Potentially probiotic and synbiotic chocolate mousse

Several studies in recent years have shown the benefits deriving from the ingestion of probiotics, and a large number of products containing lactobacilli and bifidobacteria have been formulated. The purpose of this study was to develop a chocolate mousse to which probiotic and prebiotic ingredients were added, and verify the perspectives of the product with regard to potential for consumer health benefits and sensorial acceptance. Probiotic and synbiotic chocolate mousse supplemented with Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei LBC 82, solely (P) or together with the prebiotic ingredient inulin (S), were prepared, as well as a control mousse (C). The products were monitored for the population of L. paracasei and contaminants, during storage at 5 °C for up to 28 days, and sensory preference was also tested. Storage trials showed that the viability of the probiotic was retained over 28 days, but the growth of yeasts and moulds might limit the shelf-life of the product. Chocolate mousse was shown to be an excellent vehicle for the delivery of L. paracasei, and the prebiotic ingredient inulin did not interfere in its viability. Moreover, the addition of the probiotic microorganism and of the prebiotic ingredient did not interfere in the sensorial preference of the product.     

Evaluation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">eryC</Emphasis> as a Molecular Marker for the Quantitative Detection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brucella</Emphasis> Spp. by Real-Time PCR in Food Samples

We evaluated the capacity of the Brucella sp. eryC gene as a diagnostic marker for brucellosis by quantitative real-time PCR. eryC gene encodes the enzyme d-erythrulose-1-phosphate dehydrogenase that plays an important role in the erythritol metabolism and is related with the Brucella survival in the intracellular environment of the macrophage. The assay includes an internal amplification control (IAC) in order to avoid false negative results. It was 100% specific, with an analytical sensitivity of 1 genome equivalent (GE) in 43% of the reactions, being the quantification highly linear (R ² > 0.9953) and efficient (PCR efficiency >0.8820) over a 6-log dynamic range, down to 10 GE. Finally, the applicability of this assay was evaluated with artificially contaminated biological matrices implicated in the transmission of this bacterium such as sheep raw milk and pig blood. The eryC-IAC real-time PCR assay allowed detection of as few as ten Brucella cells per 25 ml of sheep raw milk or per 1 ml of pig blood. In conclusion, we present an alternative for the detection of Brucella genus and therefore facilitate the establishment of preventive and prophylactic measures in food and farm environments.     

Effect of muscular hypertrophy on physico-chemical, biochemical and texture traits of meat from yearling bulls

The effect of the presence of the double-muscling gene either homozygous (mh/mh) or heterozygous (mh/+) on the physico-chemical, biochemical and texture traits of Longissimus thoracis muscle of yearling bulls of the Asturiana de los Valles (AV) breed was studied. Meat of mh/mh bulls had lower amount of intramuscular fat (p<0.001) and also lower total (p<0.01) and insoluble collagen (p<0.05), although the double-muscling genotype did not affect collagen solubility. Homozygous animals had lower pigment content (p<0.05) and a lighter meat, showing lower water holding capacity, estimated as expressible juice under pressure (p<0.001). Genotype affected significantly the metabolic traits of muscle, with mh/mh animals having higher muscle glycolytic metabolism, assessed by a higher (p<0.001) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and lower (p<0.001) oxidative activity of the isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH). The percentage of myosin heavy chain I in muscle was lower, although not significantly, for mh/mh bulls compared to mh/+ bulls. Texture measurements performed on raw material showed that meat of mh/mh bulls had lower resistance to total and 80% compression, which means lower background or collagen toughness. However, there were no differences between genotypes on shear force of cooked meat. Therefore, the physico-chemical, biochemical and texture traits of meat from mh/mh and mh/+ bull are in general significantly different, which could affect the sensorial quality of meat and hence the consumer acceptance.     

Alternative Extraction Method of Bioactive Compounds from Mulberry (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Morus nigra</Emphasis> L.) Pulp Using Pressurized-Liquid Extraction

Black mulberry (Morus nigra L.) is one of the most important species of the genus Morus as its fruit contains substantial levels of anthocyanins and phenolic compounds which show a potentially positive effect on the human health. Nowadays, PLE is becoming a promising extraction technology. Therefore, the development of fast extraction methods of anthocyanins and phenolic compounds from mulberry pulp using pressurized-liquid extraction (PLE) has been studied in this paper. The operating conditions (solvent, temperature, pressure, purge time, pH, and flushing) were investigated by a Box–Behnken design. Analysis of the model clearly showed that the most influential factors were temperature and solvent composition. The optimum extraction conditions for anthocyanins were 47.2% methanol in water, a temperature of 75.5 °C, pressure of 200 atm, a purge time of 90 s, pH 3.01, and 50.2% for flushing. The best conditions for the extraction of phenolics were 74.6% methanol, 99.4 °C, 100 atm, 90 s purge, pH 7, and 100% flushing. The optimum extraction time was 10 min. The precision values of the methods were also evaluated and excellent results (RSD?<?5%) were obtained. The developed methods were successfully applied to several mulberry marmalade samples. The results using PLE were compared to those achieved by UAE methods. Similar extraction yields were obtained for anthocyanins by PLE and UAE under optimized conditions; however, PLE required less methanol consumption. Besides, PLE showed higher extraction efficiency for total phenolic compounds. From the results, it can be concluded that pressurized-liquid extraction can be considered as an efficient alternative and powerful tool for the extraction of bioactive compounds from mulberries.     

Composite phenolic resin-based carbon molecular sieve membranes for gas separation

Composite carbon molecular sieve membranes (c-CMSM) were prepared from phenolic resin loaded with boehmite by a single dipping–drying–pyrolysis step. The composite membrane was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, mercury porosimetry, CO₂ adsorption and permeation experiments. It was produced a 2 μm thick composite uniform layer on top of a α-Al₂O₃ support. The composite top layer exhibited nanowires of Al₂O₃ 1–2 nm thick and 10–30 nm long well dispersed in a microporous carbon matrix. The micropores network accounted for 63% of the total pore volume (DR isotherm). The c-CMSM exhibited ideal O₂/N₂ and C₃H₆/C₃H₈ permselectivities of 5 and 15, respectively. The performance of the c-CMSM for pair C₃H₆/C₃H₈ was above the upper bound curve for polymeric membranes, making it a promising vehicle for olefin purification.     

Master curve and time–temperature–transformation cure diagram of a polyfunctional epoxy acrylic resin

The curing reaction of a well‐defined glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐butyl acrylate statistical copolymer, prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization, and a commercial linear diamine (Jeffamine D‐230) was studied with the objectives of constructing and discussing a time–temperature–transformation isothermal curing for this system. Thermal and rheological analyses were used to obtain the gelation and vitrification times. Differential scanning calorimetry data showed a one‐to‐one relationship between the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) and fractional conversion independent of the cure temperature. As a result, T_g was used as a measurement of conversion. We obtained a kinetically controlled master curve for isothermal curing temperatures from 50 to 100°C by shifting T_g versus the natural logarithm time data to a reference temperature of 80°C. We calculated the apparent activation energy by applying two different methods, gel time measurements versus shift factors, suggesting a good agreement between them. Isoconversion contours were calculated by the numerical integration of the kinetic model. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

A mixed integer linear formulation for the minimum label spanning tree problem

In this paper we deal with the minimum label spanning tree problem. This is a relevant problem with applications such as telecommunication networks or electric networks, where each edge is assigned with a label (such as a color) and it is intended to determine a spanning tree with the minimum number of different labels. We introduce some mixed integer formulations for this problem and prove that one of their relaxations always gives the optimal value. Finally we present and discuss the results of computational experiments.     

Interactions between carbon coatings and tissue

The unique properties of thin diamond layers make them perspective candidates for producing advanced micro-electronic devices, coatings for cutting tools and optics. However, due to the highest biocompatibility of carbon resulting from the presence of this element in the human body, it appears to be a potential biomaterial.Carbon, especially in the form of the nanocrystalline diamond film, have found industrial applications in the area of medical implants.The studies of carbon films as coatings for implants in surgery were aimed at the investigations of biological resistance of implants, histopathological investigations on laboratory animals, tests of corrosion resistance, measurements of mechanical properties and a breakdown test in Tyrode's solution.Different medical implants are covered by Nanocrystalline Diamond Coatings (NCD). NCD forms the barrier diffusion between implant and human environment. The research on NCD proved that diamond layers are biocompatible with living organisms.Diamond Powder Particles (DPP) is an extended surface of NCD. Biological research with diamond powder can answer the basic question: what is the influence of DPP on cells, tissues and organs in human organism?