3,015 research outputs found
Impact of a 25% salt reduction on the microbial load, texture and sensory attributes of a traditional dry-cured sausage.
Catalão is a Portuguese dry-cured traditional sausage, highly appreciated for its distinctive
sensory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a 25% salt reduction on
Catalão manufactured with either purebred Alentejano (Al) or crossbred Iberian × Duroc (IDr) pork
meat, on its physicochemical and microbiological stability, texture parameters, and sensory attributes.
No significant effect of salt reduction or genotype was observed for pH, aW, and microbiological
parameters. PUFA content was significantly higher for Al Catalão, particularly due to the content
in linoleic and linolenic fatty acids. IDr 3% NaCl samples had the highest mean n6/n3 PUFA ratio,
and the highest mean values for the atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices, showing that
both genotype and salt content influence these nutritional indices. Texture profile of Catalão was
significantly influenced by salt content and genotype. Al samples were less adhesive, cohesive, and
easier to chew. Low-salt Catalão was harder, more adhesive, and less cohesive, with lower resilience
and higher chewiness values. Regarding sensory attributes, salt content influenced the product
aroma, with reduced-salt sausages being evaluated as significantly less aromatic. Overall, a 25% salt
reduction did not have a significant impact on the quality, stability, and sensory evaluation of Catalão
Shelf-life extension and quality improvement of a Portuguese traditional ready-to-eat meat product with vinegar
Cabec a de xara is a traditional ready-to-eat meat product (RTEMP) from the Portuguese region of Alentejo. It is a moulded galantine made of low value pork pieces. The aim of this work was to test the addition of vinegar in reducing the spoilage microbiota, as well as controlling Listeria monocytogenes, in order
to increase the shelf-life of cabec a de xara. Physicochemical (fatty acids and biogenic amines profiles),
microbiological (mesophiles, psychrotrophic bacteria, enterobacteria, yeasts and L. monocytogenes) and
sensory analyses were performed throughout the storage period. RTEMP vinegar samples always showed
lower microbiological counts than control samples. Moreover, RTEMP vinegar samples showed significantly lower contents in vasoactive amines throughout the storage period, which might be explained by
their significantly lower enterobacteria counts. Concerning sensory analysis, RTEMP vinegar samples generally scored higher in overall appreciation. Our results showed that shelf-life of cabec a de xara may be
extended from 1 to 3 months
Effects of genotype, salt content and calibre on quality of traditional dry-fermented sausages
The increasing demand for traditional food products is concomitant with higher nutritional and health concerns. The effect of genotype, salt content and calibre on physicochemical, microbiological and texture parameters, along with sensory acceptability, was studied on low-salt Portuguese traditional dry-fermented sausages. A few significant differences were found in different microbial counts between pork genotypes' sausages. Lauric and stearic fatty acids showed significantly higher values for hybrid genotype products, while contents in gadoleic, heneicosanoic, linoleic and linolenic acids were higher in Alentejano pork sausages. Unexpectedly, there are no significant differences between genotypes for oleic acid, although lower contents were found in the Alentejano genotype.Texture Profile Analysis revealed significant differences in hardness, adhesiveness, resilience and chewiness between genotypes, with Alentejano pork sausages being softer and thus easier to chew. Salt reduction does not negatively affect the quality and acceptability of sausages. Furthermore, the use of hybrid genotype meat does not mischaracterise a product traditionally made exclusively of Alentejano pig meat
IP3 sensitizes TRPV4 channel to the mechano- and osmotransducing messenger 5′-6′-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid
Mechanical and osmotic sensitivity of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel depends on phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activation and the subsequent production of the arachidonic acid metabolites, epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET). We show that both high viscous loading and hypotonicity stimuli in native ciliated epithelial cells use PLA2–EET as the primary pathway to activate TRPV4. Under conditions of low PLA2 activation, both also use extracellular ATP-mediated activation of phospholipase C (PLC)–inositol trisphosphate (IP3) signaling to support TRPV4 gating. IP3, without being an agonist itself, sensitizes TRPV4 to EET in epithelial ciliated cells and cells heterologously expressing TRPV4, an effect inhibited by the IP3 receptor antagonist xestospongin C. Coimmunoprecipitation assays indicated a physical interaction between TRPV4 and IP3 receptor 3. Collectively, our study suggests a functional coupling between plasma membrane TRPV4 channels and intracellular store Ca2+ channels required to initiate and maintain the oscillatory Ca2+ signal triggered by high viscosity and hypotonic stimuli that do not reach a threshold level of PLA2 activation
Atrial Fibrillation in Heart Failure Is Associated with High Levels of Circulating microRNA-199a-5p and 22–5p and a Defective Regulation of Intracellular Calcium and Cell-to-Cell Communication
HL-1 cells; L-type calcium channels; Calcium regulationCélulas HL-1; Canales de calcio tipo L; Regulación del calcioCel·lules HL-1; Canals de calci tipus L; Regulació del calciMicroRNAs (miRNAs) participate in atrial remodeling and atrial fibrillation (AF) promotion. We determined the circulating miRNA profile in patients with AF and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and its potential role in promoting the arrhythmia. In plasma of 98 patients with HFrEF (49 with AF and 49 in sinus rhythm, SR), differential miRNA expression was determined by high-throughput microarray analysis followed by replication of selected candidates. Validated miRNAs were determined in human atrial samples, and potential arrhythmogenic mechanisms studied in HL-1 cells. Circulating miR-199a-5p and miR-22-5p were significantly increased in HFrEF patients with AF versus those with HFrEF in SR. Both miRNAs, but particularly miR-199a-5p, were increased in atrial samples of patients with AF. Overexpression of both miRNAs in HL-1 cells resulted in decreased protein levels of L-type Ca2+ channel, NCX and connexin-40, leading to lower basal intracellular Ca2+ levels, fewer inward currents, a moderate reduction in Ca2+ buffering post-caffeine exposure, and a deficient cell-to-cell communication. In conclusion, circulating miR-199a-5p and miR-22-5p are higher in HFrEF patients with AF, with similar findings in human atrial samples of AF patients. Cells exposed to both miRNAs exhibited altered Ca2+ handling and defective cell-to-cell communication, both findings being potential arrhythmogenic mechanisms.This work was funded by the following grants, awarded to B.B.: Sociedad Española de Cardiología, Sección de Arritmias y Electrofisiología 2012; Sociedad Española de Cardiología, Sección de Insuficiencia Cardíaca 2013; Fondo Investigación Sanitaria (FIS)—Instituto Carlos III 2013 (PI13/01830); and Societat Catalana de Cardiologia 2016. Awarded to K.W.A-A. and S.R.: British Heart Foundation (BHF) Intermediate Research Fellowship. Awarded to J.M.F.F.: grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (RTI2018-094809-B-I00). “María de Maeztu” Programme for Units of Excellence in R&D to the Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut (MDM-2014-0370) and FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional) also contributed to this work
Observations of SN2011fe with INTEGRAL
SN2011fe was detected by the Palomar Transient Factory on August 24th 2011 in
M101 few hours after the explosion. From the early spectra it was immediately
realized that it was a Type Ia supernova thus making this event the brightest
one discovered in the last twenty years. In this paper the observations
performed with the instruments on board of INTEGRAL (SPI, IBIS/ISGRI, JEM-X and
OMC) before and after the maximum of the optical light as well as the
interpretation in terms of the existing models of --ray emission from
such kind of supernovae are reported. All INTEGRAL high-energy have only been
able to provide upper limits to the expected emission due to the decay of
Ni. These bounds allow to reject explosions involving a massive white
dwarf in the sub--Chandrasekhar scenario. On the other hand, the optical light
curve obtained with the OMC camera suggests that the event was produced by a
delayed detonation of a CO white dwarf that produced M of
Ni. In this particular case, INTEGRAL would have only been able to
detect the early --ray emission if the supernova had occurred at a
distance of 2 -3 Mpc, although the brightest event could be visible up to
distances larger by a factor two.Comment: Proceedings of "An INTEGRAL view of the high-energy sky (the first 10
years)" the 9th INTEGRAL Workshop, October 15-19, 2012, Paris, France, in
Proceedings of Science (INTEGRAL 2012), Eds. A. Goldwurm, F. Lebrun and C.
Winkler, http://pos.sissa.it/cgi-bin/reader/conf.cgi?confid=176, id number
PoS (INTEGRAL 2012) 103 (2013
Observation of SN2011fe with INTEGRAL. I. Pre--maximum phase
SN2011fe was detected by the Palomar Transient Factory on August 24th 2011 in
M101 a few hours after the explosion. From the early optical spectra it was
immediately realized that it was a Type Ia supernova thus making this event the
brightest one discovered in the last twenty years. The distance of the event
offered the rare opportunity to perform a detailed observation with the
instruments on board of INTEGRAL to detect the gamma-ray emission expected from
the decay chains of Ni. The observations were performed in two runs, one
before and around the optical maximum, aimed to detect the early emission from
the decay of Ni and another after this maximum aimed to detect the
emission of Co. The observations performed with the instruments on board
of INTEGRAL (SPI, IBIS/ISGRI, JEMX and OMC) have been analyzed and compared
with the existing models of gamma-ray emission from such kind of supernovae. In
this paper, the analysis of the gamma-ray emission has been restricted to the
first epoch. Both, SPI and IBIS/ISGRI, only provide upper-limits to the
expected emission due to the decay of Ni. These upper-limits on the
gamma-ray flux are of 7.1 10 ph/s/cm for the 158 keV line
and of 2.3 10 ph/s/cm for the 812 keV line. These bounds
allow to reject at the level explosions involving a massive white
dwarf, M in the sub--Chandrasekhar scenario and specifically
all models that would have substantial amounts of radioactive Ni in the
outer layers of the exploding star responsible of the SN2011fe event. The
optical light curve obtained with the OMC camera also suggests that SN2011fe
was the outcome of the explosion, possibly a delayed detonation although other
models are possible, of a CO white dwarf that synthesized M
of Ni. For this specific model.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 10 pages, 10 figure
Group-IV graphene- and graphane-like nanosheets
We performed a first principles investigation on the structural and
electronic properties of group-IV (C, SiC, Si, Ge, and Sn) graphene-like sheets
in flat and buckled configurations and the respective hydrogenated or
fluorinated graphane-like ones. The analysis on the energetics, associated with
the formation of those structures, showed that fluorinated graphane-like sheets
are very stable, and should be easily synthesized in laboratory. We also
studied the changes on the properties of the graphene-like sheets, as result of
hydrogenation or fluorination. The interatomic distances in those graphane-like
sheets are consistent with the respective crystalline ones, a property that may
facilitate integration of those sheets within three-dimensional nanodevices
Antibody response against plasmid-encoded toxin (Pet) and the protein involved in intestinal colonization (Pic) in children with diarrhea produced by enteroaggregative Escherichia coli
Enteroaggregative Escherichia eoli (EAEC) is an emerging cause of pediatric and adult travellers diarrhea. the mechanism by which EAEC induce diarrhea is not completely known. Two serine protease autotransporter proteins, named Pet and Pic have been identified in EAEC strains. Pet has enterotoxic and cytotoxic activities, while the role of Pic in pathogenesis may lie on its mucinolytic activity. Little is known about Pet and Pic biological activities in vivo. in this study the antibody responses against these autotransporter proteins in convalescent children is investigated. Fifteen (83%) children showed specific antibodies against Pet or Pic in their sera. IgG and IgM antibodies were the main isotype found. Specific antibodies against Pic, but not against Pet, were detected in sera from age-matched control group. These data show that specific anti-Pet and anti-Pic antibodies are produced during the course of a natural EAEC infection in children. (C) 2004 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Univ São Paulo, Dept Microbiol, Inst Ciencias Biomed, São Paulo, BrazilInst Butantan, Lab Especial Microbiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Ciencias Farmaceut, Dept Anal Clin & Toxicol, BR-05508900 São Paulo, BrazilCINVESTAV, IPN, Dept Cell Biol, Mexico City 14000, DF, MexicoUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc
Characterisation of "Catalão" and "Salsichão" Portuguese traditional sausages with salt reduction
The present study evaluated the effect of salt reduction on traditional dry-cured sausages' safety, quality and
product acceptance, comprising physicochemical and microbiological parameters, biogenic amines, fatty acids,
texture profile and sensory analysis. According to our results, salt content had a major effect on microbiological
counts, although not compromising the products' safety. Marked differences were identified regarding biogenic
amines, in particular for histamine, tyramine and cadaverine, which were detected in larger amounts in products
with 3%. Moreover, significant differences in the fatty acids profile have also been found, but only in less abundant
components such as linoleic, lauric and heneicosanoic acids. Texture profile analysis of low-salt products,
revealed a decrease in hardness and chewiness, along with an increase in adhesiveness values. Sensory
evaluations revealed that despite the less intense aroma, products with 3% salt, had a more balanced salt
perception. Our results suggest that salt content may be reduced to 50% in dry-cured products, with the obvious
health-related advantages
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