Irene Bermudez Gutierrez

@mare-centre.pt

PhD in Biosciences. Department of Life Sciences. Faculty of Science and Technology. University of Coimbra
MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET – Aquatic Research Network



                 

https://researchid.co/irebguti

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Ecology, Pollution, Toxicology, Biochemistry

4

Scopus Publications

Scopus Publications

  • Advanced Extraction Techniques and Physicochemical Properties of Carrageenan from a Novel Kappaphycus alvarezii Cultivar
    Madalena Mendes, João Cotas, Irene B. Gutiérrez, Ana M. M. Gonçalves, Alan T. Critchley, Lourie Ann R. Hinaloc, Michael Y. Roleda, and Leonel Pereira
    MDPI AG
    Carrageenans are valuable marine polysaccharides derived from specific species of red seaweed (Rhodophyta) widely used as thickening and stabilizing agents across various industries. Kappaphycus alvarezii, predominantly cultivated in tropical countries, is the primary source of kappa-carrageenan. Traditional industrial extraction methods involve alkaline treatment for up to three hours followed by heating, which is inefficient and generates substantial waste. Thus, developing improved extraction techniques would be helpful for enhancing efficiency and reducing environmental impacts, solvent costs, energy consumption, and the required processing time. In this study, we explored innovative extraction methods, such as ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and supercritical water extraction (SFE), together with other extraction methods to produce kappa-carrageenan from a new strain of K. alvarezii from the Philippines. FTIR-ATR spectroscopy was employed to characterize the structure of the different carrageenan fractions. We also examined the physicochemical properties of isolated phycocolloids, including viscosity, and the content of fatty acids, proteins, and carbohydrates. For refined carrageenan (RC), both the traditional extraction method and the UAE method used 1 M NaOH. Additionally, UAE (8% KOH) was employed to produce semi-refined carrageenan (SRC). UAE (8% KOH) produced a high yield of carrageenan, in half the extraction time (extraction yield: 76.70 ± 1.44), and improved carrageenan viscosity (658.7 cP), making this technique highly promising for industrial scaling up. On the other hand, SFE also yielded a significant amount of carrageenan, but the resulting product had the lowest viscosity and an acidic pH, posing safety concerns as classified by the EFSA’s re-evaluation of carrageenan as a food additive.

  • Impacts of low concentrations of nanoplastics on leaf litter decomposition and food quality for detritivores in streams
    Sahadevan Seena, Irene B. Gutiérrez, Juliana Barros, Cláudia Nunes, João Carlos Marques, Santosh Kumar, and Ana M.M. Gonçalves
    Elsevier BV

  • Impacts of S-metolachlor and terbuthylazine in fatty acid and carbohydrate composition of the benthic clam Scrobicularia plana
    Irene B. Gutiérrez, Andreia F.C. Mesquita, Cláudia Nunes, Manuel A. Coimbra, Fernando J.M. Gonçalves, João C. Marques, and Ana M.M. Gonçalves
    Elsevier BV

  • Biomarkers’ responses of the benthic clam Scrobicularia plana to the main active ingredients (S-metolachlor and Terbuthylazine) of a common herbicide
    Irene B. Gutiérrez, Andreia F. Mesquita, Fernando J.M. Gonçalves, João C. Marques, and Ana M.M. Gonçalves
    Elsevier BV