Portugal is one of the richest countries in terms of the variety of natural mineral waters in relation to the territorial size. The aim of this work was to characterize the sensory features of eleven Portuguese natural mineral waters and correlate those with their chemical characteristics. The study of the Piper diagram concluded that the vast majority of these waters have low or very low mineralization content, with total mineralization values not more than 500 mg/L, predominantly sodium bicarbonate or mixed sodium. The sensory analysis was carried out by 10 trained panelists according to ISO 8586:2012 and showed that the tasters were able to distinguish the sensory attributes of the waters, and thus it was possible to establish some correlation between the physical-chemical and sensory parameters. With Principal Component Analysis (PCA), it was possible to explain the percentage of variance between the main chemical components of the studied waters and its sensory characteristics. A significant positive correlation of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) with HCO3-(0.97), Ca2+ (0.93) and Mg2+ (0.91) was shown, as well as the pH of the natural mineral waters with the salty (0.71) and the sweet (0.69) taste. The sweetest waters were Monchique Chic (3.4) and Monchique (3.3) and the least sweet was Luso. The most acidic were Vitalis (3.4) and Luso (3.3) and the least acidic ones were Monchique Chic (1.9) and Vimeiro Original (1.8). In terms of the salty taste, the most salty samples were Monchique (4.2) with significant differences between all the other samples, and the least salty one was Salutis (1.8). The bitter waters were Monchique Chic (3.5) and Vimeiro Lisa (3.4) and Vitalis was the least bitter (2.3). The water with the highest score in mineral flavor was Vimeiro Original (4.9) and the lowest one was Salutis (2.7).
Human survival depends on the continuous supply of energy the demand of which has been steadily increasing. Sharp rises in fuel prices have had major repercussions on the economies of the countries with the greatest energy dependence, and make it imperative to change the attitudes and practices in business and social circles. Today, the problem involves meeting energy needs without negatively affecting the environment, as well as ensuring the wellbeing of current and future generations (sustainable development). The promotion of alternative energy is one of the priorities of the energy and environmental policy of European Union, since it is a decisive factor in reducing greenhouse gases, thus enabling compliance with the Paris agreement. In this work, the contribution of the photovoltaic systems installed for self-consumption in the headquarters of the parish council of São Bartolomeu de Messines, Algarve, Portugal, was assessed. The results indicate that a system with an installed capacity of 6 kW, requiring an investment around 10 000 €, could achieve its economic pay-back in 6.7 years, contributing to a reduction of the annual electricity bill in the building by 60%.
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