Okara: A nutritionally valuable by-product able to stabilize lactobacillus plantarum during freeze-drying, spray-drying, and storage

Okara is a nutritionally valuable by-product produced in large quantities as result of soymilk elaboration. This work proposes its use as both culture and dehydration medium during freeze-drying, spray-drying, and storage of Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114. Whole and defatted okara were employed as culture media for L. plantarum CIDCA 83114. The growth kinetics were followed by plate counting and compared with those of bacteria grown in MRS broth (control). No significant differences in plate counting were observed in the three media. The fatty acid composition of bacteria grown in whole and defatted okara showed a noticeable increase in the unsaturated/saturated (U/S) fatty acid ratio, with regard to bacteria grown in MRS. This change was mainly due to the increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely C18:2. For dehydration assays, cultures in the stationary phase were neutralized and freeze-dried (with or without the addition of 250 mM sucrose) or spray-dried. Bacteria were plate counted immediately after freeze-drying or spray-drying and during storage at 4°C for 90 days. Freeze-drying in whole okara conducted to the highest bacterial recovery. Regarding storage, spray-dried bacteria previously grown in whole and defatted okara showed higher plate counts than those grown in MRS. On the contrary, freeze-dried bacteria previously grown in all the three culture media were those with the lowest plate counts. The addition of sucrose to the dehydration media improved their recovery. The higher recovery of microorganisms grown in okara after freeze-drying and spray-drying processes and during storage was ascribed to both the presence of fiber and proteins in the dehydration media, and the increase in U/S fatty acids ratio in bacterial membranes. The obtained results support for the first time the use of okara as an innovative matrix to deliver L. plantarum. Considering that okara is an agro-waste obtained in large quantities, these results represent an innovative strategy to add it value, providing a symbiotic ingredient with promising industrial applications in the development of novel functional foods and feeds.Fil: Quintana, Gabriel Sebastian. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Gerbino, Oscar Esteban. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Gomez Zavaglia, Andrea. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; Argentin

Plastic Bank : plástico social en Argentina

Fil: Ojea Quintana, Esteban. Universidad de San Andrés. Escuela de Negocios; Argentina."Cada año, ocho millones de toneladas de plástico se desechan en los océanos. Esto equivale a vaciar un camión por minuto. La contaminación plástica de los océanos es uno de los grandes problemas ambientales que enfrentamos en la actualidad. Pero no alcanza solamente con limpiarlos, es necesario atacar el problema desde la raíz. Una de las principales fuentes de esta contaminación son las grandes aglomeraciones urbanas con un alto nivel de pobreza ubicadas en regiones con salida al mar. Para frenar el flujo de los residuos plásticos hacia el océano, se deben encontrar formas innovadoras de incentivar su recolección. Plastic Bank propone hacerlo empoderando a los sectores más vulnerables de la población y revelando el verdadero valor del plástico. La idea de negocio es activar ecosistemas de reciclado en las regiones que más lo necesitan. Para ello se recompensa la recolección de plástico con pagos en efectivo, en moneda digital o con productos y servicios, que luego se envía a reciclar para obtener plástico social, Social Plastic®, y será vendido a industrias para la fabricación de sus productos. Finalmente el ciclo se cierra con el consumo responsable de una población que elige cada vez más marcas sustentables y respetuosas del medio ambiente. Una característica esencial es que Plastic Bank realiza sus transacciones a través de una plataforma propia basada en Blockchain, lo cual le brinda transparencia, trazabilidad y escalabilidad al modelo. Esta innovación tecnológica junto a la fuerza de su marca, sus alianzas y su expansión internacional son las principales ventajas competitivas de la empresa. Este trabajo final de graduación se va a enfocar en cómo implementar el modelo de negocio de Plastic Bank en Argentina. Para el desarrollo del trabajo me puse en contacto con la gente de Plastic Bank, y fue particularmente útil entrevistarme con Luiz Porto, country manager en Brasil, donde iniciaron las operaciones en octubre 2019. Se va a plantear un modelo de negocio muy interesante que ofrece una buena rentabilidad y escalabilidad, partiendo de una inversión inicial mínima. Pero además de la generación de beneficios, el proyecto tiene un incentivo especial para mí que le da un valor agregado, y es su propósito."Fernández Coya, Alejandr

Tributos cedidos y legislación autonómica

El presente trabajo analiza distintas cuestiones que plantea la cesión a las Comunidades Autónomas de determinadas competencias normativas sobre los tributos cedidos, en los términos previstos tras la reforma de 1996. Se describe primero el régimen de las competencias normativas autonómicas sobre los tributos cedidos, de acuerdo con las posibilidades ofrecidas por la LOFCA y la legislación ordinaria estatal que acoge el régimen de la cesión. Se realiza, a continuación, una recopilación sistematizada de la legislación dictada en esta materia por las Comunidades Autónomas y aplicable en los ejercicios de 1998 y 1999. Y se exponen, finalmente, los rasgos más característicos de la valoración doctrinal sobre la atribución de potestades normativas a las Comunidades Autónomas en esta materia. En una segunda parte se apuntan un conjunto de reflexiones sobre la titularidad y el ejercicio de todas estas competencias legislativas autonómicas. Desde una perspectiva formal, se tratan dos aspectos fundamentales: la discusión acerca de la naturaleza originaria o derivada de las citadas competencias y distintas cuestiones de técnica legislativa que se aprecian en las leyes estatales y autonómicas sobre los tributos cedidos. Desde un ámbito material, se pretende contrastar el grado de compatibilidad que se produce entre la legislación autonómica sobre los tributos cedidos y el contenido de los principios constitucionales de autonomía financiera, territorialidad e igualdad

Cormorants of the patagonian coast: population status, ecology and conservation

lo largo de la costa de Argentina nidifican cinco especies de cormoranes: el Cormorán Imperial (<i>Phalacrocorax atriceps</i>), el Cormorán Cuello Negro (<i>Phalacrocorax magellanicus</i>), el Cormorán Gris (<i>Phalacrocorax gaimardi</i>), el Biguá (<i>Phalacrocorax olivaceus</i>) y el Guanay (<i>Phalacrocorax bougainvillii</i>). En este trabajo se resume el estado del conocimiento actual, incluyendo información inédita, sobre los principales aspectos de la biología, la ecología, la abundancia y la distribución de las poblaciones de cormoranes en la costa argentina. Además, se presenta un análisis sobre los efectos y conflictos que las principales actividades humanas (transporte de petróleo, explotación guanera, turismo e interacciones con pesquerías) tienen sobre este grupo de aves marinas en la Patagonia argentina. Una serie de recomendaciones sobre estudios futuros para mejorar el manejo y la conservación de estas especies es presentada como conclusión del trabajo.Five species of cormorants breed along the Argentinean coast: Imperial Shag (<i>Phalacrocorax atriceps</i>), Rock Shag (<i>Phalacrocorax magellanicus</i>), Red-legged Shag (<i>Phalacrocorax gaimardi</i>), Neotropic Cormorant (<i>Phalacrocorax olivaceus</i>) and Guanay Shag (<i>Phalacrocorax bougainvillii</i>). This study presents the state of nowadays knowledge, including unpublished information, on different aspects of biology, ecology, abundance and distribution of cormorants’ populations in the Argentinean coast. It also presents an analysis of the effects and conflicts that the main human activities (oil transportation, guano explo.tation, tourism and interaction with fisheries) have on cormorants’ populations in the Argentinean Patagonia. Recommendations for future scientific studies to improve cormorant management and conservation are presented as the final conclusion of this study

Valorization of okara oil for the encapsulation of Lactobacillus plantarum

Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions of okara oil-caseinate (1:2; 1:3 and 1:4 O/W ratios) were used to encapsulate Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114. Once encapsulated, microorganisms were freeze-dried or spray-dried, and observed by scanning electronic and confocal microscopies. A physical characterization of the dehydrated capsules was carried out by determining their moisture content, water activity, particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential. Determining the induction times and peroxide values provided information about their susceptibility to oxidation. In turn, bacterial stability was analyzed by plate counting before and after freeze-drying and spray-drying, and during storage at 4 °C. Spray-dried emulsions had lower Z-sizes and polydispersity indexes, higher induction times and lower peroxide values than the freeze-dried ones, thus resulting better systems to protect L. plantarum CIDCA 83114. In addition, the culturability of spray-dried bacteria did not decrease neither after spray-drying nor up to 60 days of storage at 4 °C. The results showed that the better physical-chemical stability of spray-dried capsules determined the greater stability of microorganisms. This demonstrates the importance of defining adequate emulsions’ formulations for an efficient encapsulation of microorganisms, with promising applications in the development of novel functional foods.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento

Assessment of the Performance of Imputation Techniques in Observational Studies with Two Measurements

: In observational studies with two measurements when the measured outcome pertains to a health related quality of life (HRQoL) variable, one motivation of the research may be to determine the potential predictors of the mean change of the outcome of interest. It is very common in such studies for data to be missing, which can bias the results. Different imputation techniques have been proposed to cope with missing data in outcome variables. We compared five analysis approaches (Complete Case, Available Case, K- Nearest Neighbour, Propensity Score, and a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm) to assess their performance when handling missing data at different missingness rates and mechanisms (MCAR, MAR and MNAR). These strategies were applied to a pre-post study of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. We analyzed the relationship of the changes in subjects HRQoL over one year with clinical and socio-demographic characteristics. A simulation study was also performed to illustrate the performance of the imputation methods. Relative and standardized bias was assessed on each scenario. For all missingness mechanisms, not imputing and using MCMC method, both combined with mixed-model analysis, showed lowest standardized bias. Conversely, Propensity Score showed worst bias values. When missingness pattern is MCAR or MAR and rate small, we recommend using mixed models. Nevertheless, when missingness percentage is high, in order to gain sample size and statistical power, MCMC is preferred, although there are no bias differences compared with the mixed models without imputation. For a MNAR scenario, a further sensitivity analysis should be made

Valorization of okara oil for the encapsulation of Lactobacillus plantarum

Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions of okara oil-caseinate (1:2; 1:3 and 1:4 O/W ratios) were used to encapsulate Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114. Once encapsulated, microorganisms were freeze-dried or spray-dried, and observed by scanning electronic and confocal microscopies. A physical characterization of the dehydrated capsules was carried out by determining their moisture content, water activity, particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential. Determining the induction times and peroxide values provided information about their susceptibility to oxidation. In turn, bacterial stability was analyzed by plate counting before and after freeze-drying and spray-drying, and during storage at 4 °C. Spray-dried emulsions had lower Z-sizes and polydispersity indexes, higher induction times and lower peroxide values than the freeze-dried ones, thus resulting better systems to protect L. plantarum CIDCA 83114. In addition, the culturability of spray-dried bacteria did not decrease neither after spray-drying nor up to 60 days of storage at 4 °C. The results showed that the better physical-chemical stability of spray-dried capsules determined the greater stability of microorganisms. This demonstrates the importance of defining adequate emulsions’ formulations for an efficient encapsulation of microorganisms, with promising applications in the development of novel functional foods.Fil: Quintana, Gabriel Sebastian. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Gerbino, Oscar Esteban. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Gomez Zavaglia, Andrea. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; Argentin

Okara: A nutritionally valuable by-product able to stabilize <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> during freeze-drying, spray-drying, and storage

Okara is a nutritionally valuable by-product produced in large quantities as result of soymilk elaboration. This work proposes its use as both culture and dehydration medium during freeze-drying, spray-drying, and storage of Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114. Whole and defatted okara were employed as culture media for L. plantarum CIDCA 83114. The growth kinetics were followed by plate counting and compared with those of bacteria grown in MRS broth (control). No significant differences in plate counting were observed in the three media. The fatty acid composition of bacteria grown in whole and defatted okara showed a noticeable increase in the unsaturated/saturated (U/S) fatty acid ratio, with regard to bacteria grown in MRS. This change was mainly due to the increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely C18:2. For dehydration assays, cultures in the stationary phase were neutralized and freeze-dried (with or without the addition of 250 mM sucrose) or spray-dried. Bacteria were plate counted immediately after freeze-drying or spray-drying and during storage at 4°C for 90 days. Freeze-drying in whole okara conducted to the highest bacterial recovery. Regarding storage, spray-dried bacteria previously grown in whole and defatted okara showed higher plate counts than those grown in MRS. On the contrary, freeze-dried bacteria previously grown in all the three culture media were those with the lowest plate counts. The addition of sucrose to the dehydration media improved their recovery. The higher recovery of microorganisms grown in okara after freeze-drying and spray-drying processes and during storage was ascribed to both the presence of fiber and proteins in the dehydration media, and the increase in U/S fatty acids ratio in bacterial membranes. The obtained results support for the first time the use of okara as an innovative matrix to deliver L. plantarum. Considering that okara is an agro-waste obtained in large quantities, these results represent an innovative strategy to add it value, providing a symbiotic ingredient with promising industrial applications in the development of novel functional foods and feeds.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento

Valorization of okara oil for the encapsulation of <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i>

Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions of okara oil-caseinate (1:2; 1:3 and 1:4 O/W ratios) were used to encapsulate Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114. Once encapsulated, microorganisms were freeze-dried or spray-dried, and observed by scanning electronic and confocal microscopies. A physical characterization of the dehydrated capsules was carried out by determining their moisture content, water activity, particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential. Determining the induction times and peroxide values provided information about their susceptibility to oxidation. In turn, bacterial stability was analyzed by plate counting before and after freeze-drying and spray-drying, and during storage at 4 °C. Spray-dried emulsions had lower Z-sizes and polydispersity indexes, higher induction times and lower peroxide values than the freeze-dried ones, thus resulting better systems to protect L. plantarum CIDCA 83114. In addition, the culturability of spray-dried bacteria did not decrease neither after spray-drying nor up to 60 days of storage at 4 °C. The results showed that the better physical-chemical stability of spray-dried capsules determined the greater stability of microorganisms. This demonstrates the importance of defining adequate emulsions’ formulations for an efficient encapsulation of microorganisms, with promising applications in the development of novel functional foods.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento