Fe, Cu and Zn distribution in different components of commercial infant formulas

Fe, Cu and Zn determination by AAS was performed in 35 infant formula samples from different manufacturers. The trace element content was studied in whole, fat and whey milk, and different chemometric tools have been used in order to observe differences or correlations between infant formulas fortified with inorganic salts (iron, copper and zinc sulphates) or with organic and inorganic salts (iron and copper gluconates, or zinc and iron lactates and zinc oxides). Principal-components analysis (PCA) achieved a reduction from nine variables to three (accounting for 80.8% of the total variability), and some differences between infant formula from the two groups were observed.Cluster analysis gave similar results as PCA. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) allowed the classification of infant formulas in two categories or classes: the first class formed by samples fortified with inorganic salts (category A) and the second one by samples fortified with organic and inorganic salts (category B). The percentages of samples correctly classified were 96.1 and 100.0 for the categories A and B, respectively. After the application of the soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) approach, percentages of cases correctly assigned of 87.5 and 12.5 were achieved for the categories A and B, respectively. However, it must be said that the application of SIMCA led to bad results because of the small number of sample used, mainly in category B.     

p-Cresol in cheese: Is it a flavouring compound or chemical contaminant?

ABSTRACT

p-Cresol has been identified as a flavouring compound in cheeses; however, scientific studies have already identified p-cresol as a potential chemical contaminant in environmental matrices. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate four traditional methods for extracting p-cresol from cheese samples in order to validate the best method, and finally to apply it to five cheese samples with different origins, processing and ripeness times. The analyses were performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after derivatisation of p-cresol with anhydride acetic and pyridine. Better results were achieved by the QuEChERS method, which showed recovery higher than 80%, relative standard deviation lower than 16%, limit of quantification of 5 μg kg^?1 and linearity between 5 and 400 μg kg^?1 with R² 0.99. p-Cresol was quantified in almost all of the samples analysed at different concentration levels, which were in an increasing order at μg kg^?1: Cheddar (< LOQ), Parmesan (8 ± 0.7), Gorgonzola (103 ± 14), smoked Provolone (365 ± 28) and barbecue cheese (1001 ± 187). Although no maximum residue limit has been established for p-cresol in food, the results suggest that cheeses exposed to charcoal combustion notably increase the p-cresol levels and may represent a hazard to human health, especially in risk groups such as patients with chronic kidney disease who have serious problems with p-cresol.     

Antimicrobial action of synthetic peptides towards wine spoilage yeasts

The antimicrobial action of selected short synthetic peptides against wine spoilage yeasts such as Cryptococcus albidus, Dekkera bruxellensis, Pichia membranifaciens, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Zygosaccharomyces bailii and Zygosaccharomyces bisporus has been examined. Peptides analyzed include nine sequence-related antifungal hexapeptides (PAFs) previously developed by a combinatorial approach, and two representative lactoferricin B (LfcinB)-derived peptides. Different peptides had distinct activity profiles. In vitro assays identified the peptides PAF26, PAF36, and LfcinB(17-31), as having growth inhibitory properties towards several of the yeasts at low micromolar concentrations. Z. bailii and Z. bisporus were the most sensitive yeasts. In addition to their fungistatic activity, the three peptides showed fungicidal properties towards Z. bailii, Z. bisporus, and S. cerevisiae in laboratory growth medium. Remarkably, only LfcinB(17-31) against Z. bisporus had inhibitory and fungicidal properties in wine at the concentrations assayed, showing that the antimicrobial action of each peptide is dependent on both the food matrix and the target micro-organism. Lack of fungicidal activity of peptides against Z. bailii in wine is related to the presence of salt ions other than divalent cations. On the contrary, fungicidal activity of LfcinB(17-31) towards Z. bisporus was not significantly affected by wine salts. Our data identify a bioactive peptide from natural origin with potential use against the food spoilage yeast Z. bisporus, and indicate that the application of antimicrobial peptides in wine preservation deserves further investigation.     

Fabrication of HfO2 patterns by laser interference nanolithography and selective dry etching for III-V CMOS application

Nanostructuring of ultrathin HfO2 films deposited on GaAs (001) substrates by high-resolution Lloyd's mirror laser interference nanolithography is described. Pattern transfer to the HfO2 film was carried out by reactive ion beam etching using CF4 and O2 plasmas. A combination of atomic force microscopy, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy microanalysis was used to characterise the various etching steps of the process and the resulting HfO2/GaAs pattern morphology, structure, and chemical composition. We show that the patterning process can be applied to fabricate uniform arrays of HfO2 mesa stripes with tapered sidewalls and linewidths of 100 nm. The exposed GaAs trenches were found to be residue-free and atomically smooth with a root-mean-square line roughness of 0.18 nm after plasma etching.PACS: Dielectric oxides 77.84.Bw, Nanoscale pattern formation 81.16.Rf, Plasma etching 52.77.Bn, Fabrication of III-V semiconductors 81.05.Ea.     

Main achievements of FP-4 research in reactor safety

This summary paper deals with the strategy, the organisation and main achievements of the 67 multi-partner projects cosponsored by the European Union (EU) as ‘indirect actions’ (shared-cost and concerted actions) and co-ordinated under seven clusters, each devoted to one key safety issue in nuclear reactor safety, as they were presented at FISA-99. The fundamental safety objective for nuclear power plants (NPPs) consists in protecting the public and the environment from the harmful effects resulting from ionising radiations. The 4th Euratom framework programme 1994–1998 (FP-4) has been carrying out research with this objective both through ‘indirect actions’ and through ‘direct actions’ in co-operation with the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EC). The total cost of this research programme was 62.8 million, out of which 34.2 million was contributed by the EU budget. Besides technological safety requirements, socio-economic aspects are becoming increasingly important due to the level of public and political acceptance and to the economic pressure of deregulated electricity markets. It is shown that research conducted in the Euratom framework may contribute to meet these requirements, thereby maintaining nuclear power as a competitive and sustainable option for the energy policy of the European Union.     

Word-based grouping affects the prime-task effect on semantic priming.

Semantic priming between words is reduced or eliminated if a low-level task such as letter search is performed on the prime word (the prime task effect), a finding used to question the automaticity of semantic processing of words. This idea is critically examined in 3 experiments with a new design that allows the search target to occur both inside and outside the prime word. The new design produces the prime task effect (Experiment 1) but shows semantic negative priming when the target letter occurs outside the prime word (Experiments 2 and 3). It is proposed that semantic activation and priming are dissociable and that inhibition and word-based grouping are responsible for reduction of semantic priming in the prime task effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Monitoring a mixed starter of Hanseniaspora vineae-Saccharomyces cerevisiae in natural must: impact on 2-phenylethyl acetate production

The effect of simultaneous or sequential inoculation of Hanseniaspora vineae CECT 1471 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae T73 in non-sterile must on 2-phenylethyl acetate production has been examined. In both treatments tested, no significant differences in Saccharomyces yeast growth were found, whereas non-Saccharomyces yeast growth was significantly different during all days of fermentation. Independently of the type of inoculation, S. cerevisiae was the predominant species from day 3 till the end of the fermentation. The dynamics of indigenous and inoculated yeast populations showed H. vineae to be the predominant non-Saccharomyces species at the beginning of fermentation in sequentially inoculated wines, whereas the simultaneous inoculation of S. cerevisiae did not permit any non-Saccharomyces species to become predominant. Differences found in non-Saccharomyces yeast growth in both fermentations influenced the analytical profiles of final wines and specifically 2-phenylethyl acetate concentration which was two-fold increased in sequentially inoculated wines in comparison to those co-inoculated. In conclusion we have shown that H. vineae inoculated as part of a sequential mixed starter is able to compete with native yeasts present in non-sterile must and modify the wine aroma profile.     

In vivo and in vitro antiinflammatory activity of saikosaponins

Buddlejasaponin I and saikosaponin 1 and 2, biologically active compounds from Scrophularia scorodonia and Bupleurum rigidum respectively, exert potent in vivo antiinflammatory effects on mouse ear edema induced by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). The effects of these compounds on swelling and other inflammatory parameters are described. In screening for in vitro effects of saikosaponins on cellular systems generating cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) metabolites, we observed that most saikosaponins showed a significant effect. The action is more marked on LOX metabolite LTC4. Our data support the inhibition of arachidonic acid metabolism as one of the biochemical mechanisms that might be the rationale for the putative antiphlogistic activity of these saikosaponins.     

Physicochemical, microbiological and sensory profiles of fermented milk containing probiotic strains isolated from kefir

A two-strain starter culture containing Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114, a potential probiotic strain isolated from kefir grains, and Streptococcus thermophilus CIDCA 321 was tested for the preparation of a fermented milk product. Kluyveromyces marxianus CIDCA 8154, a yeast with immunomodulatory properties was included to formulate a three-strain starter culture. Supernatants of enterohaemorragic Escherichia coli, shiga-toxin-producing strain, along with a two-strain or a three-strain starter culture were included in the medium of Vero-cell surface cultures. The results demonstrated that these combinations of microorganisms antagonize the cytopathic action of shiga toxins. The cell concentration of Lb. plantarum did not decrease during fermentation, indicating that the viability of this strain was not affected by low pH, nor did the number of viable bacteria change during 21 days of storage in either fermented products. The number of viable yeasts increases during fermentation and storage. Trained assessors analyzed the general acceptability of fresh fermented milks and considered both acceptable. The milk fermented with the two-strain starter culture was considered acceptable after two week of storage, while the product fermented with the three-strain starter culture remained acceptable for less than one week. The main changes in sensory attributes detected by the trained panel were in sour taste, milky taste and also in fermented attributes. The correlation between different sensory attributes and acceptability indicated that the panel was positively influenced by milky attributes (taste, odour, and flavour) as well as the intensity of flavour. In conclusion, the two-strain starter culture would be the more promising alternative for inclusion of that potential probiotic lactobacillus in a fermented milk product.     

Methodological variations in the production of CORINE land cover and consequences for long-term land cover change studies. The case of Spain.

ABSTRACT

Land cover information at national or regional scale is essential for science, monitoring, reporting, and policy making. CORINE Land Cover (CLC) is the most consistent land cover map for the entire European territory, with four repetitions during the period 1985–2012. The long-term consistency of CLC maps is the most appreciated strength and it should be guaranteed. Beyond some common general guidelines, the mapping approaches used in individual countries differ and change over time, leading to inconsistencies that should be known and reported. Through a series of metrics over the Spanish CLC most recent layers (CLC2006 and CLC2012) and comparisons with eight other countries CLC statistics, we demonstrate that the methodological changes recently implemented have introduced some discrepancies with previous CLC versions. The most affected classes in Spain were transitional woodland-shrub, complex cultivation patterns, artificial, grasslands, and forests. Users should be aware of the important implications these discrepancies may have in land use and land cover change studies, trend analysis, and reports.