Daniela Marlene da Silva Machado completed her PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering in 2017 by University of Minho and BSc degree in Clinical Analysis and Public Health in 2010 by the Health Technology Superior School of Polytechnic Institute of Porto. Since May 2019, she is junior researcher in Centre of Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry of the Catholic University of Portugal. Works in the area(s) of Biological Sciences (with emphasis in Microbiology) and Engineering and Technology (with emphasis in Industrial Biotechnology). She had 2 research fellowships, a PhD fellowship ( from March 2013 to July 2017) working in epidemiologic profile of bacterial vaginosis and the search of novel strategies to treat this vaginal disorder and research fellowship in FCT project (from November 2017 to April 2019) targeting to develop microencapsulation technology applied to beneficial gut extreme oxygen-sensitive bacteria. Moreover, she has experience in teaching Microbiology classes at polytechnic and university scientific activities includes: jury member of Master thesis and member of Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior (A3ES), participating in diverse audits.
EDUCATION
Ph.D in Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Minho
BSc in Clinical Analysis and Public Health, Health Technology Superior School of Polytechnic Institute of Porto
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Explore next generation probiotics as live microbial strategies to prevent oro-gastrointestinal infections
Akkermansia muciniphila Encapsulated in Calcium-Alginate Hydrogelated Matrix: Viability and Stability over Aerobic Storage and Simulated Gastrointestinal Conditions Daniela Machado, Mariana Fonseca, Rita Vedor, Sérgio Sousa, Joana Cristina Barbosa, et al. Gels, 2023 Akkermansia muciniphila is considered a next-generation probiotic to be incorporated in new food and pharmaceutical formulations. Effective delivery systems are required to ensure high probiotic viability and stability during product manufacture, shelf-life, and post-consumption, namely, throughout digestion. Hydrogelated matrices have demonstrated promising potential in this dominion. Hence, this work aimed to evaluate the effect of a calcium-alginate hydrogelated matrix on A. muciniphila viability during 28-days refrigerated aerobic storage and when exposed to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, in comparison with that of free cells. Akkermansia muciniphila was successfully encapsulated in the calcium-alginate matrix via extrusion (60% encapsulation yield). Furthermore, encapsulated A. muciniphila exhibited high stability (a loss in viability lower than 0.2 log-cycle) after 28-days of refrigerated aerobic storage, maintaining its viability around 108 CFU/g. Prominently, as the storage time increased, encapsulated A. muciniphila revealed higher viability and stability regarding in vitro gastrointestinal conditions than free cells. This suggests that this encapsulation method may attenuate the detrimental effects of prolonged aerobic storage with a subsequent gastrointestinal passage. In conclusion, encapsulation via extrusion using a calcium-alginate hydrogelated matrix seems to be a promising and adequate strategy for safeguarding A. muciniphila from adverse conditions encountered during refrigerated aerobic storage and when exposed to the gastrointestinal passage.
Design and Characterization of a Cheese Spread Incorporating Osmundea pinnatifida Extract Margarida Faustino, Daniela Machado, Dina Rodrigues, José Carlos Andrade, Ana Cristina Freitas, et al. Foods, 2023 Marine algae have been emerging as natural sources of bioactive compounds, such as soluble dietary fibers and peptides, presenting special interest as ingredients for functional foods. This study developed a cheese spread incorporating red seaweed Osmundea pinnatifida extract and subsequently characterized it in terms of nutritional, pH, and microbiological parameters and bioactivities including prebiotic, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and antioxidant activities. This food was produced through incorporation of O. pinnatifida extract (3%), obtained via enzymatic extraction Viscozyme L in a matrix containing whey cheese (75%) and Greek-type yoghurt (22%). The product was then subjected to thermal processing and subsequently stored for 21 days at 4 °C. During storage, this food showed a high pH stability (variations lower than 0.2 units), the absence of microbial contamination and all tested bioactivities at the sampling timepoints 0 and 21 days. Indeed, it exerted prebiotic effects under Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5® and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12®, increasing their viability to around 4 and 0.5 log CFU/g, respectively. In addition, it displayed antidiabetic (α-glucosidase inhibition: 5–9%), antihypertensive (ACE inhibition: 50–57%), and antioxidant (ABTS: 13–15%; DPPH: 3–5%; hydroxyl radical: 60–76%) activities. In summary, the cheese spread produced may be considered an innovative food with high potential to contribute toward healthier status and well-being of populations.
Exploring Freeze-Drying as Strategy to Enhance Viability of Faecalibacterium duncaniae DSM 17677 upon Aerobic Storage and Gastrointestinal Conditions Daniela Machado, Melany Domingos, Joana Cristina Barbosa, Diana Almeida, José Carlos Andrade, et al. Pharmaceutics, 2022 Faecalibacterium duncaniae is an intestinal commensal bacterium proposed as a next-generation probiotic due to its promising outcomes in the treatment and prevention of several human diseases, which demonstrate its multiple contributions to the host’s health. However, its strict anaerobic nature has created several hurdles in the development of functional foods, nutraceuticals, and biotherapeutic products. Herein, we explored freeze-dried formulations containing prebiotics, cryoprotectants, and antioxidant agents as a technological strategy to enhance the viability of F. duncaniae DSM 17677 upon aerobic storage and gastrointestinal tract conditions. Our results indicate that freeze-dried F. duncaniae in a matrix containing inulin, sucrose, cysteine, and riboflavin survived at levels higher than 106 CFU/g and around 105 CFU/g after 1 and 4 days of aerobic storage at room temperature, respectively. Thus, the freeze-dried formulation with inulin, sucrose, cysteine, and riboflavin presents as a protective strategy to improve F. duncaniae viability under aerobic environments. Nevertheless, incorporation of a suitable coating aimed at protecting F. duncaniae against the detrimental gastrointestinal passage effects is urgently required, given its high susceptibility to extreme acidic pH values and bile.
Insights into the Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of a Next Generation Probiotic Akkermansia muciniphila DSM 22959 Daniela Machado, Joana Cristina Barbosa, Diana Almeida, José Carlos Andrade, Ana Cristina Freitas, et al. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022 Akkermansia muciniphila is a Gram-negative intestinal anaerobic bacterium recently proposed as a novel probiotic candidate to be incorporated in food and pharmaceutical forms. Despite its multiple health benefits, the data addressing its antimicrobial susceptibility profile remain scarce. However, the absence of acquired resistance in probiotic strains is a compulsory criterion for its approval in the qualified presumption of safety list. This study aimed at characterizing the A. muciniphila DSM 22959 strain’s antimicrobial susceptibility profile using phenotypic and in silico approaches. To establish the phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility profile of this strain, minimum inhibitory concentrations of eight antimicrobials were determined using broth microdilution and E-test methods. Additionally, the A. muciniphila DSM 22959 genome was screened using available databases and bioinformatics tools to identify putative antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG), virulence factors (VF), genomic islands (GI), and mobile genetic elements (MGE). The same categorization was obtained for both phenotypic methods. Resistance phenotype was observed for gentamicin, kanamycin, streptomycin, and ciprofloxacin, which was supported by the genomic context. No evidence was found of horizontal acquisition or potential transferability of the identified ARG and VF. Thus, this study provides new insights regarding the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the probiotic candidate A. muciniphila DSM 22959.
Spray-Drying Encapsulation of the Live Biotherapeutic Candidate Akkermansia muciniphila DSM 22959 to Survive Aerobic Storage Joana Barbosa, Diana Almeida, Daniela Machado, Sérgio Sousa, Ana Freitas, et al. Pharmaceuticals, 2022 Akkermansia muciniphila is regarded as a promising next-generation probiotic or live biotherapeutic candidate. Effective delivery strategies must be developed to ensure high enough viability of the probiotic strain throughout its industrial formulation, distribution chain, shelf-life, and, ultimately, the host’s gastrointestinal tract, where it should exert its beneficial effect(s). Among the possible methodologies, spray-drying is considered industrially attractive regarding its costs, efficiency, and scalability, with the due parameter customization. In this study, spray-drying was explored as a one-step process to encapsulate A. muciniphila DSM 22959, testing the drying settings and three different dairy-based matrices. Microcapsule morphology and size was assessed, and viability throughout storage at 4 or 22 °C and simulated gastrointestinal passage was determined. Akkermansia muciniphila microencapsulation by spray-drying, using 10% skim milk and inlet/outlet temperatures of 150/65 °C, is effective in terms of viability stabilization, both during prolonged aerobic storage and exposure to simulated gastrointestinal passage. Akkermansia muciniphila viability was maintained at around 107 CFU/g up to 28 days at 4 °C under aerobic conditions with viability losses inferior to 1 log reduction. This methodology provides the necessary conditions to efficiently deliver the recommended dose of live A. muciniphila in the human gut as a live biotherapeutic product.
Next-Generation Probiotics Joana Cristina Barbosa, Daniela Machado, Diana Almeida, José Carlos Andrade, Adriano Brandelli, et al. Probiotics Advanced Food and Health Applications, 2021
