Short Communication: Caseins and alfa-lactalbumin content of camel milk (Camelus dromedarius) determined by capillary electrophoresis

Camel milk has unique physical, nutritional, and technological properties when compared with other milks, especially bovine. Because proteins confer many of the properties of milk and its products, this study aimed to determine the proteins of camel milk, their correlations, and relative distribution. Raw milk samples were collected from 103 dromedary camels in the morning and evening. Capillary electrophoresis results showed wide variation in the concentrations (g/L) of proteins between samples as follows: α-lactalbumin, 0.3 to 2.9; αS1-casein, 2.4 to 10.3; αS2-casein, 0.3 to 3.9; β-casein, 5.5 to 29.0; κ-casein, 0.1 to 2.4; unknown casein protein 1, 0.0 to 3.4; and unknown casein protein 2, 0.0 to 4.6. The range in percent composition of the 4 caseins were as follows: αS1, 12.7 to 35.3; αS2, 1.8 to 20.8; β, 42.3 to 77.4; and κ, 0.6 to 17.4. The relative proportion of αS1-, αS2-, β-, and κ-caseins in camel milk (26:4:67:3, wt/wt) differed from that of bovine milk (38:10:36:12, wt/wt). This difference might explain the dissimilarity between the 2 milks with respect to technical and nutritional properties

Intake of alkylresorcinols from wheat and rye in the United Kingdom and Sweden

Alkylresorcinols, phenolic lipids present in high amounts in whole-grain wheat and rye but not present in appreciable amounts in other foods, are candidates as biomarkers of whole-grain intake from these cereals. We estimated the intake of alkylresorcinols in Sweden and the UK using two different methods: food supply data (FSD); food consumption data (FCD; based on individual and household survey data). The average per capita intake of alkylresorcinols in Sweden was 17·5 mg/d v(FSD) and 22·9 (sd 16·6) mg/d (FCD), while in the UK it was 11·9 mg/d (FSD) and 11·8 (sd 18·62) mg/d (FCD). Ninety-six per cent of all Swedes consumed some alkylresorcinols, compared with 50 % of British people surveyed. Both women and men over the age of 40 years had a higher alkylresorcinol intake than younger people. The average results from the two methods were similar, but the FCD data provided more detail about the range of alkylresorcinol intake, and indicate that because the intake of alkylresorcinols varies so widely, they may be good markers of diets rich or poor in whole-grain wheat/rye product

Organic Acids, Sugars, and Anthocyanins Contents in Juices of Tunisian Pomegranate Fruits

Juices made from fruits of 30 Tunisian accessions of pomegranate were studied for their organic acids, sugars, and anthocyanin contents, using high performance liquid chromatography. Among the detected organic acids, malic acid was the major one (>50%) followed by citric acid (>22%), while among sugars, fructose and glucose were most present in pomegranate juice contributing 53.9 and 43.4% of the total sugar content, respectively. The total anthocyanin content ranged from 9-115 mg per litre of juice with the following ranges of the six compounds found: cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside (3.1-74.4 mg/L), delphinidin-3-glucoside (0.7-22.0 mg/L), cyanidin-3-glucoside (0.8-21.0 mg/L), pelargonidin-3-glucoside (0.5-16.1 mg/L), pelargonidin-3,5-diglucoside (0.0-11.8 mg/L), and delphinidin-3,5-diglucoside (0.0-5.4 mg/L). Based on the analyzed parameters, cluster analysis allowed grouping cultivars into two main clusters. One was made of sour cultivars and the second of the sweet ones. Principle component and cluster analyses suggested that the composition of the pomegranate fruits is determined by cultivar rather than cultivation location

Dietary fiber components, microstructure, and texture of date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera, L.)

Date fruits vary widely in the hardness of their edible parts and they are classifed accordingly into soft, semi-dry, and dry varieties. Fruit texture, a signifcant parameter in determining consumer acceptance, is related to the tissue structure and chemical composition of the fruit, mainly the ratio of sucrose to reducing sugars. This study aimed to understand the relationship between the chemical composition, microstructure, and texture profle of 10 major Emirati date fruits. The soluble sugars, glucose and fructose, represent ca 80 g/100 g of the fruits on the basis of dry weight (DW) while the dietary fber contents varied 5.2–7.4 g/100 dg D.W. with lignin being the main determinant of the variability. The textures of the samples were studied using instrumental texture profle analysis. While no correlation was found between the soluble sugar and texture parameters in this study, the diferent fber constituents correlated variably with the diferent parameters of date fruit texture. Lignin, arabinoxylan, galactomannan, and pectin were found to correlate signifcantly with fruit hardness and the related parameters, gumminess and chewiness. Both lignin and arabinoxylan correlated with resilience, and arabinoxylan exhibited a strong correlation with cohesiveness

Petrolio e politica nella decolonizzazione Algerina: verso un network energetico Europeo?

Le relazioni tra Francia e Italia nella guerra d’Algeria sono state oggetto di diverse analisi storiche; questo lavoro si concentra sul ruolo dell’industria petrolifera nelle relazioni tra i due paesi nel periodo specifico. Le riserve d’idrocarburi algerine furono scoperte nel 1956, due anni dopo l’inizio della guerra. I ritrovamenti ebbero una notevole eco in Francia, e la possibilità di diventare un paese produttore di petrolio rese più urgente il dibattito sull’amministrazione del Sahara e sull’opportunità di aprire le porte alle compagnie straniere. Questa ricerca ha come obiettivo l’esame delle azioni intraprese dalla Francia per la messa a punto di un’industria petrolifera nel Sahara, e le parallele strategie dell’industria petrolifera internazionale per la penetrazione in un nuovo territorio e in un’area contestata. In particolare, l’analisi si concentra sulla strategia dell’Eni, la compagnia di Stato Italiana, che rifiutò apertamente di collaborare con il governo francese per mantenere un atteggiamento pro-arabo. L’articolo punta a ricostruire il dibattito sulle risorse del sottosuolo sahariano, il problema del controllo del territorio e le frizioni tra l’industria petrolifera di Stato europea e le grandi multinazionali americane, nel contesto più ampio della decolonizzazione, dei negoziati per la costruzione dell’Unione Europea e della ricerca di una maggiore indipendenza dagli Stati Uniti. Italian-French relations during the Algerian war have been the subject of thorough historical investigations; this paper concentrates on the hydrocarbon industry and its role in the Algerian decolonization process and in the Italian-French relations. Algerian hydrocarbon reserves were found in 1956, two years after the outbreak of the war. The discovery had a considerable impact in France, where the possibility of becoming an oil exporting country reinvigorated the debate over the management of the Saharan area and on whether (and to which degree) to allow the presence of foreign oil companies in its exploitation. The research aims to investigate the actions taken by the French government for the set-up of an oil industry in the Sahara and the parallel strategies of the international oil industry for the penetration of a new territory in a contented area. In particular, the paper focuses on the Italian State company ENI, which openly refused to collaborate with the French government in order to maintain a pro-Arab approach. This paper aims to reconstruct the debate over the Saharan oil resources, the control over the territory and the frictions between European SOEs and the American oil giants, in the broader contest of decolonization, the negotiations for the construction of the European Union and the research for more independence from the United States

Kinetics of the appearance of cereal alkylresorcinols in pig plasma

Alkylresorcinols (AR) are phenolic lipids found in high amounts in wholegrain wheat and rye. They may be important as bioactive components and/or biomarkers of wholegrain wheat and rye intake. AR absorption was studied with pigs during a habitual diet and after a single meal of AR-rich diet. In study 1, four pigs were fed wholegrain rye (RD) and white wheat bread (WD) for 1 week in a cross-over design. Arterial and venous AR concentrations were determined over 540min after feeding on days 5 and 7. In study 2, four pigs were fed a synthetic, starch-based diet for 5d, and arterial and venous AR concentrations were determined over 960min after feeding a single meal of RD. In study 1, plasma AR concentrations after consuming RD peaked at 120min, remained elevated between 120 and 420min, and were re-elevated on refeeding at 480min. In study 2, AR appeared in the plasma after 60min, peaked at 180-240min, and remained elevated after 960min. The apparent elimination half-life was 3·93h, and the maximum plasma concentration was 666 (sem 35) nmol/l. Arterial and venous plasma AR concentrations were similar, suggesting that AR are absorbed via the lymphatic system. AR concentrations in pig plasma increase rapidly after a meal containing AR, and persist in plasma for at least 5d, indicating that AR may be a useful biomarker of wholegrain wheat and rye intak

Kinetics of the appearance of cereal alkylresorcinols in pig plasma

Alkylresorcinols (AR) are phenolic lipids found in high amounts in wholegrain wheat and rye. They may be important as bioactive components and/or biomarkers of wholegrain wheat and rye intake. AR absorption was studied with pigs during a habitual diet and after a single meal of ARrich diet. In study 1, four pigs were fed wholegrain rye (RD) and white wheat bread (WD) for 1 week in a cross-over design. Arterial and venous AR concentrations were determined over 540 min after feeding on days 5 and 7. In study 2, four pigs were fed a synthetic, starch-based diet for 5 d, and arterial and venous AR concentrations were determined over 960 min after feeding a single meal of RD. In study 1, plasma AR concentrations after consuming RD peaked at 120 min, remained elevated between 120 and 420 min, and were re-elevated on refeeding at 480 min. In study 2, AR appeared in the plasma after 60 min, peaked at 180–240 min, and remained elevated after 960 min. The apparent elimination half-life was 3·93 h, and the maximum plasma concentration was 666 (SEM 35) nmol/l. Arterial and venous plasma AR concentrations were similar, suggesting that AR are absorbed via the lymphatic system. AR concentrations in pig plasma increase rapidly after a meal containing AR, and persist in plasma for at least 5 d, indicating that AR may be a useful biomarker of wholegrain wheat and rye intake.The present study was supported by the Nordic Industrial Fund; the Danish Agricultural and Veterinary Research Council; Cerealia AB, Sweden; Wasabro¨d AB, Sweden; Vaasan & Vaasan, Finland; Fazer Oululainen, Finland. A.-M. L. was supported by the Sigrid Juse´lius Foundation, Helsinki, Finland and Finska La¨karesa¨llskapet, Helsinki, Finland