Differences in dietary pattern between obese and eutrophic children

Background: Excessive consumption of energy is a decisive factor of obesity, but a simple quantitative assessment of consumption between obese and eutrophic individuals not always explains the problem, raising questions about the importance of the qualitative aspects of food. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in nutrient composition and meal patterns between eutrophic and obese schoolchildren. Methods. The diet of 83 children (42 obese and 41 eutrophic), aged between 7 and 11 years of age, was assessed by two non-consecutive dietary recalls. After the software analysis of macro and micronutrients composition, the different types and amount of legumes, fruits and vegetables were analyzed to verify the dietary patterns. Results: No differences were verified in energy consumption between the groups (eutrophic = 1934.2 672.7 kcal, obese = 1835.8 621.2 kcal). In general, children showed consumption within the recommended ranges of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. The average consumption of fiber was higher in the eutrophic group (20.7 g) when compared to the obese group (14.8 g). The dietary fiber was strongly correlated with the number of servings of beans (r = 0.77), when compared to fruits (r = 0.44) and leafy vegetables (r = 0.13). It was also observed that the higher the consumption of fiber and beans, the lower the proportion of dietary fat (r = -0.22) in the diet. Generally, there was a low consumption of fiber (20.7 g = eutrophic group/14.8 g = obese group), beans (1.1 portions in the eutrophic and obese groups), fruits (0.7 portions eutrophic group and 0.6 obese group) and vegetables (1.3 eutrophic group and 1.1 obese group). Conclusions: It is concluded that the obesity was more related to a dietary pattern of low intake of dietary fiber than excessive energy consumption and macronutrients imbalance. © 2011 de Oliveira et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Digestibilidade das proteínas do soro do leite mediante ensaio in vitro

Pós-graduação em Alimentos e Nutrição - FCFAR

Estudo químico e biológico do fungo endofítico Phomopsis sp. isolado da Senna spectabilis

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Utilização de carboidratos digestíveis em dietas para pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg, 1887)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The fatty acid profiles and energetic substrates of two Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus, Linnaeus) strains, Red-Stirling and Chitralada, and their hybrid

Protein and lipid content as well as the fatty acid (FA) composition of storage tissues were analysed in two varieties of Oreochromis niloticus (Red-Stirling and Chitralada) and their hybrid. The animals were maintained in cages for 11 months. The samples were taken when the animals weighed 10, 50, 100, 250 and 500 g. The results showed that changes in the metabolic processes occur during an increase in body mass in both varieties of tilapia and also their hybrid, but that these differences are not found in animals collected at the commercial weight. The protein content of the fillet and liver decreased with growth and the same protein content associated with growth was found for fillet lipid content. The genetic variety did not influence the FA profile of the fillet, but different genotypes had different hepatic FA compositions. Even with the same lipid content, the hepatocytes of Chitralada accumulated higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) n6 in triglycerides and increased C22:6n3 in the hepatocyte membranes. The higher n6PUFA content was compensated by a lower fraction of saturated FA in the hepatocyte triglycerides. The skin of Chitralada also had higher n6PUFA and C22:6n3 contents, suggesting a higher ability to deposit PUFA in the skin due to alterations in the liver synthetic pathway.

Pet food: quality and quality improvement

Today’s pet food industry is growing rapidly, with pet owners demanding high-quality diets for their pets. The primary role of diet is to provide enough nutrients to meet metabolic requirements, while giving the consumer a feeling of well-being. Diet nutrient composition and digestibility are of crucial importance for health and well being of animals. A recent strategy to improve the quality of food is the use of “nutraceuticals” or “Functional foods”. At the moment, probiotics and prebiotics are among the most studied and frequently used functional food compounds in pet foods. The present thesis reported results from three different studies. The first study aimed to develop a simple laboratory method to predict pet foods digestibility. The developed method was based on the two-step multi-enzymatic incubation assay described by Vervaeke et al. (1989), with some modification in order to better represent the digestive physiology of dogs. A trial was then conducted to compare in vivo digestibility of pet-foods and in vitro digestibility using the newly developed method. Correlation coefficients showed a close correlation between digestibility data of total dry matter and crude protein obtained with in vivo and in vitro methods (0.9976 and 0.9957, respectively). Ether extract presented a lower correlation coefficient, although close to 1 (0.9098). Based on the present results, the new method could be considered as an alternative system of evaluation of dog foods digestibility, reducing the need for using experimental animals in digestibility trials. The second parte of the study aimed to isolate from dog faeces a Lactobacillus strain capable of exert a probiotic effect on dog intestinal microflora. A L. animalis strain was isolated from the faeces of 17 adult healthy dogs..The isolated strain was first studied in vitro when it was added to a canine faecal inoculum (at a final concentration of 6 Log CFU/mL) that was incubated in anaerobic serum bottles and syringes which simulated the large intestine of dogs. Samples of fermentation fluid were collected at 0, 4, 8, and 24 hours for analysis (ammonia, SCFA, pH, lactobacilli, enterococci, coliforms, clostridia). Consequently, the L. animalis strain was fed to nine dogs having lactobacilli counts lower than 4.5 Log CFU per g of faeces. The study indicated that the L animalis strain was able to survive gastrointestinal passage and transitorily colonize the dog intestine. Both in vitro and in vivo results showed that the L. animalis strain positively influenced composition and metabolism of the intestinal microflora of dogs. The third trail investigated in vitro the effects of several non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDO) on dog intestinal microflora composition and metabolism. Substrates were fermented using a canine faecal inoculum that was incubated in anaerobic serum bottles and syringes. Substrates were added at the final concentration of 1g/L (inulin, FOS, pectin, lactitol, gluconic acid) or 4g/L (chicory). Samples of fermentation fluid were collected at 0, 6, and 24 hours for analysis (ammonia, SCFA, pH, lactobacilli, enterococci, coliforms). Gas production was measured throughout the 24 h of the study. Among the tested NDO lactitol showed the best prebiotic properties. In fact, it reduced coliforms and increased lactobacilli counts, enhanced microbial fermentation and promoted the production of SCFA while decreasing BCFA. All the substrates that were investigated showed one or more positive effects on dog faecal microflora metabolism or composition. Further studies (in particular in vivo studies with dogs) will be needed to confirm the prebiotic properties of lactitol and evaluate its optimal level of inclusion in the diet.

Integration of Year-round Forage Management Systems for Spring-calving and Fall-calving Beef Cows (A Progress Report)

Animal production, hay production and feeding, winter forage composition changes, and summer pasture yields and nutrient composition of a year-round grazing system for spring-calving and fall-calving cows were compared to those of a conventional, minimal land system. Cows in the year-round and minimal land systems grazed forage from smooth bromegrassorchardgrass-birdsfoot trefoil (SB-O-T) pastures at 1.67 and 3.33 acres, respectively, per cow in the summer. During the summer, SB-O-T pastures in the year-round grazing system also were grazed by stockers at 1.67 stockers per acre, and spring-calving and fall-calving cows grazed smooth bromegrass–red clover (SB-RC) and endophyte-free tall fescue–red clover (TF-RC) at 2.5 acres per cow for approximately 45 days in midsummer. In the year-round grazing system, spring-calving cows grazed corn crop residues at 2.5 acres per cow and stockpiled SB-RC pastures at 2.5 acres per cow; fallcalving cows grazed stockpiled TF-RC pastures at 2.5 acres per cow during winter. In the minimal land system, in winter, cows were maintained in a drylot on first-cutting hay harvested from 62.5–75% of the pasture acres during summer. Hay was fed to maintain a body condition score of 5 on a 9-point scale for springcalving cows in both systems and a body condition score of 3 for fall-calving cows in the year-round system. Over 3 years, mean body weights of fall-calving cows in the year-round system did not differ from the body weights of spring-calving cows in either system, but fall-calving cows had higher (P < .05) body condition scores compared to spring-calving cows in either system. There were no differences among all groups of cows in body condition score changes over the winter grazing season (P > .05). During the summer grazing season, fall-calving cows in the year- round system and springcalving cows in the minimal land system gained more body condition and more weight (P < .05) than springcalving cows in the year-round grazing system. Fall calves in the year-round system had higher birth weights, lower weaning weights, and lower average preweaning daily gains compared to either group of spring calves (P < .05). However, there were no significant differences for birth weights, weaning weights, or average pre-weaning daily gains between spring calves in either system over the 3-year experiment (P > .05). The amount of total growing animal production (calves and stockers) per acre for each system did not differ in any year (P > .05). Over the 3-year experiment, 1.9 ton more hay was fed per cow and 1 ton more hay was fed per cow–calf pair in the minimal land system compared to the year-round grazing system (P < .05).

Evaluation of Year-round Forage Management Systems for Spring- and Fall-Calving Beef Cows (A Progress Report)

A year-round grazing system for spring- and fall-calving cows was developed to compare animal production and performance, hay production and feeding, winter forage composition changes, and summer pasture yield and nutrient composition to that from a conventional, or minimal land system. Systems compared forage from smooth bromegrass-orchardgrass-birdsfoot trefoil pastures for both systems in the summer and corn crop residues and stockpiled grass-legume pastures for the year-round system to drylot hay feeding during winter for the minimal land system. The year-round grazing system utilized 1.67 acres of smooth bromegrassorchardgrass- birdsfoot trefoil (SB-O-T) pasture per cow in the summer, compared with 3.33 acres of (SB-O-T) pasture per cow in the control (minimal land) system. In addition to SB-O-T pastures, the year-round grazing system utilized 2.5 acres of tall fescue-red clover (TFRC) and 2.5 acres of smooth bromegrass-red clover (SBRC) per cow for grazing in both mid-summer and winter for fall- and spring-calving cows, respectively. First-cutting hay was harvested from the TF-RC and SB-RC pastures, and regrowth was grazed for approximately 45 days in the summer. These pastures were then fertilized with 40 lbs N/acre and stockpiled for winter grazing. Also utilized during the winter for spring-calving cows in the year-round grazing system were corn crop residue (CCR) pastures at an allowance of 2.5 acres per cow. In the minimal land system, hay was harvested from three-fourths of the area in SB-O-T pastures and stored for feeding in a drylot through the winter. Summer grazing was managed with rotational stocking for both systems, and winter grazing of stockpiled forages and corn crop residues by year-round system cows was managed by strip-stocking. Hay was fed to maintain a body condition score of 5 on a 9 point scale for spring-calving cows in both systems. Hay was supplemented as needed to maintain a body condition score of 3 for fall-calving cows nursing calves through the winter. Although initial condition scores for cows in both systems were different at the initiation of grazing for both winter and summer, there were no significant differences (P > .05) in overall condition score changes throughout both grazing seasons. In year 1, fall-calving cows in the year-round grazing system lost more (P < .05) body weight during winter than spring-calving cows in either system. In year 2, there were no differences seen in weight changes over winter for any group of cows. Average daily gains of fall calves in the yearround system were 1.9 lbs/day compared with weight gains of 2.5 lbs/day for spring calves from both systems. Yearly growing animal production from pastures for both years did not differ between systems when weight gains of stockers that grazed summer pastures in the year-round grazing system were added to weight gains of suckling calves. Carcass characteristics for all calves finished in the feedlot for both systems were similar. There were no significant differences in hay production between systems for year 1; however, amounts of hay needed to maintain cows were 923, 1373, 4732 lbs dry matter/cow for year-round fall-calving, year-round spring-calving, and minimal land spring-calving cows, respectively. In year 2, hay production per acre in the minimal land system was greater (P < .05) than for the year-round system, but the amounts of hay required per cow were 0, 0, and 4720 lbs dry matter/cow for yearround fall-calving, year-round spring-calving, and minimal land spring-calving cows, respectively.

Proceedings of the Eighteenth Annual Biochemical Engineering Symposium

The eighteenth annual biochemical engineering symposium was held during April 22–23, 1988 at the YMCA of the Rockies conference center in Estes Park, Colorado, under the sponsorship of the University of Colorado. Previous symposia in this series have been hosted by Kansas State University (1st, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 12th, 16th), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2nd, 4th), Iowa State University (6th, 7th, l0th, 13th, 17th), University of Missouri–Columbia (8th, 14th), and Colorado State University (11th, 15th). Next year's symposium is scheduled to be held at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The symposia are devoted to talks by students about their ongoing research. Because final publication usually takes place elsewhere, the papers included in the proceedings are brief, and often cover work in progress. ContentsApplications of mass spectrometers in biochemical engineeringJohn P. McDonald, Ayush Gupta, and Lourdes Taladriz, Kansas State University Enzymatic hydrolysis of corn gluten proteinsJulie Hardwick; Iowa State University Improved Acetone-Butanol Fermentation AnalysisZ. Buday; Colorado State University On-Line State Identification for Batch FermentationD. A. Gee and W. F. Ramirez; University of Colorado Role of Spargers in Air-Lift ReactorsPeter U. Sohn and Rakesh K. Bajpai; University of Missouri–Columbia The Interaction of Microcarriers and Turbulence within an Airlift FermenterG. Travis Jones; Kansas State University Oxygen Diffusion in the Inter-Fiber Gel/Cell Matrix of NMR-Compatible Hollow Fiber Bio-ReactorsS. L. Hanson, B. E. Dale, and R. J. Gillies; Colorado State University Characterization of Ca-alginate Gel Beads FormationHorngtwu Su, Rakesh K. Bajpai, and George W. Preckshot; University of Missouri–Columbia Metabolic Effects of Chloramphenicol Resistance in the Recombinant Host/Vector System: E. coli RRl [pBR329]William E. Bentley, Dana C. Andersen, Dhinakar S. Kompala, and Robert H. Davis; University of Colorado Genetic Engineering of Beta-Galactosidase to Aid in Fermentation Product Recovery by Polyelectrolyte PrecipitationD. E. Parker, C. E. Glatz, J. Zhao, C. F. Ford, S. M. Gendel, and M. A. Rougvie; Iowa State University Biodegradation of Organic Compounds in SoilLourdes Taladriz, L. E. Erickson, and L. T. Fan; Kansas State University Effect of Dilution, pH and Nutrient Composition on the Biodegradation of Metalworking FluidsAyush Gupta, L. E. Erickson, and L. T. Fan; Kansas State University Dissolved Hydrogen Correlation with Redox Potential in Acetone-Butanol FermentationXiangdong Zhou; Colorado State University Modeling of Ensiling Fermentation of Sweet SorghumA. K. Hilaly; Colorado State University

Silicon isotopes of sediment core GeoB2107-3

The supply of nutrients to the low-latitude thermocline is largely controlled by intermediate-depth waters formed at the surface in the high southern latitudes. Silicic acid is an essential macronutrient for diatoms, which are responsible for a significant portion of marine carbon export production. Changes in ocean circulation, such as those observed during the last deglaciation, would influence the nutrient composition of the thermocline and, therefore, the relative abundance of diatoms in the low latitudes. Here we present the first record of the silicic acid content of the Atlantic over the last glacial cycle. Our results show that at intermediate depths of the South Atlantic, the silicic acid concentration was the same at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) as it is today, overprinted by high silicic acid pulses that coincided with abrupt changes in ocean and atmospheric circulation during Heinrich Stadials and the Younger Dryas. We suggest these pulses were caused by changes in intermediate water formation resulting from shifts in the subpolar hydrological cycle, with fundamental implications for the nutrient supply to the Atlantic.

Refinement of a cell line based artificial diet for rearing the parasitoid wasp, Trichogramma pretiosum

An artificial diet incorporating insect cells originally developed for Trichogramma australicum Girault (Hymenoptera: Tricho-grammatidae) was successfully used to rear Trichogramm pretiosum Riley (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). To refine the diet, individual components were removed. Chicken egg yolk and the insect cells were identified as the most important components for T. pretiosum development. Their removal resulted in few pupae and no adults. Removal of Grace's insect medium, a common component of artificial diets, was found to markedly improve the development of T pretiosum, producing 60% larva to pupa transition and 19% pupa to adult transition. There was no significant difference in T pretiosum development on diets in which milk powder, malt powder or infant formula were interchanged, despite differences in nutrient composition. The use of yeast extract resulted in significantly higher survival to the adult stage when compared with yeast hydrolysate enzymatic and a combination of yeast extract and yeast hydrolysate enzymatic. Comparison of four antimicrobial agents showed the antibacterial agent Gentamycin and the antifungal agent Nystatin had the least detrimental effect on T pretiosum development. The use of insect cell line diets has the potential to simplify artificial diet production and significantly reduce T pretiosum production costs in Australia compared to diets using insect hemolymph or the use of natural or factitious hosts. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nutritional influences on cognitive function:mechanisms of susceptibility

The impact of nutritional variation, within populations not overtly malnourished, on cognitive function and arousal is considered. The emphasis is on susceptibility to acute effects of meals and glucose loads, and chronic effects of dieting, on mental performance, and effects of cholesterol and vitamin levels on cognitive impairment. New developments in understanding dietary influences on neurohormonal systems, and their implications for cognition and affect, allow reinterpretation of both earlier and recent findings. Evidence for a detrimental effect of omitting a meal on cognitive performance remains equivocal: from the outset, idiosyncrasy has prevailed. Yet, for young and nutritionally vulnerable children, breakfast is more likely to benefit than hinder performance. For nutrient composition, despite inconsistencies, some cautious predictions can be made. Acutely, carbohydrate-rich–protein-poor meals can be sedating and anxiolytic; by comparison, protein-rich meals may be arousing, improving reaction time but also increasing unfocused vigilance. Fat-rich meals can lead to a decline in alertness, especially where they differ from habitual fat intake. These acute effects may vary with time of day and nutritional status. Chronically, protein-rich diets have been associated with decreased positive and increased negative affect relative to carbohydrate-rich diets. Probable mechanisms include diet-induced changes in monoamine, especially serotoninergic neurotransmitter activity, and functioning of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. Effects are interpreted in the context of individual traits and susceptibility to challenging, even stressful, tests of performance. Preoccupation with dieting may impair cognition by interfering with working memory capacity, independently of nutritional status. The change in cognitive performance after administration of glucose, and other foods, may depend on the level of sympathetic activation, glucocorticoid secretion, and pancreatic β-cell function, rather than simple fuelling of neural activity. Thus, outcomes can be predicted by vulnerability in coping with stressful challenges, interacting with nutritional history and neuroendocrine status. Functioning of such systems may be susceptible to dietary influences on neural membrane fluidity, and vitamin-dependent cerebrovascular health, with cognitive vulnerability increasing with age.

Nutritional profile and yield of oyster mushroom cultivated on selected agricultural wastes

Research on mushroom production and products is gaining more grounds globally and in particular Nigeria. This study was carried out to determine nutritional relationship between the substrate used for cultivation and the fruiting body on each of the substrates. Agro-wastes, namely: palm ( Elaeis guineensis ) fruit shaft, plantain ( Musa paradisiaca ) leaves, sawdust and kenaf ( Hibiscus cannabinus ) stem, were assessed for suitability as substrates for cultivation of oyster mushroom ( Pleurotus floridanus Singer ). The spawn of the mushroom was used to inoculate each of the substrates, using a complete randomised design, with five replicates for each substrate. Results showed that all the substrates supported mycelia growth and development of fruiting bodies of the fungus. There were significant differences (P<0.05) among substrates in terms of number of days to complete mycelia run, with the least recorded in palm fruit shaft (25.20), and the highest in kenaf (32.40). Total yield also differed significantly (P<0.05), with the highest in palm fruit shaft (51.4 g 100 g-1) and lowest in plantain leaves (6.0 g 100 g-1). There was also significant difference (P<0.05) in the nutritional content of fruiting bodies, the highest fat content being on plantain leaves (1.72 g 100 g-1) and the lowest on palm fruit shaft (0.55 g 100 g-1). The trend was similar for mushroom substrates, plantain leaves having (2.55 g 100 g-1) and palm fruit shaft, (0.41g 100 g-1). Starch content for fruiting bodies was highest on sawdust (5.31 g 100 g-1) and lowest on kenaf (2.66 g 100 g-1), while for mushroom substrates, kenaf was (0.33g 100 g-1) and palm fruit shaft was (4.45g 100 g-1). There was a positive correlation (r = 0.24) between the nutrient of fruiting bodies and that of the substrate on which it was cultivated.

Compensatory growth in the gibel carp following feed deprivation: temporal patterns in growth, nutrient deposition, feed intake and body composition

To investigate the nature of compenstory growth in fish, an 8 week study at 28 degreesC was performed on juvenile gibel carp Carassius auratus gibelio weighing 6.6 g. Fish were starved for 0 (control), 1 (Sl)or 2 (S2) weeks and then re-fed to satiation For 5 weeks. Weekly changes in weight gain, feed intake and body composition were monitored during re-feeding. No significant difference was found in final body weight between the three groups, indicating complete compensation in the deprived fish, The deprived groups caught up in body weight with that of the control after 2 weeks of re-feeding. Body fat:lean body mass ratio was restored to the control level within 1 week of re-feeding. In the re-feeding period, weekly gains in body weight, protein. lipid, ash and energy in the S1 group were significantly higher than in the controls for 1 week. For the S2 group, weekly gains in body weight. lipid. ash and energy were higher than in the controls for 2 weeks, and gain in protein was higher than in the controls for 3 weeks, though gain in body energy became elevated again during the last 2 weeks of the experiment. Feed intake remained higher than the control level for 3 weeks in the S1 group and 3 weeks in the SZ group. Growth efficiency was not significantly different among the three groups in any of the weeks during re-feeding. Compensatory responses in growth and especially feed intake tended to last longer than the recovery of body composition. (C) 2001 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Evolution of nutrient structure and phytoplankton composition in the Jiaozhou Bay ecosystem

The inventories of nutrients in the surface water and large phytoplankton( > 69 pm) were analyzed from the data set of JERS ecological database about a typical coastal waters, the Jiaozhou Bay, China, from 1960s for N, P and from 1980s; for Si. By examining long-term changes of nutrient concentration, calculating stoichiometric balance, and comparing diatom composition, Si limitation of diatom production was found to be more possible. The possibility of Si limitation was from 37% in 1980s to 50% in 1990s. Jiaozhou Bay ecosystem is becoming serious eutrophication, with notable increase of NO2-N, NO3-N and NH4-N from 0.1417 mumol/L, 0.5414 mumol/L, 1.7222 mumol/L in 1960s to 0.9551 mumol/L, 3.001 mumol/L, 8.0359 mumol/L in late 1990s respectively and prominent decrease of Si from 4.2614 mumol/L in 1980s to 1.5861 mumol/L in late 1990s; the nutrient structure is controlled by nitrogen; the main limiting nutrient is probably silicon; because of the Si limitation the phytoplankton community structure has changed drastically.