Shelf life extension of Italian mozzarella by use of calcium lactate buffered brine

Italian traditional mozzarella is a high moisture table cheese that is sold packaged in water for preserving freshness. Despite of the high foreign demand, high perishability limits export. For extending shelf life, the dairy industries have long been engaged in controlling the growth of spoilage microflora, which is the main responsible of alteration. The present paper describes the results of a study that aimed to assess if using acidified brine instead of water, the growth of these microorganisms could be delayed. A suitable brine was first developed, based on calcium lactate and lactic acid, that did not impair the sensory characteristics of the cheese. Then, the shelf-life study was carried out, and the results revealed a significant delay of the growth of total mesophilic bacteria, Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacteriaceae. The sensory characteristics of the cheese remained within the acceptability limits until 21 days and, compared with the sample stored in water, the shelf life was extended of more than 50% Very interestingly, the experimental brine also prevented the occurrence of the blue discoloration defect, known to be caused by Pseudomonas fluorescens. Even though further investigation is needed, the results obtained can open new marketing perspectives for producers of traditional mozzarella

Distribution of Complex and Core Lipids within New Hyperthermophilic Members of the Archaea Domain

Core and complex lipids of several new hyperthermophilic archaeal isolates were analyzed. The organisms belong to the Sulfolobales,Archaeoglobus, Pyrobaculum, and Methanococcus. A detailed structural investigation of complex lipids of Pyrobaculum species is reported. The different lipid structures are of help for a rapid and simple phylogenetic classification of the new isolates. They are in agreement with the classification based on other features

Morpho-biometrical, nutritional and phytochemical characterization of carrot landraces from Puglia region (southern Italy)

The explorations as a part of the regional BiodiverSO Programme of vegetable genetic resource rescue revealed that in the arenili (sandy shores) of “Salterns of Margherita di Savoia” (SMS), a coastal landscape area of Puglia region (southern Italy), along the commercial genotypes of small rooting species, landraces are still cultivated. The morpho-biometrical, nutritional and phytochemical properties of two carrot landraces (“Carota a punta lunga” and “Carota a punta tonda”) and a commercial carrot hybrid (“Presto”) collected from the SMS area are examined. The study highlighted that the pedological conditions of the arenili of the SMS area are the main driving force in controlling the nutritional and nutraceutical characteristics of carrot, conferring to genotypes grown in this area a high profile in comparison with literature data. In the site of cultivation of arenili, a large variability in the morpho-qualitative traits emerged among carrot genotypes. “Carota a punta tonda” stands for a promising genotype being very rich in phenols (209.8 mg kg-1 fw) (mainly di-caffeic acid derivative and chlorogenic acid), Β-carotene (21,512 µg 100 g-1 fw), and high antioxidative proprieties. “Carota a punta tonda” could be considered as a healthy product for consumers and also amenable to selection for breeding purpose. Increasing the knowledge about nutritional and nutraceutical properties of local landraces may push the preference of consumers beyond the local community and, at the same time, farmers can be stimulated to continue their cultivation. Thus, the promotion of their on-farm/in situ conservation (cultivation) could represent an efficient strategy for agro-biodiversity preservation

In vitro phenols bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity of goat milk yogurt fortified with Rhus coriaria leaf powder

Goat yogurt samples fortified with 20% (w/v) Rhus coriaria leaf powder were in vitro digested in order to evaluate the total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AA), and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds in the digestate. After digestion, TPC and AA values of the R. coriaria-fortified yogurts increased compared to the undigested yogurts (P < 0.001). In particular, TPC has increased about twice; whereas, AA values have increased about 10 and 6 times, for ABTS and FRAP assays, respectively. The bioaccessibility index was well above the 100% for all identified phenols; except for (-)-epicatechin (82.04%), rutin (51.51%), and gallic acid (5.42%). This different behavior highlighted that the bioaccessibility was modulated by both the yogurt-polyphenol complexes and phenol stability under digestion system. These findings can contribute to elucidate the influence of in vitro digestion on antioxidant capacity and polyphenols recovery infortified yogurts, and may help in the design of dairy products with better functional quality. Practical Application: Rhus coriaria L. (Sumac) is a polyphenol-rich Mediterranean plant that may be used as functional ingredient to enrich fermented food such as yogurt. However, in fortified yogurts the evaluation of bioaccessibility, that is, the compounds released from the yogurt and stable in the digestive environment, thus able to exert their biological effects on the gastrointestinal system, is more important than the content of these compounds in the corresponding food. This study highlighted the phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds in goat milk yogurt fortified with R. coriaria leaf powder after simulated gastro-pancreatic digestion

Decrease of activity of antioxidant enzymes, lysozyme content, and protein degradation in milk contaminated with heavy metals (cadmium and lead).

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of added Cd and Pb to milk on its stability by determining antioxidant enzymatic activities, lysozyme content, and protein degradation. Antioxidant enzymatic activities were spectrophotometrically determined by superoxide dismutase, catalase, xanthine oxidase, and glutathione peroxidase assays; lysozyme was identified and quantified by HPLC-UV analysis, and protein degradation was investigated by spectrophotometric analysis of advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) and dityrosine content. In this study, contaminated milk samples showed a significant reduction in activity of all studied enzymes compared with control milk. The contamination of milk also led to a significant reduction in the lysozyme content; lysozyme content was decreased about 22% and 18% in Pb milk and Cd milk, respectively, compared with control milk. The presence of the contaminants in the milk resulted in a significant increase of both dityrosine concentration and AOPP compared with the control milk. Moreover, between types of contaminated milk, dityrosine and AOPP values were significantly higher in the Pb milk than in the Cd milk. Therefore, it is important to monitor the presence of these toxic elements in milk for the damage they cause to consumer health both directly due to their ingestion and indirectly due to loss of milk stability

Assessment of “Sugranineteen” Table Grape Maturation Using Destructive and Auto-Fluorescence Methods

The optimal harvesting of table grapes is commonly determined based on technological and phenolic indices analyzed over the course of its maturity. The classical techniques used for these analyses are destructive, time-consuming, and work for a limited number of samples that may not represent the heterogeneity of the vineyard. This study aimed to follow the ripening season of table grapes using non-destructive tools as a rapid and accurate alternative for destructive techniques. Grape samples were collected from a Sugranineteen vineyard during the ripening season to measure the basic maturity indices via wet chemistry, and total polyphenols, anthocyanins, and flavonoids were evaluated by spectrophotometry. Fluorescent readings were collected from intact clusters with a portable optical sensor (Multiplex® 3, Force-A, France) that generates indices correlated to different maturity parameters. Results revealed strong relationships between the Multiplex® indices ANTH_RG and FERARI and the skin anthocyanin content, with R2 values equal to 0.9613 and 0.8713, respectively. The NBI_R index was also related to total anthocyanins (R2 = 0.8032), while the SFR_R index was linked to the titratable acidity (R2 = 0.6186), the sugar content (R2 = 0.7954), and to the color index of red grapes (CIRG) (R2 = 0.7835). Results demonstrated that Multiplex® 3 can be applied on intact clusters as an effective non-destructive tool for a rapid estimation of table grapes’ anthocyanin content

Evaluation of Garlic Landraces from Foggia Province (Puglia Region; Italy)

Interest in local landraces has unfortunately decreased over, the last decades, in which they have been continuously subjected to a high genetic erosion in favour of new modern varieties. Within the Puglia region (S-E Italy), Foggia province was found to be the richest in vegetable landraces. In the present study, six garlic landraces collected from this area have been assessed for their chemical composition (minerals, organic acids, free sugars, volatile, and phenolic compounds) along with their main morpho-biometrical traits. A commercial genotype was also considered as a reference standard. The landraces show a large variability, but in general high morphological standards, high levels of cations and phenols, and low levels of volatile-(S)-compounds in comparison with the commercial genotype and the literature values. 'Aglio di Peschici' and 'Aglio Rosso di Monteleone di Puglia' are very rich in minerals and phenols (mainly ferulic acid and iso-rhamnetin). This increase in knowledge on the chemical properties of these garlic landraces could represent a tool for encouraging the consumption of a food product. At the same time, the consumption of these landraces would stimulate their cultivation and could highly contribute to protection against the risk of erosion of agro-biodiversity by their in situ/on-farm conservation

Minerals content in Basilicata region (southern Italy) honeys from areas with different anthropic impact

The aim of this study was to examine the minerals content (toxic elements, macro-elements and trace elements) of Basilicata region (southern Italy) honeys and compare the mineral profile of honeys classified as rural, industrial and urban according to anthropic characteristics of geographical origin. Overall, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, Al, Zn and Mn were the most abundant elements detected in honeys, with average contents exceeding 1 ppm, whereas heavy metals content was lower than the maximum limit established for honey. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) among honeys as function of anthropic characteristics of geographical origin, with the exception for Se, Co and Ag content. Industrial honeys were characterised by the highest Zn, Cr, Sn, Cd and Pb content, urban honeys showed the highest As, Fe, Ni, Mn, Na, Mg and Ca content, whereas rural honeys showed the highest Cu, Al and Ba content (P < 0.05). The findings of this study highlighted that honeys mineral profile is closely related to different content of elements in environment, which is affected by anthropogenic activities

Coring the sedimentary expression of the early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event: New stratigraphic records from the Tethys Ocean

The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) interval was cored at Colle di Sogno and Gajum in the Lombardy Basin (Southern Alps, northern Italy). The Sogno and Gajum cores recovered 26.83 and 31.18 stratigraphic metres, respectively, of pelagic sediments consisting of marly limestones, marlstone, marly claystone, and black shale. Drilling at both sites resulted in 100\u2009% recovery of unweathered material. The pelagic succession comprises a relatively expanded black shale interval of 4.98\u2009m in the Sogno core and 15.35\u2009m in the Gajum core, with lower and upper boundaries without evidence of hiatuses. The Sogno and Gajum cores can be considered reference sections for the pelagic lower Toarcian interval of the western Tethys and will provide high-resolution micropaleontological, inorganic and organic geochemical, isotopic multiproxy data. Integrated stratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy are predicted to result in estimates of durations and rates to model the ecosystem resilience to the extreme perturbations of the T-OAE and gain a better understanding of current global changes and help provide better projections of future scenarios

Growth, carcass and meat quality of Casertana, Italian Large White and Duroc x (Landrace x Italian Large White) pigs reared outdoors

To compare growth, skeletal development, carcass traits and meat quality of different genotypes, 10 Casertana (CT), 10 Italian Large White (LW) and 10 Duroc x (Landrace x Italian Large White) (DU) crosses, barrows of 90 days of age, were allotted to the same outdoor rearing and feeding conditions. Live weight was recorded and average daily gain (ADG) was calculated. At slaughter (330-day-old) dressing and lean percentages were determined; backfat thickness and loin eye depth were measured. Carcasses were dissected into commercial cuts. Water holding capacity, pH and colour (45 min and 24 h post-mortem) were measured. Longissimus lumborum muscle samples were collected for cholesterol, \u3b1-tochopherol and intramuscular collagen (IMC) analyses. CT compared to DU and LW had the lowest growth rate and skeletal development. Casertana showed higher backfat thickness, lower lean cut/fatty cut ratio and less lean meat (P<0.05). Loin eye depth differed among genotypes with LW>DU>CT (P<0.05). CT showed higher red colour of the meat than DU and LW (P<0.05). CT compared to LW had the highest hydroxylysylpiridinoline (HLP) crosslink concentration and HLP/IMC ratio, and a lower IMC amount (P<0.05). Casertana pigs produced meat that could be tougher than that from the improved breed, but more acceptable from the technological point of view. At eleven months of age bone weight, length and diameter were clearly genetic type-related; differently, the bone maturit