[Review of] Raymond A. Bucko. The Lakota Ritual of the Sweat Lodge

This well-researched book presents an excellent anthropological discussion of the ritual aspects of the sweat lodge as practiced among some Lakota, while posing some very thorny problems in terms of treatment of religion, knowledge and spirituality among Native American people (Deloria, 1995)

The Prevalence and Control of Bacillus and Related Spore-Forming Bacteria in the Dairy Industry

peer-reviewedMilk produced in udder cells is sterile but due to its high nutrient content, it can be a good growth substrate for contaminating bacteria. The quality of milk is monitored via somatic cell counts and total bacterial counts, with prescribed regulatory limits to ensure quality and safety. Bacterial contaminants can cause disease, or spoilage of milk and its secondary products. Aerobic spore-forming bacteria, such as those from the genera Sporosarcina, Paenisporosarcina, Brevibacillus, Paenibacillus, Geobacillus and Bacillus, are a particular concern in this regard as they are able to survive industrial pasteurization and form biofilms within pipes and stainless steel equipment. These single or multiple-species biofilms become a reservoir of spoilage microorganisms and a cycle of contamination can be initiated. Indeed, previous studies have highlighted that these microorganisms are highly prevalent in dead ends, corners, cracks, crevices, gaskets, valves and the joints of stainless steel equipment used in the dairy manufacturing plants. Hence, adequate monitoring and control measures are essential to prevent spoilage and ensure consumer safety. Common controlling approaches include specific cleaning-in-place processes, chemical and biological biocides and other novel methods. In this review, we highlight the problems caused by these microorganisms, and discuss issues relating to their prevalence, monitoring thereof and control with respect to the dairy industry.NG is funded by the Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Scheme and through the Irish Dairy Levy funded project ‘Thermodur-Out.

Effect of Milk Composition on the Quality of Fresh Fermented Dairy Products

End of Project ReportThe rheology of yogurts or fresh fermented products generally describes and measures the texture of the product and includes such terms as viscosity and firmness of the gel while syneresis refers to the tendency of the yogurt to whey-off during storage. The importance of rheology and susceptibility to syneresis of fermented milk products is that they both have major impacts on consumer perceptions of the final product quality. Indeed, variation in the quality of yogurt products can lead the consumer to experience either an over-thin watery or an over-thick stodgy texture or a product which has a high level of free whey. It is obvious that the seasonal milk supply in Ireland compounds the particular difficulties associated with achieving a consistency in the quality of yogurts or other fresh fermented products. Importantly, both the rheology and syneresis of yogurts are markedly influenced by milk composition, processing treatments and the addition of hydrocolloids. Therefore, this project was undertaken so as to develop a laboratory fermented milks model system which allows the evaluation of the effects of variation of milk components, individually or in combination, on the rheological and syneretic properties of fermented milk products such as yogurt. In particular, the effects of varying total protein, casein-to-whey protein ratio, and fat content were studied as these variations reflect both the differences in milk composition due to lactational/seasonal effects and those due to process variations such as milk heat treatment.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

Systematic review of antimicrobial drug prescribing in hospitals.

Prudent antibiotic prescribing to hospital inpatients has the potential to reduce the incidences of antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infection. We reviewed the literature from January 1980 to November 2003 to identify rigorous evaluations of interventions to improve hospital antibiotic prescribing. We identified 66 studies with interpretable data of which 16 reported 20 microbiological outcomes: Gram negative resistant bacteria (GNRB), 10 studies; Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea (CDAD), 5 studies; vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE), 3 studies and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 2 studies. Four studies provide good evidence that the intervention changed microbial outcomes with low risk of alternative explanations, eight studies provide less convincing evidence and four studies were negative. The strongest and most consistent evidence was for CDAD but we were able to analyse only the immediate impact of interventions because of nonstandardised durations of follow up. The ability to compare results of studies could be substantially improved by standardising methodology and reporting

Improving the Quality of Low Fat Cheddar Cheese

End of Project ReportThe aims of this study were to elucidate the contribution of fat to cheese biochemistry and texture and to improve the texture and flavour of half-fat Cheddar cheese by modifications in make procedure, the addition of a fat mimetic, and/or the use of novel starter cultures/bacterial culture adjuncts. The main conclusions were as follows: A 'Moorepark Process' has been established for the production of half-fat Cheddar cheese with improved sensory acceptability. The flavour and texture of half-fat (17% w/w) Cheddar was improved by modification of the cheesemaking procedure and/or ripening conditions and through the use of novel starter cultures and/or bacterial culture adjuncts. Extensive databases have been compiled on: the effects of fat on the compositional, microbiological, biochemical, rheological and sensory properties of, and the yield of, Cheddar cheese. the compositional, biochemical and sensory characteristics of commercial Cheddar cheeses of different fat levels, available on the Irish and UK markets. Reduction in the fat level of Cheddar cheese resulted in a marked deterioration both in texture and flavour due to: increases in cheese hardness and fracture stress, indicating that the cheese became more elastic, tough and less amenable to mastication. a higher ratio of secondary-to-primary proteolysis a reduction in the level of primary proteolysis and an increase in the concentration of hydrophobic peptides which are conducive to bitterness.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

Future Protein Supply and Demand: Strategies and Factors Influencing a Sustainable Equilibrium

peer-reviewedA growing global population, combined with factors such as changing socio-demographics, will place increased pressure on the world’s resources to provide not only more but also different types of food. Increased demand for animal-based protein in particular is expected to have a negative environmental impact, generating greenhouse gas emissions, requiring more water and more land. Addressing this “perfect storm” will necessitate more sustainable production of existing sources of protein as well as alternative sources for direct human consumption. This paper outlines some potential demand scenarios and provides an overview of selected existing and novel protein sources in terms of their potential to sustainably deliver protein for the future, considering drivers and challenges relating to nutritional, environmental, and technological and market/consumer domains. It concludes that different factors influence the potential of existing and novel sources. Existing protein sources are primarily hindered by their negative environmental impacts with some concerns around health. However, they offer social and economic benefits, and have a high level of consumer acceptance. Furthermore, recent research emphasizes the role of livestock as part of the solution to greenhouse gas emissions, and indicates that animal-based protein has an important role as part of a sustainable diet and as a contributor to food security. Novel proteins require the development of new value chains, and attention to issues such as production costs, food safety, scalability and consumer acceptance. Furthermore, positive environmental impacts cannot be assumed with novel protein sources and care must be taken to ensure that comparisons between novel and existing protein sources are valid. Greater alignment of political forces, and the involvement of wider stakeholders in a governance role, as well as development/commercialization role, is required to address both sources of protein and ensure food security.This work forms part of the ReValueProtein Research Project (Exploration of Irish Meat Processing Streams for Recovery of High Value Protein Based Ingredients for Food and Non-food Uses, Grant Award No. 11/F/043) supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) under the National Development Plan 2007–2013 funded by the Irish Governmen

Stabilising effect of α-lactalbumin on concentrated infant milk formula emulsions heat treated pre- or post-homogenisation

peer-reviewedProtein type and/or heat treatment pre- or post-homogenisation can affect the physical stability of infant formulations during manufacture. Previous research has described the use of α-lactalbumin addition in infant formulae, but has not demonstrated the effect of heating pre- or post-emulsion formulation during processing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of both of these parameters. Three batches of model 1st-stage infant formula containing differing whey protein ratios (60:40 whey: casein with α-lactalbumin content 12, 30 or 48% of total protein) were prepared. Each batch was split; one half receiving heat treatment pre-homogenisation and the second half homogenised and then heat treated. Emulsion stability was determined by size exclusion chromatography, SDS-PAGE, particle size and viscosity measurements. There was a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in the formation of large soluble aggregates upon increasing α-lac concentration in emulsions heat treated either before or after homogenisation. Heat treatment of formulations post-homogenisation resulted in a higher (P < 0.05) D.v09 within the particle size distribution; increasing α-lactalbumin concentration to 30 or 48% significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the D.v09 within the particle size distribution in these emulsions. The viscosity of concentrates (55 % total solids) containing the 12% α-lactalbumin, heat treated post-homogenisation, was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the equivalent emulsion heat treated pre-homogenisation; increasing the α-lactalbumin concentration to 30 or 48% significantly (P < 0.05) reduced viscosity. When the α-lactalbumin content was increased to 48% as a percentage of the total protein, heating before or after emulsion formation had no effect on concentrate viscosity. The findings demonstrate the importance of thermal denaturation/aggregation of whey proteins (and in particular, the ratio of α-lactalbumin to β-lactoglobulin) prior to homogenisation of infant formula emulsions

The impact of syncope during clinical presentation of sustained ventricular tachycardia on total and cardiac mortality in patients with chronic Chagasic heart disease

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of syncope during sustained ventricular tachycardia on total and cardiac mortality in patients with chronic chagasic heart disease. METHODS: We assessed 78 patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia and chronic Chagas' heart disease. The mean age was 53±10 years, 45 were males, and the mean ejection fraction was 49.6±13%. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presence (GI=45) or absence (GII=33) of syncope during sustained ventricular tachycardia. RESULTS: After a mean follow-up of 49 months, total mortality was 35% (28 deaths), 22 deaths having a cardiac cause (78.6%). No difference was observed in total (33.3% x 39.4%) and cardiac (26.7% x 30.3%) mortality, or in nonfatal sustained ventricular tachycardia between GI and GII patients (57.6% x 54.4%, respectively). However, the presence of syncope during recurrences was significantly greater in those patients who had had the symptom from the beginning (65.4% x 18.1%, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Syncope during the presentation of sustained ventricular tachycardia is not associated with an increase in total or cardiac mortality in patients with chronic Chagas' heart disease. However, syncope during the recurrence ventricular tachycardia is greater in patients experiencing syncope in the first episode, of sustained ventricular tachycardia.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de MedicinaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Setor de Eletrofisiologia ClínicaUNIFESP, EPM, Setor de Eletrofisiologia ClínicaSciEL