Evaluation of the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) system in the detection of mastitis pathogens from bovine milk samples.

MALDI-TOF is a chemistry analytical tool that has recently been deployed in the identification of microorganisms isolated from nosocomial environments. Its use in diagnostics has been extremely advantageous in terms of cost effectiveness, sample preparation easiness, turn-around time and result analysis accessibility. In the dairy industry, where mastitis causes great financial losses, a rapid diagnostic method such as MALDI-TOF could assist in the control and prevention program of mastitis, in addition to the sanitation and safety level of the dairy farms and processing facility. However, the diagnostic strengths and limitations of this test method require further understanding. In the present study, we prospectively compared MALDI-TOF MS to conventional 16S rDNA sequencing method for the identification of pathogens recovered from milk associated with clinical and subclinical bovine mastitis cases. Initially, 810 bacterial isolates were collected from raw milk samples over a period of three months. However, only the isolates (481) having both 16S rDNA sequencing and MALDI-TOF identification were included in the final phase of the study. Among the 481 milk isolates, a total of 26 genera (12 g-postive and 14 g-negative), including 71 different species, were taxonomically charecterized by 16S rDNA at the species level. Comparatively, MALDI-TOF identified 17 genera (9 g-positive and 8 g-negative) and 33 differernt species. Overall, 445 (93%) were putatively identified to the genus level by MALDI-TOF MS and 355 (74%) were identified to the species level, but no reliable identification was obtained for 16 (3.3%), and 20 (4.2%) discordant results were identified. Future studies may help to overcome the limitations of the MALDI database and additional sample preparation steps might help to reduce the number of discordances in identification. In conclusion, our results show that MALDI-TOF MS is a fast and reliable technique which has the potential to replace conventional identification methods for common mastitis pathogens, routinely isolated from raw milk. Thus it's adoption will strengthen the capacity, quality, and possibly the scope of diagnostic services to support the dairy industry.

Polylactose Exhibits Prebiotic Activity and Reduces Adiposity and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet.

BACKGROUND: Prebiotic dietary fibers change the intestinal microbiome favorably and provide a health benefit to the host. OBJECTIVES: Polylactose is a novel fiber, synthesized by extrusion of lactose. We evaluated its prebiotic activity by determining its fermentability, effect on the microbiota, and effects on adiposity and liver lipids in a diet-induced obesity animal model. METHODS: Male Wistar rats (4-5 wk old) were fed normal-fat (NF, 25% fat energy) or high-fat (HF, 51% fat energy) diets containing different fibers (6% fiber of interest and 3% cellulose, by weight), including cellulose (NFC and HFC, negative and positive controls, respectively), polylactose (HFPL), lactose matched to residual lactose in the HFPL diet, and 2 established prebiotic fibers: polydextrose (HFPD) and fructooligosaccharide (HFFOS). After 10 wk of feeding, organs were harvested and cecal contents collected. RESULTS: HFPL animals had greater cecum weight (3 times greater than HFC) and lower cecal pH (∼1 pH unit lower than HFC) than all other groups, suggesting that polylactose is more fermentable than other prebiotic fibers (HFPD, HFFOS; P < 0.05). HFPL animals also had increased taxonomic abundance of the probiotic species Bifidobacterium in the cecum relative to all other groups (P < 0.05). Epididymal fat pad weight was significantly decreased in the HFPL group (29% decrease compared with HFC) compared with all other HF groups (P < 0.05) and did not differ from the NFC group. Liver lipids and cholesterol were reduced in HFPL animals when compared with HFC animals (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Polylactose is a fermentable fiber that elicits a beneficial change in the gut microbiota as well as reducing adiposity in rats fed HF diets. These effects of polylactose were greater than those of 2 established prebiotics, fructooligosaccharide and polydextrose, suggesting that polylactose is a potent prebiotic.

Using microwave-accelerated digestion instead of dry ashing during sodium analysis of low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella.

Mineral analysis of cheese products is a labor- and time-intensive process. Pretreatment using dry or atmospheric wet ashing to decompose organic matter before measurement on a spectrometer can take more than 24 h to complete. Samples of low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella (LMPS) cheese were digested using microwave-accelerated digestion (MAD) and conventional dry ashing. A comparison of 23 samples, in duplicate, was performed to determine equivalency. A two one-sided test (TOST) analysis showed that the confidence intervals were within acceptable differences for standard method variation (less than 70 mg/100 g per International Dairy Federation method 119:2007). Bias was observed for the quantification of sodium in microwave-digested samples, averaging 14 mg/100 g higher. Based on the TOST criteria, we concluded that the methods are equivalent.

Relationship of Maternal Weight Status Before, During, and After Pregnancy with Breast Milk Hormone Concentrations.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test associations of prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, oral glucose challenge test results, and postpartum weight loss as predictors of breast milk leptin, insulin, and adiponectin concentrations and whether these relationships vary over time. METHODS: Milk was collected at 1 and 3 months from 135 exclusively breastfeeding women from the longitudinal Mothers and Infants Linked for Healthy Growth (MILk) study. Hormones were assayed in skimmed samples using ELISA. Mixed-effects linear regression models were employed to assess main effects and effect-by-time interactions on hormone concentrations. RESULTS: In adjusted models, BMI was positively associated with milk leptin (P < 0.001) and insulin (P = 0.03) and negatively associated with milk adiponectin (P = 0.02); however, the association was stronger with insulin and weaker with adiponectin at 3 months than at 1 month (time interaction P = 0.017 for insulin and P = 0.045 for adiponectin). Gestational weight gain was positively associated and postpartum weight loss was negatively associated with milk leptin (both P < 0.001), independent of BMI. Oral glucose challenge test results were not associated with these milk hormone concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal weight status before, during, and after pregnancy contributes to interindividual variation in human milk composition. Continuing work will assess the role of these and other milk bioactive factors in altering infant metabolic outcomes.

Associations of Maternal Weight Status Before, During, and After Pregnancy with Inflammatory Markers in Breast Milk.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine the associations of maternal weight status before, during, and after pregnancy with breast milk C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), two bioactive markers of inflammation, measured at 1 and 3 months post partum. METHODS: Participants were 134 exclusively breastfeeding mother-infant dyads taking part in the Mothers and Infants Linked for Health (MILK) study, who provided breast milk samples. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) were assessed by chart abstraction; postpartum weight loss was measured at the 1- and 3-month study visits. Linear regression was used to examine the associations of maternal weight status with repeated measures of breast milk CRP and IL-6 at 1 and 3 months, after adjustment for potential confounders. RESULTS: Pre-pregnancy BMI and excessive GWG, but not total GWG or postpartum weight loss, were independently associated with breast milk CRP after adjustment (ß = 0.49, P < 0.001 and ß = 0.51, P = 0.011, respectively). No associations were observed for IL-6. CONCLUSIONS: High pre-pregnancy BMI and excessive GWG are associated with elevated levels of breast milk CRP. The consequences of infants receiving varying concentrations of breast milk inflammatory markers are unknown; however, it is speculated that there are implications for the intergenerational transmission of disease risk.

Perennial Grain and Oilseed Crops.

Historically, agroecosystems have been designed to produce food. Modern societies now demand more from food systems-not only food, fuel, and fiber, but also a variety of ecosystem services. And although today's farming practices are producing unprecedented yields, they are also contributing to ecosystem problems such as soil erosion, greenhouse gas emissions, and water pollution. This review highlights the potential benefits of perennial grains and oilseeds and discusses recent progress in their development. Because of perennials' extended growing season and deep root systems, they may require less fertilizer, help prevent runoff, and be more drought tolerant than annuals. Their production is expected to reduce tillage, which could positively affect biodiversity. End-use possibilities involve food, feed, fuel, and nonfood bioproducts. Fostering multidisciplinary collaborations will be essential for the successful integration of perennials into commercial cropping and food-processing systems.

Homogenization and lipase treatment of milk and resulting methyl ketone generation in blue cheese.

A specific range of methyl ketones contribute to the distinctive flavor of traditional blue cheeses. These ketones are metabolites of lipid metabolism by Penicillium mold added to cheese for this purpose. Two processes, namely, the homogenization of milk fat and the addition of exogenous lipase enzymes, are traditionally applied measures to control the formation of methyl ketones in blue cheese. There exists little scientific validation of the actual effects of these treatments on methyl ketone development. The present study evaluated the effects of milk fat homogenization and lipase treatments on methyl ketone and free fatty acid development using sensory methods and the comparison of selected volatile quantities using gas chromatography. Initial work was conducted using a blue cheese system model; subsequent work was conducted with manufactured blue cheese. In general, there were modest effects of homogenization and lipase treatments on free fatty acid (FFA) and methyl ketone concentrations in blue cheese. Blue cheese treatments involving Penicillium roqueforti lipase with homogenized milk yielded higher FFA and methyl ketone levels, for example, a ∼20-fold increase for hexanoic acid and a 3-fold increase in 2-pentanone.

Stairway to heaven: evaluating levels of biological organization correlated with the successful ascent of natural waterfalls in the Hawaiian stream goby Sicyopterus stimpsoni.

Selective pressures generated by locomotor challenges act at the level of the individual. However, phenotypic variation among individuals that might convey a selective advantage may occur across any of multiple levels of biological organization. In this study, we test for differences in external morphology, muscle mechanical advantage, muscle fiber type and protein expression among individuals of the waterfall climbing Hawaiian fish Sicyopterus stimpsoni collected from sequential pools increasing in elevation within a single freshwater stream. Despite predictions from previous laboratory studies of morphological selection, few directional morphometric changes in body shape were observed at successively higher elevations. Similarly, lever arm ratios associated with the main pelvic sucker, central to climbing ability in this species, did not differ between elevations. However, among climbing muscles, the adductor pelvicus complex (largely responsible for generating pelvic suction during climbing) contained a significantly greater red muscle fiber content at upstream sites. A proteomic analysis of the adductor pelvicus revealed two-fold increases in expression levels for two respiratory chain proteins (NADH:ubiquinone reductase and cytochrome b) that are essential for aerobic respiration among individuals from successively higher elevations. Assessed collectively, these evaluations reveal phenotypic differences at some, but not all levels of biological organization that are likely the result of selective pressures experienced during climbing.

Accelerated shelf-life testing of quality loss for a commercial hydrolysed hen egg white powder.

In recent years, due to the specific health benefits associated with bioactive peptides and the reduction of protein allergenicity by enzymatic hydrolysis, the utilisation of protein hydrolysates in functional foods and beverages for both protein supplementation and clinical use has significantly increased. However, few studies have explored the moisture-induced effects on food protein hydrolysates, and the resulting changes in the structure and texture of the food matrix as well as the loss in functional properties of bioactive peptides during storage. The main purpose of this study is to determine the influence of water activity (a(w)) on the storage quality of a commercial spray-dried hydrolysed hen egg white powder (HEW). During storage at 45 °C for two months at different a(w)s (0.05-0.79), the selected physicochemical properties of the HEW samples were analysed. Overall, the effect of a(w) on the colour change of HEW at 45 °C for one month was similar to that of HEW after four months at 23 °C due to the presence of a small amount of glucose in HEW. Several structural changes occurred at a(w)s from 0.43 to 0.79 including agglomeration, stickiness and collapse. Kinetic analysis showed a first-order hyperbolic model fit for the change in the L(∗) value, the total colour difference (ΔE(∗)) and the fluorescence intensity (FI). There was a high correlation between colour change and fluorescence, as expected for the Maillard reaction. The reduction in the remaining free amino groups was about 5% at a(w) 0.50 and 6% at a(w) 0.79 after one month storage. In summary, during storage, the Maillard reaction and/or its resulting products could decrease the nutritional value and the quality of HEW.