Proteome changes in lamb semimembranosus muscles associated with the inclusion of sunflower cake in their diet

A diet based on sunflower cake for lambs was assayed in order to reuse biodiesel industrial by-products with the aim of reducing livestock costs and evaluating their influence on meat quality. To achieve these goals, sixteen male lambs were fed diets containing different levels of sunflower cake (control, 5%, 10% and 15%). Afterwards, their semimembranosus muscles were analysed by two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry and their functional protein association was examined using STRING. Structural and metabolic proteins in the lambs’ proteomes changed significantly according to their diet. Fifteen proteins showed significant changes caused by the inclusion of sunflower cake, and the most differentially abundant structural proteins were detected in 2-DE gels from the lambs. Differentially abundant metabolic proteins such as ENO3 (enolase 3), MDH1 (malate dehydrogenase) and ALDH1A1 (retinal dehydrogenase) have been proposed as biomarkers of quality parameters in other species.     

Synergistic antimicrobial effect of lactocin AL705 and nisin combined with organic acid salts against Listeria innocua 7 in broth and a hard cheese

The effectiveness of antimicrobial mixtures against Listeria innocua 7, used as a L. monocytogenes surrogate, was investigated in broth and a food system. Synergistic effects were found for nisin (Nis), potassium sorbate (PS), calcium propionate (CP) and sodium lactate (SL), Nis + PS being the most effective binary mixture that exhibited listericidal activity in broth. To assess the effect of adding lactocin AL705 (AL705) to Nis + organic acid salt combinations, tridimensional isobolograms were generated. Sub-MIC combinations of the antimicrobials exerted bactericidal activity against L. innocua 7 after AL705 addition to the binary mixtures. However, when applied on Sardo cheese contaminated with L. innocua 7 (initial inoculum 4.45 ± 0.06 CFU g⁻¹), only Nis + PS + AL705 produced count reductions respect to the control, reaching 3.04 ± 0.35 CFU g⁻¹ counts after 15 days at 15 °C. Ternary combinations containing AL705 showed potential to reduce antimicrobial usages for L. innocua 7 inhibition.     

Effects of dietary inclusion of sunflower soap stocks on colour,oxidation and microbiological growth of meat from light fattening lambs

Thirty-two lambs were finished on a total mixed ration (TMR) pelleted alone (00SS) or including sunflower soap stock (SS): 15SS (15 g SS per kg TMR), 30SS (30 g SS per kg TMR) and 60SS (60 g SS per kg TMR). Lambs (8 per group) were slaughtered at 27 kg live weight. Colour evolution, lipid oxidation, microbial growth and detection of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli were studied in meat samples. SS in the diet reduced meat lipid oxidation (P < 0.05), but had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on the cholesterol oxidation products. Meat from 60SS and control animals (00SS) revealed greater discoloration (P < 0.05) than 15SS. SS supplementation did not affect the microbiological populations, whereas high doses of SS seemed to increase the proliferation of diarrhoeagenic E. coli on day 14 (P < 0.10). These results suggest that the rate of SS inclusion in the diet of fattening lambs should not be above 15 g SS per kg TMR.     

“Laboratorio Q”, Seville: creative production of collective spaces before and after austerity

The creative city approach is going through a redefinition after the 2008 global financial crisis. In the specific case of South-European cities, in the context of austerity and cuts in public investment, creativity is becoming a strategy for achieving maximum social benefit and improvement of the built environment with minimum economic expenditure. This paper looks at this redefinition of creativity through the case study of Seville, in southern Spain. Through research methods that include video-recorded testimonies of the actors involved, mapping at the online platform “Laboratorio Q”, and public engagement activities, this paper explores how the civic society, professional, and public authorities have reinvented how to produce collective spaces. The paper concludes that bottom-up creative processes for producing collective spaces have become more visible since the 2008 crisis, when architects, planners, public authorities and policy-makers have been “learning” from them.     

Amaranth functional cookies exert potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities

In this study, amaranth flour was used as an ingredient to prepare gluten-free cookies. The production process and attributes of amaranth cookies were characterised, and the potential use of amaranth flour as a functional ingredient was analysed. Cookies exhibited a non-uniform reddish brown colour and a cookie factor ratio of 4.5 ± 0.6. Storage studies indicated that after 3 weeks at room temperature cookies presented slight variations in the texture. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion of this product was able to release peptides capable of exerting potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities, IC₅₀ values of 0.22 ± 0.04 and 0.23 ± 0.03 mg mL⁻¹ protein, respectively. This work demonstrates for the first time that food made with amaranth flour exerts potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activity. In conclusion, these amaranth cookies could be an alternative way of incorporating potentially health beneficial products for people who choose a conscious diet, including coeliac or vegan consumers.     

Screening of different agroindustrial by-products for industrial enzymes production by fermentation processes

Agroindustrial by-products are an abundant source of biocompounds that contain valuable nutrients, which are not exploited. In this work, lignocellulosic wastes (LW) were used in submerged fermentation (SmF) and solid-state fermentation (SSF) by Aspergillus niger NRRL3 to obtain valuable enzymes required in industries. SmF using soya bean hulls (SH), wheat bran (WB) and a by-product of wheat flour (F) produced the highest activities of endo-1,4-β-xylanase (Xyl) and endo-1,4-β-D-glucanase (EG) being at least 3 times lower than those obtained by SSF. The highest ratio of Xyl to EG was obtained in SmF with F. Xyl obtained by SmF with WB was the most thermally resistant. The enzymatic extract obtained in SmF using SH presented a high power of saccharification. The production of enzymes for further application such as bioethanol generation process revalue these LW and can help offset growing environmental problems.     

Effects of the drying method on the oxidative stability of the free and encapsulated fractions of microencapsulated sunflower oil

The influence of the drying method, freeze-drying and spray-drying, on the oxidative stability of microencapsulated sunflower oil depended on the type of encapsulation matrix. For a dairy-type matrix, formed by sodium caseinate and lactose, greater losses of tocopherols were detected during spray-drying, but both the free and encapsulated oil fractions were more stable against lipid oxidation than their freeze-dried counterparts. Results suggested that the free oil was also constituted by droplets that preserved their interfacial membrane and were protected by the matrix. Therefore, the free oil was not necessarily the non-encapsulated fraction. For a matrix constituted by gelatine, maltodextrin and sucrose, the emulsion showed low stability and a great destabilisation during spray-drying. No significant effect of the drying method on the oxidative stability of the encapsulated fraction was found with this matrix, but the free oil of the spray-dried sample oxidised faster, probably due to the emulsion destabilisation observed, which gave rise to a great amount of oil on the particle surface as a consequence of large droplets poorly stabilised.