Tailoring bilberry powder functionality through processing: effects of drying and fractionation on the stability of total polyphenols and anthocyanins.

Bilberries are a rich natural source of phenolic compounds, especially anthocyanins. The press cake obtained during the processing of bilberry juice is a potential source of phytochemicals. The objective of this study was to evaluate different drying techniques and the fractionation of bilberry press cake powder toward obtaining phenolic-rich ingredients for incorporation into value-added food products. The derived powders were dispersed in water and dairy cream, to investigate the effects of drying and fractionation on the dispersibility and solubility of phenolic compounds. The drying techniques, hot air drying and microwave drying, applied on bilberry press cake reduced the content of total phenolics and anthocyanins. The degradation was, however, consistently small and similar for both techniques. The major anthocyanins detected in the samples were stable during drying and fractionation treatments. Fractionation of the press cake powder affected the total apparent phenolic content and composition of the different fractions. The highest phenolic content (55.33 ± 0.06 mg g−1 DW) and highest anthocyanin content (28.15 ± 0.47 mg g−1 DW) were found in the fractions with the smallest particle size (<500 μm), with delphinidin-3-O-galactoside being the most abundant anthocyanin. Dispersibility of all dried powder samples was higher in dairy cream than water, and the highest level of anthocyanins was measured in samples from the powder with the smallest particle size (<500 μm), dispersed in cream. The application of drying, milling and fractionation was found to be a promising approach to transform bilberry press cake into stable and deliverable ingredients that can be used for fortification of food products with high levels of phenolic compounds

Food Tailoring bilberry powder functionality by processing: effects of preprocessing.

Berry powders are popular as ingredients in a range of food products, where they naturally provide flavor, color, texture, polyphenols, fiber, and other nutrients. The choices regarding processing techniques and conditions influence the quality attrib- utes of berry powders. The aim of this study was to study the effects on bilberry powder functionalities of applying different preprocessing techniques (purée mixing and juice pressing vs. untreated whole berries) prior to hot air drying and milling. Drying of press cake reduced the drying time by 72% and increased the total appar- ent phenolic content of the final powder by 44%, as compared to the powder of dried whole berries. The press cake powder showed an easier flowing behavior than the powders from whole berries and puréed berries. Dispersibility (in water and dairy cream) was 60% higher for powders from whole berries and puréed berries, as com- pared to press cake. The total phenolic content of the dispersed powders was highest for whole berries and puréed berries. Bilberry powder functionality can be modu- lated through the selection of an appropriate preprocessing technique before drying and milling. This tailors the powder properties into food ingredients ready for differ- ent applications, without the need for additives

Effect of drying and extrusion processing on physical and nutritional characteristics of bilberry press cake extrudates

Mild drying and extrusion processing of side streams from berry juice production can enable retention of valuable compounds in the food chain and reduce waste production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of using hot air (HA) and microwave assisted hot air (MWHA) drying combined with extrusion for conversion of bilberry press cake into value-added extruded food products. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) press cake was dried at 40 °C by HA and MWHA drying to a moisture content of 17% (w/w). A twin screw extruder (average feed rate 72 g/min, temperature profile 135-128-89-69 °C) was used to extrude products containing organic wholegrain rye flour and 10 % or 25 % dried bilberry press cake powder. A consumer panel (n = 15) evalutaed four extrudates on hedonic and Just-about-rigth (JAR) scales, with a mian focus on textrue properties. The results indicate that different drying tecniques implied a difference in processing time (40 % reduction with MWHA drying). However, the retention of total phenolics, physical characteristics and sensory attributes of extruded snacks containing bilberry powders were independent of drying techniques. In sum, powder of bilberry press cake can be incorporated in cereal extruded snacks with enhanced phenolic content and potential for palatable sensory properties

Använd hela växten - nya processade produkter från kålväxter

En diet som är rik på frukt, bär och grönsaker rekommenderas internationellt från olika länders myndigheter. Medelkonsumenten i Sverige intar ca 140 gram för lite per dag jämfört med Livsmedelsverkets rekommendationer, men då är inte matsvinnet borträknat. Många konsumenter upplever det svårt att ändra kostvanor. Ett enklare sätt att öka intaget av frukt och grönsaker kan vara att använda dessa som ingredienser i andra livsmedel. En betydande andel av de odlade trädgårdsprodukterna ämnade som livsmedel lämnas idag på fält eller rensas bort innan försäljning. Delar av detta skulle kunna användas till livsmedel. Hos flera av kålväxterna lämnas idag största delen av plantan på fältet, och en del går dessutom förlorat i rensning av produkterna. Det ökande intresset för att äta mer vegetariskt har medfört en växande marknad för nya innovativa vegetariska produkter, och sidoströmmar från de kålväxter som odlas idag skulle kunna utgöra en ny råvara i olika livsmedelsprodukter. Omvandling av sidoströmmar från kålväxter till nya produkter skulle leda till bättre resursutnyttjande genom att producera större mängd livsmedel på dessa arealer, vilket skulle bidra positivt till en ökad självförsörjningsgrad. Denna studie syftade till att undersöka möjligheterna att använda sidoströmmar (stam, blad, buketter) från kålväxter (broccoli, grönkål, vitkål) för framställning av nya torkade produkter. Kontakter med odlarna i projektet visade att de såg positivt på möjligheterna att på ett rationellt sätt och med god ekonomi skörda vissa delar av plantorna som idag inte skördas. Vid val av processmetoder beaktades tidigare forskning om processeffekter på innehåll av näringsämnen och bioaktiva ämnen. Utvärdering av produktegenskaper i de torkade produkterna visade att torkad puré samt pulver från broccoli och grönkål kunde framställas med tillfredställande egenskaper i denna förstudie. Försöken visade att även att slutprodukternas egenskaper (såsom partikelstorlek, löslighet och färg) påverkades genom val av råmaterial och processmetod, vilket skulle kan användas för att ta fram ingredienser för olika applikationer. Generellt sett så bevarades de undersökta näringsämnena och bioaktiva ämnen väl under processtegen. Sammanfattningsvis skulle omvandling av sidoströmmar från kålväxter till nya produkter kunna leda till ekonomiska fördelar genom ökad lönsamhet för odlarna, hälsofördelar genom ökad konsumtion av vegetabilier och miljö- och klimatfördelar genom bättre resursutnyttjande

Better long-term survival in young and middle-aged women than in men after a first myocardial infarction between 1985 and 2006. an analysis of 8630 patients in the Northern Sweden MONICA Study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is conflicting and only scant evidence on the effect of gender on long-term survival after a myocardial infarction (MI). Our aim was to analyse sex-specific survival of patients for up to 23 years after a first MI in northern Sweden and to describe time trends.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The Northern Sweden MONICA Myocardial Infarction Registry was linked to The Swedish National Cause of Death Registry for a total of 8630 patients, 25 to 64 years of age, 6762 men and 1868 women, with a first MI during 1985-2006. Also deaths before admission to hospital were included. Follow-up ended on August 30, 2008.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Median follow-up was 7.1 years, maximum 23 years and the study included 70 072 patient-years. During the follow-up 45.3% of the men and 43.7% of the women had died. Median survival for men was 187 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 179-194) and for women 200 months (95% CI 186-214). The hazard ratio (HR) for all cause mortality after adjustment for age group was 1.092 (1.010-1.18, <it>P </it>= 0.025) for females compared to males, <it>i.e</it>. 9 percent higher survival in women. After excluding subjects who died before reaching hospital HR declined to 1.017 (95%CI 0.93-1.11, <it>P </it>= 0.7). For any duration of follow-up a higher proportion of women were alive, irrespective of age group. The 5-year survivals were 75.3% and 77.5%, in younger (<57 years) men and women and were 65.5% and 66.3% in older (57-64 years) men and women, respectively. For each of four successive cohorts survival improved. Survival time was longer for women than for men in all age groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Age-adjusted survival was higher among women than men after a first MI and has improved markedly and equally in both men and women over a 23-year period. This difference was due to lower risk for women to die before reaching hospital.</p

Kreativitetens kugghjul - En studie om management av kreativitet

Syftet är att identifiera, beskriva och analysera viktiga aspekter för management av kreativitet i upplevelseföretag. Frågeställningar: Hur används kreativitet i upplevelseföretag? Vilka aspekter främjar organisatorisk kreativitet i upplevelseföretag? Hur hanterar ledare i upplevelseföretag kreativitet? Slutsatser: En organisations kreativitet skapas genom dess samspel mellan individer, grupp och organisatoriska egenskaper och studien har visat att ledaren har stor påverkan på detta samspel. Eftersom kreativitet är nödvändigt för alla företag i någon form blir ledarens uppgifter att främja kreativitet och använda den så att den gynnar företaget viktiga. Dessutom behöver ledaren ständigt bedöma kreativa idéer och handlingar för att besluta om vad som är värt att uppmärksamma. Det har visat sig att kreativitet i upplevelseföretag används dels i det dagliga arbetet och dess servicemöten, samt i utformandet och utvecklandet av upplevelseerbjudanden. Ägandeförhållanden har visat sig påverka hur kreativiteten kommer till uttryck och används. Det har blivit tydligt att det komplexa samspel som organisationer består av, i kombination med ledarens egenskaper, innebär att alla företag är unika och att det därför är svårt att finna ett framgångsrecept som är tillämpbart för alla upplevelseföretag

Health utilities of type 2 diabetes-related complications: a cross-sectional study in sweden.

This study estimates health utilities (HU) in Sweden for a range of type 2 diabetes-related complications using EQ-5D and two alternative tariffs (UK and Swedish) from 1757 patients with type 2 diabetes from the Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR). Ordinary least squares were used for statistical analysis. Lower HU was found for female gender, younger age at diagnosis, higher BMI, and history of complications. Microvascular and macrovascular complications had the most negative effect on HU among women and men, respectively. The greatest decline in HU was associated with kidney disorders (-0.114) using the UK tariff and stroke (-0.059) using the Swedish tariff. Multiple stroke and non-acute ischaemic heart disease had higher negative effect than a single event. With the UK tariff, each year elapsed since the last microvascular/macrovascular complication was associated with 0.013 and 0.007 units higher HU, respectively. We found important heterogeneities in effects of complications on HU in terms of gender, multiple event, and time. The Swedish tariff gave smaller estimates and so may result in less cost-effective interventions than the UK tariff. These results suggest that incorporating subgroup-specific HU in cost-utility analyses might provide more insight for informed decision-making

The active form of the R2F protein of class Ib ribonucleotide reductase from Corynebacterium ammoniagenes is a diferric protein

Corynebacterium ammoniagenes contains a ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) of the class Ib type. The small subunit (R2F) of the enzyme has been proposed to contain a manganese center instead of the dinuclear iron center, which in other class I RNRs is adjacent to the essential tyrosyl radical. The nrdF gene of C. ammoniagenes, coding for the R2F component, was cloned in an inducible Escherichia coli expression vector and overproduced under three different conditions: in manganese-supplemented medium, in iron-supplemented medium, and in medium without addition of metal ions. A prominent typical tyrosyl radical EPR signal was observed in cells grown in rich medium. Iron-supplemented medium enhanced the amount of tyrosyl radical, whereas cells grown in manganese-supplemented medium had no such radical. In highly purified R2F protein, enzyme activity was found to correlate with tyrosyl radical content, which in turn correlated with iron content. Similar results were obtained for the R2F protein of Salmonella typhimurium class Ib RNR. The UV-visible spectrum of the C. ammoniagenes R2F radical has a sharp 408-nm band. Its EPR signal at g = 2.005 is identical to the signal of S. typhimurium R2F and has a doublet with a splitting of 0.9 millitesla (mT), with additional hyperfine splittings of 0.7 mT. According to X-band EPR at 77-95 K, the inactive manganese form of the C. ammoniagenes R2F has a coupled dinuclear Mn(II) center. Different attempts to chemically oxidize Mn-R2F showed no relation between oxidized manganese and tyrosyl radical formation. Collectively, these results demonstrate that enzymatically active C. ammoniagenes RNR is a generic class Ib enzyme, with a tyrosyl radical and a diferric metal cofactor