Meat substitutes : Resource demands and environmental footprints

FThe modern food system is characterized with high environmental impact, which is in many cases associated with increased rates of animal production and overconsumption. The adoption of alternatives to meat proteins (insects, plants, mycoprotein, microalgae, cultured meat, etc.) might potentially influence the environmental impact and human health in a positive or negative way but could also trigger indirect impacts with higher consumption rates. Current review provides a condensed analysis on potential environmental impacts, resource consumption rates and unintended trade-offs associated with integration of alternative proteins in complex global food system in the form of meat substitutes. We focus on emissions of greenhouse gases, land use, non-renewable energy use and water footprint highlighted for both ingredients used for meat substitutes and ready products. The benefits and limitations of meat substitution are highlighted in relation to a weight and protein content. The analysis of the recent research literature allowed us to define issues, that require the attention of future studies.Peer reviewe

Eggs or meat? Environmental impact and efficiency assessment of chicken protein production with potential of Hermetia illucens use in feed

This study presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) comparing laying hen to broiler chicken production. Sustainability and protein conversion efficiency are considered. The protein-to-protein conversion was calculated per 1t of feed protein consumed by birds and per 1 kg of protein in end products for human consumption. Additionally, a part of the commercial feed was replaced by live black soldier fly larvae, reared on Gainesville diet, and fruit and vegetable waste (FVW). Results of the LCA showed significant differences in integrated impacts between different production systems and different chicken feeds but not between different insect feeds. The most environmentally friendly scenario is insect (FVW) fed broiler. In protein conversion efficiency (PCE) assessment, laying hen production achieved better PCE than broiler chicken when protein quality is considered. Main influencing factors on results were feed production, composition, and protein content. Due to many assumptions made, results should be viewed critically

CERAMIC FACADE CLADDING AS AN ELEMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Building in harmony with nature has a small impact on the environment, while meeting the basic needs of the population. Green architecture is a branch of architecture including planning, designing and building of various kinds of buildings, with a low impact on the environment.Construction of the so-called “green structures” is in accord with the concept of sustainability and it attempts to balance environmental, economical and social needs.Environmentally appropriate materials are used in construction of this type of structures, which during their production, application and distribution pollute as little as possible the water, soil and air in the environment.The more sustainable the building materials used for construction are, the more sustainable is the structure and its operation with renewable energy sources. The paper considers ceramic facade elements, i.e. cladding. By using ceramic facade cladding, one achieves a better preception of an urban environment, which enriches our lives for new sensual and visual quality, while observing the green building requirements

Eggs or meat? Environmental impact and efficiency assessment of chicken protein production with potential of Hermetia illucens use in feed

This study presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) comparing laying hen to broiler chicken production. Sustainability and protein conversion efficiency are considered. The protein-to-protein conversion was calculated per 1t of feed protein consumed by birds and per 1 kg of protein in end products for human consumption. Additionally, a part of the commercial feed was replaced by live black soldier fly larvae, reared on Gainesville diet, and fruit and vegetable waste (FVW). Results of the LCA showed significant differences in integrated impacts between different production systems and different chicken feeds but not between different insect feeds. The most environmentally friendly scenario is insect (FVW) fed broiler. In protein conversion efficiency (PCE) assessment, laying hen production achieved better PCE than broiler chicken when protein quality is considered. Main influencing factors on results were feed production, composition, and protein content. Due to many assumptions made, results should be viewed critically

Chicken: feed or insects, eggs or meat?

• Broiler production has slightly higher protein efficiency than egg production • Laying hen production achieved higher single score results than broiler production • The production of feed has by far the largest share of the environmental impact of the entire production • Decrease of environmental impact due to introduction of larva

Chicken: feed or insects, eggs or meat?

• Broiler production has slightly higher protein efficiency than egg production • Laying hen production achieved higher single score results than broiler production • The production of feed has by far the largest share of the environmental impact of the entire production • Decrease of environmental impact due to introduction of larva

Fluoroarene Complexes with Small Bite Angle Bisphosphines : Routes to Amine–Borane and Aminoborylene Complexes

Fluoroarene complexes of the small bite angle bisphosphine Cy2PCH2PCy2 (dcpm) have been prepared: [Rh(dcpm)(η6-1,2-F2C6H4)][Al{OC(CF3)3}4] and [Rh(dcpm)(η6-1,2,3-F3C6H3)][Al{OC(CF3)3}4]. These complexes act as precursors to a previously inaccessible σ-amine–borane complex [Rh(dcpm)(η2-H3B·NMe3)][Al{OC(CF3)3}4] of a small bite-angle phosphine. This complex is a poor catalyst for the dehydrocoupling of H3B·NMe2H. Instead, formation of the bridging borylene complex [{RhH(µ-dcpm)}2(µ-H)(µ-BNMe2)][Al{OC(CF3)3}4] occurs, which has been studied by NMR, mass spectrometry, crystallographic and DFT techniques. This represents a new route to bridging borylene complexes

Analysis of nuclear glucocorticoid receptor-DNA interaction in aged rat liver

Abstract: In order to contribute to the understanding of mechanisms by which regulatory proteins recognize genetic information stored in DNA, analyses of their interaction with specific nucleotides are usually performed. In this study, the electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) was applied to analyze the interaction of nuclear proteins from the liver of rats of different age i.e., young (3-month-old), middle- aged (12-month-old) and aged (24-month-old), with radioactively labelled synthetic oligonucleotide analogues, corresponding to GRE. The levels of GRE binding activity were assessed by quantitative densitometric scanning of the autoradiograms. The results showed statistically significant decreasing values of up to 78% and 49% in middle aged and old animals, respectively, compared to young animals (p LT 0.05). The specificity of the nuclear proteins-GRE interaction was demonstrated by competition experiments with unlabelled GRE. In a supershift assay, using the antibody BuGR2, it was shown that the GR proteins present in nuclear extracts have a high affinity for the GRE probe. The stabilities of the protein-DNA complexes were analysed and it was concluded that they changed during ageing.U cilju doprinosa razumevanju mehanizama pomoću kojih regulatorni proteini prepoznaju genetičku informaciju koju nosi DNK, analiziraju se njihove interakcije sa specifičnim nukleotidima. U ovom radu je metodom EMSA analizirana interakcija jedarnih proteina iz jetri pacova iz tri starosne grupe (mladi - 3 meseca, srednje doba – 12 meseci i stari – 24 meseca) sa sintetičkim, radioaktivno obeleženim, oligonukleotidnim analogom GRE. Nivo vezujuće aktivnosti GRE je određivan kvantitativno denzitometrijskom autoradiografijom. Rezultati su pokazali da postoji statistički značajan pad vrednosti GRE-vezujuće aktivnosti do 78% kod životinja srednjeg starosnog doba i do 49 % kod starih životinja, u poređenju sa vrednostima dobijenim za mlade životinje (p LT 0.05). Specifičnost interakcije jedarnih proteina i GRE je određena eksperimentima kompeticije sa neobeleženim GRE. Korišćenjem antitela BuGR2 pokazano je da je glukokortikoidni receptor protein koji u jedarnom ekstraktu ima najveći afinitet za GRE probu. Analizirana je stabilnost kompleksa protein-DNK i zaključeno je da se menja tokom starenja

Olive leaf extract modulates cold restraint stress-induced oxidative changes in rat liver

Recently, the beneficial effects of different single doses of standardized dry olive (Olea europaea L.) leaf extract (OLE) in cold restraint stress (CRS)-induced gastric lesions in rats and its influence on oxidative parameters in gastric mucosa were demonstrated. The present study was undertaken to investigate the long-term pretreatment efficacy of OLE and its potential in the modulation of CRS- induced oxidative changes at the liver level. The experimental animals were divided into four groups, i.e., control, OLE-treated, CRS non-treated and CRS treated with OLE (CRS+OLE) groups. CRS caused severe gastric lesions in all non-pretreated animals and two-week pretreatment with OLE (80 mg per kg of body weight) attenuated stress-induced gastric lesions significantly. The malondialdehyde (MDA) level as an index of lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were measured spectrophotometrically in liver tissue homogenates. The MDA level was increased in the CRS group and significantly decreased in the CRS+OLE group. The SOD and CAT activities were significantly decreased in the CRS group. In the CRS+OLE group, the activities of these two enzymes were significantly increased in comparison with the CRS group. The results obtained indicate that long-term supplementation with OLE provides oxidant/antioxidant balance in liver during stress condition.Nedavno su pokazani povoljni efekti različitih pojedinačnih doza standardizovanog ekstrakta lista masline (Olea europaea L.) na želudačne lezije pacova indukovane imobilizacionim stresom ubrzanim hladnoćom (CRS) i njegov uticaj na parametre oksidativnog stresa u želudačnoj sluznici. U ovoj studiji ispitivan je efekat dugotrajnog pretretmana listom masline i njegov potencijal u modulaciji CRS-om indukovanih oksidativnih promena na nivou jetre. Eksperimentalne životinje su podeljene u četiri grupe: kontrolna, tretirana ekstraktom lista masline (OLE), CRS i grupa kod koje je CRS tretiran ekstraktom (CRS+OLE). CRS je prouzrokovao ozbiljna oštećenja želuca kod svih nepretretiranih životinja, a dvonedeljni pretretman sa OLE (80 mg kg-1 t.t.) značajno je smanjio stresom indukovane želudačne lezije. Malondialdehid (MDA), kao pokazatelj lipidne peroksidacije, aktivnosti superoksid-dismutaze (SOD) i katalaze (CAT) mereni su spektrofotometrijski u homogenatima tkiva jetre. Nivo MDA se značajno povećao u CRS grupi, a potom značajno smanjio u CRS+OLE grupi. Aktivnosti SOD i CAT bile su značajno smanjene u CRS grupi, dok je u CRS+OLE grupi životinja aktivnost ova dva enzima znatno povećana u poređenju sa CRS grupom. Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju na to da dugotrajno prehranjivanje ekstraktom lista masline pomaže uspostavljanje oksidativne-antioksidativne ravnoteže u jetri tokom stresa