Effect of diets containing a purified soybean trypsin inhibitor on growth performance, digestive proteases and intestinal histology in juvenile sea bream (Sparus aurata L.)

Juvenile sea bream were fed on diets containing 0.0, 2.0 or 4.0 g/kg of a soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) for 30 days. The growth performance, total protease activity and intestinal histology were studied after 0,15 and 30 days of dietary treatment. No signi¢cant di¡erences were found in the weight gain, speci¢c growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion rate in fish fed on inhibitor-supplemented diets when compared with those fed on an inhibitor-free diet. Only the SGR at day 15 decreased signi¢cantly with protease inhibitor inclusion, although this effect was not observed at day 30. In relation to proteolytic activity at day 15, the total protease activity in the distal intestine decreased in ¢sh fed on inhibitor-supplemented diets. Zymograms of these extracts showed that the SBTI reduced the intensity of some proteolytic fractions in the distal intestine. A noticeable reduction in the protease activity of the intestinal content in fish fed onthe highest level of soybean inhibitor (4.0 g/kg) was also observed. However, at day 30, the inhibition e¡ect on these active bands was not detected, and the total protease activity was similar to that in ¢sh fed on an inhibitor-free diet. Histological examination revealed no perceptible differences in the intestinal structure between any of the diet groups. In addition, all ¢shweremaintained under experimentation for 10 more days and fed on an inhibitor-free diet to determine whether the possible effects caused by the protease inhibitor could be reverted.The administration of SBTI-supplemented diets did not affect sea bream growth performance or intestine histology after 30 days, and only a decrease in the total alkaline protease activity was found at day 15

Growth, flesh adiposity and fatty acid composition of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) families with contrasting flesh adiposity: effects of replacement of dietary fish oil with vegetable oils

The present study compared the effects of diets formulated with reduced fishmeal (FM) content and either 100% fish oil (FO) or 100% of a vegetable oil (VO) blend in post-smolts of three family groups of Atlantic salmon. Two groups were selected as being either “Lean” or “Fat” based on estimated breeding values (EBV) for flesh adiposity of their parents derived from a breeding programme, while the third group (CAL) was a mix of non-pedigreed commercial families unrelated to the two groups above. The VO blend comprised rapeseed, palm and a new product, Camelina oil in a ratio of 5/3/2, and diets were fed to duplicate pens of each salmon group. After an ongrowing period of 55 weeks, to reach a mean weight of 3kg, the fish from all treatments were switched to a decontaminated FO for a further 24 weeks to follow restoration of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) in the fish previously fed VO. Final weights were significantly affected by family group and there was also an interaction between diet and group with Fat and Lean FO fish being larger than the same fish fed VO. Specific growth rate (SGR) was highest in CAL fish (1.01), feed conversion ratio (FCR) was highest in the Lean fish but there were no significant effects on thermal growth coefficient (TGC). Condition Factor (CF) was lowest in CAL fish while the hepato-somatic index (HSI) was highest in Lean fish and viscero-somatic index (VSI) highest in Fat fish. Flesh and viscera lipid content was affected by both family group and diet with a significant interaction between the two. Flesh lipid in fish fed FO was in the order Fat > CAL > Lean although this order was Fat = Lean > CAL when fed VO. Flesh fatty acid compositions were affected mainly by diet although some minor fatty acids were also influenced by group. Fish fed VO had n-3 LC-PUFA reduced by ~65% compared to fish fed FO but this could be restored by a 16 week FO finishing diet phase. The differences observed in lipid and fatty acid deposition suggested that genetics affected lipid deposition and metabolism and that breeding programmes could select for fish that retained more n-3 LC-PUFA in their flesh, particularly when fed diets low in these fatty acids

Galacto-Oligosaccharides : production, properties, applications, and significance as prebiotics

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) have now been definitely established as prebiotic ingredients after in vitro and animal and human in vivo studies. Currently, GOS are produced by glycoside hydrolases (GH) using lactose as substrate. Converting lactose into GOS by GH results in mixtures containing GOS of different degrees of polymerization (DP), unreacted lactose, and monomeric sugars (glucose and galactose). Recent and future developments in the production of GOS aim at delivering purer and more efficient mixtures. To produce high-GOS-content mixtures, GH should not only have good ability to catalyze the transgalactosylation reaction relative to hydrolysis, but also have low affinity for the GOS formed relative to the affinity for lactose. In this article, several microbial GH, proposed for the synthesis of GOS, are hierarchized according to the referred performance indicators. In addition, strategies for process improvement are discussed. Besides the differences in purity of GOS mixtures, differences in the position of the glycosidic linkages occur, because different enzymes have different regiochemical selectivity. Depending on oligosaccharide composition, GOS products will vary in terms of prebiotic activity, as well as other physiological effects. This review focuses on GOS production from synthesis to purification processes. Physicochemical characteristics, physiological effects, and applications of these prebiotic ingredients are summarized. Regulatory aspects of GOS-containing food products are also highlighted with emphasis on the current process of health claims evaluation in Europe.Agência da Inovação-Progama IDEIA (Portugal)Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Protection of construction pit for car-park building in Ljubljana

V diplomski nalogi je obravnavano varovanje gradbene jame za objekt parkirno garažne hiše v Ljubljani. Varovalna konstrukcija je bila izvedena s sidranimi slopi po tehnologiji injektiranja pod visokimi pritiski (jet grouting). Sidranje smo izvedli z začasnimi geotehničnimi sidri v enem ali dveh nivojih. V nalogi je podan pregled postopkov za izvedbo jet grouting slopov in začasnih geotehničnih sider po veljavnih standardih. Pozornost je posvečena načinom izvedbe, ki so uveljavljeni pri nas, in problemom, ki se pojavljajo zaradi odstopanja od zhatev tehnične regulative ali nezmožnosti upoštevanja le-te. To je delno posledica zastarele opreme in utečenih postopkov izvajanja del. Dodatno pa na to vplivajo tudi zahteve po čim cenejši izvedbi gradbenih del. V nalogi so predstavljene izkušnje pridobljene med izvedbo varovalne konstrukcije gradbene jame, rezultati kontrolnih preiskav in problemi, ki so se pojavili med izvedbo del, ter rešitve teh problemov. V fazi izvedbe varovalne konstrukcije iz jet grouting slopov smo največ pozornosti posvetili tehnologiji enofaznega postopka injektiranja in njeni učinkovitosti v danih razmerah. Pri izvedbi geotehničnih sider pa smo največ pozornosti posvetili vgradnji in napenjanju preskusnih sider. Na gradbišču nastali problemi so lahko tudi posledica nepopolne gradbene dokumentacije, vključno s starimi in pomanjkljivimi načrti sosednjih objektov. V nalogi je prav tako obravnavano reševanje problemov, povezanih z nepričakovano sestavo temeljnih tal. Ta je pomembno vplivala na težave in zamude pri izvedbi in nemoteno napredovanje del.The subject of this thesis is the execution construction pit for multi-storey car-park building in Ljubljana. The supporting structure was made with high pressure grouting (e.q jet grouting), and anchored with temporary ground anchors in one or two levels. An overview of jet grouting and temporary ground anchors procedures accoding to current standards is shown. A special attention is put on the currently valid execution of works in our country. We primarily examined the problems occurring due to the deviation from technical regulations or inability to stick to them, which may be the consequence of either old equipment or sticking to generally accepted procedures of the execution, as well as requirements for a cheaper execution. The thesis presents the description of experiences gained during the execution works, the results of control examinations, the problems that occurred during the execution and appropriate solutions. In the phase of the jet-grouting-piles execution, which were used as a supporting structure, the attention was on the technology of the single fluid system and its effectiveness in the ground, while with ground anchors the most attention was paid to ground anchor installation and. The problems occurring on the construction site are often result of an incomplete project documentation, often involving the old and incomplete documentation of neighbouring buildings. The solution of issues in relation to the unexpected ground conditions, which significantly delayed the execution of works, is examined

Cardiac molecular-acclimation mechanisms in responseto swimming-induced exercise in atlantic salmon

Cardiac muscle is a principal target organ for exercise-induced acclimation mechanisms in fish and mammals, given that sustained aerobic exercise training improves cardiac output. Yet, the molecular mechanisms underlying such cardiac acclimation have been scarcely investigated in teleosts. Consequently, we studied mechanisms related to cardiac growth, contractility, vascularization, energy metabolism and myokine production in Atlantic salmon pre-smolts resulting from 10 weeks exercise-training at three different swimming intensities: 0.32 (control), 0.65 (medium intensity) and 1.31 (high intensity) body lengths s−1. Cardiac responses were characterized using growth, immunofluorescence and qPCR analysis of a large number of target genes encoding proteins with significant and well-characterized function. The overall stimulatory effect of exercise on cardiac muscle was dependent on training intensity, with changes elicited by high intensity training being of greater magnitude than either medium intensity or control. Higher protein levels of PCNA were indicative of cardiac growth being driven by cardiomyocyte hyperplasia, while elevated cardiac mRNA levels of MEF2C, GATA4 and ACTA1 suggested cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. In addition, up-regulation of EC coupling-related genes suggested that exercised hearts may have improved contractile function, while higher mRNA levels of EPO and VEGF were suggestive of a more efficient oxygen supply network. Furthermore, higher mRNA levels of PPARα, PGC1α and CPT1 all suggested a higher capacity for lipid oxidation, which along with a significant enlargement of mitochondrial size in cardiac myocytes of the compact layer of fish exercised at high intensity, suggested an enhanced energetic support system. Training also elevated transcription of a set of myokines and other gene products related to the inflammatory process, such as TNFα, NFκB, COX2, IL1RA and TNF decoy receptor. This study provides the first characterization of the underlying molecular acclimation mechanisms in the heart of exercise-trained fish, which resemble those reported for mammalian physiological cardiac growth

Aerob utholdenhetstrening for bedret hjertefunksjon og helse hos oppdrettslaks: oppfølging og videreutvikling av konseptet trening av fisk

Hovedmålet til dette prosjektet var å bygge videre på konseptet med trening av fisk som del av det forebyggende helsearbeid i laksenæringen. Vi har tidligere vist at trening av laks før sjøutsett resulterer i bedre vekst og større sykdomsmotstand. Trening kan også styrke hjertekapasitet og sirkulasjonssystemet, bedre evne til å opprettholde homeostase under stressende situasjoner, samt bidra til bedre filétkvalitet. Prosjektet hadde seks konkrete delmål som alle har blitt utført i løpet av prosjektperioden. Et av hovedresultatene viste at trening bedrer sykdomsmotstanden ved å modulere immunsystemet på en fordelaktig måte ved å påvirke en rekke gener som er involvert i prosessering og presentasjon av antigen, regulering av interferon og komplement systemet, samt regulering av betennelsesreaksjoner, oksidativt stress og vevsremodellering. Videre fant vi at det var en god korrelasjon mellom treningsintensitet, genuttrykk og sykdomsmotstand. Analyser hos en kommersiell oppdretter førte til ny kunnskap om vannhastighet og -kvalitet i ulike typer kar. Prosjektet har også finansiert oppbygging av en fleksibel og innovativ fisketreningslabb som vil være avgjørende for videre treningsforskning. Prosjektet har også ført til internasjonalisering av forskningsgruppen, samt at prosjektet har bidratt til å legge forholdene til rette for fremtidig kommersialisering av fisketrening.Rapport/Report 1/2010 English summaryAerob utholdenhetstrening for bedret hjertefunksjon og helse hos oppdrettslaks: oppfølging og videreutvikling av konseptet trening av fiskpublishedVersio

Aerob utholdenhetstrening for bedret hjertefunksjon og helse hos oppdrettslaks: oppfølging og videreutvikling av konseptet trening av fisk

Hovedmålet til dette prosjektet var å bygge videre på konseptet med trening av fisk som del av det forebyggende helsearbeid i laksenæringen. Vi har tidligere vist at trening av laks før sjøutsett resulterer i bedre vekst og større sykdomsmotstand. Trening kan også styrke hjertekapasitet og sirkulasjonssystemet, bedre evne til å opprettholde homeostase under stressende situasjoner, samt bidra til bedre filétkvalitet. Prosjektet hadde seks konkrete delmål som alle har blitt utført i løpet av prosjektperioden. Et av hovedresultatene viste at trening bedrer sykdomsmotstanden ved å modulere immunsystemet på en fordelaktig måte ved å påvirke en rekke gener som er involvert i prosessering og presentasjon av antigen, regulering av interferon og komplement systemet, samt regulering av betennelsesreaksjoner, oksidativt stress og vevsremodellering. Videre fant vi at det var en god korrelasjon mellom treningsintensitet, genuttrykk og sykdomsmotstand. Analyser hos en kommersiell oppdretter førte til ny kunnskap om vannhastighet og -kvalitet i ulike typer kar. Prosjektet har også finansiert oppbygging av en fleksibel og innovativ fisketreningslabb som vil være avgjørende for videre treningsforskning. Prosjektet har også ført til internasjonalisering av forskningsgruppen, samt at prosjektet har bidratt til å legge forholdene til rette for fremtidig kommersialisering av fisketrening.Rapport/Report 1/2010 English summaryAerob utholdenhetstrening for bedret hjertefunksjon og helse hos oppdrettslaks: oppfølging og videreutvikling av konseptet trening av fiskpublishedVersio