Optimization of the Emulsifying Properties of Food Protein Hydrolysates for the Production of Fish Oil-in-Water Emulsions

The incorporation of lipid ingredients into food matrices presents a main drawback—their susceptibility to oxidation—which is associated with the loss of nutritional properties and the generation of undesirable flavors and odors. Oil-in-water emulsions are able to stabilize and protect lipid compounds from oxidation. Driven by consumers’ demand, the search for natural emulsifiers, such as proteins, is gaining much interest in food industries. This paper evaluates the in vitro emulsifying properties of protein hydrolysates from animal (whey protein concentrate) and vegetal origin (a soy protein isolate). By means of statistical modelling and bi-objective optimization, the experimental variables, namely, the protein source, enzyme (i.e., subtilisin, trypsin), degree of hydrolysis (2–14%) and emulsion pH (2–8), were optimized to obtain their maximal in vitro emulsifying properties. This procedure concluded that the emulsion prepared from the soy protein hydrolysate (degree of hydrolysis (DH) 6.5%, trypsin) at pH 8 presented an optimal combination of emulsifying properties (i.e., the emulsifying activity index and emulsifying stability index). For validation purposes, a fish oil-in-water emulsion was prepared under optimal conditions, evaluating its physical and oxidative stability for ten days of storage. This study confirmed that the use of soy protein hydrolysate as an emulsifier stabilized the droplet size distribution and retarded lipid oxidation within the storage period, compared to the use of a non-hydrolyzed soy protein isolate.Spanish Government CTQ2017-87076-

Structure of whey protein hydrolysate used as emulsifier in wet and dried oil delivery systems: Effect of pH and drying processing

The secondary structure of whey protein concentrate hydrolysate (WPCH), used as an emulsifier in oil delivery systems, was investigated using Synchrotron Radiation Circular Dichroism (SRCD). The effect of pH on the conformation of peptides in solution and adsorbed at the oil/water interface, as well as the thermal stability of the systems was studied. Furthermore, oil-loaded microcapsules were produced by spray-drying or electrospraying to investigate the influence of encapsulating agents (glucose syrup, maltodextrin) and drying technique on the secondary structure of WPCH at the oil/water interface. Enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in peptides with a highly unordered structure (~60% turns and unordered regions) in solution. However, WPCH adsorption onto the oil/water interface increased the α-helical content resulting in an improved thermal stability. The encapsulating agents and spray-drying process did not modify the conformation of WPCH at the oil/water interface. Nonetheless, electrospraying affected the SRCD spectra obtained for WPCH adsorbed at the oil/water interface.I + D + i project CTQ2017-87076-R MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 PRE2018-084861 730872European Commissio

Creación de valor a través de la innovación en el sector industrial

Innovation is one of the main ways of improving productivity in the manufacturing sector. According to the PITEC survey on innovation in the Spanish enterprises, there is a reduction in the proportion of manufacturing enterprises that innovate from 2006 to 2011. At the same time, the analysis shows the importance of process innovation in the manufacturing sector, in comparison with product innovation, for the productivity improvement.La innovación es una de las principales vías de mejora de la productividad en el sector industrial. Según los datos de la encuesta PITEC de innovación en empresas españolas, se ha producido una disminución del porcentaje de empresas industriales que realizan innovación en el período 2006 a 2011. Por otra parte, el análisis realizado muestra la importancia que en el sector industrial español tiene la innovación en procesos, frente a la innovación en productos, para la mejora de la productividad

A developmental model for the pathogenenesis of cardiac arterio-ventricular fistulae

Coronary Artery Fistulae (CAF) are congenital coronary artery (CA) anomalies consisting of an abnormal communication of a coronary artery with either a cardiac chamber or a large cardiac vessel. Although their incidence in the Western population is low, CAF can lead to complications such as myocardial hypertrophy, endocarditis, heart dilatation and cardiac failure. CAFs can appear as an isolated anomaly or linked to some other forms of congenital heart disease like Left Ventricular Non-Compaction (LVNC) and intrinsic CA anatomy anomalies, but their etiology remains unknown. In this work we have used two different experimental models (transgenic mice and avian embryos) to investigate on the developmental mechanics of CAF formation. In order to tackle this goal, we have manipulated epicardial development and ventricular wall compaction, two inextricably related developmental events during coronary embryogenesis. Conditional integrin α4 gene deletion in the septum transversum/proepicardial (ST/PE) region (G2-Gata4+) disrupts early epicardium development and reduces cardiomyocyte proliferation, leading to the thinning of the ventricular compact myocardial layer. Reduction in compact myocardium thickness associates to the presence of multiple ventricular myocardial discontinuities and focal endocardial extrusion. This same phenotype can be experimentally reproduced in chick embryos using a cryocauterization method (Palmquist-Gomes et al., 2016). Our results suggest that the partial absence of epicardium in α4integrin;G2-Gata4Cre mouse embryos and the cryoinjury in avian embryos generate myocardial discontinuities in the embryonic ventricular wall, which promote endocardial extrusion towards the pericardial cavity and the early contact of the endocardium with coronary progenitors at the epicardial surface of the heart. In the case of avian embryos, this phenomenon leads to precocious smooth muscle differentiation from epicardial mesenchymal cells, and the formation of pouch-like structures that closely resemble CAF. We conclude that anomalous compact myocardial embryonic growth can originate CAF.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Safety management models in manufacturing companies

International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Industrial Management (6. 2012. Vigo). Congreso de Ingeniería de Organización (16. 2012. Vigo).In Spain, companies can decide how to manage safety. Although most safety activities are mandatory, the management model can be decided in some extend by each company. Not all models have the same effectiveness according to their preventive practices and injury rates. This study applies a discrimination model in order to determine which reasons and circumstances make a company adopt a certain safety model or a safety management system. Results can be used in public promotion programs oriented to convince managers of the benefits of implementing safety management systems with internal preventive resources instead of subcontracting an external preventive service

Production and identification of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides from Mediterranean fish discards

The production of peptides exhibiting Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity from discarded Mediterranean fish species such as sardine, horse mackerel, axillary seabream, bogue and small-spotted catshark was studied. The evolution of the ACE-inhibitory activity with the degree of hydrolysis (DH) of protein hydrolysates was also investigated. Hydrolysates of horse mackerel and small-spotted catshark, both obtained with the simultaneous addition of subtilisin and trypsin, showed the highest antihypertensive activity (IC50 of 279 and 302μg/mL, respectively). For horse mackerel hydrolysate, fraction B (130-2350Da) exhibited the highest ACE-inhibitory activity (IC50=85μg/mL). In the case of small-spotted catshark hydrolysate, fraction D (<470Da) presented the lowest IC50 value (27μg/mL). In addition, 14 novel ACE-inhibitory peptides were identified in horse mackerel and small-spotted catshark hydrolysates. The peptide VAMPF, identified in fraction D of small-spotted catshark hydrolysate, is one of the most promising peptides according to its low IC50 value obtained by the QSAR-model (IC50=0.44μM)Spanish National Plan I + D + i (CTQ2011-23009)Andalusian Government (project P12-AGR-1993)