Effect of a beverage fortified with evaporated sugarcane juice on hemoglobin levels in preschool children / Efecto de una bebida fortificada con jugo de caña condensado sobre los niveles de hemoglobina en niños preescolares

The study objective was to measure the effect of consumption of a beverage mixed with a high-iron sweetener (evaporated sugarcane juice known as rapadura) on hemoglobin levels in preschool children, and to compare it with the effect of consuming the same beverage sweetened with refined sugar. Research consisted of a 12-week randomized, controlled double-blind trial conducted in 2007 at a state-run school in Sobral, Brazil, among children aged 2-3 years. The study sample was divided into two groups-one consuming cashew juice mixed with 25 g of rapadura and 40 mg of ascorbic acid (per 200-mL serving), and another consuming the same quantity of juice and ascorbic acid sweetened with 25 g of standard refined sugar. A significant statistical increase in hemoglobin was observed in the group consuming the rapadura-fortified beverage. It was therefore concluded that consumption of rapadura increased hemoglobin and thus reduced iron deficiency anemia in preschool children.

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto del consumo de una bebida mezclada con un edulcorante de alto contenido en hierro (jugo de caña condensado, conocido como rapadura) sobre los niveles de hemoglobina en niños preescolares y compararlo con el efecto de consumir la misma bebida endulzada con azúcar refinada. Se realizó un estudio aleatorizado, controlado y con doble enmascaramiento durante 12 semanas de 2007 en una escuela estatal de Sobral, Brasil. La muestra compuesta por niños de 2 a 3 años se dividió en dos grupos: uno consumió jugo de marañón con 25 g de rapadura y 40 mg de ácido ascórbico (por porción de 200 mL) y otro que consumió la misma cantidad de jugo con 25 g de azúcar refinada estándar. Se observó un aumento significativo de la hemoglobina en el grupo que consumió la bebida fortificada con rapadura. Se concluye, por tanto, que el consumo de rapadura elevó los niveles de hemoglobina, con lo que se puede reducir la anemia por deficiencia de hierro en niños preescolares.

Purification and molecular cloning of a new galactose-specific lectin from Bauhinia variegata seeds.

A new galactose-specific lectin was purified from seeds of a Caesalpinoideae plant, Bauhinia variegata, by affinity chromatography on lactose-agarose. Protein extracts haemagglutinated rabbit and human erythrocytes (native and treated with proteolytic enzymes), showing preference for rabbit blood treated with papain and trypsin. Among various carbohydrates tested, the lectin was best inhibited by D-galactose and its derivatives, especially lactose. SDS-PAGE showed that the lectin, named BVL, has a pattern similar to other lectins isolated from the same genus, Bauhinia purpurea agglutinin (BPA). The molecular mass of BVL subunit is 32 871 Da, determined by MALDI-TOF spectrometry. DNA extracted from B.variegata young leaves and primers designed according to the B. purpurea lectin were used to generate specific fragments which were cloned and sequenced, revealing two distinct isoforms. The bvl gene sequence comprised an open reading frame of 876 base pairs which encodes a protein of 291 amino acids. The protein carried a putative signal peptide. The mature protein was predicted to have 263 amino acid residues and 28 963 Da in size.