Physicochemical and sensory quality of several commercial Brazilian chocolate milk beverages

Five brands of Brazilian chocolate milk were subjected to physicochemical and acceptability analysis. The moisture content, fat content, pH and soluble solids content varied between 78.35 and 84.27 g/100 mL, 1.68 and 3.08 g/100 mL, 7.11 and 7.44, 14.0 and 19.0° Brix, respectively, while the ash contents and % lactic acid equivalents were similar. Four of the tested brands had acceptable scores in all attributes; however, one had lower acceptability scores and lower values for luminosity, chromaticity, b* and hue angle, which are potential indicators of the sensory quality. Strong chocolate aroma, strong chocolate flavour, strong brown colour, brightness and sandiness may be used as indicators of low acceptability for chocolate milk.     

Instrumental and sensory evaluation of cooked pasta during frozen storage

Food consumption patterns have changed significantly during the last years, showing an increase in the consumption of convenience foods. Frozen foods represent an important segment of this market. The aim of the present paper was to study the influence of frozen storage on the quality of cooked organic tagliatelle. Instrumental measurements of different quality parameters (moisture content, colour, textural and rheological characteristics of frozen cooked pasta) were performed during twelve months of storage. The sensory properties of pasta were also evaluated by means of an acceptability study. In general, both instrumental and sensory analysis found that frozen storage affects negatively the acceptability of cooked pasta. The advantages obtained through fast freezing procedures are not maintained along storage, being hardness (instrumental) and consistency (sensory) the most relevant quality indices. Finally, the shelf life of the product was calculated as 3.6 and 3.8 months in the cryogenic device and air‐blast tunnel, respectively, based on simple kinetic models.     

Activity of plant extracts for preserving functional food containing<Emphasis Type="Italic"> n</Emphasis>-3-PUFA

The ability of antioxidants obtained from natural sources to stabilise foodstuffs containing long n-3 fatty acids of marine origin has been determined. Food systems enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were: emulsified horse mackerel (Trauchurus trauchurus) muscle, fish oil-in-water emulsions (4% of n-3 PUFA) and fish oils (40% of n-3 PUFA). Rosemary leaves and extra virgin olive oil (EVO) were employed as sources of natural phenolic antioxidants. Both vegetable extracts were able to retard lipid oxidation in the different lipid systems. Rosemary extracts with a high content of carnosoic acid showed a significant synergism with fish proteins, by reinforcing their antioxidative effectiveness. Fish proteins and EVO-phenolics showed minor cooperative effects for inhibiting oxidation. The antioxidative partition into the different phases in the emulsified systems showed minor amounts of phenolics in the aqueous phases, except hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, and a high adsorption on fish muscle.An erratum to this article can be found at     

Peptide Human Neutrophil Elastase Inhibitors from Natural Sources: An Overview

Elastases are a broad group of enzymes involved in the lysis of elastin, the main component of elastic fibres. They are produced and released in the human body, mainly by neutrophils and the pancreas. The imbalance between elastase activity and its endogenous inhibitors can cause different illnesses due to their excessive activity. The main aim of this review is to provide an overview of the latest advancements on the identification, structures and mechanisms of action of peptide human neutrophil elastase inhibitors isolated from natural sources, such as plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and sponges. The discovery of new elastase inhibitors could have a great impact on the pharmaceutical development of novel drugs through the optimization of the natural lead compounds. Bacteria produce mainly cyclic peptides, while animals provide for long and linear amino acid sequences. Despite their diverse natural sources, these elastase inhibitors show remarkable IC₅₀ values in a range from nM to μM values, thus representing an interesting starting point for the further development of potent bioactive compounds on human elastase enzymes.     

Spontaneous Desorption time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry (SDMS): Time correlated emission of electrons and negative ions in a constant electric field

A very simple time of flight mass spectrometer has been used to measure mass spectra for the negative ions of organic compounds in the mass range up to 3000 u. Desorbed ions were obtained by applying a constant negative voltage to a flat metallic surface, coated with a few micrograms of organic material. We show that electrons and negative ions are emitted simultaneously from the same point on the surface. Mass spectra obtained by this technique are compared to mass spectra for the same compounds, obtained with ²⁵²Cf fission fragment ionization.     

Preseasonal intranasal immunotherapy in birch-alder allergic rhinitis. A double-blind study

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was carried out to test the clinical efficacy and safety of local nasal immunotherapy (LNIT) in powder form. Twenty-two patients suffering from allergic rhinitis strictly associated with early spring symptoms, with positive skin prick tests and RAST for birch-alder, all responders to a specific nasal provocation test (NPT), received randomly active or placebo treatment for 4 months. Immunotherapy consisted of administration of a set of capsules containing progressively increasing amounts of birch (Betula pendula) and speckled alder (Alnus incana) allergens in powder form with controlled granulometry. The active (birch-alder) and placebo (lactose) group completed the treatment according to a similar schedule. During the pollen season (March-April), the patients who took the active treatment reported less sneezing and rhinorrhea than the placebo group, on the basis of a symptoms score, and the differences were statistically significant; the need for drugs (terfenadine) was also significantly reduced. These findings agreed well with the results of specific NPT after the treatment; only patients in the active group had a higher threshold dose of nasal specific reactivity to birch-alder allergens than in tests before the LNIT.     

The Inhibition of the Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Enhances the DPSC Mineralization under LPS-Induced Inflammation

Nitric oxide (NO) is a key messenger in physiological and pathological processes in mammals. An excessive NO production is associated with pathological conditions underlying the inflammation response as a trigger. Among others, dental pulp inflammation results from the invasion of dentin by pathogenic bacteria. Vital functions of pulp mesenchymal stem cells (DPSCs, dental pulp stem cells), such as mineralization, might be affected by the inducible NOS (iNOS) upregulation. In this context, the iNOS selective inhibition can be considered an innovative therapeutic strategy to counteract inflammation and to promote the regeneration of the dentin-pulp complex. The present work aims at evaluating two acetamidines structurally related to the selective iNOS inhibitor 1400W, namely CM544 and FAB1020, in a model of LPS-stimulated primary DPSCs. Our data reveal that CM544 and even more FAB1020 are promising anti-inflammatory compounds, decreasing IL-6 secretion by enhancing CD73 expression-levels, a protein involved in innate immunity processes and thus confirming an immunomodulatory role of DPSCs. In parallel, cell mineralization potential is retained in the presence of compounds as well as VEGF secretion, and thus their angiogenetic potential. Data presented lay the ground for further investigation on the anti-inflammatory potential of acetamidines selectively targeting iNOS in a clinical context.     

Inhibition Studies on Carbonic Anhydrase Isoforms I,II, IX,and XII with a Series of Sulfaguanidines

Two novel sulfaguanidine series, six N-(N,N′-dialkyl/dibenzyl-carbamimidoyl) benzenesulfonamide derivatives and nine N-(N-alkyl/benzyl-carbamimidoyl) benzenesulfonamide derivatives, were obtained by desulfidative amination of easily accessible dimethyl arylsulfonylcarbonimidodithioates under catalyst- and base-free conditions. The newly synthesized compounds were tested for the inhibition of four different isozymes of human carbonic anhydrase (hCA I, II, IX and XII, EC 4.2.1.1). Both series reported here were inactive against the off-target isozymes hCA I and II (K_i>100 μM). Interestingly, all investigated compounds inhibited both target isozymes hCA IX and XII in the submicromolar to micromolar ranges in which K_i values spanned from 0.168 to 0.921 μM against hCA IX and from 0.335 to 1.451 μM against hCA XII. The results indicated that N-(N-alkyl/benzyl-carbamimidoyl) benzenesulfonamides were slightly more potent inhibitors than N-(N,N′-dialkyl/dibenzyl-carbamimidoyl) benzenesulfonamides. Among the evaluated compounds, N-n-octyl-substituted N-carbamimidoylbenzenesulfonamide showed the most significant activity with a K_i value of 0.168 μM against hCA IX, which was four-fold more selective toward this isozyme versus hCA XII. Again, another derivative from N-(N-alkyl/benzyl-carbamimidoyl) benzenesulfonamide series, N-p-methylbenzyl-substituted N-carbamimidoylbenzenesulfonamide, demonstrated superior inhibitory activity against hCA XII with a K_i value of 0.335 μM.     

Potential Mechanisms Linking Atherosclerosis and Increased Cardiovascular Risk in COPD: Focus On Sirtuins

The development of atherosclerosis is a multi-step process, at least in part controlled by the vascular endothelium function. Observations in humans and experimental models of atherosclerosis have identified monocyte recruitment as an early event in atherogenesis. Chronic inflammation is associated with ageing and its related diseases (e.g., atherosclerosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Recently it has been discovered that Sirtuins (NAD⁺-dependent deacetylases) represent a pivotal regulator of longevity and health. They appear to have a prominent role in vascular biology and regulate aspects of age-dependent atherosclerosis. Many studies demonstrate that SIRT1 exhibits anti-inflammatory properties in vitro (e.g., fatty acid-induced inflammation), in vivo (e.g., atherosclerosis, sustainment of normal immune function in knock-out mice) and in clinical studies (e.g., patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Because of a significant reduction of SIRT1 in rodent lungs exposed to cigarette smoke and in lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), activation of SIRT1 may be a potential target for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease therapy. We review the inflammatory mechanisms involved in COPD-CVD coexistence and the potential role of SIRT1 in the regulation of these systems.