ABSTRACT
Phenylketonuria is a hereditary disease caused by a lack or deficiency of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase, its most severe clinical manifestation being irreversible mental retardation. Presently, the only therapy available is the dietary restriction of phenylalanine. The objective of this study was to produce laboratory-scale low-phenylalanine milk to be used as a dietary supplement by phenylketonurics. Low-phenylalanine milk can be used to make a variety of palatable, lowphenylalanine foods and beverages. Three milk hydrolysates were prepared enzymatically [1g of enzyme/100 g of substrate], using a protease from Aspergillus oryzae and papain, separately and in combination [0.5 g of either enzyme/100 g of substrate], followed by adding different amounts of activated carbon [0.3, 0.9, and 1.5 g] to them to remove phenylalanine. The combination of Aspergillus oryzae protease and papain, along with the use of 0.9 g activated carbon in the post-hydrolysis process, resulted in the lowest final phenylalanine content. The best condition for removing phenylalanine from milk was use of a combination of Aspergillus oryzae enzyme[0.5g of enzyme/100g of substrate] and papain [0.5 g of enzyme/100 g of substrate] with 0.9 g activated carbon in the post-hydrolysis process, resulting in removal of 99% of the phenylalanine
ABSTRACT
Organic solvents have a broad range of application in industry. Hepatotoxicity of different organic halogenated solvents like carbon tetrachloride has been verified in numerous studies; however, studies investigating the association between the occupational exposure with aromatic organic solvents like benzene, toluene and xylene and hepatic toxicity are limited. The goal of this study was to review the long term effects of exposure with mixture of aromatic organic solvents, in higher amounts of permissible level, on hepatic system. This is a cross sectional study which was conducted in an automobile plant. Workers employed in the painting saloon were considered as cases and workers in assembly as controls. A questionnaire, containing demographic data like age and years of employment, was completed for each of 349 workers. After considering exclusion criteria, liver enzyme level [AST, ALT and ALP] of 163 case workers was compared with 186 controls. Concentration of mixture of organic solvents in painting saloon was twice and a half as much of the permissible level. The collected data was analyzed by the SPSS software, using T score, K2 and Linear Regression. The Mean level of ALP in case group was significantly higher than the control group [P<0.001]. For AST and ALT the mean was higher in the case group but this difference was not statistically significant. Increase in ALP level had a significant association with BMI [P<0.001] and smoking [P=0.007]; yet, no significant relation was seen with age and years of employment. Our study suggested that exposure with mixture of aromatic organic solvents, in higher amounts of permissible level, can cause mild functional liver damage [cholestatic type]. So, it is recommended to use liver function tests, especially ALP, for screening of workers exposed to mixture of aromatic organic solvents, for preliminary detection of hepatic dysfunction