Project description:Strains of Lactobacillus plantarum were grown and stored in cherry (ChJ), pineapple (PJ), carrot (CJ), and tomato (TJ) juices to mimic the chemical composition of the respective matrices. Wheat flour hydrolysate (WFH), whey milk (W), and MRS broth were also used as representatives of other ecosystems. The growth rates and cell densities of L. plantarum strains during fermentation (24 h at 30°C) and storage (21 days at 4°C) differed only in part, being mainly influenced by the matrix. ChJ and PJ were the most stressful juices for growth and survival. Overall, the growth in juices was negatively correlated with the initial concentration of malic acid and carbohydrates. The consumption of malic acid was noticeable for all juices, but mainly during fermentation and storage of ChJ. Decreases of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA)-with the concomitant increase of their respective branched alcohols-and His and increases of Glu and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were the main traits of the catabolism of free amino acids (FAA), which were mainly evident under less acidic conditions (CJ and TJ). The increase of Tyr was found only during storage of ChJ. Some aldehydes (e.g., 3-methyl-butanal) were reduced to the corresponding alcohols (e.g., 3-methyl-1-butanol). After both fermentation and storage, acetic acid increased in all fermented juices, which implied the activation of the acetate kinase route. Diacetyl was the ketone found at the highest level, and butyric acid increased in almost all fermented juices. Data were processed through multidimensional statistical analyses. Except for CJ, the juices (mainly ChJ) seemed to induce specific metabolic traits, which differed in part among the strains. This study provided more in-depth knowledge on the metabolic mechanisms of growth and maintenance of L. plantarum in vegetable and fruit habitats, which also provided helpful information to select the most suitable starters for fermentation of targeted matrices.
Project description:Dysphagia is common in people living with dementia and associated with increased risk of aspiration pneumonia, dehydration, malnutrition, and death. Treatment options are limited and the use of texture-modified food and fluids (TMF) is a widespread clinical practice. This review aimed to evaluate the evidence for TMF in dementia.A literature search using terms "dysphagia," "texture-modified food and fluids," "dementia," and "aged care" was performed by using three electronic databases from 1990 to March 2017. Studies were assessed for suitability, then reviewed with data extracted, and grouped by categories of outcome measures.A total of 3,722 publications were identified, and 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies were heterogeneous in design and methodology. There were no publications examining dementia exclusively; however, many subjects with dementia were included in studies of residential aged care facilities. TMF reduced the risk of aspiration seen on videofluoroscopy but not clinical aspiration and pneumonia. TMF was associated with lower daily energy and fluid intake and variable adherence.There is a lack of evidence for people living with dementia and in residential care facilities that TMF improves clinical outcomes such as aspiration pneumonia, nutrition, hydration, morbidity, and mortality. Adverse effects including poorer energy and fluid intake were identified.
Project description:Fruit and fruit juices are a valuable source of bioactive compounds, which can protect our organisms from oxidative stress. The phenolic compounds and other phytochemicals may affect the antimicrobial properties of juices. The aim of this study has been to evaluate antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of selected berry juices and vitamin C-rich fruit juices. The research material was composed of seven juices, including three from berries (elderberry chokeberry, cranberry), three from vitamin C-rich fruit (sea buckthorn, wild rose, Japanese quince) and one exotic juice from noni fruit. Antioxidant capacity, total polyphenol, total flavonoid and total anthocyanin content were determined. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) as well as the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) were evaluated. The research showed that fruit juices from wild rose, chokeberry and Japanese quince had the highest antioxidant capacity. These juices were characterised by the rich content of polyphenols. Elderberry and chokeberry juices had the highest total anthocyanins. The juices differed in the content of bioactive compounds and specific bactericidal properties against Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria. Fruit juices from cranberry, Japanese quince and sea buckthorn had the highest antimicrobial activity. Wild rose, chokeberry and elderberry juices, despite their high antioxidant properties, showed antimicrobial activity only against Gram-positive strains, except Enterococcus faecalis and Clostridium perfringens. Significant differences in the content of bioactive compounds in fruit juices affect the antimicrobial properties juices.
Project description:In the current study, a comprehensive approach based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), combined with gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-qMS), was used to establish the volatile signature of fresh and processed fruit juices, obtained from the same batch of grapes, red fruits, orange, pear, and apple. This is a powerful tool for evaluating the impact of the production process on the volatomic pattern of fruit juice. A total of 169 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) belonging to different chemical groups were identified. Esters, carbonyl compounds, terpenoids, and alcohols are the major chemical groups in the investigated fruit juices. However, their contribution to the total volatile profile varied. Special attention should be paid to processed fruit juices to avoid the possible deleterious effects associated with the formation of furanic compounds (e.g., heat treatment), since their furanic content was significantly higher in comparison to that of fresh fruit juices. The knowledge obtained in the current study will allow for the introduction of modifications to the process involved in processing juice, which will improve the organoleptic characteristics of processed juices, contributing to a better acceptance by consumers. Furthermore, more assays should be performed to assess the effect of harvests, geography, and agronomy on the volatile profile of juices.
Project description:Molecular events regulating apple fruit ripening and sensory quality are largely unknown. Such knowledge is essential for genomic-assisted apple breeding and postharvest quality management. In this study, a parallel transcriptome profile analysis, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) examination and systematic physiological characterization were performed on two apple cultivars, Honeycrisp (HC) and Cripps Pink (CP), which have distinct ripening features and texture attributes. Systematic physiological characterization of fruit ripening based on weekly maturity data indicated substantial differences in fruit crispness and firmness at comparable ripening stages. SEM images of fruit cortex tissues prepared from fruits with equivalent maturity suggested that the cell wall thickness may contribute to the observed phenotypes of fruit firmness and crispness. A high-density long-oligo apple microarray consisting of duplex 190,135 cross-hybridization-free 50-70-mer isothermal probes, and representing 23,997 UniGene clusters, was manufactured on a Nimblegen array platform. Transcriptome profiling identified a total of 1793 and 1209 UniGene clusters differentially expressed during ripening from cortex tissues of HC and CP, respectively. UniGenes implicated in hormone metabolism and response, cell wall biosynthesis and modification and those encoding transcription factors were among the prominent functional groups. Between the two cultivars, most of the identified UniGenes were similarly regulated during fruit ripening; however, a short list of gene families or specific family members exhibited distinct expression patterns between the two cultivars, which may represent candidate genes regulating cultivar-specific apple fruit ripening patterns and quality attributes.
Project description:Rapeseed meal (RSM), a by-product of rapeseed oil extraction, is currently used for low-value purposes. With a biorefinery approach, rapeseed proteins may be extracted and recovered for high-end uses to fully exploit their nutritional and functional properties. This study reports the application of RSM protein isolate, the main output of a biorefining process aimed at recovering high-value molecules from rapeseed meal, as a supplement to texture-modified (TM) food designed for elderly people with mastication and dysphagia problems. The compositional (macronutrients by Official Methods of Analyses, and mineral and trace element profiles using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry ICP-OES), nutritional and sensory evaluations of TM chicken breast, carrots and bread formulated without and with RSM protein supplementation (5% w/w) are hereby reported. The results show that the texture modification of food combined with rapeseed protein isolate supplementation has a positive impact on the nutritional and sensory profile of food, meeting the special requirements of seniors. TM chicken breast and bread supplemented with RSM protein isolate showed unaltered or even improved sensory properties and a higher nutrient density, with particular regard to proteins (+20-40%) and minerals (+10-16%). Supplemented TM carrots, in spite of the high nutrient density, showed a limited acceptability, due to poor sensory properties that could be overcome with an adjustment to the formulation. This study highlights the potentialities of RSM as a sustainable novel protein source in the food sector. The application of RSM protein proposed here is in line with the major current challenges of food systems such as the responsible management of natural resources, the valorization of agri-food by-products, and healthy nutrition with focus on elderly people.
Project description:Accurate classification tool for screening varieties with superior eating and cooking quality based on its pasting and starch structure properties is in demand to satisfy both consumers' and farmers' need. Here we showed the data related to the article entitled "Deploying viscosity and starch polymer properties to predict cooking and eating quality models: a novel breeding tool to predict texture" [1] which provides solution to this problem. The paper compiles all the pasting, starch structure, sensory and routine quality data of the rice sample used in the article into graphical form. It also shows how the data were processed and obtained.
Project description:The aim of this study was to examine the quality characteristics of extruded red Jasmine rice flour (RJF) noodle that had been prepared with hydrocolloids, namely guar gum (GG), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and xanthan gum (XG) at the concentrations of 0.0 (control sample), 0.2, and 0.4% (w/w), respectively. The use of hydrocolloids had no effect on total phenolic contents, antioxidant properties (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP), color, and X-ray diffraction patterns (p > 0.05). In contrast, the hydrocolloids tended to increase the expansion ration of the noodle. GG and CMC improved cooking, textural, and sensory properties. Ultimately, 0.2%-GG showed the lowest cooking loss (5.07%) when compared with others. Moreover, it also provided the noodle with better textural properties such as tensile strength, extensibility, hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness (p < 0.05). For these reasons, the highest acceptability (6.75) for the noodle was achieved with GG02. XG resulted in lower overall acceptability (5.05), particularly the 0.4%-XG recipe (p < 0.05). Thus, usage of 0.2%-GG was the best option for improving the qualities of extruded RJF noodle. XG was deemed ineffective for improving the noodle.
Project description:BackgroundMassive transfusion with older packed red blood cells is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. As packed red blood cells age, they undergo biochemical and structural changes known as the storage lesion. We developed a novel solution to increase viscosity in stored packed red blood cells. We hypothesized that packed red blood cell storage in this solution would blunt storage lesion formation and mitigate the inflammatory response after resuscitation.MethodsBlood was obtained from 8- to 10-week-old C57BL/6 male donor mice or human volunteers and stored as packed red blood cell units for 14 days for mice or 42 days for humans in either standard AS-3 storage solution or EAS-1587, the novel packed red blood cell storage solution. Packed red blood cells were analyzed for microvesicles, cell-free hemoglobin, phosphatidylserine, band-3 protein, glucose utilization, and osmotic fragility. Additional mice underwent hemorrhage and resuscitation with packed red blood cells stored in either AS-3 or EAS-1587. Serum was analyzed for inflammatory markers.ResultsMurine packed red blood cells stored in EAS-1587 demonstrated reductions in microvesicle and cell-free hemoglobin accumulation as well as preserved band-3 expression, increase glucose utilization, reductions in phosphatidylserine expression, and susceptibility to osmotic stress. Serum from mice resuscitated with packed red blood cells stored in EAS-1587 demonstrated reduced proinflammatory cytokines. Human packed red blood cells demonstrated a reduction in microvesicle and cell-free hemoglobin as well as an increase in glucose utilization.ConclusionStorage of packed red blood cells in a novel storage solution mitigated many aspects of the red blood cell storage lesion as well as the inflammatory response to resuscitation after hemorrhage. This modified storage solution may lead to improvement of packed red blood cell storage and reduce harm after massive transfusion.
Project description:Ethylene, produced endogenously by plants and their organs, can induce a wide array of physiological responses even at very low concentrations. Nevertheless, the role of ethylene in regulating blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) ripening and storability is still unclear although an increase in ethylene production has been observed in several studies during blueberry ripening. To overcome this issue, we evaluated the endogenous ethylene production of a Vaccinium germplasm selection at different fruit ripening stages and after cold storage, considering also textural modifications. Ethylene and texture were further assessed also on a bi-parental full-sib population of 124 accessions obtained by the crossing between "Draper" and "Biloxi", two cultivars characterized by a different chilling requirement and storability performances. Our results were compared with an extensive literature research, carried out to collect all accessible information on published works related to Vaccinium ethylene production and sensitivity. Results of this study illustrate a likely role of ethylene in regulating blueberry shelf life. However, a generalisation valid for all Vaccinium species is not attainable because of the high variability in ethylene production between genotypes, which is strictly genotype-specific. These differences in ethylene production are related with blueberry fruit storage performances based on textural alterations. Specifically, blueberry accessions characterized by the highest ethylene production had a more severe texture decay during storage. Our results support the possibility of tailoring ad hoc preharvest and postharvest strategies to extend blueberry shelf life and quality according with the endogenous ethylene production level of each cultivar.