Harina de maní parcialmente deslipidizada: un ingrediente funcional para mejorar el valor nutritivo de productos de panificación / Partially defatted peanut flour: a functional ingredient to improve nutritional value of bakery products

Peanut seeds were used to obtain partially defatted peanut flour (PF) by means of a cross-flow solvent extraction process (n-hexane), using a continuous lixiviation apparatus. The chemical composition of PF showed high protein (410 g kg-1) and crude fiber (160 g kg-1) contents; total lipids (115 g kg-1) and minerals (47g kg-1) were in minor amounts. Physico-chemical properties of PF showed minimum solubility at pH 4 - 5 and maximum at pH 8. Water and oil holding capacities were 2.7 and 2.3 g ml-1, respectively, and presented emulsifying properties suitable for the formulation of bakery products. Breads prepared by replacement of 10 or 20 % wheat flour by PF showed significant increases of both protein and fiber contents, and improved fatty acid profile, with respect to breads made with wheat flour only Cookies made with PF had three times more protein content and nine times more fiber content than wheat flour-based cookies. The sensory scores of PF-based products were similar to those made with wheat flour. Partially defatted peanut flour provides a rich source of gluten-free protein, fiber and essential minerals. It may be used to enhance the nutritional quality of wheat flour-based bakery products.

Se obtuvo harina de maní parcialmente deslipidizada (HM) mediante un proceso de lixiviación continua (n-hexano). La composición mostró elevados contenidos de proteínas (410 g kg-1) y fibra cruda (160 g kg-1); los lípidos totales (115 g kg-1) y los minerales (47 g kg-1) se encontraron en menor proporción. La solubilidad mínima de HM se observó a pH comprendido entre 4 y 5, y la máxima a pH 8. Las capacidades de retención de agua y de aceite fueron de 2.7 y 2.3 ml g-1, respectivamente y con valores en las propiedades emulsionantes apropiadas para la formulación de productos de panificación. Panes elaborados con 10 o 20 % HM, en reemplazo de harina de trigo, mostraron incrementos significativos de los contenidos de proteínas y fibra cruda, y mejores perfiles de ácidos grasos y minerales en relación a los preparados sólo con harina de trigo. Galletitas elaboradas a base de HM presentaron contenidos de proteínas y de fibra tres y nueve veces más elevados, respectivamente, que las obtenidas con harina de trigo. Los atributos sensoriales de los productos elaborados con HM resultaron similares a los elaborados con harina de trigo. La harina de maní parcialmente deslipidizada constituye una fuente rica en proteínas libres de gluten, fibra y minerales esenciales, que puede ser utilizada para mejorar la calidad nutricional de productos de panificación basados en harina de trigo.

Synergistic anti-tumor effects of melatonin and PUFAs from walnuts in a murine mammary adenocarcinoma model.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of some polyunsaturated fatty acids plus phytomelatonin from walnuts in the development of mammary gland adenocarcinoma. METHODS: BALB/c mice were fed a semisynthetic diet supplemented with either 6% walnut oil and 8% walnut flour containing phytomelatonin (walnut diet: WD); or 6% corn oil plus commercial melatonin (melatonin diet: MD), or the control group (CD), which received only 6% of corn oil. Membrane fatty acids of tumor cells (TCs) were analyzed by gas liquid chromatography, cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) derivatives, and plasma melatonin by high-performance liquid chromatography; apoptosis and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes by flow cytometry. RESULTS: TCs from the MD and WD mice showed significant decreases in linoleic acid compared with the CD group (P < 0.05). Significantly lower levels of LOX-[13(S)-HODE] were found in TCs from the MD and WD group than in CD (P < 0.0001). COX-[12(S)-HHT] was lower and 12 LOX-[12(S)-HETE] was higher in TCs from the MD group than form the WD and CD arms (P < 0.05). Plasma melatonin, apoptosis, tumor infiltration, and survival time were significantly lower in CD mice than in MD and WD mice (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that melatonin, along with polyunsaturated fatty acids, exerts a selective inhibition of some COX and LOX activities and has a synergistic anti-tumor effect on a mammary gland adenocarcinoma model.

Short-term effects of combined iprodione and vermicompost applications on soil microbial community structure.

The use of compost amendments to bioremediate potential organic pollutants in agricultural soils has recently become an increasingly important field of research. Although several fungicides have been extensively used to control a wide range of soil-borne fungal diseases, little is known about the impact of applying these pesticides on the structure and function of microbial communities in soils amended with vermicompost. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a combined treatment of iprodione and vermicompost on soil microbiological parameters under laboratory conditions. The study was carried out on agricultural and grassland soils to identify the effect of iprodione application at field rate (FR) and 10-times FR (10 FR) with and without vermicompost (VCH) on iprodione breakdown, fluorescein diacetate activity (FDA), total fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles, total protein content, and protein profiles by using sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Our results indicate that the addition of vermicompost decreased the iprodione breakdown at days 30 and 60 in non-sterilised agricultural soil and at 60 days in sterilised and non-sterilised grassland soil. Independent of vermicompost amended treatments, iprodione was found to mainly alter microbial communities after 30 days of incubation. On day 30, separation between communities treated with iprodione 10 FR and iprodione 10FR + VCH treatments were well defined in both agricultural and grassland soils. Within each soil type, our results showed no difference in the total protein content. However, the protein content in the grassland soil was clearly higher than in the agricultural soil. SDS-PAGE gels revealed that the treatments applied to the agricultural soil using iprodione at the highest dosages (iprodione 10FR and iprodione 10FR+VCH) resulted in an alteration of the band pattern. In conclusion, the experiments revealed that the addition of vermicompost may decrease the breakdown of iprodione in soils. Furthermore, elevated dosages of iprodione may potentially affect the microbial community structure and diversity of the soil, which may lead to the deterioration of soil quality and fertility.

Walnut (Juglans regia L.): genetic resources, chemistry, by-products.

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) is the most widespread tree nut in the world. There is a great diversity of genotypes differing in forestry, productivity, physical and chemical nut traits. Some of them have been evaluated as promising and may serve as germplasm sources for breeding. The nutritional importance of the nut is related to the seed (kernel). It is a nutrient-dense food mainly owing to its oil content (up to 740 g kg(-1) in some commercial varieties), which can be extracted easily by screw pressing and consumed without refining. Walnut oil composition is dominated largely by unsaturated fatty acids (mainly linoleic together with lesser amounts of oleic and linolenic acids). Minor components of walnut oil include tocopherols, phospholipids, sphingolipids, sterols, hydrocarbons and volatile compounds. Phenolic compounds, present at high levels in the seed coat but poorly extracted with the oil, have been extensively characterised and found to possess strong antioxidant properties. The oil extraction residue is rich in proteins (unusually high in arginine, glutamic and aspartic acids) and has been employed in the formulation of various functional food products. This review describes current scientific knowledge concerning walnut genetic resources and composition as well as by-product obtainment and characteristics.