Effect of Replacing Cocoa Powder by Carob Powder in the Muffins on Sensory and Physicochemical Properties

The increasing demand for cocoa and search for ingredients rich in bioactive compounds encouraged us to investigate the possibility of replacing it by carob powder in the muffins containing soy beans, sesame oil and flaxseeds. There was 5% addition of carob or cocoa powder to the individual doughs. The muffins with the addition of carob were characterized by improved antiradical activity (by 36% - 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) method, by 83% - 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method), higher content of genistein (18%) and total phytosterols (17%) in the dry mass. The color differences in the carob muffins crusts were not perceptible by consumers (ΔE?=?0.70 for crust, ΔE?=?5.6 for crumb) and their taste was found to be less bitter and sweeter than the taste of cocoa muffins. Moreover, the addition of carob powder as well as cocoa powder resulted in good sensory quality. The high content of phytosterols, genistein and improved antiradical properties proved carob to be a source of bioactive compounds. The results show that carob powder may be used as valuable alternative muffin ingredient to cocoa.     

Effect of host plant alternation on some adaptive enzymes of the bird cherry–oat aphid, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhopalosiphum padi</Emphasis> (L.)

Changes in the activity of some adaptive enzymes of the bird cherry–oat aphid R. padi after transfer from primary (bird cherry) to secondary (triticales) host plants were assessed. The following groups of enzymes were studied: (1) transferases—glutathione S-transferase (GST) and UDP-glucosyltransferase (UDPGT); (2) antioxidant enzymes—superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT); (3) oxidoreductases—polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (PX); and (4) glucoside hydrolases—α- and β-glucosidase. The activity of the transferases and the antioxidant enzymes increased after transfer to the secondary host, but the level of activity was closely associated with feeding duration on the secondary host. The strongest induction was noted for SOD, the activity of which was more than three times greater on the secondary than on the primary host. In contrast, transfer of the bird cherry–oat aphid was accompanied by a decline in activity of PPO, PX, and β-glucosidase; PPO and PX activity was 50% less in aphids fed on the secondary host rather than on the primary host. Activity of α-glucosidase increased after prolonged feeding on the secondary host. The results indicated that the adaptive enzymes of the bird cherry–oat aphid enable it to feed on distantly related host plants.     

Identification of synthetic regioisomeric lutein esters and their quantification in a commercial lutein supplement

Synthetic mixtures of 24 mono- and diesters of the asymmetric hydroxylated carotenoid lutein with lauric, myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids were analyzed by liquid chromatography-ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy (LC-UV-vis) and characterized by LC-mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). These compounds were then used for identifying the composition of a commercial lutein supplement. This is the first report of chromatographic separation of mixed fatty acid lutein diesters. Preferential MS loss of fatty acids or water occurred initially at the 3'-hydroxy position in the epsilon-ionone ring and subsequently at the 3-hydroxy position in the beta-ionone ring. This selective fragmentation leads to facile assignment of the specific fatty acids to the appropriate regioisomeric ionone ring. A commercial lutein supplement contained low levels of two pairs of regioisomeric monoesters and nearly equal levels of three homogeneous diesters and five pairs of mixed diesters. Palmitic acid was the predominant fatty acid, with lower amounts of myristic, stearic, and lauric acids.     

Sensory,Physico-Chemical and Water Sorption Properties of Corn Extrudates Enriched with Spirulina

This study compares the quality of extrudates made from corn grits with the addition of up to 8% of spirulina powder. The sensory properties (shape, color, aroma, taste and crispness), chemicals (content of water, protein, fat, ash, fiber, carbohydrates, carotenoids, chlorophyll and phycocyanin) and physical properties (color, water absorption index, expansion indices, texture and water sorption properties) were determined. It has been found that spirulina-enriched extrudates had slightly lower sensory scores, but the addition of spirulina improved their nutritional value. The contents of protein, ash, fiber and β-carotene increased in extrudates with 8% of spirulina by 34, 36, 140 and 1,260%, respectively. The increasing addition of spirulina caused a decrease in extrudates lightness, an increase in their greenness and yellowness accompanied by a decrease of expansion indices and an increase of softness. Only small differences were found in water sorption properties, suggesting a similar behavior of spirulina-enriched extrudates during storage.     

Effect of Sea-Buckthorn (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hippophaë rhamnoides</Emphasis> L.) Pulp Oil Consumption on Fatty Acids and Vitamin A and E Accumulation in Adipose Tissue and Liver of Rats

An in vivo experiment was conducted to determine the effect of sea-buckthorn pulp oil feeding on the fatty acid composition of liver and adipose tissue of Wistar rats and the liver accumulation of retinol, its esters and α-tocopherol. For a period of 28 days, rats were given a modified casein diet (AIN-93) in which sea-buckthorn pulp oil, soybean oil and pork lard were used as sources of fat. Compared to the other fat sources, sea-buckthorn pulp oil was the most abundant in C16 fatty acids, carotenoids (mainly β-carotene) and tocopherols (mainly α-tocopherol). Its consumption was reflected in an increased share of palmitoleic acid in adipose tissue and the liver and an increased level of retinol in liver tissues (this was not observed for its esters). Although the type of fat did not have a significant effect on the average content of α-tocopherol in the liver, the variation of saturation of this tissue with α-tocopherol was the lowest when rats were fed a diet containing sea-buckthorn oil. This experiment indicates the possibility of affecting adipose tissue and liver by a diet.     

Surface and subsurface microbial biomass, community structure and metabolic activity as a function of soil depth and season

Microbial biomass, size and community structure along with an estimate of microbial activity and soil chemical parameters were determined at three depths in two soils (e.g. sandy loam Ultic Hapludalf and silt loam Mollic Hapludalf) replicated three times under one winter and summer season. Microbial biomass and community structure were estimated from phospholipid-PO₄ content and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) measurements. Microbial activity and assimilative capacity were estimated using a ³H-acetate incorporation into phospholipids and by incubating the soil samples at the average winter and summer temperatures, 3 and 20 °C, respectively. We found that the size of the microbial biomass in both the surface and the subsurface soils was not significantly affected by the seasonal variation but activity increased by as much as 83% at the summer temperatures in the surface soil. We demonstrated using FAME analysis that for both soils seasonal changes in the subsurface microbial community occurred. These findings suggest that winter conditions will shift the population activity level in both the surface and subsurface systems and the biochemical structure of the community in the subsurface. In all cases, the inorganic chemical properties of the soil, as a function of season, remained constant. The greatly increased activity of microbial population at the higher temperature will favor the capacity of the system to utilize nutrients or organic materials that may enter soil. During low temperature seasons the capacity of either surface or subsurface soils to assimilate materials is generally diminished but the reduction reflects changes in metabolism and not a reduced biomass size.     

Interactions betweenPotato leafroll virus and potato plants and their implications for assessment of infection resistance

The effects of Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) isolates and inoculation method on the resistance to PLRV in potato clones and cultivars were investigated. In the season of inoculation, aphid inoculation resulted in higher proportions of infected plants and higher virus concentration in infected plants, as compared to graft inoculation. In these respects, grafting showed superiority over aphid inoculation in the tuber progeny of inoculated plants, though distinct dominance of aphid inoculation was observed for some tested clones. This leads to the conclusion that both methods should be applied as complementary tests for the efficient selection of highly resistant potato clones. For inoculations, two isolates of PLRV were applied, and one of them, isolate L7, was routinely used in screening breeding materials for resistance to the virus. The second isolate originated from plants of the highly resistant clone DW84-1457, which were incidentally infected with PLRV. The virus isolated from these plants was able to infect only specific clones, which were resistant to isolate L7. At the same time, potato clones with resistance derived from a source different from that present in DW84-1457, and standard susceptible and resistant cultivars, showed generally lower infection ratings after inoculation with the new isolate. This result suggests that the isolates may be different strains of PLRV. It is possible that under the strong selection pressure of resistance genes present in clone DW84-1457, a new isolate I-1457 could evolve the ability to overcome resistance to infection controlled by these genes.     

Losses due to porcine peproductive and respiratory syndrome in a large swine farm

The aim of the presented studies was to demonstrate losses and economical consequences of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) outbreak in a large swine farm in Poland. Prior to the occurrence of PRRS the piglets' mortality rate did not exceed 6%, losses among weaners and fatteners were lower than 3.5% and the percentage of sows that farrowed before term was 1.4%. During the first month after onset of the outbreak 25.6% of sows farrowed before 110 days of pregnancy, the percentage of mummies was 21.7%, the percentage of piglets that died before weaning was 43.3%, losses among fatteners and weaners were four times greater, and average production of weaned piglets per sow per year dropped from 21.1 to 18.1. Farrowing rate dropped from 80.5 to 47.7% and even 12 months after onset of the outbreak did not reach the level found before the outbreak. Expenses dealing with preventing and treating secondary infections, during the 12 months after the outbreak were on average 60% higher than, those found, during the previous year.     

Molecular mapping of genes involved in root hair formation in barley

In the presented study, the existing AFLP and SSR maps of barley were used to find chromosomal position of four genes controlling different stages of root hair development. Four barley mutants were used in the analysis: the root hairless mutant rhl1.b, mutant rhp1.b with root hair development blocked at the initial bulge formation, mutant rhi1.a with irregular pattern of sparsely located root hairs and mutant rhs1.a with very short root hairs. Each mutant was crossed with parents of ‘Steptoe’/‘Morex’ mapping population and F₂ progenies of crosses: mutant × ‘Steptoe’ and mutant × ‘Morex’ were analyzed for segregation of root hair phenotype and polymorphic AFLP and SSR markers. It was possible to map all the analyzed genes on barley chromosomes: rhl1 gene on the short arm of chromosome 7H, rhp1 gene on chromosome 1H, rhs1 locus in the pericentromeric region of chromosome 5H and rhi1 gene on the long arm of chromosome 6H. Subsequently, the Bulk Segregant Analysis and AFLP technique were used for saturation of the identified regions with new markers. The joint maps were constructed using as common points the SSR markers located in the target regions. Linkage maps of the regions around the four genes involved in the root hair formation in barley were composed of 8–11 markers and spanned over 16.1–49.0 cM. The distances between localized genes and the closest markers ranged from 1.0 to 3.8 cM. The identified chromosomal locations of genes can be used for their fine mapping and future map-based cloning.