Frozen bread dough: Effects of freezing storage and dough improvers

This review focuses on the effects of freezing storage on the microstructure and baking performance of frozen doughs, and provides an overview of the activities of dough improvers, including emulsifiers, hydrocolloids and other improvers used in frozen dough applications. The overall quality of bread baked from frozen dough deteriorates as the storage of the dough at sub-zero temperatures increases due to several factors which are discussed. Lipid-related emulsifiers such as diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides and sucrose esters employed as anti-staling agents, dough modifiers, shortening sparing agents, and as improvers for the production of high-protein bread have also been employed in frozen doughs. Hydrocolloids are gaining importance in the baking industry as dough improvers due to their ability to induce structural changes in the main components of wheat flour systems during breadmaking steps and bread storage Their effects in frozen doughs is discussed. Other dough improvers, such as ascorbic acid, honey and green tea extract, are also reviewed in the context of frozen doughs.     

Hormonal changes during meiotic maturation and ovulation in the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

The plasma levels of estradiol-17 (E2), 17, 20-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20-P) and gonadotropin (GTH) were measured in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) during the period from the end of vitellogenesis to postovulation. Blood samples were taken according to specific stages of maturation, including germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and ovulation. E2 levels were quite high (45 ng/ml) at the end of vitellogenesis (and prior to GVBD) and dropped precipitously by GVBD (2 ng/ml). They remained low through ovulation and postovulation. 17,20-P levels were low prior to GVBD (0.7 ng/ml) and increased dramatically at GVBD (148 ng/ml). The levels of 17,20-P remained high at ovulation (142 ng/ml) and then dropped significantly within 24 h to approximately half of the ovulatory values. They decreased even further by 7 days postovulation. GTH levels rose gradually through GVBD and ovulation from a postvitellogenic level of approximately 3 ng/ml to a 7 day postovulatory value of approximately 10 ng/ml. The overall results; 1) decrease in estradiol prior to GVBD, 2) increase in 17,20-P at GVBD and 3) gradual GTH rise through GVBD and ovulation, are similar to those reported for other salmonids.     

乳山湾东流区营养状况时,空变化及其评价

有机污染在时间上的变化为，7月前呈有机污染不断加剧的过程，到7月整个东流区均达到严重污染水平；7月后是污染程度逐渐减轻的过程，到9月整个东流区水质恢复到较好水平。有机污染程度在空间上的变化是从湾外向湾内逐渐加剧趋势。6、7和8月整个东流区均达到富营养化水平，但富营养化的程度有所不同，7月富营养化程度最严重，8月较7月减轻，到9月湾内基本恢复正常。与1994年8月比较，1995年8月东流区有机污染和富营养化程度有所加剧。     

Artificial induction of maturation and fertilization in the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica

Repeated injections of salmon pituitary extract (20 mg per fish per week) induced vitellogenesis in feminized, cultivated Japanese eels (Anguilla japonica). Oocytes were attained at the migratory nucleus stage after 11 or 12 injections. Addition of 17,20-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP) into the incubation medium induced germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) in the oocytes at the migratory nucleus stage. An injection of DHP (2 µg g^-1 BW), given 24h after an injection of salmon pituitary extract (20 mg fish^-1), succeeded in inducing maturation and ovulation in females which contained occytes at the migratory nucleus stage. Most fish ovulated 15–18h following the DHP injection. Eggs that were ovulated within 15h after the DHP injection showed high fertility and hatchability, but eggs ovulated 18 or 21h after the DHP injection, showed considerably lower fertility and hatchability. A delay between ovulation and stripping of the eggs rapidly decreased both the fertility and hatchability within 6–9h after ovulation, indicating that artificial fertilization must be carried out immediately after ovulation. Repeated injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) at a concentration of 1 IU g^-1 BW week^-1 induced spermatogenesis, spermiation, and the acquisition of potential for sperm motility in cultivated males. Most males spermiated after the fifth or sixth injection of hCG, and the milt weight gradually increased and remained constant (1–2 g) from the 11th to 31th injection. Sperm motility peaked 24h after each weekly injection, and decreased from the 3^rd day after the injection. Potassium ions are an essential constituent for the maintenance of motility in the eel spermatozoa. Artificial seminal plasma containing 15.2 mM KCl is applicable as a milt diluent. Using these techniques developed for female and male eels, we have succeeded in obtaining many fertilized eggs from cultivated eels.     

Gonadotropins I and II do not stimulate thein vitro secretion of 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one 20-sulphate by rainbow trout gonads during final sexual maturation

Thein vitro secretion of 17,20-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one 20-sulphate (17,20-P-sulphate) and the free steroid 17,20-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20-P), by rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) gonads, in response to gonadotropin (GTH) I and GTH II, were studied during the final stages of sexual maturation. Substantial amounts of 17,20-P-sulphate were produced, by both mature ovaries and testes, indicating considerable 20-hydroxysteroid sulphotransferase (20-HST) activity within these tissues. In the post-ovulatory ovary the level of 17,20-P-sulphate (36.6 ng ml^–1) greatly exceeded that of 17,20-P (8.59 ng ml^–1). The amount of 17,20-P-sulphate produced in incubations of both mature ovary and testes was unaffected by either GTH I or GTH II treatment at physiological concentrations up to 100 ng ml^–1. Similarly, incubations of maturing ovary and testes, treated with GTH I or GTH II, in the presence of added 17,20-P at 100 ng ml^–1 of medium, produced levels of 17,20-P-sulphate that were similar to those of the controls. In incubations of mature ovarian follicles at the stages of germinal vesicle breakdown and preovulation, both GTHs significantly stimulated secretion of 17,20-P, although GTH II was always more potent than GTH I. GTH II significantly elevated the levels of 17,20-P in testicular incubations from mature males more than 4-fold relative to GTH I and controls, which did not differ from one another.In conclusion, 20-HST, the enzyme responsible for the sulphate conjugation of 17,20-P, was found to be active in the ovaries and testes of rainbow troutin vitro. However, the levels of this enzyme do not appear to be regulated by either GTH I or GTH II.     

Effects of melatonin,p-chlorophenylalanine,and α-methylparatyrosine on plasma gonadotropin level and ovarian activity in the catfish,Heteropneustes fossilis: A study correlating changes in hypothalamic monoamines

The effects of (ip, 10 injections over 20 days) of melatonin (75 g 100 g^–1 BW), the serotonin (5-HT)-synthesis blocker, para-cholorophenylalanine (p-CPA, 10 mg 100g^{–1 BW}) and the catecholamine-synthesis blocker, -methylparatyrosine (-MPT, 10 mg 100 g^–1 BW) on gonadotropin (GTH) secretion and ovarian activity were studied in ^{Heteropneustes fossilis} during late preparatory to early prespawning (April–May). The treatments resulted in significant reductions of plasma GTH and estradiol-17 levels, the gonadosomatic index, frequency distribution of vitellogenic and postvitellogenic oocytes, and ovarian and serum ³²p-labelled alkali-labile phosphoprotein (a marker of vitellogenic activity). Most of the oocytes were nonvitellogenic or had undergone atretic changes. The hepatic ³²-phosphoprotein content increased significantly over the saline control value. The effects were similar and pronounced in the p-CPA and melatonin-treated groups but were moderate in the -MPT-treated group. Hypothalamic 5-HT content and turnover were significantly inhibited in the p-CPA and melatonin-treated groups but the content and turnover of catecholamines were not. The -MPT treatment decreased significantly the content and turnover of dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA), and adrenaline (A) but did not influence the 5-HT content or turnover. These results suggest that 5-HT, NA and A are stimulatory to GTH secretion and that melatonin may act on the serotonergic system to inhibit the pituitary-gonadal axis.to whom correspondence should be addressed.A part of the results was presented at the International Workshop on Pineal gland: Its molecular signals and published as an abstract in Neuroendocrinol. Lett. 14: 399 pp., 1992.     

The effects of hypoxia,in vivo,on red blood cell β-adrenoceptors in the rainbow trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss

Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, were exposed to 48h of environmental hypoxia (water partial pressure of oxygen = 8.0 kPa) at either 5 or 15°C. Blood was sampled during hypoxia via a dorsal aorta cannula to measure arterial blood partial pressure of oxygen and plasma catecholamine concentrations. After 48h, the number (B_max) and dissociation constant (K_d) of red blood cell surface -adrenoceptors were determined using a radioligand-displacement binding assay. At 5°C, plasma catecholamine levels were elevated at 24h whereas at 15°C, levels were elevated at 48h. At either temperature, following 48h of hypoxia, there was no change in B_max or K_d of red blood cell surface -adrenoceptors, compared to normoxic control fish. This study demonstrates that chronic exposure to moderate hypoxia does not affect the number or affinity of cell surface -adrenoceptors on trout red blood cells.     

Temporal changes in plasma thyroid hormone,growth hormone and free fatty acid concentrations,and hepatic 5′-monodeiodinase activity,lipid and protein content during chronic fasting and re-feeding in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Temporal changes in growth, plasma thyroid hormone, cortisol, growth hormone (GH) and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations, hepatic T₃ content and hepatic 5-monodeiodinase activity were measured in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) subjected to a sustained fast for up to eight weeks, and during a four-week re-feeding period. The purpose of the study was to examine aspects of the endocrine control of energy partitioning processes characteristic of short-term (acute; fasting) and long-term (chronic; starvation) food-deprivation states in fish, and to explore the role of the thyroid hormones, cortisol and GH in the energy repartitioning that takes place during an acute anabolic (re-feeding) state following chronic food deprivation.Differences in growth rate between fed and fasted groups were evident after two weeks, but significant weight loss by the fasted groups was not evident until between four and six weeks into the fast. Hepatosomatic indices (HSIs) were significantly reduced in the fasted fish within seven days, and as early as two days in one study; recovery of the HSI in fasted fish was evident within three days of re-feeding. Liver protein content (expressed as % wet weight) was consistently depressed in the fasted fish in only one of the three studies. Liver total lipid content (expressed as % wet weight) was depressed in the fasted fish within two days of food deprivation. Because of the rapid and sustained decrease in the HSI of fasted fish, the hepatic total protein and lipid reserves, when considered on a body weight basis, were markedly lowered within the first few days of the fast. Plasma GH concentrations exhibited a bi-modal pattern of change, with a transient fall in levels, followed by a sustained increase in fasted fish. The indicators of interrenal activity were suggestive of a depressed pituitary-interrenal axis in fasted animals; plasma cortisol levels were elevated to levels of fed animals within one day of re-feeding. The indicators of thyroid hormone economy (plasma thyroid hormone levels, liver triiodothyronine content, hepatic 5-monodeiodinase (MD) activity, thyroid epithelial cell height) were similarly indicative of a depressed pituitary-thyroid axis in fasted animals, with recovery to levels of the fed animals within one week. Despite the compensatory changes in accumulation of reserves (as indicated by a compensatory increase in HSI), there were no apparent compensatory changes in any of the endocrine parameters evident during the re-feeding period.     

Endocrine stress response and abnormal development in carp (Cyprinus carpio) larvae after exposure of the embryos to PCB 126

To investigate whether PCB 126 exposure duringembryonic development induces an endocrine stressresponse in larval carp, eggs were exposed,containing 0.01% ethanol (vehicle-control), 10^-11,immediately after fertilization, for 48 h to water10^-10 or 10^-9 mol l^-1 PCB in 0.01% ethanol. Eggsincubated in water served as controls. After transferto PCB-free water, mortality, the incidence ofyolk-sac and pe-ricardial oedema, wet and dry weight,rate of skin pigmentation, and whole-body contents ofthe stress hormones ACTH, -MSH and cortisol weredetermined at 48, 96, 144, 168, 192 and 216 hpost-fertilization. Except for the dry weight, allparameters of animals exposed to 10^-10 and 10^-9 moll^-1 PCB increased in a concentration-related manner.However, these changes became evident only at 144 hpost-fertilization, i.e. after resorption of theyolk-sac. Swelling of the yolk sac and pericardiumoccurred, and whole-body ACTH, -MSH and cortisollevels increased. Although animals exposed to 10^-10and 10^-9 mol l^-1 PCB displayed stable but elevatedwhole-body ACTH and -MSH levels until 216 h,whole-body cortisol concentrations gradually decreasedfrom 168 h post-fertilization, and were significantlybelow control values at 216 h post-fertilization.Exposure of the carp embryos to 10^-11 mol l^-1 PCB only increased whole-body -MSH levels. Increased whole-body ACTH and cortisol levels indicate that PCBinduces a stress response in carp larvae, possiblymediated by a disturbed hydromineral balance (oedema).We further suggest that the PCB-stimulated bodypigmentation is mediated by a stimulation of -MSHsecretion.     

纳米Fe0降解溶液中3，3′，4，4′-四氯联苯及其产物分析

采用振荡培养实验研究了纳米Fe0对溶液中3,3′,4,4′-四氯联苯（PCB77）的降解情况,结果表明, PCB77起始浓度为5mg/L、溶液初始pH值为6.8,反应64 h后,纳米Fe0投加量为10.0g/L时,PCB77残留浓度最低,残留率仅为29.3%;纳米Si0投加量为0.5g/L时,PCB77残留浓度最低,残留率为67%;纳米Si0投加量为1.0g/L,即纳米Si0：纳米Fe0=1∶10时,PCB77残留浓度最低,残留率仅为22.2%。溶液中PCB77降解产物中除联苯外未发现其他降解产物,可能是PCB77在纳米Fe0表面连续脱氯的原因造成的。