ABSTRACT The indiscriminate use of pesticides on grape crops is harmful for consumers´ healthin “in natura” consumption and in the ingestion of wine and grape juice. During winemaking, a rapid and efficient fermentation stage is critical to avoid proliferation of contaminating microorganisms and to guarantee the product´s quality. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has the advantage of detecting these contaminants in the early stages of fermentation. However,this enzymatic reaction may also be susceptible to specific problems, reducing its efficiency. Agricultural practices, such as fungicide treatments, may be a source of PCR inhibiting factors and may also interfere in the normal course of fermentation.The action of the pesticides captan and folpet on PCR and on yeast metabolism was evaluated, once these phthalimide compounds are widely employed in Brazilian vineyards. DNA amplification was only observed at 75 and 37.5 µg/mL of captan concentrations, whereas with folpet, amplification was observed only in the two lowest concentrations tested (42.2 and 21.1µg/mL).Besides the strong inhibition on Taq polymerase activity, phthalimides also inhibited yeast metabolism at all concentrations analyzed.Grape must containing captan and folpet residues could not be transformed into wine due to stuck fermentation caused by the inhibition of yeast metabolism. Non-compliance with the waiting period for phthalimide fungicides may result in financial liabilities to the viticulture sector.The use of yeasts with high fungicide sensitivity should be selected for must fermentation as a strategy for sustainable wine production and to assure that products comply with health and food safety standards.

Seven fungi were isolated from 50 samples of cosmetic powders. Morphological analyses and ribosomal DNA Internal Transcribed Spacers sequencing were performed which allowed the discrimination of the isolated fungi as Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium sp., and Cladosporium sp. which could have, among their species, potentially pathogenic microorganisms.

A produção de vinhos ao norte de Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil, especificamente nas cidades de Colombo e Almirante Tamandaré, está baseada principalmente no uso de uvas Vitis labrusca var. Bordô (Ives). Os parâmetros - açúcar total, teor alcoólico, pH e acidez total - foram analisados em amostras de vinhos tintos das safras 2007 e 2008 por metodologias oficiais. Além disso, também foram determinadas as concentrações de compostos fenólicos totais, flavonoides e taninos por métodos colorimétricos e a atividade antioxidante foi determinada pelo método do radical 2,2-difenil-1-picrilhidrazila (DPPH). Os compostos fenólicos foram identificados por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficiência. A concentração de compostos fenólicos totais das amostras de vinho variou entre 1582,35 e 2896,08 mg de ácido gálico.L-1, com a maior parte correspondendo à concentração de flavonoides. Na faixa de concentração destes compostos, não foi encontrada relação direta entre compostos fenólicos e atividade antioxidante. Entre os compostos fenólicos identificados, os ácidos clorogênico e cafeico foram os componentes majoritários. Com o uso de três componentes principais, foi possível explicar 81,36% da variância total das amostras estudadas. A diferenciação entre as safras não foi possível com o uso da análise de componentes principais.

Wine production in the northern Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, specifically the communes of Colombo and Almirante Tamandaré, is based mainly on the utilization of Vitis labrusca grapes var. Bordô (Ives). Total sugar content, pH, and total acidity were analyzed in red wine samples from 2007 and 2008 vintages following official methods of analysis. Moreover, total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents were analyzed by colorimetric methodologies and the antioxidant activity was determined using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical methodology. Phenolic compounds were identified by high performance liquid chromatography. The total phenolic content of wine samples presented concentrations varying between 1582.35 and 2896.08 mg gallic acid.L-1 since the major part corresponds to flavonoid content. In these compounds' concentration range, a direct relationship between phenolic compounds content and levels of antioxidant activity was not observed. Among the identified phenolic compounds, chlorogenic, caffeic, and syringic acids were found to be the major components. Using three principal components, it was possible to explain 81.36% of total variance of the studied samples. Principal Components Analysis does not differentiate between vintages.