104 research outputs found
Determination of the gut retention of plastic microbeads and microfibers in goldfish 1 (Carassius auratus)
Microplastics are ubiquitous pollutants in aquatic habitats and commonly found in the gut contents of fish yet relatively little is known about the retention of these particles by fish. In this study, goldfish were fed a commercial fish food pellet amended with 50 particles of one of two microplastics types, microbeads and microfibers. Microbeads were obtained from a commercial facial cleanser while microfibers were obtained from washed synthetic textile. Following consumption of the amended pellet, fish were allowed to feed to satiation on non-amended food followed by fasting for periods ranging from 1.5 h to 6 days. Fish sacrificed at different time points were dissected to remove gut contents and the digesta contents retention and microplastic retention was determined. Although a small number of microplastic particles were retained in fish GI-tracts after 6 days (0–3 particles/50), the retention of microplastics was generally similar to the retention of bulk digesta contents. According to a breakpoint regression model fitted to digesta contents and microplastic particles, the 50% and 90% evacuation times were 10 h and 33.4 h, respectively. The results of this study indicate that neither microbeads nor microfibers are likely to accumulate within the gut contents of fish over successive meals
Effects of novel ingredients on growth performance in european sea bass, dicentrarchus labrax
publishedVersio
Advances in greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) research: the DIVERSIFY project
The greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) is a species with high potential
for the EU aquaculture due to its fast growth (6 kg in 2.5 years),
excellent flesh quality and global market. Its farming in the Mediterranean
region started in the 1990s with wild-caught juveniles, but
the production is still negligible, as several bottlenecks exist for its
industrial production. These include the absence of reliable reproduction,
limited availability of juveniles, lack of knowledge on the nutrient
requirements and pathology of the species. The EU FP7-funded
DIVERSIFY project (www.diversifyfish.eu) examines the major
aspects of greater amberjack aquaculture in order to overcome these
bottlenecks and develop appropriate rearing methods for commercial
production. This article provides some highlights from the first 2
years of the project.Postprin
Characterisation and expression of calpain family members in relation to nutritional status, diet composition and flesh texture in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata).
Calpains are non-lysosomal calcium-activated neutral proteases involved in a wide range of cellular processes including muscle proteolysis linked to post-mortem flesh softening. The aims of this study were (a) to characterise several members of the calpain system in gilthead sea bream and (b) to examine their expression in relation to nutritional status and muscle tenderisation. We identified the complete open reading frame of gilthead sea bream calpains1-3, sacapn1, sacapn2, sacapn3, and two paralogs of the calpain small subunit1, sacapns1a and sacapns1b. Proteins showed 63-90% sequence identity compared with sequences from mammals and other teleost fishes, and the characteristic domain structure of vertebrate calpains. Transcripts of sacapn1, sacapn2, sacapns1a and sacapns1b had a wide tissue distribution, whereas sacapn3 was almost exclusively detected in skeletal muscle. Next, we assessed transcript expression in skeletal muscle following alteration of nutritional status by (a) fasting and re-feeding or (b) feeding four experimental diets with different carbohydrate-to-protein ratios. Fasting significantly reduced plasma glucose and increased free fatty acids and triglycerides, together with a significant increase in sacapns1b expression. Following 7 days of re-feeding, plasma parameters returned to fed values and sacapn1, sacapn2, sacapns1a and sacapns1b expression was significantly reduced. Furthermore, an increase in dietary carbohydrate content (11 to 39%) diminished growth but increased muscle texture, which showed a significant correlation with decreased sacapn1 and sacapns1a expression, whilst the other calpains remained unaffected. This study has demonstrated that calpain expression is modulated by nutritional status and diet composition in gilthead sea bream, and that the expression of several calpain members is correlated with muscle texture, indicating their potential use as molecular markers for flesh quality in aquaculture production
Coating with chitosan film of sea bream (Sparus aurata) fillets: determining shelf life in refrigerator conditions
Adding value to under-utilised Irish fish roe: a physico-chemical and sensory comparison of cured Irish pollock (Pollachius pollachius) roe with commercial mullet (Mugil cephalus) and cod (Gadus morhua) products
peer reviewedIrish marine fish roe is generally discarded at sea or processed as low value-added fishmeal and not utilised
as nutritious seafood ingredients. Locally sourced pollock roes were salted, air-dried (Mediterranean-style) and
compared to similar commercial mullet and cod products for: weight; moisture content; pH; instrumental texture
and colour; and sensory attributes. Raw pollock roes averaged 105 g (n = 25). Roes lost on average 3.1% moisture
(w/w) after a 2-h salting period and 48.8% weight reduction was observed after an average 105 h air-drying time.
The moisture content of pollock was not significantly different to commercial products. Average pH for pollock,
mullet and cod products was 5.9, 5.4 and 5.7, respectively (P < 0.05). Pollock and mullet had similar hardness, but
cod was significantly harder than both, when measured instrumentally. Total colour difference (ΔE*) between the
surface of pollock and cod, and that of pollock and mullet was 7.5 and 3.0, respectively. Sensory assessment of
sliced and powdered products, using 9-point hedonic and 5-point just-about-right (JAR) scales, was conducted
with 38 consumers. Pollock received the highest scores for overall liking and intention to purchase compared
to commercial mullet and cod products, averaging 5.6, 5.6 and 4.9, respectively, for sliced roe products, and 6.3,
5.3 and 6.1 for powdered products. Penalty analysis of JAR showed “overall liking” was impacted by the flavour
being “too fishy”. In conclusion, pollock had similar characteristics and acceptable sensory attributes compared
to commercial products presenting opportunities to expand the range of value-added roe products (e.g., trout,
salmon) available, while also contributing to waste reduction
The IDENTIFY study: the investigation and detection of urological neoplasia in patients referred with suspected urinary tract cancer - a multicentre observational study
Objective
To evaluate the contemporary prevalence of urinary tract cancer (bladder cancer, upper tract urothelial cancer [UTUC] and renal cancer) in patients referred to secondary care with haematuria, adjusted for established patient risk markers and geographical variation.
Patients and Methods
This was an international multicentre prospective observational study. We included patients aged ≥16 years, referred to secondary care with suspected urinary tract cancer. Patients with a known or previous urological malignancy were excluded. We estimated the prevalence of bladder cancer, UTUC, renal cancer and prostate cancer; stratified by age, type of haematuria, sex, and smoking. We used a multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression to adjust cancer prevalence for age, type of haematuria, sex, smoking, hospitals, and countries.
Results
Of the 11 059 patients assessed for eligibility, 10 896 were included from 110 hospitals across 26 countries. The overall adjusted cancer prevalence (n = 2257) was 28.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 22.3–34.1), bladder cancer (n = 1951) 24.7% (95% CI 19.1–30.2), UTUC (n = 128) 1.14% (95% CI 0.77–1.52), renal cancer (n = 107) 1.05% (95% CI 0.80–1.29), and prostate cancer (n = 124) 1.75% (95% CI 1.32–2.18). The odds ratios for patient risk markers in the model for all cancers were: age 1.04 (95% CI 1.03–1.05; P < 0.001), visible haematuria 3.47 (95% CI 2.90–4.15; P < 0.001), male sex 1.30 (95% CI 1.14–1.50; P < 0.001), and smoking 2.70 (95% CI 2.30–3.18; P < 0.001).
Conclusions
A better understanding of cancer prevalence across an international population is required to inform clinical guidelines. We are the first to report urinary tract cancer prevalence across an international population in patients referred to secondary care, adjusted for patient risk markers and geographical variation. Bladder cancer was the most prevalent disease. Visible haematuria was the strongest predictor for urinary tract cancer
Hydroglycerolic solvent and ultrasonication pretreatment: A green blend for high-efficiency extraction of Salvia fruticosa polyphenols
Salvia fruticosa Miller, also known as Cretan or Greek sage, is a medicinal plant with significant biological properties, which are largely ascribed to its polyphenolic composition, but there is to-date a scarcity of green and sustainable processes for efficient polyphenol extraction from this plant. The objective of this study was the implementation of an extraction process that would combine a green solvent based on glycerol, a biodiesel industry by-product, and ultrasonication pretreatment. Ultrasonication for 40 min followed by stirred-tank extraction was shown to provide significantly higher total polyphenol yield than mere stirred-tank extraction, while kinetics indicated 50 ffiC as the most favorable temperature, with the yield being 92 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per g dry mass. Comparison of this method with a previously developed one that used methyl β-cyclodextrin revealed that the extracts obtained had similar antioxidant activity, and yield in major polyphenols including luteolin 7-O-glucuronide and rosmarinic acid was virtually equal. The current process is proposed as a sustainable and effective methodology for the generation of polyphenol-enriched extracts from S. fruticosa, which could be used as effective food antioxidants/antimicrobials and/or cosmetic constituents. © 2020 by the authors
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