Murine Esophagus Expresses Glial-Derived Central Nervous System Antigens

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been considered to specifically affect the central nervous system (CNS) for a long time. As autonomic dysfunction including dysphagia can occur as accompanying phenomena in patients, the enteric nervous system has been attracting increasing attention over the past years. The aim of this study was to identify glial and myelin markers as potential target structures for autoimmune processes in the esophagus. RT-PCR analysis revealed glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), proteolipid protein (PLP), and myelin basic protein (MBP) expression, but an absence of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) in the murine esophagus. Selected immunohistochemistry for GFAP, PLP, and MBP including transgenic mice with cell-type specific expression of PLP and GFAP supported these results by detection of (1) GFAP, PLP, and MBP in Schwann cells in skeletal muscle and esophagus; (2) GFAP, PLP, but no MBP in perisynaptic Schwann cells of skeletal and esophageal motor endplates; (3) GFAP and PLP, but no MBP in glial cells surrounding esophageal myenteric neurons; and (4) PLP, but no GFAP and MBP in enteric glial cells forming a network in the esophagus. Our results pave the way for further investigations regarding the involvement of esophageal glial cells in the pathogenesis of dysphagia in MS.     

Site‐Directed and Global Incorporation of Orthogonal and Isostructural Noncanonical Amino Acids into the Ribosomal Lasso Peptide Capistruin

Expansion of the structural diversity of peptide antibiotics was performed through two different methods. Supplementation‐based incorporation (SPI) and stop‐codon suppression (SCS) approaches were used for co‐translational incorporation of isostructural and orthogonal noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into the lasso peptide capistruin. Two ncAAs were employed for the SPI method and five for the SCS method; each of them probing the incorporation of ncAAs in strategic positions of the molecule. Evaluation of the assembly by HR‐ESI‐MS proved more successful for the SCS method. Bio‐orthogonal chemistry was used for post‐biosynthetic modification of capistruin congener Cap_Alk10 containing the ncAA Alk (Nε‐Alloc‐L ‐lysine) instead of Ala. A second‐generation Hoveyda–Grubbs catalyst was used for an in vitro metathesis reaction with Cap_Alk10 and an allyl alcohol, which offers options for post‐biosynthetic modifications. The use of synthetic biology allows for the in vivo production of new peptide‐based antibiotics from an expanded amino acid repertoire.     

Aroma‐Relevant Volatile Compounds as Markers for the Sensory Quality of Argan Oil

The aim of the present work is to identify and characterize the most important aroma active compounds of argan oil from unroasted and roasted argan almonds as well as roasted almonds obtained from goat‐digested fruits by dynamic headspace GC and GC‐olfactometry with aroma dilution analysis to classify samples from the market according to their processing. While fresh ground argan almonds are characterized by only seven aroma active compounds, in argan oil from unroasted and roasted almonds, 22 and 35 aroma active compounds are found, respectively. As a result of the roasting process, 14 aroma active compounds with dilution factors >64 are detected in the oil by GC‐olfactometry. 17 aroma active compounds show significant differences between the three different argan oil qualities. These compounds are used to differentiate the quality of argan oil from the market. Practical Application: Argan oil belongs to the high‐price oils on the market but sometimes the sensory quality of the oil contradicts the positive image that has been built up for oil by unpleasant cheese‐like and fusty sensory attributes. Although some information about the composition of the volatile compounds of cold‐pressed argan oil from unroasted and roasted kernels is available, the knowledge about compounds that are typical for the aroma of argan oil is important in order to develop analytical methods for the classification of different argan oil qualities. This reduces the work for a panel group that is often time and labor consuming and sometimes the results are not reliable. The present paper demonstrates which volatile compounds show significant differences between argan oil from unroasted and roasted argan almonds as well as roasted almonds obtained from goat‐digested fruits allowing a differentiation of these oils.     

Phosphate recovery from wastewater using engineered superparamagnetic particles modified with layered double hydroxide ion exchangers

An innovative nanocomposite material is proposed for phosphate recovery from wastewater using magnetic assistance. Superparamagnetic microparticles modified with layered double hydroxide (LDH) ion exchangers of various compositions act as phosphate adsorbers. Magnetic separation and chemical regeneration of the particles allows their reuse, leading to the successful recovery of phosphate.     

Characterization of plant food allergens: An overview on physicochemical and immunological techniques

Allergy to plant‐derived foods is a highly complex disorder with clinical manifestations ranging from mild oral, gastrointestinal, and cutaneous symptoms to life‐threatening systemic conditions. This heterogeneity in clinical manifestations has been attributed to different properties of allergenic molecules. Based on this fact, symptom elicitors were grouped into class I and pollinosis‐associated class II food allergens, but clear distinction is rather ambiguous. Moreover, mechanisms underlying food sensitization are not fully understood yet, and food allergy management most often relies on patient's compliance to avoid suspected foods. Therefore, recent efforts aim at the investigation of plant food allergies at the molecular level. This review provides an overview on currently available techniques for allergen characterization and discusses their application for investigation of plant food allergens. Data obtained by an array of physicochemical analyses, such as allergen structure, integrity, aggregation, and stability, need to be linked to results from immunological methods at the level of IgE and T‐cell reactivity. Such knowledge allows the development of computational algorithms to predict allergenicity of novel foods being introduced by biotechnological industry. Furthermore, molecular characterization is an indispensable tool for molecule‐based diagnosis and future development of safer patient‐tailored specific immunotherapy in plant food allergy.     

Validation of a Duplex Real-Time PCR for the Detection of Salmonella spp. in Different Food Products

A 5′ nuclease duplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed and validated with various food products for the specific and fast detection of Salmonella spp. in food. The assay used previously published primers in combination with a newly developed probe targeting the invA gene. An internal amplification control, which is coamplified in a duplex PCR, was included in the assay. The analysis of 1,934 natural food samples with real-time PCR and the cultural method in parallel resulted in a relative accuracy of 100% and 99.84% respectively, depending on the enrichment procedure in which buffered peptone water and selective enrichment in Rappaport–Vassiliadis (RV) broth were employed. The duplex real-time PCR assay has proven to be a specific, sensitive and fast screening method for Salmonella spp. in food. The overall analysis time of the PCR method was approximately 28 h, in contrast to 4 to 5 days with conventional Salmonella diagnostics. The developed assay has been shown to be a reliable diagnostic tool for use in routine analysis. It has been validated thoroughly and has become an official method in Germany for the detection of Salmonella spp. in food.     

Long-term daily intake estimates of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans, polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenylethers from food in Finnish children: risk assessment implications

Food is contaminated by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/F), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDE) worldwide. Previous data show elevated intakes in children. We determined intakes of POPs in Finnish children. Because no children-specific safe limit values exist, we used tolerable daily intakes (TDIs) set for adults by international expert bodies to examine the proportion of the study population that exceed those limits. We utilised dietary monitoring data with food consumption of Finnish boys and girls aged 1-6 years, measured the contaminant concentrations in all the main food items and calculated age-specific contaminant sum and congener-specific long-term daily intake levels. Our food intake and contaminant data correspond to years 2002-2005. The long-term upper-bound dioxin intakes ranged between 0.1 and 12.8?pg WHO(PCDD/F-PCB)-TEQ/kg bw/d (min and max). An immediate TDI for WHO(PCDD/F-PCB)-TEQs of 4.0?pg/kg?bw/d were exceeded by 2.5%-7.5% of the children. PBDE long-term upper-bound intake was between 0.1 and 5.8?ng/kg bw/d (min and max). Congener-specific analyses indicated a typical Finnish adult exposure pattern of the children to PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs. The highest POP intakes were observed in children aged 3 years. Long-term daily PCDD/F, PCB and PBDE intakes among Finnish children varied greatly between individuals and ages. In each age group of the study population, there was a proportion of children with their WHO(PCDD/F-PCB)-TEQ intake exceeding considered safe limits set for adults. Based on the exposure profile reported herein, children should be clearly considered as a specific sub-population in food-mediated contaminant risk assessment.     

Foam properties of algae soluble protein isolate: Effect of pH and ionic strength

In this study the foam properties of algae soluble protein isolate (ASPI), a mixture of mainly proteins and polysaccharides, were investigated as function of isolate concentration (0.1–1.0 mg/mL) and pH (3.0–7.0) at 10 mM and 200 mM NaCl. In addition, adsorption kinetics and dilatational elasticity at the air–water interface were studied. Whey protein isolate (WPI) and egg white albumin (EWA) were used as reference proteins. The consistent dilatational behaviour of ASPI at all pH values and ionic strengths tested indicated a similar interfacial composition at all these conditions. Adsorption kinetics, in contrast, were influenced by varying environmental conditions. At increased ionic strength and close to the theoretical isoelectric point calculated based purely on the amino acid composition of ASPI (pH 7) adsorption increased. Since similar adsorption behaviour was also observed for WPI and EWA, the interfacial properties of ASPI are most likely dominated by its protein fraction. This is further confirmed by the fact that ζ-potential measurements suggested an overall isoelectric point of ASPI below pH 3, while adsorption kinetics varied between pH 5 and pH 7 (the theoretical protein-based isoelectric point of ASPI). The overall foam stability of ASPI stabilized foams was superior to those of WPI and EWA in the pH range 5–7. In conclusion, the molecular and interfacial properties of ASPI, a mixture of proteins and polysaccharides, seem to favour the production of very stable foams in this pH range by the selective adsorption of its protein fraction to the air–water interface.     

Cultivation and Hydrothermal Gasification of Microalgae Scenedesmus Obliquus – First Experimental Results

Microalgae (Scenedesmus obliquus) produced in flat panel photobioreactors were converted via supercritical water gasification. The long term aim is to gain higher process efficiency through recycling of byproducts of supercritical water gasification and waste water during the cultivation of microalgae. The first step of the project, the general feasibility of conversion of microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus via supercritical water gasification to a hydrogen‐rich combustible gas is presented. The product gas had a higher heating value and consisted of hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and ethane.