Effects of Light and Nutrients on Tomato Plant Compensation for Herbivory by \u3ci\u3eManduca Sexta\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)

This preliminary study examined how two resources (light and nutrients) influence the ability of tomato plants to show growth compensation for defoliation by the tobacco homworm (Manduca sexta). Growth rate and biomass of plants grown under high and low levels of light and nutrients, and exposed to 4 levels of defoliation by Manduca sexta were measured. Nutrients affected plant growth rate much more strongly than did light. Light and nutrients, however, each influenced how herbivory affected plant growth. Defoliation significantly decreased growth rate only under conditions of low light and high nutrients. Biomass, on the other hand. was low under all resource treatments except high levels of both light and nutrients, and defoliation significantly decreased biomass only under high levels of both resources. Thus, plants appeared to compensate for damage. in terms of biomass, only under conditions of either low light and/or low nutrients

Recovery of Agricultural Nutrients from Biorefineries

This review lays the foundation for why nutrient recovery must be a key consideration in design and operation of biorefineries and comprehensively reviews technologies that can be used to recover an array of nitrogen, phosphorus, and/or potassium-rich products of relevance to agricultural applications. Recovery of these products using combinations of physical, chemical, and biological operations will promote sustainability at biorefineries by converting low-value biomass (particularly waste material) into a portfolio of higher-value products. These products can include a natural partnering of traditional biorefinery outputs such as biofuels and chemicals together with nutrient-rich fertilizers. Nutrient recovery not only adds an additional marketable biorefinery product, but also avoids the negative consequences of eutrophication, and helps to close anthropogenic nutrient cycles, thereby providing an alternative to current unsustainable approaches to fertilizer production, which are energy-intensive and reliant on nonrenewable natural resource extraction

Repeatability and validity of a food frequency questionnaire in free-living older people in relation to cognitive function

Objectives: To determine the repeatability and validity of a self-administered, 175-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in free-living older people and to assess whether these are influenced by cognitive function. Participants and setting: 189 free-living people aged 64-80y were recruited from participants in a previous study. Design: To assess repeatability, 102 (52M, 50F) participants completed the FFQ on two occasions three months apart. To assess validity, another 87 participants (44 M, 43 F) completed the FFQ and a four-day weighed diet record three months later. 25 nutrients were studied. Results: For repeatability, Spearman rank correlation coefficients were above 0.35 (p<0.05) for all nutrients. Cohen’s weighted Kappa was above 0.4 for all nutrients except starch, riboflavin, retinol, β-carotene, and calcium. There were no substantial differences in correlation coefficients between sub-groups divided by short-term memory test score. There was no clear pattern for correlation coefficients in sub-groups divided by executive function test score. For validity, the Spearman rank correlation coefficients were above 0.2 (p<0.05) for all nutrients except fat, mono-unsaturated fatty acids, niacin equivalents and vitamin D, and Cohen’s weighted kappa was above 0.4 for alcohol and was above 0.2 for 13 other nutrients. Participants in the lowest-score groups of short-term memory and executive function had the lowest median Spearman correlation coefficient. Conclusions: The FFQ had reasonable repeatability and validity in ranking nutrient intakes in this population though the results varied between nutrients. Poor short-term memory or executive function may affect FFQ validity in ranking nutrient intakes

Mechanisms of deterioration of nutrients

Methods for improving the quality of freeze-dried foods were investigated. Areas discussed include: (1) microstructure of freeze-dried systems, (2) structural changes in freeze-dried systems, (3) artificial food matrices, and (4) osmotic preconcentration to yield improved freeze-dried products

Effect of the Strawberry Genotype, Cultivation and Processing on the Fra a 1 Allergen Content

Birch pollen allergic patients show cross-reactivity to vegetables and fruits, including strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa). The objective of this study was to quantify the level of the Fra a 1 protein, a Bet v 1-homologous protein in strawberry fruits by a newly developed ELISA, and determine the effect of genotype, cultivation and food processing on the allergen amount. An indirect competitive ELISA using a specific polyclonal anti-Fra a 1.02 antibody was established and revealed high variability in Fra a 1 levels within 20 different genotypes ranging from 0.67 to 3.97 μg/g fresh weight. Mature fruits of red-, white- and yellow-fruited strawberry cultivars showed similar Fra a 1 concentrations. Compared to fresh strawberries, oven and solar-dried fruits contained slightly lower levels due to thermal treatment during processing. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis demonstrated degradation of recombinant Fra a 1.02 after prolonged (>10 min) thermal treatment at 99 ◦ C. In conclusion, the genotype strongly determined the Fra a 1 quantity in strawberries and the color of the mature fruits does not relate to the amount of the PR10-protein. Cultivation conditions (organic and conventional farming) do not affect the Fra a 1 level, and seasonal effects were minor

Demand for Nutrients: The Household Production Approach

This study uses the household production theory to study the demand for nutrients, i.e., households purchase a combination of food items from the market and produce the needed nutrients from these food items. By following the traditional household production approach, shadow prices for nutrients in food consumption are calculated. The cost function that generates the shadow prices appears plausible in terms of its elasticities of substitution and factor demand. After obtaining the calculated shadow prices of nutrients, the nutrient demand functions are estimated. Results show that the own-price elasticity of demand for nutrient is inelastic, whereas the expenditure elasticities indicate that nutrients are normal goods. Crossprice elasticities show that there appears to be complementarity in the demand for nutrients. This seems a logical result.nutrient, household production theory, demand, Demand and Price Analysis,

Effects of synbiotic supplement on human gut microbiota, body composition and weight loss in obesity

Targeting gut microbiota with synbiotics (probiotic supplements containing prebiotic components) is emerging as a promising intervention in the comprehensive nutritional approach to reducing obesity. Weight loss resulting from low-carbohydrate high-protein diets can be significant but has also been linked to potentially negative health effects due to increased bacterial fermentation of undigested protein within the colon and subsequent changes in gut microbiota composition. Correcting obesity-induced disruption of gut microbiota with synbiotics can be more effective than supplementation with probiotics alone because prebiotic components of synbiotics support the growth and survival of positive bacteria therein. The purpose of this placebo-controlled intervention clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of a synbiotic supplement on the composition, richness and diversity of gut microbiota and associations of microbial species with body composition parameters and biomarkers of obesity in human subjects participating in a weight loss program. The probiotic component of the synbiotic used in the study contained Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium longum, and Bifidobacterium bifidum and the prebiotic component was a galactooligosaccharide mixture. The results showed no statistically significant differences in body composition (body mass, BMI, body fat mass, body fat percentage, body lean mass, and bone mineral content) between the placebo and synbiotic groups at the end of the clinical trial (3-month intervention, 20 human subjects participating in weight loss intervention based on a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, reduced energy diet). Synbiotic supplementation increased the abundance of gut bacteria associated with positive health effects, especially Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, and it also appeared to increase the gut microbiota richness. A decreasing trend in the gut microbiota diversity in the placebo and synbiotic groups was observed at the end of trial, which may imply the effect of the high-protein low-carbohydrate diet used in the weight loss program. Regression analysis performed to correlate abundance of species following supplementation with body composition parameters and biomarkers of obesity found an association between a decrease over time in blood glucose and an increase in Lactobacillus abundance, particularly in the synbiotic group. However, the decrease over time in body mass, BMI, waist circumstance, and body fat mass was associated with a decrease in Bifidobacterium abundance. The results obtained support the conclusion that synbiotic supplement used in this clinical trial modulates human gut microbiota by increasing abundance of potentially beneficial microbial species

Domestic feed sources to farmed Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus)

This study presents an overview of recapturing nutrients from Baltic Sea thru mussel farming and producing mussel meal, detoxification of polluted fish into purified high quality fish meal and oil and introducing microorganisms as waste consumers as well as good protein sources for fish diets. Work on this study is focused on comparing growth performance of test diet, which has been made strictly of domestic (Baltic Sea) protein sources to commercial diet. Also, the study backs up the idea that use/reuse of protein sources and nutrients, i.e. making diets of sources from Baltic Sea and use them in aquaculture makes positive impact on ecological footprint, restores balance in aquatic ecosystem and flow of nutrients that can compete with present commercial diets in growth performance and price. Study is based on practical experiment, literature investigation and personal communication with people involved in this issue. Experiment is based on comparing growth performance of fish fed commercial (control) feed and test (experimental) feed. The thesis intends to show that recapture of nutrients is a way to establish a nutrition positive and environmental sustainable aquaculture in the Baltic Sea