Effect of pre-germination time of brown rice on serum cholesterol levels of hypercholesterolaemic rats.

Background: Brown rice is unpolished rice with immeasurable benefits for human health. Brown rice (BR) and pre-germinated brown rice (PGBR) are known to contain various functional compounds such as gamma-oryzanol, dietary fibre and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In the present study, the experimental diets containing BR and PGBR (24, 48 h pre-germination) were used to investigate the influence of pre-germination time of brown rice on blood cholesterol in Sprague-Dawley male rats. Result: Hypercholesterolaemia and elevation of LDL-cholesterol were successfully ameliorated by the experimental diets containing BR and PGBR (24 and 48 h pre-germination). As compared to the control sample, the pre-germination time had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on blood cholesterol of Sprague-Dawley male rats. It was also found that the significantly (P < 0.05) better effect on lipid profile of hypercholesterolaemic rats was observed by prolonging the pre-germination time. As compared to non-germinated brown rice, the germinated brown rice showed the higher cardio-protective effect on hypercholesterolaemic Sprague-Dawley male rats. Conclusion: The present study suggests that the changes of blood cholesterol can be mainly modulated by using the PGBR rather than BR. The prolonging of pre-germination time led to an increase in the bioactive components, thereby providing a more efficient functional diet affecting the high blood cholesterol. This study suggests that PGBR can be used instead of BR and polished rice in the human diet

The effect of bone choice on quantification of mineralization in broiler chickens up to 6 weeks of age

An experiment was conducted to assess the most appropriate bone type for measuring bone mineralization in male broiler chicks up to 42 d. A total of 72 male broilers were raised in 0.64 m2 pens on a litter floor. The study design included 2 dietary treatments (Control and Low) containing differing levels of total phosphorus (7.8 and 4.4 g/kg for Control and Low diets respectively) and calcium (22.7 and 13.1 g/kg for Control and Low diets respectively) with each fed to 6 replicate pens of 6 birds. Each wk, 6 birds per diet were euthanized and leg bones removed to measure ash percentage. Foot, toe, tibia, and femur ash were compared using the mean of both legs from each bird, via t-tests to separate Control and Low diets. At the end of wk 1, diets could not be separated using any of the bone ash measures. From wk 2 to wk 5, both tibia and foot ash differentiated between the Control and Low diets, and tibia continued to show significant differences between the diets into wk 6. Femur ash did not show any dietary differences until wk 3, but then showed significant differences between the diets until wk 6. Toe ash only differentiated between diets at wk 2, and variation both within and between birds was high, particularly with younger birds. These results suggest that bird age has implications when choosing a bone for assessing possible differences in dietary phosphorus and calcium uptake. Femur ash may be more appropriate for showing differences in broilers aged 6 wk and older. Foot ash provides a comparable alternative to tibia ash in birds aged 2 to 5 wk of age, providing a labor- and time-saving alternative

Physical properties of yogurt fortified with various commercial whey protein concentrates

The effects of whey protein concentrates on physical and rheological properties of yogurt were studied. Five commercial whey protein concentrates (340 g kg−1 protein nominal) were used to fortify milk to 45 g protein kg−1. Fermentation was performed with two different starters (ropy and non-ropy). Resulting yogurts were compared with a control yogurt enriched with skim milk powder. The water-holding capacity of the yogurt fortified with skim milk powder was 500 g kg−1 and ranged from 600 to 638 g kg−1 when fortified with whey protein concentrates. Significant rheological differences have been noticed between the yogurts fortified with different whey protein concentrates, independent of the starter used. Three whey protein concentrates generated yogurts with a behavior similar to the control. The two others produced yogurt with lower firmness (15 g compared with 17 g), lower Brookfield viscosity (6 Pa s compared with 9 Pa s), lower yield stress (2 Pa compared with 4 Pa), lower complex viscosity (13 Pa s compared with 26 Pa s), and lower apparent viscosity (0.4 Pa s compared with 1 Pa s) than the control, respectively. The yogurts with the lowest firmness and viscosity were produced with concentrates which contained the highest amount of non-protein nitrogen fraction (160 g kg−1 versus 126 g kg−1 of the total nitrogen), and the highest amount of denaturation of the whey protein (262 versus 200 g kg−1 of the total nitrogen)

Emulsifying properties of defatted rice bran concentrates enriched in fiber and proteins

BACKGROUND: Rice bran (RB), a by-product of the rice milling industry, constitutes around 10% of the total weight of rough rice. The interest in the use of RB is centered on its nutritional quality, its low cost, and its extensive worldwide production. As RB is commonly used for oil extraction, the defatted rice bran (DRB) is obtained as a second by-product. The aim of this work was to obtain a defatted rice bran concentrate (DRBC), enriched in protein and fiber, from defatted rice bran flour (DRBF) and to determine its physicochemical and emulsifying properties. RESULTS: To obtain the DRBC, the starch was efficiently hydrolyzed (> 98%) with α-amylase and amyloglucosidase, with a concomitant increase in the proportions of crude protein (from 154.7 to 274.3 g kg−1) and total dietary fiber (from 276.1 to 492.3 g kg−1). Defatted rice bran concentrate exhibited a loss of protein solubility and increased surface hydrophobicity compared with DRBF. Defatted rice-bran concentrate dispersions with and without previous ultrasound treatment were prepared. The sonication led to an increase in the apparent viscosity. Emulsions were prepared with dispersions with and without previous ultrasound treatment and showed high stability in quiescent conditions over 28 days. However, the emulsions prepared with dispersions treated with ultrasound resulted in lower D4,3 values and higher elastic and viscous moduli. CONCLUSION: The rice bran concentrate can be used to obtain stable oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, including both soluble and insoluble fractions, in acidic and neutral conditions. These innovative findings thus contribute to increasing the added value of this important by-product of the rice-milling industry.Fil: Bonifacino, Carla. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Química; UruguayFil: Franco Fraguas, Eugenia. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Química; UruguayFil: López, Débora Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Química y Física. Área Fisicoquímica; Argentina. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires". Facultad de Química e Ingeniería-Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Wagner, Jorge Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Investigación en Funcionalidad y Tecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Cabezas, Dario Marcelino. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Investigación en Funcionalidad y Tecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Panizzolo, Luis Alberto. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Química; UruguayFil: Palazolo, Gonzalo Gastón. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Investigación en Funcionalidad y Tecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Abirached, Cecilia. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Química; Urugua

Protein Payments Now?

Early in 1967 a dye technique for measuring the amount of protein in fluid milk was granted official, first action approval by the Association of Analytical Chemists. Since the fluid milk conversion factor also gives excellent results in tests on finished products, manufacturers can now account for all protein purchased. The dye technique thus removes the main technical barriers to widespread adoption of systems of direct protein payments to dairy farmers

AVALIAÇÃO DA ATIVIDADE ESTERILIZANTE DO PARAFORMALDEÍDO

Sporocidal activity of paraformaldehyde tahlests was assessed by means of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists technic which is required in Brazil to register this class of sanitizing substances by the Health Ministery. According to this methodology paraformaldehyde showed sterilizing activity at the 3% (3,0 g/cm3) concentration in 3 hour exposure period at 50 °C in the presence of relative humidity.A atividade esporocida das pastilhas de paraformaldeído foi avaliada segundo a técnica da Association of Official Analytical Chemists (1984) exigida no Brasil para registro junto ao Ministério da Saúde, desta categoria de saneante. O paraformaldeído apresentou atividade esterilizante na concentração de 3% (3g/cm3) em um periodo de exposição de 4h à temperatura de 50 °C na presença de umidade relativa

Mercury content of some canned seafood collected from Nigerian retail markets

Twenty samples of canned seafood consisting of tuna, mackerel, sardines, prawn and shrimp were collected from retail operations in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. Mercury content in these canned seafood were determined after digestion by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists methods. The mercury contents for all the canned seafood products have concentrations well below the permissible EU levels for this toxic metal. Their contribution to the body burden can therefore be considered negligible and the canned seafood products seem to be safe for human consumption

Nutritional composition, vitamins, minerals and toxic heavy metals analysis of Trianthema portulacastrum L., a wild edible plant from Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

This study aimed at analyzing the nutritional potential of a wild edible plant, Trianthema portulacastrum L. widely used in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The nutritional composition, vitamins, minerals and heavy elements were analyzed following the standard methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The nutritional assessment included determination of moisture, ash, lipid, fiber, protein, carbohydrate and energy. Among the nutrient values, fiber was found to be the highest (430.0 mg/g), followed by ash (348.0 mg/g), total protein (91.9 mg/g), moisture (80.0 mg/g), carbohydrate (30.2 mg/g) and total lipid (20.0 mg/g). The vitamins analyzed were found to have greater value for riboflavin (2.02 mg/g), than retinol (0.81 mg/g). Among the macro minerals, potassium was present in high concentration (51.6 mg/g) than sodium (44.0 mg/g). The trace elements were assessed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) and their decreasing order was Fe&gt;Zn&gt;Mn&gt;Ni&gt;Cu. Two toxic metals, Pb and Cd were present in very minute quantities of 0.08 and 0.0006 mg/g, respectively. The results suggest that T. portulacastrum L. is a good source of fiber, proteins, riboflavin, potassium, sodium and iron.Keywords: Peshawar, Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), Trianthema portulacastrum L., nutritional composition, vitamins, minerals.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(42), pp. 6079-608