How meaty? Detection and quantification of adulterants,foreign proteins and food additives in meat products

The worldwide consumption of meat is increasing, especially in developing countries. Many studies have correlated a diet characterised by high intake of processed red meats with a risk of colorectal cancer, stroke, coronary heart diseases and diabetes. Moreover, the quality and safety of meat products may be compromised by several admitted and not admitted procedures (i.e. addition of food additives and/or foreign proteins). For these reasons, the topic ‘meat products’ quality and safety’ has gained much in importance during last few years. In this review, the recent advances in the field of analytical methods for the evaluation of meat adulteration due to the addition of foreign proteins and food additives are reported, compared and critically evaluated. Moreover, the most representative monitoring practices, developed worldwide, related to meats adulteration are described and discussed.     

Interrogating the Behaviour of a Styryl Dye Interacting with a Mesoscopic 2D-MOF and Its Luminescent Vapochromic Sensing

In this contribution, we report on the solid-state-photodynamical properties and further applications of a low dimensional composite material composed by the luminescent trans-4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran (DCM) dye interacting with a two-dimensional-metal organic framework (2D-MOF), Al-ITQ-HB. Three different samples with increasing concentration of DCM are synthesized and characterized. The broad UV-visible absorption spectra of the DCM/Al-ITQ-HB composites reflect the presence of different species of DCM molecules (monomers and aggregates). In contrast, the emission spectra are narrower and exhibit a bathochromic shift upon increasing the DCM concentration, in agreeance with the formation of adsorbed aggregates. Time-resolved picosecond (ps)-experiments reveal multi-exponential behaviors of the excited composites, further confirming the heterogeneous nature of the samples. Remarkably, DCM/Al-ITQ-HB fluorescence is sensitive to vapors of electron donor aromatic amine compounds like aniline, methylaniline, and benzylamine due to a H-bonding-induced electron transfer (ET) process from the analyte to the surface-adsorbed DCM. These findings bring new insights on the photobehavior of a well-known dye when interacting with a 2D-MOF and its possible application in sensing aniline derivatives.     

Effects of Cadmium Exposure on Gut Villi in Danio rerio

In aquatic organisms, cadmium exposure occurs from ovum to death and the route of absorption is particularly wide, being represented by skin, gills and gastrointestinal tract, through which contaminated water and/or preys are ingested. It is known that cadmium interferes with the gut; however, less information is available on cadmium effects on an important component of the gut, namely goblet cells, specialized in mucus synthesis. In the present work, we studied the effects of two sublethal cadmium concentrations on the gut mucosa of Danio rerio. Particular attention was paid to changes in the distribution of glycan residues, and in metallothionein expression in intestinal cells. The results show that cadmium interferes with gut mucosa and goblet cells features. The effects are dose- and site-dependent, the anterior gut being more markedly affected than the midgut. Cadmium modifies the presence and/or distribution of glycans in the brush border and cytoplasm of enterocytes and in the goblet cells’ cytoplasm and alters the metallothionein expression and localization. The results suggest a significant interference of cadmium with mucosal efficiency, representing a health risk for the organism in direct contact with contamination and indirectly for the trophic chain.     

The BDNF/TrkB Neurotrophin System in the Sensory Organs of Zebrafish

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was discovered in the last century, and identified as a member of the neurotrophin family. BDNF shares approximately 50% of its amino acid with other neurotrophins such as NGF, NT-3 and NT-4/5, and its linear amino acid sequences in zebrafish (Danio rerio) and human are 91% identical. BDNF functions can be mediated by two categories of receptors: p75NTR and Trk. Intriguingly, BDNF receptors were highly conserved in the process of evolution, as were the other NTs’ receptors. In this review, we update current knowledge about the distribution and functions of the BDNF-TrkB system in the sensory organs of zebrafish. In fish, particularly in zebrafish, the distribution and functions of BDNF and TrkB in the brain have been widely studied. Both components of the system, associated or segregated, are also present outside the central nervous system, especially in sensory organs including the inner ear, lateral line system, retina, taste buds and olfactory epithelium.     

On the Efficacy of ZnO Nanostructures against SARS-CoV-2

In 2019, the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), related to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), started spreading around the word, giving rise to the world pandemic we are still facing. Since then, many strategies for the prevention and control of COVID-19 have been studied and implemented. In addition to pharmacological treatments and vaccines, it is mandatory to ensure the cleaning and disinfection of the skin and inanimate surfaces, especially in those contexts where the contagion could spread quickly, such as hospitals and clinical laboratories, schools, transport, and public places in general. Here, we report the efficacy of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) against SARS-CoV-2. NPs were produced using an ecofriendly method and fully characterized; their antiviral activity was tested in vitro against SARS-CoV-2, showing a decrease in viral load between 70% and 90%, as a function of the material’s composition. Application of these nano-antimicrobials as coatings for commonly touched surfaces is envisaged.     

Effect of excitatory amino acid, dopamine, and oxytocin receptor antagonists on noncontact penile erections and paraventricular nitric oxide production in male rats.

In male rats, noncontact erections occur concomitantly with an increase in NO?- and NO?- in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). In the present study, both responses were reduced by the blockade of PVN excitatory amino acid receptors by dizocilpine, (+)-MK-801(1 and 5 μg), but not by 6-cyano-7-nitro-quinoxaline-2,3-dione (5 μg) or (±)-2-amino-4-phosphono-butanoic acid (5 μg). Also ineffective when injected into the PVN were the dopamine antagonists SCH 23390 (5 μg), S(+)-raclopride (10 μg), and cis-flupenthixol (10 μg), and the oxytocin antagonist d(CH?)?Tyr(Me)2-Orn?-vasotocin (1 μg). However, when the last was given into the lateral ventricles, it reduced noncontact erections without modifying NO?- and NO?- increases. These results suggest that excitatory amino acid transmission increases in the PVN during noncontact erections. This may contribute to increased NO production in the PVN, and it may activate oxytocin neurons mediating this sexual response. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative electron diffraction study of the diamond nucleation layer on Ir(001)

The carbon layer formed during the bias enhanced nucleation (BEN) procedure on iridium has been studied by different electron diffraction techniques. In reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) the carbon nucleation layer does not give any indication of crystalline diamond even if the presence of domains proves successful nucleation. In contrast, X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) shows a clear C 1s pattern when domains are present after BEN. The anisotropy in the Ir XPD patterns is reduced after BEN while the fine structure is essentially identical compared to a single crystal Ir film. The change in the Ir XPD patterns after BEN can be explained by the carbon layer on top of a crystallographically unmodified Ir film. The loss and change in the fine structure of the C 1s patterns as compared to a single crystal diamond film are discussed in terms of mosaicity and a defective structure of the ordered fraction within the carbon layer. The present results suggest that the real structure of the BEN layer is more complex than a pure composition of small but perfect diamond crystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix.     

Effect of different ventilation regimens on ewes' milk and Canestrato Pugliese cheese quality in summer

The influence of three different ventilation regimens on air pollution in sheep houses and on the quality of ewe milk and of Canestrato Pugliese cheese was investigated during the summer season. The experimental treatments were low ventilation regimen (VR=35 m3/h per ewe) split in 30-min ventilation cycles (LOV-30); moderate ventilation regimen (VR=70 m3/h per ewe) split in 30-min ventilation cycles (MOV-30); moderate ventilation regimen (VR=70 m3/h per ewe) split in 60-min ventilation cycles (MOV-60). The LOV-30 milk had higher microbial load and bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) and resulted in a weaker casein matrix in the curd compared with the MOV-30 and MOV-60 treatments. At 45 d of ripening, the LOV-30 cheeses had a lower casein content and higher non-casein nitrogen (NCN) and water-soluble nitrogen (WSN) contents than the MOV-30 and MOV-60 cheeses. Urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (urea-PAGE) of the pH 4.6-soluble N extract showed that the MOV-60 cheeses had fewer bands derived from casein (CN) hydrolysis than the LOV-30 or MOV-30 cheeses, despite its having exhibited the highest plasmin (PL) activity levels. Our results suggest that the ventilation regimen is critical in dairy sheep housing for optimizing the hygienic quality of ewe milk and the proteolytic processes occurring in Canestrato Pugliese cheese during ripening.