Explore the vast range of titles available.

Several reports have indicated that the thermal tolerance of Salmonella at low-water activity increases significantly, but information on the impact of diverse food matrices is still scarce. The goal of this research was to determine the kinetic parameters (decimal reduction time, D; time required for the first decimal reduction, δ) of thermal resistance of Salmonella in a previously cooked low water activity food. Commercial toasted oats cereal (TOC) was used as the food model, with or without sucrose (25%) addition. TOC samples were inoculated with 10[sup.8] CFU/mL of a single strain of one of three Salmonella serovars (Agona, Tennessee, Typhimurium). TOC samples were ground and equilibrated to a[sub.w] values of 0.11, 0.33 and 0.53, respectively. Ground TOC was heated at temperatures between 65 °C and 105 °C and viable counts were determined over time (depending on the temperature for up to 6 h). Death kinetic parameters were determined using linear and Weibull regression models. More than 70% of Weibull’s adjusted regression coefficients (R[sub.adj] [sup.2] ) and only 38% of the linear model’s R[sub.adj] [sup.2] had values greater than 0.8. For all serovars, both D and δ values increased consistently at a 0.11 a[sub.w] compared to 0.33 and 0.53. At 0.33 a[sub.w] , the δ values for Typhimurium, Tennessee and Agona were 0.55, 1.01 and 2.87, respectively, at 85 °C, but these values increased to 65, 105 and 64 min, respectively, at 0.11 a[sub.w] . At 100 °C, δ values were 0.9, 5.5 and 2.3 min, respectively, at 0.11 a[sub.w] . The addition of sucrose resulted in a consistent reduction of eight out of nine δ values determined at 0.11 a[sub.w] at 85, 95 and 100 °C, but this trend was not consistent at 0.33 and 0.53 a[sub.w] . The Z values (increase of temperature required to decrease δ-value one log) were determined with modified δ values for a fixed β (a fitting parameter that describes the shape of the curve), and ranged between 8.9 °C and 13.4 °C; they were not influenced by a[sub.w] , strain or sugar content. These findings indicated that in TOC, high thermal tolerance was consistent among serovars and thermal tolerance was inversely dependent on a[sub.w] .

Oats are a uniquely nutritious food as they contain an excellent lipid profile and high amounts of soluble fibre. However, an oat kernel is largely non-digestible and thus must be utilised in milled form to reap its nutritional benefits. Milling is made up of numerous steps, the most important being dehulling to expose the digestible groat, heat processing to inactivate enzymes that cause rancidity, and cutting, rolling or grinding to convert the groat into a product that can be used directly in oatmeal or can be used as a food ingredient in products such as bread, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and snack bars. Oats can also be processed into oat bran and fibre to obtain high-fibre-containing fractions that can be used in a variety of food products.

Whole-grain oats have been identified as a type of food that blunts blood glucose increase after a meal. However, processing of oats changes the physical characteristics of the grain, which may influence human glycaemic response. Therefore, the effect of different processes on acute postprandial glycaemic response, quantified using glycaemic index (GI) measurements, was investigated in a systematic review. A review of the literature identified twenty publications containing fifty-six individual tests. An additional seventeen unpublished tests were found in an online database. Of the seventy-two measurements included in the review, two were for steel-cut oats, eleven for large-flake oats, seven for quick-cooking (small flake) oats, nine for instant oatmeal and twenty-eight for muesli or granola. One granola measurement was identified as an outlier and was removed from the statistical analysis. In all, fifteen clinical tests were reported for rolled oat porridge that did not specify the type of oats used, and thus the effect of processing could not be assessed. Steel-cut oats (GI=55 (se 2·5)), large-flake oats (GI=53 (se 2·0)) and muesli and granola (GI=56 (se 1·7)) elicited low to medium glycaemic response. Quick-cooking oats and instant oatmeal produced significantly higher glycaemic response (GI=71 (se 2·7) and 75 (se 2·8), respectively) than did muesli and granola or large-flake oatmeal porridge. The analysis establishes that differences in processing protocols and cooking practices modify the glycaemic response to foods made with whole-grain oats. Smaller particle size and increased starch gelatinisation appear to increase the glycaemic response.

PurposeUnderstanding whole-grain intake and its associated factors is essential to tackle the double burden of malnutrition faced by Latin American countries. This study aimed to characterize total and whole grain intake in Latin American countries and to investigate foods contributing to these intake in the region. MethodsData were obtained from the multicenter cross-sectional survey Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS), including 9128 participants residing in urban areas of eight Latin American countries. Data collection was performed via two household visits using a standardized questionnaire and two 24 h dietary recalls. Usual dietary intake of total grain foods and foods containing whole grains was estimated. The association between the intake of grain food groups and sociodemographic variables was investigated using multiple linear regression models with random intercepts. ResultsMean intake of total grain foods and foods containing whole grains was 318.6 g/d and 14.7 g/d, respectively. Total grain foods were less consumed by participants at older ages (−9.8 g/d), and females (−9.9 g/d), and more consumed by those in the lowest socioeconomic category (24.8 g/d). Foods containing whole grains were more consumed by participants at older ages (3.3 g/d), and females (4.0 g/d), while those in the lowest socioeconomic category consumed 2.9 g/d less. Major contributors to energy provided from foods containing whole grains were oatmeal, masa harina, whole-wheat bread, corn chips, and wheat crackers.ConclusionThe intake of grain foods represented a substantial part of the Latin American population’s diet, but the intake of foods containing whole grains was extremely low in all assessed countries.

Although the bulking agent is categorized as ‘inert’, it could modify protein bioavailability and nutritional quality. In this study, the main goal was to determine if the bulking agent modified the protein:carbohydrate (P:C) ratio and bioconversion from diet biomass to larval biomass of Anastrepha ludens. The diet was altered only by modifying the type of bulking agent (corncob powder, coconut fiber, carrot fiber, oatmeal) added without changing the composition and concentration of the other components in the formulation. This allowed reclassification of the food matrices according to P:C ratios of 1:30, 1:35, 1:64, and 1:93. A food matrix with a high P:C ratio promoted a high protein and carbohydrate content in the larval hemolymph and immediately influenced the life-history traits of the larva or delayed them in the adult. The present study indicated a positive relationship between the P:G+T (glucose+trehalose) ratio in the larval hemolymph and the P:C ratio in the larval diet. Our results highlight the importance of including the optimum and real P:C ratio in whole fresh larval diets, since considering only the theoretical concentration of the formulation is not enough to understand the variation in key life-history traits. In addition, the bioconversion index should be included as an indicator of the efficacy of larval diets for mass rearing insects. A diet with high cost-effectiveness should be evaluated by taking into account flying flies as the end product of the mass rearing process to enhance operational SIT programs.

PurposeEvidence on the influence of modifiable risk factors on spontaneous abortion (SAB) is scarce. We investigated associations for adherence to national dietary guidelines and a healthy Nordic diet with first-trimester (≤ 12 weeks’ gestation) SAB in a Danish cohort of couples trying to conceive.MethodsParticipants completed a questionnaire on sociodemographics, lifestyle and reproductive history and a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). We ascertained pregnancies from follow-up questionnaires and restricted analyses to 3,043 women who became pregnant. We assessed adherence to the Danish Dietary Guidelines Index (DDGI, range of 0–6, from low to high), covering intake of fruit, vegetables, fish, red and processed meat, whole grains, saturated fat and added sugar. The Healthy Nordic Food Index (HNFI, range 0–6) covered intake of fish, cabbage, rye bread, apples, pears, root vegetables and oatmeal. Pregnancy outcomes were identified through Danish medical registries or self-reported. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for sociodemographics and lifestyle.ResultsFifteen percent of participants had a first-trimester SAB. Compared with a DDGI score < 3, adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for scores 3 to < 4, 4 to  < 5 and ≥ 5 were 0.85 (0.59–1.23), 0.78 (0.54–1.12) and 0.71 (0.44–1.13), respectively. Compared with an HNFI score < 2, adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for scores 2 to < 3, 3 to < 4, 4 to < 5 and ≥ 5 were 0.84 (0.62–1.15), 0.88 (0.66–1.19), 0.94 (0.69–1.28) and 0.69 (0.49–0.96), respectively.ConclusionGreater pre-pregnancy adherence to Danish dietary guidelines or a healthy Nordic diet was associated with a lower rate of first-trimester SAB, although estimates were imprecise.

Background Seeds of temperate terrestrial (hardy) orchids are considered more difficult to germinate compared to their tropical epiphytic counterparts, presumably because they have higher levels of abscisic acid (ABA) in their seed coats which prevents seeds from germinating prematurely during winter dormancy. In nature, ABA is gradually broken down (stripped) by natural weathering, triggering germination. This process can be shortened artificially, however, by using chemical bleaching agents and cold-moist stratification with mixed results. In this study, we explored the use of fluridoneto break seed dormancy in a hardy orchid native to North America, Platanthera leucophaea (Nutt.) Lindl. This organic compound (IUPAC name: 1-methyl-3-phenyl-5-[3-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl] pyridin-4(1 H )-one) is a commercial herbicide that inhibits ABA biosynthesis. We added fluridone directly to agar media prior to seed sowing in vitro. Both symbiotic and asymbiotic germination techniques were applied that involved two different agar media, with and without added fluridone. Symbiotic germination was carried out using standard oatmeal agar inoculated with a mycorrhizal fungus ( Ceratobasidium ), whereas asymbiotic treatments utilized P723 agar medium. Results Seedling development within some of the replicate plates progressed to Stage 3 in all treatments, but development was marked in all asymbiotic plates containing fluridone leading to leaf elongation, 385 days after sowing. Conclusions As an herbicide, fluridone’s use as a media additive to propagate a rare photosynthetic orchid seems counterintuitive, but its use in vitro to stimulate seedling development has the potential to benefit conservation efforts for this and possibly other hardy orchid species.

Edible insects are receiving increased attention as a new food source, although research on their implementation in confectionary products remains scarce. The study analyzed the chemical composition, physical parameters, antioxidative, and sensory characteristics of oatmeal cookies reformulated with yellow mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor L.; TM) at 0% (TM0), 10% (TM10), and 30% (TM30). The inclusion of TM in the cookie recipe increased the protein and fat content, improved the ratio of n-6/n-3 acids, and raised oleic acid levels while reducing palmitic acid. Oatmeal cookies were rich in K and P, and including TM significantly increased the content of most minerals, except for Mn and Na. The cookies held significant antioxidant capacity that increased as the concentration of TM increased due to hydrophilic antioxidants. Although lightness decreased with the increase in mealworm substitution, the yellowness, chroma, and hue angle remained similar for TM0 and TM10. The TM30 cookies were significantly darker and softer, which was further confirmed by panelists. The cookie formulation effectively masked the taste and smell of TM since there were no evident differences between the control and TM10 cookies. Cookies with TM30 received high enough ratings to be considered attractive if differentiated sensory characteristics are desired.

Understanding how nutrient requirements of orchid mycorrhizal fungi (OMF) affect symbiotic germination is essential for the ex situ conservation of threatened orchids and their mycorrhizal symbioses. Yet the influence of isolate-level variation in OMF nutrient preferences on orchid germination is unknown. We tested germination of Prasophyllum frenchii (Orchidaceae) on 15 different media of varying carbon and macronutrient compositions with three Ceratobasidium isolates of the same operational taxonomic unit (OTU) as determined with internal transcribed spacer locus sequencing. There was a significant interaction between media and fungal isolate on percentage germination, with each isolate recording its highest percentage germination on different nutrient media (Isolate 9.3: 5.2 ± 1.4% on MOM–S; Isolate 8.2: 5.4 ± 1.1% on MOM + S; Isolate 4.3: 2.2 ± 0.5% on 1.25 g/L wheat bran agar). Across all isolates, germination (percentage germination > 0) occurred more frequently on wheat bran agar media (39.7% of plates) than on oatmeal agar media (6.0% of plates). There was also an effect of media type on aerial hyphal growth behaviour of the OMF isolate. All isolates supported growth through to adult flowering plants. We demonstrated that symbiotic germination of Prasophyllum is affected by media composition. Further, percentage germination and aerial hyphal growth behaviour differed significantly among OMF isolates of the same OTU. This illustrates that a diversity of functionally significant fungal strains occurs within a single OTU, a previously unknown aspect of OMF research with important ecological and conservation implications.

Transglutaminase was extracted from different plant sources (cowpea, pea and defatted soybean) using different buffer solutions such as distilled water, potassium phosphate, Tris-HCl and sodium acetate at concentrations 0.2, 0.1 and 0.1 molar, respectively, at different pH ranges (6, 6.5, 7, 7.5 and 8). The protein concentration, enzymatic activity and specificity of the plant extracts were estimated. The lowest enzymatic and specific enzyme activity of transglutaminase was recorded in distilled water extraction for all plants, ranging from 25.213-53.319 units/ml and 19.098-31.252 units/mg protein, respectively. The highest enzymatic activity and specificity of the plant extracts when using the potassium phosphate buffer at 0.2 molar concentration and pH 7.5 for soybean plant reached 73.942 units/ml and 66.019 units/mg protein, respectively. The enzyme extracted from defatted soybeans was partially purified using ammonium sulphate at 30-70% saturation level, and its enzymatic activity and specificity were 88.553 units/mL and 124.722 units/mg protein, respectively. Samples of laboratory oat bread were made with transglutaminase added at concentrations of 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 g/100 g oat flour. Sensory evaluation of the laboratory breads was carried out based on weight, volume, specific volume, external and internal condition. Gelatinization tests were conducted to determine the effect of the addition of transglutaminase on laboratory oat bread at different temperatures and time intervals. Treatment A3 had the highest moisture content in the bread pulp and the highest values in impregnation strength on days 1 and 7.