13 research outputs found
Investigation of extruded cereals enriched with plant by-products and their use in fermented beverage production
ArticleThe aim of the study was to analyse the quality of extruded cereals enriched with plant
by-products and to obtain fermented drinks from production rejects. Extrusion was performed
with co-rotating twin-screw extruder (compression ratio 8:1) at MILZU Ltd. from rye and oat
flour (80:20, control samples) with addition of apple (ABF), carrot (CBF) and pumpkin (PBF)
by-product flour in various amounts (10%, 15% and 20%). Naturally fermented kvass production
process was used for non-alcoholic fermented beverage production. Total dietary fibre (TDF),
textural properties and sensory features of extruded products after addition of by-products (BP)
were determined. Dry matter, active acidity and sensory properties were analysed in fermented
beverages. The obtained results showed a 12-55% increase in TDF of extruded cereals
(11.8 g 100 g
-1
) after addition of plant by-products. All extruded samples with BP showed lower
hardness levels than control (35.55 ± 2.95 N); samples with PBF were the least hard (P < 0.05).
Samples with the lowest bulk density were obtained by the addition of 10% and 15% PBF, and
15% CBF, whereas addition of apple by-product flour in all tested concentrations gave the
samples a higher bulk density compared to control. Highest taste and aftertaste scores using
5-point hedonic scale were given to samples with addition of 15% and 20% ABF, which also
showed high consumer acceptance. With regards to fermented drinks, the highest dry matter
content was found in PBF and ABF drink, 8.1 ± 0.1 and 7.0 ± 0.1, respectively. Sensory
evaluation of fermented beverages showed that the intensity of flavour, acidity and aroma was
most pronounced in sample with ABF, whereas colour was most pronounced in sample with PBF.
In order to reduce production costs, it is possible to use production rejects of extruded cereals
enriched with plant by-products to obtain new products
Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles
can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications
in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or
magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal
stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction
of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particlesâ
surface is essential. During this process, the original
coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded
ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the
silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more
than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In
this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces
ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically
accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove
the generic character, different functional groups were
introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol
chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their
colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as
well as human plasma and serum was investigated to
allow implementation in biomedical and sensing
applications.status: publishe
Methylglyoxal modification of Nav1.8 facilitates nociceptive neuron firing and causes hyperalgesia in diabetic neuropathy
This study establishes a mechanism for metabolic hyperalgesia based on the glycolytic metabolite methylglyoxal. We found that concentrations of plasma methylglyoxal above 600 nM discriminate between diabetes-affected individuals with pain and those without pain. Methylglyoxal depolarizes sensory neurons and induces post-translational modifications of the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.8, which are associated with increased electrical excitability and facilitated firing of nociceptive neurons, whereas it promotes the slow inactivation of Nav1.7. In mice, treatment with methylglyoxal reduces nerve conduction velocity, facilitates neurosecretion of calcitonin gene-related peptide, increases cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and evokes thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia. This hyperalgesia is reflected by increased blood flow in brain regions that are involved in pain processing. We also found similar changes in streptozotocin-induced and genetic mouse models of diabetes but not in Nav1.8 knockout (Scn10â/â) mice. Several strategies that include a methylglyoxal scavenger are effective in reducing methylglyoxal- and diabetes-induced hyperalgesia. This previously undescribed concept of metabolically driven hyperalgesia provides a new basis for the design of therapeutic interventions for painful diabetic neuropathy