Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the antimicrobial effects of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) essential oil (EO) on pathogenic (E. coli O157:H7 NCTC 12900; Listeria monocytogenes ATCC BAA-679) and spoilage microbiota in beef and determine its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and antioxidant activity. The behavior of LAB, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp., and fungi, as well as total mesophilic (TM) and total psychotropic (TP) counts, in beef samples, was analyzed during storage at 2 and 8 C-degrees in two different packaging systems (aerobiosis and vacuum). Leaves of myrtle were dried, its EO was extracted by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus, and the chemical composition was determined using chromatographical techniques. The major compounds obtained were myrtenyl acetate (15.5%), beta-linalool (12.3%), 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol; 9.9%), geranyl acetate (7.4%), limonene (6.2%), alpha-pinene (4.4%), linalyl o-aminobenzoate (5.8%), alpha-terpineol (2.7%), and myrtenol (1.2%). Myrtle EO presented a MIC of 25 mu L/mL for E. coli O157:H7 NCTC 12900, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC BAA-679, Enterobacteriaceae, and E. coli O157:H7 ATCC 35150 and 50 mu L/mL for Pseudomonas spp. The samples packed in aerobiosis had higher counts of deteriorative microorganisms than samples packed under vacuum, and samples with myrtle EO presented the lowest microbial contents, indicating good antimicrobial activity in beef samples. Myrtle EO is a viable natural alternative to eliminate or reduce the pathogenic and deteriorative microorganisms of meat, preventing their growth and enhancing meat safety.

Abstract
Nutrient quantification in hydroponic systems is essential. Reagent-less spectral quantification of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium faces challenges in accessing information-rich spectral signals and unscrambling interference from each constituent. Herein, we introduce information equivalence between spectra and sample composition, enabling extraction of consistent covariance to isolate nutrient-specific spectral information (N, P or K) in Hoagland nutrient solutions using orthogonal covariance modes. Chemometrics methods quantify nitrogen and potassium, but not phosphate. Orthogonal covariance modes, however, enable quantification of all three nutrients: nitrogen (N) with R = 0.9926 and standard error of 17.22 ppm, phosphate (P) with R = 0.9196 and standard error of 63.62 ppm, and potassium (K) with R = 0.9975 and standard error of 9.51 ppm. Including pH information significantly improves phosphate quantification (R = 0.9638, standard error: 43.16 ppm). Results demonstrate a direct relationship between spectra and Hoagland nutrient solution information, preserving NPK orthogonality and supporting orthogonal covariance modes. These modes enhance detection sensitivity by maximizing information of the constituent being quantified, while minimizing interferences from others. Orthogonal covariance modes predicted nitrogen (R = 0.9474, standard error: 29.95 ppm) accurately. Phosphate and potassium showed strong interference from contaminants, but most extrapolation samples were correctly diagnosed above the reference interval (83.26%). Despite potassium features outside the knowledge base, a significant correlation was obtained (R = 0.6751). Orthogonal covariance modes use unique N, P or K information for quantification, not spurious correlations due to fertilizer composition. This approach minimizes interferences during extrapolation to complex samples, a crucial step towards resilient nutrient management in hydroponics using spectroscopy.

Abstract

Abstract
This paper introduces a tomography-like method for assessing grape maturation. It analyses inner tissue spectra through point-of-measurement (POM) sensing. A multi-block hierarchical principal component analysis (MHPCA) algorithm was used for the spectral reconstruction of total grapes (skin, pulp, and seed). Two grape cultivars, Loureiro (white; n = 216) and Vinhao (red; n = 205) were measured at 12 dates after veraison (DAV). The reconstructed spectra showed no significant differences (p < 0.001) from the originals for both grapes. Loureiro had better statistical metrics (Person's correlation coefficient (r) values for: total grape: 0.99, skin: 1; pulp: 1, seed: 0.94) than Vinhao (r values for: total grape: 0.92, skin: 0.92; pulp: 0.95, seed: 0.95). Using self learning artificial intelligence (SL-AI), the following parameters were predicted for both grapes: soluble solids content (%; MAPE <13%), puncture force (N; MAPE <29%), chlorophyll content (a.u.; MAPE <29%), and anthocyanin content (a.u.; MAPE <17%, Vinhao only). When comparing observed values with predicted skin, pulp, and seed spectra, Vinhao showed no statistical differences for most parameters, except pulp chlorophyll on one DAV in the final maturation stage. The same was done with the Loureiro cultivar. Although Loureiro mostly showed no statistical differences in assessed parameters across tissues and dates, variations were found in pulp and skin chlorophyll content and puncture force. This tomography-like approach based on tissue maturation can help viticulturists to access instant data on grape maturation, supporting informed decision-making and promoting more sustainable agricultural practices.

Abstract
Total white blood cells count is an important diagnostic parameter in both human and veterinary medicines. State-of-the-art is performed by flow cytometry combined with light scattering or impedance measurements. Spectroscopy point-of-care has the advantages of miniaturization, low sampling, and real-time hemogram analysis. While white blood cells are in low proportions, while red blood cells and bilirubin dominate spectral information, complicating detection in blood. We performed a feasibility study for the direct detection of white blood cells counts in canine blood by visible-near infrared spectroscopy for veterinary applications, benchmarking current chemometrics techniques (similarity, global and local partial least squares, artificial neural networks and least-squares support vector machines) with self-learning artificial intelligence, introducing data augmentation to overcome the hurdle of knowledge representativity. White blood cells count information is present in the recorded spectra, allowing significant discrimination and equivalence between hemogram and spectra principal component scores. Chemometrics methods correlate white blood cells count to spectral features but with lower accuracy. Self-Learning Artificial Intelligence has the highest correlation (0.8478) and a small standard error of 6.92 x 10(9) cells/L, corresponding to a mean absolute percentage error of 25.37%. Such allows the accurate diagnosis of white blood cells in the range of values of the reference interval (5.6 to 17.8 x 10(9) cells/L) and above. This research is an important step toward the existence of a miniaturized spectral point-of-care hemogram analyzer.