Abnormal changes in both mandibular salivary glands in a dog: Non-mineral radiopaque sialoliths

A 10-year-old Maltese dog was presented with a firm mass on the left side of his neck. Physical examination confirmed a firm mass in the left and a submandibular swelling in the right cervical region. Sialolithiasis and associated sialocele in both mandibular salivary glands were suspected and bilateral sialoadenectomy was performed. The stones were identified as non-mineral sialoliths.     

A molecular technique for selection of self-compatible varieties of Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai)

The pear cultivar ‘Osa-Nijisseiki’ (S₂S^sm ₄; sm = stylar-part mutant) has been used as a parent to breed self-compatible cultivars that produce excellent fruits. However, determination of the self-compatibility of ‘Osa-Nijisseiki’ offspring requires a lot of time, 6 years or more, by conventional cross breeding. We have designed a rapid reliable method for the identification of self-compatible varieties of ‘Osa-Nijisseiki’ offspring based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with S-allele specific restriction endonucleases. By using this method, 8 self-compatible varieties were selected among 16 selections resulting from a cross between the self-compatible cultivar ‘Osa-Nijisseiki’ (S₂S^sm ₄) and the self-incompatible cultivars ‘Niitaka’ (S₃S₉), ‘Whasan’ (S₃S₅), ‘Chuwhangbae’ (S₄S₆). The S-genotypes of 16 ‘Osa-Nijisseiki’ offsprings were also determined. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Production and characterization of oil-in-water emulsions containing droplets stabilized by beta-lactoglobulin-pectin membranes

Oil-in-water emulsions containing droplets stabilized by beta-lactoglobulin (beta-Lg)-pectin membranes were produced using a two-stage process. A primary emulsion containing small droplets (d(32) approximately 0.3 microm) was prepared by homogenizing 10 wt % corn oil with 90 wt % aqueous solution (1 wt % beta-Lg, 5 mM imidazole/acetate buffer, pH 3.0) using a high-pressure valve homogenizer. The primary emulsion was then diluted with pectin solutions to produce secondary emulsions with a range of pectin concentrations (5 wt % corn oil, 0.45 wt % beta-Lg, 5 mM imidazole/acetate buffer, 0-0.22 wt % pectin, pH 3.0). The electrical charge on the droplets in the secondary emulsions decreased from +33 +/- 3 to -19 +/- 1 mV as the pectin concentration was increased from 0 to 0.22 wt %, which indicated that pectin adsorbed to the droplet surfaces. The mean particle diameter of the secondary emulsions was small (d(32) < 1 microm) at relatively low pectin concentrations (<0.04 wt %), but increased dramatically at higher pectin concentrations (e.g., d(32) approximately 13 microm at 0.1 wt % pectin), which was attributed to charge neutralization and bridging flocculation effects. Emulsions with relatively small mean particle diameters (d(32) approximately 1.2 microm at 0.1 wt % pectin) could be produced by disrupting flocs formed in secondary emulsions containing highly negatively charged droplets, for example, by sonication, blending, or homogenization. The particles in these emulsions probably consisted of small flocs containing a number of protein-coated droplets bound together by pectin molecules. These emulsions had good stability to further particle aggregation up to relatively high ionic strengths (< or =500 mM NaCl) and low pH (pH 3). The interfacial engineering technology used in this study could lead to the creation of food emulsions with improved physicochemical properties or stability.     

Physical properties of dry-heated octenyl succinylated waxy corn starches and its application in fat-reduced muffin

Waxy corn starch was modified by dry heating (130 °C, 2 h) in the presence of octenyl succinic acid (OSA) at different pHs (4, 6, and 8), and the physicochemical properties of the modified starch were evaluated. The dry-heated octenyl succinylated (DH-OS) starch was also evaluated as a partial fat substitute in a muffin. Dry heating of starch under a more acidic condition resulted in lower degree of polymerization (DP_n) but lower degree of substitution (DS). The pasting viscosity of the DH-OS starch prepared under basic conditions was higher than that of the unheated counterparts, whereas that under acidic conditions was lower. It was because the substitution favored basic conditions, and thermal degradation was accelerated by acids. The gelatinization characteristic was not significantly altered by OSA substitution and dry heating. The muffin containing the DH-OS starch had a higher specific volume and a softer texture than the muffin containing maltodextrin. Among the DH-OS starches tested, the starch prepared under acidic conditions produced muffins that had a greater volume, which was most likely due to its low molecular size. The muffin prepared with DH-OS starch at pH 6 was the softest in texture and had characteristics that were relatively close to the full-fat muffin.     

Effects of Nitrogen,Phosphorus and Potassium Fertilizers on Growth Characteristics of Two Species of Bellflower (Platycodon grandiflorum)

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Fertilization plays a vital role to enhance productivity in several medicinal plants, including Bellflower. A pot experiment was conducted in 2018 to...     

Changes in the Chemical Characteristics of Gulbi,Salted and Dried Yellow Corvenia,During Drying at Different Temperatures

A few chemical characteristics of Gulbi, a traditional Korean seafood prepared from salted and dried Yellow corvenia (Pseudosciaena manchurica), were investigated during drying at different temperatures. When Gulbi was manufactured by sun-drying (the control), it had the highest thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) values. They increased with increasing drying time at all temperatures in the hot-air drier. The TBARS value of Gulbi was lower when dried at 30 and 35°C than at 40°C and the control. The VBN of the control was higher than that of hot-air dried Gulbi at 30 and 35°C and lower than that of hot-air dried Gulbi at 40°C. The control had a VBN value of 20.8 ± 0.07% and the hot-air dried at 30°C, 18.0 ± 0.06; at 35°C, 18.6 ± 0.06; at 40°C, 23.8 ± 0.08 (p < 0.05), respectively. The salt content of the control and Gulbi dried at 30, 35, and 40°C were 22.9 ± 0.07%, 17.7 ± 0.06%, 18.0 ± 0.06%, and 24.3 ± 0.08%, respectively. The amino nitrogen content was much lower: 63.1 ± 0.80 mg/100 g and 65.5 ± 0.14 mg/100 g at 30 and 35°C than 78.3 ± 0.21 mg/100 g at 40°C. The results of this study also indicate that the Gulbi dried at 30 and 35°C had better chemical characteristics than those dried at 40°C when using hot-air drying and sun drying.     

The Presence of a New S-RNase Allele (S10) in Asian Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm; Nakai))

A PCR (polymerase chain reaction) amplification method using newly designed S-RNase primers was carried out in five Korean-bred pear cultivars and ten Japanese-bred pear cultivars. A new S-RNase allele, designated as S₁₀, was discovered from ‘Chengsilri’, containing a 1513 bp and two exons (213 bp in total) that coded for a peptide of 71 amino acids. The S₁₀-RNase allele contained the three conserved cysteine residues peculiar to S-RNase in Japanese pear and one histidine residue essential for RNase activity. We compared nucleotide sequence similarity of the exon regions of ten pear S-RNase alleles. The nucleotide sequence of S₁ showed a high similarity to S₄ (97.4%) and the new S₁₀ shows 77.8% (S₅) to 84.4% (S₄) similarity with the other pear S-RNase alleles. S₁₀ had a unique restriction endonuclease site for ‘HhaI’, with digests yielding fragments of 1235 and 491 bp. The S-genotype of pear cultivar (‘Chengsilri’) was determined to be S₅S₁₀ by PCR–RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism). Cluster analysis of 49 known S-RNase alleles of the Rosaceae separated into two divergent groups are as follows: group I: pear and apple, group II: almond, sweet cherry and mume.     

Influence of sucrose on droplet flocculation in hexadecane oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by beta-lactoglobulin

The influence of sucrose on the flocculation stability of hydrocarbon oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by a globular protein was examined using laser diffraction. Salt (150 mM NaCl) and sucrose (0-40 wt %) were added to n-hexadecane oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by beta-lactoglobulin (beta-Lg, pH 7.0) either before or after isothermal heat treatment (30-95 degrees C for 20 min). When salt was added to emulsions before heat treatment, appreciable droplet flocculation was observed below the thermal denaturation temperature of the adsorbed beta-Lg (T(m) approximately 70 degrees C), and more extensive flocculation was observed above T(m). On the other hand, when salt was added to emulsions after heat treatment, appreciable droplet flocculation still occurred below T(m), but little flocculation was observed above T(m). Addition of sucrose to the emulsions increased T(m) and either promoted or suppressed droplet flocculation depending on whether it was added before or after heat treatment. These results are interpreted in terms of the influence of sucrose on protein conformational stability, protein-protein interactions, and the physiochemical properties of aqueous solutions. This study has important implications for the formulation and production of protein stabilized oil-in-water emulsions.     

Effect of various heat treatments on rancidity and some bioactive compounds of rice bran

Rice bran contains natural phytochemicals but unstable against hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity. Various heat treatments, such as dry-heating (DH), freeze-drying followed by dry-heating (FDDH), microwave heating (MH), autoclaving (AC), and ethanol vapor (EV) treatment were applied to rice bran and their effects on the storage stability at room temperature were evaluated. The free fatty acid (FFA) content of untreated rice bran gradually increased from 2.14 to 19.81% during 24 weeks, whereas those of the treated rice brans were not or marginally changed. The FFA content in DH samples was greater than that in FDDH samples, indicating the positive effect of freeze-drying prior to DH. Among the treatments, autoclaving was most effective in retarding the FFA formation. The tocol content in the rice brans varied with the treatments, ranging from 181.4 mg/kg (EV) to 310.6 mg/kg (AC), whereas that in untreated rice bran was 216.3 mg/kg. Amounts of other bio-functional components such as phytosterols and policosanols were either unchanged or increased by the treatments. Policosanol level was increased by all the heat treatments, but not affected by EV treatment, indicating that the thermal treatments induced the release of free policosanols.     

Effect of Aspergillus oryzae-challenged germination on soybean isoflavone content and antioxidant activity

Application of microbial stress to soybean during germination induces the accumulation of phytoalexins, which have many health benefits. In this study, the effects of stress induced by Aspergillus oryzae on the phytochemical composition of germinating soybeans were investigated, and their radical scavenging activity was compared with those of ungerminated (US) and germinated (GS) soybeans. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of coumestrol, a soybean phytoalexin, against hydrogen peroxide-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) was investigated in HepG2 cells. A. oryzae exposure significantly decreased the total isoflavone content and induced coumestrol and glyceollin I. A. oryzae-challenged germinated soybeans exhibited the highest radical scavenging activity (IC(50) = 0.55 mg/mL) as compared to US and GS. Coumestrol exhibited significantly higher radical scavenging activity than daidzein and genistein. Furthermore, coumestrol significantly prevented hydrogen peroxide-induced ROS production and lipid peroxidation and inhibited decreases in cell viability, intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. These results indicate that using food-grade A. oryzae to elicit the biosynthesis of phytoalexins alters the secondary metabolite profiles of the soybeans and offers enhanced bioactivity of soybean as a functional food ingredient.