Food applications of Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex. O'Rorke) Baill., the 'bush mango': A review.

Irvingia gabonensis, also known as 'bush mango', is a multipurpose fruit tree, native to tropical Africa. It is a priority indigenous fruit tree in western and central Africa since its wood is used for making utensils and fruits are mostly used as food and medicine. The objective of this work is to provide an updated review of the available knowledge about physicochemical characteristics of I. gabonensis fruit in order to evaluate its potential use in the food industry. The fruit mesocarp contains various phytochemicals and ascorbic acid concentration higher than some vitamin C rich fruits, then it is consumed fresh or dried, used to produce juice and wine, or as a flavourant. I. gabonensis fruit kernel is rich in oil (63%-69% crude fat), mainly composed of myristic and lauric acids. Its triacylglycerol composition and, resultantly, melting curve and polymorphism indicate an aptitude for diverse applications, as it is solid at room temperature. Forty-one phenolic compounds were identified in the seeds and derived extracts and supplements, being ellagic acid and its derivates the most present. This review enhances our knowledge about nutritional content and health benefits of I. gabonensis whole fruit, especially its pulp and seed, evidencing the need for safer and more efficient production of value-added products.

A sensory- and consumer-based approach to optimize cheese enrichment with grape skin powders.

The present study aimed to present a sensory- and consumer-based approach to optimize cheese enrichment with grape skin powders (GSP). The combined sensory evaluation approach, involving a descriptive and an affective test, respectively, was applied to evaluate the effect of the addition of grape skin powders from 2 grape varieties (Barbera and Chardonnay) at different levels [0.8, 1.6, and 2.4%; weight (wt) powder/wt curd] on the sensory properties and consumer acceptability of innovative soft cow milk cheeses. The experimental plan envisaged 7 products, 6 fortified prototypes (at rates of Barbera and Chardonnay of 0.8, 1.6, and 2.4%) and a control sample, with 1 wk of ripening. By means of a free choice profile, 21 cheese experts described the sensory properties of prototypes. A central location test with 90 consumers was subsequently conducted to assess the acceptability of samples. The GSP enrichment strongly affected the sensory properties of innovative products, mainly in terms of appearance and texture. Fortified samples were typically described with a marbling aspect (violet or brown as function of the grape variety) and with an increased granularity, sourness, saltiness, and astringency. The fortification also contributed certain vegetable sensations perceived at low intensity (grassy, cereal, nuts), and some potential negative sensations (earthy, animal, winy, varnish). The white color, the homogeneous dough, the compact and elastic texture, and the presence of lactic flavors resulted the positive drivers of preference. On the contrary, the marbling aspect, granularity, sandiness, sourness, saltiness, and astringency negatively affected the cheese acceptability for amounts of powder, exceeding 0.8 and 1.6% for the Barbera and Chardonnay prototypes, respectively. Therefore, the amount of powder resulted a critical parameter for liking of fortified cheeses and a discriminant between the 2 varieties. Reducing the GSP particle size and improving the GSP dispersion in the curd would reduce the effect of powder addition on sensory properties, thereby encouraging the use of these polyphenol-based fortifiers in cheeses. The proposed approach allowed the identification of sensory properties critical for product acceptability by consumers, thus helping the optimization of both fortifier characteristics and new cheese production and composition.

Healthy yogurt fortified with n-3 fatty acids from vegetable sources.

The concentration of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in yogurt was increased using 5 different vegetable oils obtained from flaxseed, Camelina sativa, raspberry, blackcurrant, and Echium plantagineum. The vegetable oils were added to partially skim milk before lactic fermentation at a concentration adequate enough to cover at least 10% of the recommended daily intake of 2 g/d of α-linolenic acid according to EC regulation no. 432/2012. Microbiological (lactobacilli and streptococci, yeast, and molds), chemical (pH, syneresis, proximate composition, fatty acids, oxidation stability), and sensory evaluations were assessed for all of the fortified yogurts after 0, 7, 14, and 21 d of storage at 4°C. Sensory evaluations were conducted at 21 d of storage at 4°C. Among the yogurts produced, those that were supplemented with flaxseed and blackcurrant oils exhibited the highest α-linolenic acid content (more than 200mg/100 g of yogurt) at the end of storage. The addition of oil did not influence the growth of lactic acid bacteria that were higher than 10(7) cfu/g at 21 d of storage. All of the yogurts were accepted by consumers, except for those supplemented with raspberry and E. plantagineum oils due to the presence of off flavors.

Phenotypic typing, technological properties and safety aspects of Lactococcus garvieae strains from dairy environments.

AIMS: To characterize Lactococcus garvieae strains of dairy origin and to determine their technological properties and safety for their possible use in starter culture preparation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-seven L. garvieae isolates, recovered from two artisanal Italian cheeses were studied, in comparison with 12 fish isolates and the type strain of the species. Phenotypic typing revealed that the strains could be differentiated on the basis of their ecological niche of origin in lactose positive strains (all isolated from dairy sources) and lactose negative strains (all isolated from fish). Furthermore, the strains exhibited a high degree of physiological variability, showing the presence of 26 different biotypes. The strains possessed moderate acidifying and proteolytic activities and did not produce bacteriocins. A safety investigation revealed that all strains were sensitive to vancomycin and moderately resistant to kanamycin; some biotypes were tetracycline resistant. Production of biogenic amines or presence of genes encoding virulence determinants occurred in some isolates. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of L. garvieae in some artisanal Italian cheeses can be linked to the typicity of the products. Although in a few cases an antimicrobial resistance or a presence of virulence determinants may imply a potential hygienic risk, most of the strains showed positive properties for their possible adjunction in a starter culture preparation, to preserve the natural bacterial population responsible for the typical sensorial characteristics of the traditional raw milk cheeses. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: L. garvieae strains can be considered an important part of the microbial population associated with the natural fermentation of artisanal Italian cheeses. A deepened characterization of the strains may aid in understanding the functional and ecological significance of their presence in dairy products and in selecting new strains for the dairy industry.

Determination of ethyl alcohol content in red wines with an optical alcohol meter based on nanostructured silicon.

A rapid analytical method for selectively monitoring ethyl alcohol in red wines without sample pretreatment, based on the use of an optical sensor, has been developed exploiting a porous silicon microcavity. The optical structure, realized by alternating layers of different porosities, was stabilized by thermal oxidation, and the resonant peak shift of the microcavity (projected at 600 nm) was monitored in the presence of more than 20 red wines. The resonant peak shows an increasing red shift depending on the wine alcoholic strength, which is ascribable to a change of refractive index due to physisorption/condensation of ethanol vapors inside the pores' structure. The linear response of the PS oxidized microcavity to the wine alcoholic strength insures the determination of the ethanol amount with a high accuracy and reliability. The calculated values differ by less than 0.5% to those obtained with the official method in accordance with the limits imposed by European laws. Moreover, a user-friendly interface, allowing the sensor to be used by unskilled persons, and portable packaging, able to ensure in situ measurements, have been developed.

99mTc-mazindol: a potential radiopharmaceutical agent for dopamine transporter imaging with SPET: preparation and preliminary clinical observations

Objetivo: Marcar el anorexigeno Mazindol, inhibidor del transportador de dopamina(DA), norepinefrina (NE) y serotonina, con Tc99m por método indirecto, con la finalidad de visualizar con SPECT los receptores dopaminergicos localizados en el cuerpo estriado. Material y métodos: se estudiaron con Tc99m-Mazindol, 5 sujetos; 2 voluntarios sanos (1 mujer y 1 hombre, 35-60 años) y 3 pacientes ( 2 mujeres, 1 hombres) entre 35-80 años, 2 con trastornos cognitivos y 1 paciente con enfermedad de Parkinson, referidos para estudio de perfusión cerebral con Tc99m ECD. Mazindol se hizo reaccionar en frió con disulfito de carbono seguido por hidróxido de sodio, agregándose posteriormente ditiocarbamato y luego de 1 hora de incubación a temperatura ambiente, se lo marcó con Tc99m por método indirecto empleando ácido gluconico, calculándose posteriormente el coeficiente de determinación lipofilico del Tc99-Mazindol. Se realizo SPECT cerebral 30-60 minutos después de administrar 925 MBq (25 mCi) de Tc-99m-Mazindol, utilizando una cámara gamma con dos cabezas, opuestas 102 grados. Los parámetros de adquisición fueron: matriz de 128x128,120 imágenes, cada una de 25 seg., orbita circular con movimiento continuo y 258 grados de rotación. En todos los sujetos sé en las imágenes SPECT con Tc99-Mazindol, se visualizó captación cortical y subcortical, las que fueron interpretadas la primera como reflejo de perfusión cerebral y la segunda al cuerpo estriado estructura que reciben inervación DA. La comparación de imágenes en 3 pacientes en quienes se realizó SPECT con Tc99m Mazindol y con Tc99m ECD, muestra , menor intensidad y resolución en la captación cortical con Tc99m-Mazindol que con Tc99m ECD, visualizándose en éstas captación en el cerebelo , no así en las imágenes con Tc99m Mazindol. La diferencia más significativa entre ambos estudios fue visualizar con Tc99m Mazindol captación subcortical, no presentes en el SPECT con Tc99m-ECD...

Determination of organic acids, sugars, diacetyl, and acetoin in cheese by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Sugars (lactose, glucose, and galactose), nonvolatile acids (citric, orotic, piruvic, lactic, ossalic, and hippuric), some free fatty acids (formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, isobutyric, valeric, and isovaleric), diacetyl, and acetoin were separated on an Aminex HPX-87H column using a simple isocratic HPLC method and identified by retention times with ultraviolet and refractive index detectors. With the proposed technique it is possible to evaluate the development of microbial fermentations and, at the same time, degree of cheese ripening.

[Effect of entomopathogenic fungus inoculum on the control of Corythycha ciliata Say adults, wintering on plane-trees of city groves]. / Azione dell'inoculo di miceti entomopatogeni nei riguardi di adulti di Corythucha ciliata Say, svernanti su platani di alberate cittadine.

Within a three years research program, infection tests were carried on adults of Corythucha ciliata wintering on the plane-trees of same city avenues, inoculating entomopathogenic deuteromycetes Beauveria bassiana, Verticillium lecanii, Paecilomyces farinsus, microorganisms which are known to be naturally present in such an environment. Inoculated fungi were able to settle only where the trees were free from any kind of disturbance, while this failed to occur in the areas of intense car traffic. Number of treatments efficiently affected pathogens diffusion in the trees. The persistency of the parasites on the insects, even one year after the treatment, seems to indicate the possibility of their use for the limitation of C. ciliata.