Evaluation of Particle Size Influence on Proximate Composition,Physicochemical, Techno-Functional and Physio-Functional Properties of Flours Obtained from Persimmon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Diospyros kaki</Emphasis> Trumb.) Coproducts

The aim of the work was to study the influence of particle size in the composition, physicochemical, techno-functional and physio-functional properties of two flours obtained from persimmon (Diospyros kaki Trumb. cvs. ‘Rojo Brillante’ (RBF) and ‘Triump’ (THF) coproducts. The cultivar (RBF and THF) and particle size significantly affected all parameters under study, although depending on the evaluated property, only one of these effects predominated. Carbohydrates (38.07–46.98 g/100 g) and total dietary fiber (32.07–43.57 g/100 g) were the main components in both flours (RBF and THF). Furthermore, insoluble dietary fiber represented more than 68% of total dietary fiber content. All color properties studied were influenced by cultivar and particle size. For both cultivars, the lower particle size, the higher lightness and hue values. RBF flours showed high values for emulsifying activity (69.33–74.00 mL/mL), while THF presented high values for water holding capacity (WHC: 9.47–12.19 g water/g sample). The bile holding capacity (BHC) and fat/oil binding values were, in general, higher in RBF (19.61–12.19 g bile/g sample and 11.98–9.07, respectively) than THF (16.12–12.40 g bile/g sample and 9.78–7.96, respectively). The effect of particle size was really evident in both WHC and BHC. Due to their dietary fiber content, techno-functional and physio-functional properties, persimmon flours seem to have a good profile to be used as potential functional ingredient.     

Effects of Agave fructans (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Agave tequilana</Emphasis> Weber var. azul) on Body Fat and Serum Lipids in Obesity

Obesity affects millions of people worldwide, constituting a public health problem associated with premature mortality. Agave fructans decrease fat mass, body and liver weight, and generate satiety in rodents. In the present study the effects of agave fructans on weight control, lipid profile, and physical tolerability were evaluated in obese people. Twenty-eight obese volunteers were randomly divided into two groups. In the first group, 96 mg/bw of agave fructans was administered for 12 weeks; in the second group, maltodextrin as a placebo was administered for 12 weeks. All participants consumed a low-calorie diet of 1500 kcal/day. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements were taken at baseline and at the end of the study. The body mass index (BMI) of the agave fructans treated group was reduced significantly from the baseline to the final measurements. Hip and waist circumferences decreased statistically in both groups. A decrease of 10% in total body fat was observed in the agave fructans treated group, resulting in a statistically significant difference in the final versus baseline measurements between the Agave fructans treated group and the placebo treated group. Triglycerides were reduced significantly in the agave fructans treated group. Glucose values did not change in either group. Agave fructans intake was safe and well tolerated throughout the study. The results showed that the ingestion of agave fructans enhanced the decrease in BMI, the decrease in total body fat, and the decrease in triglycerides in obese individuals who consume a low-calorie diet.     

Model‐based assessment of local‐scale fish larval connectivity in a network of marine protected areas

We assessed by numerical modeling the coastal fish larval dispersion along the southern coast of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, NW Mediterranean) with the objective of determining the factors that contribute to successful recruitment. We assumed that fish larvae dispersal is mainly regulated by physical transport. Currents are mainly wind driven in this area; therefore, changes in wind forcing have a first‐order impact on larval transport. The synoptic wind patterns were systematically analyzed based on self‐organizing map analysis. The wind fields were clustered using a neural network pattern recognition approach into two modes, producing opposite along‐shelf flow. The seasonal changes between spring and summer in the dominance of either mode modulate the along‐shelf circulation, producing flow shifts under some circumstances. This variability in the wind regime was consistent throughout the 10 years analyzed (2000–2009). Using the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) and a particle‐tracking algorithm, we analyzed the effect of wind‐forced currents in the connectivity among near‐shore habitats. We show that, at the spatial scale considered, the coastal morphology and stochastic wind forcing favor local recruitment (mean of 30% self‐recruitment). Maximum transport distances of 20–30 km were typically associated with particles left to drift for 21 days. The implications for the performance of the four marine protected areas near SW Mallorca Island are discussed. Our results suggest that, although wind episodes determine the fate of short‐time spawning events, on a seasonal basis, regular larval supply to coastal zones is ensured by wind stochasticity.     

In silico and gene expression analysis of the acute inflammatory response of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) after subcutaneous administration of carrageenin

Fish Physiology and Biochemistry - Inflammation is one of the main causes of loss of homeostasis at both the systemic and molecular levels. The aim of this study was to investigate in silico the...     

Effects of dietary supplementation with probiotic live yeast Debaryomyces hansenii on the immune and antioxidant systems of leopard grouper Mycteroperca rosacea infected with Aeromonas hydrophila

Two trials were conducted to determine the efficacy of fish fed live yeast Debaryomyces hansenii strain CBS 8339 on immune and antioxidant systems in leopard grouper Mycteroperca rosacea infected with Aeromonas hydrophila. Juveniles (12±0.5 g) were fed with a control diet or a D. hansenii‐supplemented diet (10⁶ colony‐forming units per gram) for 5 weeks. The live weight of fish was registered on a weekly basis. After 4 weeks, fish from each treatment were immunocompromised with pathogenic A. hydrophila and further fed for 1 week in order to evaluate the effect on immunological and antioxidant parameters. Generally, the results showed enhanced growth performance in fish fed the diet containing yeast compared with the control. Addition of live yeast had no significant effect on the immunological parameters after 4 weeks of feeding. However, post infection with A. hydrophila fish fed the yeast‐supplemented diet resulted in a significant increase in the levels of plasmatic immunoglobulin M. Superoxide dismutase and catalase (CAT) activities were significantly higher in the yeast group. In this fish, CAT and heat shock protein 70 genes were up‐regulated before and after infection of A. hydrophila. The present study is the first one reporting that yeast (D. hansenii) can enhance immunity and resistance against A. hydrophila.     

Development of digestive biochemistry in the initial stages of three cultured Atherinopsids

The early development of the digestive biochemistry of three cultured Atherinopsids (two Odontesthes species and Chirostoma estor) was investigated. Relatively high lipolytic and high alkaline proteolytic activities were found in all species. In addition, gene expression of lipase and trypsin during the early development of C. estor not only indicates an early onset of the lipase activity but also demonstrates a major importance of protein digestion in this species. However, despite all of them share similar habitats, differences in their digestive activities were evident. The rise in the activities of brush border membrane enzymes correlated with the decrease in cytosolic activities, used as indicator of maturation of the digestive tract, was detected in both species of Odontesthes at 9 weeks after hatching. In contrast, no similar signs were measured in C. estor, this being in agreement to the long weaning period (nearly 5 months) reported for this species.     

Effect of dietary fish meal and fish oil replacement on lipogenic and lipoprotein lipase activities and plasma insulin in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)

The effects of a double replacement of fish oil (FO) and fish meal (FM) by dietary vegetable ingredients in juvenile gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L. 1758) on some indices of lipid metabolism and plasma insulin levels were analysed. Four experimental diets with a replacement of 75% of FM by plant proteins (PP) were administered. Added oil was either FO (75PP/FO diet), or a vegetable oil mix (VO), replacing 33%, 66% or 100% of FO (75PP/33VO, 75PP/66VO, 75PP/100VO diets). Another diet with 50% of substitution of FM by PP and with 100% of VO was also tested (50PP/100VO diet). Final body weight was similar in all diet groups, except for the 75PP/100VO group, which presented lower values. Circulating insulin levels increased with feed administration in all groups and no differences between diets were observed, with the exception of the 75PP/FO group, which presented higher plasma insulin values. In adipose tissue, glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme activities decreased with the inclusion of vegetable oil, especially 5 h after feeding. Diet had no significant effect on the hepatic activity of either enzyme. Lipoprotein lipase activity decreased in white muscle and adipose tissue with the replacement of fish oil in 75PP diets, 5 h after feeding. In conclusion, the use of a combined replacement of fish oil and fish meal by vegetable ingredients in gilthead sea bream permits satisfactory growth, with moderate changes in tissue lipogenesis and lipid uptake.     

Effect of masking organoleptic properties of fat on diet self‐selection by the sparid Diplodus puntazzo

Fish are able to select a balanced diet according to their nutritional needs by choosing among incomplete feeds or even pure macronutrients. However, the relevance of both the organoleptic properties of diet and the postingestive signals that they produce remains unclear. Thus, sharpsnout seabream were allowed to select between diets containing different edible oils with their organoleptic properties masked by using gelatine capsules. Fish were fed capsules of two different colours so that they could associate the capsule colour with its corresponding postingestive effect. The longitudinal experiment included a first phase during which the fish were adapted to consuming the gelatine capsules. In a second phase, the fish were challenged with two different encapsulated diets: one comprising a complete diet containing fish oil and the other a fat‐free diet. Sharpsnout seabream showed a preference for the fish oil capsules (3.8 ± 1.1 g kg^?1 body weight (BW), 66.8% of total intake) over the fat‐free capsules, showing that they were able to associate the colour of the capsule with their nutritional content through postingestive signals. After that, the fish were challenged to select between the capsules containing the fish oil diet and capsules containing a vegetable oil (linseed or soybean), in which case they showed no preference between diets (2.4 ± 0.3: 2.1 ± 0.5 g kg^?1 BW of fish oil versus linseed oil capsules and 2.2 ± 0.2: 1.8 ± 0.6 g kg^?1 BW of fish oil versus soybean oil capsules), indicating that the fatty acid composition of the different oils was not sufficient to affect dietary selection through postingestive signals. So, in conclusion, when orosensorial information from food is absent, the fish are able to select between diets at a macronutrient level by using postingestive information. However, this information is not sufficient for distinguishing between diets that differ in the type of oil used.     

Anabolism,catabolism and proteomic analysis in the slow‐twitch muscle of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) submitted to prolonged fasting followed by refeeding

Here, we aimed to study the slow muscle of the fish Piaractus mesopotamicus submitted to 30 days of fasting (D30) followed by 1 day (D31) or 30 days of refeeding (D60). Histological analysis of fibre diameter was performed in D30 and D60. The gene expression of parvalbumin (pvalb), atrogenes (murf1a, murf1b, mafbx) and anabolic genes (igf‐1, mtor) was analysed using RT‐qPCR in D30, D31 and D60. The proteome was obtained by shotgun proteomics at D30 and D60, and the set of differentially expressed proteins was analysed by bioinformatics. In all experiments, the control was regularly fed fish. The histological analysis showed no changes in muscle fibre diameter. The expression of catabolic and anabolic genes was not changed, except for the downregulation of igf‐1 in D30 and of mafbx in D31. The expression of pvalb was not changed in D30 and D60 but was decreased in D31. The proteomic analysis identified 169 proteins in D30 (24 upregulated and 18 downregulated) and 170 proteins in D60 (17 upregulated and 21 downregulated); many of them were related to energetic metabolism and intracellular Ca²⁺ homoeostasis. Overall, our results indicate that the slow‐twitch muscle presented few changes upon prolonged fasting and refeeding condition.     

Demand and effect of potassium,magnesium, and calcium chlorides on hemolymph parameters,immune-related gene expression,and growth of Litopenaeus vannamei,Boone (1931) under biofloc technology

The ionic composition of culture water may be a more important limiting factor than the salinity itself and may lead to osmotic stress which may influence growth and survival of shrimp culture. The uptake rate and the effect of magnesium chloride (MgCl₂), calcium chloride (CaCl₂), and potassium chloride (KCl) salts in juveniles of whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) cultured with biofloc technology (BFT) was evaluated for 62 days in seawater (30 practical salinity unity). Five treatments were analyzed in triplicate: T1; control (water exchange rate of 5% daily), T2; adding CaCl₂?+?MgCl₂?+?KCl, T3; adding MgCl₂?+?KCl, T4; adding CaCl₂?+?KCl, and T5; adding CaCl₂?+?MgCl₂. Mineral salts were added to water and the response of experimental parameters: physicochemical variables of water quality, osmotic pressure, total hemocyte count, glutathione peroxidase gene expression, superoxide dismutase, and zootechnical variables of the shrimp was assessed. The uptake of single chloride salts (CaCl₂, MgCl₂, and KCl) by shrimp varied as a function of the concentrations and the ratio of these three ions. Magnesium deficiencies in the culture medium increased CaCl₂ and KCl uptake without showing gene expression of SOD and GPx. The best survival rate was obtained by adding the three ions (T2) and the control (T1, water exchange of 5%). We concluded that L. vannamei can be maintained by the addition of essential chloride ions in BFT without water replacement.