Effect of dietary vitamin E content on the CLA, cholesterol and triglycerides composition of Italian Mediterranean buffalo meat

The composition of fatty acids, CLA, triglycerides and cholesterol in intramuscular fat depots of buffalo meat was determined using high-resolution gas chromatography to investigate the influence of dietary vitamin E content. Three groups of Italian Mediterranean buffalo calves were fed on three diets with high (H), low (L) and zero (Z) vitamin E contents. The animal were slaughtered at 15 months and three muscles were dissected on the half-carcass: Longissimus dorsi (LD), Tricipitis brachii (TB) and Semimembranosus (Sm). Lipid extracts from muscles (g/100g f.m.: 0.82 for LD, 0.66 for TB and 0.48 for Sm) were used to quantify the amount (mg/100g of lipids) of fatty acids, total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and cholesterol. The effects of dietary vitamin E content were significant (P<0.05) but marginal. Comparison of lipid extracts from muscles showed that C18:2 and total CLA were higher respectively in TB and Sm muscles when vitamin content was low. Also Cholesterol content variation was affected by low dietary vitamin E: LD muscle has a lower cholesterol concentration for diet L. The different vitamin content of two diets did not significantly influence the composition of triglycerides. Considering the low lipid concentrations (<1g/100 g of fresh muscle) none of the meat muscles should be considered a significant source of CLA

From flower to honey bouquet: possible markers for the botanical origin of Robinia honey.

Flowers are complex structures devoted to pollinator attraction, through visual as well as chemical signals. As bees collect nectar on flowers to produce honey, some aspects of floral chemistry are transferred to honey, making chemical markers an important technique to identify the botanical and geographical origins of honey. We applied a new approach that considers the simultaneous analysis of different floral parts (petals, stamens + pistils, calyxes + nectarines, and nectar) and the corresponding unifloral honey. We collected fresh flowers of Robinia pseudoacacia L. (black locust), selected five samples of Robinia honey from different geographical origins, applied SPME-GC/MS for volatile analyses, and defined the chemical contribution added by different floral parts to the honey final bouquet. Our results show that honey blends products from nectar as well as other flower parts. Comparing honey and flower profiles, we detected compounds coming directly from flower parts but not present in the nectar, such as hotrienol and β-pinene. These may turn out to be of special interest when selecting floral markers for the botanical origin of honey

Physical and Oxidative Stability of Functional olive Oil-in-Water Emulsions Formulated Using Olive Mill Wastewater and Whey Proteins

The present paper reports on the use of phenolic extracts from olive mill wastewater (OMW) in model olive oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions to study their effect on their physical and chemical stability. Spray-dried OMW polyphenols were added to a model 20% olive O/W emulsion stabilized with whey protein isolate (WPI) and xanthan gum, in phosphate buffer solution at pH 7. The emulsions were characterised under accelerated storage conditions (40 °C) up to 30 days. Physical stability was evaluated by analysing the creaming rate, mean particle size distribution and mean droplet size, viscosity and rheological properties, while chemical stability was assessed through the measurement of primary and secondary oxidation products. The rheological behaviour and creaming stability of the emulsions were dramatically improved by using xanthan gum, whereas the concentration of WPI and the addition of encapsulated OMW phenolics did not result in a significant improvement of physical stability. The formation of oxidation products was higher when higher concentrations of encapsulated polyphenols were used, indicating a possible binding with the WPI added in the system as a natural emulsifier. This paper might help in solving the issue of using the olive mill wastewater from olive processing in formulating functional food products with high antioxidant activity and improved health properties

Volatile Organic Compound and Fatty Acid Profile of Milk from Cows and Buffaloes Fed Mycorrhizal or Nonmycorrhizal Ensiled Forage

Seed inoculation of forage crops by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) generally results in higher profitability, but also modifies the chemical composition of silage in terms of increased biomass, protein, and dry matter. Raw milk aroma is affected by the type of feed. This work investigated the influence of ensiled forage obtained by seed inoculation with AMF on the volatile fractions and fatty acid composition of milk. Two experiments were carried out: in the first, buffaloes were fed maize silage, and in the second, cows were fed sorghum silage. The volatile fractions of milk were quantified by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME), combined with gas chromatography&#8211;mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and fatty acids by gas chromatography (GC). The ensiled forage obtained with AMF increased saturated fatty acids (SFAs), and decreased monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in both experiments. The volatile fraction in milk samples obtained from bovines fed mycorrhizal ensiled forage showed an increase of free fatty acids and ketones, responsible for cheesy and fruity odors. Aldehydes, responsible for green and grassy notes, increased only in the milk from buffaloes fed ensiled maize. Our results suggest that inoculation of maize and sorghum seed with AMF, combined with a low rate of fertilizers, leads to ensiled forage that could slightly affect the FA profile and odor quality of milk

Hay or silage? How the forage preservation method changes the volatile compounds and sensory properties of Caciocavallo cheese.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the forage preservation method (silage vs. hay) on volatile compounds and sensory properties of a traditional Caciocavallo cheese during ripening. A brown-midrib sudangrass hybrid was cultivated on a 7-ha field and at harvesting it was half ensiled in plastic silo bags and half dried to hay. Forty-four lactating cows were equally allotted into 2 groups fed a isonitrogenous and isoenergetic total mixed ration containing as the sole forage either sorghum hay (H group) or sorghum silage (S group). Milk from the 2 groups was used to produce 3 batches/diet of Caciocavallo ripened for 30, 60, and 90 d. Milk yield and composition as well as cheese chemical and fatty acid composition were not markedly affected by the diet treatment and ripening time. By contrast, ripening induced increased levels of the appearance attribute "yellowness," along with the "overall flavor," the odor/flavor attributes "butter" and "hay," the "salty," "bitter," and "umami" tastes, and the texture attribute "oiliness," whereas the appearance attribute "uniformity" and the texture attribute "elasticity" were reduced. The silage-based diet induced higher perceived intensities of several attributes such as "yellowness"; "overall flavor"; "butter"; "grass" and "hay" odor/flavors; "salty," "bitter," and "umami" tastes; and "tenderness" and "oiliness" textures. In S cheese we also observed higher amounts of ketones and fatty acids. Conversely, H cheese showed the terpene α-pinene, which was not detected in S cheese, and a higher intensity of the appearance attribute "uniformity." These differences allowed the trained panel to discriminate the products, determined an increased consumer liking for 90-d ripened cheese, and tended to increase consumer liking for hay cheese

Sensory profile of P.D.O. Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Cheese

The aim of this work was to define the typical sensory profile of DOP Mozzarella di Bufala Campana cheese as related to the technological process (industrial or artisanal), the geographical area (Salerno or Caserta), the season (spring or summer) and to the chemical composition of both milk and cheese. The results obtained showed that the sensorial profile of Mozzarella DOP changed for each variable considered. In particular, Caserta samples were more salty, with a more intense butter odour, higher peelability and homogeneity surface than those from Salerno area; the industrial samples, compared to the artisanal ones, were more salty, hard and "chewable", and exhibited an external layer more difficult to remove and more homogeneous

Forecast model for the evaluation of economic resources employed in the health care of patients with HIV infection

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The total health care cost for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients has constantly grown in recent years. To date, there is no information about how this trend will behave over the next few years. The aim of the present study is to define a pharmacoeconomic model for the forecast of the costs of a group of chronically treated patients followed over the period 2004-2009.; METHODS: A pharmacoeconomics model was built to describe the probability of transition among different health states and to modify the therapy over time. A Markov model was applied to evaluate the temporal evolution of the average cost. The health care resources exploited during hospitalization were analyzed by using an "activity-based costing" method.; RESULTS: The Markov model showed that the mean total cost, after an initial increase, tended to remain stable. A total of 20 clinical records were examined. The average daily cost for each patient was EUR 484.42, with a cost for admission of EUR 6781.88.; CONCLUSION: The treatment of HIV infection in compliance with the guidelines is also effective from the payer perspective, as it allows a good health condition to be maintained and reduces the need and the costs of hospitalizations

Quantification of HIV-1 proviral DNA in patients with undetectable plasma viremia over long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy

n/