Fermentation as a bio-process to obtain functional soybean flours

The effect of fermentation on the antioxidant compounds [vitamins C and E, total phenolic compounds (TPC), and reduced glutathione (GSH)], and antioxidant capacity [superoxide anion scavenging activity (SOD-like activity), peroxyl radical-trapping capacity (PRTC), inhibition of phosphatidylcholine (PC) peroxidation, and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC)] of soybean (Glycine max cv. Merit) was studied. Fermentation was carried out in solid state in cracked seeds inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizopus oryzae, Bacillus subtilis, and Lactobacillus plantarum and in liquid state either in cracked seeds or milled soybean flours fermented naturally by only the microorganisms present in the seeds or by inoculation with L. plantarum. Vitamin C was not detected in the studied samples. Fermentation caused a decrease in vitamin E activity, except when cracked seed was fermented with A. oryzae, R. oryzae, or B. subtilis that increased 31, 30, and 89%, respectively. Fermentation produced an increase in TPC content and did not affect or reduce the GSH content. Fermentation decreased SOD-like activity drastically, while PRTC increased except when it was carried out naturally in cracked seed. TEAC values rose sharply when soybeans were fermented with B. subtilis. Processed soybean extracts inhibited PC peroxidation in comparison with the control assay. On the basis of the results obtained, the relative contributions of vitamin E, TPC, and GSH to antioxidant capacity were calculated and results showed a very high TPC contribution and a low contribution of GSH and vitamin E activity. Optimum results for functional soybean flours were achieved when fermentation was carried out with B. subtilis inoculum.     

Single ventricle,total transposition,and hypoplastic aorta in a calf

A purebred Ayrshire calf was born with multiple congenital cardiac defects. The major defects included absence of an interventricular septum (i.e., single ventricle), transposition of the aorta and pulmonary trunk, interatrial septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and aortic arch anomalies. Despite the severity of the anomalies, the calf survived to 5 days of age, when it was found dead. This particular combination of cardiac defects has not been previously described in domestic animals.     

Bioaccumulation and Effects of Heavy Metals in Crayfish: A Review

Metal pollution is a global problem which represents a growing threat to the environment. Because of bioaccumulation and negative effects of heavy metals, their bioavailability needs to be monitored. Many studies showed accumulation of metals in crayfish tissues as dose- and time-dependent without significant differences in tissue concentration levels comparing males and females. Muscles and exoskeleton were considered as specific for accumulation of mercury and nickel, respectively. Cadmium, zinc, copper, lead, and chromium accumulated mainly in hepatopancreas. By analyzing these specific tissues, it is possible to deduce the bioavailability and, by presumption, the level of environmental pollution by specific metals. However, in the case of zinc and copper, their utility is limited to assessing bioavailability because rapid depuration of these metals renders them less useful for long-term environmental monitoring programs. The literature reporting heavy metal impacts on freshwater crayfish, with reference to accumulation levels, is reviewed and summarized with respect to their suitability as bioindicators. Summarized published data from unpolluted or control localities can be used as referential values in crayfish, and consequently help with evaluation of monitored sites.     

Effect of processing on the antioxidant vitamins and antioxidant capacity of Vigna sinensis Var. Carilla

Cowpea (Vigna sinensis L. var. Carilla) flours obtained by fermentation with inoculum Lactobacillus plantarum (PF) or with the natural microorganisms present in the flour (NF) and subsequent heat treatment in an autoclave were prepared to study the effect of fermentation on the antioxidant vitamin content and on the antioxidant capacity. Bacterial counts and pH values, vitamins C and E, carotenoids, glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase-like activity (SOD-like activity), peroxyl radical-trapping capacity (PRTC), lipid peroxidation in unilamillar liposomes, and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) were evaluated in raw and processed cowpea flours. gamma-Tocopherol and delta-tocopherol were found in raw cowpea, whereas vitamin C and carotenoids were not detected. An increase in the vitamin E activity was observed in PF, whereas vitamin C and carotenoids were not detected in fermented cowpea flours. Fermentation or heat treatment in an autoclave after fermentation produced processed cowpea flours with lower PRTC, glutathione content, and SOD-like activity than those of the raw seeds. However, those processes increased the capacity to inhibit the lipid peroxidation in unilamellar lipoposomes and TEAC. According to the results obtained in this study, the fermentation of cowpeas (naturally or with L. plantarum) and fermentation and subsequent heat treatment in an autoclave are good processes to obtain functional cowpea flours having higher antioxidant capacity than the raw legume.     

Role of extracellular matrix and prolactin in functional differentiation of bovine BME-UV1 mammary epithelial cells

Interactions between extracellular matrix (ECM) and epithelial cells are necessary for proper organisation and function of the epithelium. In the present study we show that bovine mammary epithelial cell line BME-UV1 cultured on ECM components, commercially available as Matrigel, constitutes a good model for studying mechanisms controlling functional differentiation of the bovine mammary gland. In contact with Matrigel BME-UV1 cells induce apicobasal polarity, and within 16 days form three dimensional (3D) acinar structures with a centrally localized hollow lumen, which structurally resemble mammary alveoli present in the functionally active mammary gland. We have shown that the 3D culture system enables a high expression and proper localisation of integrin receptors and tight junction proteins in BME-UV1 cells to be induced. This effect was not obtained in cells grown in the classical 2D culture system on plastic. Moreover, ECM highly stimulated the synthesis of one of the major milk proteins, beta-casein, even in the absence of prolactin. Our results show that contact with ECM plays an important role in the lactogenic activity of bovine MECs, however, prolactin is necessary for the efficient secretion of milk proteins.     

Prevalence of Babesia canis, Borrelia afzelii, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in hard ticks removed from dogs in Warsaw (central Poland)

The purposes of this study were to specify the occurrence and prevalence of Babesia canis, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in ticks removed from dogs in Warsaw, and to determine the Borrelia species occurring in Ixodes ricinus ticks. Among 590 collected ticks, 209 were identified as I. ricinus, and 381 as Dermacentor reticulatus. DNA of B. canis was detected in 11% of D. reticulatus ticks. We found that 6.2% of I. ricinus ticks harbored B. burgdorferi s.l. specific DNA and 2.9% harbored A. phagocytophilum DNA. In these samples sequencing of the detected Borrelia amplicon confirmed infection with Borrelia afzelii genospecies. New sequences were submitted to the GenBank database (accession no. EU152128, EU152127, EU152126). This work is the first detection of B. afzelii and A. phagocytophilum in ticks from Warsaw, and the first survey for the prevalence of B. canis, B. afzelii, and A. phagocytophilum in ticks in central Poland.     

Sperm quality in male <Emphasis Type="Italic">Barbus barbus</Emphasis> L. fed different diets during the spawning season

Sperm quality of Barbus barbus L. was compared among the three following dietary regimes: Group A, fed 100% commercial diet (Karpico™ containing 33% crude protein and 6% fat), Group B, fed 78% commercial diet and 22% frozen chironomid (Chironomus plumosus) larvae, and Group C, fed 56% commercial diet and 44% frozen chironomid larvae. Concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in Group A, B, and C were 39.1, 42.0, and 44.6, respectively, as a percentage of total fatty acids. Sperm morphology, volume, concentration and motility, total number of spermatozoa, and osmolality of the seminal plasma were compared during the spawning season. Dietary regime did not influence sperm volume, concentration, or total number of spermatozoa, osmolality of seminal plasma, or the percentage of motile sperm, but significantly affected sperm morphology (except for anterior and posterior parts of the midpiece) and sperm velocity (P < 0.05). Groups B and C showed similar sperm characteristics during the spawning season compared to Group A. Almost all parameters changed either among or within groups during the spawning season, suggesting differences in terms of the optimal time for sperm collection. The best time for sperm collection was March for Group A, but April for Groups B and C, when the osmolality of the seminal plasma measured 289 mOsmol kg⁻¹ and sperm motility was maximal. Spermatogenesis, hydration, and cell decomposition were confirmed as the three major parameters controlling sperm characteristics during the spawning season. The possible correlation between sperm morphology and motility requires further study.     

Numerical modelling of moisture movement and related stress field in lime wood subjected to changing climate conditions

Numerical modelling was used to follow the evolution of the moisture content gradient and the stress field resulting from the restrained differential dimensional response across a wooden cylinder, simulating sculptures, in response to variations in temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH). Material properties of lime wood (Tilia sp.) were used in the modelling as this wood species was historically widely used. The allowable RH variations, below which mechanical damage will not occur, were derived as functions of the amplitude, time period and starting RH level of the variation. Lime wood can endure step RH variations of up to 15% in the moderate RH region, but the allowable domain narrows when RH levels shift from the middle range. The allowable amplitude of the variations increases when time allowed for the change increases. The stress field does not vanish even for slow, quasi-static changes in RH due to structural internal restraint resulting from the anisotropy in the moisture-related dimensional change.