Okara as a novel prebiotic ingredient in the manufacture of a probiotic yogurt

Abstract only availableOkara is a by-product of tofu and soymilk manufactures. High in protein, vitamin B group and antioxidants, okara is very nutritious. Preliminary studies demonstrated okara to be a promising prebiotic, compounds that can benefit the host by selectively stimulating the growth of probiotics, which are health-beneficial bacteria. Despite its nutritional benefits, okara use in industry is very limited and mainly restricted to Asian countries due to a significant dificulty in processing because of its high fiber content. This project was conducted in order to determine if okara could be used as an ingredient in an acceptable fermented product that would promote the growth of probiotics. In order to successfully incorporate the insoluble okara into food products, homogenization is necessary to make it more soluble and dispersible in the food matrix. Three different homogenization methods were utilized: (1) milling using a lab-grade grinder, (2) blending using a lab-grade blender and (3) processing using a home-style KitchenAid® food processor. The growth of the probiotic bacterium, Bifidobacterium longum B6, was initially determined in MRS broth supplemented with 0.3% okara homogenized by the above techniques. Based on the results of that experiment, it was determined that processing was not suitable for homogenizing the okara enough to make it available to the probiotic. Therefore, subsequently the growth of B. longum B6 was analyzed in blended and milled okara in concentrations of 1%, 3%, 5% and 10%. After finding that the optimum okara concentration for the growth of B. longum B6 was 3%, the growth of other probiotics, including acidophilus ADH, L. acidophilus A, L. acidophilus E, L. acidophilus NCFM, L. acidophilus FARR, and L. acidophilus N1 were analyzed in MRS broth containing 3% milled or blended okara. Based on the data from that experiment, strawberry yogurt supplemented with 3% milled or blended okara was manufactured under optimal conditions and followed by a sensory test. The yogurt, containing 3% blended okara fermented by the two yogurt commercial starter cultures, bulgaricus and S. thermophilus, and the probiotic strain, L. acidophilus NCFM had the best texture and flavor. Further studies need to be carried out to determine the feasibility of using other probiotic cultures and more comprehensive chemical and sensory analyses to improve the taste and acceptability of probiotic yogurt supplemented with okara.Life Sciences Undergaduate Research Opportunity Progra

Requirement patterns: an approach for streamlining requirements engineering in software product families

Reusable structure is essential in all reuse-based software development processes. This provides a solid foundation for seamless management of reusable artefacts especially in software product line engineering (SPLE). One of the potential benefits provided by a well-defined structure is systematic reuse of these artefacts. Requirements pattern approach provides guidelines for requirement engineers to reuse and specify requirements. Although a plethora of research on requirements pattern have been reported in the literature, no research available focuses on requirement engineering (RE) activities of SPLE. In this paper, we present an anatomy of software requirement pattern (SRP) for SPLE with a structured example from e-learning domain. To enable practitioners, understand the concept of requirement pattern more, we present a meta-model for the SRP concepts and their relationships. In addition, we describe how the requirement pattern approach, streamlines RE activities, design for and with reuse in both domain and application engineering processes of SPLE. The requirement pattern approach thus helps in achieving systematic requirements reuse (RR) and generation of structured software requirement specification (SRS) for individual applications

Is generalized trust related to mistrust of university health care centre?

Personal characteristics like gender has been shown to be related to people’s attitude towards medical treatment. A negative attitude towards health care provider can be expressed as mistrust. This paper examines the relationship between personal characteristics (generalized trust, sex including whether the person had obtained treatment at a health care centre) and mistrust to a university health care centre. Survey respondents are 420 university students with age ranging from 18 to 29 (M=21.6, SD=1.26). Both types of trusts were similar between the sexes and between students who had and had not visited the health care centre. The finding reveals that generalized trust is not related to mistrust towards healthcare provider. Further studies are needed to establish the extent to which a domain-specific mis-trust has marginal benefits over a generalized trus

Cloning and characterization of the Streptococcus thermophilus galactokinase gene

The physiology and genetics of carbohydrate metabolism in Streptococcus thermophilus have only recently been studied. S. thermophilus utilizes a lactose permease and the enzyme $\beta$-galactosidase to transport and hydrolyze lactose inside the cell. Additionally, most wild-type strains of this organism are also unable to ferment lactose completely and release the galactose portion back into the medium. Galactose-fermenting strains of S. thermophilus have been shown to metabolize galactose via the enzymes of the Leloir pathway, two of which (galactose permease and galactokinase) are rate-limiting. However, even these few Gal\sp+ strains release this sugar into the medium when grown on lactose. It is economically and scientifically feasible to increase the metabolic diversity of this important thermophilic starter culture. The main intent of this work, therefore, was to achieve a greater understanding of galactose metabolism in S. thermophilus with regard to its basic physiological and genetic characteristics. The specific objectives of this work were to first isolate a strain of S. thermophilus which can ferment galactose without releasing it into the medium, and to isolate, identify, and purify the galactokinase gene (galK) from this organism. Next, the purified galK gene was cloned in Escherichia coli, and the gene was further analyzed by determining its size, restriction map, and nucleotide, as well as amino acid sequence. This galK gene was also compared with that of other organisms, and finally, flanking regions were analyzed in order to identify and locate any other adjacent genes. The galK gene from S. thermophilus F410 was successfully cloned in E. coli in this study. The putative size of the gene was determined to be about 3.9 kb which translated to a protein monomer of about 49 kDa. The galactokinase from S. thermophilus F410 was found to exhibit significant homology to that of Lactobacillus helveticus, E. coli, Haemophilus influenzae, and Kluyveromyces lactis. Two additional genes, lacS and lacZ, have been proposed to be located downstream of this galK based on significant homology found between this region and the lacSZ genes and gene products from S. thermophilus A147

Cloning and Characterization of the Galactokinase Gene from \u3ci\u3eStreptococcus thermophilus\u3c/i\u3e

The objective of this research was to clone and characterize the galactokinase gene (gal0 from Streptococcus therrnophilus F4 10. Partially digested genomic DNA was cloned into pBR322 and transformed into galK Escherichia coli, and a galactose-fermenting transformant was isolated. Restriction analysis revealed that the transformant resulted from a Sau3A-HindIIl 4.0-kb fragment. Galactokinase activity in the recombinant was 10 times that of the parent strain. Analysis of the DNA squence showed the presence of a 1.3-kb open reading frame that had high homology with the galK gene from other organisms. A putative ribosome-binding site, start and stop codons, and -10 and -35 sequences were identified. The predicted protein had a molecular mass of 49 kDa, which corresponded to the estimated size of a band apparent by SDS-PAGE. Amino acid sequence homologies with other galactokinases ranged from SO to 62% similarity. Northern blots were performed between the galK gene and mRNA from S. rhemphilus. No hybridization signals were observed for cells grown in glucose, but cells grown in lactose or galactose gave moderate and strong signals. The results suggest that repression of the galK gene by glucose may be responsible for the galactose-releasing phenotype in these strains

Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls (HARPC): Current Food Safety and Quality Standards for Complementary Foods

Food safety is imperative, especially for infants and young children because of their underdeveloped immune systems. This requires adequate nutritious food with appropriate amounts of macro- and micronutrients. Currently, a well-established system for infant food is enforced by the regulatory bodies, but no clear system exists for complementary food, which is consumed by children from the age of 6 month to 24 months. As the child grows beyond 6 months, the need for nutrients increases, and if the nutritional needs are not fulfilled, it can lead to health problems, such as stunted growth, weak immune system, and cardiovascular diseases. Hence, it is important to have regulatory bodies monitoring complementary food in a similar capacity as is required for infant formula. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the existing regulatory bodies, such as the Codex Alimentarius, International Standard Organization (ISO), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), etc., and their regulations specifically for infant formula that can be adopted for complementary foods. This study focuses on the development of a hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls (HARPC)-based food safety plan to ensure safe food processing and prevent any possible outbreaks

Zinc Oxide and Silver Nanoparticle Effects on Intestinal Bacteria

The application of nanoparticles (NPs) for food safety is increasingly being explored. Zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver (Ag) NPs are inorganic chemicals with antimicrobial and bioactive characteristics and have been widely used in the food industry. However, not much is known about the behavior of these NPs upon ingestion and whether they inhibit natural gut microflora. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ZnO and Ag NPs on the intestinal bacteria, namely Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium animalis. Cells were inoculated into tryptic soy broth or Lactobacilli MRS broth containing 1% of NP-free solution, 0, 12, 16, 20 mM of ZnO NPs or 0, 1.8, 2.7, 4.6 mM Ag NPs, and incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. The presence and characterization of the NPs on bacterial cells were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Membrane leakage and cell viability were assessed using a UV-visible spectrophotometer and confocal electron microscope, respectively. Numbers of treated cells were within 1 log CFU/mL less than those of the controls for up to 12 h of incubation. Cellular morphological changes were observed, but many cells remained in normal shapes. Only a small amount of internal cellular contents was leaked due to the NP treatments, and more live than dead cells were observed after exposure to the NPs. Based on these results, we conclude that ZnO and Ag NPs have mild inhibitory effects on intestinal bacteria

Construction and Degradation Performance Study of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Degrading Bacterium Consortium

PAHs are widely distributed in the environment and pose a serious threat to ecological security and human health. The P&A (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Alcaligenes faecalis) bacterium consortium obtained in this study comes from oily sludge and is reused for the degradation of PAHs mixture in oily sludge. Few articles pay attention to the PAHs mixture in oily sludge and reuse the bacterium consortium for its degradation. The PAHs solution degradation efficient of P&A bacterial consortium under different environmental conditions, bioaugmentations, and exogenous stimulations were studied by ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The result shows that, after 8 days of degradation under 35 °C, pH 7, with 5% (volume percent) of the inoculation amount, the degradation rate of NAP, PHE, and PYR solution could higher than 90%, 80%, and 70%, respectively. The additional crude oil could further improve the NAP, PHE, and PYR degradation efficiency. The minimum inhibitory concentration of Cu2+, Zn2+, and Pb2+ to bacterium were 2.002, 17.388, and 9.435 mM, respectively. The addition of surfactants had negative or limited positive effect on the PAHs degradation rate. Furthermore, the average degradation rates of NAP, PHE, and PYR, in oily sludge of local petroleum polluted area by P&A bacterial consortium, could all reach above 80%. Based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry test results before and after incubation, P&A bacterial consortium also provides more opportunities for other organic compounds’ degradation

Construction and Degradation Performance Study of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Degrading Bacterium Consortium

PAHs are widely distributed in the environment and pose a serious threat to ecological security and human health. The P&A (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Alcaligenes faecalis) bacterium consortium obtained in this study comes from oily sludge and is reused for the degradation of PAHs mixture in oily sludge. Few articles pay attention to the PAHs mixture in oily sludge and reuse the bacterium consortium for its degradation. The PAHs solution degradation efficient of P&A bacterial consortium under different environmental conditions, bioaugmentations, and exogenous stimulations were studied by ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The result shows that, after 8 days of degradation under 35 °C, pH 7, with 5% (volume percent) of the inoculation amount, the degradation rate of NAP, PHE, and PYR solution could higher than 90%, 80%, and 70%, respectively. The additional crude oil could further improve the NAP, PHE, and PYR degradation efficiency. The minimum inhibitory concentration of Cu2+, Zn2+, and Pb2+ to bacterium were 2.002, 17.388, and 9.435 mM, respectively. The addition of surfactants had negative or limited positive effect on the PAHs degradation rate. Furthermore, the average degradation rates of NAP, PHE, and PYR, in oily sludge of local petroleum polluted area by P&A bacterial consortium, could all reach above 80%. Based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry test results before and after incubation, P&A bacterial consortium also provides more opportunities for other organic compounds’ degradation