Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) by-products and their impact: from bioactive compounds to biomass energy and sorbent material for removing contaminants. A review

Avocado industry produces enormous by-products and represents an important source of raw material in food and non-food applications. This review aims to focus the attention on the valorisation of avocado wastes recycling to produce different materials with important industrial and environmental impacts. In fact, peels and seeds can be reused in food and cosmetic fields due to the presence of bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols; thanks to their antioxidant and antinflammatory activities. In addition, both peels and seeds can be reused in the production of carbonaceous materials with important consequences for environmental pollution in the removal of contaminants from water. Interesting applications of avocado wastes in photocatalysis and biofuel production are also discussed. All the utilisations attest the great potential of recycling avocado by-products, a little known resource.     

Optical switching of a photochromic bis-phenylazo compound in PMMA films

We present our results on a newly synthesized bis-phenylazo derivative, namely bisperfluoroalkylsulfonylamino- arylazomethylene-triphenyl-phosphorane (BAM-TPP). Thin films of BAM-TPP in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) matrix were prepared. The films (thickness, d < 60 μm) were exposed to UV-vis light with variable intensity in order to stimulate the photochromic reaction of BAM-TPP. The resulting absorption changes of the BAM-TPP/PMMA films were investigated by spectrophotometry. The absorption spectra reveal that BAM-TPP molecules in PMMA undergo photoisomerization with resulting decrease of absorbance in the range 500–700 nm. Finally, the time response of film transmittance at 514 nm under increasing CW light intensity was recorded, showing that the reverse photochromic process brings the absorbance back to its pristine value. The obtained films thus proved to be suitable for optical switching applications.

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Temporal occurrence of Cryptosporidium in the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum in northern Adriatic Italian lagoons

In order to evaluate the temporal occurrence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in Ruditapes philippinarum clams bred along the northeastern Italian Adriatic coast and molecularly characterize the isolates, 2,160 specimens (180 clams per month) were collected from three clam farms from January to December 2004. Two farms (sites A and B) were located in Venice (Chioggia, Veneto region) and one (site C) in the Marano Lagoons (Friuli Venezia Giulia region). Clams from 36 pools (i.e., one pool of 60 clams per month per site) were subjected to a high-sensitivity seminested PCR assay specific for a 360-bp diagnostic region internal to the Cryptosporidium spp. outer wall protein gene. Positive amplicons were sequenced and analyzed. Cryptosporidium DNA was found in clams from seven pools (sites A and B) during 1 month of sampling at site A and 6 months of sampling at site B, with Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum being detected. The expected infection rate of the clams was 0.36%. Site B showed a significantly higher expected infection rate (1.15%) than did the other sites (A = 0.14% and C = 0%). Given its high sensitivity and specificity, this seminested PCR assay can be considered a reliable tool for detecting and distinguishing species within the Cryptosporidium genus. The seasonal pattern of contamination and the related public health risks are of particular concern.     

An outlook on the role of decaffeinated coffee in neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

Coffee is reported to be among the most widely consumed beverages in the world and coffee consumption has been associated with reductions in the risk of several chronic diseases. Among its constituents, caffeine represents the most investigated component. The main impact of caffeine on health is associated with the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the inflammatory mechanisms, the metabolism of carbohydrates, and the cancer. Current research is devoted to the role of this compound and its analogs or derivatives on neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disorders, mainly Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease. However, coffee is also rich in polyphenols, mainly phenolic acids (chlorogenic acids, caffeic acid, ferulic acid), quinic acid, and quercetin. Many aspects still require greater clarification, including the effect of coffee compounds different from caffeine, on several pathologies. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the potential benefits of decaffeinated coffee constituents, focusing the attention on neurological processes and pathologies, such as mainly memories disorders, Parkinson’s Disease, neurophatic pain disorders, and cerebral ischemia.     

ANXA1 Contained in EVs Regulates Macrophage Polarization in Tumor Microenvironment and Promotes Pancreatic Cancer Progression and Metastasis

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a dynamic system where nontumor and cancer cells intercommunicate through soluble factors and extracellular vesicles (EVs). The TME in pancreatic cancer (PC) is critical for its aggressiveness and the annexin A1 (ANXA1) has been identified as one of the oncogenic elements. Previously, we demonstrated that the autocrine/paracrine activities of extracellular ANXA1 depend on its presence in EVs. Here, we show that the complex ANXA1/EVs modulates the macrophage polarization further contributing to cancer progression. The EVs isolated from wild type (WT) and ANXA1 knock-out MIA PaCa-2 cells have been administrated to THP-1 macrophages finding that ANXA1 is crucial for the acquisition of a protumor M2 phenotype. The M2 macrophages activate endothelial cells and fibroblasts to induce angiogenesis and matrix degradation, respectively. We have also found a significantly increased presence of M2 macrophage in mice tumor and liver metastasis sections previously obtained by orthotopic xenografts with WT cells. Taken together, our data interestingly suggest the relevance of ANXA1 as potential diagnostic/prognostic and/or therapeutic PC marker.     

Photoluminescence and intrinsic properties of MBE-grown InN nanowires

The influence of the growth parameters on the photoluminescence (PL) spectra has been investigated for samples with columnar morphology, either with InN columns on original substrates or as free-standing nanowires. Valuable information about band gap and electron concentration was obtained by line shape analysis. Optical band gaps between 730 and 750 meV and electron concentrations of 8 x 10(17) to 6 x 10(18) cm(-3) were derived from the fit of the PL spectra of different samples. The crystalline quality of the wires was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.     

Biogenic Amine Content in Red Wines from Different Protected Designations of Origin of Southern Italy: Chemometric Characterization and Classification

Biogenic amines are contaminants naturally present in wines. Their occurrence is influenced by several factors including oenological and agricultural practices, grape variety, and geographical origin. For these reasons, they have been chosen as marker to characterize and classify 56 Italian red wines belonging to four protected designations of origin (PDO) from Southern Italy. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were applied on data obtained by HPLC/RF in order to highlight the natural grouping of samples. Afterward, linear discriminant analysis and partial least squares were used to classify the wines according to their PDO. Biogenic amines are demonstrated to be a reliable and useful marker for the characterization and classification of the four Southern Italian PDOs investigated. Both the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and the partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) achieved 100 % of wines correctly classified and predicted. Therefore, the determination of these compounds in red wines can play an important role in wine quality assessment, by providing information for the prevention of potential detrimental effects on health and for the characterization of PDO labeled wines.     

Influence of space allowance and housing conditions on the welfare, immune response and production performance of dairy ewes

The experiment used 45 Comisana ewes, divided into 3 groups of 15. The aim was to determine the effects of two different stocking densities and two different housing conditions on welfare, and on production performance of dairy ewes. The stocking densities tested were: high stocking density (1 x 5 m2/ewe, HD group) and low stocking density (3 m2/ewe, LD group); the two housing conditions tested were: ewes housed indoors (LD group, 3 m2/ewe) and ewes allowed to use an outdoor area (LDP group, 3 m2/ewe divided into 1 x 5 m2/ewe indoors and 1 x 5 m2/ewe outdoors). At the beginning of the experiment, and then every 2 months, the cell-mediated immune status of sheep was evaluated. One month after the beginning of the experiment, and 20 d later, the ewes were injected with chicken egg albumin (OVA) to assess their humoural immune responses. Starting from the beginning of the experiment and then monthly, behavioural activities of ewes were monitored using 15-min scans. After lamb weaning, milk yield from individual ewes was measured and milk composition analysed weekly. Housing conditions (low density reared ewes indoors v. low density reared ewes with free access to an outdoor area) affected cell-mediated response, which was higher in LDP than in LD ewes. Concentrations of anti-OVA IgG were mainly influenced by space allowance, with higher antibody titres in LD than in HD ewes throughout the experiment. Both housing conditions and space allowance affected sheep behavioural activities: a greater proportion of LDP ewes displayed standing and drinking behaviours than LD ewes, and a greater proportion of LD ewes was observed walking than HD ewes. Ewes allowed access to the outdoor area had a higher protein content and lower somatic cell count in their milk, whereas reduced space allowance led to a reduction in milk yield and an increase in somatic cell count of milk. Results indicate that both increased space allowance and availability of outdoor area can improve the welfare and production performance of the lactating ewe.     

Yogurt-like beverages made of a mixture of cereals, soy and grape must: microbiology, texture, nutritional and sensory properties

Cereal (rice, barley, emmer and oat) and soy flours and concentrated red grape must were used for making vegetable yogurt-like beverages (VYLB). Two selected strains of Lactobacillus plantarum were used for lactic acid fermentation, according to a process which included the flour gelatinization. All VLYB had values of pH lower than 4.0 and both selected starters remained viable at ca. 8.4 log cfu/g throughout storage. All VLYB showed high values of apparent viscosity and water holding capacity. During fermentation, lactic acid bacteria consumed glucose, fructose, and malic acid, which was supplied with grape must. Compared to control vegetable yogurt-like beverages (CVYLB), without bacterial inoculum, an increase of total free amino acids (FAA) was found during fermentation and storage. Also the concentration of polyphenolic compounds and ascorbic acid (ASC) was higher in VLYB compared to CVYLB. This was reflected on the antioxidant activity. As determined by Solid Phase Micro-Extraction/Gas-Chromatography/Mass-Spectrometry analysis, several volatile compounds were identified. Beverages made with the mixture of rice and barley or emmer flours seemed to possess the best combination textural, nutritional and sensory properties.