Effect of sodium chloride on gluten network formation,dough microstructure and rheology in relation to breadmaking

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is an essential ingredient to control the functional properties of wheat dough and bread quality. This study investigated the effect of NaCl at 0, 1 and 2%, (w/w, flour base) on the gluten network formation during dough development, the dough rheology, and the baking characteristics of two commercial flours containing different levels of protein (9.0 and 13.5%) and with different glutenin-to-gliadin ratios. Examination of the dough structure by confocal microscopy at different stages of mixing show that the gluten network formation was delayed and the formation of elongated fibril protein structure at the end of dough development when NaCl was used. The fibril structure of protein influenced the dough strength, as determined by strain hardening coefficient and hardening index obtained from the large deformation extension measurements. NaCl had a greater effect on enhancing the strength of dough prepared from the low protein flour compared to those from the high protein flour. The effect of NaCl on loaf volume and crumb structure of bread followed a similar trend. These results indicate that the effect of NaCl on dough strength and bread quality may be partially compensated by choosing flour with an appropriate amount and quality of gluten protein.     

Anti-Inflammatory Components of the Starfish Astropecten polyacanthus

Inflammation is important in biomedical research, because it plays a key role in inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, allergies, asthma, and even cancer. In the present study, we describe the inhibitory effect of crude extracts and steroids isolated from the starfish Astropecten polyacanthus on pro-inflammatory cytokine (Interleukin-12 (IL-12) p40, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Among those tested, compounds 5 and 7 showed potent inhibitory effects on the production of all three pro-inflammatory cytokines with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.82 ± 0.11 to 7.00 ± 0.16 μM. Potent inhibitory activities were also observed for compound 1 on the production of IL-12 p40 and IL-6 with values of 3.96 ± 0.12 and 4.07 ± 0.13 μM, respectively, and for compounds 3 and 4 on the production of IL-12 p40 with values of 6.55 ± 0.18 and 5.06 ± 0.16 μM, respectively. Moreover, compounds 2 (IC₅₀ = 34.86 ± 0.31 μM) and 6 (IC₅₀ = 79.05 ± 2.05 μM) exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on the production of IL-12 p40, whereas compounds 3 (IC₅₀ = 22.80 ± 0.21 μM) and 4 (IC₅₀ = 16.73 ± 0.25 μM) moderately inhibited the production of TNF-α and IL-6, respectively.     

The Contribution of Various Components to pH Buffering Capacity of Acrisols in Southeastern Vietnam

This paper examined the contribution of various soil components to pH buffering capacity (pH_BC) of haplic Acrisols in an upland area of Southeastern Vietnam. Sampling was conducted in 2016 in Tan Bien district, Tay Ninh province at seven sites from the surface to 60-cm depth. Soils were very acidic (pH_H2O 4.53 ± 0.05). The pH_BC were very low, 0.46 ± 0.04 and 0.44 ± 0.05 cmol H⁺ kg^?1 pH^?1, respectively, for original samples and those from which soil organic carbon (SOC, 0.52 ± 0.09%) were removed. The contribution of Al³⁺ to pH_BC was remarkable while that of SOC was of little significance. The contribution of clay minerals to pH_BC was unclear due to the low (9.37 ± 0.76%) and kaolinite-dominated clay content. The current soil conditions indicated a potential for further soil acidification. Liming would be one of the measures to remediate soil acidity in the research area.     

Short-term carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soil,litterfall and canopy of a suburban native forest subjected to prescribed burning in subtropical Australia

Purpose

This study aimed to understand the mechanisms of the variations in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and examine the possibility of differentiating the burning effects from seasonal and pre-existed N limitations in a native suburban forest ecosystem influenced by prescribed burning in subtropical Australia.

Materials and methods

Soil and litterfall samples were collected from two study sites from 1 to 23 months since last burnt. Soil labile C and N pools, soil C and N isotopic compositions (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N), litterfall mass production (LM), and litterfall total C, total N, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N were analysed. In-situ gas exchange measurements were also conducted during dry and wet seasons for Eucalyptus baileyana and E. planchoniana.

Results and discussion

The results indicated that labile C and N pools increased within the first few months after burning, with no correlations with climatic factors. Therefore, it was possible that the increase was due to the burning-induced factors such as the incorporation of ashes into the soil. The highest values of soil and litterfall δ¹⁵N, observed when the study was commenced at the experimental sites, and their high correlations with climatic factors were indicative of long-term N and water limitation. The ¹³C signals showed that soil N concentrations and climatic factors were also two of the main factors controlling litterfall and foliage properties mainly through the changes in photosynthetic capacity and stomatal conductance.

Conclusions

Long-term soil N availabilities and climatic factors were the two of the main driving factors of C and N cycling in the studied forest sites. Further studies are needed to compare soil and litterfall properties before and after burning to profoundly understand the effects of prescribed burning on soil labile C and N variations.

     

Short-term effects of organo-mineral enriched biochar fertiliser on ginger yield and nutrient cycling

Purpose

Biochar has agronomic potential but currently is too expensive for widespread adoption. New methodologies are emerging to reduce the cost such as enriching biochar with nutrients that match crops and soil requirements. However, the effects of biochar-based fertilisers on plant yield and soil nutrient availability have not been widely examined. This study investigated the effects of a novel organo-mineral biochar fertiliser in comparison to organic and commercial biochar fertiliser on ginger (Zingiber officinale Canton).

Materials and methods

There were four treatments: (1) commercial organic fertiliser (5 t ha^?1), as the control; (2) commercial biochar-based fertiliser (5 t ha^?1); (3) organo-mineral biochar fertiliser at low rate (3 t ha^?1); and (4) organo-mineral biochar fertiliser at high rate (7.5 t ha^?1). A replicated pot trial was established with black dermosol soil and ten replicate pots for each treatment. Ginger was planted and grown for 30 weeks. Plant growth, biomass, foliar nutrients and water extractable soil nutrients including phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) were examined.

Results and discussion

High rate organo-mineral biochar fertiliser increased soil P and K availability at week 30 (harvest) after planting, compared to all other treatments and low rate organo-mineral biochar fertiliser performed similarly to the organic control for P and K. High rate organo-mineral biochar fertiliser increased total foliar nutrient content at week 30 in P, K and Ca compared to commercial biochar fertiliser. High rate organo-mineral biochar fertiliser improved the commercial value of ginger (+?36%) due to a shift in the proportion of higher grade rhizomes. Low rate organo-mineral biochar fertiliser plants displayed similar yield, total dry and aboveground biomass to commercial organic fertiliser. Commercial biochar fertiliser had significantly lower biomass measures compared with other treatments as the rate applied had lower nutrient concentrations.

Conclusions

Our results show organo-mineral biochar fertilisers could be substituted for commercial organic fertilisers at low rates to maintain similar yield or applied at high rates to increase commercial value where economically feasible.

     

Effects of lactulose supplementation on the growth of bifidobacteria and biotransformation of isoflavone glycosides to isoflavone aglycones in soymilk

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis bb12 and B. longum 20099 were used to hydrolyze isoflavone glycosides (IG) to biologically active forms, which are isoflavone aglycones (IA), in soymilk (SM) prepared from soy protein isolate (SPI) and SM supplemented with 0.5% (w/v) of lactulose (SML). Supplementation of lactulose significantly ( p < 0.05) enhanced the viable counts of B. animalis subsp. lactis bb12 and B. longum 20099 up to 2.34 and 2.15 log CFU/mL, respectively. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis bb12 and B. longum 20099 utilized 3.32 and 3.75 mg/mL of lactulose at 24 h of incubation, respectively. Supplementation of lactulose also appeared to be a key factor in decreasing the pH of SML. The biotransformation of IG to IA was enhanced significantly by 6.8-17.1% and 12.8-13.5% in SML by B. animalis subsp. lactis bb12 and B. longum 20099, respectively. However, the presence of lactulose in SML showed the stimulating effect on B. longum 20099 only after 12 h of incubation. Isoflavone aglycones ranged from 69.5 to 77.1% of total isoflavone compounds in SML after incubation.     

Parasitic infections in dairy cattle around Hanoi, northern Vietnam

In northern Vietnam, dairy cattle are mainly managed in small-scale farms, where animals are kept confined and feeding occurs by cut and carry methods. In the present study the occurrence of parasitic infections was examined in five provinces around Hanoi. A total of 201 farms were visited, and 334 stool and 239 blood samples were collected from calves younger than 3 months, animals between 3 and 24 months and adult cows. Furthermore, 254 milk samples were collected from lactating animals. Coproscopical examination indicated a high prevalence of nematode eggs (Cooperia spp., Haemonchus and Oesophagostomum spp.) in animals (n=176) between 3 and 24 months (66%) and in adult cows (n=90; 54%). In these age groups the prevalence of Fasciola was 28% and 39%, respectively, and for Paramphistomum the prevalence was 78% and 82%, respectively. Fifty percent of the calves younger than 3 months (n=68) were positive for Giardia, and none for Cryptosporidium. Most Giardia isolates were identified as the non-zoonotic G. duodenalis assemblage E on the beta-giardin gene. The blood samples were examined with commercially available Svanovir((R))Elisa's for the presence of Anaplasma marginale and Babesia bigemina specific antibodies, and a prevalence of 28% and 54% was found, respectively. In the milk samples Neospora caninum specific antibodies (Svanovir((R))Elisa) were detected in 30% of the lactating animals. The present study demonstrates that parasitic infections occur frequently in dairy cattle around Hanoi although animals are mainly kept confined, and indicates that further research on the economic impact of these infections is needed.     

Growth performance,carcass quality characteristics and colonic microbiota profiles in finishing pigs fed diets with different inclusion levels of rice distillers’ by‐product

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of diets containing rice distillers’ by‐product (RDP) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and gut microbiota of fattening pigs. Twenty‐four crossbred finishing pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire), 56.9 ± 3.1 kg initial body weight, were randomly allocated to three groups. For 56 days, pigs were fed one of three diets including RDP0 (control), RDP15 (15% RDP in DM), and RDP30 (30% RDP in DM). With RDP level in diet, average daily gain and backfat thickness linearly increased (p < 0.05), and drip loss tended to increase (p ≤ 0.08). In addition, 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon profiling showed that RDP was associated with modulation of colonic microbiota composition, especially at family and genus levels. Relative abundance of Porphyromonadaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae families in colonic digesta increased with inclusion of RDP, while that of Enterobacteriaceae decreased. The proportion of genera unclassified Erysipelotrichaceae, and Butyrivibrio increased as inclusion of RDP. These results indicate that up to 30% inclusion in diet of finishing pigs, RDP can modulate colonic microbiota composition, and induces an improvement of animal growth and fat deposition.     

Sucrose assists selection of high‐quality oocytes in pigs

We investigated whether high‐quality in vitro matured (IVM) oocytes can be distinguished from poor ones based on the morphological changes after treatment with hyperosmotic medium containing 0.2 mol/L sucrose in pigs. We hypothesize that IVM oocytes maintaining round shape have higher quality than mis‐shapened oocytes following dehydration. Oocyte quality was verified by determining embryonic developmental competence using in vitro fertilization, nuclear transfer and parthenogenetic activation. In all cases, the round oocytes had greater (p < .05) developmental competence than that of mis‐shapened oocytes in terms of blastocyst rate and total cell number in blastocysts obtained after 6 days of in vitro culture. We also confirm that round aged oocytes are higher in quality than mis‐shapened aged oocytes. In an attempt to find out why high‐quality oocytes maintain a round shape whereas poorer oocytes become mis‐shapened following sucrose treatment, we examined the arrangement of actin microfilaments and microtubules. Abnormal organization of these cytoskeletal components was higher (p < .05) in mis‐shapened oocytes compared to round oocytes after 52 hr of IVM. In conclusion, sucrose treatment helps selection of high‐quality oocytes, including aged oocytes, in pigs. Abnormal cytoskeleton arrangements partly explain for low developmental competence of mis‐shapened oocytes.     

Identification of lactic acid bacteria in the feces of dairy cows fed whole crop maize silage to assess the survival of silage bacteria in the gut

In order to assess the survival of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in whole crop maize silage in the gut of dairy cows, one representative silage sample and three different feces samples were collected from dairy cows on three dairy farms in Hua Bei, China and three dairy farms in Kyushu, Japan. The composition of the bacterial community was examined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Lactobacillus acetotolerans was detected in all bunker‐made maize silage samples, regardless of the dairy farm or sampling region from which they were sourced. A total of eight LAB species were detected in the maize silage samples, of which three (L. acetotolerans, L. pontis and L. casei) appeared to survive digestion. The populations of L. acetotolerans in silage and feces were 10^6–7 and 10^3–4 copies/g, respectively, indicating that, even for the LAB species showing potential survival in the gut, competition in this niche may be harsh and the population may substantially decrease during the digestion process. It may be difficult for silage LAB to survive in the gut of silage‐fed dairy cows, because marked decrease in population can take place during the digestion process, even for surviving species.