Welcome
The group activity is essentially focused in IBET and ITQB-UNL priorities.
Actually, the activity is focused on the deep understanding of the microbial phenomena which sustain the well being of people and of the environment. Two areas are being developed:
1) Study of biogenic amines (BA) formation in wine by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), aiming to select regional LAB isolates able to perform malolactic fermentation in wine with no formation of BA or other unfavorable compounds; the selected isolates will be latter immobilized by PROENOL aiming their commercializing. This work is being done under the scientific supervision of Prof Rogério Tenreiro (ICAT-FCUL) having also the collaboration of UTAD.
2) Study of fungal communities
Fungi dynamics in a homogeneous community using the cork colonizing community as the study model. This work, aims to characterize the total fungal population present in cork along the cork stopper manufacturing process as to understand the relationship between the fungal population, special concerning the evolution of the forest endogenous population and its importance in determining the manufacturing places resident population. The taxonomic characterization of the fungal species is being used to solve species inter and intra genetic variety. This work is being done in cooperation with Amorim & Irmão company.
Most species amongst the cork colonizing community are able to tolerate and degrade high concentrations of a model polychlorohalogenates pollutant: pentachlorophenol. The exploitation of fungi to be used as environmental remediation tools was started inside this Group until the creation of the new group Group Applied Environmental Mycology, both groups working now in a narrow cooperation: The goals of the Applied Environmental Mycology group include: "The research plan was set in order to tackle challenging global problems, such as pollution and sustainable biotechnological processes. Biochemistry and functional genomics are being used to screen the response of fungi individuals and/or communities to natural and anthropogenic stress".
The foundations for increasing ITQB knowledge in Mycology, especially in fungi taxonomy, is being started in cooperation with FCUL (ICAT_Prof Rogério Tenreiro), with CBS (Fungal Biodiversity Center-Utrech- Prof Robert Samson) and Technical University of Denmark - Department of Systems Biology–Prof Jens Frisvad).
