The health benefits of sweet lupin seed flours and isolated proteins

The interest for lupin is continuously growing: one driving force are the numerous studies showing it provides useful health benefits. This review discusses available literature in the area of dyslipidaemia, diabetes, and hypertension prevention, providing hints on the mechanism of action. The addition of lupin protein to the diet of different models of hypercholesterolaemia, such as rat, rabbit, hamster and pig, induce decreases of total and non-HDL cholesterol. The clinical investigations on the cholesterol lowering activity provided controversial results. Those involving hypercholesterolaemic subjects and based on improved lupin foods gave statistically significant total and/or LDL-cholesterol reductions: both protein and fibre are relevant. The moderate hypotensive activity observed in some studies is probably linked to digestion-released ACE-inhibitory peptides. The hypoglycaemic activity, observed in post-prandial studies, is due to gamma-conglutin, a specific protein fraction. All this information suggests that lupin seeds may become a source of ingredients of innovative functional foods

Il back-reshoring manifatturiero nei processi di internazionalizzazione: inquadramento teorico ed evidenze empiriche

Obiettivo del paper. Il paper si prefigge di inquadrare il fenomeno del back-reshoring manifatturiero - ovvero la rilocalizzazione nel paese di origine delle attivit\ue0 produttive precedentemente delocalizzate all\u2019estero -nell\u2019ambito dei processi di internazionalizzazione dell\u2019impresa. Metodologia. L\u2019approccio metodologico utilizzato \ue8 di tipo esplorativo, data la mancanza di una letteratura consolidata specifica. In particolare si \ue8 fatto ricorso a dati secondari raccolti in maniera originale attraverso una pluralit\ue0 di fonti. Risultati. \uc8 stata identificata una definizione operativa di back-reshoring inserendo tale fenomeno in un framework teorico rappresentativo del processo evolutivo di internazionalizzazione dell\u2019impresa. Sulla base delle evidenze empiriche, sono state proposte delle direttrici di sviluppo per future attivit\ue0 di ricerca. Implicazioni manageriali. Sono state evidenziate le conseguenze che il fenomeno pu\uf2 avere sulla competitivit\ue0 e le performance economica delle imprese che adottano strategie di reshoring. Originalit\ue0 e limiti della ricerca. Il principale elemento di originalit\ue0 del lavoro \ue8 rappresentato dall\u2019utilizzo di una metodologia di ricerca esplorativa che ha coniugato l\u2019analisi della letteratura di International business e quella di Supply chain management con l\u2019analisi di evidenze empiriche raccolte in maniera originaria. Le scelte metodologiche effettuate rappresentano anche il principale limite del contributo, le cui conclusioni non sono generalizzabili ma costituiscono la base per ulteriori approfondimenti del dibattito scientifico, per i quali si sono identificate delle specifiche direttrici

Understanding olive oil stability using filtration and high hydrostatic pressure

Veiled extra virgin olive oil (VEVOO) is very attractive on the global market. A study was performed to highlight the role of different amounts of water and microorganisms on the evolution of VEVOO quality during storage, using the selective effects of the application of individual or combined filtration and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatments. Four oil processing trials were carried out in four replicates, resulting in a full factorial design with two independent fixed factors: filtration and HPP treatments. The turbidity of all the olive oil samples was characterized. Furthermore, all the olive oil samples were analysed for legal parameters, volatile organic compounds and phenolic compounds during the storage tests. The microbial contamination in the presence of a high level of water activity (>0.6 Aw) was related to the formation of volatile aroma compounds, which were responsible for the \u201cfusty\u201d sensory defect. Furthermore, high water activity values were related to an increase in the hydrolytic degradation rate of the phenolic compounds. The oil turbidity has to be planned and controlled, starting from adjustment of the water content and application of good manufacturing practices

"3D tumor spheroid models for in vitro therapeutic screening: a systematic approach to enhance the biological relevance of data obtained"

The potential of a spheroid tumor model composed of cells in different proliferative and metabolic states for the development of new anticancer strategies has been amply demonstrated. However, there is little or no information in the literature on the problems of reproducibility of data originating from experiments using 3D models. Our analyses, carried out using a novel open source software capable of performing an automatic image analysis of 3D tumor colonies, showed that a number of morphology parameters affect the response of large spheroids to treatment. In particular, we found that both spheroid volume and shape may be a source of variability. We also compared some commercially available viability assays specifically designed for 3D models. In conclusion, our data indicate the need for a pre-selection of tumor spheroids of homogeneous volume and shape to reduce data variability to a minimum before use in a cytotoxicity test. In addition, we identified and validated a cytotoxicity test capable of providing meaningful data on the damage induced in large tumor spheroids of up to diameter in 650 micron by different kinds of treatments

Hempseed Peptides Exert Hypocholesterolemic Effects with a Statin-Like Mechanism

This study had the objective of preparing a hempseed protein hydrolysate and investigating its hypocholesterolemic properties. The hydrolysate was prepared treating a total protein extract with pepsin. Nano HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis permitted identifying in total 90 peptides belonging to 33 proteins. In the range 0.1-1.0 mg/mL, it inhibited the catalytic activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCoAR) in a dose-dependent manner. HepG2 cells were treated with 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/mL of the hydrolysate. Immunoblotting detection showed increments in the protein levels of regulatory element binding proteins 2 (SREBP2), low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), and HMGCoAR. However, the parallel activation of the phospho-5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, produced an inactivation of HMGCoAR by phosphorylation. The functional ability of HepG2 cells to uptake extracellular LDL was raised by 50.5 \ub1 2.7%, 221.5 \ub1 1.6%, and 109 \ub1 3.5%, respectively, versus the control at 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/mL concentrations. Finally, also a raise of the protein level of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexintype 9 was observed. All of these data suggest that the mechanism of action has some similarity with that of statins