Processes underlying congruent and incongruent facial reactions to emotional facial expressions.

The present electromyographic study is a first step toward shedding light on the involvement of affective processes in congruent and incongruent facial reactions to facial expressions. Further, empathy was investigated as a potential mediator underlying the modulation of facial reactions to emotional faces in a competitive, a cooperative, and a neutral setting. Results revealed less congruent reactions to happy expressions and even incongruent reactions to sad and angry expressions in the competition condition, whereas virtually no differences between the neutral and the cooperation condition occurred. Effects on congruent reactions were found to be mediated by cognitive empathy, indicating that the state of empathy plays an important role in the situational modulation of congruent reactions. Further, incongruent reactions to sad and angry faces in a competition setting were mediated by the emotional reaction of joy, supporting the assumption that incongruent facial reactions are mainly based on affective processes. Additionally, strategic processes (specifically, the goal to create and maintain a smooth, harmonious interaction) were found to influence facial reactions while being in a cooperative mindset. Now, further studies are needed to test for the generalizability of these effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Malolactic fermentation in four varieties of sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.)

Malolactic fermentation (MLF) used in winemaking was applied to four varieties of sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.). Sensory properties and chemical components of fermented and unfermented juices were studied in order to see whether the MLF can have an effect on sensory quality of sea buckthorn and if there are differences between varieties. The juices were inoculated with unadapted Oenococcus oeni at a cell density of 10⁹ CFU/mL and the fermentation was performed over 18 h at 28 °C. The fermentation decreased sourness and astringency in the samples, and fruity flavor as well as fermented flavor were increased. However, the ML reaction was different between the varieties. The size of the reaction was not proportional to the initial pH or malic acid content of the juice. Larger the ML reaction, more changes were observed in the sensory properties.     

Fruit production and consumption: practices,preferences and attitudes of women in rural western Kenya

This study identified practices, preferences, attitudes and decision-making for fruit consumption, fruit production, and use of income generated from these activities and assessed the contribution of fruits to closing nutritional gaps of members of smallholder farming households in Western Kenya during two different seasons. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted, one in July/August 2013 (S1) and the other in February/March 2014 (S2). The same respondents, women responsible for food preparation in the household, were interviewed during S1 and S2 with a total of 272 women participating. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data on practices, preferences and attitudes related to fruit production and consumption including a quantitative 24-h recall. On the day prior to the interview, only 25% of women during S1 and 37% during S2 had consumed fruits. Fruit consumption in grams per day differed significantly (p < 0.001) between the two seasons and was higher in S2 (mean = 106 g/d; SD = 208 g/d) compared to S1 (mean = 49 g/d; SD = 101 g/d). During both seasons, 80% or more respondents did not reach the recommended amount of 200 g of fruits per day and also had low vitamin A and C intakes, especially during S1. Simultaneously, 80% of women indicated that the household grew fruit, yet fruit production and consumption diversity were low. About 20% of respondents identified fruit consumption taboos for different household members and 37% viewed the consumption of wild fruits negatively. Integrated agriculture-nutrition programs should consider local practices, preferences and cultural attitudes in order to promote the consumption of a diversity of nutrient rich fruits and consequently better diets and nutrition.     

Authentication of berries and berry-based food products

Berries represent one of the most important and high-valued group of modern-day health-beneficial “superfoods” whose dietary consumption has been recognized to be beneficial for human health for a long time. In addition to being delicious, berries are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and several bioactive compounds, including carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and hydrolysable tannins. However, due to their high value, berries and berry-based products are often subject to fraudulent adulteration, commonly for economical gain, but also unintentionally due to misidentification of species. Deliberate adulteration often comprises the substitution of high-value berries with lower value counterparts and mislabeling of product contents. As adulteration is deceptive toward customers and presents a risk for public health, food authentication through different methods is applied as a countermeasure. Although many authentication methods have been developed in terms of fast, sensitive, reliable, and low-cost analysis and have been applied in the authentication of a myriad of food products and species, their application on berries and berry-based products is still limited. The present review provides an overview of the development and application of analytical chemistry methods, such as isotope ratio analysis, liquid and gas chromatography, spectroscopy, as well as DNA-based methods and electronic sensors, for the authentication of berries and berry-based food products. We provide an overview of the earlier use and recent advances of these methods, as well as discuss the advances and drawbacks related to their application.     

Effects of organic and conventional growth systems on the content of carotenoids in carrot roots, and on intake and plasma status of carotenoids in humans

BACKGROUND: The demand for organic food products has increased during the last decades due to their probable health effects, among others. A higher content of secondary metabolites such as carotenoids in organic food products has been claimed, though not documented, to contribute to increased health effects of organic foods. The aim was to study the impact of organic and conventional agricultural systems on the content of carotenoids in carrots and human diets. In addition, a human cross‐over study was performed, measuring the plasma status of carotenoids in humans consuming diets made from crops from these agricultural systems. RESULTS: The content of carotenoids in carrot roots and human diets was not significantly affected by the agricultural production system or year, despite differences in fertilisation strategy and levels. The plasma status of carotenoids increased significantly after consumption of the organic and conventional diets, but no systematic differences between the agricultural production systems were observed. CONCLUSION: The expected higher content of presumed health‐promoting carotenoids in organic food products was not documented in this study. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Efficient phage display of intracellularly folded proteins mediated by the TAT pathway

Phage display with filamentous phages is widely applied and well developed, yet proteins requiring a cytoplasmic environment for correct folding still defy attempts at functional display. To extend applicability of phage display, we employed the twin-arginine translocation (TAT) pathway to incorporate proteins fused to the C-terminal domain of the geneIII protein into phage particles. We investigated functionality and display level of fluorescent proteins depending on the translocation pathway, which was the TAT, general secretory (SEC) or signal recognition particle (SRP) pathway mediated by the TorA, PelB or DsbA signal sequences, respectively. Importantly, for green fluorescent protein, yellow fluorescent protein and cyan fluorescent protein, only TAT, but not SEC or SRP, translocation led to fluorescence of purified phage particles, although all three proteins could be displayed regardless of the translocation pathway. In contrast, the monomeric red fluorescent protein mCherry was functionally displayed regardless of the translocation pathway. Hence, correct folding and fluorophor formation of mCherry is not limited to the cytosol. Furthermore, we successfully displayed firefly luciferase as well as an 83 kDa argonaute protein, both containing free cysteines. This demonstrates broad applicability of the TAT-mediated phagemid system for the display of proteins requiring cytoplasmic factors for correct folding and should prove useful for the display of proteins requiring incorporation of co-factors or oligomerization to gain function.     

Abreicherung von Flüssiggas aus Erdgas mittels Zeolithmembranen

The depletion of higher alkanes from methane is a key aspect during the conditioning of natural gases or accompanying gases. Membrane technologies could be used as alternative to energy and cost intensive purifications. Against this background the influence of membrane geometry, composition of the gas mixture as well as temperature and pressure was investigated in separation experiments for methane/n‐butane mixtures using MFI membranes.     

Production and processing of foods as core aspects of nutrition-sensitive agriculture and sustainable diets

Some forms of malnutrition are partly due to agriculture not having nutrient outputs as an explicit goal. A better understanding of what is required from agricultural production and food processing for healthy and sustainable diets is needed. Besides nutritional quality or nutrient output, important factors are: water, soil, health hazards, agrobiodiversity and seasonality. Therefore, possible interactions among constituents of the food chain – human health, the environment, knowledge and education – should be considered from a systemic perspective. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture needs to consider and understand the role of biodiversity in improving dietary quality and dietary diversity as well as seasonality in food supply. Apart from improving agricultural systems in order to close the nutrition gap, efficient storage and food processing technologies to prolong shelf-life are required. If processing is poor, high food losses can cause food insecurity or increase the risk of producing unsafe and unhealthy food. Food storage and processing technologies, particularly at household level, are challenging and often not applicable to traditional crops. In order to achieve the aims of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, it is necessary to comprehend its complexity and the factors that influence it. This will require a trans-disciplinary approach, which will include the three sectors agriculture, nutrition and health at research, extension and political levels. Ensuring that farmers are knowledgeable about production systems, which sustainably provide adequate amounts of nutritious food while conserving the environment is an essential part of nutrition-sensitive agriculture. At the same time, for the benefits of nutrition-sensitive agriculture to be realized, educated consumers are required who understand what constitutes a healthy and sustainable diet.