Biotechnological production of vitamin B2-enriched bread and pasta

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were obtained from durum wheat flour samples and screened for roseoflavin-resistant variants to isolate natural riboflavin-overproducing strains. Two riboflavin-overproducing strains of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated as described above were used for the preparation of bread (by means of sourdough fermentation) and pasta (using a prefermentation step) to enhance their vitamin B2 content. Pasta was produced from a monovarietal semolina obtained from the durum wheat cultivar PR22D89 and, for experimental purposes, from a commercial remilled semolina. Several samples were collected during the pasta-making process (dough, extruded, dried, and cooked pasta) and tested for their riboflavin content by a high-performance liquid chromatography method. The applied approaches resulted in a considerable increase of vitamin B2 content (about 2- and 3-fold increases in pasta and bread, respectively), thus representing a convenient and efficient food-grade biotechnological application for the production of vitamin B2-enriched bread and pasta. This methodology may be extended to a wide range of cereal-based foods, feed, and beverages. Additionally, this work exemplifies the production of a functional food by a novel biotechnological exploitation of LAB in pasta-making.     

Natural Fasciola hepatica infection in nutria (Myocastor coypus) in Uruguay

Fascioliasis, the zoonotic disease caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica, is expanding worldwide, with a 17 million people at risk. Rodents, often recognized as a major source of zoonotic diseases, are affected by F. hepatica, with some species playing important roles in the disease epidemiology. The case reported here in a nutria or kiyá (Myocastor coypus) is the first documented case of F. hepatica in this species in Uruguay. Parasitic burden and total egg production detected are markedly higher than reported previously for this species, confirming its potential role as an effective reservoir and disseminator of liver flukes. Although further research is needed, nutria should be considered when designing effective control programs for fascioliasis.     

仔猪球虫病的诊断

上一篇文章“Don’tforgetpigletcoccidiosis”(见本刊 2 0 0 1年第三期 52～ 53页──《猪与禽》杂志编者注 )是关于猪等孢球虫病系列文章的导言。猪等孢球虫病越来越被人们承认是仔猪腹泻的重要病因。要对此病进行治疗 ,首先要依赖于对此病的认识和诊断     

Characterization of “Mais delle Fiorine” (Zea mays L.) and nutritional,morphometric and genetic comparison with other maize landraces of Lombardy region (Northern Italy)

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - The loss of agrobiodiversity is a topic of global impact. On a local scale, Lombardy, in the Alpine macro-Region, has lost more than 78% of its plant...     

Solomonsterol A,a Marine Pregnane-X-Receptor Agonist,Attenuates Inflammation and Immune Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of Arthritis

In the present study we provide evidence that solomonsterol A, a selective pregnane X receptor (PXR) agonist isolated from the marine sponge Theonella swinhoei, exerts anti-inflammatory activity and attenuates systemic inflammation and immune dysfunction in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis. Solomonsterol A was effective in protecting against the development of arthritis induced by injecting transgenic mice harboring a humanized PXR, with anti-collagen antibodies (CAIA) with beneficial effects on joint histopathology and local inflammatory response reducing the expression of inflammatory markers (TNFα, IFNγ and IL-17 and chemokines MIP1α and RANTES) in draining lymph nodes. Solomonsterol A rescued mice from systemic inflammation were assessed by measuring arthritis score, CRP and cytokines in the blood. In summary, the present study provides a molecular basis for the regulation of systemic local and systemic immunity by PXR agonists.     

The new carotenoid pigment moraxanthin is associated with toxic microalgae

The new pigment "moraxanthin" was found in natural samples from a fish mortality site in the Inland Bays of Delaware, USA. Pure cultures of the species, tentatively named Chattonella cf. verruculosa, and natural samples contained this pigment as a dominant carotenoid. The pigment, obtained from a 10 L culture of C. cf. verruculosa, was isolated and harvested by HPLC and its structure determined from MS and 1D- and 2D-NMR. The data identified this pigment as a new acylated form of vaucheriaxanthin called moraxanthin after the berry like algal cell. Its presence in pure cultures and in natural bloom samples indicates that moraxanthin is specific to C. cf. verruculosa and can be used as a marker of its presence when HPLC is used to analyze natural blooms samples.     

Synthesis of antioxidants in wheat sprouts

Aqueous and ethanolic extracts from wheat (Triticum aestivum) sprout powder were analyzed to determine its reduction and antioxidant activities. Mean and standard deviation of five independent samples were reported. The results showed that the micromoles of potassium ferricyanide reduced by aqueous and ethanolic extracts corresponding to 1 g of sprout powder (80.6 +/- 11.2 and 9.7 +/- 1.8, respectively) were higher than that reduced by 1 mg of other reducing compounds: ascorbic acid, rutin, quercetin, and reduced gluthatione (4.8 +/- 0.7, 3.8 +/- 1.2, 4.8 +/- 1.7, and 1.6 +/- 0.4, respectively). In addition, the oxygen superoxide scavenging activity performed by sprout extracts (from 1 g of powder) is comparable to that shown by 10 mg of antioxidant pure compounds (rutin and quercetin). Biochemical analysis of the sprout extracts shows that the antioxidant activity is mainly due to reducing glycoside and polyphenolic compounds.     

Rheological properties and sugar composition of locust bean gum from different carob varieties (Ceratonia siliqua L.)

The seeds of the main Italian carob varieties, Latinissima and Tantillo, and those of two selected accessions of Latinissima were evaluated in terms of yield, rheological properties, and sugar composition of the endosperm (LBG). The separation of the seed components in Latinissima and its seedlings yielded meanly 52.2% gum, 17.4% germ, and 30.5% tegument, whereas Tantillo furnished a lower gum yield (38.5%) and a higher yield of tegument (45.8%). The viscosity of 1% LBG aqueous solutions was measured at different shear rates (3-60 rpm), pH values (3.0-6.0), and temperatures (10-60 degrees C). The best results were shown by Latinissima, whereas Tantillo provided always the poorest thickening capacity. The content of free simple sugars and sucrose in the raw flours, the total monosaccharide residues after acidic hydrolysis, the mannose/galactose ratio, and the distribution of polysaccharides by size exclusion chromatography accounted for the observed viscosities. The seeds of Latinissima showed the highest technological potential.