Lutein-Enriched Emulsion-Based Delivery System: Impact of Casein-Phospholipid Emulsifiers on Chemical Stability

The health benefits of carotenoids in terms of their role in decreasing the risk of diseases, particularly certain cancers and eye disease, are limited by their chemical degradation. Emulsion delivery systems with water dispersions of a carotenoid enhance chemical stability and bioavailability to the host. An emulsified carotenoid delivery system can be based on carotenoid dissolution in lipid media and its stabilization by a surfactant mixture of milk proteins (the caseins) and phospholipids. The inclusion of lutein into an emulsified delivery system comprised of bovine casein or caprine casein in combination with phospholipids (soybean lecithin) enhanced the chemical stability of lutein during storage for 7 days at pH 7.0 at incubation temperatures of 5 and 15°C. The chemical stability of lutein in the corn oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by bovine and caprine caseins in combination with soybean lecithin was in the following order: caprine αs1-II-casein/lecithin > caprine αs1-I-casein/lecithin > bovine casein/lecithin. The results suggest that the chemical stability of lutein in oil-in-water emulsions can be enhanced by altering the thickness of the interfacial layer. Caprine casein/lecithin has the potential for use as an emulsifier in beverage emulsions

Phenolic Compounds in Hibiscus mutabilis Seeds and Their Effects on the Oxidative Stability of DHA-Enriched Goat Milk Emulsion

Food emulsions undergo oxidative deterioration during production and storage, which is usually initiated from the unsaturated fatty acids. Synthetic antioxidants are frequently used to retard lipid oxidation in food emulsions. Most plants and their seeds are rich sources of natural antioxidants such as the carotenoids and polyphenols. The most abundant fatty acids found in the oil from the seeds of Hibiscus mutabilis (HM) are oleic acid (C18:1n-9, 16.3%), linoleic acid, (C18:2n-6, 64.7%), and palmitic acid (C16:0, 18.8%). The total tocopherols in HM seed oil were at an average concentration of 187.0 μg/g, which included α-tocopherol (21.4%), γ-tocopherol (78.2%), and δ-tocopherol (0.4%). The HM seed oil can be incorporated into food emulsions such as in DHA-enriched goat milk emulsion to stabilize added oil from oxidation. The HM seed oil was mixed with algae oil, a rich source of omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6n-3), before emulsification and storage of goat milk. The addition of HM seed oil containing phenolics to algae oil at 1:1 ratio prior to goat milk emulsification significantly (p < 0.05) protected the goat milk emulsions against oxidative deterioration. In goat milk emulsions, the addition of ascorbyl palmitate retarded oxidation as was determined by the peroxide values and anisidine values

Understanding Afghan Opinion Leaders’ Viewpoints About Post-Conflict Foreign Agricultural Development: A Case Study in Herāt Province, Afghanistan

This investigation sprang from a yearlong immersion in post-conflict agricultural development environments in Herāt Province Afghanistan and from observing an array of NGO development projects. The purpose was to understand better the viewpoints of Afghan opinion leaders regarding the adoption–integration of foreign agricultural development. Objectives included (a) the identification of perceived strengths of foreign agricultural development, (b) perceived weaknesses, (c) opportunities, (d) threats, (e) anomalies, and (f)incentives and barriers. The case method fit the qualitative research design, and IRB approved the protocols. Researchers selected 15 opinion leaders (OLs) based on their knowledge, experience, and positional responsibilities. An interview guide framed 13 open-ended questions. A researcher fluent in Farsi/Pashto/English assisted with each interview. The findings from 15 interviews emerged as 11 themes. Fourteen OLs recognized agriculture and natural resources as strengths for development. Opinion leaders recognize government, infrastructure, and corruption as fundamental weaknesses. Opinion Leaders were slow to identify opportunities but generally identified opportunities to exploit labor, land, and water coupled with improving management and mechanization.They universally recognized threats related to to personal security and safety but had difficulty separating internal weaknesses from external threats. Two anomalies emerged as incongruous expectations about Afghan government and foreign NGOs. Improving market chains and increasing governmental subsidies were incentives for development. The authors conclude that indigenous knowledge is a fundamental resource and a foundation for local level decision making and sustainability. Opinion Leaders serve as channels to move the society from poverty and conflict toward security and peacebuilding. The tension between Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Max Neef’s interrelated and interactive needs should be explore

Formation of Volatile Free Fatty Acids during Ripening of Cheddar-like Hard Goat Cheese

Concentrations of FFA in Cheddar-like hard goat cheeses were all above the threshold concentrations, except for pentanoic, heptanoic, and 10-undecenoic acids. The relative abundance of n-chain FFA in Cheddar-like hard goat cheeses, from greatest to least, were n-C10, n-C12, n-C8, n-C6, n-C4, n-C9, and n-C11. Similarly, the relative abundance of branched-chain fatty acids in Cheddar-like hard goat cheeses, from greatest to least, was 4-methyloctanoic, methyldecanoic, 3-methylbutanoic, and 4-ethyloctanoic acids. Branched-chain fatty acids such as 4-ethyloctanoic and 4-methyloctanoic acids have intense aromas, and even minute quantities can affect the flavor of dairy products. Ripening time significantly affected the concentrations of FFA; concentrations increased during the initial 12 wk of aging and remained relatively constant for the rest of the 24-wk ripening period. Therefore, the intensity and sharpness of flavor that originated from or was enhanced by the presence of these FFA did not change greatly after 12 wk of aging. The percentage of NaCl or the ratios of salt to moisture, within the range used in hard goat cheeses, did not affect the concentrations of FFA or, apparently, lipolysis in this study

Formation of Volatile Free Fatty Acids during Ripening of Cheddar-like Hard Goat Cheese

Concentrations of FFA in Cheddar-like hard goat cheeses were all above the threshold concentrations, except for pentanoic, heptanoic, and 10-undecenoic acids. The relative abundance of n-chain FFA in Cheddar-like hard goat cheeses, from greatest to least, were n-C10, n-C12, n-C8, n-C6, n-C4, n-C9, and n-C11. Similarly, the relative abundance of branched-chain fatty acids in Cheddar-like hard goat cheeses, from greatest to least, was 4-methyloctanoic, methyldecanoic, 3-methylbutanoic, and 4-ethyloctanoic acids. Branched-chain fatty acids such as 4-ethyloctanoic and 4-methyloctanoic acids have intense aromas, and even minute quantities can affect the flavor of dairy products. Ripening time significantly affected the concentrations of FFA; concentrations increased during the initial 12 wk of aging and remained relatively constant for the rest of the 24-wk ripening period. Therefore, the intensity and sharpness of flavor that originated from or was enhanced by the presence of these FFA did not change greatly after 12 wk of aging. The percentage of NaCl or the ratios of salt to moisture, within the range used in hard goat cheeses, did not affect the concentrations of FFA or, apparently, lipolysis in this study

Manufacturing Parameters and Rheological Characteristics of Cheddar-Like Hard Goat Cheese

Raw milk from French Alpine goats was processed to Cheddar-like hard goat cheese. After milling, the curd was split into three portions and salted separately at the rate of 2.5, 3.0, and 4.0% of the curd for each of the three replicates. Cheeses were stored at 4 to 5°C for 24 wk. The percentages of salt in moisture of the cheeses were 2.70, 3.73, and 4.41%, respectively. The pH ranged from 5.27 to 5.33 at 1 d to 5.60 to 5.81 at 24 wk. Rheological properties were determined using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. The force required to deform cheese was used to measure cheese firmness. Cheese firmness at 95% compression decreased significantly during aging. The firmness of cheeses with different ratios of salt to moisture differed during the ripening period. The force at fracture of the cheese was higher for cheese with higher salt content; the force increased until wk 12 of aging and then decreased until the end of the aging period. Mean bulk elasticity of cheese at 20% compression differed among all treatments. The mean elasticity increased significantly until wk 12 of aging and then remained unchanged for the rest of the ripening period

Manufacturing Parameters and Rheological Characteristics of Cheddar-Like Hard Goat Cheese

Raw milk from French Alpine goats was processed to Cheddar-like hard goat cheese. After milling, the curd was split into three portions and salted separately at the rate of 2.5, 3.0, and 4.0% of the curd for each of the three replicates. Cheeses were stored at 4 to 5°C for 24 wk. The percentages of salt in moisture of the cheeses were 2.70, 3.73, and 4.41%, respectively. The pH ranged from 5.27 to 5.33 at 1 d to 5.60 to 5.81 at 24 wk. Rheological properties were determined using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. The force required to deform cheese was used to measure cheese firmness. Cheese firmness at 95% compression decreased significantly during aging. The firmness of cheeses with different ratios of salt to moisture differed during the ripening period. The force at fracture of the cheese was higher for cheese with higher salt content; the force increased until wk 12 of aging and then decreased until the end of the aging period. Mean bulk elasticity of cheese at 20% compression differed among all treatments. The mean elasticity increased significantly until wk 12 of aging and then remained unchanged for the rest of the ripening period

Applicability of screening tests for oxytetracycline in the milk of three breeds of goats

Antibiotics are widely used in animal husbandry, and the presence of antibiotic residues in milk is a health hazard. The objectives of this study were to determine residual amounts of oxytetracycline in the milk of three breeds of goats using highpressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and screening tests. It was also essential to explore the safe withdrawal period of oxytetracycline in lactating goats and examine the applicability of Charm ROSA and SNAP screening tests. The qualitative results of these tests were compared with the quantitative results of the HPLC method. Fifteen milking does, five each from the Alpine, LaMancha, and Nubian breeds, were selected from the herd at Prairie View A&M University. Milk samples containing antibiotic residues were deproteinized by HCl and acetonitrile, and then oxytetracycline was extracted from the supernatant. The residues of oxytetracycline in goat\u27s milk up to 110 h after injection were qualitatively detected using the Charm ROSA test. Similarly, the SNAP test detected the antibiotic residues in milk up to 110 h after treatment. The HPLC results indicated that oxytetracycline residues in milk from Alpine goats were below the tolerance level (300 ng/ml) 82 h after drug treatment (72 h for LaManchas, 58 h for Nubians); however, the results of the screening tests would indicate longer withdrawal periods for milk from the breeds of goats studied, which would result in economic losses to goat\u27s milk producers. The results of this study also indicated that oxytetracycline was not stable in raw goat\u27s milk at refrigeration temperature or during pasteurization and that the concentrations decreased significantly. Commercial goat\u27s milk is usually exposed to several hours of refrigeration and then to pasteurization. The results of this study indicated that, if oxytetracycline was present in raw goat\u27s milk, the concentration would decrease significantly before it was marketed

Applicability of screening tests for oxytetracycline in the milk of three breeds of goats

Antibiotics are widely used in animal husbandry, and the presence of antibiotic residues in milk is a health hazard. The objectives of this study were to determine residual amounts of oxytetracycline in the milk of three breeds of goats using highpressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and screening tests. It was also essential to explore the safe withdrawal period of oxytetracycline in lactating goats and examine the applicability of Charm ROSA and SNAP screening tests. The qualitative results of these tests were compared with the quantitative results of the HPLC method. Fifteen milking does, five each from the Alpine, LaMancha, and Nubian breeds, were selected from the herd at Prairie View A&M University. Milk samples containing antibiotic residues were deproteinized by HCl and acetonitrile, and then oxytetracycline was extracted from the supernatant. The residues of oxytetracycline in goat\u27s milk up to 110 h after injection were qualitatively detected using the Charm ROSA test. Similarly, the SNAP test detected the antibiotic residues in milk up to 110 h after treatment. The HPLC results indicated that oxytetracycline residues in milk from Alpine goats were below the tolerance level (300 ng/ml) 82 h after drug treatment (72 h for LaManchas, 58 h for Nubians); however, the results of the screening tests would indicate longer withdrawal periods for milk from the breeds of goats studied, which would result in economic losses to goat\u27s milk producers. The results of this study also indicated that oxytetracycline was not stable in raw goat\u27s milk at refrigeration temperature or during pasteurization and that the concentrations decreased significantly. Commercial goat\u27s milk is usually exposed to several hours of refrigeration and then to pasteurization. The results of this study indicated that, if oxytetracycline was present in raw goat\u27s milk, the concentration would decrease significantly before it was marketed

Applicability of screening tests for oxytetracycline in the milk of three breeds of goats

Antibiotics are widely used in animal husbandry, and the presence of antibiotic residues in milk is a health hazard. The objectives of this study were to determine residual amounts of oxytetracycline in the milk of three breeds of goats using highpressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and screening tests. It was also essential to explore the safe withdrawal period of oxytetracycline in lactating goats and examine the applicability of Charm ROSA and SNAP screening tests. The qualitative results of these tests were compared with the quantitative results of the HPLC method. Fifteen milking does, five each from the Alpine, LaMancha, and Nubian breeds, were selected from the herd at Prairie View A&M University. Milk samples containing antibiotic residues were deproteinized by HCl and acetonitrile, and then oxytetracycline was extracted from the supernatant. The residues of oxytetracycline in goat\u27s milk up to 110 h after injection were qualitatively detected using the Charm ROSA test. Similarly, the SNAP test detected the antibiotic residues in milk up to 110 h after treatment. The HPLC results indicated that oxytetracycline residues in milk from Alpine goats were below the tolerance level (300 ng/ml) 82 h after drug treatment (72 h for LaManchas, 58 h for Nubians); however, the results of the screening tests would indicate longer withdrawal periods for milk from the breeds of goats studied, which would result in economic losses to goat\u27s milk producers. The results of this study also indicated that oxytetracycline was not stable in raw goat\u27s milk at refrigeration temperature or during pasteurization and that the concentrations decreased significantly. Commercial goat\u27s milk is usually exposed to several hours of refrigeration and then to pasteurization. The results of this study indicated that, if oxytetracycline was present in raw goat\u27s milk, the concentration would decrease significantly before it was marketed