A study of the effect of dietary fiber fractions obtained from artichoke (<i>Cynara cardunculus L. var. scolymus</i>) on the growth of intestinal bacteria associated with health

The effect of different fractions enriched in soluble fiber obtained from artichoke using citric acid or citric acid/hemicellulase on the selective growth of Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 and Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11863 was evaluated. Gompertz modeling of Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 growth showed a higher specific growth rate (μ: 0.16 h−1) in the presence of fractions isolated from stems using hemicellulase (fraction A) than in the presence of glucose (μ: 0.09 h−1). In the case of Bifidobacterium bifidum 11863, the highest μ was obtained for the microorganism grown in the presence of fraction A and for the fraction isolated from stems without hemicellulase, their rate being twice that observed for glucose (0.04 h−1). The positive prebiotic activity scores observed with respect to Escherichia coli 25922 indicated that fibers assayed are metabolized as well as glucose by Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 and Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11863 and that they are selectively metabolized by these microorganisms. The potential capacity to selectively stimulate the growth of intestinal bacteria associated with health shown by fraction A can be ascribed to its high inulin and low methylation degree pectin contents.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento

Cassava Starch Films with Anthocyanins and Betalains from Agroindustrial by-Products: Their Use for Intelligent Label Development

The development of biodegradable packaging materials has become a widely addressed topic in recent years. Microparticles generated from Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra (red cabbage, RC) and Beta vulgaris L. var. conditiva (beetroot, BR) which contained anthocyanins or betalains, were included in the formulation of edible films based on cassava starch (CS) giving origin to films CSRC, CSBR, or CSBC (mixture of both particles). The inclusion of the filler determined an increase in the stress at rupture from 0.8 MPa (CS) to 1.2 MPa (CSRC) or 1.0 MPa (CSBC), of the contact angle from 2.6&deg; to 13.8&deg; (CSBR) or 19.6&deg; (CSBC). The use of these films for developing a smart label for hake packaging and the study of the TBV-N content, the microbiological characteristics of the muscle, and the color changes of the label with time, allowed us to conclude that the films CSRC and CSBC would be suitable for sensing the deterioration of packaged and chilled hake and that the color change of the label CSBC was completely consistent with fish muscle deterioration. As the microparticles can be obtained from by-products of the production and industrialization of plant tissues, the composite films and the smart labels developed can contribute not only to the development of safe food but also to the addition of value to those residues and to environmental protection

How to build a puncture- A nd breakage-resistant eggshell? Mechanical and structural analyses of avian brood parasites and their hosts

Evolved eggshell strength is greater in several lineages of obligate avian brood parasites (birds that lay their eggs in other species' nests) than in their hosts. Greater strength is typically indirectly implied by eggshell thickness comparisons between parasites and hosts. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence that the eggshell structural organization differentially influences its mechanical properties. Using instrumental puncture tests and SEM/EBSD and XRD techniques, we studied the most relevant eggshell mechanical, textural, ultrastructural and microstructural features between several host species and their parasitic cowbirds (Molothrus spp.). These parasitic species display different egg-destructive behaviors, reducing host reproductive fitness, including the more frequently host-egg puncturing M. rufoaxillaris and M. bonariensis, and the host egg-removing M. ater. The results, analyzed using a phylogenetic comparative approach, showed interspecific patterns in the mechanical and structural features. Overall, the eggshells of the two egg-puncturing parasites (but not of M. ater) were stronger, stiffer and required greater stress to produce a fracture than the respective hosts' eggs. These features were affected by eggshell microstructure and ultrastructure, related to the increase in the intercrystalline boundary network acting in cooperation with the increase in palisade layer thickness. Both structural features generate more options and greater lengths of intercrystalline paths, increasing the energy consumed in crack or fissure propagation. The reported patterns of all these diverse eggshell features support a new set of interpretations, confirming several hypotheses regarding the impact of the two reproductive strategies (parasitic versus parental) and parasitic egg destruction behaviors (more versus less frequently puncturing).Fil: López, Analía V.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Bolmaro, Raul Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Avalos, Martina Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Gerschenson, Lía N.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Industrias; ArgentinaFil: Reboreda, Juan Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Fiorini, Vanina Dafne. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Tartalini, Vanina Mercedes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET - Rosario. Unidad de Administración Territorial; ArgentinaFil: Risso, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET - Rosario. Unidad de Administración Territorial; ArgentinaFil: Hauber, Mark E.. University of Illinois; Estados Unido