Antioxidant properties of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) bagasses obtained as co-product in the juice extraction

The aim of this work was to determine the total phenol (TPC), the total flavonoid (TFC), the tannins contents (TC), organic acids and sugar contents and the antioxidant activity of pomegranate juice extraction bagasses, which were obtained in two different ways: (i) Direct extraction that involved arils and peel (WFB) and (ii) only from arils (AB). Four different test systems were used, namely the 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method, the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP); determination of antioxidant activity with thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) and the ferrous ion-chelating ability (FIC). WFB presented higher total phenolic, flavonoid and tannins contents (10.05 mg gallic acid equivalent/g sample; 7.19 mg rutin equivalent/g sample and 8.18 mg catechin/g sample) than AB. The organic acid detected were oxalic acid, citric acid, malic acid and succinic acid while the sugar identified were fructose and glucose. As regards antioxidant activity, at all concentrations and with all methods, the WFB samples showed a higher antioxidant activity than AB samples. BHT, used as control positive, present higher antioxidant activity than WFB and AB in all antioxidant methods used except in the FRAP assay.The results of this study indicate that pomegranate bagasse obtained as co-product in the process to obtain juice may be considered a good source of natural compounds with significant antioxidant activity which could be suitable for applications on the food industry as potential ingredient for food products.     

Lipid oxidation in lamb meat: Effect of the weight, handling previous slaughter and modified atmospheres

This study examined the effect of pre-slaughter handling (electrical, gas (CO₂) or non-stunning) on lipid oxidation (as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS; in the unit of mg malondialdehyde/kg⁻¹ of meat) of Spanish Manchega breed lamb meat, at 24 h and at 7 days post-mortem. Lambs were slaughtered at two different weights (light (L), 25 kg, vs. suckling (S), 12.8 kg). In general gas-stunned lambs had lower lipid oxidation (P < 0.001), and it was higher (P < 0.001) in light lambs compared to suckling lambs. In both groups (S and L), malondialdehyde level increased with time (P < 0.001), although this increase was lower (P < 0.05) in gas-stunned suckling lambs.

In addition, we evaluated the effect of stunning methods (TS: electrical vs. gas) and the weight (L vs. S) on lipid oxidation values in samples packed in different types of modified atmosphere (MA: A: 70%O₂ + 30%CO₂; B: 69.3%N₂ + 30%CO₂ + 0.7%CO; C: 60%N₂ + 40%CO₂) at 7, 14 and 21 days post-packing. Values were higher in samples with MA-type A and lower in B and C types (P < 0.05). A significant interaction (P < 0.001) weight × TS was observed and the lowest rates of TBARS were found in the samples of light lambs stunned with gas and packed under anaerobic conditions (MA-B and C).     

Morphology of the eyeball from the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Aquatic mammals underwent morphological and physiological adaptations due to the transition from terrestrial to aquatic environment. One of the morphological changes regards their vision since cetaceans' eyes are able to withstand mechanical, chemical, osmotic, and optical water conditions. Due to insufficient information about these animals, especially regarding their sense organs, this study aimed to describe the morphology of the Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) eyeball. Three newborn females, stranded dead on the coast of Sergipe and Bahia, Brazil, were used. Samples were fixed in a 10% formalin solution, dissected, photographed, collected, and evaluated through light and electron microscopy techniques. The Humpback whale sclera was thick and had an irregular surface with mechanoreceptors in its lamina propria. Lens was dense, transparent, and ellipsoidal, consisting of three layers, and the vascularized choroid contains melanocytes, mechanoreceptors, and a fibrous tapetum lucidum. The Humpback whale eyeball is similar to other cetaceans and suggests an adaptation to diving and migration, contributing to the perception of differences in temperature, pressure, and lighting. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:348–355, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Efficient Extraction of Olive Pulp and Stone Proteins by using an Enzyme‐Assisted Method

An efficient protein extraction protocol for proteins from olive pulp and stone by using enzymes was developed. For this purpose, different parameters that affect the extraction process, such as enzyme type and content, pH, and extraction temperature and time, were tested. The influence of these factors on protein recovery was examined using the standard Bradford assay, while the extracted proteins were characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate?polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE). The best extraction conditions were achieved at pH 7.0 and 5% (v/v) Palatase® 20000 L (lipase) for pulp and Lecitase® Ultra (phospholipase) for stone proteins. The optimal extraction temperature and time were 30 and 40 °C for 15 min for pulp and stone tissues, respectively. Under these conditions, several protein extracts coming from olive fruits of different genetic variety were analyzed, their profiles being compared by SDS‐PAGE. The developed enzyme‐assisted extraction method showed faster extraction, higher recovery, and reduced solvent usage than the nonenzymatic methods previously described in the literature. In the case of stone proteins, different electrophoretic profiles and band intensities were obtained that could be helpful to distinguish samples according to their genetic variety.     

Two homologous oligopeptide binding protein genes (oppA) in Lactococcus lactis opp2 [corrected

In previous studies, it has been shown that inactivation of opp or even oppA abolishes the capacity of Lactococcus lactis to utilize oligopeptides. We now show that the opp operon has been duplicated in L. lactis MG1363. The nucleotide sequence of the oppA and oppC homologues (appA and appC) and most of the oppB homologue (appB) indicate that the corresponding protein sequences are 83%, 92% and 91% identical, respectively. Inactivation of appA, via homologous recombination, as well as complementation studies were carried out to determine the possible function of appA in peptide utilization. As anticipated from studies with an oppA knock-out, peptide utilization was not impaired in an appA disruption mutant. Importantly, AppA expressed from a plasmid could restore the ability of oppA deletion mutants to utilize Leu-enkephalin, albeit with a lower efficiency than OppA. The differences in the ability to utilize this pentapeptide were not due to differences in expression levels but most likely reflect a different catalytic efficiency in oligopeptide utilization when AppA is used as ligand receptor.     

Porous Silicon-Based DNA Biosensor for Human Papillomavirus Detection: Towards the Design of Fast and Portable Test

Silicon - We have developed porous silicon (PSi) biosensors for detecting high-risk human papilloma virus 16 and 18, (HPV16 and HPV18), frequently associated with the generation of pre-cancerous...     

Peptide-biphenyl hybrid-capped AuNPs: stability and biocompatibility under cell culture conditions

In this study, we explored the biocompatibility of Au nanoparticles (NPs) capped with peptide-biphenyl hybrid (PBH) ligands containing glycine (Gly), cysteine (Cys), tyrosine (Tyr), tryptophan (Trp) and methionine (Met) amino acids in the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line Hep G2. Five AuNPs, Au[(Gly-Tyr-Met)₂B], Au[(Gly-Trp-Met)₂B], Au[(Met)₂B], Au[(Gly-Tyr-TrCys)₂B] and Au[(TrCys)₂B], were synthesised. Physico-chemical and cytotoxic properties were thoroughly studied. Transmission electron micrographs showed isolated near-spherical nanoparticles with diameters of 1.5, 1.6, 2.3, 1.8 and 2.3 nm, respectively. Dynamic light scattering evidenced the high stability of suspensions in Milli-Q water and culture medium, particularly when supplemented with serum, showing in all cases a tendency to form agglomerates with diameters approximately 200 nm. In the cytotoxicity studies, interference caused by AuNPs with some typical cytotoxicity assays was demonstrated; thus, only data obtained from the resazurin based assay were used. After 48-h incubation, only concentrations ≥50 μg/ml exhibited cytotoxicity. Such doses were also responsible for an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Some differences were observed among the studied NPs. Of particular importance is the AuNPs capped with the PBH ligand (Gly-Tyr-TrCys)₂B showing remarkable stability in culture medium, even in the absence of serum. Moreover, these AuNPs have unique biological effects on Hep G2 cells while showing low toxicity. The production of ROS along with supporting optical microscopy images suggests cellular interaction/uptake of these particular AuNPs. Future research efforts should further test this hypothesis, as such interaction/uptake is highly relevant in drug delivery systems.     

Inhibitory learning tests of conditioned stimulus associability in rats with lesions of the amygdala central nucleus.

Normal rats showed faster inhibitory learning about a light conditioned stimulus (CS) if it had previously been an inconsistent predictor of a tone CS than if it had been a consistent predictor of the tone. In contrast, the inhibitory learning of rats with ibotenic acid lesions of the amygdala central nucleus (CN) was unaffected by the prior predictive value of the light. These results support claims that the CN is critical to surprise-induced enhancement of attentional processing of CSs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Path dependence of the charge state distributions of low-energy F ions backscattered from RbI(1 0 0)

Projectile neutralization during backscattering from RbI(1 0 0) of F multicharged ions in the keV energy range was investigated utilizing a time-of-flight technique. The energy and charge state distributions of the scattered ions were measured as a function of the polar incidence angle and the target azimuthal orientation. We found significant variations in the neutralization degree for incident projectiles of different charge states. The charge state distribution of scattered ions, including negative charge states, was found to depend on both the polar incidence and azimuthal orientation angles. These variations are attributed to the particular hard and soft encounters with neighboring lattice sites at the target surface along the path of the ion. Sample data for few-keV F²⁺ and F⁷⁺ incident projectiles are presented to illustrate the underlying concepts.