Evaluation of sauerkraut prepared with potassium chloride as a complete or partial replacement for sodium chloride

The purpose of this study was to develop sauerkraut products using potassium chloride as a complete or partial sodium chloride replacement, to determine the microbiological and chemical safety of the products, and to determine the consumer acceptance of the sauerkraut. Sauerkraut was prepared with 3 different salts as treatments: sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and Morton Lite SaltR. The fermentations were allowed to proceed for 30 days while total microbial counts, lactic acid-producing bacterial counts, yeast and mold counts, and titratable acidities were being monitored. Total and lactic microbial counts for the potassium chloride and Lite Salt treatments were found to be higher than counts for the sodium chloride treatments. This was due to the lower ionic strength of the potassium chloride in the brine, allowing for greater microbial growth and therefore, greater lactic acid production as was evidenced by the higher titratable acidities of these treatments. Sauerkraut juice components were analyzed with an HPLC instrument and no differences were found in the types and quantities of components present in the 3 treatments. Total amounts of sodium and potassium in the finished sauerkraut products were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometric analyses. Sodium reduction in the kraut prepared with potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride is about 98%. Kraut prepared with Lite Salt shows a reduction in sodium of 40-45% over that prepared with sodium chloride. Sensory evaluation using an untrained consumer-type panel showed kraut prepared with Lite Salt compared favorably to kraut prepared with sodium chloride. No bitter aftertaste of the Lite Salt was noted due to the masking of this flavor by the lactic acid. Sauerkraut prepared with potassium chloride was rated lower than the other two treatments due to its bitter, metallic aftertaste. This study shows that potassium chloride can be used as at least a partial replacement for sodium chloride in the fermentation of sauerkraut. Use of Lite Salt provides a microbiologically and chemically safe product that is not only palatable but compares favorably to kraut prepared with sodium chloride, yet provides a substantial amount of sodium reduction over common sauerkraut

Immunomodulatory effects of 17-O-acetylacuminolide in RAW264.7 cells and HUVECs : involvement of MAPK and NF-κB pathways

The terpenoid 17-O-acetylacuminolide (AA) was shown to inhibit the production of several inflammatory mediators. However, the mechanisms by which this compound elicited its anti-inflammatory activity remain to be elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the effects of AA on inflammatory gene expression in two different cell types with primordial importance in the inflammatory processes-endothelial cells and macrophages. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells, AA inhibited the expression of inflammatory proteins including the adhesion molecules intercellular adhesion molecule 1; vascular cell adhesion molecule 1; and E-selectin, as well as the release of the chemokine interleukin-8. Additionally, AA hindered the formation of capillary-like tubes in an in vitro model of angiogenesis. AA's effects in endothelial cells can be attributed at least in part to AA's inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells (NF-kappa B)'s translocation. Also, in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells, AA was able to downregulate the expression of the genes cyclooxygenase 2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin-6, and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2. Moreover, AA inhibited the phosphorylation of nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor-alpha (I kappa B alpha), I kappa B kinase (IKK), and the mitogen-activated protein kinases JNK, ERK, and p38. In conclusion, the present results further support the anti-inflammatory potential of AA in different models of inflammation

The remarkable catalytic activity of the saturated metal organic framework V-MIL-47 in the cyclohexene oxidation

The remarkable catalytic activity of the saturated metal organic framework MIL-47 in the epoxidation of cyclohexene is elucidated by means of both experimental results and theoretical calculations

Fine-scale mapping of vector habitats using very high resolution satellite imagery : a liver fluke case-study

The visualization of vector occurrence in space and time is an important aspect of studying vector-borne diseases. Detailed maps of possible vector habitats provide valuable information for the prediction of infection risk zones but are currently lacking for most parts of the world. Nonetheless, monitoring vector habitats from the finest scales up to farm level is of key importance to refine currently existing broad-scale infection risk models. Using Fasciola hepatica, a parasite liver fluke as a case in point, this study illustrates the potential of very high resolution (VHR) optical satellite imagery to efficiently and semi-automatically detect detailed vector habitats. A WorldView2 satellite image capable of <5m resolution was acquired in the spring of 2013 for the area around Bruges, Belgium, a region where dairy farms suffer from liver fluke infections transmitted by freshwater snails. The vector thrives in small water bodies (SWBs), such as ponds, ditches and other humid areas consisting of open water, aquatic vegetation and/or inundated grass. These water bodies can be as small as a few m(2) and are most often not present on existing land cover maps because of their small size. We present a classification procedure based on object-based image analysis (OBIA) that proved valuable to detect SWBs at a fine scale in an operational and semi-automated way. The classification results were compared to field and other reference data such as existing broad-scale maps and expert knowledge. Overall, the SWB detection accuracy reached up to 87%. The resulting fine-scale SWB map can be used as input for spatial distribution modelling of the liver fluke snail vector to enable development of improved infection risk mapping and management advice adapted to specific, local farm situations

The spatial dynamics of invasive para grass on a monsoonal floodplain, Kakadu National Park, northern Australia

Abstract: African para grass (Urochloa mutica) is an invasive weed that has become prevalent across many important freshwater wetlands of the world. In northern Australia, including the World Heritage landscape of Kakadu National Park (KNP), its dense cover can displace ecologically, genetically and culturally significant species, such as the Australian native rice (Oryza spp.). In regions under management for biodiversity conservation para grass is often beyond eradication. However, its targeted control is also necessary to manage and preserve site-specific wetland values. This requires an understanding of para grass spread-patterns and its potential impacts on valuable native vegetation. We apply a multi-scale approach to examine the spatial dynamics and impact of para grass cover across a 181 km2 floodplain of KNP. First, we measure the overall displacement of different native vegetation communities across the floodplain from 1986 to 2006. Using high spatial resolution satellite imagery in conjunction with historical aerial-photo mapping, we then measure finer-scale, inter-annual, changes between successive dry seasons from 1990 to 2010 (for a 48 km2 focus area); Para grass presence-absence maps from satellite imagery (2002 to 2010) were produced with an object-based machine-learning approach (stochastic gradient boosting). Changes, over time, in mapped para grass areas were then related to maps of depth-habitat and inter-annual fire histories. Para grass invasion and establishment patterns varied greatly in time and space. Wild rice communities were the most frequently invaded, but the establishment and persistence of para grass fluctuated greatly between years, even within previously invaded communities. However, these different patterns were also shown to vary with different depth-habitat and recent fire history. These dynamics have not been previously documented and this understanding presents opportunities for intensive para grass management in areas of high conservation value, such as those occupied by wild rice