Recent advances in cured raw ham manufacture

Cured raw hams are a valuable and popular group of meat products. The consumption and international trade have increased during the last years, therefore new technologies to accelerate the production process and to increase product quality and safety are needed. In the current review, an overview of European protected cured raw hams is presented. Furthermore, traditional methods for cured raw ham production together with recent advantages in the techniques for pretreatment (trimming, blade tenderization, and freeze-thawing), curing/salting (tumbling, vacuum impregnation, pulsed pressure, ultrasound, pulsed electric fields, simultaneous thawing/salting), drying/ripening (Quick-Dry-Slice-process, oil drop application, high temperature short time process) and postprocessing (vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging, high hydrostatic pressure, high pressure carbon dioxide, high pressure carbon dioxide with ultrasound) are described. Moreover, application techniques and effects of protective cultures and starter cultures, such as molds, yeasts, coagulase-negative staphylococci and lactic acid bacteria, on cured raw ham quality and safety are reviewed.     

Internal cation mobility in molten LiCl-NdCl3 system

Internal mobilities of Li⁺ and Nd³⁺ cations have been investigated in binary unsymmetrical molten LiCl-NdCl₃ system by countercurrent electromigration method (so-called Klemm method). The results have been presented as isotherms of cation internal mobilities versus equivalent fraction of NdCl₃ for 1023, 1073 and 1123 K and have been compared with corresponding relationships for NaCl-NdCl₃ and KCl-NdCl₃ systems. It has been found that internal mobility of Nd³⁺ ions (as well as Li⁺) increases with decreasing concentration of NdCl₃, contrary to KCl-NdCl₃ and NaCl-NdCl₃ systems for which Nd³⁺ internal mobility decreases or is nearly constant, respectively. The tendency that smaller alkali metal cation enhances internal mobility of trivalent ion (b_Ln) has been described with a simple equation: , where is the internal mobility of Ln³⁺ in molten LnCl₃, yLnCl₃ the equivalent fraction of LnCl₃ and a parameter is the difference between internal mobility of Ln³⁺ cation in molten LnCl₃ and internal mobility of this cation in infinitely diluted solution of LnCl₃ in alkali metal chloride.     

Brachial Artery Intima-Media Thickness and Echogenicity in Relation to Lipids and Markers of Oxidative Stress in Elderly Subjects:-The Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) Study

The aim of the present study was to relate brachial artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and the grey scale median of the intima-media complex (IM-GSM) to traditional cardiovascular risk factors and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. In the Prospective Study of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study, a population-based study of 1016 subjects aged 70, brachial artery IMT and IM-GSM, who were evaluated by ultrasound. Lipids, thirteen markers of inflammation and nine markers of oxidative stress were measured. The Framingham risk score was related to IMT (p < 0.0001), but not to the IM-GSM. In univariate analysis, HDL-cholesterol, serum triglycerides, fasting glucose, smoking, HOMA insulin resistance index and oxidized LDL levels were related to IMT. HDL and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, VCAM-1, e-selectin, leukocyte count, conjugated diens, baseline conjugated diens (BCD)-LDL, antibodies to oxLDL, the GSSG/GSH glutathione ratio and homocysteine were related to IM-GSM. In multiple regression models, HDL-cholesterol, fasting glucose and oxLDL levels were the independently related to IMT (p = 0.01–0.04), while serum triglycerides, BCD-LDL and the GSSG/GSH ratio were independently related to IM-GSM (p = 0.0001–0.004). In conclusion, in addition to traditional lipid variables, markers of oxidative stress were associated with both thickness and echogenicity of the brachial artery intima-media complex. Thus, both thickness and echogenicity of the brachial artery intima-media complex might be useful biomarkers in the future.     

Characterization and Genome Study of Novel Lytic Bacteriophages against Prevailing Saprophytic Bacterial Microflora of Minimally Processed Plant-Based Food Products

The food industry is still searching for novel solutions to effectively ensure the microbiological safety of food, especially fresh and minimally processed food products. Nowadays, the use of bacteriophages as potential biological control agents in microbiological food safety and preservation is a promising strategy. The aim of the study was the isolation and comprehensive characterization of novel bacteriophages with lytic activity against saprophytic bacterial microflora of minimally processed plant-based food products, such as mixed leaf salads. From 43 phages isolated from municipal sewage, four phages, namely Enterobacter phage KKP 3263, Citrobacter phage KKP 3664, Enterobacter phage KKP 3262, and Serratia phage KKP 3264 have lytic activity against Enterobacter ludwigii KKP 3083, Citrobacter freundii KKP 3655, Enterobacter cloacae KKP 3082, and Serratia fonticola KKP 3084 bacterial strains, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) identified Enterobacter phage KKP 3263 as an Autographiviridae, and Citrobacter phage KKP 3664, Enterobacter phage KKP 3262, and Serratia phage KKP 3264 as members of the Myoviridae family. Genome sequencing revealed that these phages have linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) with sizes of 39,418 bp (KKP 3263), 61,608 bp (KKP 3664), 84,075 bp (KKP 3262), and 148,182 bp (KKP 3264). No antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors, integrase, recombinase, or repressors, which are the main markers of lysogenic viruses, were annotated in phage genomes. Serratia phage KKP 3264 showed the greatest growth inhibition of Serratia fonticola KKP 3084 strain. The use of MOI 1.0 caused an almost 5-fold decrease in the value of the specific growth rate coefficient. The phages retained their lytic activity in a wide range of temperatures (from −20 °C to 50 °C) and active acidity values (pH from 4 to 11). All phages retained at least 70% of lytic activity at 60 °C. At 80 °C, no lytic activity against tested bacterial strains was observed. Serratia phage KKP 3264 was the most resistant to chemical factors, by maintaining high lytic activity across a broader range of pH from 3 to 11. The results indicated that these phages could be a potential biological control agent against saprophytic bacterial microflora of minimally processed plant-based food products.     

Molecular Imaging of Human Skeletal Myoblasts (huSKM) in Mouse Post-Infarction Myocardium

Current treatment protocols for myocardial infarction improve the outcome of disease to some extent but do not provide the clue for full regeneration of the heart tissues. An increasing body of evidence has shown that transplantation of cells may lead to some organ recovery. However, the optimal stem cell population has not been yet identified. We would like to propose a novel pro-regenerative treatment for post-infarction heart based on the combination of human skeletal myoblasts (huSkM) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). huSkM native or overexpressing gene coding for Cx43 (huSKMCx43) alone or combined with MSCs were delivered in four cellular therapeutic variants into the healthy and post-infarction heart of mice while using molecular reporter probes. Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography (SPECT/CT) performed right after cell delivery and 24 h later revealed a trend towards an increase in the isotopic uptake in the post-infarction group of animals treated by a combination of huSkMCx43 with MSC. Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) showed the highest increase in firefly luciferase (fluc) signal intensity in post-infarction heart treated with combination of huSkM and MSCs vs. huSkM alone (p < 0.0001). In healthy myocardium, however, nanoluciferase signal (nanoluc) intensity varied markedly between animals treated with stem cell populations either alone or in combinations with the tendency to be simply decreased. Therefore, our observations seem to show that MSCs supported viability, engraftment, and even proliferation of huSkM in the post-infarction heart.     

The Influence of Prenatal Fumonisin Exposure on Bone Properties,as well as OPG and RANKL Expression and Immunolocalization,in Newborn Offspring Is Sex and Dose Dependent

The current study examined the effects of exposure of pregnant dams to fumonisins (FBs; FB1 and FB2), from the seventh day of pregnancy to parturition, on offspring bone metabolism and properties. The rats were randomly divided into three groups intoxicated with FBs at either 0, 60, or 90 mg/kg b.w. Body weight and bone length were affected by fumonisin exposure, irrespective of sex or dose, while the negative and harmful effects of maternal FBs’ exposure on bone mechanical resistance were sex and dose dependent. The immunolocalization of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL), in bone and articular cartilage, indicated that the observed bone effects resulted from the FB-induced alterations in bone metabolism, which were confirmed by the changes observed in the Western blot expression of OPG and RANKL. It was concluded that the negative effects of prenatal FB exposure on the general growth and morphometry of the offspring bones, as a result of the altered expression of proteins responsible for bone metabolism, were dose and sex dependent.     

The roles of feature-specific task set and bottom-up salience in attentional capture: An ERP study.

We investigated the roles of top-down task set and bottom-up stimulus salience for feature-specific attentional capture. Spatially nonpredictive cues preceded search arrays that included a color-defined target. For target-color singleton cues, behavioral spatial cueing effects were accompanied by cue-induced N2pc components, indicative of attentional capture. These effects were only minimally attenuated for nonsingleton target-color cues, underlining the dominance of top-down task set over salience in attentional capture. Nontarget-color singleton cues triggered no N2pc, but instead an anterior N2 component indicative of top-down inhibition. In Experiment 2, inverted behavioral cueing effects of these cues were accompanied by a delayed N2pc to targets at cued locations, suggesting that perceptually salient but task-irrelevant visual events trigger location-specific inhibition mechanisms that can delay subsequent target selection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microwave plasma fluidized bed arc-PVD coating of particulate materials

A novel process for deposition of thin AlN and Al coatings on particulate carbon materials by means of an atmospheric pressure microwave plasma fluidized bed treatment is reported. The substrate powder and a fine aluminum powder are mixed and fluidized together in microwave plasma. Argon plasma yields a homogenous coating composed of pure aluminum on the substrate powder, whereas upon treatment in a reactive nitrogen plasma the deposited aluminum particles are nitrided and the resulting coating is an AlN ceramic. Coatings were characterized by means of SEM/FEM, EDX, XRD and TGA. Crystal structure of the deposited AlN was refined by Rietveld method.     

Comparison of magnetic and transport properties of Gd6YPd3 and Gd7Pd3 single crystals

Electronic structure, transport and magnetic properties of the Gd₆YPd₃ single crystal have been measured. This compound crystallizes in the hexagonal Th₇Fe₃ type of structure with the ratio c/a = 0.63 similar to that obtained for Gd₇Pd₃. Gd₆YPd₃ orders ferromagnetically at 299 K while Gd₇Pd₃ displays also ferromagnetic transition but at about 334 K. All measured physical properties show a strong anisotropy. The thermal dependence of the electrical resistivity shows an anomalous character having a strong negative curvature and quadratic temperature dependences at low temperatures. The saturation magnetic moment per Gd ion is enhanced in relation to the theoretical value. Spin fluctuations taking place on the palladium atoms may be responsible for the magnetic properties of ternary compound.