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Abstract
In our study, using a combination of eye-tracking parameter analysis and the van Westendorp method, we investigate whether participants pay more attention to products that they perceive as more expensive or to those that they prefer in the ranking process. The experiment involved 50 participants, a questionnaire with ranking and pricing tasks, and an eye-tracking measurement. Three wine varieties (Irsai Olivér, Rosé and Merlot-Shiraz) and three different label alternatives were tested. When comparing the results of the ranking and the pricing tasks, the product that is considered more expensive is not always the one that is most appealing to the participants. If we compare the results from the analysis of the eye-tracking parameters and the pricing, we can say that in all cases the labels that received the most visual attention were those that were priced more expensively by the participants.
Abstract
Thermobifida alba is the mesophilic member of the Thermobifida genus, the genome and enzyme sets of which have not been described and published yet. Thermobifida strains are thermotolerant actinomycete, which possess wide sets of cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysing enzymes. Previously, three endomannanases (Man5ATh, Man5ATc, and Man5AThf) of thermobifidas were cloned and investigated, and hereby the endomannanase of T. alba DSM 43795 is described. All four endomannanases belong to the glycoside hydrolase family 5, their sizes are around 50–55 kDa. Their structure consists of a catalytic domain and a carbohydrate binding module, while there is an interdomain linker region in-between consisting repetitive tetrapeptide motifs (eg.: PPTEPTD-Ta, PTDP-Tc, TEEP-Tf, DPGT-Th). The pH optima of Man5A enzymes from T. alba, Thermobifida halotolerans, Thermobifida cellulosilytica, and Thermobifida fusca are slightly different (6.5, 7.0, 7.5, and 8.0, respectively), however, the temperature optima of the enzymes were detected within a wider range of 65–75 °C. In this research, Man5ATa exhibited the lowest Michaelis-Menten constant (KM) (0.13 mM) on LBG-mannan substrate, while others shared similar kinetic parameters: 0.9–1.7 mM of KM. Despite the high sequence similarity of the investigated mannanases, they exhibit different temperature stability parameters. These different functional characteristics can be advantageous for industrial applications producing biologically active, oligomannan prebiotics under different conditions.
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by inflammation and neurodegeneration. Current research suggests that diet may influence disease course, severity of symptoms, and quality of life in MS patients. The ketogenic diet (KD) has been used for more than a century as a therapeutic approach for various medical conditions. It was originally developed in the 1920s as a treatment option for epilepsy, and especially in the last 30 years, has gained popularity for its potential benefits in a variety of neurological conditions other than epilepsy. This prompted us to perform a literature survey regarding the effect of KD on the onset and progression of MS. The here reviewed 15 original research articles including in vitro, preclinical, and clinical studies provide evidence for the safety and feasibility of the KD in MS, showing potential neuroprotective effects and positive impacts on cellular metabolism and disease outcome. Since the literature is limited and most studies were conducted with low numbers of MS patients and rather exploratory in nature, further studies with larger cohorts are needed to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which the improvements of the MS disease course are achieved.
Abstract
The prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni infections is increasing worldwide and responsible for significant morbidities and socioeconomic expenses. The rise in antimicrobial resistance of C. jejuni underscores the urge for evaluating antibiotics-independent compounds as therapeutic and preventive treatment options of human campylobacteriosis. Given its well-known anti-microbial and immune-modulatory properties we here surveyed the disease-modifying effects of trans-cinnamaldehyde pretreatment in experimental campylobacteriosis. Therefore, secondary abiotic IL-10−/− mice were orally challenged with trans-cinnamaldehyde starting 7 days prior C. jejuni infection. Whereas gastrointestinal colonization properties of the enteropathogens remained unaffected, trans-cinnamaldehyde pretreatment did not only improve clinical signs in infected mice, but also alleviated colonic epithelial cell apoptosis on day 6 post-infection. Furthermore, trans-cinnamaldehyde application resulted in less pronounced T cell responses in the colon that were accompanied by dampened proinflammatory mediator secretion in distinct intestinal compartments. Notably, the immune-modulatory effects of trans-cinnamaldehyde were not restricted to the intestinal tract but could also be observed in extra-intestinal organs such as the liver and kidneys. In conclusion, our preclinical placebo-controlled intervention study provides first evidence that due to its immune-modulatory effects, trans-cinnamaldehyde constitutes a promising prophylactic option to alleviate campylobacteriosis.
Abstract
Cereals are prone to viral infections and the economic impact of these has increased in recent years. Among these diseases barley yellow dwarf (BYD) is one of the most destructive diseases of cereals today. For three consecutive years (2014–2015–2016) surveys were carried out in order to search for BYDV species (BYDV-PAV and -MAV) as well as other cereal viruses, wheat spindle streak mosaic virus (WSSMV), southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV) and barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) in seven regions of Algeria (Algiers, Boumerdes, Tipaza Médéa, Adrar, Khenchla and Batna).
Targeted samples were taken randomly from plants of different cereal species (wheat, barley, oats). The sample were analyzed by DAS-ELISA and RT-PCR.
The results of ELISA and PCR tests showed the presence of BYDV-PAV in barley, durum wheat, soft wheat and oats. Thus, this viral species were found in all the cereal regions surveyed (North, South, East and West).
Seven samples (durum wheat, barley and oats) were sequenced and phylogenetic analyses performed revealed that the Algerian sequences clustered in group I and group II.
Abstract
In our study, we examined mycotoxin-producing fungi found in sorghum grains (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench). During the experiment, the internal infection of grains was examined on 3 different selective culture media, as individual literature differs as to which selective culture media are the most suitable for the isolation of Fusarium species under laboratory conditions (Leslie and Summerell, 2006). During our experiments, we also used molecular methods to identify the selected Fusarium species down to the species level. In the case of Fusarium species our experiment shows that the best media is Nash & Snyder media. During the morphological identification we worked with 18 Fusarium monosporal cultures and we detected Fusarium avenaceum.
Abstract
In the study, suitability of porridge, bun, and salad prepared from processed pearl millet FBC16 and sorghum PSC4 had been evaluated organoleptically by a panel of semi-trained judges and 25 non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus subjects. Organoleptically, germinated pearl millet was found to be more suitable for porridge (50%) and salad (100%), while puffed sorghum was best suitable for bun (15%) preparation. Prepared porridge had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher protein (16.9%) and total phenols (178.8 mg GAE/100 g) contents and antioxidant capacity (1,036 mg TE/100 g) than control. The dietary fibre and in vitro starch digestibility of composite porridge and bun increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05). Most acceptable composition of porridge, bun, and salad had low glycaemic index (17.64–26.79) and medium to low glycaemic load (8.82–13.40). Suitability of pearl millet and sorghum using appropriate processing techniques (germination and puffing) is recommended for preparation of indigenous food products especially for diabetics.
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the anti-obesity potential of camel colostrum and milk proteins as well as their enzymatic hydrolysates. Camel colostrum and milk proteins were treated using six proteolytic enzymes (pepsin, trypsin, α-chymotrypsin, pancreatin, papain, and pronase). The degree of hydrolysis was measured to verify the degradation of proteins. The in vitro anti-obesity activity was evaluated using the pancreatic lipase inhibitory assay. Camel colostrum and milk protein hydrolysates exhibited different degrees of hydrolysis ranging from 17.69 to 43.97%. The protein content varied between 56.08–61.95% and 37.39–41.72% for camel colostrum and milk protein hydrolysates, respectively. The hydrolysates displayed significantly higher anti-obesity activity than the undigested proteins at all tested concentrations (P < 0.05). Colostrum protein hydrolysate generated with pancreatin had the highest anti-obesity potential (59.92%). These results suggest that colostrum and milk protein hydrolysates could be used to formulate functional foods and nutraceuticals.
Abstract
In the modern era, nutraceutical properties of horticultural crops are indispensable to determine their adaptability to different agro-ecological regions. The present study exploits the potential of mulches (P: plastic mulch; S: straw mulch; N: No mulch) in relation to drip irrigation (I1: 100%, I2: 80%, I3: 60% of crop evapotranspiration (Etc)), and fertigation (F1: 100%, F2: 80%, F3: 60% of recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF): 125 kg N, 62.5 Kg P2O5, 62.5 kg K2O per ha) on Pak choi at three maturity stages in the North West region of India. Plant fresh weight was the highest at 55 days after transplanting (DAT); however, maximum soil plant analysis development (SPAD) values were registered at 45 DAT. Antioxidant activity, FRAP, DPPH, phenols, flavanols, total sugars, ascorbic acid, free amino acids, and irrigation water use efficiency were observed significantly higher in plants grown on plastic mulch at different levels of irrigation and fertigation. It is envisioned that Pak choi plants had the highest nutritional value at 45 DAT from plots mulched with silver-black, irrigated at 80% Etc, and fertigated at 100% RDF. The nutrient enriched plants are used for green salad and as ingredients for the preparation of many recipes in the semi-arid and sub-tropic areas of India.
Abstract
This paper explores the prediction of the soluble solid content (SSC) in the visible and near-infrared (400–1,000 nm) regions of Baise mango. Hyperspectral images of Baise mangoes with wavelengths of 400–1,000 nm were obtained using a hyperspectral imaging system. Multiple scatter correction (MSC) was chosen to remove the effect of noise on the accuracy of the partial least squares (PLS) regression model. On this basis, the characteristic wavelengths of mango SSC were selected using the competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), genetic algorithm (GA), uninformative variable elimination (UVE), and combined CARS + GA-SPA, CARS + UVE-SPA, and GA + UVE-SPA characteristic wavelength methods. The results show that the combined MSC-CARS + GA-SPA-PLS algorithm can reduce redundant information and improve the computational efficiency, so it is an effective method to predict the SSC of mangoes.
