Food and Habitat Selection of Lepus brachyurus lyoni

We determined the environmental requirements for Lepus brachyurus lyoni on Sado Island, Japan. during the winter when food resources are low Flare track survey sites were classified by vegetation type. The movement distances of hares, which indicated habitat preference, were evaluated as the relative length of tracks in a I-ha area In addition, we examined browse marks on plants and the protein content of plants to determine the preferred plant species. Movement distances of hares decreased significantly with increasing tree stand height, mean tree diameter. basal area of the tree stand, and forest canopy closure, but increased with branch-and-stem density. The percentage of browse marks Oil the branches of tree/shrub species decreased significantly with increasing branch-and-stem diameter The rate of feeding increased significantly with increased protein content in the branches These findings suggest that hares prefer shrub stands with high branch-and-stem density to mature forests. which have lower branch-and-stem densities Hares also prefer branches and stems containing large amounts of protein Young stands offering many shrub species as food resources and shelter constitute preferable environments for hare

Will isomalto-oligosaccharides, a well-established functional food in Asia, break through the European and American market? The status of knowledge on these prebiotics

This critical review article present the current state of knowledge on isomaltooligosaccharides, some well known functional oligosaccharides in Asia, to evaluate their potential as emergent prebiotics in the American and European functional food market. It includes first a unique inventory of the different families of compounds which have been considered as IMO and their specific structure. A description of the different production methods including the involved enzymes and their specific activities, the substrates and the types of IMO produced. Considering the structural complexity of IMO products, specific characterization methods are described as well as purification methods which enable the riddance of digestible oligosaccharides. Finally an extensive review of their techno-functional and nutritional properties enables to place IMO inside the growing prebiotic market. This review is of a particular interest considering that IMO commercialization in America and Europe is a topical subject due to the recent submission, by Bioneutra INC. (Canada), of a novel food file to the UK Food Standards Agency as well as several patents for IMO production