Maternal dietary habits and mycotoxin occurrence in human mature milk

During 2006, 82 samples of human mature milk were collected at Italian hospitals and checked for aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) by immunoaffinity column extraction and HPLC. AFM1 was detected in four (5%) of milk samples (ranging from < 7 ng/L to 140 ng/L; mean level: 55.35 ng/L); OTA was detected in 61 (74%) of milk samples (ranging from < 5 ng/L to 405 ng/L; mean level: 30.43 ng/L. OTA levels were significantly higher (p less, not double equals 0.05) in milk of habitual consumers of bread, bakery products and cured pork meat. No other statistically significant differences were observed although habitual consumers of pasta (p = 0.059), cookies (p = 0.061) and juices (p = 0.063) had mean contamination values of OTA higher than the moderate consumer. The very few AFB1 positive samples did not allow statistical comparisons. The present study confirms that the occurrence of OTA in human milk is related to maternal dietary habits. The findings support the possibility of dietary recommendations to woman, during pregnancy and lactation, aimed to tentatively reduce the OTA contamination of human milk.     

A comprehensive meta-analysis on evidence of Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular disease: Are individual components equal?

Many studies have reported that higher adherence to Mediterranean diet may decrease cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality. We performed a meta-analysis to explore the association in prospective studies and randomized control trials (RCTs) between Mediterranean diet adherence and CVD incidence and mortality. The PubMed database was searched up to June 2014. A total of 17 studies were extracted and 11 qualified for the quantitative analysis. Individuals in the highest quantile of adherence to the diet had lower incidence [relative risk (RR): 0.76, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.68, 0.83] and mortality (RR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.68, 0.83) from CVD compared to those least adherent. A significant reduction of risk was found also for coronary heart disease (CHD) (RR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.86), myocardial infarction (MI) (RR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.83), and stroke (RR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.96) incidence. Pooled analyses of individual components of the diet revealed that the protective effects of the diet appear to be most attributable to olive oil, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. An average reduced risk of 40% for the aforementioned outcomes has been retrieved when pooling results of RCTs. A Mediterranean dietary pattern is associated with lower risks of CVD incidence and mortality, including CHD and MI. The relative effects of specific food groups should be further investigated.     

Effects of olive paste fast preheating on the quality of extra virgin olive oil during storage

The olive paste obtained after crushing was fast preheated under different time/temperature conditions and then malaxed in an industrial oil mill (600 kg Frantoio/Leccino olive blend). Legal parameters (peroxides, free acidity and sensory panel), oil yield, total phenolic content, oxidative stability and phenolic profile were monitored during 12 months of storage of the virgin olive oil (VOO) kept in closed bottles in the dark. A fast preheating not longer than 72 s at 38 °C without malaxation lead to an extra VOO with a shelf-life of at least 12-months, similarly to the traditional EVOO obtained with malaxation. A fast preheating not longer than 72 s at 38 °C followed by 10 min malaxation lead to an EVOO with a ‘mild’ sensory profile and a shelf life of at least 12-months. Thus, the use of a specific designed fast preheater instead or before (a shortened) malaxation allows to obtain an EVOO with a low bitter/pungent attribute from olives which are rich of (sometimes unpleasant) phenolic compounds with the aim to meet the preference of targeted groups of consumers. Time and temperature of fast preheating are the critical parameters of the process.     

Determination of pyrethroids in chicken egg samples: development and validation of a confirmatory analytical method by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an efficient analytical method based on gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS) for detection and quantification of six pyrethroids residues (Phenothrin, Permethrin, Cyfluthrin, Cypermethrin, Deltamethrin and Fenvalerate) in chicken eggs. The method was based on a preliminary liquid–liquid extraction of albumen‐free yolk samples, followed by a clean‐up by solid‐phase extraction. GC/MS/MS analyses were carried out in the selected reaction monitoring mode. Validation parameters such as specificity, detection capability, decision limit, precision, recovery, stability and ruggedness were determined, resulting in compliance with Decision 2002/657/EC. No complicated apparatus are required; moreover, low volumes of organic solvents and a nonintensive manual labour are required. These low costs and simple procedure, based on rapid and safe operations, may represent a useful tool in the routine analysis of pyrethroids pesticides, in the place of the currently used conventional techniques.     

Isolation and catalytic actions of polyphenoloxidase from sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus)

In the last few decades, biotechnological applications of phenoloxidase enzymes have become an area of significant interest. In this study, sunflower seeds, seedlings and defatted mill cake were investigated as possible plant source of polyphenoloxidase (PPO). Noticeable variation of chlorogenic acid concentration in each raw material has undoubtedly proven that only sunflower seedlings have significant amounts of active PPO. The activity of the enzymes was assessed by measuring the molar decrease of caffeic acid. Isolated protein powders from each raw material confirmed the presence of PPO only in the seedlings. Catalytic action of the PPO of seedlings was compared to that of the commercial laccase from Trametes versicolor. Sunflower PPO was selectively active on caffeic and chlorogenic acids, less active on ferulic acid and not active on mono-phenols and gallic acid. Conversely, laccase was highly active on all the assessed phenols. PPO activity was good in a large range of pH (4–8), whilst it was approximately halved in solutions containing 35% ethyl alcohol (v/v), 500 mg L⁻¹ citric acid and finally 200 mg L⁻¹ sulphur dioxide. In conclusion, sunflower seedlings can be considered a potential and interesting plant source of PPO. Sunflower PPO could be used to oxidise selectively o-diphenols, for example in alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.     

Influence of fermentation oxygen partial pressure on semicontinuous acetification for wine vinegar production

This paper describes semicontinuous acetic acid fermentations for wine vinegar production carried out with different aerating gas compositions ranging from 21% (air) to 63% oxygen content and using low aeration (3.7 h^–1, vvm), in order to study the influence of the oxygen partial pressure on the aerating gas supplied to the reactor in this industrial biotransformation process. The acetification process was conducted in 6- to 100-l reactors. The overall acetic acid productivity increased from 0.72 g l^–1 h^–1 with air to 1.35 g l^–1 h^–1 when oxygen-rich (36%) air was used. The same behaviour was observed for the maximum acetification rate, and therefore the total process time was reduced in proportion to the increase in productivity, from 65 h using air to 35 h using an aerating gas mixture containing 36% oxygen. The yield of the process was high, 96–99%; the final concentration of acetic acid reached was 116–118 g l^–1; and the substrate yield coefficient based on ethanol metabolised was higher using oxygen-rich air than with air. It was not feasible to carry out semicontinuous acetification cycles with an oxygen content higher than 40%, and when the oxygen content was 63%, the process stopped during the first cycle with very little acetic acid production. Moreover, an inverse relationship between the acetic acid formation rate profile in the course of the acetification process and the amount of dissolved acetaldehyde in the fermentation broth formed by the acetic bacteria was observed.     

Short communication: Space allocation in intensive Mediterranean buffalo production influences the profile of functional biomolecules in milk and dairy products

The aim of the present study was to determine if space allocation influenced the concentration of biomolecules in buffalo milk and dairy products. Intensively housed buffaloes (n = 96) were randomly assigned to 2 groups according to days in milk, parity, and milk yield: group S10 had a space allocation of 10 m² per buffalo and group S15 had a space allocation of 15 m² per buffalo. Individual milk yield was recorded daily. Twice a month, a bulk milk sample was collected for each group, as well as whey, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese, to assess cheese yield and to conduct HPLC-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry, milk antioxidant activity, and cell viability analyses. We tested milk extracts from the 2 groups in vitro to evaluate their efficacy in counteracting endothelial oxidative damage induced by high glucose. We evaluated reproductive function in 28 buffaloes from each group using the Ovsynch-timed artificial insemination program. We observed no differences in milk quantity or quality in terms of fat, protein, or lactose, and reproductive function did not differ between the 2 groups. Compared with group S10, group S15 had higher concentrations of carnitine (56.7 ± 1.1 vs. 39.8 ± 0.7 mg/L in milk and 40.9 ± 0.8 vs. 31.7 ± 0.7 mg/L in whey), acetyl-l-carnitine (51.9 ± 0.3 vs. 39.7 ± 0.7 mg/L in milk and 41.1 ± 1.7 vs. 28.7 ± 2.6 mg/L in whey), propionyl-l-carnitine (34.8 ± 1.0 vs. 21.0 ± 0.9 mg/L in milk and 26.9 ± 0.8 vs. 17.6 ± 1.2 mg/L in whey), glycine betaine (23.1 ± 1.9 vs. 13.5 ± 1.6 mg/L in milk and 10.7 ± 0.4 vs. 7.9 ± 0.5 mg/L in whey), and δ-valerobetaine (24.2 ± 0.5 vs. 16.7 ± 0.5 mg/L in milk and 22.0 ± 0.9 vs. 15.5 ± 0.7 mg/L in whey). Group S15 also had higher total antioxidant activity than group S10 (56.7 ± 1.9 vs. 46.4 ± 1.13 mM Trolox equivalents). Co-incubation of high-glucose-treated endothelial cells with milk extracts from group S15 improved cell viability compared with cells treated with high glucose only; it also reduced intracellular lipid peroxidation (144.3 ± 0.4 vs. 177.5 ± 1.9%), reactive oxygen species (141.3 ± 0.9 vs. 189.3 ± 4.7 optical density units), and cytokine release (tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-1β, IL-6). Greater space allocation was associated with higher levels of biomolecules in buffalo milk. This could have been the result of improved welfare in buffaloes that were allocated more space.