Digestibility of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Protein Concentrate and Its Potential to Inhibit Lipid Peroxidation in the Zebrafish Larvae Model.

Quinoa protein concentrate (QPC) was extracted and digested under in vitro gastrointestinal conditions. The protein content of QPC was in the range between 52.40 and 65.01% depending on the assay used. Quinoa proteins were almost completely hydrolyzed by pepsin at pH of 1.2, 2.0, and 3.2. At high pH, only partial hydrolysis was observed. During the duodenal phase, no intact proteins were visible, indicating their susceptibility to the in vitro simulated digestive conditions. Zebrafish larvae model was used to evaluate the in vivo ability of gastrointestinal digests to inhibit lipid peroxidation. Gastric digestion at pH 1.2 showed the highest lipid peroxidation inhibition percentage (75.15%). The lipid peroxidation activity increased after the duodenal phase. The digest obtained at the end of the digestive process showed an inhibition percentage of 82.10%, comparable to that showed when using BHT as positive control (87.13%).

Antibacterial activity of hen egg white lysozyme modified by heat and enzymatic treatments against oenological lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria.

The antimicrobial activity of heat-denatured and hydrolyzed hen egg white lysozyme against oenological lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria was investigated. The lysozyme was denatured by heating, and native and heat-denatured lysozymes were hydrolyzed by pepsin. The lytic activity against Micrococcus lysodeikticus of heat-denatured lysozyme decreased with the temperature of the heat treatment, whereas the hydrolyzed lysozyme had no enzymatic activity. Heat-denatured and hydrolyzed lysozyme preparations showed antimicrobial activity against acetic acid bacteria. Lysozyme heated at 90°C exerted potent activity against Acetobacter aceti CIAL-106 and Gluconobacter oxydans CIAL-107 with concentrations required to obtain 50% inhibition of growth (IC50) of 0.089 and 0.013 mg/ml, respectively. This preparation also demonstrated activity against Lactobacillus casei CIAL-52 and Oenococcus oeni CIAL-91 (IC50, 1.37 and 0.45 mg/ml, respectively). The two hydrolysates from native and heat-denatured lysozyme were active against O. oeni CIAL-96 (IC50, 2.77 and 0.3 mg/ml, respectively). The results obtained suggest that thermal and enzymatic treatments increase the antibacterial spectrum of hen egg white lysozyme in relation to oenological microorganisms.

Antiviral activity of casein and αs2 casein hydrolysates against the infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus, a rhabdovirus from salmonid fish.

Salmonid fish viruses, such as infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), are responsible for serious losses in the rainbow trout and salmon-farming industries, and they have been the subject of intense research in the field of aquaculture. Thus, the aim of this work is to study the antiviral effect of milk-derived proteins as bovine caseins or casein-derived peptides at different stages during the course of IHNV infection. The results indicate that the 3-h fraction of casein and α(S2) -casein hydrolysates reduced the yield of infectious IHNV in a dose-dependent manner and impaired the production of IHNV-specific antigens. Hydrolysates of total casein and α(S2) -casein target the initial and later stages of viral infection, as demonstrated by the reduction in the infective titre observed throughout multiple stages and cycles. In vivo, more than 50% protection was observed in the casein-treated fish, and the kidney sections exhibited none of the histopathological characteristics of IHNV infection. The active fractions from casein were identified, as well as one of the individual IHNV-inhibiting peptides. Further studies will be required to determine which other peptides possess this activity. These findings provide a basis for future investigations on the efficacy of these compounds in treating other viral diseases in farmed fish and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of action. However, the present results provide convincing evidence in support of a role for several milk casein fractions as suitable candidates to prevent and treat some fish viral infections.

[Serodiagnosis of pregnancy in the cow with the latex passive agglutination technic]. / Diagnostic sérique de la gestation chez la vache avec la technique d'agglutination passive de particules de latex.

This paper describes a test for diagnosing pregnancy in the cow based on the detection of blastocyst antigens in the maternal blood circulation. Rabbit anti-bovine embryo serum was agglutinated with the sera of non-pregnant cows to obtain specific antibodies. These rabbit antibodies were then absorbed on latex beads which could then be used for the standard passive agglutination reaction. This diagnostic technique was tested on 415 animals. The results on pregnant cows were successful in 78 p. 100 of the cases (confidence interval: 69-86 p. 100) and on non-pregnant cows 94 p. 100 of the time (confidence interval: 90-97 p. 100). This test is independent of the status of the ovaries and of the pregnancy stage. Detection is reliable from day 26 after coitum.