Gluten-free bakery and pasta products: Prevalence and quality improvement

An increasing demand of gluten-free (GF) products is caused by a growing number of diagnosed coeliacs and a consumption trend to eliminate allergenic proteins from diet. Driven by the rapidly growing market, comprehensive understanding of GF products is necessary. The purpose of this review was to concisely present an overview of various approaches to improve physicochemical and sensory qualities of GF bread, cake/muffin and pasta/noodle products. Some novel techniques used in GF products were discussed in this review. These techniques included the use of different alternative flours (including GF cereals, pseudo-cereals, legume flours, fruit and vegetable powders and seafood powders), functional ingredients (including hydrocolloids and gums, emulsifiers, proteins and dietary fibres) and optimal processing (pretreated flour, infrared–microwave combination baking and extrusion cooking). Some recent novel technologies including transgenesis, enzymolysis and fermentation that have been used on GF products were also discussed

Novel 3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole-based aliphatic and aromatic amines as anti-chagasic agents

A series of novel 2-nitro-1H-imidazole- and 3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole-based aromatic and aliphatic amines were screened for anti-trypanosomal activity and mammalian cytotoxicity by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). Out of 42 compounds tested, eighteen 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazoles and one 2-nitroimidazole displayed significant growth inhibitory properties against T. cruzi amastigotes (IC50 ranging from 40 nM to 1.97 microM) , without concomitant toxicity towards the host cells (L6 cells), having selectivity indices (SI) 44 to 1320. Most (16) of these active compounds were up to 33.8-fold more potent than the reference drug benznidazole, tested in parallel. Five novel 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazoles were active against bloodstream form (BSF) T. b. rhodesiense trypomastigotes (IC50 at nM levels and SI 220 to 993). An NADH-dependent nitroreductase (TbNTR) plays a role in the anti-parasitic activity, since BSF T. b. brucei trypomastigotes with elevated TbNTR levels were hypersensitive to tested compounds. Therefore, a novel class of affordable 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole-based compounds with antitrypanosomal activity has been identifie