Inovativan pristup: kefir na bazi mješavine kravljeg i zobenog mlijeka

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of kefir production using cow-oat milk mixture. Therefore kefir samples with 20, 40 and 60 % of oat milk were produced. The effect of oat-milk ratio on physicochemical, rheological, microbiological and sensory characteristics of the kefir samples was studied during 21 days storage at refrigerated conditions. Increasing oat milk concentration affected the whey-off and apparent viscosity by higher whey off and lower viscosity results. Also the proteolytic activity of the samples was decreased by raising the oat milk concentrations. Increase of the oat milk concentration leaded to a decrease of pH of the samples. Statistical analysis showed that the lactococci and lactobacilli viable cell counts differed among the samples while the highest count was detected in sample with the highest amount of oat milk. The control sample (without oat milk) had higher yeast count during the storage period. The final product with 20 % of oat-milk and without addition of flavour was found to be the most acceptable by the sensory panellists. The results indicate the possibility for a new cow/oat milk based kefir.Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi mogućnost proizvodnje kefira iz mješavine kravljeg i zobenog mlijeka. Stoga su proizvedeni uzorci kefira s 20, 40 i 60 % zobenog mlijeka. Tijekom 21 dana skladištenja na hladnom ispitivan je utjecaj različitih omjera zobenog i kravljeg mlijeka na fizikalna, reološka, mikrobiološka i senzorska svojstva proizvedenih uzoraka kefira. Povećanje udjela zobenog mlijeka uzrokovalo je povećanje sinereze, smanjenje prividne viskoznosti te smanjenje proteolitičke aktivnosti u uzorcima kefira. Osim toga, povećanje udjela zobenog mlijeka rezultiralo je snižavanjem pH vrijednosti u uzrocima kefira. Statistička analiza pokazala je da se proizvedeni uzorci razlikuju u broju živih stanica laktokoka i laktobacila, s tim da je najveći broj utvrđen u uzroku s najvećim udjelom zobenog mlijeka. Kontrolni uzorak (bez zobenog mlijeka) sadržavao je povećan broj plijesni tijekom cijelog razdoblja čuvanja. Krajnji proizvod s udjelom od 20 % zobenog mlijeka i bez dodatka aroma pokazao se najprihvatljivijim prilikom senzorske ocjene od strane panela. Dobiveni rezultati mogu poslužiti u daljnjem razvoju proizvodnje kefira na bazi mješavine kravljeg i zobenog mlijeka

Utjecaj korištenja probiotika i prebiotika na aromatske spojeve i teksturalna i senzorska svojstva simbiotskog kozjeg sira

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of probiotics as an adjunct culture, and the use of inulin and oligofructose as a prebiotic product, on symbiotic goat cheeses during their ripening period. The control group had the lowest value in terms of aromatic compounds, and the probiotics used in the production of cheese increased the aromatic substances. The control group was found to have the highest hardness values and that the use of prebiotics and probiotic cultures in cheese production significantly changed the textural profile depending on the probiotic and prebiotic type. The most favoured cheeses were found to contain E. faecium and oligofructose.U ovom radu istražen je utjecaj probiotika, te inulina i oligofruktoze, na simbiotski kozji sir tijekom zrenja. U kontrolnoj grupi su utvrđene najniže koncentracije aromatskih spojeva, dok je dodatak probiotika u proizvodnji sira povećao koncentraciju aromatskih spojeva. Također, u sirevima iz kontrolne grupe su utvrđene najveće vrijednosti čvrstoće. Dodatak probiotika i prebiotika je signifikantno utjecao na teksturalne karakteristike sira. Sirevi koji su ocjenjeni kao najbolji, proizvedeni su uz dodatak E. facium i oligofruktoze

Usage of rice milk in probiotic yoghurt production

There are previous studies focusing on the production of probiotic and fermented dairy products made using vegetable based raw materials like oats and soy, however there is a limited number of studies on the usage of rice milk in fermented dairy products. Four different types of yoghurt samples were produced and stored for 21 days at 4°C. Physical, chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of the samples were performed at the 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st days of the storage. It was determined that rice milk increased the viscosity values but decreased the values of the texture, whey separation and the chemical and microbiological properties of yoghurts. Acetaldehyde, acetoin, acetone and diacetyl of carbonyl compounds were detected as main flavor components of yoghurt samples. In the sensory analysis, scores decreased as the rice milk proportions in yoghurt was increased and the panelists reported that P1 sample (25% rice milk + 75% cow's milk) was the closest sample to the control sample (100% cow's milk). Generally speaking, samples containing rice milk did not give good results. However, P1 samples were the most favored products among the samples containing rice milk as they were the closest product to the control group. The consumption of such products is continuously increasing as the customers' tendency to consider them as functional products rather than traditional food products increase.Ege University Scientific Research Fund (2011-ZRF-009

Book Review

This review analyzes The Super-Lawyers: The Small and Powerful World of the Great Washington Law Firms by Joseph C. Goulden and Lions in the Street: The Inside Story of the Great Wall Street Firms by Paul Hoffman. While the texts are wary of the power that large American firms yield, they conclude that these firms have continually acted to help society rather than harm it

Promjene u sadržaju benzojeve kiseline u kefiru od kozjeg mlijeka proizvedenom pomoću različitih kefirnih kultura

In this study, the content of hippuric and benzoic acid of goat milk kefir produced with commercial lyophilized kefir cultures and kefir grain was investigated. 9 commercial kefir culture and 1 kefir grain were used in production of goat milk kefir. Based on the obtained results, hippuric acid was not found in kefir samples during the storage period, whereas goat milk samples contained hippuric acid (14.8 mg/kg). Benzoic acid levels of kefir samples ranged from 8.5 to 26.6 mg/kg during the 28-day storage period. The highest Lactobacillus and Lactococcus counts were observed in kefir sample produced with kefir grain while this sample was one of the sample containing the lowest (11.2 mg/kg) benzoic acid levels. In conclusion, the research results showed that starter kefir cultures and microbiota used in kefir production and storage period had a significant effect on the formation of benzoic acid levels (p<0.05).U ovom je radu ispitivan sadržaj hipurinske i benzojeve kiseline u uzorcima kefira od kozjeg mlijeka proizvedenim pomoću različitih komercijalnih lifoliziranih starter kultura te kefirnih zrnaca. Devet komercijalnih starter kultura i jedna vrsta kefirnog zrna su korišteni za proizvodnju uzoraka kefira. Dobiveni rezultati pokazali su kako hipurinska kiselina nije bila prisutna niti u jednom ispitivanom uzorku tijekom cijelog perioda skladištenja, dok su ju uzorci ishodišnog mlijeka sadržavali (14,8 mg/kg). Sadržaj benzojeve kiseline u uzrocima kefira kretao se od 8,5 to 26,6 mg/kg tijekom 28 dana čuvanja. Najveći broj živih stanica vrsta Lactobacillus i Lactococcus utvrđen je u uzorku kefira proizvedenog pomoću kefirnog zrna, dok je isti taj uzorak sadržavao najniže koncentracije benzojeve kiseline (11,2 mg/kg). Iz svega navedenog može se zaključiti da su kefirne starter kulture i mikrobiota korištena za proizvodnju kefira te duljina čuvanja imali značajan utjecaj (p<0.05) na formiranje i koncentraciju benzojeve kiseline

Sastav masnih kiselina i slobodnih aminokiselina sinbiotičkog kozjeg sira sa slobodnim i inkapsuliranim probioticima

The aim of this study was to determine the changes in free fatty acids and amino acids during storage of synbiotic microcapsule-added goat cheeses and determine the effect of microencapsulation on these changes during storage. Another objective was also to determine the effects of probiotics and synbiotics (probiotic + prebiotics) added in free form during the production of white goat cheese on amino acid and fatty acid values. In the study, three types of microcapsules including probiotic bacteria (Lacticaseibacillus casei and Bifidobacterium longum), probiotic + fructooligosaccharide (FOS), and probiotic + inulin containing microcapsules were prepared and cheeses were produced using these microcapsules. Cheese samples were stored at +4 °C for 180 days and the amino acids and free fatty acid content of the cheeses were determined during the storage period. The saturated fatty acid with the highest ratio in goat cheeses was palmitic acid (C16) whereas the unsaturated fatty acid with the highest ratio was determined as oleic acid (C18:1). At the end of ripening, the amino acid with the highest amount was glutamic acid in cheese samples, followed by leucine, proline, aspartic acid, and lysine, respectively. It has been determined that inoculation of probiotic cultures, either in free or microencapsulated form, into cheese milk positively influences the total amino acid and fatty acid levels. The addition of inulin along with probiotics on the 180th day of storage was effective in amino acid formation compared to cheeses with free FOS added. It could also be concluded that the addition of free or microencapsulated FOS was effective in the formation of free fatty acids. In addition, regardless of the used form (free or microcapsules), inulin was more effective in amino acid formation.Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi promjene u slobodnim masnim kiselinama i aminokiselinama tijekom skladištenja kozjih sireva s dodatkom mikroinkapsuliranih sinbiotika te utvrditi učinak mikroinkapsulacije na te promjene tijekom skladištenja. Također, cilj je bio utvrditi utjecaj probiotika i sinbiotika (probiotika + prebiotika) dodanih u slobodnom obliku tijekom proizvodnje kozjeg sira tipa feta na sastav aminokiselina i masnih kiselina. U istraživanju su pripremljene tri vrste mikrokapsula uključujući probiotičke bakterije (Lacticaseibacillus casei i Bifidobacterium longum), probiotik + fruktooligosaharid (FOS) i mikrokapsule koje sadrže probiotik + inulin, a koje su dodane tijekom proizvodnje sireva. Uzorci sireva čuvani su na +4 °C tijekom 180 dana tijekom kojih je određivan udjel aminokiselina i slobodnih masnih kiselina u sirevima. Od zasićenih masnih kiselina bila je najzastupljenija palmitinska kiselina (C16), dok je od nezasićenih masnih kiselina najzastupljenija bila oleinska kiselina (C18:1). Na kraju zrenja utvrđeno je da su svi uzorci sadržavali najviše glutaminske kiseline, a zatim su po udjelima slijedili leucin, prolin, asparaginska kiselina i lizin. Dodatak inulina zajedno s probioticima 180. dana čuvanja pozitivno je djelovao u formiranju aminokiselina u usporedni sa sirevima u kojima FOS nisu dodani. Osim toga, dodatak slobodnog ili mikrokapsuliranog FOS pozitivno je utjecao na povećanje udjela slobodnih masnih kiselina. Zaključno, dodatak inulina u slobodnom ili u obliku mikrokapsula, bio je učinkovitiji u povećanju udjela aminokiselina

Epicardial fat thickness is associated with retinopathy in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension

OBJECTIVE: Hypertensive retinopathy develops based on endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Epicardial fat secretes various cytokines associated with endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. We aimed to evaluate whether epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness is a marker for retinopathy in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients. METHODS: A total of 73 newly diagnosed hypertension (HT) patients were included in the study. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was used to measure EAT thickness. To evaluate the presence of retinopathy in HT patients, hypertensive retinopathy staging was performed by ophthalmologists, according to Scheie classification. RESULTS: Retinopathy was detected in 27 (37.0%) of 73 patients. EAT thickness in HT patients with retinopathy was higher than the group without retinopathy (5.07 +/- 1.45 mm vs. 4.19 +/- 1.20 mm, p=0.007). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in HT patients with retinopathy were higher than the group without retinopathy (162.4 +/- 41.2 mg/dl vs. 138.1 +/- 35.6 mg/dl, p=0.010). As a result of the regression analysis, LDL-C (OR=1.016, 95% CI 1.001-1.031, p=0.043) and EAT thickness (OR=1.674, 95% CI 1.069-2.626, p=0.043) were the independent predictors of retinopathy. CONCLUSION: Increased EAT thickness is associated with the presence of retinopathy in hypertensive patients