Natural fermentation of Enset (Ensete ventricosum) for the production of Kocho

Abstract: Biochemical changes of fermenting enset were studied. After seven weeks fermentation, total protein, ash and total carbohydrates decreased by 15%, 16% and 34%, respectively. Significant (p<0.05) reduction in iron (15%), phosphorus (29%), calcium (51%), starch (23%), soluble sugars (93%), reducing-sugars (84%) and available carbohydrates (51%) were recorded. Free amino acids and non-protein nitrogen increased by 6- and 1.6-fold, respecively. The pH of the fermented mash fell from an initial value of 5.7 to 3.8 with a concomitant sharp rise in titratable acidity resulting in accumulation of organic acids. The predominant organic acids were lactic, iso-valeric and n-butyric acids followed by n-valeric and acetic acids. Other volatile fatty acids and ethanol were formed in lesser quantities. Fermentation of enset also resulted in significant reductions in tannins and trypsin inhibitors whereas oxalic acid remained unaffected. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1997;11(1):75-81

Effect of natural fermentation on nutritional and antinutritional factors of tef (Eragrostis tef)

Abstract: Tef flour mixed with water in a 1:1.6 (w/v) ratio was allowed to ferment at 220 C for 96 hrs by the action of endogenous microflora in the batter. After 96 hrs total protein content in tef dough decreased by 12% whereas the NPN, free amino acids, free amino acid nitrogen, soluble protein and fat acidity increased 7.4-, 7.0-, 6.6-, 7.7- and 10.7- fold, respectively. Fermentation also resulted in significant drop in pH and sharp rise in titratable acidity of the 96 hrs fermented dough. Iron, phosphorus and calcium decreased by 43%, 35% and 41%, respectively, in the dough fermented for 96 hrs. Phytic acid, tannins and trypsin inhibitor contents were reduced by 72%, 55% and 69%, respectively. In ersho, the liquid portion drained off from the fermented dough, total protein, NPN, free amino acids, iron, calcium and phosphorus increased significantly whereas total and reducing sugars decreased during the two days of fermentation. The pH of ersho dropped slightly but the titratable acidity increased by 35%. These results could provide useful indices for the improved evaluation of tef fermentation. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1997;11(1):61-66

Tissue‐specific regulation of cytochrome c by post‐translational modifications: respiration, the mitochondrial membrane potential, ROS, and apoptosis

Cytochrome c (Cytc) plays a vital role in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC). In addition, it is a key regulator of apoptosis. Cytc has multiple other functions including ROS production and scavenging, cardiolipin peroxidation, and mitochondrial protein import. Cytc is tightly regulated by allosteric mechanisms, tissue‐specific isoforms, and post‐translational modifications (PTMs). Distinct residues of Cytc are modified by PTMs, primarily phosphorylations, in a highly tissue‐specific manner. These modifications downregulate mitochondrial ETC flux and adjust the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), to minimize reactive oxygen species (ROS) production under normal conditions. In pathologic and acute stress conditions, such as ischemia–reperfusion, phosphorylations are lost, leading to maximum ETC flux, ΔΨm hyperpolarization, excessive ROS generation, and the release of Cytc. It is also the dephosphorylated form of the protein that leads to maximum caspase activation. We discuss the complex regulation of Cytc and propose that it is a central regulatory step of the mammalian ETC that can be rate limiting in normal conditions. This regulation is important because it maintains optimal intermediate ΔΨm, limiting ROS generation. We examine the role of Cytc PTMs, including phosphorylation, acetylation, methylation, nitration, nitrosylation, and sulfoxidation and consider their potential biological significance by evaluating their stoichiometry.—Kalpage, H. A., Bazylianska, V., Recanati, M. A., Fite, A., Liu, J., Wan, J., Mantena, N., Malek, M. H., Podgorski, I., Heath, E. I., Vaishnav, A., Edwards, B. F., Grossman, L. I., Sanderson, T. H., Lee, I., Hüttemann, M. Tissue‐specific regulation of cytochrome c by post‐translational modifications: respiration, the mitochondrial membrane potential, ROS, and apoptosis. FASEB J. 33, 1540–1553 (2019). www.fasebj.orgPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154496/1/fsb2fj201801417r.pd

Nutritional and antinutritional factors of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) Germplasms

Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 1995, 9(1), 9-16

Nutritional and antinutritional factors of grass pea (<i>Lathyrus sativus</i>) Germplasms

Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 1995, 9(1), 9-16

Effects of Ascorbic Acid, Glutathione, Thiocyanate, and Iodide on Antimicrobial Activity of Acidified Nitrite

It has been hypothesized that dietary nitrite augments the antimicrobial activity of gastric acid after conversion to nitric oxide and other reactive nitrogen intermediates, thus resulting in increased resistance against gastrointestinal infection. In this study, we showed that the reducing agents ascorbic acid and glutathione reduced the activity of acidified nitrite against Yersinia enterocolitica (P < 0.001). In contrast, iodide and thiocyanate increased the antimicrobial activity (P < 0.001), whereas hydroxyacids (citrate, lactate, and tartarate) had no measurable effects

Characterization of bacterial communities in feces from healthy elderly volunteers and hospitalized elderly patients by using real-time PCR and effects of antibiotic treatment on the fecal microbiota

Fecal bacteria were studied in healthy elderly volunteers (age, 63 to 90 years; n = 35) living in the local community, elderly hospitalized patients (age, 66 to 103; n = 38), and elderly hospitalized patients receiving antibiotic treatment (age, 65 to 100; n = 21). Group- and species-specific primer sets targeting 16S rRNA genes were used to quantitate intestinal bacteria by using DNA extracted from feces and real-time PCR. The principal difference between healthy elderly volunteers and both patient cohorts was a marked reduction in the Bacteroides-Prevotella group following hospitalization. Reductions in bifidobacteria, Desulfovibrio spp., Clostridium clostridiiforme, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were also found in the hospitalized patients. However, total 16S rRNA gene copy numbers (per gram of wet weight of feces) were generally lower in the stool samples of the two groups of hospitalized patients compared to the number in the stool samples of elderly volunteers living in the community, so the relative abundance (percentage of the group- and species-specific rRNA gene copies in relation to total bacterial rRNA gene copies) of bifidobacteria, Desulfovibrio spp., C. clostridiiforme, and F. prausnitzii did not change. Antibiotic treatment resulted in further reductions in the numbers of bacteria and their prevalence and, in some patients, complete elimination of certain bacterial communities. Conversely, the numbers of enterobacteria increased in the hospitalized patients who did not receive antibiotics, and due to profound changes in fecal microbiotas during antibiotic treatment, the opportunistic species Enterococcus faecalis proliferated

Mucosa-associated bacterial diversity in relation to human terminal ileum and colonic biopsy samples

Little is known about bacterial communities that colonize mucosal surfaces in the human gastrointestinal tract, but they are believed to play an important role in host physiology. The objectives of this study were to investigate the compositions of these populations in the distal small bowel and colon. Healthy mucosal tissue from either the terminal ileum (n = 6) or ascending (n = 8), transverse (n = 8), or descending colon (n = 4) of 26 patients (age, 68.5 ± 1.2 years [mean ± standard deviation]) undergoing emergency resection of the large bowel was used to study these communities. Mucosa-associated eubacteria were characterized by using PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), while real-time PCR was employed for quantitative analysis. Mucosal communities were also visualized in situ using confocal laser scanning microscopy. DGGE banding profiles from all the gut regions exhibited at least 45% homology, with five descending colon profiles clustering at ca. 75% concordance. Real-time PCR showed that mucosal bacterial population densities were highest in the terminal ileum and that there were no significant differences in overall bacterial numbers in different parts of the colon. Bifidobacterial numbers were significantly higher in the large bowel than in the terminal ileum (P = 0.006), whereas lactobacilli were more prominent in the distal large intestine (P = 0.019). Eubacterium rectale (P = 0.0004) and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (P = 0.001) were dominant in the ascending and descending colon. Site-specific colonization in the gastrointestinal tract may be contributory in the etiology of some diseases of the large intestine