Kinetics of formation of three indicators of the maillard reaction in model cookies: influence of baking temperature and type of sugar

The Maillard reaction (MR), despite its impact on flavor, color, and texture of cereal products, must be controlled for possible deleterious effects on protein nutritional quality. The present study aims to simultaneously monitor three indicators of the MR reaction (acid-released lysine, furosine, and carboxymethyllysine (CML)) by GC/MS in model cookies and evaluate the effect of formulation and baking temperature. Whereas furosine followed a bell-shape kinetic, indicative of an intermediary compound, CML linearly accumulated, proving to be a good indicator of the advanced MR. Acid-released lysine continuously decreased during baking. A reference baking level was defined to compare differently processed cookies using fluorescence synchronous spectra, highly sensitive to the dough physicochemical properties. Furosine was maximal in glucose-containing cookies, but only accounted for 5-50% lysine blockage, depending on the sugar and baking temperature. High oven temperatures and the use of fructose as the sugar source were associated with lowest the lysine damage and CML formation.     

Binding of 2-nonanone and milk proteins in aqueous model systems

Interactions of the model flavor compound 2-nonanone with individual milk proteins, whey protein isolate (WPI), and sodium caseinate in aqueous solutions were investigated. A method to quantify the free 2-nonanone was developed using headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Binding constants (K) and numbers of binding sites (n) for 2-nonanone on the individual proteins were calculated. The 2-nonanone binding capacities decreased in the order bovine serum albumin > beta-lactoglobulin > alpha-lactalbumin > alpha s1-casein > beta-casein, and the binding to WPI was stronger than the binding to sodium caseinate. All proteins appeared to have one binding site for 2-nonanone per molecule of protein at the flavor concentrations investigated, except for bovine serum albumin, which possessed two classes of binding sites. The binding mechanism is believed to involve predominantly hydrophobic interactions.     

Detection of ruminant meat and bone meals in animal feed by real-time polymerase chain reaction: result of an interlaboratory study

The commercialization of animal feeds infected by prions proved to be the main cause of transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Therefore, feed bans were enforced, initially for ruminant feeds, and later for all feeds for farmed animals. The development and validation of analytical methods for the species-specific detection of animal proteins in animal feed has been indicated in the TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies) Roadmap (European Commission. The TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy) roadmap. URL: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/biosafety/bse/roadmap_en.pdf, 2005) as the main condition for lifting the extended feed ban. Methods based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) seem to be a promising solution for this aim. The main objective of this study was to determine the applicability of four different real-time PCR methods, developed by three National expert laboratories from the European Union (EU), for the detection and identification of cattle or ruminant species in typical compound feeds, fortified with meat and bone meals (MBM) from different animal species at different concentration levels. The MBM samples utilized in this study have been treated using the sterilization condition mandatory within the European Union (steam pressure sterilization at 133 degrees C, 3 bar, and 20 min), which is an additional challenge to the PCR methods evaluated in this study. The results indicate that the three labs applying their PCR methods were able to detect 0.1% of cattle MBM, either alone or in mixtures with different materials such as fishmeal, which demonstrates the improvement made by this technique, especially when compared with results from former interlaboratory studies.     

Volumetric properties of sunflower methyl ester oil at high pressure

Biodiesel is an alternative to diesel oil (DO), because it is a fuel obtained from renewable resources that has lower emissions than DO. Biomass production should promote agricultural activity to obtain fuels for the transport sector. The study of the behavior of biodiesel at varying pressure and temperature is very interesting because diesel engines are mechanical systems that work with fuels submitted to high pressure. The specific volume, isothermal compressibility, and cubic expansion coefficients of refined sunflower methyl ester oil (SMEO) and unrefined sunflower methyl ester oil (URSMEO) were obtained and compared with those of DO from 0.1 to 350 MPa and 288.15 to 328.15 K. This work shows that oil refinement did not significantly modify any of the properties studied of the final biodiesel. Compared with DO, both SMEOs were about 6% denser, whereas isothermal compressibility and cubic expansion coefficients were bigger or smaller for DO depending on pressure and temperature.     

Dietary transition stages based on eating patterns and diet quality among Haitians of Montreal, Canada

OBJECTIVES: To identify dietary transition stages based on dietary patterns of adult Haitians having lived in Montreal for various lengths of time, and to assess associated dietary quality. SUBJECTS: One hundred and eighty-one Haitians aged 25-60 years were recruited by the modified random digit dialling method. DESIGN: Socio-economic, diet and lifestyle variables were documented by questionnaire. Three non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls were conducted over a 3-month period. Dietary patterns were studied using cluster analysis, and their association with proportion of lifetime in Canada and with socio-economic status (SES) was examined. Diet quality criteria were micronutrient adequacy and healthfulness based on dietary recommendations of the World Health Organization. RESULTS: Four dietary phenotypes were identified which could roughly represent stages of dietary transition or acculturation (Traditional, Pre-Western, Western and Modern). Subjects in the 'Traditional' cluster were older and had lived for a significantly lower proportion of their lifetime in Canada; they also tended to be of lower SES. Diet quality was significantly higher in the 'Traditional' than the 'Western' type, particularly with respect to healthfulness. A significantly lower proportion of subjects complying with limited intake of total fat ( < 30%) and cholesterol ( < 45%) was observed in the 'Western' compared with other diet phenotypes. Less than 15% of all subjects consumed enough dietary fibre, irrespective of diet type. CONCLUSION: Dietary transition stages could be identified on the basis of food patterns of Haitians according to the proportion of their lifetime in Canada. Encouraging the youth to retain the traditional food culture in its positive aspects would appear relevant     

Large-scale historical afforestation failure with Pinus cembra in the Swiss Prealps

New Forests - Between the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, large-scale afforestation projects were undertaken in the Swiss Prealps. The Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra L.), an emblematic...     

沿淮稻茬麦区小麦的产量及籽粒灌浆特性

为给沿淮稻茬麦区小麦高产栽培及品种育种提供依据,在大田条件下,选取沿淮麦区6个高产小麦品种为供试材料,用三次多项式方程对籽粒灌浆过程进行拟合,通过相关性分析对小麦籽粒灌浆参数与粒重的关系进行探究,研究不同小麦品种间产量及其构成因素的差异。结果表明： 6个品种中,安农大1216的产量最高,为8 598.77 kg·hm^-²,烟农19最低,产量为6 031.07 kg·hm^-²;籽粒灌浆过程中安农大1216粒重最高,成熟期千粒重达到51.4 g,郑麦9023的千粒重最低,为47.78 g;各个品种间灌浆速率存在明显差异。不同小麦品种籽粒灌浆过程均呈“S”型变化,因品种不同,灌浆参数也有所不同,但“R²”均达到0.99以上。相关性分析表明,千粒重与理论最大粒重（W）显著相关,与平均灌浆速率（V）、最大灌浆速率（V_max）、有效灌浆持续期平均灌浆速率（Vs）、有效灌浆持续期粒重增加值（Ws）和最大灌浆速率出现时间（T）呈正相关但未达显著水平。可见筛选的W、V、V_max、Vs、Ws和T等灌浆参数值较高的小麦品种在该地区种植有利于提高小麦千粒重,增加产量。此外,必须考虑到小麦品种、高效栽培方式、管理手段和协调产量构成三因素,才会最大可能实现小麦高产高效。     

评估鱼种质量的方法

本文分析研究了鲢、鳙、草鱼、鳊鱼鱼种的体重与体长的相关关系，以及它们与鱼体肥满度、体高率和体厚率的相关关系，得出：鱼种体重的大小能比较正确地反映出鱼种质量的优劣，而体长仅是鱼种质量的参比指标。利用鱼种体重与体长相关点分布面的上周界线、中值线和下周界线的数学方程式，可以推算出各种规格鱼种的优、中、劣的标准，即以鱼种的相对体重来评估鱼种的质量。