Regional differences of vitamin D deficiency in rheumatoid arthritis patients in Italy

Vitamin D deficiency is very common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among the different Italian regions and whether these variations are associated with different severity of the disease. The study includes 581 consecutive RA patients (464 women), not taking vitamin D supplements, from 22 Italian rheumatology centres uniformly distributed across Italy. Together with parameters of disease activity (disease activity score 28), functional impairment (activities of daily living and health assessment questionnaire disability index) and mean sun exposure time, all patients had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) measured in a centralized laboratory. Vitamin D deficiency (25OHD level <20 ng/mL) was very frequent among RA patients; its prevalence was 60%, 52% and 38% in southern, central and northern Italy, respectively. Mean disease activity and disability scores were worse in southern regions of Italy. These scores were inversely related to 25OHD levels and this correlation remained statistically significant after adjusting for both body mass index (BMI) and sun exposure time. However, disease severity remained significantly higher in southern regions versus central-northern Italy after adjustment also for serum 25OHD levels, age and BMI. In RA Italian patients there are significant regional differences in the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency explained by different BMI, and sun exposure time, and inversely associated with disease activity and disability scores

Comparison Between Different Flavored Olive Oil Production Techniques: Healthy Value and Process Efficiency

Three different flavoring methods of olive oil were tested employing two different herbs, thyme and oregano. The traditional method consist in the infusion of herbs into the oil. A second scarcely diffused method is based on the addition of herbs to the crushed olives before the malaxation step during the extraction process. The third innovative method is the implementation of the ultrasound before the olive paste malaxation. The objective of the study is to verify the effect of the treatments on the quality of the product, assessed by means of the chemical characteristics, the phenol composition and the radical scavenging activity of the resulting oils. The less favorable method was the addition of herbs directly to the oil. A positive effect was achieved by the addition of herbs to the olive paste and other advantages were attained by the employment of ultrasound. These last two methods allow to produce oils “ready to sell”, instead the infused oils need to be filtered. Moreover, the flavoring methods applied during the extraction process determine a significant increment of phenolic content and radical scavenging activity of olive oils. The increments were higher when oregano is used instead of thyme. Ultrasound inhibited the olive polyphenoloxidase, the endogenous enzyme responsible for olive oil phenol oxidation. This treatment of olive paste mixed with herbs before malaxation was revealed as the most favorable method due to the best efficiency, reduced time consumption and minor labor, enhancing the product quality of flavored olive oil

Controlled atmosphere storage of 3 italian cultivars of olives for oil production

The objective of this work was to verify the effect of cold storage and controlled atmosphere (CA) on long term storage of olives in relation to quality parameters of the extracted oil. ‘Coratina’, ‘Leccino’ and ‘Ogliarola leccese’ olives were stored in air at ambient temperatures (approximately 15 to 20°C), air at 5°C, and 2% O2 in nitrogen at 5°C, in two replicates for treatment. Initially, and after 15 and 30 day samples were taken, oil was extracted with a laboratory scale milling plant. Before milling, respiration rate was measured with the static system. The following quality attributes were measured on oil samples: acidity (related to the presence of free fatty acid), peroxide value (peroxides are the first products of oxidation), coefficients of specific extinction at 232 nm (related to the presence of products of primary oxidation) and 270 nm (related to the presence of products of secondary oxidation), and oil stability (Rancimat test). ‘Leccino’ and ‘Ogliarola leccese’ olives showed a high incidence of decay after 30 days of storage in room conditions. Cold storage and controlled atmosphere had a significant effect on slowing down the respiration rate, and therefore, the metabolic activity of the drupes for all cultivars. Results on oil samples show a strong effect of low temperature storage on quality attributes. Results show a good potential for application in the olive oil industry in order to preserve quality of the product and to lengthen the processing season, while not many additional benefits can be attributed to the use of low oxygen. The implementation of cold storage of the fruit in the olive oil industry may lead to a general increment of oil quality and to the decrease of the incidence of capital costs due to the extension of the extraction season