Novel Engineered Ion Channel Provides Controllable Ion Permeability for Polyelectrolyte Microcapsules Coated with a Lipid Membrane

The development of nanostructured microcapsules based on a biomimetic lipid bilayer membrane (BLM) coating of poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (PSS)/poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) polyelectrolyte hollow microcapsules is reported. A novel engineered ion channel, gramicidin (bis‐gA), incorporated into the lipid membrane coating provides a functional capability to control transport across the microcapsule wall. The microcapsules provide transport and permeation for drug‐analog neutral species, as well as positively and negatively charged ionic species. This controlled transport can be tuned for selective release biomimetically by controlling the gating of incorporated bis‐gA ion channels. This system provides a platform for the creation of “smart” biomimetic delivery vessels for the effective and selective therapeutic delivery and targeting of drugs.     

Experimentation with a water tank including a PCM module

Storage of heat is seen as a major issue for the development of solar energy for house heating and cooling under all climates. Most of the storage systems available on the market use water as the storage medium. The idea studied here was to add a phase change material (PCM) module at the top of a hot-water storage tank with stratification. An experimental solar pilot plant was constructed to test the PCM behaviour in real conditions. The PCM module geometry adopted was to use several cylinders. A granular PCM–graphite compound was chosen as the PCM for the experiments presented here.     

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of a starch film with bioextracts microencapsulated from cactus fruits (Opuntia oligacantha)

Food Science and Biotechnology - The use of unconventional sources is very relevant in the food area. In the present study the development of active films with the addition of bioextract (BE) or...     

Weissella cibaria short-fermented liquid sourdoughs based on quinoa or amaranth flours as fat replacer in focaccia bread formulation

Production of the traditional Italian Focaccia bread (FcBread) requires reformulation to meet the new rules for healthier foods. We tested the applicability of a short-fermented (15 h) liquid sourdough (LS) (dough yield, DY, 250), obtained using quinoa (Q) or amaranth (Am) flour fermented with a Weissella cibaria strain (C43-11) producing exopolysaccharides (EPS) as fat replacer in yeast-leavened FcBread. The LSs were applied during the FcBread-making process at industrial pilot plant, reducing the added fat amount by 20% (FcBread-QLS and FcBread-AmLS) and products were compared with reference samples not containing EPS. All the products were analysed for physico-chemical properties (pH, TTA, organic acids, protein content and profile, instrumental colour), textural properties, sensory quality and glycemic index. The application of both pseudo-cereal-based W. cibaria LSs in FcBread allowed obtaining products with a reduced amount of fat, increased protein amount, mainly due to the albumin and glutenin/glutelin fractions, reduced glycemic index, improved texture and preserved in the traditional sensory profile of ‘focaccia’.     

Rheological properties of wheat flour and quality characteristics of pan bread as modified by partial additions of wheat bran or whole grain wheat flour

The use of bran and whole grain flour changes dough rheology and causes difficulties in manufacturing bakery products. The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of substituting refined wheat flour (WF) by wheat bran (WB; 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40%) or whole grain wheat flour (WGWF; 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%) on dough rheological properties and pan bread quality characteristics. The addition of WB and WGWF increased water absorption and resistance to extension and decreased stability, extensibility and peak viscosity. Effects with WB were more pronounced. The presence of WB or WGWF increased crumb moisture content, firmness and hardness and decreased specific volume of pan bread. It is important to set new farinographic and extensographic standards when using WB and WGWF, allowing for a correct correlation between rheology and quality characteristics of bakery products, as the same standards used for WF are not valid.     

Direct Application of Rep‐PCR on Type I Sourdough Matrix to Monitor the Dominance and Persistence of a Lactobacillus plantarum Starter Throughout Back‐Slopping

This study describes the optimization and application of repetitive element‐PCR (rep‐PCR) technique directly on microbial DNA extracted from type I sourdoughs for fast monitoring of a Lb. plantarum starter strain (P1FMC) throughout daily back‐slopping. The challenge was to follow and study the performance of a starter culture directly in sourdoughs without cultivation on selective media. The extraction of good quality microbial DNA suitable for amplification from a complex matrix such as dough was the first target. In addition, the objective to obtain a clear rep‐PCR profile referable to a specific starter strain among a microbial community was pursued. Co‐inoculum trials, in flour matrix, with Lb. plantarum P1FMC and L. lactis LC71 strains and, subsequently, type I sourdough back‐slopping trials were performed. The rep‐PCR amplification profiles obtained were clearly referable to that of Lb. plantarum P1FMC starter in both co‐inoculum trials (also when it was present with one order of magnitude less with respect to L. lactis LC71) and back‐slopping trials where it dominated the fermentation process with loads of 10⁸ cfu g^?1 and prevailed on the autochthonous microbiota. Thus, the approach proposed in this paper could be considered a methodological advancement, based on a culture‐independent one‐step rep‐PCR, suitable for fast monitoring of starter performance.     

Geographical origin classification of olive oils by PTR-MS

The volatile compositions of 192 olive oil samples from five different European countries were investigated by PTR-MS sample headspace analysis. The mass spectra of all samples showed many masses with high abundances, indicating the complex VOC composition of olive oil. Three different PLS-DA models were fitted to the data to classify samples into ‘country’, ‘region’ and ‘district’ of origin, respectively. Correct classification rates were assessed by cross-validation. The first fitted model produced an 86% success rate in classifying the samples into their country of origin. The second model, which was fitted to the Italian oils only, also demonstrated satisfactory results, with 74% of samples successfully classified into region of origin. The third model, classifying the Italian samples into district of origin, yielded a success rate of only 52%. This lower success rate might be due to either the small class set, or to genuine similarities between olive oil VOC compositions on this tight scale.