Levels of organochlorine insecticides in milk of mothers from urban and rural areas of Botucatu, SP, Brazil.

PIP: The organochlorines DDT and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) were determined in mothers' milk in 21 women from rural towns and 21 from urban Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and correlated with environmental factors such as prevalence of house spraying, smoking, and agricultural work. Extraction and gas chromatography methods were those published by the U.S. EPA. Average DDT levels in urban milk samples were 34.9 ppb, and in rural milk 16.5 ppb. Higher meat intake was probably a factor in higher urban yield. In contrast, rural levels of HCH were 46.3 ppb, compared to 14.4 ppb in urban mothers. DDT levels were consistently lower in women who had nursed 3 or more children, than those with 1 or 2. House spraying was related to higher DDT levels in rural areas only. DDT levels were much higher in women who smoked. HCH content was higher in younger women than older, and in houses that had been sprayed, especially in rural zones, where spraying programs are run by the public health authorities. Dieldrin was detected in only 3 urban samples.^ieng

[Effect of the formulation of 2 diets of rats, with wheat bran as a source of dietary fiber, on various biochemical and nutritional parameters]. / Efeito da formulação de duas dietas de ratos, tendo farelo de trigo como fonte de fibra dietaria, sobre alguns parâmetros bioquimicos e nutricionais.

The type of diet formulation was considered in our study on the effects of wheat bran on some parameters obtained in a biological assay, for 28 days. Weanling, male Holtzman rats were divided in three groups. Two of them were fed ad libitum on diets containing 25% of wheat bran, prepared in two ways: balanced (FB) and conventional (FC). In the first case, the fiber source was added at the expense of every other ingredient, whereas in the second, only of starch. The control group received a wheat bran-free diet. Comparison among the groups showed the highest weight gain for group FB, and the lowest protein efficiency ratio (PER) for group FC. Fecal weight and the weight of the cecal contents were significantly higher for the test groups. Mean activity of the alkaline phosphatase from the jejunal mucosa was lower in group FB than in the other two. The activities of this enzyme in serum, were significantly higher for groups FB and FC. Serum cholesterol level was slightly lower for the group fed the balanced diet, than for the one receiving the conventional diet. Therefore, some parameters such as weight gain, PER, alkaline phosphatase activity of the intestinal mucosa, and serum cholesterol, were influenced by the type of diet formulation. Nevertheless, these results are not enough to substantiate a conclusive answer to the question: which diet formulation is more adequate for biological assays, when using wheat bran as a fiber source?

Amino acid composition of some Amaranthus sp. grain proteins and of its fractions.

This study was carried out to determine the protein content of several Amaranthus sp. grains. Findings revealed this has a high lysine (5.3 to 6.3 of the protein) and sulphur amino acids content (3.4-4.0%), while leucine could well be limiting when those seeds are used as a sole protein source in food. Using the correction for in vitro protein digestibility, the chemical score varied from 50 to 67. The calculated protein efficiency ratios and biological values ranged from 1.39 to 1.80 and 53 to 68, respectively. Considering that amaranth grain is a good supplement to cereal grain, the protein of A. hypochondriacus HH5 (yellow seeds) and A. anclancalius (black seeds) was fractionated into albumin, globulin, prolamin and glutelin. The average proportions between those soluble proteins were 65:17:11:7, respectively. Albumin had the highest lysine content (7.3-8.2%), and globulin the highest methionine (4.1-5.3%) and phenylalanine (6.0-6.1%) content. Prolamin had the highest threonine (4.6-5.4%) and leucine (6.8-6.9%) content, while glutelin had a very low methionine content (0.6-1.0%). Based on the above-mentioned findings, the authors conclude the variation in the amino acid composition of the protein fractions can be used for genetic protein improvement.

Chemical constituents, in vitro protein digestibility, and presence of antinutritional substances in amaranth grains.

The chemical composition, content of antinutritional factors, and the in vitro protein digestibility of grains of the pseudo-cereal Amaranthus were analyzed. The plants were grown in Brazil (without fertilizer), Puerto Rico (100 kg N/ha), and California (200 kg N/ha). The seed analysis gave the following values (%DM): 14.4 - 16.9 protein (N X 6.25), 4.8 - 6.8 fat, 2.5 - 3.9 ash, and 2.3 - 2.9 crude fiber. The trypsin inhibitors, phenolics and saponine contents were low, and the phytohemagglutinin activity, fairly low. The in vitro protein digestibility was 61 - 76%. Digestibility was not correlated to the analyzed proximal composition nor to the antinutritional factors. The grain composition indicates a food value equivalent to that of conventional food grains.

Hatchery waste: nutritional evaluation of non-hatched eggs.

Hen's non-hatched eggs were processed by boiling for 30 minutes, milling in a meat grinder, and drying at 60 degrees C with continuous ventilation. The product contained 36% of protein, 27% of ether extract, 17% of ash, 10% of calcium, and 0.6% of phosphorus. The quality of the protein was comparable to that of a reference casein and of fresh egg meal, as determined by protein efficiency ratio and apparent net protein utilization.

Effects of temperature of processing and of isoleucine fortification on the nutritive value of blood meal.

A processing for cattle blood consisting of protein coagulation and drying at mild temperatures is described. The protein efficiency ratio and the food efficiency of this blood meal supplemented with isoleucine were similar to those obtained for casein. Fortification of commercial blood meal with isoleucine did not improve much its quality.