The effect of feeding rosemary, oregano, saffron and &#945-tocopheryl acetate on hen performance and oxidative stability of eggs

In this study the effects of feeding rosemary, oregano, saffron and α-tocopheryl acetate on hen performance and egg quality were investigated. One hundred-twenty Lohmann laying hens, 32 weeks old, were divided into five groups replicated four times with six hens per replicate. One group was given a basal diet and served as control (CON). The experimental diets given to the other four groups were based on the basal diet but contained an additional 200 mg α-tocopheryl acetate/kg (TOC), or rosemary at 5 g/kg diet (ROS), oregano at 5 g/kg diet (ORE) or saffron at 20 mg/kg diet (SAF). At the end of the feeding trial that lasted 56 days, hen performance and some egg quality characteristics were determined, whereas the oxidative stability of the refrigerated stored shell eggs and liquid yolks were also examined. Results showed no significant differences in egg production, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, egg weight and shape, yolk shape, Haugh units and shell thickness among treatments. However, yolk colour was significantly improved in the SAF group compared to all other groups. The extent of lipid oxidation in shell eggs differed among the dietary treatments, but did not change with storage time. In liquid yolk at pH 6.2, lipid oxidation was higher in the CON group compared to all other groups. The ORE group presented lower oxidation rate than the ROS group, but higher than the SAF group, which in turn exhibited higher oxidation rate than the TOC group. When liquid yolk was acidified to pH 4.2, the lipid oxidation profile remained unchanged but the rate was much more intense. Keywords: Rosemary; oregano; saffron; α-tocopherol acetate;egg quality; hen performance; oxidative stability South African Journal of Animal Sciences Vol. 35 (3) 2005: pp.143-15

Sol-Gel Derived Mg-Based Ceramic Scaffolds Doped with Zinc or Copper Ions: Preliminary Results on Their Synthesis, Characterization, and Biocompatibility

Glass-ceramic scaffolds containing Mg have shown recently the potential to enhance the proliferation, differentiation, and biomineralization of stem cells in vitro, property that makes them promising candidates for dental tissue regeneration. An additional property of a scaffold aimed at dental tissue regeneration is to protect the regeneration process against oral bacteria penetration. In this respect, novel bioactive scaffolds containing Mg2+ and Cu2+ or Zn2+, ions known for their antimicrobial properties, were synthesized by the foam replica technique and tested regarding their bioactive response in SBF, mechanical properties, degradation, and porosity. Finally their ability to support the attachment and long-term proliferation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) was also evaluated. The results showed that conversely to their bioactive response in SBF solution, Zn-doped scaffolds proved to respond adequately regarding their mechanical strength and to be efficient regarding their biological response, in comparison to Cu-doped scaffolds, which makes them promising candidates for targeted dental stem cell odontogenic differentiation and calcified dental tissue engineering

The fate of Escherichia coli O157 : H7 in Myzithra, Anthotyros, and Manouri whey cheeses during storage at 2 and 12 degrees C

Myzithra, Anthotyros and Manouri whey cheeses were inoculated the day after production with Escherichia coli O157:H7 at concentrations of approx. 1.8 x 10(6) cfu g(-1) and stored at 2 and 12 degreesC for 30 and 20 days, respectively. The pH of the whey cheeses decreased from an initial value of approx. 6.20 to 5.83 or 5.60 (Myzithra) 5.75 or 5.20 (Anthotyros) and 5.80 or 5.30 (Manouri) by the end of the corresponding storage periods at 2 and 12 degreesC, respectively. Escherichia coli O157:H7 populations in the whey cheeses at the end of the 12 degreesC storage period had grown with an increase of approx. 1.3 log(10) cfu g(-1) E. coli O157:H7 populations in whey cheeses at the end of the 2 degreesC storage period did not grow and decreased with an approx. 2.5 log(10) cfu g(-1) reduction. Results showed that E. coli O157:H7 can grow at 12 degreesC and survive at 2 degreesC storage in Myzithra, Anthotyros and Manouri whey cheeses, and therefore post-manufacturing contamination with this pathogen must be avoided by employing hygienic control programmes such as HACCP. (C) 2001 Academic Press