Monitoring the Shelf-Life of Minimally Processed Fresh-Cut Apple Slices By Physical–Chemical Analysis and Electronic Nose

Fresh-cut apples, in slices or in cubes, are minimally processed products, which are currently collecting a great interest by fruit marketers for their promising diffusion. Their shelf life, from a microbiological point of view, has been fixed about 2 or 3 weeks under refrigeration. However in a few days they undergo biochemical degradations with production of off-flavors and texture breakdown. In this work, the change of aromatic fingerprint of apple slices packaged in air and in a modified atmosphere (with 100% N2) and stored at 4°C was measured, by using a commercial electronic nose. The obtained data were also compared with sensory evaluation of judge’s panel. Moreover, quality parameters such as total acidity, total soluble solids and firmness were determined at different storage times (0, 4, 8 and 12 days). The data show that the electronic nose is able to discriminate between the two different storage conditions applied: the multivariate analysis, Principal Component Analysis, presents clearly differences among the four sampling times when the apple slices are stored in air and in N2. Our results indicate that the electronic nose can be considered a valid supplementary tool to human sensory panel assessment especially in food quality safety and control and it can be a simple, objective and rapid method to control the food quality during the storage

Post-acute COVID-19 neurological syndrome: A new medical challenge

In December 2019, in Wuhan (China), a highly pathogenic coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2, dramatically emerged. This new virus, which causes severe pneumonia, is rapidly spreading around the world, hence it provoked the COVID-19 pandemic. This emergency launched by SARS-CoV-2 also had, and still has, devastating socio-economic aspects. Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups of people is crucial for the adaptation of governments’ responses. Growing scientific evidence suggests that it is essential to keep the attention on people after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection; indeed, some clinical manifestations are frequently present even after recovery. There is consensus on the need to define which symptoms persist after the infection and which disabilities may arise after COVID-19. Recent reviews, case reports, and original contributions suggest that various organs may be affected, and neurological symptoms are present in about one third of patients with COVID-19. Neurological complications after severe COVID-19 infection might include delirium, brain inflammation, stroke, and nerve damage. In the recent pandemic, neurologists and neurobiologists have a chance to study key features of infection neurology. Furthermore, the psychological impact of the pandemic should not be underestimated, although there is currently no definition for this condition

Insulin Promotes Survival of Amyloid-Beta Oligomers Neuroblastoma Damaged Cells via Caspase 9 Inhibition and Hsp70 Upregulation

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes are connected in a way that is still not completely understood, but insulin resistance has been implicated as a risk factor for developing AD. Here we show an evidence that insulin is capable of reducing cytotoxicity induced by Amyloid-beta peptides (A-beta) in its oligomeric form in a dose-dependent manner. By TUNEL and biochemical assays we demonstrate that the recovery of the cell viability is obtained by inhibition of intrinsic apoptotic program, triggered by A-beta and involving caspase 9 and 3 activation. A protective role of insulin on mitochondrial damage is also shown by using Mito-red vital dye. Furthermore, A-beta activates the stress inducible Hsp70 protein in LAN5 cells and an overexpression is detectable after the addition of insulin, suggesting that this major induction is the necessary condition to activate a cell survival program. Together, these results may provide opportunities for the design of preventive and therapeutic strategies against AD

RADIATION CROSSLINKED HYDROGELS WITH EGG WHITE PROTEINS FOR WOUND HEALING

The wound healing process is a complex and dynamic interaction among cytokines, growth factors, blood, and the extracellular matrix. [1] Due to the influence of potential physiological conditions, such as diabetes, any disorder of these factors will lead to chronic wound healing. In chronic wounds, an excessive inflammatory response prevents the proliferation of the healthy tissue, causing a serious infection which can also result in an amputation. If not treated properly, chronic wound might even be life-threatening. [2] Egg white proteins, such as ovoalbumin, ovotransferrin and lysozyme, are attracting interest especially because of their demonstrated antioxidant and antibacterial activities. [3] These bioactive proteins can then be used to enrich advanced wound dressing films that can help control wound oxidative stress and thereby accelerate wound healing and/or prevent bacterial infection. Wound dressing films can be easily produced crosslinking polymers, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), by high-energy radiation. [4] This technique does not require expensive initiators and catalysts and it can guarantee simultaneous product sterilization, depending on the irradiation doses. PVA hydrogels obtained by irradiation are also transparent, a desirable property for wound dressings. When PVA is mixed with selected polysaccharides, the hydrogel wound dressings have shown faster healing rates and scarless healing, probably due to antioxidant properties of polysaccharide fragments produced upon irradiation. [4] The aim of this work is to develop novel hydrogel formulations, based on blends of synthetic polymers and polysaccharides, and incorporating egg white proteins and/or their peptides, to investigate their applicability as advanced wound dressings

A close connection: Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes

In the recent years a growing body of evidence links insulin resistance and insulin action to neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The importance of insulin in ageing as well as its role in cognition and other aspects of normal brain functions are well established. The hippocampus and cerebral cortex-distributed insulin and insulin receptor (IR) have been shown to be involved in brain cognitive functions. Conversely, deterioration of IR signaling is involved in agingrelated brain degeneration such as in AD and cognitive impairment in type 2 diabetes patients. Insulin administration, while maintaining euglycemia, improves memory in both healthy adults and Alzheimer’s disease patients. In the present review, some common links between AD and type 2 diabetes are presented. Furthermore, several biochemical aspects existing in both pathologies are highlighted

Studies of network organization and dynamics of e-beam crosslinked PVPs: From macro to nano

In this work the influence of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)(PVP)concentration in water on the organization and dynamics of the corresponding macro-/nanogel networks has been systematically investigated. Irradiation has been performed at the same irradiation dose(within the sterilization dose range)and dose rate. In the selected irradiation conditions, the transition between macroscopic gelation and micro/nanogels formation is observed just below the critical overlap concentration(1 wt%),whereas the net prevalence of intramolecular over intermolecular crosslinking occurs at a lower polymer concentration(below 0.25 wt%). Dynamic\u2013mechanical spectroscopy has been applied as a classical methodology to estimate the network mesh size for macrogels in their swollen state, while 13C NMR spin\u2013lattice relaxation spectroscopy has been applied on both the macrogel and nanogel freeze dried residues to withdraw interesting information of the network spatial organization in the passage of scale from macrotonano

Water extract of Cryphaea heteromalla (Hedw.) D. Mohr bryophyte as a natural powerful source of biologically active compounds

Bryophytes comprise of the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Cryphaea heteromalla, (Hedw.) D. Mohr, is a non-vascular lower plant belonging to mosses group. To the date, the most chemically characterized species belong to the liverworts, while only 3.2% and 8.8% of the species belonging to the mosses and hornworts, respectively, have been investigated. In this work, we present Folin–Ciocalteu and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) data related to crude extracts of C. heteromalla obtained by three different extraction solvents: pure water (WT), methanol:water (80:20 v/v) (MET), and ethanol:water (80:20 v/v) (ETH). The water extract proved to be the best solvent showing the highest content of biophenols and the highest ORAC value. The C. heteromalla-WT extract was investigated by HPLC-TOF/MS (High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Time of Flight/Mass Spectrometry) allowing for the detection of 14 compounds, five of which were phenolic compounds, derivatives of benzoic, caffeic, and coumaric acids. Moreover, the C. heteromalla WT extract showed a protective effect against reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBH) on the murine NIH-3T3 fibroblast cell line

Moringa oleifera leaf powder as functional additive in cookies to protect sh-sy5y cells

The aim of this work is the evaluation of the addition of Moringa leaf powder (MLP) in cookies in terms of antioxidant properties, dough processability and sensorial properties of the cookies. The total content of biophenols and flavonoids in MLP was detected and the identification of the bioactive molecules was performed by HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS measurements, before and after oven treatment at 180◦C for 20 min. After a preliminary evaluation of the MLP water soluble fraction (MLPsf) cytotoxicity, its protective effect against an oxidative injury induced in the SH-SY5Y cells was assessed. Data evidence that the bioactive molecules present in MLPsf are effective in preventing ROS production and in protecting neuronal cells against oxidative stress. Prototypes of cookies containing MLP in different concentrations were then produced and evaluated by a consumer panel. Selected doughs containing MLP were analysed to determine the total content of biophenols in the cookies after baking and their enrichment in terms of valuable chemical elements. The influence of MLP on the viscoelastic behaviour and morphology of the doughs was also assessed. Finally, the potential role in counteracting the insurgence of not treatable neurodegenerative pathologies of two main MLP components, glucomoringin and kaempferol derivatives, present also after the thermal treatment, was discussed

Injectable xyloglucan hydrogels incorporating spheroids of adipose stem cells for bone and cartilage regeneration

Cartilage or bone regeneration approaches based on the direct injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) at the lesion site encounter several challenges, related to uncontrolled cell spreading and differentiation, reduced cell viability and poor engrafting. This work presents a simple and versatile strategy based on the synergic combination of in-situ forming hydrogels and spheroids of adipose stem cells (SASCs) with great potential for minimally invasive regenerative interventions aimed to threat bone and cartilage defects. Aqueous dispersions of partially degalactosylated xyloglucan (dXG) are mixed with SASCs derived from liposuction and either a chondroinductive or an osteoinductive medium. The dispersions rapidly set into hydrogels when temperature is brought to 37 °C. The physico-chemical and mechanical properties of the hydrogels are controlled by polymer concentration. The hydrogels, during 21 day incubation at 37 °C, undergo significant structural rearrangements that support cell proliferation and spreading. In formulations containing 1%w dXG cell viability increases up to 300% for SASCs-derived osteoblasts and up to 1000% for SASCs-derived chondrocytes if compared with control 2D cultures. The successful differentiation into the target cells is supported by the expression of lineage-specific genes. Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions are also investigated. All formulations resulted injectable, and the incorporated cells are fully viable after injection