Combined Pretreatment for Enhancing Quality of Dried and Rehydrated Eggplant

A combined pretreatment of trehalose (0.5 %) and NaCl (0.5 %) solution was applied prior to drying eggplant to reduce shrinkage, browning and loss of polyphenols. Drying behaviour of eggplant slabs was experimentally examined in a convective dryer at temperatures of 50, 60 and 70 °C and at 2.3 m/s air velocity. Then the effects of pretreatment and drying temperature on the quality of the eggplant slabs in terms of microstructure, porosity, colour, total phenolic content, rehydration ratio and texture were investigated. It was noted that the pretreated eggplants (TR) dried more rapidly than the untreated ones (UTR) with a reduction of up to 1/4 of drying time. After drying at 50 and 60 °C, they showed no significant differences (p < 0.05) in terms of White index compared with fresh eggplant (78.59 ± 0.63). They had higher total phenolic content (19.86 and 18.24 mg/g (db), respectively) than the UTR ones (11.91 and 12.89 mg/g (db)), but only for the TR samples at 50 °C the value is not statistically different (p < 0.05) from the fresh ones (20.00 mg/g (db)). The pretreatment can hold also a higher porosity (85, 86 % at 50 and 60 °C, respectively) than the UTR ones (78, 82 %), but scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicated a total damage structure of the UTR samples. On the contrary, after the pretreatment, the porous structure was more uniform with more not lacerated cellular walls. Hence, the main effect of pretreatment was of protecting the microstructure of the eggplants by reinforcing the cell walls and to reduce the resistance of the water evaporation by avoiding the structural changes. After rehydration, the pretreated samples absorbed more water (rehydration ratio had almost doubled) than the untreated ones and showed lower firmness (95,500 Nm^?1) compared with the untreated ones (132,000 Nm^?1).     

Survival of probiotic lactobacilli in the upper gastrointestinal tract using an in vitro gastric model of digestion

The aim of this study was to investigate survival of three commercial probiotic strains (Lactobacillus casei subsp. shirota, L. casei subsp. immunitas, Lactobacillus acidophilus subsp. johnsonii) in the human upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract using a dynamic gastric model (DGM) of digestion followed by incubation under duodenal conditions. Water and milk were used as food matrices and survival was evaluated in both logarithmic and stationary phase. The % of recovery in logarithmic phase ranged from 1.0% to 43.8% in water for all tested strains, and from 80.5% to 197% in milk. Higher survival was observed in stationary phase for all strains. L. acidophilus subsp. johnsonii showed the highest survival rate in both water (93.9%) and milk (202.4%). Lactic acid production was higher in stationary phase, L. casei subsp. shirota producing the highest concentration (98.2 mM) after in vitro gastric plus duodenal digestion.     

Derivative FTIR spectroscopy for cluster analysis and classification of morocco olive oils

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra were employed for differentiation and classification of olive oils from several producing regions of Morocco. A preliminary treatment of the FTIR data was done by a derivative elaboration based on the Savitzky–Golay algorithm to reduce the noise and extract a largest number of analytical information from the spectra. A multivariate statistical procedure based on cluster analysis (CA) coupled to partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), was elaborated, providing an effective classification method. On the basis of a hierarchical agglomerative CA and principal component analysis (PCA), four distinctive clusters were recognised. The PLS-DA procedure was then applied to classify samples from the same regions, picked in different times, or unknown olive oil samples. The model was optimised by applying the Martens’ Uncertainty Test that provided to select the wavelength zones giving the most useful analytical information. The proposed method furnished results reliable in classifying olive oils from different lands with the advantages of being rapid, inexpensive and requiring no prior separation procedure.     

A new type of Brazilian propolis: Prenylated benzophenones in propolis from Amazon and effects against cariogenic bacteria

Ethanol extracts of four propolis samples (E1–E4) from Manaus (Brazilian Amazon) were analysed by HPLC/DAD/ESI–MS/MS and GC/EIMS. The major constituents of E2 and E4 were analysed by NMR (¹H and ¹³C) and ESI/MS/MS. The main constituents of E2 and E4 are polyprenylated benzophenones: 7-epi-nemorosone, 7-epi-clusianone (major E4 constituents), xanthochymol and gambogenone (major E2 constituents), making up a chemical profile so far unreported for Brazilian propolis. Aristhophenone, methyl insigninone, 18-ethyloxy-17-hydroxy-17,18-dihydroscrobiculatone B, and derivatives of dimethyl weddellianone A and B, propolones, and a scrobiculatone derivative, were detected as minor constituents. Triterpenoids (β-amyrins, β-amyrenone, lupeol and lupenone) were ubiquitous and predominant in E1 and E3. The extracts E2 and E4 were highly active against the cariogenic bacteria Streptococcusmitis, Streptococcusmutans and Streptococcussalivarius. E2 was more active than E4, probably due to a higher content of 2-epi-nemorosone, while the latter was richer in di-hydroxylated compounds.     

Cannabinoids Drugs and Oral Health—From Recreational Side-Effects to Medicinal Purposes: A Systematic Review

Background: marijuana, the common name for cannabis sativa preparations, is one of the most consumed drug all over the world, both at therapeutical and recreational levels. With the legalization of medical uses of cannabis in many countries, and even its recreational use in most of these, the prevalence of marijuana use has markedly risen over the last decade. At the same time, there is also a higher prevalence in the health concerns related to cannabis use and abuse. Thus, it is mandatory for oral healthcare operators to know and deal with the consequences and effects of cannabis use on oral cavity health. This review will briefly summarize the components of cannabis and the endocannabinoid system, as well as the cellular and molecular mechanisms of biological cannabis action in human cells and biologic activities on tissues. We will also look into oropharyngeal tissue expression of cannabinoid receptors, together with a putative association of cannabis to several oral diseases. Therefore, this review will elaborate the basic biology and physiology of cannabinoids in human oral tissues with the aim of providing a better comprehension of the effects of its use and abuse on oral health, in order to include cannabinoid usage into dental patient health records as well as good medicinal practice. Methods: the paper selection was performed by PubMed/Medline and EMBASE electronic databases, and reported according to the PRISMA guidelines. The scientific products were included for qualitative analysis. Results: the paper search screened a total of 276 papers. After the initial screening and the eligibility assessment, a total of 32 articles were considered for the qualitative analysis. Conclusions: today, cannabis consumption has been correlated to a higher risk of gingival and periodontal disease, oral infection and cancer of the oral cavity, while the physico-chemical activity has not been completely clarified. Further investigations are necessary to evaluate a therapeutic efficacy of this class of drugs for the promising treatment of several different diseases of the salivary glands and oral diseases.     

PCR detection assay of fumonisin-producing Fusarium verticillioides strains

Fusarium verticillioides is considered to be the main source of fumonisins, a group of toxins that contaminate commodities and result in chronic and acute diseases affecting humans and animals. The detection and control of this species is crucial to prevent fumonisins from entering the food chain. The objective of the present research was to develop a specific, sensitive, and robust PCR assay to detect F. verticillioides strains using two pairs of specific primers for F. verticillioides, which have been designed on the basis of the intergenic spacer region of the rDNA units. The first pair of primers was F. verticillioides species specific, whereas the second pair of primers detected fumonisin-producing F. verticillioides strains. This second pair of primers allowed for the discrimination between the major group of F. verticillioides strains, fumonisin-producing strains that are mainly associated with crops, and a minor group of strains, non-fumonisin-producing strains that are associated with bananas. Fifty-four strains of F. verticillioides from different geographical regions and hosts were tested using both sets of primers. Sixteen additional Fusarium species were examined. The specificity of the primer sequences provides the basis for a simple, rapid, accurate, and sensitive detection and identification method of this fungal species that represents a risk for human and animal health.     

Occurence of potentially enterotoxigenic Bacillus cereus in infant milk powder

Considering that powdered infant milk formula effectively supports the growth of numerous pathogens, this study investigates the prevalence of potentially pathogenic Bacillus cereus in dried milk products by evaluating the occurrence of B. cereus and the presence of virulence-associated genes. The approach consisted of enriching, isolating and biochemical identifying isolates, followed by PCR assays aimed at the hbl (C, D, A, B), nhe (A, B, C) and cytK enterotoxin genes coding HBL complex, NHE complex and cytotoxin K, respectively. Among cytK-positive strains, the discrimination of two different forms for cytotoxin K, cytK-1 and cytK-2 was performed. Bacillus cereus was detected in powdered infant milk formula samples. All the strains harbored at least one gene of the cytK, HBL and NHE enterotoxins. Because of an increasing trend in invasive infections by B. cereus in infants and immunocompromised children, our PCR findings highlight the need to implement an adequate control plan in order to guarantee the health of potentially fragile consumers. From a hygiene point of view, intensive and continuous monitoring of potentially pathogenic B. cereus may be crucial for powdered infant milk formula safety and even recommended in order to assess the infant health risk, as proposed by Commission Regulation (EC) no. 1441/2007 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. Furthermore, the detection in this study of B. licheniformis, B. subtilis and B. mycoides strains raises significant health issues regarding Bacillus spp. in powdered infant milk formula.     

Adipose Tissue Secretion Pattern Influences β-Cell Wellness in the Transition from Obesity to Type 2 Diabetes

The dysregulation of the β-cell functional mass, which is a reduction in the number of β-cells and their ability to secure adequate insulin secretion, represents a key mechanistic factor leading to the onset of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Obesity is recognised as a leading cause of β-cell loss and dysfunction and a risk factor for T2D. The natural history of β-cell failure in obesity-induced T2D can be divided into three steps: (1) β-cell compensatory hyperplasia and insulin hypersecretion, (2) insulin secretory dysfunction, and (3) loss of β-cell mass. Adipose tissue (AT) secretes many hormones/cytokines (adipokines) and fatty acids that can directly influence β-cell function and viability. As this secretory pattern is altered in obese and diabetic patients, it is expected that the cross-talk between AT and pancreatic β-cells could drive the maintenance of the β-cell integrity under physiological conditions and contribute to the reduction in the β-cell functional mass in a dysmetabolic state. In the current review, we summarise the evidence of the ability of the AT secretome to influence each step of β-cell failure, and attempt to draw a timeline of the alterations in the adipokine secretion pattern in the transition from obesity to T2D that reflects the progressive deterioration of the β-cell functional mass.