Determination of taste-active compounds of a bitter Camembert cheese by omission tests

The taste-active compounds of a Camembert cheese selected for its intense bitterness defect were investigated. The water-soluble fraction (WSE) was extracted with pure water and fractionated by successive tangential ultrafiltrations and nanofiltration. The physicochemical assessment of these fractions led to the construction of a model WSE which was compared by sensory evaluation to the crude water-soluble extract, using a panel of 16 trained tasters. As no significant difference was perceived, this model WSE was then used directly or mixed with other cheese components for omission tests. Among the main taste characteristics of the WSE (salty, sour, umami and bitter), bitterness was found to be due to small peptides whose mass distribution was obtained by RPHPLC-MS (400-3000 Da) and whose taste properties are discussed.     

Goat Cheese Flavor: Sensory Evaluation of Branched-Chain Fatty Acids and Small Peptides

ABSTRACT: Small peptides (MW < 1000 g/mol) and volatile fatty acids of goat cheese were studied for their favorite properties. The threshold values of 4-methyl- and 4-ethyl-octanoic acids-responsible for the typical goat note were evaluated at pH 5 for orthonasal aroma in a citrate buffer and for retronasal aroma after incorporation in a cheese model. Though the concentration of the 4-ethyl- was lower than the concentration of the 4-methyl-octanoic acid in goat cheese, its relative impact on the typical goat flavor appeared more important because of its much lower threshold value. The small peptides, isolated by nano filtration of the ultrafiltered water-soluble extract at pH 5, were incorporated in the cheese model. Sensory evaluations with omission tests did not allow us to find any taste activity for this peptidic fraction.     

Effect of Everolimus versus Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells on Glomerular Injury in a Rat Model of Glomerulonephritis: A Preventive,Predictive and Personalized Implication

Glomerular endothelial injury and effectiveness of glomerular endothelial repair play a crucial role in the progression of glomerulonephritis. Although the potent immune suppressive everolimus is increasingly used in renal transplant patients, adverse effects of its chronic use have been reported clinically in human glomerulonephritis and experimental renal disease. Recent studies suggest that progenitor stem cells could enhance glomerular endothelial repair with minimal adverse effects. Increasing evidence supports the notion that stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine can be effectively used in pathological conditions within the predictive, preventive and personalized medicine (PPPM) paradigm. In this study, using an experimental model of glomerulonephritis, we tested whether bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMDSCs) could provide better effect over everolimus in attenuating glomerular injury and improving the repair process in a rat model of glomerulonephritis. Anti-Thy1 glomerulonephritis was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats by injection of an antibody against Thy1, which is mainly expressed on glomerular mesangial cells. Additional groups of rats were treated with the immunosuppressant everolimus daily after the injection of anti-Thy1 or injected with single bolus dose of BMDSCs after one week of injection of anti-Thy1 (n = 6–8). Nine days after injection of anti-Thy1, glomerular albumin permeability and albuminuria were significantly increased when compared to control group (p < 0.05). Compared to BMDSCs, everolimus was significantly effective in attenuating glomerular injury, nephrinuria and podocalyxin excretion levels as well as in reducing inflammatory responses and apoptosis. Our findings suggest that bolus injection of BMDSCs fails to improve glomerular injury whereas everolimus slows the progression of glomerular injury in Anti-Thy-1 induced glomerulonephritis. Thus, everolimus could be used at the early stage of glomerulonephritis, suggesting potential implications of PPPM in the treatment of progressive renal injury.     

Potential Role of Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV in the Pathophysiology of Heart Failure

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) is a widely expressed multifunctional serine peptidase that exists as a membrane-anchored cell surface protein or in a soluble form in the plasma and other body fluids. Numerous substrates are cleaved at the penultimate amino acid by DPPIV, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-α), all of which play important roles in the cardiovascular system. In this regard, recent reports have documented that circulating DPPIV activity correlates with poorer cardiovascular outcomes in human and experimental heart failure (HF). Moreover, emerging evidence indicates that DPPIV inhibitors exert cardioprotective and renoprotective actions in a variety of experimental models of cardiac dysfunction. On the other hand, conflicting results have been found when translating these promising findings from preclinical animal models to clinical therapy. In this review, we discuss how DPPIV might be involved in the cardio-renal axis in HF. In addition, the potential role for DPPIV inhibitors in ameliorating heart disease is revised, focusing on the effects of the main DPPIV substrates on cardiac remodeling and renal handling of salt and water.     

Polymerization and adhesion behavior of experimental dental bonding materials with different initiator systems

The use of alternative photoinitiators has been reported as a way to improve physical-mechanical characteristics of dental adhesive systems. In this way, the aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of conversion (DC) and dentin bond strength in dentin cavities of experimental simplified adhesive systems formulated with alternative photoinitiators and diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate (DPIHFP). A model simplified adhesive system was formulated by mixing a similar blend of monomers with different photoinitiator systems: camphorquinone (CQ), phenylpropanedione (PPD), bis-alkyl phosphine oxide (BAPO), CQ/PPD, and CQ/BAPO; with or without the addition of DPIHFP. DC was measured using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Bond strength was evaluated in bovine dentin cavities. DPIHFP increased DC for the CQ-based system, but did not affect the dentin bond strength. The PPD system showed the highest DC. All photoinitiator systems provided similar dentin bond strength. DPIHFP seems to increase the DC of CQ-based system, but it had no influence on PPD or BAPO systems. PPD was the most effective for to increase DC without improving bond strength of adhesive systems. Therefore, it is recommended that new adhesive systems to be formulated with phenylpropanedione to increase the DC of tooth restorations caused by traditional camphorquinone-based adhesive systems.     

Ham Particle Size Influences Saltiness Perception in Flans

One major issue of the food industry is reducing sodium content while maintaining food acceptability and liking. Despite extensive research in this field, little has been published on real complex food products. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the size of particles, a parameter easily adjusted in food processing, could influence the salty taste of low‐salt food product. We thus evaluated the effect of ham particle sizes (4 levels, including a zero level) on salt perception and the consumer liking of flans varying in their overall salt concentrations (low‐ and high‐salt content). Two consumer panels, composed of 107 and 77 subjects, rated, respectively, the saltiness of and liking for the developed flans (8 samples). The outcomes of this study indicated first, that the addition of ham to flans increased the salty taste perception and second, that a decrease in ham particle size (ground ham) increased the perceived saltiness. Moreover, low‐ and high‐salt flans were equally liked, demonstrating that food manufacturers could reduce the salt contents (here, by over 15%) while maintaining consumer acceptability through the manipulation of the size of the salt‐providing particles.     

Characteristics of voltage relays for embedded synchronous generators protection

Here, a comprehensive characterisation of the performance of voltage relays, focusing on their capability to detect islanding of embedded synchronous generators is presented. Such characterisation is done by using the performance curves and the concept of critical reactive power imbalance, which allows a systematic analysis of voltage relays considering a wide range of system operating points. The impacts of important factors on the relay performance are evaluated, such as the presence of voltage-dependent loads and the generator exciter control mode. Moreover, a graphical approach that allows protection engineers to adjust voltage relays to reach two objectives simultaneously: (i) to be sensitive enough to detect islanding efficiently and (ii) to satisfy the protection requirements against abnormal voltage variation is proposed. Results can be quite attractive to understand voltage relays behaviour and limitations and thus, they can be adjusted more efficiently     

Towards a communication model applied to the interface design process

The design of computational artifacts involves many communication acts occurring through different channels; usability tests, for example, have been used as a main communication channel between designers and users. Other channels used during the design process include requirement analysis, scenario construction, prototyping, etc. This work takes the Westley and MacLehan communication model and projects it into the context of interactive artifact design, resulting in a model of fractal nature. Some channels already present during the design process fit in well with the model we are proposing. It also reveals that other channels have not been explored in the global process of communication. Thus, we show how a semiotic-based analysis can unify techniques, methods and tools that support design, as well as make explicit the necessary interactions among designers, users and computers through different channels.