Dietary administration of ewe diets with a distillate from rosemary leaves (Rosmarinus officinalis L.): Influence on lamb meat quality

The effect of including distilled rosemary leaf in the diet of pregnant ewes on subsequent lamb meat quality was studied. Thirty-six Segureña ewes were randomly assigned to three homogeneous groups. One group was fed a basal diet (BD) as control while the diet of the other two groups was modified by substituting 10% (R₁) and 20% (R₂) of the BD with a pellet made from 50% barley and 50% of distilled rosemary leaves (DRL). Meat spoilage (TVC, PSY and MYC), TBARS, CIELab coordinates and the sensory characteristics contribution of fresh lamb meat packed in MAP (70% O₂:30% CO₂) were analyzed on days 0, 7, 14 and 21. In general, R₁ and R₂ had higher a^* values, better scores for meat and fat colour (P < 0.05) and lower TBARS and rancid odour (P < 0.05), than the control samples. The total viable count was lower in meat DRL. No statistically significant differences were detected between the two treatments (10–20% DRL).     

Impact of postharvest methyl jasmonate treatment on the volatile composition and flavonol content of strawberries

BACKGROUND: Although strawberry aroma is very complex, certain compounds have been described as main contributors, i.e. furanones, aldehydes, alcohols, sulfur compounds and particularly methyl and ethyl esters. In addition, strawberries possess potent antioxidant activity because of their high content of phenolic compounds. Among them, flavonols are highlighted as important antioxidant compounds in strawberry. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of methyl jasmonate (MJ) on the composition of the major contributors to aroma and on the content of certain flavonols in strawberry fruits. RESULTS: The levels of all studied volatile compounds were significantly affected by MJ treatment, though the individual effect differed according to the specific compound considered. Most of them increased significantly (P < 0.05), except methyl butanoate, which always showed higher levels in untreated strawberries. In contrast to aroma compounds, the change in the concentration of flavonols (i.e. myricetin, quercetin and kaempferol) was not significant in MJ‐treated strawberries. Considering the health‐promoting activity of these compounds, further investigations on the experimental conditions related to the treatment are required to control flavonol bioformation by means of MJ. CONCLUSION: The exogenous application of MJ vapour to strawberry enhances, in general, the production of the most relevant aroma‐active compounds. On the contrary, MJ treatment does not appear to influence the levels of myricetin, quercetin and kaempferol. Thus postharvest MJ treatment is proposed as an approach to obtain improved strawberry fruits in terms of sensory quality and health‐promoting properties. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Transepithelial transport across Caco-2 cell monolayers of antihypertensive egg-derived peptides. PepT1-mediated flux of Tyr-Pro-Ile

This paper examines the in vitro transepithelial transport of antihypertensive peptides derived from egg proteins using Caco-2 cell monolayers. Ovokinin (FRADHPFL) was absorbed intact through the Caco-2 cell epithelium, although it was also susceptible to the action of brush-border aminopeptidases that yielded shorter fragments prior to their transport. The tripeptide YPI was resistant to cellular peptidases and transported through the monolayer, what suggests that the reduction in systemic blood pressure caused by this peptide may be mediated by effects at tissue level. Its pathway for transepithelial absorption was examined using inhibitors of the different mechanisms for oligopeptide transport in the intestinal tract. The main route involved in the transepithelial flux of YPI is probably the peptide H(+)-coupled transporter PepT1. These results highlight the potential of antihypertensive peptides to be used in the formulation of functional foods.     

Microbial, physical-chemical and sensory spoilage during the refrigerated storage of cooked pork loin processed by the sous vide method

The aim was to study spoilage during the refrigerated storage of cooked pork loin processed by the sous vide method. Samples were packaged under vacuum into polyamide-polypropylene pouches, cooked at an oven temperature/time of 70 °C/12 h, chilled at 3 °C and stored at 2 °C for 0, 5 or 10 weeks. Microbial (psychrotrophs, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, moulds and yeasts), physical–chemical (pH, water activity, TBARS, acidity, L^*a^*b^* colour, texture profile analysis and shear force) and sensory (appearance, odour, flavour, texture and acceptance) parameters were determined. The results showed that sensory spoilage preceded microbiological spoilage of sous vide pork loin. Counts bellow 1 log cfu/g of psychrotrophs, anaerobic psychrotrophs, Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria were detected in any control week, while moderate counts (2–3 log cfu/g) of moulds and yeasts were found. Minor changes in water activity, lipid oxidation, CIELab colour, hardness, cohesiveness or gumminess were associated with spoilage of pork loin, only decreases of lactic acid, springiness and shear force were observed. The pork loin was unacceptable after 10 weeks. This loss of acceptance was mainly due to the deterioration of meaty flavour and odour, although the loss of appearance, juiciness and firmness also contributed. Moderate warmed-over and rancidity were detected. The sensory analysis was the most effective method for determining the shelf life of the sous vide pork-based dishes.     

Effects in ewe diet of rosemary by-product on lipid oxidation and the eating quality of cooked lamb under retail display conditions

Distilled dietary rosemary leaf (DRL) was tested to prevent lipid oxidation and sensory deterioration of cooked lamb under retail display conditions. Pregnant sheep were fed with a basal diet supplemented by 0%, 10% and 20% DRL. Cooked lamb fillets were stored for 0, 2 or 4 days at a temperature of 4 °C in a display cabinet and re-heated, simulating catering practices. The cooked lamb suffered rapid lipid oxidation and odour and flavour spoilage associated with slight rancidity and warmed-over flavour, and, to a lesser extent, with loss of colour and juiciness. DRL feeding delayed lipid oxidation measured as TBARS and volatile compounds, this being more effective in the first two days of storage. 10% and 20% of DRL provided equal antioxidant capacity. However, DRL feeding hardly prevented sensory deterioration, although incipient rancidity was delayed. Feeding DRL to ewes contributed to extend the shelf life of cooked lamb under retail display conditions.     

Antioxidant activity of rosemary and thyme by-products and synergism with added antioxidant in a liposome system

This study describes the use of liposomes as biological membrane models to evaluate the potential of natural antioxidants as inhibitors of lipid peroxidation. Antioxidative effects of by-products from manufacturing of essential oils, i.e., distilled rosemary leaf residues (DRL), distilled thyme leaf residues (DTL), and the combined antioxidative effects of DRL or DTL with α-tocopherol (TOH), ascorbic acid (AA), and quercetin (QC) on peroxidation of l-α-phosphatidylcholine liposomes as initiated by hydrophilic azo-initiators, were investigated. In addition, experiments were repeated with whole thyme leaves (TL) to compare the characteristics of by-products (leaf residues from distillation) with the initial industrial product (leaf for distillation). Extracts from DRL, DTL, and TL all had an obvious antioxidative effect as evidenced by a lag phase for the formation of phosphatidylcholine-derived conjugated dienes. DRL and DTL had similar antioxidative activity, while whole thyme leaves showed superior antioxidant activity compared with distilled thyme residues. Combination of TOH or QC with DRL, DTL, and TL, respectively, showed synergism in prolonging of the lag phase.     

Assessment of empirical algorithms for bathymetry extraction using Sentinel-2 data

Bathymetry estimated from optical satellite imagery has been increasingly implemented as an alternative to traditional bathymetric survey techniques. The availability of new sensors such as Sentinel-2 with improved spatial and temporal resolution, in comparison with previous optical sensors, offers innovative capabilities for bathymetry derivation. This study presents an assessment of the fit between satellite data and the underlying models in the most widely used empirical algorithms: the linear band model and the log-transformed band ratio model using Sentinel-2A data. Both models were tested in two study areas of the Irish coast with different morphological and environmental conditions. Results showed that the linear band model fitted better than the log-transformed band ratio model providing coefficient of determination values, R², between 0.83 and 0.88 (0 m–10 m) for the five images considered in the study. The closest fit was found in the depth range 2 m–6 m. Atmospheric correction, bottom type influence, and water column conditions proved to be key factors in the bathymetric derivation using these satellite datasets.     

Convolutional neural networks for computer vision-based detection and recognition of dumpsters

Neural Computing and Applications - In this paper, we propose a twofold methodology for visual detection and recognition of different types of city dumpsters, with minimal human labeling of the...     

Paradigmatic De Novo GRIN1 Variants Recapitulate Pathophysiological Mechanisms Underlying GRIN1-Related Disorder Clinical Spectrum

Background: GRIN-related disorders (GRD), the so-called grinpathies, is a group of rare encephalopathies caused by mutations affecting GRIN genes (mostly GRIN1, GRIN2A and GRIN2B genes), which encode for the GluN subunit of the N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) type ionotropic glutamate receptors. A growing number of functional studies indicate that GRIN-encoded GluN1 subunit disturbances can be dichotomically classified into gain- and loss-of-function, although intermediate complex scenarios are often present. Methods: In this study, we aimed to delineate the structural and functional alterations of GRIN1 disease-associated variants, and their correlations with clinical symptoms in a Spanish cohort of 15 paediatric encephalopathy patients harbouring these variants. Results: Patients harbouring GRIN1 disease-associated variants have been clinically deeply-phenotyped. Further, using computational and in vitro approaches, we identified different critical checkpoints affecting GluN1 biogenesis (protein stability, subunit assembly and surface trafficking) and/or NMDAR biophysical properties, and their association with GRD clinical symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings show a strong correlation between GRIN1 variants-associated structural and functional outcomes. This structural-functional stratification provides relevant insights of genotype-phenotype association, contributing to future precision medicine of GRIN1-related encephalopathies.