Identification of lactic acid bacteria isolated from oat sourdoughs and investigation into their potential for the improvement of oat bread quality

The use of sourdough in wheat and rye breads has been extensively studied; however, little is known about its potential effect when baking oat bread. Consequently, the impact of sourdough on oat bread quality was investigated. Two different sourdoughs were prepared from wholegrain oat flour without the addition of starter cultures, by continuous propagation at 28 (SD 28) or 37 °C (SD 37) until the composition of the lactic acid bacteria remained stable. The dominant LAB were identified by sequence analysis of the 16S rDNA isolated from pure cultures. LAB from SD 28 belonged to the species Leuconostoc argentinum, Pedicoccus pentosaceus and Weissella cibaria, while Lactobacillus coryniformis dominated SD 37. The isolated LAB were further used as starter cultures for the production of oat sourdoughs. Fundamental rheology revealed softening of the sourdoughs compared to non-acidified and chemically acidified controls, which could not be attributed to proteolytic activity. Incorporation of oat sourdough into an oat bread recipe resulted in significantly increased loaf-specific volume as well as improved texture, independent of addition level or sourdough type. Overall, the results of this study show that sourdoughs containing lactic acid bacteria isolated from oats have the potential to enhance oat bread quality.     

Discovery of Riociguat (BAY 63‐2521): A Potent,Oral Stimulator of Soluble Guanylate Cyclase for the Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension

Direct stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) represents a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of a range of diseases, including the severely disabling pulmonary hypertension (PH). Optimization of the unfavorable DMPK profile of previous sGC stimulators provided riociguat, which is currently being investigated in phase III clinical trials for the oral treatment of PH.

     

Nutzerzufriedenheit und Komfort am Arbeitsplatz – Ergebnisse einer Feldstudie in Bürogebäuden

Thermal comfort and satisfaction at workplaces – a field study in office buildings. By applying multivariate analysis to survey data of a field study in 17 buildings, several correlations between different parameters with regard to satisfaction at workplaces could be found and validated. One important result was that the individual satisfaction parameters were independent. A significant difference between winter and summer votes on the satisfaction with the indoor temperature could be shown; the dissatisfaction at neutral thermal sensation was considerably higher in summer. In total, only 30% of the occupants were very satisfied or satisfied with the temperature at their workplace in summer and winter. The perceived effectiveness of attempted temperature changes proofed to be the dominant parameter for the satisfaction with the indoor temperature. By weighting individual satisfaction parameters a matrix could be generated which provides a straight‐forward assessment of building performance by showing the optimisation potential for each parameter and the necessity to act for the building manager. The conclusion with regard to building design is that small office rooms with individual control of the indoor environment perform best in terms of acceptance by occupants.     

Factors influencing falling number in winter wheat

The Hagberg falling number (HFN) is one of the most important quality characteristics of wheat. Six winter wheat cultivars from three locations in Germany were analysed to assess the factors influencing the HFN. The cultivars and locations affected significantly the HFN of all the samples. The infection with Fusarium culmorum, determined in another cultivar, also led to an increase in HFN, which suggested that the HFN method is not adequate enough for the true determination of the alpha-amylase activity of fungus-infected, wheat flour. Furthermore, there was no clear correlation between HFN and thousand-kernel weight, starch content or pentosan content. The crude protein content was positively related to the HFN, while the total dietary fibre content depended on the cultivar and location.     

Quality and nutritional value of strawberry fruit under long term salt stress

Modifications of fruit quality, in response to a long-term salt stress of four months, were studied in two strawberry cultivars differing in their sensitivity to salinity. The sensitive cv. Elsanta and the less sensitive cv. Korona were treated during two vegetation seasons with 0, 40 or 80 mmol NaCl/l in the nutrient solution. While mean fruit weight decreased, dry matter and contents of total soluble carbohydrates, as well as sweetness index of fruits, remained constant. Salt stress in both cultivars increased the antioxidant capacity, antioxidants pools (ascorbic acid, anthocyanins, superoxide dismutase) and selected minerals such as Na⁺, Cl⁻, K⁺, N, P and Zn²⁺, as well as lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, salt stress increased the contents of free and essential amino acids, especially in cv. Elsanta. The more tolerant cv. Korona was characterized by an increase of reduced glutathione and a better fruit taste. In salt-stressed fruits of cv. Elsanta, taste was significantly impaired.     

Contribution of amino acids to strawberry fruit quality and their relevance as stress indicators under NaCl salinity

Strawberry cvs Korona and Elsanta, differing in their sensitivity to salt stress, were exposed to 0, 40, or 80 mM NaCl in the root medium from the end of April to mid-August. Although fruits of both cultivars contained comparable amounts of Na⁺ and Cl⁻, fruit quality was more impaired in cv. Elsanta, as indicated by the larger reductions of fruit size and sugar/acid ratios. Malondialdehyde levels started to rise significantly at 40 mM NaCl in the more sensitive cv. Elsanta, but at 80 mM in cv. Korona. Total amino acid levels, especially contents of essential amino acids, rose significantly in both cvs. Salt stress also increased contents of free proline, asparagine, and glutamine. Their increases may contribute to osmotic adjustment. The results of the present study favour the interpretation that elevated levels of proline, asparagine and glutamine are indicative of salt stress damage.     

Depth‐Resolved Modulation of Metal–Oxygen Hybridization and Orbital Polarization across Correlated Oxide Interfaces

Interface‐induced modifications of the electronic, magnetic, and lattice degrees of freedom drive an array of novel physical properties in oxide heterostructures. Here, large changes in metal–oxygen band hybridization, as measured in the oxygen ligand hole density, are induced as a result of interfacing two isovalent correlated oxides. Using resonant X‐ray reflectivity, a superlattice of SrFeO₃ and CaFeO₃ is shown to exhibit an electronic character that spatially evolves from strongly O‐like in SrFeO₃ to strongly Fe‐like in CaFeO₃. This alternating degree of Fe electronic character is correlated with a modulation of an Fe 3d orbital polarization, giving rise to an orbital superstructure. At the SrFeO₃/CaFeO₃ interfaces, the ligand hole density and orbital polarization reconstruct in a single unit cell of CaFeO₃, demonstrating how the mismatch in these electronic parameters is accommodated at the interface. These results provide new insight into how the orbital character of electrons is altered by correlated oxide interfaces and lays out a broadly applicable approach for depth‐resolving band hybridization.     

Intake of ruminant versus industrial trans fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease – what is the evidence?

Several studies have reported a positive association between intake of trans fatty acids and risk of heart disease. It has been suggested that trans fatty acids from ruminant sources are less detrimental than trans fatty acids from industrial sources. Legislation or advice on limiting trans fatty acids has, in some instances, been restricted to trans fatty acids from industrial sources. However, comparisons of ruminant and industrial trans fatty acids have been based on few studies using relative intake data (e.g. quintiles of intakes). Therefore, we have reviewed data describing the associations between absolute intake (g eaten per day) of ruminant and industrial trans fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease, and examined the associations graphically. Where direct comparison is possible, there are no differences in risk of coronary heart disease between total, ruminant and industrial trans fatty acids for intakes up to 2.5 g/d. At higher intakes (more than 3 g/d) total and industrial trans fatty acids are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease but there is insufficient data available on ruminant trans fatty acids at this level of intake. The scarce data do not support discrimination between ruminant and industrial trans fatty acids in dietary recommendations or legislation.     

Biological Evaluation and X‐ray Co‐crystal Structures of Cyclohexylpyrrolidine Ligands for Trypanothione Reductase,an Enzyme from the Redox Metabolism of Trypanosoma

The tropical diseases human African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and the various forms of leishmaniasis are caused by parasites of the family of trypanosomatids. These protozoa possess a unique redox metabolism based on trypanothione and trypanothione reductase (TR), making TR a promising drug target. We report the optimization of properties and potency of cyclohexylpyrrolidine inhibitors of TR by structure‐based design. The best inhibitors were freely soluble and showed competitive inhibition constants (K_i) against Trypanosoma (T.) brucei TR and T. cruzi TR and in vitro activities (half‐maximal inhibitory concentration, IC₅₀) against these parasites in the low micromolar range, with high selectivity against human glutathione reductase. X‐ray co‐crystal structures confirmed the binding of the ligands to the hydrophobic wall of the “mepacrine binding site” with the new, solubility‐providing vectors oriented toward the surface of the large active site.