PENGARUH BLANCHING TERHADAP MUTU KIMIA DAN ORGANOLEPTIK UMBI YAKON (Smallanthus sonchifolius)

Abstrak. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh blanching terhadap mutu kimia (aktivitas antioksidan dan kandungan fruktooligosakarida) dan organoleptik (tekstur dan warna) umbi yakon. Dalam penelitian ini digunakan umbi yakon dengan ketebalan irisan 0,5 cm, proses blanching dengan suhu 90oC selama 3, 5, dan 7 menit. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah spektrofotometer UV-Vis (uji aktivitas antioksidan), HPLC (uji kandungan fruktooligosakarida), texture analyzer, dan colour reader. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa proses blanching memberi pengaruh secara signifikan dalam meningkatkan kecerahan umbi yakon, menurunkan nilai aktivitas antioksidan, dan tekstur. Blanching tidak berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap kandungan fruktooligosakarida dalam umbi yakon. Berdasarkan hasil uji kesukaan, panelis lebih menyukai umbi yakon dengan perlakuan blanching selama 3 menit untuk tekstur dan 7 menit untuk warna. Kata Kunci : blanching, antioksidan, fruktooligosakarida, tekstur, warna Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of blanching on chemical (antioxidant activity and fructooligosaccharide content) and organoleptic (texture and color) quality of yacon tubers. In this study yacon tubers were used with a slice thickness of 0.5 cm, temperature of blanching process was 90 oC for 3, 5, and 7 minutes. The instruments used in this study were UV-Vis spectrophotometer (antioxidant activity), HPLC (fructooligosaccharide), texture analyzer, and color reader. The results showed that the blanching process had a significant influence in increasing the brightness of yacon tubers, decreasing the value of antioxidant activity, and texture. Blanching did not significantly affect the fructooligosaccharide content in yacon tubers. Based on the preference test, panelists chose yacon tubers with blanching treatment 3 minutes for texture and 7 minutes for color. Keywords : blanching, antioxidant, fructooligosaccharide, texture, colo

Calcium transport in gill cells of Ucides cordatus, a mangrove crab living in variable salinity environments

Crustaceans show discontinuous growth and have been used as a model system for studying cellular mechanisms of calcium transport, which is the main mineral found in their exoskeleton. Ucides cordatus, a mangrove crab, is naturally exposed to fluctuations in calcium and salinity. To study calcium transport in this species during isosmotic conditions, dissociated gill cells were marked with fluo-3 and intracellular Ca2+ change was followed by adding extracellular Ca2+ as CaCl2 (0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.50, 1.0 and 5 mM), together with different inhibitors. for control gill cells, Ca2+ transport followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with V-max = 0.137 +/- 0.001 Delta Ca(2+)i (mu M x 22.10(4) cells(-1) x 180 s(-1); N = 4; r(2) = 0.99); K-m = 0.989 +/- 0.027 mM. the use of different inhibitors for gill cells showed that amiloride (Na+/Ca2+ exchange inhibitor) inhibited 80% of Ca2+ transport in gill cells (V-max). KB-R, an inhibitor of Ca influx in vertebrates, similarly caused a decrease in Ca2+ transport and verapamil (Ca2+ channel inhibitor) had no effect on Ca2+ transport, while nifedipine (another Ca2+ channel inhibitor) caused a 20% decrease in Ca2+ affinity compared to control values. Ouabain, on the other hand, caused no change in Ca2+ transport while vanadate increased the concentration of intracellular calcium through inhibition of Ca2+ efflux probably through the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase. Results show that transport kinetics for Ca2+ in these crabs under isosmotic conditions is lower compared to a hyper-regulator freshwater crab Dilocarcinus pagei studied earlier using fluorescent Ca2+ probes. These kinds of studies will help understanding the comparative mechanisms underlying the evolution of Ca transport in crabs living in different environments. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Renal Physiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Physiol, BR-05508900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Renal Physiol, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: FAPESP 2009/15546-3Web of Scienc

Plant Foods and Underutilized Fruits as Source of Functional Food Ingredients

Changes in lifestyle and demographics shifted preferences about the relationships between food and health, contributing to generate new needs in the food supply. Today, the role of food is not only intended as hunger satisfaction and nutrient supply, but also as an opportunity to prevent nutrition-related diseases and improve physical and mental well-being. There is a growing interest in the novel or less well known plant foods that offer an opportunity for health maintenance. This book shows that an interest in plant foods and underutilized fruits is continuously growing, and agrobiodiversity exploitation offers effective and extraordinary potentialities. Readers will discover that plant foods could become an important source of health-promoting compounds and functional food ingredients with beneficial properties. The description of the quality and physicochemical traits, the identification and quantification of the main biologically active compounds, and the evaluation of their biological activities are important to assess plant food efficacy as functional foods or a source of food supplement ingredients for the consumers

The effect of crude aqueous and alcohol extracts of Aloe vera on the gastrointestinal tract and accessory organs of suckling rats.

For centuries Aloe vera has been exploited for several verified and unverified medicinal uses such as wound healing, treatment of gastrointestinal ulcers and for its many biological effects including anti-microbial, laxative, anti-inflammatory and immunostimulatory activities. Studies have generally focused on its effects in vitro and in adults. When nursing mothers use Aloe vera extracts, their suckling infants are at risk of indirect exposure to Aloe vera via breast feeding or directly as dietary/health supplements. The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of the neonate is sensitive to dietary manipulations during the suckling period with long lasting effects that can be irreversible. Thus babies may be at risk if administered Aloe vera extracts directly as dietary supplements or indirectly via breast milk. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of orally administered aqueous and alcohol extracts of Aloe vera on growth performance, the morphometry and morphology of the gastrointestinal tract and accessory organs, and liver function of suckling rats. Suckling Sprague-Dawley rats (77), males (n=38) and females (n=39) of 6 days old were randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups and given once daily by oral gavage a suspension of lyophilized crude alcohol or aqueous extracts of Aloe vera suspended in distilled water. Group I (control) was gavaged with distilled water (vehicle). Group II received a low dose of the aqueous extract (AqL) at 50mg. kg-1; Group III received a high dose of the aqueous extract (AqH) at 500mg. kg-1; Group IV received a low dose of the alcohol extract (AlcL) at 50mg. kg-1 whilst Group V received a high dose of the alcohol extract (AlcH) at 500mg. kg-1. The extracts and distilled water were 2 administered at a volume of 10ml.kg-1. The pups remained with their dams for the duration of the study and after 8 days on the treatments, the pups were humanely killed to harvest their tissues for measurements and physiological analysis. All data were expressed as mean ± SD and analyzed by one way ANOVA, the values were considered statistically significant when p < 0.05 and then a Bonferroni Post hoc test was applied. The suckling rats fed respectively with high doses of AlcH and AqH had a significantly higher body mass gain than the other groups (p < 0.05, one way ANOVA). Linear growth as measured by tibial length was significantly increased in the AqH group compared to the other groups. There was no significant difference in the mass and relative density of the tibia bones of the rats from the different treatment groups. The differences in growth could not be attributed to circulating concentrations of the somatotrophic hormone, Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) which was not significantly different between the groups. The treatments did not result in any significant differences in lengths, and mass of the small and large intestine, however the caecum was significantly enlarged (hypertrophy of muscularis, submucosa and mucosa) in the rats that received the Aloe vera extracts. Although, there was no significant difference in the mass of the rats’ livers, the lipid and glycogen content were significantly higher (p < 0.001) for the AqH group compared to the other groups. Histologically, the hepatocytes showed enlarged nuclei, granular cytoplasm and dilated sinusoids for AqH and AlcH as compared to the control group. An indirect assessment of liver function by measurement of blood concentrations of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alanine amino transaminase (ALT) did not reveal a significant difference between the groups. The non fasting concentration of metabolic substrates (glucose and triglycerides) was also not significantly different between the groups. The pups given high doses of the extracts had a significantly greater (p < 0.05) thymus mass (hyperplastic) than the other groups. The short term administration of Aloe vera extracts has shown a growth promoting effect, enhanced hepatic storage of metabolic substrates and hypertrophy of the caecum and thymus of neonatal rats. These effects need to be explored further to enhance animal production and health

Dietary fatty acids and their ratio: impact on Atlantic salmon health, mineral status and intestinal lipid transport

The rapid growth of the aquaculture industry and the sharp decline of capture fisheries necessitates finding alternative sources for fish oil and fish meal in aquafeeds. However, the inclusion of VOs in aquafeed alters the dietary fatty acid composition, significantly reducing the amount of essential n-3 LC-PUFA, inducing the n-3/n-6 ratio, and increasing the MUFA contents. In the last few decades, numerous studies have been conducted to demonstrate the possibility of partial or complete replacement of FO with vegetable oils (VOs) without any adverse effects on the growth and welfare of the fish, provided sufficient n-3 LC-PUFA from other dietary sources. However, most feeding trials are run in controlled, stable environmental conditions, where there is minimal stress on fish. In contrast, under demanding environmental conditions in sea cages, fish are exposed to various stressors, including fluctuating water temperatures, handling, parasitic pressure, delousing, etc. Therefore, we need increased knowledge on how optimal FA nutrition can be used to maintain a healthy and robust fish that can cope with stressful situations, such as fluctuating environmental conditions and disease pressure. Besides the change in dietary FA profile, increased inclusion of plant ingredients also reduces the supply and availability of dietary minerals to fish. Further, little is known about how this change in the FA profile affects the intracellular fate of these fatty acids in intestinal cells. Therefore, this Ph.D. project investigates how stressful conditions combined with the change in dietary FA level affect the absorption and intracellular fate of dietary fatty acids, stress and immune responses, and the utilization of minerals in the fish. In the present thesis, the three trials were conducted i) short-term challenge experiment, ii) long-term seawater trial, and iii) in vitro trial in RTgutGC cells. In the short-term challenge trial (Paper I), Atlantic salmon were fed diets containing different ratios of n-6/n-3 FA (at 1.3, 2.4, and 6.0 and one diet with a ratio of 1.3 combined with a higher level of n-3 FA and n-6 FA) and challenged with amoebic gill disease (AGD). In the long-term seawater trial (Paper II), Atlantic salmon were fed diets containing graded levels of EPA+DHA (10, 13, 16, and 35 g/kg of feed, and one diet with 13g/ kg of EPA+DHA with reduced total fat content) and fish were subjected to physical stress during delousing. In both trials (Paper I and Paper II), diet did not affect growth under optimal conditions, while a high n-6/n-3 ratio (6:1) (Paper I) and low EPA+DHA (10-16 g/kg of feed) (Paper II) diet had negative impact on growth under AGD challenge and delousing stress, respectively. Furthermore, despite AGD challenge and delousing stress altering the mRNA expression inflammatory and immune marker and oxidative stress markers, both dietary n-6/n-3 ratios and EPA+DHA levels did not alter the expression of any of these genes. In the challenge trial, disease progression, gross gill score, and associated gill pathology were much lower compared to previously reported studies, suggesting the possible genetic resistance of the experimental fish against AGD. In the long-term trial (Paper II), despite increased plasma cortisol level after delousing, dietary EPA+DHA levels had no effect on plasma cortisol, vertebrae deformities, or any other external welfare indicators. Interaction of dietary EPA+DHA on tissue trace mineral status was assessed at delousing (~2.5 kg) and at harvest stage (~ 5 kg). The liver Se, Zn, Fe, Cu, and Mn and plasma Se levels were increased in fish fed a diet high in EPA+DHA (35 g/kg of feed) upon delousing stress. Further, a high dietary EPA+DHA also significantly increased the whole-body Zn, Se, and Mn levels at harvest size fish. This thesis is one of first attempt to use fish intestinal cells (RTgutGC cells) as an in vitro model to study the intracellular fate of FA upon uptake and transport (Paper III), following the 3R principles. The RTgutGC cells offered oleic acid accumulated higher amounts of TAG in the cells, and lead to higher (x6 times) cytosolic lipid droplets (CLDs) accumulation. The accumulation of TAG in CLDs were lower for arachidonic acid (ARA) and palmitic acid (PA) compared to oleic acid (OA). The lower uptake of OA from apical compartment than other FAs (PA and ARA) might indicate the negative consequence of excessive CLDs accumulation and physical barrier to uptake of this FA. A significant amount of ARA was transported as TAG to basolateral compartment and suggesting the better regulated transport for LC-PUFA. Based on the results of this Ph.D. work, it could be concluded that low dietary EPA+DHA (10-16 g/kg of feed) and a high n-6 /n-3 FA ratio (6:1) can have negative impact on growth under challenging environmental conditions. Thus, the optimal dietary n-3 FA needs to be revisited under different challenging situations, and the balance of n-6/n-3 FA in the diet is an important factor that needs to be considered while formulating the diet for Atlantic salmon. Higher inclusion of EPA+DHA (35 g/ kg) in the diet increased the trace mineral levels in plasma, liver, and whole body. Knowledge on the interaction between dietary fatty acids on body mineral stores is crucial for the aquaculture industry to improve the bioavailability and status of these minerals in fish and limit their discharge into the environment. Further, results from this thesis increased the Knowledge on how uptake and transport of FA are affected by their chain length and saturation level. The lipid fraction in current commercial diets for Atlantic salmon contains higher inclusion of rapeseed oil, resulting in a major reduction in SFA and LC-PUFA and increased MUFA levels in diets. This thesis demonstrated that higher inclusion of VOs rich in MUFA results in excessive accumulation of large lipid droplets in the enterocytes, reducing fatty acid absorption efficiency.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Uptake of manganese into the exoskeleton of the swimming crab Liocarcinus depurator (L.) in relation to biomonitoring and biosorption

The swimming crab Liocarcinus depurator (L.) is a common member of the benthic fauna in Scottish waters, and is often caught as bycatch from the common lobster fishery grounds. This study aims to employ the species in relation to the biomonitoring potential for Mn in the Scottish inshore waters and in UK monitoring programmes by choosing Loch Fyne in the west coast of Scotland as a naturally high Mn area and the Clyde Sea area as the reference area. The ability of the crushed carapace to remove Mn from aqueous solution in a biosorption column system in the remediation of contaminated waters was also investigated as an attempt to turn this un-commercial species into beneficial use. Measured using standard atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), the concentrations of Mn in the tissues of the swimming crab L. depurator from Loch Fyne were consistently higher than in the tissues in crabs from the Clyde Sea area. The metal concentration differed according to sexes, and to the tissues in the order of the exoskeleton (carapace, gills) > hepatopancreas > crusher claw muscle and gonads. The trend observed in L. depurator was comparable to the shore crab, Carcinus maenas which is an established biomonitor for metals collected within the vicinity of both study areas. A series of different exposures of L. depurator to Mn in sea water (10ppm and 20ppm) for up to 21d, followed by a depuration period of 47d were performed under controlled laboratory conditions. Temporal changes in Mn concentrations in the exoskeleton of individual crabs were monitored by autotomizing a walking leg at weekly intervals. Mn concentrations in other tissues at given sampling points were obtained by sacrificing a batch of crabs at each sampling time. The hard tissues (dorsal carapace and leg exoskeleton) irreversibly accumulated Mn from the water whereas the soft tissues both accumulated Mn when exposed, and eliminated Mn after a period of depuration in clean sea water. As a result, the use of the exoskeleton of autotomized legs to represent Mn accumulation in the whole exoskeleton of a crab was established, and the accumulation of Mn from the water into the crabs tissues particularly the exoskeleton was confirmed. The ability of dried and crushed carapace particles from the swimming crab L. depurator to remove Mn from aqueous solutions was studied using a packed bed up-flow biosorption column system. From a batch experiment carried out at room temperature on fine carapace particles with a diameter of less than 300µm and 100ml of 80ppm Mn in distilled water, the data fitted the Freundlich adsorption isotherm with an adsorption capacity KF=22.82 mg.g-1. The breakthrough curves generated from a series of up-flow biosorption experiments (constant flow rate of 100ml.h-1, 72h sorption) indicates the great potential of the crab carapace particles to remove Mn from a solution. The removal depended greatly on the initial concentrations of the solution and the amount of carapace particles used which can be expressed as mass or the height of the column beds. Greater column bed heights increase Mn removal capacity which in the columns could be observed visually through progressive colour change of the beds. Experiments repeated using the carapace particles of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.) generated similar trends and comparable data with the ones observed for L. depurator. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and SEM combined with electron dispersive analysis of x-ray (SEM-EDX) were applied to examine the morphology of the dorsal carapace and gills of L. depurator, and also the form and site of Mn deposition onto both the intact carapace of L. depurator and onto Mn-biosorbed carapace particles. The dorsal carapace of L. depurator resembles the typical crustacean cuticle with three main layers, the epi-, exo- and endocuticles made up primarily by CaCO3. Mn deposited onto the carapace especially on exposed inner layers and broken edges of the carapace particles in the form of Mn-rich nodules, which in 72h could create a layer visually observed as blackening of the particles. Deposition onto the gill surface took the form of fine particles scattered on the lamellae. Exposure of an isolated carapace to 80ppm Mn solution indicated the barrier-effect played by the epicuticle to Mn deposition onto the external surface. This barrier was lost when the surface is abraded. The membranous layer on the internal side did not act as a barrier, and penetration of Mn up to approximately 50µm into the endocuticular layers was detected. These results correlated with AAS measurements which indicated that internal exposure of the carapace resulted in a three times higher concentrations of Mn compared with external exposure. Based on the wide distribution of L. depurator around the UK coast and its habit of resting on the bottom sediment, the results of this study propose L. depurator as a biomonitor species for Mn in the bottom water, particularly in the Scottish waters. Given the abundance of the species in common lobster fishery grounds in Scotland and often caught as bycatch in the trawls, L. depurator could provide a continued source of materials if the carapace is to be converted into a good Mn-removing agent in Mn contaminated waters

Conservation genetics of traditional and commercial pig breeds, and evaluation of their crossbreeding potential for productivity improvement

The Food and Agriculture Organization have emphasised the importance of farm animal genetic diversity for the assurance of future global food security. Modern pig production has concentrated on a small number of commercialised breeds. This has significantly contributed to genetic erosion and loss of native breeds, deemed productively inefficient. It has been recommended to conserve the unique traits of traditional breeds as genetic insurance against future challenges. In order to ascertain the commercial viability of traditional breeds, genetic and productivity analyses were completed, using the Large White (LW) and Landrace (LR) as the commercial comparison. Genetic diversity was assessed using a D-loop fragment of mitochondrial DNA for comparison between three purebred traditional breeds: Gloucester Old Spot (GOS), British Lop (BL) and Welsh (W), and commercial LW x LR. The traditional breeds greatly differed from the commercial hybrid, and possessed high variability at this genetic region. The BL and W demonstrated the greatest potential for crossbreeding to increase the diversity of commercial populations. The crossing of LW x LR dams with GOS, BL and W terminal sires produced traditional crossbreds for comparison with LW sired crossbreds. Nuclear DNA diversity was assessed using a region of the iodothyronine deiodinase type 3 (DIO3) gene. This demonstrated that crossbreeding could improve future productivity, by utilising traditional variation to maximise heterozygosity in the progeny. The productivity assessment established that the traditional and commercial crossbreds performed comparably for most of the growth variables measured, however there were highly significant differences for birth weight, weaning weight, back fat and production length. The traditional crossbreds have shown potential for future application, with the W most suited for commercial production, due to the equivalence with the LW. To conclude, the crossbreeding of traditional and commercial pig breeds is a viable genetic management strategy to conserve and genetically improve both groups