Discovery of urinary biomarkers of seaweed intake using untargeted lc–ms metabolomics in a three-way cross-over human study

Seaweeds are a marine source rich in potentially bioactive components, and therefore have attracted attention since the middle of the twentieth century. Accurate and objective assessment of the intake of seaweeds to study their health effects is hampered by a lack of validated intake biomarkers. In this three-armed, randomized, cross-over study, an untargeted metabolomics approach was applied for discovering novel intake biomarkers. Twenty healthy participants (9 men and 11 women) were provided each of three test meals in a randomized order: 5 g of Laminaria digitate (LD), 5 g of Undaria pinnatifida (UP), or a control meal with energy-adjusted pea protein. Four urine samples and a 24 h pooled urine were collected along with blood samples at seven time-points. All samples were profiled by LC-ESI-QTOF-MS and the data were analyzed by univariate analysis and excretion kinetics to select putative intake biomarkers. In total, four intake biomarkers were selected from urine samples. They were identified as hydroxyl-dihydrocoumarin at Level III, loliolid glucuronide at level I, and isololiolid glucuronide at level II, while the last one remains unknown. Further identification and validation of these biomarkers by a cross-sectional study is essential to assess their specificity and robustness

Advisory needs of farmers from wielkopolska region of economics and agricultural production technology

W pracy przedstawiono wyniki badań ankietowych przeprowadzonych wśród wielkopolskich rolników. Dotyczyły one identyfikacji potrzeb w zakresie doradztwa technologicznego i ekonomicznego. Respondenci zadeklarowali duże zainteresowanie zdobyciem wiedzy w zakresie technologii wytwarzania, szczególnie w zakresie kierunku produkcji dominującego w ich gospodarstwach. Doradztwo ekonomiczne, pomimo obiektywnie dużego znaczenia, nie zostało uznane przez większość badanych rolników za ważne. Stan taki wskazuje na konieczność modyfikacji podejścia do zagadnień ekonomicznych przez organizacje doradcze.The paper presents the results of surveys conducted among farmers from Wielkopolska region. They concerned the identification of needs in terms of technological and economic advisory. Respondents declared their strong interest in gaining knowledge in the field of production technology, particularly in the direction of the dominant production in their farms. Economic advisory, despite the objectively great importance has not been recognized by the majority of farmers consider important. This status indicates a need to modify the approach to economic issues by advisory organizations