Treatement of excessive weight gain in patients taking lithium

Six female primary affective disorder patients who had gained an average of 9.5 kg while taking lithium lost an average of 2.9 kg on a 10-day 900 calorie a day hospital diet containing 100 mEq of sodium per day. No evidence of lithium toxicity was observed on this regimen. There was no evidence that fluid retention played a major role in the weight gain.     

The effect of bleaching agents on the degradation of vitamins and carotenoids in spray-dried whey protein concentrate

Previous research has shown that bleaching affects flavor and functionality of whey proteins. The role of different bleaching agents on vitamin and carotenoid degradation is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of bleaching whey with traditional annatto (norbixin) by hydrogen peroxide (HP), benzoyl peroxide (BP), or native lactoperoxidase (LP) on vitamin and carotenoid degradation in spray-dried whey protein concentrate 80% protein (WPC80). An alternative colorant was also evaluated. Cheddar whey colored with annatto (15 mL/454 L of milk) was manufactured, pasteurized, and fat separated and then assigned to bleaching treatments of 250 mg/kg HP, 50 mg/kg BP, or 20 mg/kg HP (LP system) at 50°C for 1 h. In addition to a control (whey with norbixin, whey from cheese milk with an alternative colorant (AltC) was evaluated. The control and AltC wheys were also heated to 50°C for 1 h. Wheys were concentrated to 80% protein by ultrafiltration and spray dried. The experiment was replicated in triplicate. Samples were taken after initial milk pasteurization, initial whey formation, after fat separation, after whey pasteurization, after bleaching, and after spray drying for vitamin and carotenoid analyses. Concentrations of retinol, a-tocopherol, water-soluble vitamins, norbixin, and other carotenoids were determined by HPLC, and volatile compounds were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Sensory attributes of the rehydrated WPC80 were documented by a trained panel. After chemical or enzymatic bleaching, WPC80 displayed 7.0 to 33.3% reductions in retinol, β-carotene, ascorbic acid, thiamin, α-carotene, and α-tocopherol. The WPC80 bleached with BP contained significantly less of these compounds than the HP- or LP-bleached WPC80. Riboflavin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, nicotinic acid, and cobalamin concentrations in fluid whey were not affected by bleaching. Fat-soluble vitamins were reduced in all wheys by more than 90% following curd formation and fat separation. With the exception of cobalamin and ascorbic acid, water-soluble vitamins were reduced by less than 20% throughout processing. Norbixin destruction, volatile compound, and sensory results were consistent with previous studies on bleached WPC80. The WPC80 colored with AltC had a similar sensory profile, volatile compound profile, and vitamin concentration as the control WPC80.     

Technical note: Simultaneous carotenoid and vitamin analysis of milk from total mixed ration-fed cows optimized for xanthophyll detection

Concentrations of retinol, α-tocopherol, and major carotenoids in dairy products are often determined simultaneously by liquid chromatography. These compounds have different polarity and solubility; thus, extracting them simultaneously can be difficult and inefficient. In milks with low carotenoid concentrations, the xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin may not be completely resolved using common extraction techniques. A simplified method was developed to optimize extraction efficiency and the limit of detection and limit of quantification (LoQ) of lutein and zeaxanthin in bovine milk without decreasing sensitivity to other vitamins or carotenoids. The developed method evaluates lutein, zeaxanthin, β-carotene, retinol, and α-tocopherol simultaneously by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detection. Common saponification temperatures (40–60°C) and concentrations of KOH in water (10–50% KOH wt/vol) were evaluated. Multiple solvents were evaluated for optimal xanthophyll extraction (diethyl ether, dichloromethane, hexane, and tetrahydrofuran) following saponification. The limit of detection and LoQ were defined as 3:1 and 10:1 signal-to-noise ratio, respectively. All experiments were performed in triplicate. The optimal saponification procedure was a concentration of 25% KOH at either 40 or 50°C. Saponified extracts solubilized in solutions containing diethyl ether had greater concentrations of lutein- than hexane- or tetrahydrofuran-based solutions, with peak areas above LoQ values. The solution containing diethyl ether solubilized similar concentrations of retinol, α-tocopherol, and β-carotene when compared with other solutions. The proposed optimized method allows for the simultaneous determination of carotenoids from milk with increased lutein and zeaxanthin sensitivity without sacrificing recovery of retinol, α-tocopherol, and β-carotene.     

Aeromonas species in foods

Aeromonas species have been recognized as potential or emerging foodborne pathogens for more than 20 years. Aeromonads are estuarine bacteria and are ubiquitous in fresh water, fish and shellfish, meats, and fresh vegetables. Actual sourced foodborne outbreaks are few, but epidemiological evidence suggests that the bacterium can cause self-limiting diarrhea, with children being the most susceptible population. Most aeromonads are psychrotrophic and can grow in foods during cold storage. Aeromonads are not resistant to food processing regimes and are readily killed by heat treatment. A host of virulence factors are present, but the exact role of each in human disease has not been fully elucidated.     

Impact of fat reduction on flavor and flavor chemistry of Cheddar cheeses

A current industry goal is to produce a 75 to 80% fat-reduced Cheddar cheese that is tasty and appealing to consumers. Despite previous studies on reduced-fat cheese, information is critically lacking in understanding the flavor and flavor chemistry of reduced-fat and nonfat Cheddar cheeses and how it differs from its full-fat counterpart. The objective of this study was to document and compare flavor development in cheeses with different fat contents so as to quantitatively characterize how flavor and flavor development in Cheddar cheese are altered with fat reduction. Cheddar cheeses with 50% reduced-fat cheese (RFC) and low-fat cheese containing 6% fat (LFC) along with 2 full-fat cheeses (FFC) were manufactured in duplicate. Cheeses were ripened at 8°C and samples were taken following 2 wk and 3, 6, and 9 mo for sensory and instrumental volatile analyses. A trained sensory panel (n = 10 panelists) documented flavor attributes of cheeses. Volatile compounds were extracted by solid-phase microextraction or solvent-assisted flavor evaporation followed by separation and identification using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-olfactometry. Selected compounds were quantified using external standard curves. Sensory properties of cheeses were distinct initially but more differences were documented as cheeses aged. By 9 mo, LFC and RFC displayed distinct burnt/rosy flavors that were not present in FFC. Sulfur flavor was also lower in LFC compared with other cheeses. Forty aroma-active compounds were characterized in the cheeses by headspace or solvent extraction followed by gas chromatography-olfactometry. Compounds were largely not distinct between the cheeses at each time point, but concentration differences were evident. Higher concentrations of furanones (furaneol, homofuraneol, sotolon), phenylethanal, 1-octen-3-one, and free fatty acids, and lower concentrations of lactones were present in LFC compared with FFC after 9 mo of ripening. These results confirm that flavor differences documented between full-fat and reduced-fat cheeses are not due solely to differences in matrix and flavor release but also to distinct differences in ripening biochemistry, which leads to an imbalance of many flavor-contributing compounds.     

Short communication: Development of a novel method for the extraction of norbixin from whey and its subsequent quantification via high performance liquid chromatography

Norbixin is the primary carotenoid in annatto coloring, which imparts the desired orange color in Cheddar cheese. However, a portion of the colorant remains in the cheese whey and is undesirable; therefore, a bleaching step is often applied. Restrictions exist for norbixin concentrations in products destined for infant formula. As such, evaluation of norbixin concentrations in whey and whey ingredients is desirable. Current extraction methods are laborious and require solvents that are banned in many countries. The objective of this study was to develop a fast and inexpensive norbixin extraction and quantitation technique using approved solvents with similar sensitivity to current established methods. Instead of solvent extraction and column purification, acetonitrile was added directly to fluid wheys, retentates, and rehydrated whey protein concentrates. An isocratic mobile phase [70% acetonitrile and 30% water with 0.1% (wt/vol) formic acid] was used and, to increase sensitivity, a large volume (50 μL) was injected onto the column. The column used was a C18 column with a particle size of 2.6 μm and column length of 10 cm. The column inner diameter was 4.6 mm and the pore size was 100 ?. All of the previously described conditions allowed the run time to be only 4 min. The sample was sent through a photodiode array detector and quantified at 482 nm. Norbixin was quantified using external standard curves. The developed method had a >90% norbixin recovery in both milk and whey (9.39 μg/L–2.35 mg/L). The limit of detection of norbixin in fluid whey was 2.7 μg/kg and the limit of quantitation was 3.5 μg/kg, both of which are significantly lower than in previously described methods. The extracts were stable over 30 min at 21°C and stable over 24 h at 4°C. Repeatability and precision of the method had relative standard deviations of less than 13%. The developed method provides time and cost savings for evaluation of norbixin concentration in whey and whey products.