Identification of meat spoilage gene biomarkers in Pseudomonas putida using gene profiling

While current food science research mainly focuses on microbial changes in food products that lead to foodborne illnesses, meat spoilage remains as an unsolved problem for the meat industry. This can result in important economic losses, food waste and loss of consumer confidence in the meat market. Gram-negative bacteria involved in meat spoilage are aerobes or facultative anaerobes. These represent the group with the greatest meat spoilage potential, where Pseudomonas tend to dominate the microbial consortium under refrigeration and aerobic conditions. Identifying stress response genes under different environmental conditions can help researchers gain an understanding of how Pseudomonas adapts to current packaging and storage conditions. We examined the gene expression profile of Pseudomonas putida KT2440, which plays an important role in the spoilage of meat products. Gene expression profiles were evaluated to select the most differentially expressed genes at different temperatures (30 °C and 10 °C) and decreasing glucose concentrations, in order to identify key genes actively involved with the spoilage process. A total of 739 and 1269 were found to be differentially expressed at 30 °C and 10 °C respectively; of which 430 and 568 genes were overexpressed, and 309 and 701 genes were repressed at 30 °C and 10 °C respectively

Assessment of healthy and harmful Maillard reaction products in a novel coffee cascara beverage: Melanoidins and acrylamide

Our research aimed to evaluate the formation of Maillard reaction products in sun-dried coffee cascara and their impact on the safety and health promoting properties of a novel beverage called “Instant Cascara” (IC) derived from this coffee by-product. Maillard reaction products in sun-dried coffee cascara have never been reported. “Instant Cascara” (IC) extract was obtained by aqueous extraction and freeze-drying. Proteins, amino acids, lipids, fatty acid profile, sugars, fiber, minerals, and vitamins were analyzed for its nutritional characterization. Acrylamide and caffeine were used as chemical indicators of safety. Colored compounds, also called melanoidins, their stability under 40 °C and in light, and their in vitro antioxidant capacity were also studied. A safe instant beverage with antioxidant properties was obtained to which the following nutritional claims can be assigned: “low fat”, “low sugar” “high fiber” and “source of potassium, magnesium and vitamin C”. For the first time, cascara beverage color was attributed to the presence of antioxidant melanoidins (>10 kDa). IC is a potential sustainable alternative for instant coffee, with low caffeine and acrylamide levels and a healthy composition of nutrients and antioxidants.Fil: Iriondo DeHond, Amaia. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación; EspañaFil: Elizondo, Ana Sofía. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación; EspañaFil: Iriondo DeHond, Maite. Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural; EspañaFil: Ríos, Maria Belén. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación; EspañaFil: Mufari, Jesica Romina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología de los Alimentos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación; EspañaFil: Mendiola, Jose A.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación; EspañaFil: Ibañez, Elena. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación; EspañaFil: del Castillo, Maria Dolores. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación; Españ

The AtCathB3 gene, encoding a cathepsin B-like protease, is expressed during germination of Arabidopsis thaliana and transcriptionally repressed by the basic leucine zipper protein GBF1

© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Protein hydrolysis plays an important role during seed germination and post-germination seedling establishment. In Arabidopsis thaliana, cathepsin B-like proteases are encoded by a gene family of three members, but only the AtCathB3 gene is highly induced upon seed germination and at the early post-germination stage. Seeds of a homozygous T-DNA insertion mutant in the AtCathB3 gene have, besides a reduced cathepsin B activity, a slower germination than the wild type. To explore the transcriptional regulation of this gene, we used a combined phylogenetic shadowing approach together with a yeast one-hybrid screening of an arrayed library of approximately 1200 transcription factor open reading frames from Arabidopsis thaliana. We identified a conserved CathB3-element in the promoters of orthologous CathB3 genes within the Brassicaceae species analysed, and, as its DNA-interacting protein, the G-Box Binding Factor1 (GBF1). Transient overexpression of GBF1 together with a PAtCathB3::uidA (β-glucuronidase) construct in tobacco plants revealed a negative effect of GBF1 on expression driven by the AtCathB3 promoter. In stable P35S::GBF1 lines, not only was the expression of the AtCathB3 gene drastically reduced, but a significant slower germination was also observed. In the homozygous knockout mutant for the GBF1 gene, the opposite effect was found. These data indicate that GBF1 is a transcriptional repressor of the AtCathB3 gene and affects the germination kinetics of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. As AtCathB3 is also expressed during post-germination in the cotyledons, a role for the AtCathB3-like protease in reserve mobilization is also inferred.Peer reviewe

Cerebrospinal Fluid 7-Ketocholesterol Level is Associated with Amyloid-β42 and White Matter Microstructure in Cognitively Healthy Adults

Background:Abnormal cholesterol metabolism changes the neuronal membrane and may promote amyloidogenesis. Oxysterols in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers in mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Cholesterol turnover is important for axonal and white matter (WM) microstructure maintenance. Objective:We aim to demonstrate that the association of oxysterols, AD biomarkers, and WM microstructure occurs early in asymptomatic individuals. Methods:We studied the association of inter-individual variability of CSF 24-hydroxycholesterol (24-OHC), 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC), 7-ketocholesterol (7-KC), 7β-hydroxycholesterol (7β-OHC), amyloid-β42 (Aβ42), total-tau (t-tau), phosphorylated-tau (p-tau), neurofilament (NfL), and WM microstructure using diffusion tensor imaging, generalized linear models and moderation/mediation analyses in 153 healthy adults. Results:Higher 7-KC levels were related to lower Aβ42, indicative of greater AD pathology (p = 0.041) . Higher 7-KC levels were related to lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and higher mean (MD), axial (AxD), and radial (RD) diffusivity. 7-KC modulated the association between AxD and NfL in the corpus callosum splenium (B = 39.39, p = 0.017), genu (B = 68.64, p = 0.000), and fornix (B = 10.97, p = 0.000). Lower Aβ42 levels were associated to lower FA and higher MD, AxD, and RD in the fornix, corpus callosum, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and hippocampus. The association between AxD and Aβ42 was moderated by 7K-C (p = 0.048). Conclusion:This study adds clinical evidence to support the role of 7K-C on axonal integrity and the involvement of cholesterol metabolism in the Aβ42 generation process

Desarrollo de nuevos productos lácteos funcionales a partir de subproductos de la industria del café y el vino para una nutrición y salud sostenible

Tesis Doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Química Física Aplicada. Fecha de lectura: 09-05-2019Esta tesis tiene embargado el acceso al texto completo hasta el 09-11-2020The present study has been funded by the following projects: 1. Elaboración de nuevos productos lácteos funcionales ricos en compuestos antioxidantes (FP16-LACT) funded by IMIDRA. 2. Producción y consumo sostenibles del café: validación de subproductos como ingredientes alimentarios (SUSCOFFEE, AGL2014-57239-R) funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness

Optimización de la formulación y la calidad sensorial de nuevos lácteos funcionales

Póster presentado a las II Jornadas Científicas CIAL-Fórum, celebradas durante los dias 16 y 17 de noviembre de 2016 en el Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación (CIAL).La presente investigación tiene como objetivo desarrollar formulaciones innovadoras de productos lácteos (yogures) que respondan a las demandas de calidad sensorial y nutricional de los consumidores actuales. Se pretende obtener nuevos alimentos funcionales sostenibles para reducir el riesgo de prevalencia de enfermedades crónicas como la obesidad y la diabetes. La formulación se basó en la utilización de extractos de subproductos de café (cáscara (CA) y cascarilla (CS)) enriquecidos en compuestos bioactivos elaborados según se describe en la patente WO2013004873 A1, como nuevo ingrediente alimentario; leche de vaca UHT como fuente de proteínas y otros nutrientes; inulina como fuente de fibra soluble; oligofructosa, prebiótico y regulador del metabolismo de glucosa; y maltitol como edulcorante hipocalórico. Los extractos contienen concentraciones de ácido clorogénico (CGA), antioxidante y antidiabético, de 0,17 y 0,94 g CGA/100 g en los extractos de CA y CS, respectivamente. La aceptación sensorial de los yogures se evaluó por un panel formado por 30 jueces no entrenados. Los catadores no fueron informados de los posibles beneficios para la salud de los nuevos alimentos. El producto se reformuló hasta alcanzar una elevada calidad sensorial. Los resultados de preferencia de los yogures se realizaron mediante un análisis de varianza por el test de Friedman. Los yogures con un contenido de extracto de CA de 10 mg/mL y de CS de 4 mg/mL recibieron puntuaciones de 7,28 y 6,76 en una escala hedónica verbal de 9 puntos. La adición de maltitol en las formulaciones con CS 4 mg/mL mejoró significativamente la aceptación sensorial del alimento. Las puntuaciones fueron de 6,7 y 5,3 para el alimento con y sin adición de maltitol, respectivamente. Los resultados obtenidos apoyan el interés de la revalorización de los subproductos del café como un ingrediente alimentario funcional para reducir el riesgo de enfermedades crónicas no trasmisibles y su tratamiento. Los nuevos alimentos presentan alto contenido en proteínas, fibra dietética, ingredientes con carácter prebiótico, reguladores del metabolismo de glucosa y antioxidantes, por lo que contribuyen a una alimentación más saludable y sostenible en respuesta a las demandas de los consumidores.La presente investigación ha sido financiada por las siguientes ayudas: AGL2014-57239-R, FP16-LACT, BES-2015-072191. M. Iriondo-DeHond agradece al IMIDRA por su beca predoctoral.Peer Reviewe

Applications of compounds from coffee processing by-products

This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomolecules from Plant Residues.To obtain the coffee beverage, approximately 90% of the edible parts of the coffee cherry are discarded as agricultural waste or by-products (cascara or husk, parchment, mucilage, silverskin and spent coffee grounds). These by-products are a potential source of nutrients and non-nutrient health-promoting compounds, which can be used as a whole ingredient or as an enriched extract of a specific compound. The chemical composition of by-products also determines food safety of the novel ingredients. To ensure the food safety of coffee by-products to be used as novel ingredients for the general consumer population, pesticides, mycotoxins, acrylamide and gluten must be analyzed. According with the priorities proposed by the Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to maximize the benefit for the environment, society and economy, food waste generation should be avoided in the first place. In this context, the valorization of food waste can be carried out through an integrated bio-refinery approach to produce nutrients and bioactive molecules for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and non-food applications. The present research is an updated literature review of the definition of coffee by-products, their composition, safety and those food applications which have been proposed or made commercially available to date based on their chemical composition.The project “Nuevos conocimientos para la sostenibilidad del sector cafetero” funded by Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) (201970E117) and “Novel coffee by-product beverages for an optimal health of the brain-gut axis (COFFEE4BGA)” funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PID2019-111510RB-I00), funded this work.Peer reviewe

Sensory acceptance, appetite control and gastrointestinal tolerance of yogurts containing coffee-cascara extract and inulin

This article belongs to the Special Issue Food and Nutrients with the Potential to Influence Appetite and Food Intake in Humans.The improvement of the nutritional quality of dairy foods has become a key strategy for reducing the risk of developing diet-related non-communicable diseases. In this context, we aimed to optimize the concentration of inulin in combination with 10 mg/mL of coffee-cascara extract in yogurt while considering their effect on appetite control, gastrointestinal wellbeing, and their effect on the sensory and technological properties of the product. For this purpose, we tested four coffee-cascara yogurt treatments in a blind cross-over nutritional trial with 45 healthy adults: a coffee-cascara yogurt without inulin (Y0) and coffee-cascara yogurts containing 3% (Y3), 7% (Y7), and 13% (Y13) of inulin. The ratings on sensory acceptance, satiety, gastrointestinal tolerance, and stool frequency were measured. Surveys were carried out digitally in each participant’s cellphone. Yogurt pH, titratable acidity, syneresis, and instrumental texture were analyzed. Inulin addition increased the yogurt’s firmness and consistency. Y13 achieved significantly higher overall acceptance, texture, and taste scores than Y0 (p < 0.05). Y3 presented similar gastrointestinal tolerance to Y0. However, 7% and 13% of inulin produced significant (p < 0.05) bloating and flatulence when compared to Y0. The appetite ratings were not significantly affected by the acute intake of the different yogurts. Overall, Y3 was identified as the formulation that maximized nutritional wellbeing, reaching a “source of fiber” nutritional claim, without compromising its technological and sensory properties.This research was funded by the projects: SUSCOFFEE (AGL2014-57239-R), 2018/ACDE/000666, 201970E117 and FP16-LACT

Byproducts as a source of novel ingredients in dairy foods

The food industry generates a large amount of food wastes and byproducts along the food chain. These fractions are excellent sources of bioactive compounds and nutrients with a high potential for valorization as novel food ingredients. In this chapter, the applications of byproducts in the development of sustainable and novel dairy foods were revised.Peer reviewe