Emerging plant-based proteins: comparison from extraction to functional properties and food application

The increasing demand for alternatives to meat food products, which is linked to ethical and environmental reasons, highlights the necessity of using different protein sources. Plant proteins provide a valid option, thanks to the relative low costs, high availability and wide supply sources. The current process used to produce plant concentrates and isolates is the alkaline extraction followed by isoelectric precipitation. However, despite the high purity of the proteins, it presents some drawbacks. Innovative protein extraction processes are emerging, with the aim of reducing the environmental impact and the costs, as well as improving the functional properties. In this study, the traditional wet protein extraction and another simplified wet process were used to obtain protein-rich extracts out of different plants. The sources considered in the project were de-oiled sunflower and canola, chickpea, lentils, and the camelina meal, an emerging oleaginous seed interesting for its high content of omega 3. The extracts obtained from the two processes were then analysed for their capacities to hold water and fat, to form gel and a stable foam. Results highlighted strong differences concerning the protein content, yield and functionalities. The extracts obtained with the alkaline process confirmed the literature data about the four plant sources (sunflower, canola, chickpea and lentils) and allow to obtain a camelina concentrate with a protein content of 63 % and a protein recovery of 41 %. The second easiest process was not effective to obtain a protein enrichment in oleaginous sources, whereas an enrichment of 10 and 15 % was obtained in chickpea and lentils, respectively. The functional properties were also completely different: the easiest process produced protein ingredients completely water-soluble at pH 7, with a discrete foaming capacity compared to the extracts obtained with alkaline process. These characteristics could make these extracts suitable for the plant milk-analogue products.

Production of phycobiliproteins by Arthrospira platensis under different lightconditions for application in food products

There has been an increase in investment in research on new sources of natural pigments for food application. Some cyanobacteria can change the structures responsible for light harvesting and cellular processes according to the wavelength and light intensity. This phenomenon has been described as complementary chromatic adaptation. The present study aimed to investigate the growth of Arthrospira platensis using different light qualities, irradiance, and wavelength by evaluating the production of biomass, proteins, and phycobiliproteins. The occurrence of the chromatic adaptation phenomenon in this cyanobacterium was also investigated. The microorganism used in this study, A. platensis, was grown in a Zarrouk medium under three irradiance levels, 50, 100, and 150 μmol fotons.m–2.s–1 with illumination provided by white and green fluorescent lamps. The condition of 150 µmol fotons.m–2.s–1 white light was the one that promoted the highest biomass production of A. platensis cultures (2115.24 mg.L–1). There was no difference in the production of total protein and total phycobiliproteins under the studied conditions. It is likely that the large supply of nitrogen in the Zarrouk medium was sufficient for cell growth and maintenance, and it supplied the production of accessory pigments composed of protein. Finally, there was no evidence of the complementary chromatic adaptation phenomenon in A. platensis cultivated under green light. Moreover, this condition did not increase phycocyanin production.

One rapidly growing market of Sweden: organic food : A qualitative study portraying some consumers’ decision to purchase organic food

In recent years there has been a significantly rising trend amongst consumers for health and environmental issues, which has resulted in greater attention for and sales of organic food. Organic food production strives to use natural resources, such as land, energy and water in a sustainable way and the products does not contain artificial fertilizers or chemical pesticides. However, organic food products are also often more expensive and less available in comparison to conventional food products. Despite this, interest for and sales of organic food products have increased around the globe, and in Sweden particularly, the increase in sales has grown largely from an international perspective. This thesis is of qualitative character and is focused on studying some consumers from the Swedish market of organic food. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute with a better understanding on the buying decision process regarding organic food purchase. To achieve this, the authors have studied some consumers that purchase organic food and have searched for patterns that could be identified in the decision process. The consumer buying decision process model has been used for portrayal of the chosen consumers’ decision to purchase organic food products. Interviews with six Swedish consumers were conducted, whereas each respondent continuously purchase organic food products. Results show that the purchase of organic food products begins with discovering an unsatisfied need state, which the consumers of this study desired to change with the purchase of organic food products. This study show how six consumers reason when passing through the stages of the buying decision process, in order to satisfy their desired need state. The authors found that the respondents feel satisfied with purchasing organic food products, which lead them in to continuously buying these products. Altogether, the findings contribute with knowledge that can come to be helpful when wanting to understand more about the consumer decision to purchase organic food.

Link between increased gut hormones signaling satiety and reduced food reward following gastric bypass surgery for obesity

CONTEXT: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is an effective long-term intervention for weight loss maintenance, reducing appetite, and also food reward, via unclear mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of elevated satiety gut hormones after RYGB, we examined food hedonic-reward responses after their acute post-prandial suppression. DESIGN: These were randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover experimental medicine studies. PATIENTS: Two groups, more than 5 months after RYGB for obesity (n = 7-11), compared with nonobese controls (n = 10), or patients after gastric banding (BAND) surgery (n = 9) participated in the studies. INTERVENTION: Studies were performed after acute administration of the somatostatin analog octreotide or saline. In one study, patients after RYGB, and nonobese controls, performed a behavioral progressive ratio task for chocolate sweets. In another study, patients after RYGB, and controls after BAND surgery, performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging food picture evaluation task. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Octreotide increased both appetitive food reward (breakpoint) in the progressive ratio task (n = 9), and food appeal (n = 9) and reward system blood oxygen level-dependent signal (n = 7) in the functional magnetic resonance imaging task, in the RYGB group, but not in the control groups. RESULTS: Octreotide suppressed postprandial plasma peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide-1, and fibroblast growth factor-19 after RYGB. The reduction in plasma peptide YY with octreotide positively correlated with the increase in brain reward system blood oxygen level-dependent signal in RYGB/BAND subjects, with a similar trend for glucagon-like peptide-1. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced satiety gut hormone responses after RYGB may be a causative mechanism by which anatomical alterations of the gut in obesity surgery modify behavioral and brain reward responses to food.

Design of bio-based supramolecular structures through self-assembly of α-lactalbumin and lysozyme

Bovine α-lactalbumin (α-La) and lysozyme (Lys), two globular proteins with highly homologous tertiary structures and opposite isoelectric points, were used to produce bio-based supramolecular structures under various pH values (3, 7 and 11), temperatures (25, 50 and 75 °C) and times (15, 25 and 35 min) of heating. Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments showed protein interactions and demonstrated that structures were obtained from the mixture of α-La/Lys in molar ratio of 0.546. Structures were characterized in terms of morphology by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), conformational structure by circular dichroism and intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy and stability by DLS. Results have shown that protein conformational structure and intermolecular interactions are controlled by the physicochemical conditions applied. The increase of heating temperature led to a significant decrease in size and polydispersity (PDI) of α-La–Lys supramolecular structures, while the increase of heating time, particularly at temperatures above 50 °C, promoted a significant increase in size and PDI. At pH 7 supramolecular structures were obtained at microscale – confirmed by optical microscopy – displaying also a high PDI (i.e. > 0.4). The minimum size and PDI (61 ± 2.3 nm and 0.14 ± 0.03, respectively) were produced at pH 11 for a heating treatment of 75 °C for 15 min, thus suggesting that these conditions could be considered as critical for supramolecular structure formation. Its size and morphology were confirmed by TEM showing a well-defined spherical form. Structures at these conditions showed to be stable at least for 30 or 90 days, when stored at 25 or 4 °C, respectively. Hence, α-La–Lys supramolecular structures showed properties that indicate that they are a promising delivery system for food and pharmaceutical applications.

Plan de factibilidad de exportación y comercialización de uchuva deshidratada con destino a España

En este escrito “PLAN DE FACTIBILIDAD DE EXPORTACION Y COMERCIALIZACION DE UCHUVA DESHIDRATADA CON DESTINO A ESPAÑA” se parte del hecho de la necesidad que existe en Colombia, por abrir su mercado y comercio a nivel internacional; con un marcado interés por la Unión Europea. Al interior de este trabajo, se encuentra un recorrido que va desde la siembra, recolección y manejo del producto base –uchuva fresca- hasta la logística, normatividad, exigencias y aranceles entre otros; hasta la entrega de la uchuva deshidratada, en manos del consumidor final. El mercado objetivo, fue escogido teniendo en cuenta los grandes beneficios que existen en la Unión Europea; y que favorecen a países como Colombia, en cuanto a que no cancelamos aranceles para productos del sector agroindustrial. Por otro lado, la escogencia del producto a exportar esta sustentado en que se trata de una fruta exótica, con alto contenido vitamínico, que se cosecha en grandes cantidades en Cundinamarca; y que gusta en Europa, especialmente en España. El mercado va dirigido inicialmente a inmigrantes latinos, especialmente Ecuatorianos y Colombianos que conocen las bondades de la fruta, y Españoles que disfrutan de nuestra gastronomía.

Leuconostoc mesenteroides SJRP55 isolada de mussarela de búfala: perfil probiótico e bacteriocinogênico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The Use of Human and Conspecific Gestures By Capuchin Monkeys to Solve an Object-Choice Task

Most primates live in highly complex social systems, and therefore have evolved similarly complex methods of communicating with each other. One type of communication is the use of manual gestures, which are only found in primates. No substantial evidence exists indicating that monkeys use communicative gestures in the wild. However, monkeys may demonstrate the ability to learn and/or use gestures in certain experimental paradigms since they¿ve been shown to use other visual cues such as gaze. The purpose of this study was to investigate if ten brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) were able to use gestural cues from monkeys and a pointing cue from a human to obtain a hidden reward. They were then tested to determine if they could transfer this skill from monkeys to humans and from humans to monkeys. One group of monkeys was trained and tested using a conspecific as the cue giver, and was then tested with a human cue-giver. The second group of monkeys began training and testing with a human cue giver, and was then tested with a monkey cue giver. I found that two monkeys were able to use gestural cues from conspecifics (e.g., reaching) to obtain a hidden reward and then transfer this ability to a pointing cue from a human. Four monkeys learned to use the human pointing cue first, and then transferred this ability to use the gestural cues from conspecifics to obtain a hidden reward. However, the number of trials it took for each monkey to transfer the ability varied considerably. Some subjects spontaneously transferred in the minimum number of trials needed to reach my criteria for successfully obtaining hidden rewards (N = 40 trials), while others needed a large number of trials to do so (e.g. N = 190 trials). Two subjects did not perform successfully in any of the conditions in which they were tested. One subject successfully used the human pointing cue and a human pointing plus vocalization cue, but did not learn the conspecific cue. One subject learned to use the conspecific cue but not the human pointing cue. This was the first study to test if brown capuchin monkeys could use gestural cues from conspecifics to solve an object choice task. The study was also the first to test if capuchins could transfer this skill from monkeys to humans and from humans to monkeys. Results showed that capuchin monkeys were able to flexibly use communicative gestures when they were both unintentionally given by a conspecific and intentionally given by a human to indicate a source of food.

Delaying mowing and leaving uncut refuges boosts orthopterans in extensively managed meadows: Evidence drawn from field-scale experimentation

Semi-natural grasslands are widely recognized for their high ecological value. They often count among the most species-rich habitats, especially in traditional cultural landscapes. Maintaining and/or restoring them is a top priority, but nevertheless represents a real conservation challenge, especially regarding their invertebrate assemblages. The main goal of this study was to experimentally investigate the influence of four different mowing regimes on orthopteran communities and populations: (1) control meadow (C-meadow): mowing regime according to the Swiss regulations for extensively managed meadows declared as ecological compensation areas, i.e. first cut not before 15 June; (2) first cut not before 15 July (delayed treatment, D-meadow); (3) first cut not before 15 June and second cut not earlier than 8 weeks from the first cut (8W-meadow); (4) refuges left uncut on 10–20% of the meadow area (R-meadow). Data were collected two years after the introduction of these mowing treatments. Orthopteran densities from spring to early summer were five times higher in D-meadows, compared to C-meadows. In R-meadows, densities were, on average, twice as high as in C-meadows, while mean species richness was 23% higher in R-meadows than in C-meadows. Provided that farmers were given the appropriate financial incentives, the D- and R-meadow regimes could be relatively easy to implement within agri-environment schemes. Such meadows could deliver substantial benefits for functional biodiversity, including sustenance to many secondary consumers dependent on field invertebrates as staple food.

Parameters of population dynamics and energetics of ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in Sevastopol Bay from January 1995 to March 1996

Population dynamics of abundance and biomass were studied and specific production of population of ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi was estimated in the Sevastopol Bay from January 1995 to March 1996. The ctenophores achieved maximum abundance and biomass in July during period of intensive reproduction. Young specimens (<5 mm) contributed during that period as much as 50-87% to total abundance of population. Annually averaged daily specific growth rate was 0.039. Growth, food consumption, and rate of filtration were measured in a laboratory under two concentrations of food (Acartia clausi and Moina micrura: 60 and 100 specimens per liter, 0.35 and 0.60 mg wet weight/l). Both concentrations sustained growth of animals with dry weight less than 20 mg. However these concentrations were insufficient to sustain growth of larger ctenophores. Specific growth rate of the ctenophores with dry weight <20 mg under favorable food conditions was 0.20-0.30 l/day. Specific growth rate of the ctenophores in the Sevastopol Bay never exceeded 0.093 l/day, mean biomass of fodder zooplankton in the bay being 90 mg/m**3 in terms of wet weight. Hence a conclusion was made that population of M. leidyi in the bay was limited by lack of food.

Discusiones en torno a las políticas públicas para la soberanía alimentaria y la agricultura familiar en Misiones (Argentina)

El objetivo del trabajo es analizar las políticas para la soberanía alimentaria en Misiones y su relación con las demandas de organizaciones de la agricultura familiar, teniendo en cuenta distintas visiones sobre el tema que tienen los actores involucrados y las acciones que se proponen desde algunas dependencias del Estado provincial y nacional. Para ello se revisaron y sistematizaron fuentes diversas (primarias y secundarias). El trabajo muestra divergencias entre las concepciones de soberanía alimentaria del Estado provincial (sustitución de la importación de alimentos) y nacional (democratización de su acceso), que sustentan estrategias de intervención en algunos puntos contradictorias y que se distancian de las demandas de las organizaciones de la agricultura familiar (centrada en la tierra para producir alimentos)

Discusiones en torno a las políticas públicas para la soberanía alimentaria y la agricultura familiar en Misiones (Argentina)

El objetivo del trabajo es analizar las políticas para la soberanía alimentaria en Misiones y su relación con las demandas de organizaciones de la agricultura familiar, teniendo en cuenta distintas visiones sobre el tema que tienen los actores involucrados y las acciones que se proponen desde algunas dependencias del Estado provincial y nacional. Para ello se revisaron y sistematizaron fuentes diversas (primarias y secundarias). El trabajo muestra divergencias entre las concepciones de soberanía alimentaria del Estado provincial (sustitución de la importación de alimentos) y nacional (democratización de su acceso), que sustentan estrategias de intervención en algunos puntos contradictorias y que se distancian de las demandas de las organizaciones de la agricultura familiar (centrada en la tierra para producir alimentos)

Discusiones en torno a las políticas públicas para la soberanía alimentaria y la agricultura familiar en Misiones (Argentina)

El objetivo del trabajo es analizar las políticas para la soberanía alimentaria en Misiones y su relación con las demandas de organizaciones de la agricultura familiar, teniendo en cuenta distintas visiones sobre el tema que tienen los actores involucrados y las acciones que se proponen desde algunas dependencias del Estado provincial y nacional. Para ello se revisaron y sistematizaron fuentes diversas (primarias y secundarias). El trabajo muestra divergencias entre las concepciones de soberanía alimentaria del Estado provincial (sustitución de la importación de alimentos) y nacional (democratización de su acceso), que sustentan estrategias de intervención en algunos puntos contradictorias y que se distancian de las demandas de las organizaciones de la agricultura familiar (centrada en la tierra para producir alimentos)

Disentangling factors controlling fruit and seed removal by rodents in temperate forests

Fleshy fruits fall on to the ground together with cleaned seeds previously ingested by primary dispersers, offering a wide range of fruits and seeds to the ground foragers. Although nutritional properties strongly differ between fruits and seeds, this different seed presentation (cleaned seeds versus seeds within the pulp) has not been addressed in seed removal studies. This study reports on the removal of fruits versus their seeds in five fleshy-fruited species in a temperate forest. We found that rodents removed most of the seeds and partially consumed most of the fruits, preferring seeds to fruits. Rodents bit the fruits to extract the seeds, leaving most of the pulp. We found a preference ranking for the seeds (Sorbus aucuparia>Ilex aquifolium>Sorbus aria>Rosa canina>Crataegus monogyna) but no preferences were found for the fruits, probably due to their similarities in pulp constituents. Seed and fruit choice were affected by chemical and physical properties and not by their size. The presence of alternative and preferred seeds (nuts) delayed the encounter of the fruits and seeds and diminished their removal rates. We found that higher rodent abundance is not necessarily associated with higher removal rates of fleshy fruits. Rodent abundance, fruit size and seed size are minor factors in the removal of fleshy fruits and their seeds. This study underlines that scatter-hoarding rodents are important removers of fleshy fruits and their seeds, producing a differential seed removal depending on the seed presentation (with or without pulp), the nutritional properties of the seeds (but not of the fruits) and the presence of alternative food

Lake Nabugabo: a potential reservoir for mukene (Rastrineobola argentea)

"Mukene"Rastrineobola argentea occurs in lakes Victoria, Kyoga, Nabugabo and the Victoria Nile. On lakes Victoria and Kyoga the commercial fishery is well developed. While some fishing occurs at isolated places on the Victoria Nile, the species is yet to be exploited on lake Nabugabo although the potential exists. Experimental fishing (light fishing and beach seining) was conducted on Lake Nabugabo based at the Lake Nabugabo Holiday and Conference Center. Specimens obtained were analyzed for biological and fisheries parameters. Mukene on Lake Nabugabo still grows to a large adult size compared to the Lake Victoria populations. Size at first maturity at 42mmSL is close to that observed on Lake Victoria. Peak breeding occurred between August and January. Unlike on Lake Victoria, R.argentea in Lake Nabugabo is not infested by the cestode Ligula intestinalis that is common in these fishes. Catch rates of 9.8 kg/lamp/hr by the lampara net on this lake compare favorably with many parts of Lake Victoria and on Lake Kyoga where a commercial fishery exists. The amount of by-catch species in the catches however is high and does not therefore favour the establishment of the fishery on this lake. Human exploitation of mukene on Lake Nabugabo would also affect the Nile perch fishery which depends on the species as a source of food.