Antimicrobial properties and volatile profile of bread and biscuits melanoidins.

This work gives novel information about the antimicrobial effect and volatiles of melanoidins isolated from Maria biscuit, common and soft bread. Melanoidins were isolated from scraped and sieved crusts (1 mm), after gluten digestion, 10 kDa ultrafiltration, and diafiltration. Finally, they were freeze-dried. Headspace solid-phase dynamic extraction coupled with a gas chromatograph with a mass spectrometer was used to determine the volatile profiles. The antimicrobial effect was evaluated against isolated strains of the most relevant food spoilage and pathogen microorganisms, together with some molds and yeasts. Melanoidins from common bread exhibited the most extensive antimicrobial activities and showed the most composite volatile profile. No undesirable compounds, such as furfural and 5-hydroxy-methyl-furfural, were found in any of the melanoidins studied. The obtained data pointed out that bakery melanoidins can exert effective food technological properties as natural antimicrobials that can improve shelf-life and security of foodstuffs, together with a possible contribution to food aroma.

Resistance and Vulnerability of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Gut Bacteria to Commonly Used Pesticides.

Agricultural and apicultural practices expose honeybees to a range of pesticides that have the potential to negatively affect their physiology, neurobiology, and behavior. Accumulating evidence suggests that these effects extend to the honeybee gut microbiome, which serves important functions for honeybee health. Here we test the potential effects of the pesticides thiacloprid, acetamiprid, and oxalic acid on the gut microbiota of honeybees, first in direct in vitro inhibition assays and secondly in an in vivo caged bee experiment to test if exposure leads to gut microbiota community changes. We found that thiacloprid did not inhibit the honeybee core gut bacteria in vitro, nor did it affect overall community composition or richness in vivo. Acetamiprid did also not inhibit bacterial growth in vitro, but it did affect community structure within bees. The eight bacterial genera tested showed variable levels of susceptibility to oxalic acid in vitro. In vivo, treatment with this pesticide reduced amplicon sequence variant (ASV) richness and affected gut microbiome composition, with most marked impact on the common crop bacteria Lactobacillus kunkeei and the genus Bombella. We conducted network analyses which captured known associations between bacterial members and illustrated the sensitivity of the microbiome to environmental stressors. Our findings point to risks of honeybee exposure to oxalic acid, which has been deemed safe for use in treatment against Varroa mites in honeybee colonies, and we advocate for more extensive assessment of the long-term effects that it may have on honeybee health.

Sourdough Biotechnology Applied to Gluten-Free Baked Goods: Rescuing the Tradition.

Recent studies suggest that the beneficial properties provided by sourdough fermentation may be translated to the development of new GF products that could improve their technological and nutritional properties. The main objective of this manuscript is to review the current evidence regarding the elaboration of GF baked goods, and to present the latest knowledge about the so-called sourdough biotechnology. A bibliographic search of articles published in the last 12 years has been carried out. It is common to use additives, such as hydrocolloids, proteins, enzymes, and emulsifiers, to technologically improve GF products. Sourdough is a mixture of flour and water fermented by an ecosystem of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts that provide technological and nutritional improvements to the bakery products. LAB-synthesized biopolymers can mimic gluten molecules. Sourdough biotechnology is an ecological and cost-effective technology with great potential in the field of GF products. Further research is necessary to optimize the process and select species of microorganisms robust enough to be competitive in any circumstance.

Antioxidant activity and physico-chemical parameters for the differentiation of honey using a potentiometric electronic tongue.

BACKGROUND: This work evaluates the capacity of a potentiometric electronic tongue to differentiate between types of honey (orange blossom, rosemary, thyme, sunflower, winter savory and honeydew honey) according to their antioxidant level. The classical procedures used to evaluate the antioxidant potential of honey are inappropriate for in situ monitoring on reception of batches of raw honey in the packaging industry. They are also destructive, time-consuming and very tedious, requiring highly expert analysts and specialised equipment. RESULTS: The electronic tongue system made with Ag, Ni, Co, Cu and Au was able to not only differentiate between types of honey but also to predict their total antioxidant capacity. The discrimination ability of the system was proved by means of a fuzzy ARTMAP type ANN, with 100% classification success. A prediction multiple linear regression model showed that the best correlation coefficient was for antioxidant activity (0.9666), then for electrical conductivity (0.8959) and to a lesser extent for aw , moisture and colour. CONCLUSION: The proposed measurement system could be a quick, easy option for the honey packaging sector to provide continuous in-line information about a characteristic as important as the antioxidant level. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Propiedades psicométricas del «Inventario breve de afrontamiento» (COPE-28) en una muestra de adolescentes / Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Brief COPE Inventory (COPE-28) in a sample of teenage

El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar las propiedades psicométricas de la versión española (el COPE-28) del "Inventario breve de afrontamiento" (Brief COPE Inventory; Carver, 1997), con 1204 adolescentes (M= 15,3 años; DT= 1,8). El análisis factorial exploratorio mostró una solución de ocho factores que explican el 54,19% de la varianza (KMO= 0,752 y prueba de esfericidad de Bartlett significativa, χ2= 6625,262; gl= 378; p< 0,001). La consistencia interna para la puntuación total del COPE-28 fue de 0,78. Se obtuvo la validez concurrente con el "Cuestionario de agresión" (Aggression Questionnaire, AQ; Buss y Perry, 1992) y el "Cuestionario de agresión reactiva y proactiva" (Reactive and Proactive Aggression Questionnaire, RPQ; Raine et al., 2006). Las correlaciones más significativas fueron entre Autoinculpación (COPE-28) y Hostilidad (AQ) (r= 0,414), Desconexión (COPE-28) y Agresión proactiva (RPQ) (r= 0,315) y, finalmente, Consumo de sustancias (COPE-28) con Agresión reactiva (RPQ) (r= 0,360), Agresión proactiva (RPQ) (r= 0,455) y Agresión física (AQ) (r= 0,392). Estos datos apoyan la fiabilidad y validez del COPE-28 pero señalan a su vez la necesidad de nuevos estudios

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version (COPE-28) of the Brief Cope Inventory (Carver, 1997) with 1204 adolescents (M= 15.3 years, SD= 1.8). An exploratory factor analysis showed a solution of eight factors that explains 54.19% of the variance (KMO= .752 and Bartlett's test was significant, χ2= 6625.262, df= 378, p< .001). The internal consistency for the total score of the COPE-28 was .78. Concurrent validity was obtained with the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ; Buss & Perry, 1992) and Reactive and Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ; Raine et al., 2006). The most significant correlations were between Self-incrimination (COPE-28) and Hostility (AQ) (r= 0.414), Disconnection (COPE-28) and Proactive aggression (RPQ) (r= .315), and finally Substance use (COPE-28) with Reactive aggression (RPQ) (r= .360), Proactive aggression (RPQ) (r= .455) and Physical aggression (AQ) (r= .392). These data support the reliability and validity of COPE-28 but point to the need for further studies

Gender-related invasion differences associated with mRNA expression levels of melatonin membrane receptors in colorectal cancer.

Melatonin inhibits growth and invasive capacity of colon cancer cells in vitro through its membrane (MT1 and MT2) and/or nuclear receptors (RORα). Previous studies showed that this indoleamine is present in both the normal and colon cancer at similar levels. Therefore, we analyzed MT1, MT2, and RORα expression in tumor samples versus normal mucosa (NM) from patients suffering from colorectal cancer (CRC). Given the existence of sex differences in the incidence and pathology of CRC and the involvement of steroid receptors in the oncostatic actions of melatonin in some types of cancer, we also analyzed the expression of androgen (AR) and estrogen receptor (ER) α and ERß. Finally, we conducted some experiments in colon cancer cell lines to corroborate the experiments carried out in human tumors. We found a decreased expression of MT1, MT2, AR, ERα, and ERß in tumor samples versus NM, but no changes in RORα expression in the whole cohort of patients. Classifying tumors by stage and gender, MT1, MT2, AR, ERα, and ERß expression decreased in both early stage and advanced tumors, but only in male patients. On the other hand, MT1 and MT2 expression correlated positively with AR, ERα, and ERß expression in male patients and with ERα or ERß in female patients. In vitro, the invasive capacity was higher in cells with the least expression of MT1, MT2, and AR, and nonselective MT1/MT2 agonists inhibited cell growth and invasion. These results could indicate a possible interaction of these pathways.