Geographic location and, particularly, soil and climate exert influence on the typicality of a wine from a specific region, which is often justified by the terroir, and these factors also influence the epiphytic flora associated with the surface of the grape berries. In the present study, the microbiome associated with the surface of berries obtained from ten vineyards of the Alvarinho variety located in different geographical locations in mainland Portugal was determined and analyzed. The removal of microbial flora from the surface of the berries was carried out by washing and sonication, after which the extraction and purification of the respective DNA was carried out. High-throughput short amplicon sequencing of the fungal ITS region and the bacterial 16S region was performed, allowing for the determination of the microbial consortium associated with Alvarinho wine grapes. Analysis of α-diversity demonstrated that parcels from the Monção and Melgaço sub-region present a significantly (p < 0.05) lower fungal diversity and species richness when compared to the plots analyzed from other regions/sub-regions. The ubiquitous presence of Metschnikowia spp., a yeast with enologic potential interest in all parcels from Monção and Melgaço, was also observed.

Animal and food sources are seen as a potential transmission pathway of multi-drug resistance (MDR) micro-organisms to humans. Escherichia. coli is frequently used as an indicator of fecal contamination in the food industry and known as a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Microbial contamination as a major outcome for the poultry and egg industry and is a serious public health problem. In the present study we performed the quantification of β-glucoronidase positive E. coli in 60 fecal samples of breeding and laying hens collected in Portugal in 2019. Phylogenetic and pathotypic characterization, antimicrobial susceptibility, and detection of resistant extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes were assessed. The phylogenetic and pathogenic characterization and detection of ESBL genes were assessed by real-time PCR and antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated using the disk diffusion method. Overall, E. coli quantification was 6.03 log CFU/g in breeding hens and 6.02 log CFU/g in laying hens. The most frequent phylogroups were B1. None of the isolates was classified as diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC). In total, 57% of the isolates showed MDR and 3.8% were positive for ESBL. Our study highlights that consumers may be exposed to MDR E. coli, presenting a major hazard to food safety and a risk to public health.

The “Branca” breed is a dual-purpose Portuguese autochthonous chicken breed, produced in extensive systems and in small flocks, especially in the Entre Douro and Minho regions. A total of 40 birds (n = 20/sex) were slaughtered between 38 and 42 weeks (males) and 110 and 120 weeks (females), and carcass and meat quality parameters were evaluated. The results showed significantly higher weights and differences for males between sexes and pieces (p ≤ 0.05) in the meat physicochemical composition. Water holding capacity (WRC), moisture and ash contents were influenced by sex. They were higher in males in the breast and drumstick and lightness (L*) and lipid content were higher in females (p ≤ 0.05). The breast meat presented greater lightness, moisture, ash and protein contents, while the drumstick showed a higher pH value, redness (a*) and lipid content, in both sexes (p ≤ 0.05). Regarding the nutritional properties, “Branca” meat revealed a good proportion of minerals and the female meat showed, in both pieces (p ≤ 0.05), significantly lower values for total saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and higher values for monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Breast meat was richer in n-3-PUFAs (C22:5n-3 and C22:6n-3) in both sexes (p ≤ 0.05). Considering the results obtained, it can be concluded that “Branca” breed meat is a healthy food characterized by a good general nutritional profile.