Influence of calcium carbonate on extraction yield and quality of extra virgin oil from olive (Olea europaea L. cv. Coratina).

The aim of the research was to evaluate the effect of calcium carbonate (1%, 2%, and 4% of addition) at two different particle sizes (2.7µm and 5.7µm), added at the beginning of the malaxation phase, on both the extraction yield and the quality of oil obtained from Coratina olives at different ripening index. The results showed that calcium carbonate significantly increased the extraction yield of olive oil, more than affecting chemical indices. In particular, for less ripened olives, 1-2% of larger particle size calcium carbonate addiction determined a significant increase of the extraction effectiveness, ranging from 4.0 to 4.9%, while more ripened olives required higher amounts of coadjuvant (2-4% when using the larger particle size and 4% when using the smaller one), with a significant increase of the extraction yield up to 5%. Moreover, an increase of pungent perception was observed in some cases when adding calcium carbonate to more ripened olives.

The effectiveness of oral goat colostrum in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: our preliminary experience.

INTRODUCTION: The properties of colostrum were recognized and investigated more thoroughly in the first half of the eighties, when the immune factors and growth factors it contains were pointed out. Numerous studies show that the administration of colostrum benefits the subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus as it gradually regulates appetite, improves utilization of nutrients, especially glucose, and leads to a significant decrease in body fat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The following study is aimed at verifying a possible reduction in the use of insulin in 27 subjects with type 2 diabetes, treated with goat colostrum in the form gastro-resistant tablets of 300 mg (4/die). RESULTS: In subjects with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin, the administration of colostrum has obtained a significant reduction of insulin dosage and normalization of blood glucose levels. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of colostrum are presumably linked to increased levels of IGF-1 that improves the utilization of glucose, stimulates glycogen and protein synthesis.

Evaluation of the technological characteristics and bread-making quality of alternative wheat cereals in comparison with common and durum wheat.

The growing sensibility toward those foods that are characterized by natural and healthy features has raised the interest toward alternative wheat cereals. This research was carried out to compare the technological characteristics and the bread-making quality of Khorasan wheat, type Kamut and spelt (cv. Forenza), to those of common (cv. Rio) and durum wheat (cv. Norba). The results obtained show that both Forenza and Kamut gave an acceptable bread-making performance. A certain variability affected flour characteristics (protein content, carotenoid pigments and alveograph indices) over the 2 years of experimentation, due to environmental effects. This reflected on the corresponding breads but the statistical analysis indicated that, on the whole, Kamut bread was characterized by a high content of carotenoid pigments. Regarding sensory properties (profiled by means of 11 descriptors of visual appearance, texture, odor and flavor) and loaf volumes, breads from Forenza and Kamut appeared different from each other but similar to those obtained from Rio and Norba grown in the same environment, respectively.

Detection of grain protein content QTLs across environments in tetraploid wheats.

Grain protein content (GPC) is an important quality factor in both durum and bread wheats. GPC is considered to be a polygenic trait influenced by environmental factors and management practice. The objectives of this study were both to compare the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for GPC in a population of 65 recombinant inbred lines of tetraploid wheats evaluated in three locations for several years (eight data sets), and to investigate the genetic relationship among GPC and grain yield. QTLs were determined based on the Messapia x dicoccoides linkage map which covers 217 linked loci on the 14 chromosomes with 42 additional loci as yet unassigned to linkage groups. The map extends to 1352 cM; the average distance between adjacent markers was 6.3 cM. Seven QTLs for GPC, located on the chromosome arms 4BS, 5AL, 6AS (two loci), 6BS, 7AS and 7BS, were detected that were significant in at least one environment at P<0.001 or in at least two environments at P<0.01. One QTL was significant in all but one environment, two were significant in four or five environments, and four were significant in two out of eight environments. Six out of seven protein content QTLs had pleiotropic effects or were associated to QTLs for grain yield and explained the negative correlation among GPC and yield components. The present results support the concept that studies conducted in a single environment are likely to underestimate the number of QTLs that can influence a trait and that the phenotypic data for a quantitative trait should be collected over a range of locations to identify putative QTLs and determine their phenotypic effects.