A study on the application of natural extracts as alternatives to sodium nitrite in processed meat

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : All the data that support the findings of this study are available in the manuscript itself.Consumers are increasingly interested in purchasing meat products with low food additives content or even without the, since these kind of foodstuffs are perceived as more natural and healthier. Nitrites are the most commonly used additives in the meat industry to prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria, keep red color (secondary effect on myoglobin = iron and oxygen-binding), and improve flavor. In this scenario, meat processors are challenged to produce nitrite-free products guaranteeing the microbial quality and sensory characteristics. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of various natural extracts against the color of thermal processed beef, manufactured without nitrites. A total of fourteen natural alternatives have been evaluated: capsicum extract liquid phase (capsanthin), paprika oleoresin liquid phase, monascus yellow powder (Monascus purpureus), red yeast rice powder (Monascus purpureus) from three different producers, lycopene powder, red beet juice powder (Beta vulgaris), rosemary extract (Rosmarinus officinalis), capsicum extract powder (capsanthin), carmine pigment powder (cochineal extract), sorghum red pigment powder (Sorghum bicolor), and two factory-supplied recipes. For the first trial, extracts were added at a concentration of 0.3% in canned meat without nitrite. Samples were analyzed by colorimetric measurements before and after sterilization. The aim was to find natural extracts that provide similar color characteristics as canned meat with nitrite (used as reference). After color analysis, the extracts that did not show statistically significant differences (p > .05) from the positive control were chosen for the second trial, consisted of sample preparation at three different concentrations of extract (0,1%, 0,2%, and 0,3%) following factory manufacture procedures to ensure that the results were as accurate as possible. Results showed that sorghum red pigment powder (Sorghum bicolor) provides stable pigments and can be added as a natural additive to the manufacture of traditional canned meat recipe to maintain a similar red/pink color as same as provided by sodium nitrite.This research was funded by NoNit srl and a major food Processor, joint agreement 2020. Open Access Funding provided by Universita degli Studi di Perugia within the CRUI-CARE Agreement.http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfpphj2023Paraclinical Science

Decision support system for museum management through distributed wireless sensing

International audienc

Mental health, pain symptoms and systemic comorbidities in women with endometriosis: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: Endometriosis is a gynecological disease with a severe impact on quality of life. The aim of this study is to assess mental health status in a group of women with endometriosis, investigating their clinical history, pain symptoms and systemic comorbidities. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was performed on a group of Italian Caucasian women with endometriosis (n = 134). All patients filled the ‘Patient Health Questionnaire’ (PHQ), a self-administered screening tool for mental health disorders. The characteristics of endometriosis, pain symptoms and their severity, the presence and types of comorbid systemic disorders were added into the same survey. Results: According to PHQ algorithms, 59% of patients were affected by at least one psychiatric disorder, with a significant correlation with pain symptoms (p = 0.0026). Patients with severe pain showed a higher incidence of multiple psychiatric disorders (p = 0.026) and somatoform disorder than those with mild pain (p = 0.0009). There was no correlation between the presence of psychiatric disorders and age, BMI, parity, infertility, need for surgery, number of intervention, localization of endometriotic lesions and systemic comorbidities. Discussion: Women with endometriosis showed a high frequency of PHQ results positive for psychiatric disorders, with a significant association with pain severity. © 2017, © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Seismic slip recorded in tourmaline fault mirrors from Elba Island (Italy)

This paper reports the first example of fault mirrors developed in an unusual protolith, consisting of tourmaline crystals with interstitial goethite. The deformation mechanisms active in the fault zone have been investigated from the outcrop to the nanoscale, aiming to identify possible traces of frictional heating at seismic slip rate, as observed for other fault mirrors in different protoliths. The investigation revealed the superposition of two main deformational stages. The first was dominated by brittle processes and produced a cataclastic/ultracataclastic principal slip zone, a few mm thick; the second was associated with seismic slip and produced a sharp discontinuity (the principal slip surface) within the cataclastic/ultracataclastic zone. The mirror-like coating, a few microns thick, occurs on the principal slip surface, and is characterized by 1) absence of interstitial goethite; 2) occurrence of truncated tourmaline crystals; 3) highly variable grain size, from 200 mm to 200 nm; 4) tourmaline close packing with interlobate grain boundaries, and 5) tourmaline random crystallographic orientation. Micro and nanostructural investigations indicate the occurrence of thermally-activated processes, involving both interstitial goethite and tourmaline. In particular, close to the principal slip surface, goethite is completely decomposed, and produced an amorphous porous material, with local topotactic recrystallization of hematite. Tourmaline clasts are typically characterized by strongly lobate boundaries, indicative of reaction and partial decomposition at grain boundaries. TEM observations revealed the occurrence of tourmaline nanograins, a few tens of nm in size, characterized by rounded shape and fading amorphous boundaries, that cannot be obtained by brittle processes. Lastly, the peculiar interlobate microstructure of the mirror surface is interpreted as the result of grain boundary recrystallization processes taking place by deformation at high-T conditions. Our results show that tourmaline fault mirrors recorded localized high-T processes triggered by frictional heating and can be therefore considered as reliable traces of ancient earthquakes

Detection and Characterization of Zoonotic Pathogens in Game Meat Hunted in Northwestern Italy

Wildlife can represent a reservoir of zoonotic pathogens and a public health problem. In the present study, we investigated the spread of zoonotic pathogens (Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes, Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and hepatitis E virus (HEV)) considering the presence of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes in game meat from animals hunted in northwest Italy. During two hunting seasons (2020 to 2022), samples of liver and/or muscle tissue were collected from chamois (n = 48), roe deer (n = 26), deer (n = 39), and wild boar (n = 35). Conventional microbiology and biomolecular methods were used for the detection, isolation, and characterization of the investigated pathogens. Two L. monocytogenes serotype IIa strains were isolated from wild boar liver; both presented fosfomycin resistance gene and a total of 22 virulence genes were detected and specified in the text. Eight Y. enterocolitica biotype 1A strains were isolated from chamois (2), wild boar (5), and deer (1) liver samples; all showed streptogramin and beta-lactam resistance genes; the virulence genes found were myfA (8/8 strains), ymoA (8/8), invA (8/8), ystB (8/8), and ail (4/8). Our data underscore the potential role of wildlife as a carrier of zoonotic and antibiotic-resistant pathogens in northwest Italy and a food safety risk for game meat consumers

Sterile inflammation via TRPM8 RNA-dependent TLR3-NF-kB/IRF3 activation promotes antitumor immunity in prostate cancer.

Inflammation is a common condition of prostate tissue, whose impact on carcinogenesis is highly debated. Microbial colonization is a well-documented cause of a small percentage of prostatitis cases, but it remains unclear what underlies the majority of sterile inflammation reported. Here, androgen- independent fluctuations of PSA expression in prostate cells have lead us to identify a prominent function of the Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel Subfamily M Member 8 (TRPM8) gene in sterile inflammation. Prostate cells secret TRPM8 RNA into extracellular vesicles (EVs), which primes TLR3/NF-kB-mediated inflammatory signaling after EV endocytosis by epithelial cancer cells. Furthermore, prostate cancer xenografts expressing a translation-defective form of TRPM8 RNA contain less collagen type I in the extracellular matrix, significantly more infiltrating NK cells, and larger necrotic areas as compared to control xenografts. These findings imply sustained, androgen-independent expression of TRPM8 constitutes as a promoter of anticancer innate immunity, which may constitute a clinically relevant condition affecting prostate cancer prognosis