The effects of feeding conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on rat growth performance,serum lipoproteins and subsequent lipid composition of selected rat tissues

Four groups of 12 albino rats (six males and six females), at 4 weeks of age, were fed for 60 days a semi‐synthetic diet containing graded amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA; 0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%) to determine its effect on growth performance and serum lipoprotein profiles and its incorporation into abdominal and muscle lipids. Rats fed CLA responded by significantly improved body mass gains; however, this effect was observed only with the 1.0% CLA‐supplemented diet. It was also true for feed conversion efficiency. The changes in serum total cholesterol (TC) and HDL cholesterol concentrations were insignificant and showed an opposite pattern. However, the resulting HDL cholesterol/TC ratio was significantly (P ≤ 0.01) increased. At the same time, serum triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations were significantly (P ≤ 0.01) elevated, thus counteracting the potential antiatherogenicity of the improved HDL cholesterol/TC ratio. Feeding CLA to rats resulted in its substantial incorporation into both abdominal and muscle lipids. Generally, tissue lipids were enriched with CLA at the expense of long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, eg linoleate and arachidonate. This effect is likely to correspond with reduction of arachidonate‐derived eicosanoid synthesis. These data together suggest that CLA has a potent effect on lipid transport and metabolism in rats. Also, they confirm the potential of nutritional methods to provide CLA‐enriched functional animal products, especially meat, for human consumption. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Esterification kinetics of long-chain fatty acids and fatty alcohols with a surfactant-coated lipase in n-hexane

The esterification reaction kinetics of long-chain fatty acids and fatty alcohols catalyzed with a surfactant-coated lipase in a microaqueous n-hexane system were studied. The biocatalytic complex, surfactant-lipase adduct, showed 40 times the activity after a reaction time of 5 h compared to the unmodified lipase in the same reaction system. Various factors that may affect the activity of the modified lipase were studied, such as the influence of substrate fatty acid chainlength, water content, and temperature. By varying the concentration of each of the two substrates while keeping that of the other substrate constant, it was found that the esterification reaction follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The surfactant-enzyme complex kinetic parameters were determined with respect to both substrates. It was suggested that the kinetics of the lipase-catalyzed esterification reaction model follow a Ping-Pong Bi Bi mechanism with no substrate or product inhibition.     

Rheology,polymorphic crystal transformation,thermal, and mechanical properties of long-chain branched isotactic poly(1-butene)

Effects of long-chain branches (LCBs) on the rheology, crystal polymorphism, polymorphic transformation, and corresponding thermal and mechanical properties at different crystallization conditions, of isotactic poly(1-butene) (iPB-1) are systematically studied. The complex viscosity decreases and tangent increases with the increase of LCB concentration, and they inversely correlate with gels. The low branched samples crystallize into pure Form II by compression molding and cooling the melt to room temperature at a low crystallization cooling rate, whereas the moderate-to-highly branched samples crystallize into mixtures of Forms II and III, with a 1–30% fraction of crystals of Form III. The transformation of Form II into Form I in low branched iPB-1 was not significantly decelerated at different crystallization cooling rates, which is important in thermoforming, foaming, and extrusion blowing processes. Upon heating, Form III in highly branched iPB-1 with gels does not cold-crystallize into Form II even at a low heating rate. The low-to-highly branched samples mainly in Form I exhibit high yield strength, high melting temperature, and lower ductility, while the highly branched iPB-1 containing gels and mixtures of Forms I, III, and I′ possess brittleness. Under stretching, Form III predominantly transforms into Form I via a solid–solid crystal transition. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48411.     

Preparation and characterization of toughened polyurea aerogels incorporating linear long-chain in the structure

In order to reduce the brittleness of polyurea (PUA) aerogel, reactive incorporation of linear long-chain poly-1,4-butanediol bis(4-aminobenzoate) (P1000) into PUA backbone was made by reacting mixed diamines with triisocyanates. The mixed diamines were composed of 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (MDA) and P1000. PUA aerogels were produced by freeze-drying. The effect of P1000 percentage and solid content on the properties of PUA aerogel was investigated. It was found that the little addition of P1000 has a reinforcing and toughening effect on PUA aerogels, where the samples maintain a high extent of hydrogen bonding and low linear shrinkage, with a more compact and homogeneous microstructure. The resulting aerogels show apparent density between 0.05 and 0.18 g/cm³, surface area between 41 and 179 m²/g, and initial decomposition temperature of about 300°C. At 10% solid content and 15 mol % P1000 (in mixed diamines), the overall performance is optimal, with low apparent density (0.113 g/cm³), low thermal conductivity (0.021 W/m K), and high modulus (compressive modulus 7.4 MPa; flexural modulus 18.8 MPa).     

An Intriguing Array of Extrudate Patterns in Long-Chain Branched Polymers During Extrusion

The present study highlights a range of surface and volume extrudate patterns that can be detected during the extrusion flow of long-chain branched polymers. Thus, four linear low-density polyethylenes (LDPEs) have been extruded using a single-screw extruder coupled to an inline optical imaging system. The selected LDPEs are selected to outline the influence of molecular weight and long-chain branching on the types of melt flow extrusion instabilities (MFEI). Through the inline imaging system, space–time diagrams are constructed and analyzed via Fourier-transformation using a custom moving window procedure. Based on the number of characteristic frequencies, peak broadness, and whether they are surface or volume distortions, three main MFEI types, distinct from those typically observed in linear and short-chain branched polymers, are identified. The higher molecular weight, low long-chain branching LDPEs exhibited all three instability types, including a special type volume instability. Independently of the molecular weight, higher long-chain branching appeared to have a stabilizing effect on the transition sequences by suppressing volume extrudate distortions or limiting surface patters to a form of weak intensity type.     

Altering palmitic acid and stearic acid ratios in the diet of early-lactation Holsteins under heat stress: Feed intake,digestibility, feeding behavior,milk yield and composition,and plasma metabolites

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of varying the ratio of dietary palmitic (C16:0; PA) and stearic (C18:0; SA) acids on nutrient digestibility, production, and blood metabolites of early-lactation Holsteins under mild-to-moderate heat stress. Eight multiparous Holsteins (body weight = 589 ± 45 kg; days in milk = 51 ± 8 d; milk production = 38.5 ± 2.4 kg/d; mean ± standard deviation) were used in a duplicated 4 × 4 Latin square design (21-d periods inclusive of 7-d data collection). The PA (88.9%)- and SA (88.5%)-enriched fat supplements, either individually or in combination, were added to diets at 2% of dry matter (DM) to formulate the following treatments: (1) 100PA:0SA (100% PA + 0% SA), (2) 66PA:34SA (66% PA + 34% SA), (3) 34PA:66SA (34% PA + 66% SA), and (4) 0PA:100SA (0% PA + 100% SA). Diets offered, in the form of total mixed rations, were formulated to be isonitrogenous (crude protein = 17.2% of DM) and isocaloric (net energy for lactation = 1.69 Mcal/kg DM), with a forage-to-concentrate ratio of 40:60. Ambient temperature-humidity index averaged 72.9 throughout the experiment, suggesting that cows were under mild-to-moderate heat stress. No differences in DM intake across treatments were detected (mean 23.5 ± 0.64 kg/d). Increasing the dietary proportion of SA resulted in a linear decrease in total-tract digestibility of total fatty acids, but organic matter, DM, neutral detergent fiber, and crude protein digestibilities were not different across treatments. Decreasing dietary PA-to-SA had no effect on the time spent eating (340 min/d), rumination (460 min/d), and chewing (808 min/d). As dietary PA-to-SA decreased, milk fat concentration and yield decreased linearly, resulting in a linear decrease of 3.5% fat-corrected milk production and milk fat-to-protein ratio. Feed efficiency expressed as kg 3.5% fat-corrected milk/kg DM intake decreased linearly with decreasing the proportion of PA-to-SA in the diet. Treatments had no effect on milk protein and lactose content. A linear increase in de novo and preformed fatty acids was identified as the ratio of PA to SA decreased, while PA and SA concentrations of milk fat decreased and increased linearly, respectively. A linear reduction in blood nonesterified fatty acids and glucose was detected as the ratio of PA to SA decreased. Insulin concentration increased linearly from 10.3 in 100PA:0SA to 13.1 µIU/mL in 0PA:100SA, whereas blood β-hydroxybutyric acid was not different across treatments. In conclusion, the heat-stressed Holsteins in early-lactation phase fed diets richer in PA versus SA produced greater fat-corrected milk and were more efficient in converting feed to fat-corrected milk.