The Importance of Food Perception in Food Choices and Nutrition

Nowadays, there is a growing interest in understanding and modulating consumer choices, both for healthy and economic reasons. However, food preferences are influenced by a diversity of factors, which interact among them to a final behaviour. The understanding of food choices is linked with the comprehension of how consumers perceive food and how the different levels of perception (sensorial, psychological, socio-economic) affect those choices. Traditionally, the effect of each discipline was studied independently. Nowadays, the complexity inherent to the decision process is recognized and multidisciplinary studies, where the different dimensions of choices are considered, are increasing. Motivation for consumption is greatly affected by the way individuals identify food. This recognition should be considered at different levels: sensorial, emotional, social and physiological. As such, variability in food characteristics, including food constituents and technological processing, as well as variations in individuals’ characteristics, such as believes, experiences and physiology, and variations in the context in which food is experienced, can greatly affect the final perception.FC

Discondroplasia da Tíbia em Aves: Avaliação de um Modelo de Patologia Experimental

A discondroplasia do tibiotarso consiste numa anomalia, que é caracterizada pelo aparecimento de uma massa cartilagínea avascular opaca, não calcificada, que se estende até à metáfise. Esta patologia pode ocorrer espontaneamente, ou ser induzida por vários factores, designadamente nutricionais, micotoxinas e alguns ditiocarbamatos. ligados à acumulação de matriz extracelular, característica desta doença

Análise de Indicadores Esqueléticos para a Reconstituição de Padrões de Actividade em Populações Humanas Antigas

O estudo dos esqueletos das populações antigas fornece dados acerca da sua demografia, saúde e bem-estar, dieta, violência, parentesco e padrões de actividade. Os ossos adaptam-se em forma e em tamanho, em resposta activa a estímulos mecânicos, os quais, se forem prolongados e/ou intensos, traduzem-se em determinados indicadores que incluem: patologias degenerativas relacionadas com efeitos mecânicos sobre as articulações, estrutura e biomecânica dos ossos longos e morfologia dos locais de inserção dos músculos (enteses). Pretende-se com a presente revisão avaliar a utilização de entesopatias como indicadores esqueléticos na reconstituição de padrões de actividade em populações antigas

IN VITRO AND IN VIVO REMOVAL OF ORAL ANTIDIABETIC AGENTS (METFORMIN) USING ACTIVATED CARBONS

Diabetes is the most worldwide common chronic disease, according the International Diabetes Federation [1], more than 32 million citizens living in the European Union have diabetes, representing nearly 10% of the population, to which we should add equal number of people suffering from impaired glucose tolerance. Diabetes prevalence is growing at alarming rate worldwide, being of particular relevance the type 2 diabetes. Nowadays 285 million people worldwide live with diabetes and it is expected that this numbers will increase by 20% until 2030 due to obesity and the ageing of the population [1]. This growth leads to an increasing consumption of drugs such as oral antidiabetics. Metformin is one of the active principles most commonly used for this purpose being among the pharmaceuticals with the highest production numbers worldwide to treat type 2 diabetes because is cheap, has high level of tolerance and when used in the prescribed dosage is very secure with minimal side effects. However, in case of overdose of metformin upon a ingestion of more than 10 times the prescribed dosage, accidentally or on propose, lactic acidosis and low blood pressure can occur. Overdoses with metformin are relatively uncommon, but may have serious consequences, if medical attention is not given on time, it may lead to coma and ultimately death Because of its spread use another problem must be taken into consideration, which needs to be addressed, the occurrence of metformin residues in sewage and surface waters due to improper discharge of the non-used tablets to regular garbage [2]. This situation is becoming a serious problem of environmental pollution and public health. This paper reports the use of activated carbon produced from biomass for the removal of metformin in 2 different settings. On one hand, from aqueous solutions and, in another hand, from simulated biological fluids (gastric and intestinal) conjugated with in vivo testing

The Role of Saliva in Food Sensory Perception: Relevant Knowledge to Design Healthy Foods

Food choices and consumption are determined by a range of factors that contribute to aversion or pleasure and guide to final intake. Among these, the sensorial characteristics of food have a major and decisive role in choice behaviour. Although some of the mechanisms involved in oral food perception, namely in taste and astringency perception, are considerable known, many questions remains, particularly in what concerns variations among individuals in their sensitivity for food sensorial aspects. The understanding of the mechanisms leading to different responses for the same sensorial stimulus is particularly important to understand food choices. Bitter has been the basic taste most studied for variations among individuals in perception and in how this influences food behaviour and nutritional status. The observation, at several years ago, that some individuals are very sensitive to the bitterness of the compounds phenyl thiocarbamide (PTC) or 6-n-propylthyouracil (PROP), whereas others are almost insensitive, triggered the emergence of diverse studies about the motif for that, resulting in the identification of gene polymorphisms for the bitter taste receptor TAS2R38. Subsequently to that, polymorphisms for other receptors and taste qualities have been identified. Even so, these genetic variations are not able to explain the total diversity in taste/oral sensations responses. In recent years, it has begun to become apparent that saliva has a relevant role in taste recognition mechanisms. Apart from astringency, which is well known to depend on salivary proteins to develop and being perceived, basic tastes started to be related with saliva composition. Some salivary proteins, among which carbonic anhydrase VI, cystatins, amylase and others, have been observed to relate with taste perception. However, saliva secretion changes with taste stimulation and according dietary habits. Moreover, body weight condition, metabolic status or diverse pathologies are responsible for changes in saliva composition. Being this fluid important in modulating oral food perception, to know individuals’ saliva composition becomes of interest for modulating or directing choices. Based on the literature and recent scientific results, the role of saliva in food sensory perception will be discussed according to these two angles. The question of the high between-subject variability in view of saliva properties and its consequence on perception will be emphasized.Acknowledgements This article was funded by FCT-Science and Technology Foundation as part of Project UID/AGR/00115/2013. Funding was additionally provided by the FCT-Portuguese Science Foundation: research contract IF/01778/2013-Elsa Lamy, while FCT was not involved in carrying out this study or submitting it for publication

Discondroplasia da tíbia como modelo em estudos de mecanobiologia experimental

A discondroplasia da tíbia, consiste numa anomalia espontânea, ou induzida, nas placas de crescimento epifisárias dos ossos longos, das estirpes de rápido crescimento das espécies avícolas, caracterizada pelo aparecimento de uma massa cartilagínea avascular opaca, não calcificada, que se estende até à metáfise, numa zona em que, normalmente, existe osso trabecular. Do ponto de vista citológico, a discondroplasia reflecte alterações na homeostase celular no decurso normal da ossificação endocondral, ou seja, a cartilagem não calcifica e não é substituída por osso endocondral. Deste modo, os processos de proliferação dos condrócitos (que é normal) e de degradação da cartilagem (que não se verifica), não estão em equilíbrio, resultando numa acumulação de matriz extracelular. Com a presente linha de investigação pretende-se, com base em resultados obtidos por um dos autores [Capela e Silva, 2004], designadamente no que diz respeito à expressão das caderinas, e com base noutros trabalhos relativos à expressão de proteínas de stress [Ribeiro e tal., 2004], avaliar da possibilidade de utilização da discondroplasia em estudos de mecanobiologia experimental

Factores Biomecânicos no Desenvolvimento de Patologias nos Membros Pélvicos em Avicultura Industrial

O crescente aparecimento de patologias nos membros pélvicos nos efectivos de frangos de carne e de perus, especialmente nas estirpes de crescimento rápido e de peso adulto elevado, que se traduzem em perdas económicas significativas, faz do estudo da biologia do osso, em particular das questões relacionadas com aspectos biomecânicos, uma área de primordial importância na indústria avícola. Pretende-se com a presente revisão evidenciar a associação que existe, em avicultura industrial, muito particularmente no sector da produção de carne, entre factores biomecânicos e o desenvolvimento de algumas patologias nos membros pélvicos

Distribution and expression of leptin in major salivary glands of a hyperleptinemia animal model

Saliva production is mainly regulated by the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic); however studies indicate a possible hormonal influence on the control of salivary secretion. This study aims to assess if the induction of increased levels of circulating leptin influence the immunohistochemical expression of leptin at the level of major salivary glands in Wistar rats. It was found that the expression, in qualitative terms, of leptin has been positive, being more evident in submandibular and sublingual glands, either in the acini or ducts. However, through this technique, no obvious differences between groups could be observed. The results suggest that circulating leptin levels may not affect the expression of this hormone in the major salivary glands

How different snacks produce a distinct effect in salivary protein composition

Saliva secretion changes in response to different stimulation. Studies performed in animals and humans suggest that dietary constituents may influence saliva composition, although the dynamics of these changes, and how they are specific for each type of food, are little known. The objective of the present study was to access the short-term effects of different foods in salivation and salivary protein composition. Twelve participants were tested for four snacks (yoghurt, bread, apple and walnuts). Non-stimulated saliva was collected before and at 0′, 5′ and 30′ after each snack intake. Flow rate, total protein, alpha-amylase enzymatic activity and salivary protein profile were analyzed. Yoghurt and apple were the snacks resulting in higher salivary changes, with higher increases in flow rate and alpha-amylase activity immediately after intake. The expression levels of immunoglobulin chains decreased after the intake of all snacks, whereas cystatins and one pink band (proline-rich proteins—PRPs) increased only after yoghurt intake. Walnut’s snack was the one resulting in lower changes, probably due to lower amounts eaten. Even so, it resulted in the increase in one PRPs band. In conclusion, changes in saliva composition varies with foods, with variable changes in proteins related to oral food processing and perceptio

Comparative proteomic analysis of saliva from dogs with and without obesity-related metabolic dysfuntion

Dogs develop only some of the components of the human metabolic syndrome (MetS). Thus, in order to study possible MetS-related alterations in dogs, human MetS criteria were adapted to define canine MetS or so-called obesity-related metabolic dysfunction (ORMD). The main objective of this study was to identify changes in the salivary proteome of obese dogs with ORMD in comparison with obese dogs without ORMD which may constitute potential salivary biomarkers for assessing ORMD. In a first phase, 12 adult obese dogs with ORMD (N=6) and without ORMD (N=6) were included in the study. Subsequently, and with the aim of validating and strengthening the results, additional 12 obese dogs (6 with and 6 without ORMD) were tested in an independent experiment following the same protocol. Saliva samples were subjected to a quantitative proteomics analysis and the levels of nine salivary proteins were found to be significantly different between groups, among them those which had greatest fold-change were proteins involved in glycolysis and oxidative stress. In conclusion, despite metabolic syndrome to include different combinations of diseases, the observation of differences in salivary proteome suggests a potential of this fluid to understand the pathophysiology of the disease. Significance: This is the first study evaluating proteomes of saliva in dogs, as a non invasive sample, in order to increase knowledge about the metabolic/physiopathological changes related to obesity-related metabolic dysfunction (ORMD) together with the identification of potential biomarkers for its diagnosis. As approximately 20% of dogs with naturally occurring obesity were described to suffer ORMD associated with insulin resistance and hypoadiponectinemia, the fact that indicate possible links between ORMD and associated diseases