Sugar brews in bread improvement

The use of a partly fermented sugar brew instead of the dough water and compressed yeast improved the specific volume, texture and softness of bread made by a mechanical development process without oxidising improver and intermediate proof. The improving effect of the brew was due entirely to its residual sugar, ethyl alcohol content and the active state of the yeast, and none of these factors could be omitted without reducing bread quality. Because these factors vary simultaneously in a fermenting brew there was an optimum duration of brew fermentation. The use of such a brew also reduced the work input requirement during dough mixing and final proof time.     

Saponin content of soya beans and some commercial soya bean products

Quantitative thin layer chromatography has been used to estimate the saponin content of whole soya beans (Glycine max L. Merrill, cv. Williams) and a number of commercial soya bean products such as protein isolates and lecithin. Saponins were present in all these materials at concentrations ranging from 56 g kg-¹ (on a dry weight basis) for whole soya beans to 3 g kg-¹ for the protein isolate ?Promine-D’?. Previous estimates indicate a saponin content of whole soya beans of only about 5 g kg-¹. It is suggested that this is an underestimate resulting from loss of material during the extraction procedures used in earlier methods of analysis.     

HYBRIDIZATION OF NON-SPORULATING AND WEAKLY SPORULATING STRAINS OF BREWER'S AND DISTILLER'S YEASTS

A method for hybridization of strains of industrial yeasts with auxotrophically marked haploid and diploid strains was developed, using the RD-auxotrophic technique of Gunge & Nakatomi. Brewing and distilling strains were hybridized with aα or αα diploids and sporulating, near-tetraploid strains were obtained which could be further subjected to genetic analysis and hybridized by conventional methods. Hybrids could also be obtained between the industrial strains and auxotrophically marked haploid strains, but the viability of the spores obtained from these hybrids was low, and they were probably near-triploids. This method makes possible the genetic analysis of brewing yeast strains and others which do not sporulate, and allows the mapping of characters which are important in industrial practice, so that new yeast strains having extended ranges of desirable characteristics can be obtained by standard genetic techniques.     

Choosing and Using Tools: Capuchins (Cebus apella) Use a Different Metric Than Tamarins (Saguinus oedipus).

Cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) selected canes positioned so that a straight inward pull brought food within reach (M. D. Hauser, 1997; see also record 1997-41347-003). Tamarins failed to retrieve food with canes in other positions, and they did not reposition these canes. In this study, tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) preferred canes they could pull straight in when these were present, but they also repositioned canes in individually variable ways, and their success at obtaining food with repositioned canes improved with practice. In accord with predictions drawn from ecological psychology, capuchins discovered affordances of canes through exploratory actions with these objects, whereas tamarins did not. Ecological theory predicts these differences on the basis of species-typical manipulative activity, and it provides a useful approach for the study of species differences in tool-using behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pushing the Boundaries of Structural Heterogeneity with the Lipid A of Marine Bacteria Cellulophaga

Marine bacteria, which are often described as chemical gold, are considered an exceptional source of new therapeutics. Considerable research interest has been given to lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), the main components of the Gram-negative outer membrane. LPS and its lipid A portion from marine bacteria are known to exhibit a tricky chemistry that has been often associated with intriguing properties such as behaving as immune adjuvants or anti-sepsis molecules. In this scenario, we report the structural determination of the lipid A from three marine bacteria within the Cellulophaga genus, which showed to produce an extremely heterogenous blend of tetra- to hexa-acylated lipid A species, mostly carrying one phosphate and one D-mannose on the glucosamine disaccharide backbone. The ability of the three LPSs in activating TLR4 signaling revealed a weaker immunopotential by C. baltica NNO 15840^T and C. tyrosinoxydans EM41^T, while C. algicola ACAM 630^T behaved as a more potent TLR4 activator.     

Application of cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings for quality and safety of deep-fried foods

Excessive oil uptake and formation of carcinogens, such as acrylamide (AA), heterocyclic amines (HCAs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), during deep-frying are a potential threat for food quality and safety. Cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings have been widely applied to deep-fried foods for reduction of oil uptake because of their barrier property to limit oil ingress, and their apparent inhibition of AA formation. Cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings have low negative impacts on sensory attributes of fried foods and are low cost, nontoxic, and nonallergenic. They also show great potential for reducing HCAs and PAHs in fried foods. The incorporation of nanoparticles improves mechanical and barrier properties of cellulose and chitosan coatings, which may also contribute to reducing carcinogens derived from deep-frying. Considering the potential for positive health outcomes, cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings could be a valuable method for the food industry to improve the quality and safety of deep-fried foods.