In vitro and in vivo exposure of endothelial cells to dibutyl phthalate promotes monocyte adhesion.

The effect of endothelial cells' exposure to dibutyl phthalate (DBP) on monocyte adhesion is largely unknown. We evaluated monocyte adhesion to DBP-exposed endothelial cells by combining three approaches: short-term exposure (24 h) of EA.hy926 cells to 10-6, 10-5, and 10-4 M DBP, long-term exposure (12 weeks) of EA.hy926 cells to 10-9, 10-8, and 10-7 M DBP, and exposure of rats (28 and 90 days) to 100, 500, and 5000 mg DBP/kg food. Monocyte adhesion to human EA.hy926 and rat aortic endothelial cells, expression of selected cellular adhesion molecules and chemokines, and the involvement of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) were analyzed. We observed increased monocyte adhesion to DBP-exposed EA.hy926 cells in vitro and to rat aortic endothelium ex vivo. ERK1/2 inhibitor prevented monocyte adhesion to DBP-exposed EA.hy926 cells in short-term exposure experiments. Increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation in rat aortic endothelium and transient decrease in ERK1/2 activation following long-term exposure of EA.hy926 cells to DBP were also observed. In summary, exposure of endothelial cells to DBP promotes monocyte adhesion, thus suggesting a possible role for this phthalate in the development of atherosclerosis. ERK1/2 signaling could be the mediator of monocyte adhesion to DBP-exposed endothelial cells, but only after short-term high-level exposure.

Reduction of Alternaria Toxins via the Extrusion Processing of Whole-Grain Red Sorghum Flour.

This study delved into the impact of two extrusion processing parameters-screw speed (SS at 400, 600, 800 RPM) and material moisture content in the extruder barrel (M at 12, 15, 18%) at constant feed rate (50 kg/h)-on reducing the content of alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tenuazonic acid (TeA), and tentoxin (TEN) in whole-grain red sorghum flour. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer (UPLC-MS/MS) was employed for the determination of Alternaria toxin levels. The extruder die temperature fluctuated between 136 and 177 °C, with die pressures ranging from 0.16 to 6.23 MPa. The specific mechanical energy spanned from 83.5 to 152.3 kWh/t, the torque varied between 88 and 162.8 Nm, and the average material retention time in the barrel ranged from 5.6 to 13 s. The optimal parameters for reducing the concentration of all Alternaria toxins with a satisfactory quality of the sorghum snacks were: SS = 400 RPM, M = 12%, with a reduction of 61.4, 76.4, 12.1, and 50.8% for AOH, AME, TeA, and TEN, respectively.

Bioactive, Mineral and Antioxidative Properties of Gluten-Free Chicory Supplemented Snack: Impact of Processing Conditions.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of chicory root addition (20-40%) and extrusion conditions (moisture content from 16.3 to 22.5%, and screw speed from 500 to 900 rpm) on bioactive compounds content (inulin, sesquiterpene lactones, and polyphenols) of gluten-free rice snacks. Chicory root is considered a potential carrier of food bioactives, while extrusion may produce a wide range of functional snack products. The mineral profiles were determined in all of the obtained extrudates in terms of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu contents, while antioxidative activity was established through reducing capacity, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) tests. Chicory root addition contributed to the improvement of bioactive compounds and mineral contents, as well as antioxidative activities in all of the investigated extrudates in comparison to the pure-rice control sample. An increase in moisture content raised sesquiterpene lactones and minerals, while high screw speeds positively affected polyphenols content. The achieved results showed the important impact of the extrusion conditions on the investigated parameters and promoted chicory root as an attractive food ingredient in gluten-free snack products with high bioactive value.

Development of a Novel Rice-Based Snack Enriched with Chicory Root: Physicochemical and Sensory Properties.

A novel rice-based snack enriched with chicory root flour (CRF) was developed by twin-screw extrusion. Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is one of the promising medicinal plants for the development of innovative food and may be considered a functional food ingredient. Central composite design (CCD) was employed to generate snack formulations by varying feed moisture (M, 16.3-22.5%), screw speed (SS, 500-900 rpm) and CRF content (20-40%). The optimization according to artificial neural network modeling and a genetic algorithm was applied to define optimal process conditions (17.6% moisture, 820 rpm and 24.1% of CRF) for obtaining the product with the highest expansion (3.34), crispiness (3.22 × 10-3), volume (2040 m3), degree of gelatinization (69.70%) and good color properties. Bulk density (110.33 g/L), density (250 kg/m3), and hardness (98.74 N) resulted in low values for the optimal sample. The descriptive sensory analysis evaluated low hardness and bitterness, with high crispiness for the optimal extrudate. This study points to the possibility of a novel chicory enriched extrudate production with desirable physicochemical and sensory properties.

Apparent Digestibility Coefficients of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens), Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), and Blue Bottle Fly (Calliphora vicina) Insects for Juvenile African Catfish Hybrids (Clarias gariepinus × Heterobranchus longifilis).

A digestibility trial was conducted with African catfish hybrid juveniles in order to determine the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of different nutrients. The experimental diets contained defatted black soldier fly (BSL), yellow mealworm (MW), or fully fat blue bottle fly (BBF) meals, in a 70 : 30 ratio between the control diet and the tested insect meals. The indirect method for the digestibility study was performed using 0.1% yttrium oxide as an inert marker. Fish juveniles of 217.4 ± 9.5 g initial weight were distributed in 1 m3 tanks (75 fish/tank) of a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), in triplicates, and fed until satiation for 18 days. The average final weight of the fish was 346 ± 35.8 g. The ADCs of the dry matter, protein, lipid, chitin, ash, phosphorus, amino acids, fatty acids, and gross energy for the test ingredients and diets were calculated. A six-month storage test was carried out to evaluate the shelf life of the experimental diets, while the peroxidation and microbiological status of the diets were also assessed. The ADC values of the test diets differed significantly (p < 0.001) compared to those of the control for most of the nutrients. Altogether, the BSL diet was significantly more digestible for protein, fat, ash, and phosphorus than the control diet but less digestible for essential amino acids. Significant differences were found between the ADCs of the different insect meals evaluated (p < 0.001) for practically all nutritional fractions analyzed. The African catfish hybrids were able to digest BSL and BBF more efficiently than MW, and the calculated ADC values agreed with those of other fish species. The lower ADCs of the tested MW meal correlated (p < 0.05) with the markedly higher acid detergent fiber (ADF) levels present in the MW meal and MW diet. Microbiological evaluation of the feeds revealed that mesophilic aerobic bacteria in the BSL feed were 2-3 orders of magnitude more abundant than those in the other diets and their numbers significantly increased during storage. Overall, BSL and BBF proved to be potential feed ingredients for African catfish juveniles and the shelf life of the produced diets with 30% inclusion of insect meal retained the required quality during a six-month period of storage.

Kinetic modelling of ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolics from cereal brans.

Cereal brans are by-products of the milling of cereal grains, which are mainly used as low value ingredients in animal feed. Wheat and oat bran is a rich source of bioactives and phytochemicals, especially phenolic compounds. Within this study, the application of ultrasound (US) technology to assist the extraction of phenolics from oat and wheat bran was investigated (20-45 kHz). Peleg's mathematical model was used to study the kinetics of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and subsequent stirring of total phenolic compounds (TPC). The surface morphology of cereal brans after extraction was studied using SEM analysis. The excellent agreement was determined between the values of TPC calculated from Peleg's mathematical model and actual experimental results. The constant that represents a time required for the initial phenolic concentration to be extracted to one-half of its initial value has been introduced (K1/2). It was shown that the TPC extraction kinetics was dependent only on K1/2 enabling fast kinetics fitting and comparison between extraction rates. Moreover, different values of K1/2 constant could indicate the differences in brans composition and consequently different influence of US pretreatment on these samples.

Excesive consumption of unsaturated fatty acids leads to oxidative and inflammatory instability in Wistar rats.

Lifestyle modifications such as increase in high-fat food consumption importantly increases the risks for cardiovascular disease. The principal objective of this study is to analyze effects of different high fat diet (HFD) sources on haemodynamic parameters, lipid and oxidative profile, myeloperoxidase activity, and markers of inflammation (IL-6/pentraxin-3). HFD containing 20% of fat, provided by lard (saturated) or soybean oil (unsaturated), as well as control diet were administering to three groups (L, SO and C). Food efficiency ratio and plasma lipids were significantly elevated in both HFD groups. However, only SO group showed an increase in systolic arterial pressure, oxidative stress index, myeloperoxidase activity, liver lipids as well as markers of inflammation: IL-6 and pentraxin-3 (PTX3). In summary, these results indicate inflammogenic potential of excessive soybean oil consumption in triggering liver damage.

Soybean Molasses in Animal Nutrition.

Concerning the increasing global demand for food and accumulation of huge amounts of biomass waste from the agro-food industry whose manipulation is usually inadequate, the potential of livestock to convert by-products as alternative feed ingredients into valuable proteins has been proposed as an outstanding option. Soybean molasses present a by-product of soybean protein concentrate production with low commercial cost but high nutritive and functional value. It is a rich source of soluble carbohydrates in the form of sugars and soybean phytochemicals. Therefore, this paper provides a review of published works about the production of soybean molasses, chemical composition, and nutritive value. In addition, the possibility of the application of soybean molasses in animal nutrition as a pelleting aid and functional feed ingredient is also discussed. Special attention is devoted to the influence of the inclusion of soybean molasses in the diets for ruminants, non-ruminants, and aquaculture on animal performance and health.

Antioxidant Capacity, Mineral Content and Sensory Properties of Gluten-Free Rice and Buckwheat Cookies.

Light buckwheat flour was used to substitute rice flour at the level of 10, 20 and 30% to produce gluten-free cookies. The substitution of gluten-free cookie formulation with light buckwheat flour contributed to the significantly higher mineral content, especially magnesium, potassium, iron and copper, in comparison with the control rice cookies (p<0.05). Gluten-free cookies made with rice flour and buckwheat flour exhibited significantly higher total phenolic and rutin content, scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH•), antioxidant activity and reducing power than the control cookies (p<0.05). Comparing all evaluated sensory properties, cookies containing 20% of light buckwheat flour had the most acceptable sensory properties. The obtained results of principal component analysis showed that the cookies with 20 and 30% buckwheat flour had better antioxidant and sensory properties in comparison with other two cookie samples.

Multi-residue method for determination of selected neonicotinoid insecticides in honey using optimized dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

The objective of this study was to develop analytical method based on optimized dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) as a pretreatment procedure combined with reversed phase liquid chromatographic separation on C18 column and isocratic elution for simultaneous MS/MS determination of selected neonicotinoid insecticides in honey. The LC-MS/MS parameters were optimized to unequivocally provide good chromatographic separation, low detection (LOD, 0.5-1.0 µg kg(-1)) and quantification (LOQ, 1.5-2.5 µg kg(-1)) limits for acetamiprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, dinotefuran, thiacloprid and nitenpyram in honey samples. Using different types (chloroform, dichloromethane) and volumes of extraction (0.5-3.0 mL) and dispersive (acetonitrile; 0.0-1.0 mL) solvent and by mathematical modeling it was possible to establish the optimal sample preparation procedure. Matrix-matched calibration and blank honey sample spiked in the concentration range of LOQ-100.0 µg kg(-1) were used to compensate the matrix effect and to fulfill the requirements of SANCO/12495/2011 for the accuracy (R 74.3-113.9%) and precision (expressed in terms of repeatability (RSD 2.74-11.8%) and within-laboratory reproducibility (RSDs 6.64-16.2%)) of the proposed method. The rapid (retention times 1.5-9.9 min), sensitive and low solvent consumption procedure described in this work provides reliable, simultaneous, and quantitative method applicable for the routine laboratory analysis of seven neonicotinoid residues in real honey samples.