Microbiology, Food Science, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Parasitology
9
Scopus Publications
398
Scholar Citations
7
Scholar h-index
7
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Probiotics and prebiotics in the Brazilian dairy sector: An integrative review Elane Schwinden Prudencio, Giovana De Sousa Nali, Amanda Alves Prestes, Carolina Krebs De Souza, Matheus R S Carmo, Aline S Garcia Gomes, Tatiana Colombo Pimentel, Adriano Gomes Da Cruz, Adriane Elisabete Costa Antunes International Journal of Dairy Technology, 2026 Background, Context or Rationale Brazil is one of the world's five largest milk producers, with the dairy sector accounting for approximately 5.4% of its agricultural gross value added. Despite this productive robustness, the industry faces structural challenges and shifting consumer behaviour, with rising demand for functional foods that promote gut health and systemic well‐being. Dairy matrices, such as yoghurt, cheese and fermented milks, are excellent vehicles for bioactive delivery due to their favourable composition and pH‐buffering properties. Aim(s) This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the Brazilian functional dairy market, exploring the technological incorporation of probiotics and prebiotics, regulatory challenges and market opportunities for product diversification. Methods A narrative analysis was conducted on the topic using original articles and reviews on legislation, probiotics strains (e.g. LGG and Bifidobacterium animalis BB12) and prebiotics agents [fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and inulin] in the Brazilian dairy sector, as well as examining the impact of incorporation technologies, such as microencapsulation and lyophilisation. Major Findings The Brazilian market is consolidated, with traditional brands like Yakult and Activia. Furthermore, while prebiotics like inulin and FOS improve gel stability and texture, rigorous ANVISA regulations require specific strain identification and clinical proof, complicating industrial innovation for smaller enterprises. Scientific or Industrial Implications Future growth depends on integrating advanced encapsulation techniques and utilising regional ingredients to create synbiotic formulations. Strengthening the link between scientific research and industry is vital to delivering safe, regulated and culturally relevant functional dairy solutions to the Brazilian population.
Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug resistance among food handlers in a hospital food and nutrition unit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rosevane de Oliveira Cunha, Douglas Guedes, Elaine de Oliveira Pinto, Simone Alves, Aline dos Santos Garcia-Gomes Letters in Applied Microbiology, 2026 Foodborne diseases are a major public health concern, and food handlers play a key role in the transmission of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms. This study evaluated the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Staphylococcus aureus among 50 food handlers working in the food and nutrition unit of a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Samples from hands and nasal cavities were analyzed using culture-based methods and identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 12% of hand samples and 22% of nasal swabs. High resistance rates were observed for penicillin, erythromycin, and ampicillin. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus represented 29% of hand isolates and 47% of nasal isolates, and 26% were multidrug resistant. These findings indicate that food handlers may act as reservoirs and transmission sources of antimicrobial resistance in hospital food service settings, highlighting the need for continuous monitoring, strict hygiene practices, and antimicrobial stewardship programs.
Differential expression of peptidases in Strigomonas culicis wild-type and aposymbiotic strains: from proteomic data to proteolytic activity Julia Fernandes Barbosa dos Santos, Ana Cristina Souza Bombaça, Bianca da Silva Vitório, Geovane Dias-Lopes, Aline dos Santos Garcia-Gomes, Rubem Sadok Figueiredo Menna-Barreto, Claudia Masini d’Avila, Vítor Ennes-Vidal Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 2024 BACKGROUND Strigomonas culicis is a monoxenic trypanosomatid parasite of insects that naturally contains an endosymbiotic bacterium. The aposymbiotic strain can be obtained, making this strain a model for evolutive research about organelle origins. In addition, S. culicis contains homologues of virulence factors of pathogenic trypanosomatids, which functions are waiting for further analysis. In this sense, the publication of S. culicis proteome makes feasible additional investigations regarding the differential expression of peptidases from the wild-type (WT) and the aposymbiotic (APO) strains. OBJECTIVES Here, we analysed two proteomic data from S. culicis WT and APO strains screening for peptidases differentially expressed and assessed the differential expression of cysteine and metallopeptidases. METHODS A comparative proteomic screening between WT and APO identified 43 modulated peptidases. FINDINGS Cysteine and metallopeptidases, such as calpains and GP63, were the major classes, highlighting their significance. GP63 exhibited an increased proteolysis in a specific metallopeptidase substrate, an up-modulation gene expression in RT-PCR, and a higher protein identification by flow cytometry in the aposymbiotic strain. Notwithstanding, the wild-type strain showed enhanced cysteine peptidase activity. MAIN CONCLUSION Our study highlighted the endosymbiont influence in S. culicis peptidase expression, with GP63 expression and activity raised in the aposymbiotic strain, whereas cysteine peptidase levels were reduced.
Participation of Trypanosoma cruzi gp63 molecules on the interaction with Rhodnius prolixus Karina M. Rebello, Livia A. Uehara, Vítor Ennes-Vidal, Aline S. Garcia-Gomes, Constança Britto, Patrícia Azambuja, Rubem F. S. Menna-Barreto, André L. S. Santos, Marta H. Branquinha, Claudia M. d'Avila-Levy Parasitology, 2019 Trypanosoma cruziis the causative agent of Chagas disease, a vector-borne disease. The parasite molecules involved in vector interaction have been little investigated. Metallopeptidases and gp63 molecules have been implicated in parasite adhesion of several trypanosomatids to the insect midgut. Although gp63 homologues are highly expanded in theT. cruzigenome, and are implicated in parasite–mammalian host interaction, its role in the insect vector has never been explored. Here, we showed that divalent metal chelators or anti-Tcgp63-I antibodies impairedT. cruziadhesion toRhodnius prolixusmidgut. Parasites isolated after insect colonization presented a drastic enhancement in the expression of Tcgp63-I. These data highlight, for the first time, that Tcgp63-I and Zn-dependent enzymes contribute to the interaction ofT. cruziwith the insect vector.
Expression of calpain-like proteins and effects of calpain inhibitors on the growth rate of Angomonas deanei wild type and aposymbiotic strains Simone Santiago Carvalho de Oliveira, Aline dos Santos Garcia-Gomes, Claudia Masini d’Avila-Levy, André Luis Souza dos Santos, Marta Helena Branquinha BMC Microbiology, 2015 BACKGROUND: Angomonas deanei is a trypanosomatid parasite of insects that has a bacterial endosymbiont, which supplies amino acids and other nutrients to its host. Bacterium loss induced by antibiotic treatment of the protozoan leads to an aposymbiotic strain with increased need for amino acids and results in increased production of extracellular peptidases. In this work, a more detailed examination of A. deanei was conducted to determine the effects of endosymbiont loss on the host calpain-like proteins (CALPs), followed by testing of different calpain inhibitors on parasite proliferation. RESULTS: Western blotting showed the presence of different protein bands reactive to antibodies against calpain from Drosophila melanogaster (anti-Dm-calpain), lobster calpain (anti-CDPIIb) and cytoskeleton-associated calpain from Trypanosoma brucei (anti-CAP5.5), suggesting a possible modulation of CALPs influenced by the endosymbiont. In the cell-free culture supernatant of A. deanei wild type and aposymbiotic strains, a protein of 80 kDa cross-reacted with the anti-Dm-calpain antibody; however, no cross-reactivity was found with anti-CAP5.5 and anti-CDPIIb antibodies. A search in A. deanei genome for homologues of D. melanogaster calpain, T. brucei CAP5.5 and lobster CDPIIb calpain revealed the presence of hits with at least one calpain conserved domain and also with theoretical molecular mass consistent with the recognition by each antibody. No significant hit was observed in the endosymbiont genome, indicating that calpain molecules might be absent from the symbiont. Flow cytometry analysis of cells treated with the anti-calpain antibodies showed that a larger amount of reactive epitopes was located intracellularly. The reversible calpain inhibitor MDL28170 displayed a much higher efficacy in diminishing the growth of both strains compared to the non-competitive calpain inhibitor PD150606, while the irreversible calpain inhibitor V only marginally diminished the proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, these results indicate that distinct calpain-like molecules are expressed by A. deanei, with a possible modulation in the expression influenced by the endosymbiont. In addition, treatment with MDL28170 affects the growth rate of both strains, as previously determined in the human pathogenic species Leishmania amazonensis and Trypanosoma cruzi, with whom A. deanei shares immunological and biochemical relationships.
Aspartic peptidases of human pathogenic trypanosomatids: Perspectives and trends for chemotherapy L. Santos, A. Garcia-Gomes, M. Catanho, C. Sodre, A. Santos, M. Branquinha, C. d’Avila-Levy Current Medicinal Chemistry, 2013 Aspartic peptidases are proteolytic enzymes present in many organisms like vertebrates, plants, fungi, protozoa and in some retroviruses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These enzymes are involved in important metabolic processes in microorganisms/virus and play major roles in infectious diseases. Although few studies have been performed in order to identify and characterize aspartic peptidase in trypanosomatids, which include the etiologic agents of leishmaniasis, Chagas’ disease and sleeping sickness, some beneficial properties of aspartic peptidase inhibitors have been described on fundamental biological events of these pathogenic agents. In this context, aspartic peptidase inhibitors (PIs) used in the current chemotherapy against HIV (e.g., amprenavir, indinavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir and saquinavir) were able to inhibit the aspartic peptidase activity produced by different species of Leishmania. Moreover, the treatment of Leishmania promastigotes with HIV PIs induced several perturbations on the parasite homeostasis, including loss of the motility and arrest of proliferation/growth. The HIV PIs also induced an increase in the level of reactive oxygen species and the appearance of irreversible morphological alterations, triggering parasite death pathways such as programed cell death (apoptosis) and uncontrolled autophagy. The blockage of physiological parasite events as well as the induction of death pathways culminated in its incapacity to adhere, survive and escape of phagocytic cells. Collectively, these results support the data showing that parasites treated with HIV PIs have a significant reduction in the ability to cause in vivo infection. Similarly, the treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi cells with pepstatin A showed a significant inhibition on both aspartic peptidase activity and growth as well as promoted several and irreversible morphological changes. These studies indicate that aspartic peptidases can be promising targets in trypanosomatid cells and aspartic proteolytic inhibitors can be benefic chemotherapeutic agents against these human pathogenic microorganisms.
RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug resistance among food handlers in a hospital food and nutrition unit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil RO Cunha, D Guedes, EO Pinto, S Alves, AS Garcia-Gomes Letters in Applied Microbiology 79 (3), ovag021 , 2026 2026
Temperaturas de infusão e diferenças sensoriais de chá preto produzido no Brasil e na Índia PS de Carvalho Ferreira, SLQ de Souza, RSL Raices, ASG Gomes Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 5 (1) , 2024 2024
PROTOCOLOS DE COLETA DE AMOSTRA DE ALIMENTOS EM SERVIÇOS DE ALIMENTAÇÃO NO BRASIL AAM de Carvalho, ASG Gomes Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 5 (1) , 2024 2024
MICROBIOLOGIA NA GASTRONOMIA: POSSIBILIDADES DE SUBSTITUIÇÃO DO OVO IN NATURA F de Frias Gonçalves, A dos Santos Garcia-Gomes Revista de Ciência de Alimentos e Gastronomia 2 (2), 1-19 , 2024 2024
Occupational risks and food contamination: Assessment of the work environment of an industrial kitchen using the GUT matrix A dos Santos GARCIA-GOMES, E de Oliveira PINTO, DR CAMPOS, ... Food Science and Technology 44 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
MONITORAMENTO DO BINÔMIO TEMPO/TEMPERATURA DE REFEIÇÕES TRANSPORTADAS ENTRE UNIDADES HOSPITALARES EO Pinto, LD Campos, RS Moura, YG Rodrigues, AS Garcia-Gomes 2024
Differential expression of peptidases in Strigomonas culicis wild-type and aposymbiotic strains: from proteomic data to proteolytic activity JFB Santos, ACS Bombaça, BS Vitório, G Dias-Lopes, AS Garcia-Gomes, ... Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 119, e240110 , 2024 2024
Mudanças de práticas de consumo de alimentos e de higiene alimentar pós pandemia por COVID-19: Changes in food consumption practices and food hygiene after the COVID-19 pandemic CSS Ferrante, IMC da Hora, ASG Gomes, ESM dos Santos Brazilian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Science 1 (1) , 2023 2023
Boas práticas de higiene para vendas de queijo coalho nas praias JB Silva, MFS Souza, RC Manteiro, RCLGS Lasset, ASG Gomes Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 4 (1) , 2023 2023
Mudanças de práticas de consumo de alimentos e de higiene alimentar pós pandemia por COVID-19: Changes in food consumption practices and food hygiene after the COVID-19 pandemic C da Silva Sá Ferrante, I Maria de Carvalho da Hora, ... 2023
DIFFERENT OHMIC HEATING PARAMETERS IN ALMOND BEVERAGE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS RPS PIRES, AA CATÃO, AS GARCIA-GOMES, FN RODRIGUES, ... Galoá , 2023 2023
MICROBIAL RISK RELATED TO SUGAR CANE JUICE CONSUMPTION MMB SANTOS, VM HADDAD, KG COSTA, AS GARCIA-GOMES Galoá , 2023 2023
MONITORAMENTO DO BINÔMIO TEMPO/TEMPERATURA DE REFEIÇÕES TRANSPORTADAS ENTRE UNIDADES HOSPITALARES E de Oliveira Pinto, LD Campos, RS Moura, YG Rodrigues, ... Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 4 (1) , 2023 2023
UMA BREVE REVISÃO SOBRE O RISCO ASSOCIADO AO CONSUMO DE OVO CRU F de Frias Gonçalves, A dos Santos Garcia-Gomes Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 4 (1) , 2023 2023
Conhecimento em boas práticas e percepção de risco sanitário em manipuladores de alimentos de um hospital público R de Oliveira Cunha, A dos Santos Garcia-Gomes, S Alves DEMETRA: Alimentação, Nutrição & Saúde 17, e62503-e62503 , 2022 2022
Silver (I) and Copper (II) Complexes of Q Marcela, MH Branquinha, ALS Santos, LF Kneipp Fungal Biology and Related Diseases, 654855086 , 2022 2022
Conhecimento em boas práticas e percepção de risco sanitário em manipuladores de alimentos de um hospital público RO Cunha, AS Garcia-Gomes, S Alves 2022
Knowledge of good practises and the perception of health risks by food handlers at a public hospital. R de Oliveira Cunha, A dos Santos Garcia-Gomes, S Alves Demetra: Food, Nutrition & Health/Alimentação, Nutrição & Saúde 17 , 2022 2022 Citations: 2
Propriedades da cana-de-açúcar e qualidade da bebida brasileira caldo de cana JVA dos Santos, GR da Silva, LP Gandra, A Kwiatkowski, ASG Gomes Revista Principia-Divulgação Científica e Tecnológica do IFPB, 238-247 , 2021 2021 Citations: 3
QUALIDADE E AUTENTICIDADE DO LEITE: QUAL A PERCEPÇÃO DOS CONSUMIDORES BRASILEIROS? RP da Silva Pires, CP Barros, MC da Silva, ASG Gomes, AG da Cruz Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 1 (12), 157-163 , 2021 2021
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Probiotic Minas Frescal cheese added with L. casei 01: Physicochemical and bioactivity characterization and effects on hematological/biochemical parameters of hypertensive … MF Sperry, HLA Silva, CF Balthazar, EA Esmerino, S Verruck, ... Journal of functional foods 45, 435-443 , 2018 2018 Citations: 166
Curcumin acts synergistically with fluconazole to sensitize a clinical isolate of Candida albicans showing a MDR phenotype AS Garcia-Gomes, JAR Curvelo, RMA Soares, A Ferreira-Pereira Medical mycology 50 (1), 26-32 , 2012 2012 Citations: 95
Aspartic peptidases of human pathogenic trypanosomatids: perspectives and trends for chemotherapy L O Santos, A S Garcia-Gomes, M Catanho, C L Sodre, A LS Santos, ... Current medicinal chemistry 20 (25), 3116-3133 , 2013 2013 Citations: 48
Oroidin inhibits the activity of the multidrug resistance target Pdr5p from yeast plasma membranes FR da Silva, AC Tessis, PF Ferreira, LP Rangel, AS Garcia-Gomes, ... Journal of natural products 74 (2), 279-282 , 2011 2011 Citations: 23
Hydrogen peroxide resistance in Strigomonas culicis: effects on mitochondrial functionality and Aedes aegypti interaction ACS Bombaça, F de Almeida Dias, V Ennes-Vidal, ... Free Radical Biology and Medicine 113, 255-266 , 2017 2017 Citations: 18
Susceptibility of Phytomonas serpens to calpain inhibitors in vitro: interference on the proliferation, ultrastructure, cysteine peptidase expression and interaction with … SSC Oliveira, DS Gonçalves, AS Garcia-Gomes, IC Gonçalves, ... Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 112 (1), 31-43 , 2016 2016 Citations: 12
Quantitative proteomic map of the trypanosomatid Strigomonas culicis: the biological contribution of its endosymbiotic bacterium GVF Brunoro, RFS Menna-Barreto, AS Garcia-Gomes, C Boucinha, ... Protist 170 (6), 125698 , 2019 2019 Citations: 11
Expression of calpain-like proteins and effects of calpain inhibitors on the growth rate of Angomonas deanei wild type and aposymbiotic strains SSC de Oliveira, AS Garcia-Gomes, CM d’Avila-Levy, ALS dos Santos, ... BMC microbiology 15 (1), 188 , 2015 2015 Citations: 6
Controle e redução de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis através da dieta à base de plantas: uma revisão abrangente MGB Aleixo, RM Leal, BB Durço, DRP Azeredo, ASG Gomes, ... Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 1 (1), 103-119 , 2020 2020 Citations: 4
Propriedades da cana-de-açúcar e qualidade da bebida brasileira caldo de cana JVA dos Santos, GR da Silva, LP Gandra, A Kwiatkowski, ASG Gomes Revista Principia-Divulgação Científica e Tecnológica do IFPB, 238-247 , 2021 2021 Citations: 3
Occupational risks and food contamination: Assessment of the work environment of an industrial kitchen using the GUT matrix A dos Santos GARCIA-GOMES, E de Oliveira PINTO, DR CAMPOS, ... Food Science and Technology 44 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Knowledge of good practises and the perception of health risks by food handlers at a public hospital. R de Oliveira Cunha, A dos Santos Garcia-Gomes, S Alves Demetra: Food, Nutrition & Health/Alimentação, Nutrição & Saúde 17 , 2022 2022 Citations: 2
Controle e redução de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis através da dieta à base de plantas: uma revisão abrangente MGB Aleixo, RM Leal, BB Durço, DRP Azeredo, ASG Gomes, ... Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 2 (6), 65-81 , 2021 2021 Citations: 2
Consumo de presunto cozido fatiado–um alerta para o risco microbiológico VT de Souza, LMP da Silva Braga, A dos Santos Garcia-Gomes Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 1 (6), 46-62 , 2020 2020 Citations: 2
Avaliação microbiológica do mate vendido em praias da cidade do Rio de Janeiro DA Moura, GLPA Ramos, RA Lima, C Rodrigues, A Silva, ... Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 1 (4), 119-138 , 2020 2020 Citations: 2
Alimentação em hospitais: a importância da segurança de alimentos das refeições servidas aos pacientes internados E de Oliveira Pinto, AS Garcia-Gomes Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 2 (11), 1-21 , 2021 2021 Citations: 1
Relevância do prazo de validade comercial e segurança microbiológica de presunto fatiado e refrigerado no ponto de venda VT de Souza, A dos Santos Garcia-Gomes Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 1 (10), 39-51 , 2020 2020 Citations: 1
Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug resistance among food handlers in a hospital food and nutrition unit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil RO Cunha, D Guedes, EO Pinto, S Alves, AS Garcia-Gomes Letters in Applied Microbiology 79 (3), ovag021 , 2026 2026
Temperaturas de infusão e diferenças sensoriais de chá preto produzido no Brasil e na Índia PS de Carvalho Ferreira, SLQ de Souza, RSL Raices, ASG Gomes Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 5 (1) , 2024 2024
PROTOCOLOS DE COLETA DE AMOSTRA DE ALIMENTOS EM SERVIÇOS DE ALIMENTAÇÃO NO BRASIL AAM de Carvalho, ASG Gomes Alimentos: Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente 5 (1) , 2024 2024