Storage stability of L-citrulline in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) juices / Estabilidade em armazenamento de L-citrulina em sucos de pepino (Cucumis sativus) e melancia (Citrullus lanatus)

Since foods rich in L-citrulline are important for vascular health, it is important to determine the amount of this compounds in foods present in the human diet. Therefore, the present study evaluated storage stability of L-citrulline in cucumber rind and pulp juices and to compare them with watermelon rind and pulp juices. The L-citrulline stability was evaluated for 12 days at refrigerated condition (4 ºC). Since L-arginine is an amino acid involved in L-citrulline metabolism, L-arginine content was also evaluated. On the initial day, L-citrulline content in cucumber rind and pulp was lower when compared to watermelon rind and pulp juices, respectively. A significative reduction in L-citrulline content in cucumber rind and pulp and watermelon pulp juices was observed in day 6 and day 12 when compared to the first day. However, L-citrulline content was stable for 12 days in watermelon rind juice. A significative reduction in L-arginine content was also observed in cucumber pulp and watermelon pulp juices, but not in cucumber rind and watermelon rind juices in day 6 and day 12 when compared to the first day. The results suggested that L-citrulline in cucumber rind and pulp and watermelon pulp juices were unstable at refrigerated conditions for 12 days.    

Evaluation of total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity of different commercial cocoa (theobroma cacao) powders) / Avaliação do teor de polifenóis totais e capacidade antioxidante de diferentes pós comerciais de cacau (theobroma cacao)

Polyphenols from cocoa have been demonstrated to reduce blood pressure and improve endothelial function in hypertensive individuals. However, polyphenols content in commercial cocoa products may be lost during fermentation, alkalinization, and/or roasting process, impairing its bioactivity. Therefore, the current study sought to investigate whether total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity are preserved among commercial cocoa powders. Four best-selling 100% cocoa powder products in Brazil (Garoto®, Nestle®, Mãe Terra®, and Hershey®) and one alkalinized 100% cocoa powder product (Hershey®) were examined. The total polyphenols content was determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteu’s phenol reagent and antioxidant capacity by using 22,2’-azino-bis (3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) method. No significant difference in total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity among the brand of natural powder products (Garoto®, Nestle®, Mãe Terra®, and Hershey®) was observed. However, Alkalinized cocoa powder (Hershey®) exhibited significantly lower total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity compared to other brands of natural cocoa powder products. The current study showed that total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity are consistent between natural cocoa powder products. However, total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity of cocoa are reduced during the alkalinization process.  

Physicochemical and protein profile of goat whey powder

ABSTRACT: The cheese after processing, generates whey, which is a residue that has potential benefit to human health. However, there are still few studies that seek to evaluate the composition and potential benefits of goat milk whey, even though it is a promising dairy source. Despite this, the large-scale generation of this waste can favor the environmental impact when improperly disposed of. Given this, the use of all content of dairy production can reverse this impact and increase the income of the dairy industry. Thus, this research prepared a powdered product based on goat’s milk whey from the spray drying technique and evaluate its physicochemical composition by chemical analytical methods and protein profile through polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The elaborated product had a higher carbohydrate content than protein, and the identification of protein fractions showed that the most expressive bands represented beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactoalbumin. Therefore, the elaborated product has the potential to generate novel products for human consumption and with potential health benefits

Beetroot-based gel supplementation improves handgrip strength, forearm muscle O2 saturation but not exercise tolerance and blood volume in jiu-jitsu athletes.

The ergogenic effect of beetroot on the exercise performance of trained cyclists, runners, kayakers, and swimmers has been demonstrated. However, whether or not beetroot supplementation presents a beneficial effect on the exercise performance of jiu-jitsu athletes (JJA) remains inconclusive. Therefore, present study assessed the effect of beetroot-based gel (BG) supplementation on maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), exercise time until fatigue (ETF), muscle O2 saturation (SmO2), blood volume (tHb), and plasma nitrate and lactate in response to handgrip isotonic exercise (HIE) in JJA. In a randomized, crossover, double-blind design, 12 JJA performed three sets of HIE at 40% of the MVC until fatigue after 8 days (8th dose was offered 120 min previous exercise) of BG supplementation or a nitrate-depleted gel (PLA), and forearm SmO2 and tHb were continuously monitored by using near-infrared spectroscopy. Blood samples were taken before, immediately after exercise, and 20 min after exercise recovery in PLA and BG condition. MVC was evaluated at baseline and 20 min after HIE. There was a significant reduction in â MVC decline after HIE in BG condition. Forearm SmO2 during exercise recovery was significantly greater only after BG supplementation. No significant difference in ETF and tHb were observed between both BG and PLA in response to HIE. Plasma nitrate increased only after BG, whereas the exercise-induced increase in plasma lactate was significantly lower in BG when compared to PLA. In conclusion, BG supplementation may be a good nutritional strategy to improve forearm SmO2 and prevent force decline in response to exercise in JJA.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Rare variation of the right internal jugular vein: a case study

Abstract This study reports on a rare variation of the right internal jugular vein (IJV) identified during routine anatomic dissection of a male cadaver. The right IJV had a tributary located parallel and medially to the IJV itself. This branch of the IJV emerged between the transverse processes of the 3rd and 4th cervical vertebrae and drained into the junction between the right internal jugular and brachiocephalic veins. The present study described a rare branch of the right IJV, which is important knowledge for surgeons, in order to prevent accidental injury and bleeding during surgical procedures

Association between Femoral Artery Flow-Mediated Dilation and Muscle Oxygen Saturation Parameters in Healthy, Young Individuals

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and muscle oxygen saturation (StO2) are measurements utilized to assess macro- and microvascular function, respectively. Macro- and microvascular dysfunction may occur differently depending on the clinical condition. Since microvascular responsiveness can influence upstream conduit artery hemodynamics, the present study aimed to investigate whether a correlation between FMD and muscle StO2 parameters exists. Sixteen healthy, young individuals were enrolled in this study. Femoral artery FMD and tibial anterior muscle StO2 were evaluated by ultrasound and near-infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The FMD and muscle StO2 parameters were assessed by employing a vascular occlusion test (VOT). The oxygen resaturation rate was determined by calculating the upslope of StO2 immediately after occlusion and the magnitude of reperfusion as the difference between the highest and lowest StO2 value achieved during the reperfusion phase. The oxygen desaturation rate and the magnitude of desaturation during the VOT were also evaluated. A significant correlation between the FMD and oxygen resaturation rate (r = 0.628; p = 0.009), magnitude of reperfusion (r = 0.568; p = 0.022), oxygen desaturation rate (r = −0.509; p = 0.044), and magnitude of desaturation (r = 0.644; p = 0.007) was observed. This study demonstrated a moderate association between the femoral artery FMD and tibial anterior StO2 parameters in young individuals