An analytical approach to reveal the addition of heat-denatured whey proteins in lab-scale cheese making

A simple analytical procedure for the detection of self-aggregated heat-denatured whey proteins (HDWP) in model cheeses was developed. The principle of the approach lies in the solubilization of the cheese matrix by a sodium citrate solution (0.2 M, pH 7.0) resulting in the dissociation of the casein micelles and the insolubilization of HDWP aggregates, which are collected in the pellet after a centrifugation step. The reliability of the procedure was tested in lab-scale cheeses from peroxidase-positive pasteurized milk with different protein-based ingredients (microparticulated whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate, whey protein isolate and Ricotta cheese) at concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 1.2% protein (w/v on cheese milk). A linear relationship between the amount of the HDWP added to cheese milk and that recovered from model cheeses was observed. Heat-damage indicators, furosine and lysinoalanine, showed levels in the experimental cheese samples not related with added HDWP, but represented a source of information on the ingredients other than liquid milk. Overall, in the model cheeses, the proposed method was an easy-to-apply and reliable tool for the evaluation of the presence of HDWP-based products. Further investigation is required for the application to real cheeses and for the evaluation of possible interferences from proteolysis during ripening

Modeling and simulation of nuclear hybrid energy systems architectures

The transition toward a low-carbon energy system and the increasing penetration of variable renewable energy (VRE) sources translate into a pressing need for dispatchable and low-carbon power sources. Nuclear hybrid energy systems (NHES) exploit the synergies between nuclear power and other energy sources together with energy storage devices and a variety of electric and non-electric applications. The expected benefits range from a high flexibility being able to supporting an increasing penetration of the VRE while complying with the grid demand and constraints to an increased profitability brought by the production of commodities beyond electricity (e.g., hydrogen, heat, etc.). A dedicated framework must be developed to evaluate different NHES configurations, particularly with regard to the complex interconnections among the tightly coupled components. In this work, illustrative examples of NHES components were selected and modeled with the object-oriented modeling language Modelica and implemented in the Dymola simulation environment. The technologies considered in this study are a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) based on pressurized water technology, a thermal energy storage (TES) system, and an alkaline electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The dynamic models are then collected in a new Modelica library and assembled into a variety of NHES topologies using a plug-and-play approach. The time-dependent behavior of the NHES layout can be simulated under different operational contexts, enabling the monitoring of key process variables, supporting system design, exploring alternative control strategies, and analyzing different scenarios. The NHESs are investigated in two exemplary scenarios – one representing typical load conditions and the other featuring high VRE penetration – in order to demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach as an initial effort toward the development of a holistic framework for analyzing NHES. The dynamic models effectively met the analysis requirements, for instance, by tracking the production of commodities throughout each operational transient, which is an essential result for evaluating the performance of NHES. In this regard, efficiency is adopted as the figure of merit to compare the different NHES architectures, with simulation results indicating significant overall efficiency improvements in NHES incorporating TES and using nuclear heat to drive non-electric applications

Characterization of Whole Grain Pasta: Integrating Physical, Chemical, Molecular, and Instrumental Sensory Approaches

The consumption of whole-grain foodincluding pastahas been increasing steadily. In the case of whole-grain pasta, given the many different producers, it seems important to have some objective parameters to define its overall quality. In this study, commercial whole-grain pasta samples representative of the Italian market have been characterized from both molecular and electronic-senses (electronic nose and electronic tongue) standpoint in order to provide a survey of the properties of different commercial samples. Only 1 pasta product showed very low levels of heat damage markers (furosine and pyrraline), suggesting that this sample underwent to low temperature dry treatment. In all samples, the furosine content was directly correlated to protein structural indices, since protein structure compactness increased with increasing levels of heat damage markers. Electronic senses were able to discriminate among pasta samples according to the intensity of heat treatment during the drying step. Pasta sample with low furosine content was discriminated by umami taste and by sensors responding to aliphatic and inorganic compounds. Data obtained with this multidisciplinary approach are meant to provide hints for identifying useful indices for pasta quality. Practical ApplicationAs observed for semolina pasta, objective parameters based on heat-damage were best suited to define the overall quality of wholegrain pasta, almost independently of compositional differences among commercial samples. Drying treatments of different intensity also had an impact on instrumental sensory traits that may provide a reliable alternative to analytical determination of chemical markers of heat damage in all cases where there is a need for avoiding time-consuming procedures

Large-scale shifts in phytoplankton groups in the Equatorial Pacific during ENSO cycles

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drives important changes in the marine productivity of the Equatorial Pacific, in particular during major El Niño/La Niña transitions. Changes in environmental conditions associated with these climatic events also likely impact phytoplankton composition. In this work, the distribution of four major phytoplankton groups (nanoeucaryotes, Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, and diatoms) was examined between 1996 and 2007 by applying the PHYSAT algorithm to the ocean color data archive from the Ocean Color and Temperature Sensor (OCTS) and Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS). Coincident with the decrease in chlorophyll concentrations, a large-scale shift in the phytoplankton composition of the Equatorial Pacific, that was characterized by a decrease in Synechococcus and an increase in nanoeucaryote dominance, was observed during the early stages of both the strong El Niño of 1997 and the moderate El Niño of 2006. A significant increase in diatoms dominance was observed in the Equatorial Pacific during the 1998 La Niña and was associated with elevated marine productivity. An analysis of the environmental variables using a coupled physical-biogeochemical model (NEMO-PISCES) suggests that the Synechococcus dominance decrease during the two El Niño events was associated with an abrupt decline in nutrient availability (−0.9 to −2.5 μM NO3 month−1). Alternatively, increased nutrient availability (3 μM NO3 month−1) during the 1998 La Niña resulted in Equatorial Pacific dominance diatom increase. Despite these phytoplankton community shifts, the mean composition is restored after a few months, which suggests resilience in community structure

Obesity and physical activity in children of immigrants.

Childhood overweight and obesity have increased in recent decades, reaching alarming proportions. Children with a migrant background seem to be particularly at risk of developing overweight and obesity. This article provides an overview of the prevalence of overweight or obesity among North African (NA) children living in their own countries or as immigrants in Europe. The aim is to show the effect of the migration process on this trend and to discuss its possible contributing factors. Publications were identified by a systematic search of PubMed and the existing literature. Original longitudinal or cross-sectional studies on the prevalence of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity and of physical activity among ethnic groups from North Africa compared with the native population were reviewed. The results confirmed that children of NA origin in Europe have higher levels of overweight and obesity than the native ones, especially girls. However, this trend can also be detected in urban areas of NA countries. Important factors contributing to the increase of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents are discussed, in particular the westernization of eating habits, the level of physical activity and body image perception. The review shows that factors linked to acculturation in the host society and others maintained from the country of origin come into play in determining childhood overweight and obesity among NA immigrants in Europe. The importance of health promotion targeting the groups most at risk of childhood overweight and obesity, i.e. aspects of a healthy diet and the benefits of physical activity, is underlined

Comparison between BNP values measured in capillary blood samples with a POCT method and those measured in plasma venous samples with an automated platform

Letter to the Editor. Our data suggest that it is possible to measure BNP in fresh finger-stick samples of capillary whole blood with an acceptable reproducibility, and within 10 – 20 min to obtain results close correlated to those measured by the automated platform in plasma blood samples collected from a vein. The measurement of BNP in fresh finger-stick samples of capillary whole blood with this POCT method is in particular indicated for the management of HF patients at home and for the BNP assay in neonates and children

Systematic differences between BNP immunoassays: comparison of methods using standard protocols and quality control materials

Background: Recent studies suggested that there are marked systematic differences among BNP immunoassays. In this study we compared the BNP data and clinical results obtained with different immunoassays, including a new method (ST-AIA-PACK, TOSOH Corporation). Methods: BNP was measured on plasma-EDTA samples of healthy subjects (HS, n = 126) and patients with heart failure (HF, n = 31 NYHA I, II; n = 46 NYHA III, IV) using the ST-AIA-PACK and the Triage Biosite (Beckman Coulter) methods. Control samples distributed in the CardioOrmoCheck external quality assessment were also measured with TOSOH and the most used BNP immunoassays in Italy. Results: TOSOH method showed a good correlation (R = 0.976; n = 327) but a mean bias (−46.9%) compared to Triage Biosite. On the base of the results obtained in 10 samples of the CardioOrmoCheck study, TOSOH method showed a strict agreementwith ADVIA Centaur, while it underestimated BNP in comparisonwith Triage (−52.5%) and ARCHITECT methods (−39.4%). The agreement of ST-AIA-PACK and Triage Biosite methods for classification of HF patients was tested using 100 ng/L of BNP; the positive agreement between methods was 65%, overall agreement was 73%. Conclusions: Our results confirm that there are marked differences in measured values among commercial methods for BNP assay