Comparative study of Selva and Camarosa strawberries for the commercial market

Selva and Camarosa strawberry varieties were characterized chemically and physically. The importance of keeping the stem until processing, the influence of different transport periods under refrigerated conditions, the effects of freezing and exposure to air of damaged surfaces were evaluated. During freezing, losses of ascorbic acid, sucrose, fructose and glucose were reported for both varieties. However, keeping the stem intact minimizes the losses of ascorbic acid in frozen fruits. The exposure to air of cut surfaces affects ascorbic acid content of fresh fruits, with the highest losses reported in Camarosa. Selva showed properties important for commercial use, as compared to Camarosa, with regard to a higher resistance to thawing and higher contents of total phenolics, total protein, and ascorbic acid

Skilled Maneuvering: Evaluation of a Young Driver Advanced Training Program

BACKGROUND: Young drivers (YDs) are disproportionately injured and killed in motor vehicle crashes throughout the United States. Nationally, YDs aged 16 to 20 years constituted nearly 9% of all traffic-related fatalities in 2018. A Nevada Advanced Driver Training (ADT) program for YDs aims to reduce YD traffic injuries and fatalities through four modules taught by professional drivers. The program modules include classroom-based didactic lessons and hands-on driving exercises intended to improve safe driving knowledge and behaviors. The overarching purpose of this study was to determine if theNevada ADT programachieved its objectives for improving safe driving knowledge and behaviors based on program-provided data. A secondary purpose of this study was to provide recommendations to improve programefficiency, delivery, and evaluation. The findings of this study would serve as a basis to develop and evaluate future ADT interventions. METHODS: The exploratorymixedmethods outcome evaluation used secondary data collected during threeweekend events in December 2018 and March 2019. The study population consisted of high school students with a driver’s license or learner’s permit. Pretests/ posttests and preevent questionnaires on student driving history were matched and linked via personal identifiers. The pretests/posttestsmeasured changes in knowledge of safe driving behaviors. This study used descriptive statistics, dependent samples t test, Pearson’s r correlation coefficient, and χ2 (McNemar’s test) with significance set at p = 0.05, 95% confidence interval. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBMSPSS version 24 (Armonk, NY). Qualitative data analysis consisted of content and thematic analysis. RESULTS: Responses from YD participants (N = 649) were provided for analysis. Aggregate YD participant knowledge of safe driving behaviors increased from a mean of 43.9% (pretest) to 74.9% (posttest). CONCLUSION: The program achieved its intended outcomes of improving safe driving knowledge and behaviors among its target population

Effects on Lipid Oxidation and Bioactive Properties of Rainbow Trout Fillets Fed with Barley

[EN] Barley concentrations ranging from 0% to 32% were incorporated into rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diets. The effect of barley concentration on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity of fish fillets were analyzed. Results showed that the inclusion of barley in rainbow trout diets had an inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation, probably associated with certain bioactive compounds in barley that could interact with scavenging and reducing metabolites involved in lipid oxidation. Concentrations up to 8% of barley produced fish fillets with high antioxidant activity and higher levels of alpha-tocopherol.This work was carried out with fundings from INIA and ITACyL and cofounded by FEDER funds. Julia Pinedo has been granted with the FPI-INIA grant number 21 [call 2012, BOE-2012-13337].Pinedo-Gil, J.; Tomas-Vidal, A.; Rico, D.; Tiwaric, B.; Álvarez García, C.; Jover Cerda, M.; Sanz-Calvo, MÁ.... (2019). Effects on Lipid Oxidation and Bioactive Properties of Rainbow Trout Fillets Fed with Barley. Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology. 28(5):495-504. https://doi.org/10.1080/10498850.2019.1604596S49550428

pulsed electric field assisted juice extraction of frozen thawed blueberries

Pulsed electric field is an efficient method for cell membrane permeabilization of food tissues with most research being done on fresh plant cells. Freeze/thawing is also known to be capable of cell membrane permeabilization. In this work, frozen/thawed European blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruits were treated with pulsed electric field in order to further enhance the cell membrane permeabilization and, hence, the quality of blueberry juice during the subsequent pressing process. Blueberries tissues were exposed to 20 μs monopolar square wave pulses of different electric field strength (E = 1–3–5 kV cm-1) and total specific energy input (WT = 1–5–10 kJ kg -1), with their permeabilization being characterized by electrical impedance measurements and cell disintegration index (Zp). The juice, obtained after pressing (1.32 bar), was characterized for total polyphenols, anthocyanins content and antioxidant activity. The cell disintegration index (Zp) significantly (p < 0.05) increased from 0.2 up to 0.6 with increasing pulsed electric field treatment intensity (E and WT). As a results, in comparison with control, pulsed electric field treatment induced a slightly higher release of polyphenols (up to +8.0%) and anthocyanins (up to +8.3%), thus improving the antioxidant activity of the juice (up to +16.7%). In conclusion, frozen/thawed blueberries could be pulsed electric field treated in order to further increase juice quality

Evaluating Long-Term Outcomes of a High School-Based Impaired and Distracted Driving Prevention Program

Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death among teenagers. Many of these deaths are due to preventable causes, including impaired and distracted driving. You Drink, You Drive, You Lose (YDYDYL) is a prevention program to educate high school students about the consequences of impaired and distracted driving. YDYDYL was conducted at a public high school in Southern Nevada in March 2020. A secondary data analysis was conducted to compare knowledge and attitudes of previous participants with first-time participants. Independent-samples-t test and χ2 test/Fisher’s exact test with post-contingency analysis were used to compare pre-event responses between students who had attended the program one year prior and students who had not. Significance was set at p \u3c 0.05. A total of 349 students participated in the survey and were included for analysis; 177 had attended the program previously (50.7%) and 172 had not (49.3%). The mean age of previous participants and first-time participants was 16.2 (SD ± 1.06 years) and 14.9 (SD ± 0.92 years), respectively. Statistically significant differences in several self-reported baseline behaviors and attitudinal responses were found between the two groups; for example, 47.4% of previous participants compared to 29.4% of first-time participants disagreed that reading text messages only at a stop light was acceptable. Students were also asked how likely they were to intervene if a friend or family member was practicing unsafe driving behaviors; responses were similar between the two groups. The baseline behaviors and attitudes of participants regarding impaired and distracted driving were more protective among previous participants compared to first-time participants, suggesting the program results in long-term positive changes in behaviors and attitudes. The results of this secondary retrospective study may be useful for informing the implementation of future impaired and distracted driving prevention programs

Determination of Total Polyphenol Content in Food with the Flow-Injection

U ovom radu predložena je modificirana automatizirana metoda ubrizgavanja u protok za određivanje sadržaja ukupnih polifenola u namirnicama bazirana na Folin-Ciocalteauovoj reakciji u 0,5 mol L-1 NaOH. Metoda omogućuje automatiziranu analizu različitih uzoraka brzinom protoka 55 uzoraka na sat uz upotrebu galne kiseline kao standarda. Primjenom predložene metode na konkretne uzorke (bijelo i crno vino, zeleni, indijski te čaj od lipe, metvice i kamilice i bistri voćni sokovi od crnog ribiza i višnje), određen je njihov “indeks ukupnih polifenola” s većom repetibilnošću za razliku od ranije objavljenih metoda, manje ovisno o razrjeđenju uzorka. U odnosu na “batch” metodu, ova je metoda visoko tolerantna prema najčešćim interferentima (SO2, reducirajući šećeri i askorbinska kiselina). Rezultati dobiveni predloženom metodom pokazali su relativno slaganje s onima dobivenim referentnom Folin-Ciocalteauovom metodom.This paper describes an optimised flow-injection method for the determination of total polyphenol in food based on the Folin-Ciocalteau reaction in 0.5 mol L-1 NaOH. The method allows different types of samples to be analysed automatically at a rate of 55 samples per hour by using gallic acid as standard. By applying the proposed method to real samples (white and red wines, green, Indian, lime-tree, mentha and chamomile teas, and blackberry and cherry juices), their total polyphenol indices were determined with a higher reproducibility than obtained by earlier methods, whatever the dilution used. This method is highly tolerant towards the most common interferences (SO2, reducing sugars, and ascorbic acid) associated with the batch method. The results obtained by the proposed method relatively agree with those obtained using the referent Folin-Ciocalteau method

From functional food to medicinal product: Systematic approach in analysis of polyphenolics from propolis and wine

In the last decade we have been working on standardization of propolis extract and determination of active constituents of wine those are rich in polyphenolics and have nutritional as well as therapeutic value. Here we are summarizing our results and providing overview on systematic approach how to analyse natural products rich in flavonoids and phenolic acids

Antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activity of the lichens Cladonia furcata, Lecanora atra and Lecanora muralis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study is to investigate in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activity of the acetone extracts of the lichens <it>Cladonia furcata, Lecanora atra </it>and <it>Lecanora muralis</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Antioxidant activity was evaluated by five separate methods: free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, reducing power, determination of total phenolic compounds and determination of total flavonoid content. The antimicrobial activity was estimated by determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration by the broth microdilution method against six species of bacteria and ten species of fungi. Anticancer activity was tested against FemX (human melanoma) and LS174 (human colon carcinoma) cell lines using MTT method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the lichens tested, <it>Lecanora atra </it>had largest free radical scavenging activity (94.7% inhibition), which was greater than the standard antioxidants. Moreover, the tested extracts had effective reducing power and superoxide anion radical scavenging. The strong relationships between total phenolic and flavonoid contents and the antioxidant effect of tested extracts were observed. Extract of <it>Cladonia furcata </it>was the most active antimicrobial agent with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 0.78 to 25 mg/mL. All extracts were found to be strong anticancer activity toward both cell lines with IC₅₀values ranging from 8.51 to 40.22 μg/mL.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study shows that tested lichen extracts demonstrated a strong antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer effects. That suggest that lichens may be used as as possible natural antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer agents to control various human, animal and plant diseases.</p