrated by 6 times and 5 times, respectively.