Salmon farming affects the fatty acid composition and taste of wild saithe Pollachius virens L.

There is an ongoing controversy on whether fish farming affects the quality of wild fish in fjords. In northern Norway, local people prefer not to eat saithe, Pollachius virens L., from areas in the vicinity of fish farms because they say the taste is inferior to saithe from other areas. To address this issue, saithe were collected in the vicinity of a salmon fish farm in a fjord in northern Norway and in two reference areas: one site 6 km away from the nearest fish farm in the same fjord, and the other in a fjord nearby with no fish farms. The objective of this study was to clarify whether the physiology or taste of saithe near fish farms differs from saithe in areas with no or limited influence from fish farms. The fish collected near farms were larger than those from control sites of the same age and had been eating pellets. Analysis of fatty acid composition of the fillet indicated that fish collected near the farms had fatty acid profiles that resembled that of pellets more than fish from reference sites. The results suggest that there were individual differences in the time spent near cages for saithe collected near the farm, and that saithe collected at the reference area in the same fjord had also been eating pellets, i.e. had visited at least one of the fish farms in the fjord. In a sensory test, the test panel found that saithe from the fjord without fish farms tasted better than saithe collected near the cages. The test panel found no clear differences in taste between saithe collected near the fish farm and saithe from the same fjord, but 6 km from the nearest fish farm.     

Influence of high content of dietary soybean oil on quality of large fresh,smoked and frozen Atlantic salmon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmo salar</Emphasis>)

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) was grown in sea cages from 700 g to a market size of 3.2 kg on diets containing either 29% Peruvian high polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) fish oil (FO) or 29% soybean oil (SO) as oil source. Chemical analyses and a triangular consumer test were performed on fresh muscle, while colour, texture and liquid holding capacity (LHC) analyses were performed on both fresh muscle, frozen muscle (stored for 3 months) and smoked salmon. The growth and chemical composition of flesh was not affected by the dietary treatment. The muscle fatty acid (FA) profile was reflected by the dietary oil source, and the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) was threefold higher in the salmon fed FO than SO. Muscle pigment concentration was significantly different (p < 0.01) with 7.9 mg kg^–1 for FO and 5.6 mg kg^–1 for SO fed salmon, respectively. This result was also significantly (p < 0.05) reflected in the difference between the instrumentally measured colour of fresh, frozen and smoked muscle, and visual impressions of fresh and frozen muscle. Gaping, texture and liquid holding capacity was not affected by the dietary treatment, and the consumer panel did not detect any differences between the dietary groups. SO can be used as a dietary oil source in the grow-out phase of salmon production without sacrificing product quality in terms of texture, liquid holding capacity and consumer preference. However, a total substitution of high PUFA fish oil by SO in diets for salmon grown to market size, affects muscle colour and the FA profile significantly. (p < 0.05).     

May-Hegglin anomaly in a dog

An 8-year-old female spayed Pug dog was presented for evaluation of cutaneous lesions occurring secondary to immunosuppressive treatment of presumed immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. Abnormal hematologic findings included persistent thrombocytopenia, macrothrombocytes, and variably shaped, often fusiform, blue cytoplasmic inclusions in neutrophils. May-Hegglin anomaly (MHA) was suspected based on the morphologic appearance of platelets and neutrophils. Examination of cells by transmission electron microscopy revealed normal platelet ultrastructure; neutrophil inclusions had features similar to those reported for inclusions in human MHA. Neutrophil function was within normal limits based on flow cytometric analysis. Thrombelastography indicated a prolonged clotting time (r), and PlateletMapping showed a lack of response to 2 μM ADP compared with a moderate response in the control dog. Immunocytochemical staining of blood smears using 2 commercially available antibodies against MYH9 protein (nonmuscle myosin heavy chain II) yielded negative results. However, genomic DNA sequencing analysis of the dog's MYH9 gene identified a single point mutation, resulting in substitution of lysine for glutamine at the 1841 amino acid position; this mutation is identical to one identified in people with MHA. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an MYH9 mutation in the dog. MHA-associated macrothrombocytopenia may be mistaken for immune-mediated thrombocytopenia.     

AFLP analysis of genetic diversity in leafy kale (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica oleracea</Emphasis> L. convar. <Emphasis Type="Italic">acephala</Emphasis> (DC.) Alef.) landraces,cultivars and wild populations in Europe

AFLP markers were used to characterize diversity and asses the genetic structure among 17 accessions of kale landraces, cultivars and wild populations from Europe. The range of average gene diversity in accessions was 0.11–0.27. Several landraces showed higher levels of diversity than the wild populations and one cultivar had the lowest diversity measures. The landraces that were most genetically diverse were from areas where kales are known to be extensively grown, suggesting in situ conservation in these areas as a supplement to storage of seeds in gene banks. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 62% of the total variation was found within accessions. For most accessions, genetic distance was not related to geographic distance. Similarities among accessions were probably not caused by recent gene flow since they were widely separated geographically; more likely the relationship among them is due to seed dispersal through human interactions. Our results indicate that a kale population found in a natural habitat in Denmark was probably not truly wild but most likely an escape from a cultivated Danish kale that had subsequently become naturalized.     

Effect of antioxidants on oxidation during the production of whey fat concentrate

Whey fat has a relatively high level of unsaturated fatty acids, and as such, whey products with a high fat content are vulnerable to oxidation. The purposes of the present study were to assess the oxidative development in whey fat concentrate (WFC) during production and investigate the effect of the addition of antioxidants. Green tea extract (GTE) or a mixture of ascorbyl palmitate and tocopherol (AP/TOC) were used, each in two concentrations. Samples were taken before and after pasteurization of WFC and after drying. The level of volatile oxidation products decreased during processing, while dityrosine concentrations increased during drying. GTE reduced oxidation in both unpasteurized and pasteurized WFC, while the effect of AP/TOC was nonsignificant. In the WFC powder, there was no significant effect of the antioxidants. In conclusion, results indicated that GTE was able to inhibit oxidation in WFC during production and that AP/TOC addition had no effect.     

Liver aspirate from a Shar Pei dog

A 5-year-old, neutered male, Shar Pei dog was presented with weight loss, anorexia, lethargy, stranguria, and distal limb edema. Clinicopathologic abnormalities included anemia, an inflammatory leukogram, azotemia, icterus, urinary tract infection, and hepatomegaly with a markedly hypoechoic liver. Cytologic findings in a fine-needle aspirate of the liver included large amounts of amorphous, pink, extracellular matrix between hepatocytes. The amorphous material was congophilic using Congo red stain on a hepatic cytology specimen and green birefringent areas were observed under polarized light, confirming the presence of amyloid. The dog was euthanized and a necropsy was done. Histopathologic evaluation using H&E and Congo red staining confirmed amyloid deposits within the liver, kidneys, intestinal vessels, pancreas, and mesenteric ganglia. Immunohistochemical staining of liver and kidney sections using anti-AA amyloid and anti-P component antibodies confirmed the presence of AA amyloid. In this case, we demonstrated that Congo red staining and polarized light microscopy are a useful diagnostic technique in cytologic specimens of suitable thickness for confirming the presence of amyloid.