Localization of puroindoline-a and lipids in bread dough using confocal scanning laser microscopy

Puroindolines are lipid-binding proteins from wheat flour that play a significant role in bread crumb texture. The localization of wheat flour lipids and puroindoline-a (PIN-a) in bread dough was studied by confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). Wheat lipids were located around gas cells (GC) and embedded within the protein-starch matrix (SPM) of the dough. PIN-a was mainly located in the matrix of dough, where it was associated with lipids. In contrast, in defatted dough, PIN-a was found around GC. Addition of puroindolines in bread dough induced a defatting of the gas bubble surface and a decrease of the lipid vesicles and/or droplet size embedded within the SPM. Therefore, puroindolines control the lipid partitioning within the different phases of dough, a phenomenon that should have important consequence on the gas bubble expansion and GC formation in the further stages (fermentation, baking) of the bread-making process.     

Functional properties of spice extracts obtained via supercritical fluid extraction

In the present study the antioxidant, anticancer, and antimycobacterial activities of extracts from ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), and turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) were evaluated. The extracts were obtained using supercritical CO(2) with and without ethanol and/or isopropyl alcohol as cosolvent. The extracts' antioxidant power was assessed using the reaction between beta-carotene and linolenic acid, the antimycobacterial activity against M. tuberculosis was measured by the MABA test, and their anticancer action was tested against nine human cancer ancestries: lung, breast, breast resistant, melanoma, colon, prostate, leukemia, and kidney. The rosemary extracts exhibited the strongest antioxidant and the lowest antimycobacterial activities. Turmeric extracts showed the greatest antimycobacterial activity. Ginger and turmeric extracts showed selective anticancer activities.     

Relationship between beta-adrenergic agonists,calpain system activity and beef texture: A systematic review

The objective was to conduct a systematic review to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with beta-adrenergic agonists on calpains and calpastatin activity in bovine muscle and changes in meat tenderness. A survey was conducted in June 2019 on Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and Capes Periodicals, using four keyword combinations: agonist and calpain and cattle; agonist and calpain and bovine; agonist and calpain and heifers; agonist and calpain and steers. Thirteen studies were selected, 54% concluded that supplementation with beta-adrenergic agonists increases calpastatin activity, 23% observed increase in their gene expression and 23% reported no effect on activity or expression of this enzyme. Nine studies evaluated the influence of beta-adrenergic agonists supplementation on meat texture and all found an increase in shear force values. There is strong evidence that beta-adrenergic agonists may increase calpastatin activity in the muscle, causing damage to meat tenderness.     

Bone morphogenetic protein 15 supplementation enhances cumulus expansion,nuclear maturation and progesterone production of in vitro-matured bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes

In vitro embryo production (IVP) efficiency is reduced when compared to in vivo. The basic knowledge of bovine in vitro oocyte maturation (IVM) mechanisms provides support to improve in vitro embryo production yields. The present study assessed the effects of bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), fibroblast growth factor 16 (FGF16) and their combined action on cumulus cells (CC) expansion, oocyte and CC DNA fragmentation, oocyte nuclear maturation, energetic metabolism and progesterone production in bovine IVM. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were matured in control or supplemented media containing BMP15 (100 ng/ml), FGF16 (10 ng/ml) or BMP15 combined with FGF16; and assessed at 0 and 22 hr of IVM. BMP15 alone or its association with FGF16 enhanced cumulus expansion. BMP15 decreased DNA fragmentation in both CC and oocytes, and improved oocyte nuclear maturation rate. In addition, BMP15 increased CC progesterone production, an effect not previously reported. The present study reinforces previous data pointing to a beneficial influence of BMP15 during IVM, while providing novel evidence that the underlying mechanisms involve increased progesterone production.     

Dietary protein sources and their effects on faecal odour and the composition of volatile organic compounds in faeces of French Bulldogs

The strong odour of faeces and excessive production of gases in some dog breeds have long been a concern of owners. The pet food industry uses nutritional alternatives, such as high-quality ingredients and additives, to improve the odour of faeces. However, there are still some dog breeds, such as the French Bulldog, that present this problem due to the presence into the large intestine of indigested protein. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the volatile compounds that influence the odour of dog faeces is important. This study aimed to identify changes of faecal odour compounds that are most prevalent in French Bulldogs based on food containing different high-quality protein sources and their effect in sensory analysis. Four maintenance foods with different protein sources were formulated: P, poultry meal food; W, wheat gluten food; PW, poultry meal and wheat gluten food; and PWH, poultry meal, wheat gluten, and hydrolysed protein food. Eight adult French Bulldogs were arranged in a 4x4 Latin square design and adapted to foods for 28 days. Fresh faeces were collected for analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sensory analysis. The means were compared by SAS, and statistical significance was indicated by p ≤ 0.05. No adverse effects were observed in the animals regarding VOCs, and a significant difference was observed in two of the 68 compounds identified. The animals fed a P food had higher concentrations of phenol in the faeces, whereas the indole compound was present at higher concentrations in animals fed the W food. P food was associated with higher odour perception during sensory evaluation. In summary, the source of protein in the foods had little impact on the composition of VOCs, and a greater perception of the odour was determined by sensory analysis when foods containing animal protein were administered.     

Antioxidative properties of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) infusion against superoxide radical,hydroxyl radical,and hypochlorous acid

Polyphenols are able to act as antioxidants by virtue of their hydrogen-donating and metal-chelating capacities. Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) is a species containing considerable amounts of polyphenolic compounds, namely flavonoids and phenolic acids. This study examined the antioxidant activity of cardoon lyophilized infusion against superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical, and hypochlorous acid. Superoxide radical was generated either in an enzymatic system or nonenzymatically, and the scavenging ability was assessed by the inhibition of superoxide radical-induced reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium. Hydroxyl radical was generated by the Fe3+-EDTA/ascorbate Fenton system, and scavenging capacity was estimated by evaluating the inhibition of hydroxyl radical-induced deoxyribose degradation into thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. Inhibition of hypochlorous acid-induced 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid oxidation to 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) was used in order to test the hypochlorous acid scavenging activity.     

Non-destructive assessment of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus</Emphasis> spp. wafers subjected to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gloeophyllum trabeum</Emphasis> in soil block decay tests by diffuse reflectance near infrared spectroscopy

The use of calibrated near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for measuring and predicting the advancement of wood decay in Pinus spp. sapwood wafers that were subjected to Gloeophyllum trabeum for periods ranging from 1 to 10 days was investigated. NIR spectra were obtained from the center of the cross-sectional face of each sample before and after decay tests. Mass loss and compression tests were also used to measure the progression of decay. Calibrations were created from NIR spectra, mass loss, and compression strength data using untreated and mathematically treated (multiplicative scatter correction and first and second derivative) spectra. Strong relationships were derived from the calibrations with the strongest R ² values being 0.98 (mass loss) and 0.97 (compression strength). Calibrations for mass loss showed the strongest statistics for predicting wood decay of a separate test set (0.85 raw, second derivative to 0.76 multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), while predictions for compression strength of the decayed samples resulted in R ² of 0.69 (raw) to 0.54 (MSC). Calibrations created from the amount of time the samples were decayed showed strong statistics, indicating that NIR spectroscopy can predict the early stages of wood decay.     

Effect of early age woody and herbaceous competition control on wood properties of loblolly pine

Early age competition control has been reported to significantly improve the growth and yield of plantation grown loblolly pine. The objective of this paper is to understand the changes in wood properties: basal area weighted whole disk SG, earlywood SG (EWSG), latewood SG (LWSG) and latewood percent (LWP) of 14 year-old trees which received early age herbaceous and hardwood competition control, using data collected from 13-sites across 4-physiographic regions in the southeastern USA. The study was laid out in a randomized complete block design and had four levels of weed control (no weed control; woody vegetation control; herbaceous vegetation control; and woody and herbaceous vegetation control), with four blocks at each site. Increment cores 12 mm in diameter were collected at breast height (1.37 m) from 9-trees in each plot and ring-by-ring SG, EWSG, LWSG and LWP measured using a X-ray densitometer. Whole disk basal area weighted SG and LWP were determined for each tree and used for analysis. A reduction in whole disk SG of 0.039 and 0.0014 and LWP of 7.38% and 3.62% was observed for trees which received total weed control compared to no weed control, for lower and upper Coastal Plain sites, respectively. For trees receiving total weed control compared to no weed control, it was observed that the diameter of the juvenile core increased by 20% on average across all physiographic regions. However, no change in the length of the juvenile period was observed among treatments other than the regional differences.