Meat quality of Kuruma prawn (Marsupenaeus japonicus): preliminary evaluation

Among the peneids, Marsupenaeus japonicus, a cold-temperate species, carnivorous, is the mostly cultured prawn in Italy and in the Mediterranean Sea basin, thanks to the good adaptability to the temperature and salinity variations, to the good resistance to the manipulations (better resistance out of water), to its appreciate nourishing qualities and to the good growth rate (Lumare, 1998).Whereas the literature on cultured fish fillet is rich (Gjedrem, 1997; Lanari et al., 1999; Parisi et al., 2003), few are the information about the shrimp meat quality traits.Therefore, the present work aimed at typifying the variations of the meat quality characteristics in shrimps from semi-intensive (supplemented with an artificial diet) or extensive rearing systems

Nutritive value of cereals grown in Apulian places

AbstractThe new EU Common Agricultural Policy by the de-coupling measure provides the same subsidy for any crop which respects good economic and environmental conditions; hence the need to identify crop systems which give a better yield in relation to the soil fertility, climatic conditions and species adaptability. The aim of the study was to evaluate the chemical composition and the nutritive value of cereals such as spelt (cultivar Davide), durum wheat (cultivar Portobello), rye (cultivar Askari) and two cultivars of barley, Dasio and Otis. The cereals were grown in 3 Apulian places: Gravina di Puglia (BA), Monopoli (BA) and Monteroni (LE), very different among each other for the climatic conditions and pedological features of soil (fertility, texture and composition). In vitro gas production was assessed by the Menke and Steingass (1988) technique, checked until 72 h and expressed as ml/g DM. The metabolizable energy (ME; MJ/kg DM) was calculated as: 1.06 + 0.157GP + 0.084CP + 0.22CF - 0.081CA, where ..

Dietary supplementation of garlic and rosemary: effects on colour stability and lipid oxidation in lamb meat

The colour of fresh meat is an important criterion consumers take into consideration when purchasing meat. Meat colour depends on the occurrence of chemical and microbial deterioration processes. The role of vitamin E and other antioxidants on ruminant meat colour stability and prevention of lipid oxidation has been widely investigated (Macit et al., 2003; Realini et al., 2004). Many natural herbs and plant extracts exert antioxidant effects such as garlic (Yin and Cheng, 2003) and rosemary (Sánchez-Escalante et al., 2001). Their use as additives for animal feeding may be a valid alternative to synthetic antioxidants since they show beneficial effects also on animal welfare and other physiological functions (Tedesco, 2001). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether garlic and rosemary dietary supplementation as compared with vitamin E affects lamb meat colour and lipid stability during storage

Extruded linseed and linseed oil as alternative to soybean meal and soybean oil in diets for fattening lambs

The study evaluated the effects of replacing soybean meal and soybean oil respectively with extruded linseed and linseed oil on the productive performances and meat quality traits in lambs slaughtered at 90 days. Lambs weaned at 40 days were divided into 3 groups (N.=10) fed ad libitum for 6 weeks as follows: C (control, commercial feed containing soybean meal and soybean oil); LO (feed containing linseed oil instead of soybean oil); EL (feed containing extruded linseed). Meat quality traits were evaluated on the Longissimus lumborum (Ll) and Semimembranosus (Sm) muscles. The lambs' growth performances and the slaughtering and sectioning data did not differ between groups. The redness of meat was significantly higher (P<0.05) for the LO and EL groups compared to the control for both the muscles tested. Ll meat samples of the EL group showed a greater cooking loss compared to LO (P<0.01) and to the control (P<0.05). The amount of linoleic acid in raw Ll meat samples was significantly (P<0.01) lower in both LO and EL groups with respect to control. The concentration of α-linolenic acid was significantly (P<0.01) higher in the EL group and this positively affected the total content of ω3 as well as the ω6/ω3 ratio

Cutaneous manifestations in celiac disease

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune gluten-dependent enteropathy characterized by atrophy of intestinal villi that improves after gluten-free diet (GFD). CD is often associated with extra-intestinal manifestations; among them, several skin diseases are described in CD patients. The present review reports all CD-associated skin manifestations described in the literature and tries to analyze the possible mechanisms involved in this association. The opportunity to evaluate the possible presence of CD in patients affected by skin disorders is discussed

High resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) studies on meat components: potentialities and prospects

In recent years, increasing application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in the study of the agricultur- al food products has been remarked, thanks to the advantages of this technique over other conventional analytical tech- niques. This preliminary work presents, for the first time, the application of an innovative NMR technique, the proton high resolution magic angle spinning (1H HR-MAS), for studying meat features. It stresses that this method makes it pos- sible to acquire qualitative and quantitative information about chemical composition, both quickly and without any par- ticular preparation of the sample to be analysed. Finally, the study highlights the potentiality of this method in defining the origin of meat and the possibility of identifying meat adulteration

Screening for therapeutic trials and treatment indication in clinical practice: MACK-3, a new blood test for the diagnosis of fibrotic NASH

BACKGROUND: The composite histological endpoint comprising nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and NAFLD activity score ≥4 and advanced fibrosis (F ≥ 2) ("fibrotic NASH") is becoming an important diagnostic target in NAFLD: it is currently used to select patients for inclusion in phase III therapeutic trials and will ultimately be used to indicate treatment in clinical practice once the new drugs are approved. AIM: To develop a new blood test specifically dedicated for this new diagnostic target of interest. METHODS: Eight Hundred and forty-six biopsy-proven NAFLD patients from three centres (Angers, Nice, Antwerp) were randomised into derivation and validation sets. RESULTS: The blood fibrosis tests BARD, NFS and FIB4 had poor accuracy for fibrotic NASH with respective AUROC: 0.566 ± 0.023, 0.654 ± 0.023, 0.732 ± 0.021. In the derivation set, fibrotic NASH was independently predicted by AST, HOMA and CK18; all three were combined in the new blood test MACK-3 (hoMa, Ast, CK18) for which 90% sensitivity and 95% specificity cut-offs were calculated. In the validation set, MACK-3 had a significantly higher AUROC (0.847 ± 0.030, P ≤ 0.002) than blood fibrosis tests. Using liver biopsy in the grey zone between the two cut-offs (36.0% of the patients), MACK-3 provided excellent accuracy for the diagnosis of fibrotic NASH with 93.3% well-classified patients, sensitivity: 90.0%, specificity: 94.2%, positive predictive value: 81.8% and negative predictive value: 97.0%. CONCLUSION: The new blood test MACK-3 accurately diagnoses fibrotic NASH. This new test will facilitate patient screening and inclusion in NAFLD therapeutic trials and will enable the identification of patients who will benefit from the treatments once approved

Diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive tests for advanced fibrosis in patients with NAFLD: An individual patient data meta-analysis

Objective Liver biopsy is still needed for fibrosis staging in many patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The aims of this study were to evaluate the individual diagnostic performance of liver stiffness measurement by vibration controlled transient elastography (LSM-VCTE), Fibrosis-4 Index (FIB-4) and NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) Fibrosis Score (NFS) and to derive diagnostic strategies that could reduce the need for liver biopsies. Design Individual patient data meta-analysis of studies evaluating LSM-VCTE against liver histology was conducted. FIB-4 and NFS were computed where possible. Sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) were calculated. Biomarkers were assessed individually and in sequential combinations. Results Data were included from 37 primary studies (n=5735; 45% women; median age: 54 years; median body mass index: 30 kg/m2; 33% had type 2 diabetes; 30% had advanced fibrosis). AUROCs of individual LSM-VCTE, FIB-4 and NFS for advanced fibrosis were 0.85, 0.76 and 0.73. Sequential combination of FIB-4 cut-offs (&lt;1.3; ≥2.67) followed by LSM-VCTE cut-offs (&lt;8.0; ≥10.0 kPa) to rule-in or rule-out advanced fibrosis had sensitivity and specificity (95% CI) of 66% (63-68) and 86% (84-87) with 33% needing a biopsy to establish a final diagnosis. FIB-4 cut-offs (&lt;1.3; ≥3.48) followed by LSM cut-offs (&lt;8.0; ≥20.0 kPa) to rule out advanced fibrosis or rule in cirrhosis had a sensitivity of 38% (37-39) and specificity of 90% (89-91) with 19% needing biopsy. Conclusion Sequential combinations of markers with a lower cut-off to rule-out advanced fibrosis and a higher cut-off to rule-in cirrhosis can reduce the need for liver biopsies