Composição química do lombo curado: efeito da matéria-prima.

Para este trabalho, foram utilizados lombos (matéria-prima) obtidos em 3 sistemas de produção diferentes, com matrizes produtivas bem caracterizadas e conhecidas: 1) porcos de raça Alentejana engordados em montanheira (PAMA), 2)porcos de raça alentejana Alentejana (DOP) e 3) porcos industriais (PI). Os lombos frescos foram identificados e sujeitos ao mesmo processo tecnológico de elaboração, na fábrica Companhia Alentejana de Enchidos Tradicionais. Após o processo de cura, a composição química centesimal dos lombos frescos foi determinada, bem como o seu teor de colagénio total e o teor de cloretos (sal). Os lombos de porco Alentejano (PAM e DOP) registaram uma marcada diferença de composição química relativamente aos lombos de PI, principalmente no teor de gordura intramuscular (lípidos neutros). O maior teor de gordura intramuscular dos lombos de porco Alentejano afetou o teor de humidade e de proteína, mas na avaliação sensorial da suculência, os lombos de porco Alentejano mereceram melhor avaliação, confirmando a importância da gordura intramuscular nas características de textura dos lombo curado. Estes dados sugerem mesmo que a sua influência é superior à da concentração em colagénio total, que apesar de superior nos lombos de porco Alentejano, não afetou negativamente a sensação de suculênci

Effect of betaine on growth performance and carcass composition of Alentejano pig breed.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of fattening diets supplemented with betaine on growth performances and carcass characteristics of Alentejano pigs. Sixteen Alentejano pigs sexually neutralized, with a initial body weight (BW) of 36.3 kg, allocated to open-air individual pens (3m2), were divided into two experimental groups: Group C (n=8) consuming a commercial diet with 150 g/kg crude protein and 13.0 MJ digestible energy; and group CB (n=8) consuming the same diet supplemented with betaine (1g/kg). The diets were restrictively offered at 85% estimated ad libitum consumption. All pigs had free access to fresh water. Diet refusals were measured daily and pigs were weighed weekly. At 100 kg BW, pigs were submitted to a 24 h fasting period and killed. Carcass weight, backfat thickness and Longissimus muscle area were determined. The left side half carcass was submitted to commercial cuts according to the Portuguese norm and their weights recorded. No significant differences between treatments were detected in feed intake (297.3 vs. 286.5 kg), average daily gain (472 vs. 480g) and feed:gain (4.66 vs. 4.51). Hot carcass weight (82.2 vs. 83.6 kg), backfat thickness (5.0 vs. 5.3 cm), Longissimus muscle area (21.9 vs. 21.2 cm2) and weights of commercial cuts of the half carcass were also not significantly affected by betaine supplementation

Betaine supplementation vs. exercise: effects on glucose, protein, urea and lipid plasma parameters from Alentejano pigs.

Swine, due to their physiologic and anatomical similarities to humans, are considered as good models for cholesterol metabolism studies. The Alentejano (AL) pig is a breed from the south of Portugal with a higher lipogenic activity than European breeds. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of betaine (a methyl donor and an osmoprotectant, with contradictory effects on backfat thickness) supplementation and of exercise in some plasma parameters of AL pigs. Weaned female and male AL pigs were castrated, allocated to individual pens and fed a commercial (C) diet offered at 85% of ad libitum. The pigs were slaughtered (~100 kg BW) in 3 groups: Group C (n=6), consuming the C diet; Group CB (n=8), consuming the C diet with betaine (1g/kg); and Group CE (n=5), consuming also the C diet, but with access to an exercise area. Fasting plasma concentrations of glucose, protein, urea, triacylglycerols, phospholipids, total and LDL- and HDL-cholesterol were determined. When compared to C and CE pigs, CB pigs presented higher concentrations (P<0.05) of triacylglycerols, phospholipids, cholesterol and lipoprotein cholesterol. As to CE pigs, they presented lower total cholesterol (P=0.08) and higher HDL-cholesterol and HDL:total cholesterol ratio (P<0.05) than C ones. These data suggest that betaine increases dyslipidemia. Furthermore, exercise had a beneficial effect on plasma cholesterol levels and on the cholesterol deposition in adipose tissues and muscles of CE pigs (lower than the ones observed in the subcutaneous fat and m. semimembranosus of C and CB pigs – preliminary data)

Static critical behavior of the ferromagnetic transition in LaMnO3.14 manganite

The ferromagnetic phase transition in LaMnO3.14 is investigated by measuring the dc magnetization as a function of magnetic field and temperature. Modified Arrott plot and Kouvel Fisher analysis yield estimates for the critical exponents beta, and gama, with values between that predicted for the Heisenberg model and mean field theory. At low fields we found an anomalous small value of beta, indicating that the critical behavior is influenced by the range of magnetic fields used.Comment: Presented at ICM 2000 conference. Accepted for publication at J. Magn. Magn. Mate

Field Purification in the intensity-dependent Jaynes-Cummings model

We have found that, in the intensity-dependent Jaynes-Cummings model, a field initially prepared in a statistical mixture of two coherent states, $|\alpha>$ and $|-\alpha>$, evolves toward a pure state. We have also shown that an even-coherent state turns periodically a into rotated odd-coherent state during the evolution.Comment: 14 pages, RevTex, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Physics Letters

Mass Determination of Groups of Galaxies: Effects of the Cosmological Constant

The spherical infall model first developed by Lema\^{i}tre and Tolman was modified in order to include the effects of a dark energy term. The resulting velocity-distance relation was evaluated numerically. This equation, when fitted to actual data, permits the simultaneous evaluation of the central mass and of the Hubble parameter. Application of this relation to the Local Group, when the dark energy is modeled by a cosmological constant, yields a total mass for the M31-Milky Way pair of (2.5 +/- 0.7) x 10^12 M\_sun, a Hubble parameter H\_0 = 74 +/- 4 km s^-1 Mpc^-1 and a 1-D velocity dispersion for the flow of about 39 km s^-1. The zero-velocity and the marginally bound surfaces of the Local Group are at about 1.0 and 2.3 Mpc respectively from the center of mass. A similar analysis for the Virgo cluster yields a mass of (1.10 +/- 0.12) x 10^15 M\_sun and H\_0 = 65 +/- 9 km s^-1 Mpc^-1. The zero-velocity is located at a distance of 8.6 +/- 0.8 Mpc from the center of the cluster. The predicted peculiar velocity of the Local Group towards Virgo is about 190 kms^-1, in agreement with other estimates. Slightly lower masses are derived if the dark energy is represented by a fluid with an equation of state P = w\epsilon with w = -2/3.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. Version to appear in New Astronomy. Typing errors corrected in relation (1) and in percentage value in page