The effect of olive fruit stoning on virgin olive oil aroma

Olive fruit stoning gives rise to an important modification in olive oil aroma. The level of this modification is a function of the cultivar. An increment in the content of six-carbon compounds (C6) was observed in olive oils obtained from the cultivars Verdial and Manzanilla, but not in the cultivar Picual. In the three cultivars under study, contents of five-carbon compounds (C5) and esters decreased as a consequence of fruit stoning. The modification of olive oil aroma composition in the cultivar Verdial caused by olive fruit stoning was observed to be due both to tissue wounding and to the absence of the olive seed during the crushing-malaxation process to obtain olive oil aroma. Both factors contribute independently to the content modification of C6, C5 compounds and esters in the olive oil aroma from stoned fruits.El deshuesado de la aceituna da lugar a una importante modificación del aroma del aceite de oliva virgen. La intensidad de esta modificación es característica de cada variedad. En los aceites obtenidos de aceitunas Verdial y Manzanilla se produce un incremento en el contenido de los compuestos de seis átomos de carbono (C6) que no se detecta en la variedad Picual. En las tres variedades estudiadas se observa un descenso del contenido de compuestos de cinco átomos de carbono (C5) así como del contenido en ésteres. En la variedad Verdial se ha comprobado que la modificación del aroma como consecuencia del deshuesado del fruto se debe tanto al daño tisular generado durante este proceso como a la ausencia de la semilla durante la molturación de la aceituna. Ambos factores contribuyen de forma independiente a la modificación del contenido de compuestos C6, C5 y ésteres en el aroma del aceite de oliva virgen procedente de aceituna deshuesada.El trabajo se ha realizado en el marco del Proyecto de Investigación AGL2002-02307 del Programa Nacional de Recursos y Tecnologías Agroalimentarias.Peer reviewe

Reduced responsiveness is an essential feature of chronic fatigue syndrome: A fMRI study

BACKGROUND: Although the neural mechanism of chronic fatigue syndrome has been investigated by a number of researchers, it remains poorly understood. METHODS: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we studied brain responsiveness in 6 male chronic fatigue syndrome patients and in 7 age-matched male healthy volunteers. Responsiveness of auditory cortices to transient, short-lived, noise reduction was measured while subjects performed a fatigue-inducing continual visual search task. RESULTS: Responsiveness of the task-dependent brain regions was decreased after the fatigue-inducing task in the normal and chronic fatigue syndrome subjects and the decrement of the responsiveness was equivalent between the 2 groups. In contrast, during the fatigue-inducing period, although responsiveness of auditory cortices remained constant in the normal subjects, it was attenuated in the chronic fatigue syndrome patients. In addition, the rate of this attenuation was positively correlated with the subjective sensation of fatigue as measured using a fatigue visual analogue scale, immediately before the magnetic resonance imaging session. CONCLUSION: Chronic fatigue syndrome may be characterised by attenuation of the responsiveness to stimuli not directly related to the fatigue-inducing task

Khat Use Is Associated with Impaired Working Memory and Cognitive Flexibility

Rationale Khat consumption has increased during the last decades in Eastern Africa and has become a global phenomenon spreading to ethnic communities in the rest of the world, such as The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Very little is known, however, about the relation between khat use and cognitive control functions in khat users. Objective We studied whether khat use is associated with changes in working memory (WM) and cognitive flexibility, two central cognitive control functions. Methods Khat users and khat-free controls were matched in terms of sex, ethnicity, age, alcohol and cannabis consumption, and IQ (Raven's progressive matrices). Groups were tested on cognitive flexibility, as measured by a Global-Local task, and on WM using an N-back task. Result Khat users performed significantly worse than controls on tasks tapping into cognitive flexibility as well as monitoring of information in WM. Conclusions The present findings suggest that khat use impairs both cognitive flexibility and the updating of information in WM. The inability to monitor information in WM and to adjust behavior rapidly and flexibly may have repercussions for daily life activities

A Knowledge-Based System for the Diagnosis of Alzheimer`s Disease

Oehm S, Siessmeier T, Buchholz HG, Bartenstein P, Uthmann T. A Knowledge-Based System for the Diagnosis of Alzheimer`s Disease. In: Dojat M, Keravnou E, Barahona P, eds. Artificial intelligence in medicine. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol 2780. Berlin: Springer; 2003: 117-121