Effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on fatty acid composition in muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue of lambs

Lambs (n = 48) were used in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments to evaluate effects of inclusion of oil containing PUFA in high-concentrate diets (with or without) and duration of oil supplementation (pre- vs. postweaning) on CLA concentration of muscle and adipose tissue. Lambs were fed preweaning creep diets (with or without oil) corresponding to the dietary lactation treatment diet (with or without oil) of the dam. Dams blocked by lambing date and rearing type were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 lactation dietary treatments with or without oil supplementation. Creep diets contained approximately 70% concentrate and 30% roughage and were provided to lambs for ad libitum intake. At weaning (58.7 ± 2.5 d of age), lambs (n = 48) were randomly assigned within preweaning treatment groups to 1 of 2 postweaning dietary treatments (with or without oil) and 16 pens in a randomized block design, blocked by sex and BW. Postweaning diets were formulated to contain approximately 80% concentrate and 20% roughage and were fed once daily for ad libitum intake. Soybean and linseed oil (2:1, respectively) replaced ground corn and provided 3% additional fat in pre- and postweaning diets. Lambs were slaughtered at 60.3 ± 4.2 kg of BW. A subcutaneous fat (SQ) sample was obtained within 1 h postmortem and a LM sample at the 12th rib was obtained 24 h postmortem, and both were analyzed for fatty acid profile. Feedlot performance and carcass measurements were not affected (P ≥ 0.26) by oil supplementation. Total CLA content of LM and SQ was not affected (P ≥ 0.08) by oil supplementation pre- or postweaning, but trans-10, cis-12 CLA was greater (P = 0.02) in SQ from lambs supplemented with oil postweaning. Total PUFA content in LM was greater (P = 0.02) in lambs supplemented with oil pre- or postweaning as a result of increased concentrations of 18:2cis-9, cis-12 and longer chain PUFA. Conversely, pre- and postweaning oil supplementation resulted in less (P = 0.04) MUFA content in LM. Only postweaning oil supplementation increased (P = 0.001) SQ PUFA content. Feeding oils containing PUFA to lambs pre- and postweaning did not increase CLA content of muscle, whereas postweaning oil supplementation minimally increased CLA concentration of SQ fat. Inclusion of soybean and linseed oil in pre- and postweaning diets increased total PUFA content of SQ fat and muscle tissue without adversely affecting growth performance or carcass characteristics.

Effects of omega-3 fatty acids on immune function in broiler chickens

There is interest in the enrichment of poultry meat with long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in order to increase the consumption of these fatty acids by humans. However, there is concern that high levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may have detrimental effects on immune function in chickens. The effect of feeding increasing levels of fish oil (FO) on immune function was investigated in broiler chickens. Three-week-old broilers were fed 1 of 4 wheat-soybean basal diets that contained 0, 30, 50, or 60 g/kg of FO until slaughter. At slaughter, samples of blood, bursa of Fabricius, spleen, and thymus were collected from each bird. A range of immune parameters, including immune tissue weight, immuno-phenotyping, phagocytosis, and cell proliferation, were assessed. The pattern of fatty acid incorporation reflected the fatty acid composition of the diet. The FO did not affect the weight of the spleen, but it did increase thymus weight when fed at 50 g/kg (P < 0.001). Fish oil also lowered bursal weights when fed at 50 or 60 g/kg (P < 0.001). There was no significant effect of FO on immune cell phenotypes in the spleen, thymus, bursa, or blood. Feeding 60 g/kg of FO significantly decreased the percentage of monocytes engaged in phagocytosis, but it increased their mean fluorescence intensity relative to that of broilers fed 50 g/kg of FO. Lymphocyte proliferation was significantly decreased after feeding broiler chickens diets rich in FO when expressed as division index or proliferation index, although there was no significant effect of FO on the percentage of divided cells. In conclusion, dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids decrease phagocytosis and lymphocyte proliferation in broiler chickens, highlighting the need for the poultry industry to consider the health status of poultry when poultry meat is being enriched with FO.

Economic and agronomic impact of commercialised GM crops: a meta-analysis

The present paper presents a meta-analysis of the economic and agronomic performance of genetically modified (GM) crops worldwide. Bayesian, classical and non-parametric approaches were used to evaluate the performance of GM crops v. their conventional counterparts. The two main GM crop traits (herbicide tolerant (HT) and insect resistant (Bt)) and three of the main GM crops produced worldwide (Bt cotton, HT soybean and Bt maize) were analysed in terms of yield, production cost and gross margin. The scope of the analysis covers developing and developed countries, six world regions, and all countries combined. Results from the statistical analyses indicate that GM crops perform better than their conventional counterparts in agronomic and economic (gross margin) terms. Regarding countries’ level of development, GM crops tend to perform better in developing countries than in developed countries, with Bt cotton being the most profitable crop grown.

Supplementary feeding of wild birds indirectly affects the local abundance of arthropod prey

Providing supplementary food for wild birds is a globally popular past-time; almost half of the households in many developed countries participate and billions of US dollars are spent annually. Although the direct influence of this additional resource on bird survivorship and fecundity has been studied, there is little understanding of the wider ecological consequences of this massive perturbation to (what are usually) urban ecosystems. We investigated the possible effects of wild bird feeding on the size and survivorship of colonies of a widespread arthropod prey species of many small passerine birds, the pea aphid [Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris); Hemiptera: Aphididae], in suburban gardens in a large town in southern England. We found significantly fewer aphids and shorter colony survival times in colonies exposed to avian predation compared to protected controls in gardens with a bird feeder but no such differences between exposed and protected colonies in gardens that did not feed birds. Our work therefore suggests that supplementary feeding of wild birds in gardens may indirectly influence population sizes and survivorship of their arthropod prey and highlights the need for further research into the potential effects on other species.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and other plant-derived protease inhibitor concentrates inhibit breast and prostate cancer cell proliferation in vitro

The soybean-derived protease inhibitor, Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI), is currently showing great promise as a novel cancer chemopreventive agent. In contrast to the wealth of research conducted on this compound, the anticancer effects of protease inhibitors isolated from other leguminous sources have received limited attention. In the current study, 7 protease inhibitor concentrates (PICs) were isolated from various leguminous sources (including soybean) and characterized. The effects of PICs on the proliferation of breast and prostate cancer cells were investigated in vitro. Chickpea PIC significantly inhibited the viability of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and PC-3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cells at all concentrations tested (25-400 μg/ml). In addition, kidney bean (200, 400 μg/ml), soybean (50, 100 μg/ml), and mungbean (100, 200 μg/ml) PICs inhibited LNCaP cell viability. These findings suggest that leguminous PICs may possess similar anticancer properties to that of soybean BBI and deserve further study as possible chemopreventive agents.

Variation in the global-scale impacts of climate change on crop productivity due to climate model uncertainty and adaptation

Crop production is inherently sensitive to fluctuations in weather and climate and is expected to be impacted by climate change. To understand how this impact may vary across the globe many studies have been conducted to determine the change in yield of several crops to expected changes in climate. Changes in climate are typically derived from a single to no more than a few General Circulation Models (GCMs). This study examines the uncertainty introduced to a crop impact assessment when 14 GCMs are used to determine future climate. The General Large Area Model for annual crops (GLAM) was applied over a global domain to simulate the productivity of soybean and spring wheat under baseline climate conditions and under climate conditions consistent with the 2050s under the A1B SRES emissions scenario as simulated by 14 GCMs. Baseline yield simulations were evaluated against global country-level yield statistics to determine the model's ability to capture observed variability in production. The impact of climate change varied between crops, regions, and by GCM. The spread in yield projections due to GCM varied between no change and a reduction of 50%. Without adaptation yield response was linearly related to the magnitude of local temperature change. Therefore, impacts were greatest for countries at northernmost latitudes where warming is predicted to be greatest. However, these countries also exhibited the greatest potential for adaptation to offset yield losses by shifting the crop growing season to a cooler part of the year and/or switching crop variety to take advantage of an extended growing season. The relative magnitude of impacts as simulated by each GCM was not consistent across countries and between crops. It is important, therefore, for crop impact assessments to fully account for GCM uncertainty in estimating future climates and to be explicit about assumptions regarding adaptation.

Effect of TAG composition on performance of low saturate shortenings in puff pastry

Four blends formulated with low saturated fatty acid content, with the saturated component rich in stearic acid, were prepared from shea stearin, interesterified shea stearin, fully hardened soybean oil and high oleic sunflower oil in order to study their performance as shortenings in puff pastry products. The blends had a low saturated fatty acid content (30.1 ± 1.1%) compared to butter (65.9%). Saturates in the four blends examined came mainly from SSS, SOS, SSO and SOO. Puff pastry prepared from the blend that contained SOS as the main source of saturates had better properties than the other blends. It was similar to butter in compressibility of the baked product. The β-polymorphic form was present in all blends, although blends containing the highest levels of SSS also showed some β′ crystals.

Trypsin IV or mesotrypsin and p23 cleave protease-activated receptors 1 and 2 to induce inflammation and hyperalgesia

Although principally produced by the pancreas to degrade dietary proteins in the intestine, trypsins are also expressed in the nervous system and in epithelial tissues, where they have diverse actions that could be mediated by protease-activated receptors (PARs). We examined the biological actions of human trypsin IV (or mesotrypsin) and rat p23, inhibitor-resistant forms of trypsin. The zymogens trypsinogen IV and pro-p23 were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to apparent homogeneity. Enteropeptidase cleaved both zymogens, liberating active trypsin IV and p23, which were resistant to soybean trypsin inhibitor and aprotinin. Trypsin IV cleaved N-terminal fragments of PAR(1), PAR(2), and PAR(4) at sites that would expose the tethered ligand (PAR(1) = PAR(4) > PAR(2)). Trypsin IV increased [Ca(2+)](i) in transfected cells expressing human PAR(1) and PAR(2) with similar potencies (PAR(1), 0.5 microm; PAR(2), 0.6 microm). p23 also cleaved fragments of PAR(1) and PAR(2) and signaled to cells expressing these receptors. Trypsin IV and p23 increased [Ca(2+)](i) in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons that responded to capsaicin and which thus mediate neurogenic inflammation and nociception. Intraplantar injection of trypsin IV and p23 in mice induced edema and granulocyte infiltration, which were not observed in PAR (-/-)(1)(trypsin IV) and PAR (-/-)(2) (trypsin IV and p23) mice. Trypsin IV and p23 caused thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia in mice, and these effects were absent in PAR (-/-)(2) mice but maintained in PAR (-/-)(1) mice. Thus, trypsin IV and p23 are inhibitor-resistant trypsins that can cleave and activate PARs, causing PAR(1)- and PAR(2)-dependent inflammation and PAR(2)-dependent hyperalgesia.

Protease-activated receptor 2, dipeptidyl peptidase I, and proteases mediate Clostridium difficile toxin A enteritis

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We studied the role of protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR(2)) and its activating enzymes, trypsins and tryptase, in Clostridium difficile toxin A (TxA)-induced enteritis. METHODS: We injected TxA into ileal loops in PAR(2) or dipeptidyl peptidase I (DPPI) knockout mice or in wild-type mice pretreated with tryptase inhibitors (FUT-175 or MPI-0442352) or soybean trypsin inhibitor. We examined the effect of TxA on expression and activity of PAR(2) and trypsin IV messenger RNA in the ileum and cultured colonocytes. We injected activating peptide (AP), trypsins, tryptase, and p23 in wild-type mice, some pretreated with the neurokinin 1 receptor antagonist SR140333. RESULTS: TxA increased fluid secretion, myeloperoxidase activity in fluid and tissue, and histologic damage. PAR(2) deletion decreased TxA-induced ileitis, reduced luminal fluid secretion by 20%, decreased tissue and fluid myeloperoxidase by 50%, and diminished epithelial damage, edema, and neutrophil infiltration. DPPI deletion reduced secretion by 20% and fluid myeloperoxidase by 55%. In wild-type mice, FUT-175 or MPI-0442352 inhibited secretion by 24%-28% and tissue and fluid myeloperoxidase by 31%-71%. Soybean trypsin inhibitor reduced secretion to background levels and tissue myeloperoxidase by up to 50%. TxA increased expression of PAR(2) and trypsin IV in enterocytes and colonocytes and caused a 2-fold increase in Ca(2+) responses to PAR(2) AP. AP, tryptase, and trypsin isozymes (trypsin I/II, trypsin IV, p23) caused ileitis. SR140333 prevented AP-induced ileitis. CONCLUSIONS: PAR(2) and its activators are proinflammatory in TxA-induced enteritis. TxA stimulates existing PAR(2) and up-regulates PAR(2) and activating proteases, and PAR(2) causes inflammation by neurogenic mechanisms.

Mast cell tryptase and proteinase-activated receptor 2 induce hyperexcitability of guinea-pig submucosal neurons

Mast cells that are in close proximity to autonomic and enteric nerves release several mediators that cause neuronal hyperexcitability. This study examined whether mast cell tryptase evokes acute and long-term hyperexcitability in submucosal neurons from the guinea-pig ileum by activating proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) on these neurons. We detected the expression of PAR2 in the submucosal plexus using RT-PCR. Most submucosal neurons displayed PAR2 immunoreactivity, including those colocalizing VIP. Brief (minutes) application of selective PAR2 agonists, including trypsin, the activating peptide SL-NH2 and mast cell tryptase, evoked depolarizations of the submucosal neurons, as measured with intracellular recording techniques. The membrane potential returned to resting values following washout of agonists, but most neurons were hyperexcitable for the duration of recordings (> 30 min-hours) and exhibited an increased input resistance and amplitude of fast EPSPs. Trypsin, in the presence of soybean trypsin inhibitor, and the reverse sequence of the activating peptide (LR-NH2) had no effect on neuronal membrane potential or long-term excitability. Degranulation of mast cells in the presence of antagonists of established excitatory mast cell mediators (histamine, 5-HT, prostaglandins) also caused depolarization, and following washout of antigen, long-term excitation was observed. Mast cell degranulation resulted in the release of proteases, which desensitized neurons to other agonists of PAR2. Our results suggest that proteases from degranulated mast cells cleave PAR2 on submucosal neurons to cause acute and long-term hyperexcitability. This signalling pathway between immune cells and neurons is a previously unrecognized mechanism that could contribute to chronic alterations in visceral function.

Seasonality and the valuation of commodity options

Price movements in many commodity markets exhibit significant seasonal patterns. However, given an observed futures price, a deterministic seasonal component at the price level is not relevant for the pricing of commodity options. In contrast, this is not true for the seasonal pattern observed in the volatility of the commodity price. Analyzing an extensive sample of soybean, corn, heating oil and natural gas options, we find that seasonality in volatility is an important aspect to consider when valuing these contracts. The inclusion of an appropriate seasonality adjustment significantly reduces pricing errors in these markets and yields more improvement in valuation accuracy than increasing the number of stochastic factors.

Contrasting arbuscular mycorrhizal communities colonizing different host plants show a similar response to a soil phosphorus concentration gradient

High soil phosphorus (P) concentration is frequently shown to reduce root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, but the influence of P on the diversity of colonizing AM fungi is uncertain. We used terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) of 18S rDNA and cloning to assess diversity of AM fungi colonizing maize (Zea mays), soybean (Glycene max) and field violet (Viola arvensis) at three time points in one season along a P gradient of 10280mgl1 in the field. Percentage AM colonization changed between sampling time points but was not reduced by high soil P except in maize. There was no significant difference in AM diversity between sampling time points. Diversity was reduced at concentrations of P > 25mgl1, particularly in maize and soybean. Both cloning and T-RFLP indicated differences between AM communities in the different host species. Host species was more important than soil P in determining the AM community, except at the highest P concentration. Our results show that the impact of soil P on the diversity of AM fungi colonizing plants was broadly similar, despite the fact that different plants contained different communities. However, subtle differences in the response of the AM community in each host were evident.

Lunasin in cereal seeds: what is the origin?

Lunasin is a peptide from soybean seeds which has been demonstrated to have anticancer properties. It has also been reported in cereal seeds: wheat, rye, barley and Triticale. However, extensive searches of transcriptome and DNA sequence databases for wheat and other cereals have failed to identify sequences encoding either the lunasin peptide or a precursor protein. This raises the question of the origin of the lunasin reported in cereal grain.

Cereal aphids and their natural enemies: responses to landscape composition and agri-environment schemes

There are potential conflicts between food security, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. Currently, there are still gaps in our understanding on the links between land use, biodiversity and ecosystem services; all have implications for sustainable agriculture. To improve food productivity in an ecologically friendly manner we should consider adapting current pest control techniques from being reliant on chemical means towards a more integrated approach. However, to do this, farmers and land owners require more information in order to make informed decisions. This brief review explores field level and landscape scale impacts on aphid control by their natural enemies. This will be done by exploring the effects of local field margin flower strips and two key landscape scale factors, winter wheat and lowland calcareous grasslands on aphids and their natural enemies. Research questions which need answering are discussed.

Phospholipid-based microemulsions suitable for use in foods

The preparation of nonaqueous microemulsions using food-acceptable components is reported. The effect of oil on the formation of microemulsions stabilized by lecithin (Epikuron 200) and containing propylene glycol as immiscible solvent was investigated. When the triglycerides were used as oil, three types of phase behavior were noted, namely, a two-phase cloudy region (occurring at low lecithin concentrations), a liquid crystalline (LC) phase (occurring at high surfactant and low oil concentrations), and a clear monophasic microemulsion region. The extent of this clear one-phase region was found to be dependent upon the molecular volume of the oil being solubilized. Large molecular volume oils, such as soybean and sunflower oils, produced a small microemulsion region, whereas the smallest molecular volume triglyceride, tributyrin, produced a large, clear monophasic region. Use of the ethyl ester, ethyl oleate, as oil produced a clear, monophasic region of a size comparable to that seen with tributyrin. Substitution of some of the propylene glycol with water greatly reduced the extent of the clear one-phase region and increased the extent of the liquid crystalline region. In contrast, ethanol enhanced the clear, monophasic region by decreasing the LC phase. Replacement of some of the lecithin with the micelle-forming nonionic surfactant Tween 80 to produce mixed lecithin/Tween 80 mixtures of weight ratios (Km) 1:2 and 1:3 did not significantly alter the phase behavior, although there was a marginal increase in the area of the two-phase, cloudy region of the phase diagram. The use of the lower phosphatidylcholine content lecithin, Epikuron 170, in place of Epikuron 200 resulted in a reduction in the LC region for all of the systems investigated. In conclusion, these studies show that it is possible to prepare one-phase, clear lecithin-based microemulsions over a wide range of compositions using components that are food-acceptable.