Valorisation of local natural resources

Recommended Prerequisites

The recommended prerequisites include what is taught in the 1 st cycle courses in the area of Medicinal Chemistry, Chemical Sciences, Biochemistry, Bioanalytical and Medical Sciences, and other courses considered appropriate by the Master Coordination Board.

Teaching Methods

The curricular unit will include lectures with a strong component of dialogue and application in practical cases, essentially using the audiovisual media ("data show") and may include the preparation of individual or group works such as articles, projects, presentation and discussion of papers or reports, according to that defined by the teaching team in conjunction with the Master Coordinator and in accordance by the rules that are established by the UC Pedagogical Regulation.

Learning Outcomes

The program of the Curricular Unit “Valorisation of local natural resources” includes a set of multidisciplinary knowledge that forms the basis for the evaluation of the potential of resources of plant origin with a view to obtaining products of interest to the pharmaceutical, cosmetic or food industry.

This course unit aims to achieve the following skills and objectives:

- Recognize the importance of plant resources as a source of value-added products for the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries.

- Know the main strategies for valuing native plant species

- Know the main extraction methodologies, phytochemical characterization, and demonstration of biological activities

- To provide solid knowledge about the chemical composition of active metabolites present and their main biological activities.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

I. General notions on valorization of plant products and bioactive compounds research (Optimization of extractive processes, phytochemical analysis and evaluation of the bioactivity of extracts)

II. Strategies for native plant species valorization

III. Mycological resources and their applications

IV. Valorization of forest products and by-products

V. Marine resources as a source of functional compounds.

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Other: 30.0%
Exam: 70.0%

Bibliography

Heinrich, M. et al., Fundamentals of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy. Third ed. Elsevier, 2018

Proença da Cunha, A. et al. Farmacognosia e Fitoquímica. Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisboa, 2010.

Forest, foods and nutrition. (2021). https://doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-0365-0043-0

Several scientific articles on bioactive plant metabolites