Nutritional and sensory properties of frankfurters made of culled goat meat

The aim of this research was to evaluate the nutritional and sensory properties of frankfurters with different ratios of culled goat meat as beef replacement during a 6-week storage period. Five treatments of frankfurters were prepared: control treatment (CON) with beef, while in other treatments beef was replaced with 25% (G25), 50% (G50), 75% (G75) and 100% (G100) of culled goat meat. Formulation (and storage) had no influence on energetic values, which were within the interval of 193-200 kcal/100 g, representing more than 30% lower values than those reported for frankfurters with the regular fat content. With the increase of goat meat content, the atherogenic and thrombogenic indices were lower, indicating more favorable fatty acid profiles. Moreover, the ratio of essential and nonessential amino acids increased with the higher goat meat content (from 0.62 in CON to 0.71 in G100) indicating better nutritional properties. Frankfurter formulation and storage (and their interaction) did not significantly influence any of the observed sensory properties, which indicates that culled goat meat can be used as the sole meat in frankfurter preparation

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity of <i>Kitaibelia vitifolia</i> Extract against Proven Antibiotic-Susceptible and Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) Strains of Bacteria of Clinical Origin

The goal of the present research was to screen the antimicrobial activity of an ethanolic extract of Kitaibelia vitifolia against 30 multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains isolated from healthcare-associated infections. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the samples against the tested bacteria were determined using the microdilution method. MDR bacterial strains were characterized using standard biochemical tests and the commercial identification systems API 20 NE and API 20 E as: Klebsiella spp. (18 isolates—I); methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)—3; Acinetobacter spp.—3; Pseudomonas aeruginosa—5; vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE)—1. The sensitivity of isolated bacterial strains was determined using the disc diffusion method against 25 commonly used antibiotics. The highest level of sensitivity to K. vitifolia extract was confirmed in 88.89% of Klebsiella spp. isolates, E. coli ATCC 25922, two strains of MRSA (1726, 1063), Acinetobacter spp. strain 1578, and VRE strain 30, like Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 (MIC =Acinetobacter spp. (strains 1577 and 6401), where the highest values for MICs were noted (1250 μg/mL). The results indicate that the extract of K. vitifolia could be a possible source for creating new, efficient, and effective natural medicines for combat against MDR strains of bacteria

Conventional and unconventional extraction methods applied to the plant, Thymus serpyllum L

© Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd. This study deals with the application of two conventional and three non-conventional extraction approaches for isolation of bioactive compounds from the plant Thymus serpyllum L. The extracts obtained were tested regarding their chemical profile (content of phenolics, flavonoids, condensed tannins, gallotannins and anthocyanins) and antioxidant activities. Subcritical water extract of Thymus serpyllum L. generally had the highest concentrations of the chemical bioactive compounds examined and the best antioxidant properties

Potato thin layer convective dehydration model and energy efficiency estimation

The dehydration parameters (temperature, thickness, and mass load) statistically significantly (p<0.05) affect the thin-layer convective dehydration of potato slices. The slices with thicknesses of 3, 5, and 8 mm were dehydrated as monolayers at different temperatures (30, 50, and 70 °C) and mass load (1.00, 0.63, and 0.38 kg m-2). The results showed that the shortest dehydration time (183 minutes), the smallest energy consumption (0.176 kWh), and the smallest emission of carbon dioxide (0.17 kg) had the dehydration model of potato slices with a 3 mm thickness, 0.38 kg m-2 mass load, dehydrated on the temperature of 70 °C. Dehydration of potato slices of 8 mm slice thickness dehydrated at 70 °C, with 0.38 kg m-2 mass load, showed the highest resistance to mass transfer (the maximum effective moisture diffusivity 2.3761 × 10-7 ± 4.45646 × 10-9 m2 s-1) and the minimum activation energy (27.02 kJ mol-1). Data obtained from these mathematical models could predict and optimize the thin layer dehydration of potato slices, with a dominant influence of temperature and potato slice thickness parameters as variables

Estimation of metabolic status in high yielding dairy cows during transition period and full lactation

© 2019 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. All rights reserved. Background: Major changes in the metabolic functions in high-yielding dairy cows occur during the transitional period and during lactation. Parturition and lactogenesis are accompanied by many physiological changes that facilitate the maintenance of homeostasis Consequently, physiological situations leading to a negative energy balance are coupled to an increased uncontrolled rate of body fat mobilisation and the increased fatty acids accumulation in hepatocytes and blood ketone bodies, resulting in disturbances of the morphological and physiological liver integrity. The objective of the present study was to estimate metabolic status in late pregnant, early lactation and full lactation Holstein dairy cows on the basis changes of blood concentrations of selected biochemical markers. Materials, Methods & Results: The experiment included 36 Holstein cows. Three groups of clinically healthy cows were chosen from the herd. Group 1 consisted of late pregnant cows (n = 12) from 30 to 1 day (20 ± 15) to partus; Group 2 comprised early lactation cows (n = 12) in the first month of lactation (15 ± 12 days), and Group 3 included full lactation cows (n = 12) between 60 to 90 days of lactation (81 ± 30 days). Blood samples were collected from all cows, by punction of the jugular vein. Biochemical testing for markers in the blood serum showed significantly lower values (P < 0.05) of glucose, TG, Tchol. and urea in early cows than in full lactation and late-pregnant cows. The blood concentration of NEFA and BHB was significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the group of cows in early lactation compared to the other groups of cows. The mean tBIL. concentration and the serum AST, GGT and ALT activities were markedly increased (P < 0.01) in the lactation cows compared to the late pregnant cows. Furthermore, the intensity of lipomobilisation (NEFA or BHB concentrations) correlated positively (P < 0.05) with the markers of cell damage or liver function impairment (tBIL., serum AST, ALT and GGT activities), but negatively (P < 0.05) with the circulating concentrations of compounds synthesised in liver (glucose, TG and urea). Discussion: In dairy cows, it was observed that up to 50% of females exhibited some lipid accumulation in liver in the first 3 weeks after calving and that fatty liver occurs primarily in this period. Liver can be categorized into mild, moderate and severe fatty liver as dependent on the degree of pathology and a mild fatty infiltration of liver in dairy cows during lactation is considered to be almost physiological. The blood BHB and NEFA concentrations are markers of lipomobilisation and positively associated with the ketosis and liver steatosis intensity. The simultaneous and parallel variations observed between the extent of the fat infiltration in liver and the serum BHB and NEFA concentrations in puerperal cows clearly indicated that the intense lipomobilisation in the post-partum period has induced lipid overloading and ketogenesis in the liver. On the other hand, it was observed significant decreases in the serum biochemical markers, at least partially synthesised in the liver, such as glucose, TG, Tchol., urea, albumin and TP during the postpartum period. However, the liver steatosis has induced some cellular lesions as evidenced by significant increases in the serum tBIL. concentrations and in the AST, ALT, GGT and LDH enzyme activities in puerperal cows. All these biochemical metabolites may be used as important biochemical markers in the determination of the metabolic status in high-yielding dairy cows during the transition period and during lactation