A Functional End-Use of Avocado (cv. Hass) Waste through Traditional Semolina Sourdough Bread Production

In recent years, a main goal of research has been to exploit waste from agribusiness industries as new sources of bioactive components, with a view to establishing a circular economy. Non-compliant avocado fruits, as well as avocado seeds and peels, are examples of promising raw materials due to their high nutritional yield and antioxidant profiles. This study aimed to recycle avocado food waste and by-products through dehydration to produce functional bread. For this purpose, dehydrated avocado was reduced to powder form, and bread was prepared with different percentages of the powder (5% and 10%) and compared with a control bread prepared with only semolina. The avocado pulp and by-products did not alter organoleptically after dehydration, and the milling did not affect the products' color and retained the avocado aroma. The firmness of the breads enriched with avocado powder increased due to the additional fat from the avocado, and alveolation decreased. The total phenolic content of the fortified breads was in the range of 2.408-2.656 mg GAE/g, and the antiradical activity was in the range of 35.75-38.235 mmol TEAC/100 g (p < 0.0001), depending on the percentage of fortification

Social cognition in people with schizophrenia: A cluster-analytic approach

Background The study aimed to subtype patients with schizophrenia on the basis of social cognition (SC), and to identify cut-offs that best discriminate among subtypes in 809 out-patients recruited in the context of the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses. Method A two-step cluster analysis of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), the Facial Emotion Identification Test and Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test scores was performed. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to identify the cut-offs of variables that best discriminated among clusters. Results We identified three clusters, characterized by unimpaired (42%), impaired (50.4%) and very impaired (7.5%) SC. Three theory-of-mind domains were more important for the cluster definition as compared with emotion perception and emotional intelligence. Patients more able to understand simple sarcasm (14 for TASIT-SS) were very likely to belong to the unimpaired SC cluster. Compared with patients in the impaired SC cluster, those in the very impaired SC cluster performed significantly worse in lie scenes (TASIT-LI <10), but not in simple sarcasm. Moreover, functioning, neurocognition, disorganization and SC had a linear relationship across the three clusters, while positive symptoms were significantly lower in patients with unimpaired SC as compared with patients with impaired and very impaired SC. On the other hand, negative symptoms were highest in patients with impaired levels of SC. Conclusions If replicated, the identification of such subtypes in clinical practice may help in tailoring rehabilitation efforts to the person's strengths to gain more benefit to the person

Insight in cognitive impairment assessed with the Cognitive Assessment Interview in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia

The Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI) is an interview-based scale measuring cognitive impairment and its impact on functioning in subjects with schizophrenia (SCZ). The present study aimed at assessing, in a large sample of SCZ (n = 601), the agreement between patients and their informants on CAI ratings, to explore patients' insight in their cognitive deficits and its relationships with clinical and functional indices. Agreement between patient- and informant-based ratings was assessed by the Gwet's agreement coefficient. Predictors of insight in cognitive deficits were explored by stepwise multiple regression analyses. Patients reported lower severity of cognitive impairment vs. informants. A substantial to almost perfect agreement was observed between patients' and informants' ratings. Lower insight in cognitive deficits was associated to greater severity of neurocognitive impairment and positive symptoms, lower severity of depressive symptoms, and older age. Worse real-life functioning was associated to lower insight in cognitive deficit, worse neurocognitive performance, and worse functional capacity. Our findings indicate that the CAI is a valid co-primary measure with the interview to patients providing a reliable assessment of their cognitive deficits. In the absence of informants with good knowledge of the subject, the interview to the patient may represent a valid alternative

The interplay among psychopathology, personal resources, context-related factors and real-life functioning in schizophrenia: stability in relationships after 4 years and differences in network structure between recovered and non-recovered patients

Improving real-life functioning is the main goal of the most advanced integrated treatment programs in people with schizophrenia. The Italian Network for Research on Psychoses previously explored, by using network analysis, the interplay among illness-related variables, personal resources, context-related factors and real-life functioning in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia. The same research network has now completed a 4-year follow-up of the original sample. In the present study, we used network analysis to test whether the pattern of relationships among all variables investigated at baseline was similar at follow-up. In addition, we compared the network structure of patients who were classified as recovered at follow-up versus those who did not recover. Six hundred eighteen subjects recruited at baseline could be assessed in the follow-up study. The network structure did not change significantly from baseline to follow-up, and the overall strength of the connections among variables increased slightly, but not significantly. Functional capacity and everyday life skills had a high betweenness and closeness in the network at follow-up, as they had at baseline, while psychopathological variables remained more peripheral. The network structure and connectivity of non-recovered patients were similar to those observed in the whole sample, but very different from those in recovered subjects, in which we found few connections only. These data strongly suggest that tightly coupled symptoms/dysfunctions tend to maintain each other's activation, contributing to poor outcome in schizophrenia. Early and integrated treatment plans, targeting variables with high centrality, might prevent the emergence of self-reinforcing networks of symptoms and dysfunctions in people with schizophrenia

The interplay among psychopathology, personal resources, context-related factors and real-life functioning in schizophrenia: stability in relationships after 4 years and differences in network structure between recovered and non-recovered patients

Improving real-life functioning is the main goal of the most advanced integrated treatment programs in people with schizophrenia. The Italian Network for Research on Psychoses previously explored, by using network analysis, the interplay among illness-related variables, personal resources, context-related factors and real-life functioning in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia. The same research network has now completed a 4-year follow-up of the original sample. In the present study, we used network analysis to test whether the pattern of relationships among all variables investigated at baseline was similar at follow-up. In addition, we compared the network structure of patients who were classified as recovered at follow-up versus those who did not recover. Six hundred eighteen subjects recruited at baseline could be assessed in the follow-up study. The network structure did not change significantly from baseline to follow-up, and the overall strength of the connections among variables increased slightly, but not significantly. Functional capacity and everyday life skills had a high betweenness and closeness in the network at follow-up, as they had at baseline, while psychopathological variables remained more peripheral. The network structure and connectivity of non-recovered patients were similar to those observed in the whole sample, but very different from those in recovered subjects, in which we found few connections only. These data strongly suggest that tightly coupled symptoms/dysfunctions tend to maintain each other's activation, contributing to poor outcome in schizophrenia. Early and integrated treatment plans, targeting variables with high centrality, might prevent the emergence of self-reinforcing networks of symptoms and dysfunctions in people with schizophrenia

Social cognition in people with schizophrenia: A cluster-analytic approach

Background The study aimed to subtype patients with schizophrenia on the basis of social cognition (SC), and to identify cut-offs that best discriminate among subtypes in 809 out-patients recruited in the context of the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses. Method A two-step cluster analysis of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), the Facial Emotion Identification Test and Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test scores was performed. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to identify the cut-offs of variables that best discriminated among clusters. Results We identified three clusters, characterized by unimpaired (42%), impaired (50.4%) and very impaired (7.5%) SC. Three theory-of-mind domains were more important for the cluster definition as compared with emotion perception and emotional intelligence. Patients more able to understand simple sarcasm (14 for TASIT-SS) were very likely to belong to the unimpaired SC cluster. Compared with patients in the impaired SC cluster, those in the very impaired SC cluster performed significantly worse in lie scenes (TASIT-LI <10), but not in simple sarcasm. Moreover, functioning, neurocognition, disorganization and SC had a linear relationship across the three clusters, while positive symptoms were significantly lower in patients with unimpaired SC as compared with patients with impaired and very impaired SC. On the other hand, negative symptoms were highest in patients with impaired levels of SC. Conclusions If replicated, the identification of such subtypes in clinical practice may help in tailoring rehabilitation efforts to the person's strengths to gain more benefit to the person

Hemp flour, from waste to nutritional and nutraceuticals reuse

One of the main objectives of recent years is to characterize and valorize by-products of agri-food industries, as new sources of bioactive components, from the perspective of a circular economy and a biorefinery approach both for environmental and economic reasons. Hemp flour, obtained from Cannabis sativa seeds, is an example of promising bio-sustainability raw material with a high nutritional value that can be obtained from industrial by-products. From C. sativa seeds is obtained an oil rich in fatty acids, mainly linoleic and α-linolenic acids [1]. After oil extraction, seeds can be ground to obtain edible flour. Foods fortified with these “non-wheat flours” would have an additional supply of fiber, minerals, proteins, and polyphenols, thus increasing the final product’s nutritional and beneficial properties. The objective of this work was to study chemical qualities (polyphenolic profile, amino acids, total phenolic content (TPC), antiradical capacity and fatty acids) of hemp flour, for the possible preparation of functional foods. The phenolic profile, determined by UHPLC- ESI/QTOF-MS, showed a greater presence of bound phenols compared to the free ones [2]. Bound phenolic, are covalently bound to cell wall structural components and rod-shaped structural proteins, and in addition to their antioxidant activity, have important effects on the growth inhibition of cancer cells, and in the regulation of the microbiota [3]. The main free phenolic component highlighted was cannaflavin C and the main bound phenolic components were protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid and cannaflavin C. Among the amino acids, hemp flour contains a high presence essential aminoacids (15.9 g/100g). Gliadin and glutenin are completely absent, for this reason, hemp flour is suitable for people with celiac disease. High values of TPC and antiradical activity have been also highlighted. Although the hemp seeds were previously subjected to oil extraction, hemp flours retain about 8% of oil, and the fatty acids present in the largest amount were linoleic acid (53.6%) followed by α-linolenic acid (15.5%) denoting a high nutritional level

Integration of pomace and grape seeds in feed of broiler chickens: effect on the chemical characteristics of the meat

Recently, consumer demand for healthier, safer, good quality food products has increased. The use of grape pomace and grape seeds, natural antioxidants rich in polyphenols and known for their ability to prevent lipid oxidation, has attracted significant interest and could become an important alternative as a partial substitute for vitamin E which is the most commonly used antioxidant in animal diets. In this context, the valorization and reuse of wine industry wastes could be a way to reduce costs for companies and damage to the environment [1]. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding different percentages of pomace and grape seeds to the diet of broiler chickens. Three experimental sets were prepared of broiler chicken feeds containing: 0%, 3% and 6% pomace, 0%, 3% and 6% grape seeds and a mixture of 3% pomace and 3% grape seed. The animals were and butchered fed for 7, 21 and 42 days of age; meats were weighted, cut into small pieces, and stored at -80°C. Then, they were freeze-dried to evaluate total polyphenolic content (TPC), antiradical activity by DPPH e ABTS methods [2], fatty acid content by GC-M. The results of dietary supplementation with different percentages of grape pomace and grape seeds show an increase in anti-radical activity (DPPH) and TPC with respect to control samples. The highest TPC and the highest TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant activity) value, were recorded in broiler meats with the simultaneous presence of pomace and grape seeds in the diet (3%+3%), 4.21 mg GAE/g and 7.82 mmol TEAC/100g respectively. The same set of samples showed an increase in % PUFA (40.71%) compared to the control (21.00%) and this could be due to the fact that the grape by-products, slowed down lipid degradation reactions reducing oxidative rancidity and lengthening the shelf life of chicken meat [3]. The color, texture and oxidative stability of the meat were evaluated. Further research on the use of grape by-products in chicken broiler diets will be essential to evaluate the best supplementation rate that will ensure the meat's beneficial potential without compromising the birds' growth performance

Caratterizzazione qualitativa e nutrizionale di spaghetti integrali arricchiti con farine di lenticchie

Nell’ambito del progetto ALIFUN - Sviluppo di alimenti funzionali per l’innovazione dei prodotti alimentari di tradizione italiana- al fine di sviluppare prototipi di alimenti funzionali a base di cereali innovativi impiegando matrici alimentari tipiche della tradizione italiana, sono state prodotte paste funzionalizzate attraverso l’utilizzo di semola integrale della cv Russello e di farina di lenticchie di una popolazione locale siciliana, reperita nell’areale ragusano. Sono stati prodotti 3 tipi di spaghetti: (RG) con il 40% (p/p) di farine di lenticchie, (RG+Guar) 40% (p/p) di lenticchie+2% Guar e (CTRL) semola integrale della cv. Russello. Sulle paste prodotte sono state determinate le proprietà organolettiche, la qualità e le perdite in cottura. Su campioni cotti sono stati determinati il contenuto in proteine totali e in aminoacidi. Tutti i campioni hanno superato la soglia di accettabilità, pari a 5 su una scala compresa tra 1 e 9 per tutti i caratteri studiati. “RG+Guar” aveva qualità edonistiche più gradevoli al consumatore, per odore, sapore ed elasticità. Il giudizio complessivo è stato pari a 6,9 (CTRL), 5,8 (RG) e 6,4 (RG+Guar). I tempi di cottura ottimali per ogni tipo di pasta sono risultati compresi tra 9 e 10 min. Il contenuto in proteine totali è stato pari a 12,6 g/100 g per il CTRL, incrementando oltre 17 g/100 g nelle paste fortificate. L'aggiunta di proteine di lenticchie all'impasto ha aumentato significativamente il contenuto di lisina nei campioni, da 213 mg/100 g (CTRL) a 478 mg/ 100 g (RG) e 607 mg/100 g (RG+GUAR), e treonina da 59 mg/100 g (CTRL) a 78 mg/ 100 g (RG) e 156 mg/100 g (RG+GUAR). Nei campioni di pasta fortificata l’incremento degli aminoacidi ha coinvolto sia quelli essenziali (EAA) che quelli a catena ramificata. Il contenuto complessivo di EAA, pari a 497 mg /100 g nel CTRL è più che raddoppiato con l’utilizzo della farina di Guar nell’impasto

AVOCADO PEELS AND SEEDS FROM HASS VARIETIES: FROM INDUSTRIAL BY-PRODUCTS TO CIRCULAR REUSE

From a sustainable progress perspective, the circular economy model is widely used today. One of the main purposes of last years is to valorize wastes of agri-food industries, as new sources of bioactive components, from the approach of a circular and biorefinery economy both for environmental and economic reasons. Avocado (Persea americana cv Hass) seeds and peels are an example of promising bio-sustainability raw materials with a high nutritional value that can be obtained from industrial byproducts. The objective of this work was to study also chemical qualities of avocado peels and seeds. Avocado peel and seeds samples from fruit collected in Sicily were dried in a convective hot-air dryer at a temperature of 60°C for 4 hours, then processed into flour. Analysis of enzymatic browning and color quality, assessed using the CIELab colorimetric system, showed that the flours derived from both peels and seeds had very low levels of browning, with high brightness values (L*=51; a*=2; b=29 for peels; L*=60; a*=40; b*=45 for peels and seeds respectively). Furthermore, analyses show, mostly in peels, a very interesting value of total phenolic compound (386.80 mg GAE/100g) and antiradical activity (127.86 mmol TEAC/100g). The fatty acid profile of the powder of dried peels and seeds flour was also evaluated after oil extraction via Soxhlet. Particularly interesting was the amount of total fatty acid in peels, with a value of 23.77 g of total fatty acid/100 g, with a percentage of 9.5% SFA, 78.3% MUFA, and 12.2% PUFA. Free and bound phenols, were determined by UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS using a method previously optimized [1]. The main bioactive compounds present in avocado by-products include hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids, flavonoids, catechins, quercetins, proanthocyanins and tannins [2]. This approach is essential in order to give a second life to by-products, due to their potential health and industrial value. Avocado by-products supplementation in fact could be a potential option for the production of highquality, nutritionally rich, low-cost functional products with good organoleptic properties, and higher nutritional value. [3