Texture of Butters Made from Milks Differing in Indices of Atherogenicity

The current study examined whether the phenotypic variation in milk fatty acid composition among cows fed the same diet was sufficient to produce butter with different textural properties. Butter samples from cows with a more unsaturated milk fatty acid composition had a lower index of atherogenicity and were more spreadable, softer, and less adhesive than were butter samples from cows with a more saturated milk fatty acid composition. Thus, selection of cows for milk fatty acid composition short-term by segregation and long-term by breeding programs can be used to produce butter that is more healthful and has a more favorable texture

Butter Composition and Texture from Cows with Different Milk Fatty Acid Compositions Fed Fish Oil or Roasted Soybeans

Nutritional and physical properties of dairy products can be improved by changing milk fatty acid composition toward more unsaturation. Diet of cows, e.g., feeding supplemental fish oil (FO) or roasted soybeans (RSB), and cow selection can improve the nutritional and physical properties of dairy products and their acceptability to consumers. We examined whether feeding supplemental FO or RSB to cows that had a more unsaturated milk fatty acid composition acted additively to produce butter with improved fatty acid composition and texture. Multiparous Holstein cows chosen for producing either more or less unsaturated milk fatty acid composition (n = 6 in each group) were fed for three 3-week periods a control diet and two experimental diets that included additionally 0.9% of FO or 5% of RSB. The milk, collected in the third week of feeding, was used to make butter, which was analyzed for its fatty acid composition and physical properties. Dry matter intake, milk yield, and milk composition were not significantly affected by cow diet or by cow selection. Cows that produced, prior to the feeding study, a more unsaturated and healthful milk fat using a “health-promoting index” (HPI = [sum of % of unsaturated fatty acids] / [%C12:0 + 4 x %C14:0 + %C16:0]) maintained during the feeding study a higher HPI in their butter than did cows with a low HPI. Milk from cows fed supplemental FO or RSB yielded more unsaturated butters with higher HPI. This butter also was softer when the cows were fed RSB. Feeding RSB to cows chosen for their high milk HPI yielded the most unsaturated butter with the highest HPI and softest texture. Thus, selecting cows with a more healthful milk fatty acid composition and feeding cows supplemental RSB additively improved butter fatty acid composition and texture

Flow-induced crystallization of long chain aliphatic polyamides under a complex flow field: Inverted anisotropic structure and formation mechanism

YesThe present work deals with the flow-induced multiple orientations and crystallization structure of polymer melts under a complex flow field. This complex flow field is characteristic of the consistent coupling of extensional “pulse” and closely followed shear flow in a narrow channel. Utilizing an ingenious combination of an advanced micro-injection device and long chain aliphatic polyamides (LCPA), the flow-induced crystallization morphology was well preserved for ex-situ synchrotron micro-focused wide angle X-ray scattering (μWAXS) as well as small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). An inverted anisotropic crystallization structure was observed in two directions: perpendicular and parallel to the flow direction (FD). The novel anisotropic morphology implies the occurrence of wall slip and “global” fountain flow under the complex flow field. The mechanism of structure formation is elucidated in detail. The experimental results clearly indicate that the effect of extensional pulse on the polymer melt is restrained and further diminished due to either the transverse tumble of fountain flow or the rapid retraction of stretched high molecular weight tails. However, the residual shish-kebab structures in the core layer of the far-end of channel suggest that the effect of extensional pulse should be considered in the small-scaled geometries or under the high strain rate condition

The Use of High Performance Liquid Chromatography for the Characterization of the Unfolding and Aggregation of Dairy Proteins

peer-reviewedHigh-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is routinely used to identify and characterize proteins. HPLC can help to understand protein aggregation processes in dairy products, which are induced by common industrial processing steps such as heat treatment. In this chapter, three complementary chromatographic methods are described, which are based on the principles of size exclusion and reversed-phase chromatography. These methods are used to determine the degree of denaturation and aggregation of proteins, and estimate the molecular weight of these aggregates

Identification of new participants in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) oocyte maturation and ovulation processes using cDNA microarrays

BACKGROUND: The hormonal control of oocyte maturation and ovulation as well as the molecular mechanisms of nuclear maturation have been thoroughly studied in fish. In contrast, the other molecular events occurring in the ovary during post-vitellogenesis have received far less attention. METHODS: Nylon microarrays displaying 9152 rainbow trout cDNAs were hybridized using RNA samples originating from ovarian tissue collected during late vitellogenesis, post-vitellogenesis and oocyte maturation. Differentially expressed genes were identified using a statistical analysis. A supervised clustering analysis was performed using only differentially expressed genes in order to identify gene clusters exhibiting similar expression profiles. In addition, specific genes were selected and their preovulatory ovarian expression was analyzed using real-time PCR. RESULTS: From the statistical analysis, 310 differentially expressed genes were identified. Among those genes, 90 were up-regulated at the time of oocyte maturation while 220 exhibited an opposite pattern. After clustering analysis, 90 clones belonging to 3 gene clusters exhibiting the most remarkable expression patterns were kept for further analysis. Using real-time PCR analysis, we observed a strong up-regulation of ion and water transport genes such as aquaporin 4 (aqp4) and pendrin (slc26). In addition, a dramatic up-regulation of vasotocin (avt) gene was observed. Furthermore, angiotensin-converting-enzyme 2 (ace2), coagulation factor V (cf5), adam 22, and the chemokine cxcl14 genes exhibited a sharp up-regulation at the time of oocyte maturation. Finally, ovarian aromatase (cyp19a1) exhibited a dramatic down-regulation over the post-vitellogenic period while a down-regulation of Cytidine monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (cmah) was observed at the time of oocyte maturation. CONCLUSION: We showed the over or under expression of more that 300 genes, most of them being previously unstudied or unknown in the fish preovulatory ovary. Our data confirmed the down-regulation of estrogen synthesis genes during the preovulatory period. In addition, the strong up-regulation of aqp4 and slc26 genes prior to ovulation suggests their participation in the oocyte hydration process occurring at that time. Furthermore, among the most up-regulated clones, several genes such as cxcl14, ace2, adam22, cf5 have pro-inflammatory, vasodilatory, proteolytics and coagulatory functions. The identity and expression patterns of those genes support the theory comparing ovulation to an inflammatory-like reaction

Metabotypes with elevated protein and lipid catabolism and inflammation precede clinical mastitis in prepartal transition dairy cows

Clinical mastitis (CM), the most prevalent and costly disease in dairy cows, is diagnosed most commonly shortly after calving. Current indicators do not satisfactorily predict CM. This study aimed to develop a robust and comprehensive mass spectrometry-based metabolomic and lipidomic workflow using untargeted ultra-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry for predictive biomarker detection. Using a nested case-control design, we measured weekly during the prepartal transition period differences in serum metabolites, lipids, inflammation markers, and minerals between clinically healthy Holstein dairy cows diagnosed with mastitis postcalving (CMP; n = 8; CM diagnosis d 1= 3 cows, d 2 = 2 cows, d 4 = 1 cow; d 25 = 1 cow, and d 43 = 1 cow that had subclinical mastitis since d 3) or not (control; n = 9). The largest fold differences between CMP and control cows during the prepartal transition period were observed for 3'-sialyllactose in serum. Seven metabolites (N-methylethanolamine phosphate, choline, phosphorylcholine, free carnitine, trimethyl lysine, tyrosine, and proline) and 3 metabolite groups (carnitines, AA metabolites, and water-soluble phospholipid metabolites) could correctly classify cows for their future CM status at both 21 and 14 d before calving. Biochemical analysis using lipid and metabolite-specific commercial diagnostic kits supported our mass spectrometry-based omits results and additionally showed elevated inflammatory markers (serum amyloid A and visfatin) in CMP cows. In conclusion, metabolic phenotypes (i.e., metabotype) with elevated protein and lipid metabolism and inflammation may precede CM in prepartal transition dairy cows. The discovered serum metabolites and lipids may assist in predictive diagnostics, prevention strategies, and early treatment intervention against CM, and thereby improve cow health and welfare

Microinjection moulded polyetheretherketone biomaterials as spinal implants: physico-chemical and mechanical characterisation

YesPolyetheretherketone (or PEEK) is a thermoplastic polymer known for its high plasticity and toughness and has been widely employed as a material for a variety of load-bearing medical devices ranging from trauma implants to interspinal spacers and femoral stems. While being inherently chemically inert and therefore biocompatible and having very short lived post-radiation free radicals, PEEK presents different mechanical properties depending on its degree of crystallinity. It can be processed via extrusion, injection or compression moulding. However, these techniques do not allow high precision control over the fine morphological structure that strongly influences mechanical properties. Microinjection moulding, in contrast, makes it possible to produce fine details of medical implants with high precision and accuracy. Another advantage of this method is the controlled production of the material with heterogeneous structure due to variations in crystallinity. Having stiffness in the middle of the sample different from that at the edges enables a structure that mimics the bone/cartilage parts of an implant. This paper reports on the manufacturing of PEEK components by microinjection moulding, and their characterisation by physico-chemical (XRD, SAXS, TEM, FTIR, POM) and mechanical (tensile testing) means, in order to assess the suitability of use for biomedical application, such as spinal implants. We discuss the influence of such parameters as mould temperatures, injection speeds and hold pressures on the crystallinity and mechanical properties of the material.Science Bridges: Bradford-China Programme for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medical Technology, EP/G042365/

A Metabolomic Analysis of Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Mediated Attenuation of Western Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in LDLR[superscript -/-] Mice

Background: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and a risk factor for cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure. Previously, we reported that dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6,n-3) was more effective than eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5,n-3) at reversing western diet (WD) induced NASH in LDLR-/- mice. Methods: Using livers from our previous study, we carried out a global non-targeted metabolomic approach to quantify diet-induced changes in hepatic metabolism. Results: Livers from WD + olive oil (WD + O)-fed mice displayed histological and gene expression features consistent with NASH. The metabolomic analysis of 320 metabolites established that the WD and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation had broad effects on all major metabolic pathways. Livers from WD + O-fed mice were enriched in saturated (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), palmitoylsphingomyelin, cholesterol, n-6 PUFA, n-6 PUFA-containing phosphoglycerolipids, n-6 PUFA-derived oxidized lipids (12-HETE) and depleted of C20-22 n-3 PUFA-containing phosphoglycerolipids, C20-22 n-3 PUFA-derived oxidized lipids (18-HEPE, 17,18-DiHETE) and S-lactoylglutathione, a methylglyoxal detoxification product. WD + DHA was more effective than WD + EPA at attenuating WD + O-induced changes in NASH gene expression markers, n-6 PUFA and oxidized lipids, citrate and S-lactosyl glutathione. Diet-induced changes in hepatic MUFA and sphingolipid content were associated with changes in expression of enzymes involved in MUFA and sphingolipid synthesis. Changes in hepatic oxidized fatty acids and S-lactoylglutathione, however, correlated with hepatic n-3 and n-6 C20-22 PUFA content. Hepatic C20-22 n-3 PUFA content was inversely associated with hepatic α-tocopherol and ascorbate content and positively associated with urinary F2- and F3-isoprostanes, revealing diet effects on whole body oxidative stress. Conclusion: DHA regulation of hepatic SFA, MUFA, PUFA, sphingomyelin, PUFA-derived oxidized lipids and Slactoylglutathione may explain the protective effects of DHA against WD-induced NASH in LDLR-/- mice