Adiciones a la fauna de anélidos poliquetos de las costas ibéricas

Abstract not availabl

Fauna de anélidos poliquetos de la región del estrecho de Gibraltar, II. Datos cualitativos poblacionales de las diferentes facies algales

Al llarg dels darrers tres anys s'han portat a terme estudis faunístics a la regió de l'estret de Gibraltar per tal d'establir les agrupacions dels anèl•lids poliquets en els cinyells mediolitoral i infralitoral. En aquest article es dóna la llista d'espècies i dades qualitatives sobre les comunitats de les fàcies algals. S'hi inclouen també comentaris sobre algunes espècies.During the last three years faunistic studies have been performed at the Gibraltar Straits area so as to establish the groupings of the Annelida Polychaeta in the mediolittoral and infralittoral belts. List of species and qualitative data on algal facies communities are given in this paper. Commentaries for several species are also included

“Cocoa and Chocolate: Science and Gastronomy”—The Second Annual Workshop of the Research Institute on Nutrition and Food Security (INSA): 9 November 2016

The Research Institute on Nutrition and Food Security at the University of Barcelona (INSA-UB) was founded in 2005 by twenty-two research groups from the Faculties of Pharmacy and Food Science; Biology; Chemistry; and Geography and History, as well as other UB-affiliated centers and hospitals. Most of the groups at the Institute are, or at least are part of, the research groups established by the Government of Catalonia. INSA-UB was founded to meet the current societal need for research, training and service provision in the sectors related to the agro-alimentary industry. Researchers at the Institute are experts in different fields of nutrition; food analysis and control; food safety and the study of the social and economic impact of food. The main objectives of the institute are to promote research in the fields in which it works; to encourage collaboration between researchers and the establishment of multidisciplinary teams; to promote participation in research programs and institutional administration, particularly in European research projects; to encourage the development of joint projects with companies in the sectors related to its scope; to make available all the social potential of the UB in this area, especially the training of technicians and specialists and provision of services; to promote the transfer of knowledge and the dissemination of research results between society and government; and to advise consumers, businesses and public authorities on nutrition, food safety and quality..

Expectativas de los usuarios y necesidad de una gestión diferencial a lo largo de la Costa Brava: playas urbanas vs. playas naturales protegidas

Las playas son sistemas socioecológicos donde las dimensiones físicas, ecológicas, sociales y económicas interactúan, ofreciendo diversas funciones y servicios ecosistémicos que conducen a mejorar el bienestar humano. Si bien estos sistemas pueden brindar distintas funciones (por ejemplo protección, recreación, natural), tradicionalmente los gestores solo ha priorizado la recreación. Esto ha llevado a la homogeneización de las prácticas de gestión de playas, que en la actualidad están poco adaptadas a las distintas características de las playas y sus usuarios. Mientras la participación pública ha sido largamente recomendada, la toma de decisiones en gestión de playas suele involucrar solo un actor, siguiendo un estricto orden jerárquico. En dos playas «antagónicas» (natural protegida y urbana) se evaluaron y compararon las expectativas y percepciones de sus usuarios, que podrían sugerir la necesidad de una gestión diferencial. Detrás de una aparente homogeneidad, se detectaron diferencias significativas entre estas dos playas. Aunque ciertas preferencias «naturales» fueron comunes en ambas playas, los atributos naturales fueron la prioridad en el sistema natural protegido, así como los servicios lo fueron en el urbano. Sin embargo, es innegable la influencia del modelo turístico masivo tradicional sobre las expectativas de los usuarios. Es por ello necesaria la aplicación de modelos de gestión diferenciales en aquellas playas que posean características naturales singulares. Asimismo es necesario un esfuerzo en la educación e información de los usuarios, así como un compromiso real por parte de los gestores como piedra angular para el uso sostenible de estos sistemas socio-ecológicos.Postprint (published version

Comparative metabolitefingerprinting of legumes using LC-MS-baseduntargeted metabolomics

Legumes are a well-known source of phytochemicals and are commonly believed to have similar composition between different genera. To date, there are no studies evaluating changes in legumes to discover those compounds that help to discriminate for food quality and authenticity. The aim of this work was to characterize and make a comparative analysis of the composition of bioactive compounds between Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea), Lens culinaris L. (lentil) and Phaseolus vulgaris L. (white bean) through an LC-MS-Orbitrap metabolomic approach to establish which compounds discriminate between the three studied legumes. Untargeted metabolomic analysis was carried out by LC-MS-Orbitrap from extracts of freeze-dried legumes prepared from pre-cooked canned legumes. The metabolomic data treatment and statistical analysis were realized by using MAIT R's package, and final identification and characterization was done using MSn experiments. Fold-change evaluation was made through Metaboanalyst 4.0. Results showed 43 identified and characterized compounds displaying differences between the three legumes. Polyphenols, mainly flavonol and flavanol compounds, were the main group with 30 identified compounds, followed by α-galactosides (n = 5). Fatty acyls, prenol lipids, a nucleoside and organic compounds were also characterized. The fold-change analysis showed flavanols as the wider class of discriminative compounds of lentils compared to the other legumes; prenol lipids and eucomic acids were the most discriminative compounds of beans versus other legumes and several phenolic acids (such as primeveroside salycilic), kaempferol derivatives, coumesterol and α-galactosides were the most discriminative compounds of chickpeas. This study highlights the applicability of metabolomics for evaluating which are the characteristic compounds of the different legumes. In addition, it describes the future application of metabolomics as tool for the quality control of foods and authentication of different kinds of legumes

Phytochemicals in Legumes: A Qualitative Reviewed Analysis

Legumes are an excellent source of nutrients and phytochemicals. They have been recognized for their contributions to health, sustainability, and the economy. Although legumes comprise several species and varieties, little is known about the differences in their phytochemical composition and the magnitude of these. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe and compare the qualitative profile of phytochemicals contained in legumes and identified through LC-MS and GC-MS methods. Among the 478 phytochemicals reported in 52 varieties of legumes, phenolic compounds were by far the most frequently described (n = 405, 85%). Metabolomics data analysis tools were used to visualize the qualitative differences, showing beans to be the most widely analyzed legumes and those with the highest number of discriminant phytochemicals (n = 180, 38%). A Venn diagram showed that lentils, beans, soybeans, and chickpeas shared only 7% of their compounds. This work highlighted the huge chemical diversity among legumes and identified the need for further research in this field and the use of metabolomics as a promising tool to achieve it

Metabolic fingerprint after acute and under sustained consumption of a functional beverage based on grape skin extract in healthy human subjects

Grape-derived polyphenols are considered to be one of the most promising ingredients for functional foods due to their health-promoting activities. We applied a HPLC-MS-based untargeted metabolomic approach in order to evaluate the impact of a functional food based on grape skin polyphenols on the urinary metabolome of healthy subjects. Thirty-one volunteers participated in two dietary crossover randomized intervention studies: with a single-dose intake (187 mL) and with a 15-day sustained consumption (twice per day, 187 mL per day in total) of a functional beverage (FB). Postprandial (4-hour) and 24-hour urine samples collected after acute consumption and on the last day of sustained FB consumption, respectively, were analysed using an untargeted HPLC-qTOF-MS approach. Multivariate modelling with subsequent application of an S-plot revealed differential mass features related to acute and prolonged consumption of FB. More than half of the mass features were shared between the two types of samples, among which several phase II metabolites of grape-derived polyphenols were identified at confidence level II. Prolonged consumption of FB was specifically reflected in urine metabolome by the presence of first-stage microbial metabolites of flavanols: hydroxyvaleric acid and hydroxyvalerolactone derivatives. Overall, several epicatechin and phenolic acid metabolites both of tissular and microbiota origin were the most representative markers of FB consumption. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies where an untargeted LC-MS metabolomic approach has been applied in nutrition research on a grape-derived FB

Insights into the metabolism and microbial biotransformation of dietary flavan-3-ols and the bioactivity of their metabolites.

Flavan-3-ols, occurring in monomeric, as well as in oligomeric and polymeric forms (also known as condensed tannins or proanthocyanidins), are among the most abundant and bioactive dietary polyphenols, but their in vivo health effects in humans may be limited because of their recognition as xenobiotics. Bioavailability of flavan-3-ols is largely influenced by their degree of polymerization; while monomers are readily absorbed in the small intestine, oligomers and polymers need to be biotransformed by the colonic microbiota before absorption. Therefore, phenolic metabolites, rather than the original high molecular weight compounds found in foods, may be responsible for the health effects derived from flavan-3-ol consumption. Flavan-3-ol phenolic metabolites differ in structure, amount and excretion site. Phase II or tissular metabolites derived from the small intestine and hepatic metabolism are presented as conjugated derivatives (glucuronic acid or sulfate esters, methyl ether, or their combined forms) of monomeric flavan-3-ols and are preferentially eliminated in the bile, whereas microbial metabolites are rather simple conjugated lactones and phenolic acids that are largely excreted in urine. Although the colon is seen as an important organ for the metabolism of flavan-3-ols, the microbial catabolic pathways of these compounds are still under consideration, partly due to the lack of identification of bacteria with such capacity. Studies performed with synthesized or isolated phase II conjugated metabolites have revealed that they could have an effect beyond their antioxidant properties, by interacting with signalling pathways implicated in important processes involved in the development of diseases, among other bioactivities. However, the biological properties of microbe-derived metabolites in their actual conjugated forms remain largely unknown. Currently, there is an increasing interest in their effects on intestinal infections, inflammatory intestinal diseases and overall gut health. The present review will give an insight into the metabolism and microbial biotransformation of flavan-3-ols, including tentative catabolic pathways and aspects related to the identification of bacteria with the ability to catabolize these kinds of polyphenols. Also, the in vitro bioactivities of phase II and microbial phenolic metabolites will be covered in detail

Comparison of 24-h volume and creatinine-corrected total urinary polyphenol as a biomarker of total dietary polyphenols in the InCHIANTI Study

Polyphenols have beneficial effects on several chronic diseases but assessing polyphenols intake from self-reported dietary questionnaires tends to be inaccurate and not very reliable. A promising alternative is to use urinary excretion of polyphenols as a proxy measure of intake. The best method to assess urinary excretion is to collect 24-h urine. However, since collecting 24-h urine method is expensive, time consuming and may be difficult to implement in large population-based studies, measures obtained from spot urine normalized by creatinine are commonly used. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the correlation between polyphenols dietary intake and total urinary polyphenol excretion (TPE), expressed by both 24-h volume and urinary creatinine normalization in 928 participants from the InCHIANTI study. Dietary intake data were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Urinary TPE was analyzed by Folin-Ciocalteau assay. Both urinary TPE expression models were statistically correlated (r=0.580), and the partial correlation coefficient improved (pr=0.722) after adjusting for the variables that modify the urinary creatinine excretion (i.e. gender, age, BMI, physical activity and renal function). In crude models, polyphenol intake was associated with TPE corrected by 24-h volume (r=0.211; P<0.001), but not with creatinine normalization (r=0.014; P=0.692). However, urinary TPE expressed by creatinine correction was significantly correlated with dietary polyphenols after adjusting for covariates (pr=0.113; P=0.002). We conclude that urinary TPE expressed by 24-h volume is a better biomarker of polyphenol dietary intake than by urinary creatinine normalization. After covariate adjustment, both can be used for studying the relationships between polyphenol intake and health in large-scale epidemiological studies

Cocoa polyphenols and inflammatory markers of cardiovascular disease

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of plant-derived food intake in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The potential bioactivity of cocoa and its polyphenolic components in modulating cardiovascular health is now being studied worldwide and continues to grow at a rapid pace. In fact, the high polyphenol content of cocoa is of particular interest from the nutritional and pharmacological viewpoints. Cocoa polyphenols are shown to possess a range of cardiovascular-protective properties, and can play a meaningful role through modulating different inflammatory markers involved in atherosclerosis. Accumulated evidence on related anti-inflammatory effects of cocoa polyphenols is summarized in the present review