Chicken Gizzard Research Articles

Thermography and deep learning for detection of ground beef adulteration

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of thermal imaging as a rapid and non-destructive method for the detection of adulteration in minced beef. The adulterant materials investigated included avian offal (chicken gizzard) and ovine offal (sheep lung), which have been observed to be used as adulterants in the market. The weight ratios (w/w) of these impurities ranged from 0 to 30 % at 5 % intervals along with the pure samples. Since induction of a temperature gradient helps in thermographic diagnosis, heating and cooling pretreatments were utilized and compared. Convolutional neural network models were developed to identify the adulteration levels in ground beef. The models trained using data of both thermal processes (heating and cooling) were able to detect 8 levels of sheep lung adulteration in ground beef with 99 % accuracy. It was also able to detect the adulteration level of chicken gizzards in the warming method with 99 % accuracy and in the cooling method with 84 % accuracy. Since the method was capable of detecting impurities as low as 5 %, it points to a promising technique with high speed and accuracy for the detection of various types of adulteration in minced meat.

Purification and characterization of glutaminase and urease-free L-asparaginase from Bacillus atrophaeus with acrylamide reduction potential

L-asparaginase (L-asnase) is a versatile enzyme with uses in food industry and medicine. Current study aimed to isolate L-asnase producing microorganism/s without urease and glutaminase and optimize L-asnase production. First, screening and isolation of L-asnase-producing bacterial strains that did not produce glutaminase and urease from chicken gizzards were performed. For this purpose, the enzyme producing bacteria were screened on the agar medium supplied with substrate and phenol red indicator dye. Among the isolated bacteria, 1 isolate showed L-asnase free of glutaminase and urease. The selected strain was identified by biochemical, morphological and 16s rRNA sequencing. The selected strain was identified as Bacillus atrophaeus by 16S rRNA sequencing. The effects of incubation temperature (30°C) and time (72 hours), medium pH (8.0) and nutritional sources (glucose and NaNO3) on L-asnase production were determined. L-asnase was purified with acetone, and its molecular weight was determined to be 42 kDa by SDS-Page. Enzyme kinetics were also calculated, and it was determined that Vmax was 43 μmol/mL/min and Km was 2.7 mM. L-asnase activity was highest at 40 ℃ and the optimal pH was 8.0. L-asnase activity was stimulated by Mn2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ but inhibited by Co2+, Na+, Zn2+, and Hg2+. L-asnase was utilized to treat potato chips before they were fried in order to assess its capacity to mitigate acrylamide. The result was an 80% reduction in acrylamide concentration when compared to the untreated control. Based on these findings, it appears that L-asnase could have potential use in the food industry.

28-day repeated-dose toxicity of orally administered Jinmao Jiedu granule in Sprague-Dawley rats

Jinmao Jiedu granule is a Chinese medicine preparation consisting of Actinidia valvata Dunn, Salvia chinensis Benth, Iphigenia indica Kunth, and chicken gizzard. For many years, it has been employed in adjuvant therapy for cancer, especially liver cancer. However, the potential toxicity of the granule has not been reported. The present study aimed to assess the repeated-dose toxicity of orally administered Jinmao Jiedu granules for Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. SD rats were orally administered Jinmao Jiedu granules at doses of 2.85, 5.70, and 11.40 g/kg in a 28-day subchronic toxicity study. No adverse clinical signs associated with treatment were noted throughout the experiment. There were no treatment-related toxicity alterations in body weight, hematology, clinical biochemistry, urinalysis, necropsy, and histopathology in rats compared with the control group. The No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of the Jinmao Jiedu granule was higher than 11.40 g/kg/day in rats.

Research of the properties of protein hydrolysates obtained from the broiler chicken gizzards as a potential component of bioactive film coatings

Protein hydrolysates are a promising active component in the production of bioactive film coatings for food products. Some biopolymers can exert the biological activity. More often, however, it is necessary to select biologically active substances to impart these properties to films. On the other hand, not all components allow forming films with the required properties, and therefore there is a need to study the individual technological characteristics of the components used. The purpose of the research is to establish the antioxidant and technological properties of protein hydrolysates obtained by microbial fermenta- tion of poultry by-products in whey with bifidobacteria, propionic acid bacteria and acidophilic bacteria as a potential basis for bioactive film coatings of food products. The hydrolysate obtained by fermentation without the addition of the specified bacterial species was used as a control sample. The functional properties of protein hydrolysates were assessed: antioxidant capacity by coulometric titration on an Expert-006 coulometer using ascorbic acid as a standard, antiradical activity by the DPPH method on a Jenway 6405 UV/Vis spectrophotometer with determination of the IC50 value. The technological proper- ties, solubility, water-holding, fat-holding and fat-emulsifying capacities were also determined by the gravimetric method. In addition, the average hydrodynamic diameter of particles in protein hydrolysates was determined using a Microtrac FLEX particle size analyzer. The results of studies of the antioxidant properties showed that the DPPH antiradical activity was 14.7% higher in the experimental samples of hydrolysates obtained by fermentation with bifidobacteria compared to the control; samples of hydrolysates obtained by fermentation with propionic acid bacteria showed an antioxidant capacity 29.6% higher than that of the control sample. The IC50 value turned out to be the highest in the control hydrolysate sample (2.994 mg/ml), which was 45.5–53.3% higher than that in the experimental hydrolysate samples. The results of determining the technologi- cal properties showed that they differ significantly for protein hydrolysates obtained by fermentation with different types of bacteria. For example, the highest values of fat-holding and fat-emulsifying capacities were found in the hydrolysate obtained by fermentation with bifidobacteria (351.1% and 61%, respectively), which shows its potential for incorporation into the bio- composite in the form of a protein-oil emulsion. The high solubility of the experimental samples of hydrolysates (from 90.1 to 91.4%) suggests their uniform distribution in the aqueous phase when composing the biocomposite of the film. Thus, the research results have shown the prospects of using protein hydrolysates from the gizzards of broiler chickens in whey as an active component of bioactive film coatings. The antioxidant properties of protein hydrolysates allow slowing down oxidative processes in the main food nutrients, which will contribute to an increase in the shelf life of food products packaged in bioac- tive films with this component.

Valorization of slaughterhouse wastes through transesterification for sustainable biodiesel production using potassium hydroxide as a heterogeneous catalyst

In this research, biodiesel was synthesized from chicken gizzard using potassium hydroxide catalyst and the effects of operating parameters including catalyst weight percentage (0.005–0.015%), methanol to oil molar ratio (3:1 to 9:1), temperature (50–70 °C), contact time (4–6 h), and stirring rate (400–600 rpm) on the methyl ester conversion yield were investigated. This study is innovative as it explores the transesterification of chicken gizzard, a low-cost feedstock, which has not yet been investigated. Furthermore, the applied catalyst was characterized through BET, FTIR, FSEM, XRD, XRF, EDS/Map techniques, while GC analysis showed that heptanoeic acid (41.57%), arachidic acid (27.63%), and linoleic acid (15.48%) constituted the main constituents of the extracted oil. Based on BET analysis the specific surface area of the used catalyst was 358 m2 g−1 which is an appropriate value for the current purpose. The results revealed that the maximum biodiesel conversion yield (94%) was obtained under the optimal conditions of catalyst weight percentage at %0.01, methanol to oil ratio at a ratio of 6:1, temperature at 60 °C, reaction duration of 5 h, and stirring rate at 500 rpm. The regeneration studies demonstrated that the used catalyst can be used for 2 consecutive cycles with acceptable conversion yields. However, beyond this point, the yield deteriorates, dropping to below 90%. Furthermore, the comparison of the physical characteristics of the generated biodiesel, including density, viscosity, flame point, cloud point, pour point, aniline point, cetane number, and copper strip corrosion with ASTM-D675110 and EN-14214 standards showed that they were within the standards ranges which indicates that the produced biodiesel was a viable alternative to traditional diesel fuel. Considering the promising results obtained from biodiesel production utilizing chicken gizzard for the first time, this waste material can be deemed a cost-effective raw material for biodiesel production.

Determination and health risk assessment of heavy metals in chicken meat and edible giblets in Tehran, Iran

BackgroundHeavy metals are considered significant threats to public health, and they can accumulate in different parts of chickens, which are popular and affordable protein sources for the Iranian people. ObjectiveThe present study aimed to determine the concentration of seven heavy metals, encompassing arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn), in 150 samples of chicken meat, liver, and gizzard in Tehran, Iran, using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Furthermore, the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks associated with consuming these metals in chicken tissue were assessed. Results: The mean concentrations of Pb, Cd, As, Ni, Cu, Fe, and Zn in the meat were 0.03, 0.008, 0.007, 0.008, 0.49, 6.15, 4.2 mg.kg−1, in the liver, 0.03, 0.058, 0.011, 0.028, 4.81, 120.02, 17.95 mg.kg−1, and in the gizzard, 0.019, 0.018, 0.0072, 0.011, 1.22, 24.25, 14.36 mg.kg−1, respectively. The highest metal contents were found in the liver. The lowest amounts of Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn were found in the meat, and the minimum contents of Pb were detected in the gizzard. Target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) values in 100 % of cases were less than one and at an acceptable level. In 54 % of cases, cancer risk (CR) values were higher than 10−4 and unacceptable. ConclusionsChicken consumption by adults and children may pose a significant health risk, and heavy metal monitoring in other protein sources is necessary for human safety.

A simple and rapid preparation of smooth muscle myosin 2 for the electron microscopic analysis.

There has been an increase in the demand for purified protein as a result of recent developments in the structural biology of myosin 2. Although promising, current practices in myosin purification are usually time-consuming and cumbersome. The reported increased actin to myosin ratio in smooth muscles adds to the complexity of the purification process. Present study outlines a streamlined approach to isolate smooth muscle myosin 2 molecules from actomyosin suspension of chicken gizzard tissues. The procedure entails treating actomyosin for a brief period with actin-binding peptide phalloidin, followed by co-sedimentation and short column size exclusion chromatography. Typical myosin molecule with heavy and light chains and approximately 95% purity was examined using gel electrophoresis. Negative staining electron microscopy and image processing showed intact 10S myosin 2 molecules, proving that phalloidin is effective at eliminating majority of actin in the form of F-actin without dramatic alteration in the structure of myosin. The entire purification discussed here can be completed in a few hours, and further analysis can be done the same day. Thus, by offering quick and fresh supplies of native myosin molecules suited for structural research, specially cryo-electron microscopy, this innovative approach can be adapted to get around the drawbacks of time-intensive myosin purifying processes.

Direct observation of oriented behavior of actin filaments interacting with desmin intermediate filaments

BackgroundAssociations between actin filaments (AFs) and intermediate filaments (IFs) are frequently observed in living cells. The crosstalk between these cytoskeletal components underpins cellular organization and dynamics; however, the molecular basis of filamentous interactions is not fully understood. Here, we describe the mode of interaction between AFs and desmin IFs (DIFs) in a reconstituted in vitro system. MethodsAFs (rabbit skeletal muscle) and DIFs (chicken gizzard) were labeled with fluorescent dyes. DIFs were immobilized on a heavy meromyosin (HMM)-coated collodion surface. HMM-driven AFs with ATP hydrolysis was assessed in the presence of DIFs. Images of single filaments were obtained using fluorescence microscopy. Vector changes in the trajectories of single AFs were calculated from microscopy images. ResultsAF speed transiently decreased upon contact with DIF. The difference between the incoming and outgoing angles of a moving AF broadened upon contact with a DIF. A smaller incoming angle tended to result in a smaller outgoing angle in a nematic manner. The percentage of moving AFs decreased with an increasing DIF density, but the speed of the moving AFs was similar to that in the no-desmin control. An abundance of DIFs tended to exclude AFs from the HMM-coated surfaces. ConclusionsDIFs agitate the movement of AFs with the orientation. DIFs can bind to HMMs and weaken actin–myosin interactions. General significanceThe study indicates that apart from the binding strength, the accumulation of weak interactions characteristic of filamentous structures may affect the dynamic organization of cell architecture.

Production Optimization and Characterization of Antioxidant Protein Hydrolysate From Piaractus brachypomus Fish Meat By Probiotic Bacillus Strain Isolated From Chicken Gizzard

Production Optimization and Characterization of Antioxidant Protein Hydrolysate From Piaractus brachypomus Fish Meat By Probiotic Bacillus Strain Isolated From Chicken Gizzard

Correlation between the level of sulfane sulfur and the expression/activity of sulfurtransferases in chicken tissues – a possible ways of cyanide detoxification

Cyanogenic glycosides are a large group of secondary metabolites that are widely distributed in the many plants commonly consumed by humans, birds, and other animals. Thiosulfate sulfurtransferase (TST) and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MPST), are two evolutionary-related enzymes that constitute the defense against cyanide toxication and participate in the production of sulfane sulfur-containing compounds. The expression and activity of TST and MPST as well as the level of sulfane sulfur in chicken tissue homogenates of the liver, heart, and gizzard were investigated. The highest expression/activity of TST and MPST was noticed in liver homogenates which was associated with the high sulfane sulfur level. Both the expression and activity of TST as well as the sulfane sulfur level in chicken gizzard homogenates were significantly lower than in the liver and heart. Both TST and MPST enzymes can play an important role in cyanide detoxification in chicken tissues. Maintaining appropriate sulfane sulfur level together with the high activity of these enzymes is essential to protect tissues from the toxic effects of cyanide, released from certain nutrients.

First Report on Microplastics Quantification in Poultry Chicken and Potential Human Health Risks in Pakistan.

Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging environmental health concern due to their widespread occurrence in food sources such as fish, meat, chicken, honey, sugar, salt, tea and drinking water, thereby posing possible risks to human health. This study aimed to observe the existence of MPs in the crop and gizzard of the farm chicken, a significant food source in Pakistan. Twenty-four chicken samples were taken from eight poultry farms across Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 1227 MP particles were found from 24 samples (crop and gizzards) originating from the 8 poultry farms. In all, 429 MP particles were found in 24 chicken crops, with a mean of 17.8 ± 12.1 MPs/crop. In contrast, 798 MP particles were found in 24 chicken gizzards, with a mean of 33.25 ± 17.8 MPs/gizzard. Comparatively larger particles, ranging between 300-500 µm, were more abundant (63%) than other considered sizes (300-150 µm [21%] and 150-50 µm [16%]). Additionally, fragments were the dominant type of shape in both sample types (crop [64%] and gizzard [53%]). The predominant colours of particles extracted from gizzards and crops were yellow (32%) and red (32%), respectively. Chemical characterisation of these particles detected four types of polymers: polyvinyl chloride (PVC) at 51.2%, followed by low-density polyethylene (LDPE) at 30.7%, polystyrene (PS) at 13.6% and polypropylene homopolymer (PPH) at 4.5%. In conclusion, we provide evidence for MPs in the gizzards and crops of farmed chickens which may originate from contaminated poultry feed. Only a few studies have been reported globally to assess MPs ingestion in chickens. The current study is the first report from Pakistan. It could be a valuable addition to support MPs literature to establish a relationship between MPs contamination and intake through the food chain.

Monitoring of Tetracycline Group Antibiotic Residues in Various Food Products of Animal Origin in the Turkish Market

The aim of this study was to detect the presence of antibiotic residues in foods of animal origin, including 42 pieces of chicken gizzard and 46 pieces of bovine kidney and 102 chicken eggs belonging to various brands. These samples were gathered from December 2020 to April 2021 in the Aegean province of Turkey. A sensitive, simple, rapid, experimentally convenient and cost effective RP-LC method with high recovery output was developed. The method was thoroughly validated for the optimized parameters and produced satisfactory results. The analysis of bovine offal by the developed RP-LC method showed the presence of oxytetracycline, tetracycline, and chlortetracycline residues in 14 (30.43%) kidney samples. Chlortetracycline was detected in 7 (16.67%) chicken gizzard samples. In addition, the analysis of chicken eggs revealed the presence of oxytetracycline and tetracycline residues in nine egg samples (8.82%). Since, the amount of antibiotic residues in these samples was below the detection limit, quantification could not be carried out. Only one (0.98%) of the 102 egg samples exceeded the MRL (267.1 mg/kg) for oxytetracycline concentration. According to the study's overall findings, it is recommended that tetracycline antibiotics should be regularly checked in a variety of foods made from animals because they were found in 32 out of 190 analysed samples. Tetracycline residues may pose dangers to human health, so it's important to conduct further research and more information should be given for both producers and consumers.

Nutritional knowledge of mothers, children’s food consumption, and stunting prevalence: a study of indigenous community in Kasepuhan of Ciptagelar and Sinar Resmi, West Java, Indonesia

Background: The indigenous community of Kasepuhan of Ciptagelar lives in villages that still hold the local traditions firmly. In contrast, the indigenous community of Kasepuhan of Sinar Resmi geographically live in more open villages, so they can easily interact with people from other villages. Culture contributes social values to food consumption and nutritional status. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the two indigenous communities from January 2015 until June 2016. The study involved selecting samples using stratified random sampling. The total sample was as many as 200 households. Results: The study found that 70.3% of mothers in Kasepuhan of Ciptagelar and 48.6% in Kasepuhan of Sinar Resmi have low nutritional knowledge (score <60). The households living in both Kasepuhans had high dietary consumption diversity. However, a household in Ciptagelar had a higher dietary diversity score (6.4±1.4) than in Sinar Resmi (5.7±2.0) (p=0.032). The foods taboo for pregnant mothers were meatballs, Reundeu leaves, durian, pineapple, and Ambon banana. The foods taboo for children under five were meat, chicken feet, chicken tail, chicken liver, chicken gizzard, and seafish. The stunting prevalence of children in Ciptagelar was 44.3%, while Sukaresmi was 22.9%. Conclusions: Based on those findings, the mother’s nutritional knowledge in Kasepuhan of Sinar Resmi was better than in Kasepuhan of Ciptagelar. The diversity of household food consumption in Kasepuhan of Ciptagelar was higher. However, there was a possibility that the nutritional intake of children in Kasepuhan of Ciptagelar was lower. Consequently, the stunting prevalence was higher in Kasepuhan of Ciptagelar than in the Kasepuhan of Sinar Resmi.

Poultry Food Assess Risk Model for Salmonella and Chicken Gizzards: II. Illness Dose Step

The Illness Dose (ID) step of a Poultry Food Assess Risk Model (PFARM) for Salmonella and chicken gizzards (CGs) was shown in the present study. The illness dose is the minimum dose of Salmonella consumed that causes an illness. It depends on the zoonotic potential (ZP) of Salmonella, food consumption behavior (FCB), and consumer health and immunity (CHI) or the disease triangle (DT). Zoonotic potential is the ability of Salmonella to survive, grow, and spread in the production chain or food and then cause illness in humans. Illness dose is predicted in PFARM using a DT, dose-response model (DRM) that was developed with human feeding trial (HFT) data and was validated with human outbreak investigation (HOI) data for Salmonella. The ability of the DT, DRM to predict DR data from HOI and HFT for Salmonella was quantified using the Acceptable Prediction Zone (APZ) method where acceptable performance occurred when the proportion of residuals in the APZ (pAPZ) was ≥0.7. United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data for human salmonellosis from 2007 to 2016 were used to simulate ZP, and only minor changes in ZP of 11 Salmonella serotypes were observed during this time. The performance of the DT, DRM for predicting Salmonella DR data from HFT and HOI was acceptable with pAPZ that ranged from 0.87 to 1 for individual serotypes of Salmonella. Simulation results from the DT, DRM in PFARM indicated that ID decreased (P ≤ 0.05) and ZP increased (P ≤ 0.05) over time in the simulated production chain because the main serotype of Salmonella changed from Kentucky (low ZP) to Infantis (high ZP) while FCB and CHI were held constant. These results indicated that the DT, DRM in PFARM can be used with confidence to predict ID as a function of ZP, FCB, and CHI. In other words, the DT, DRM in PFARM can be used with confidence to predict dose-response for Salmonella and CGs.

The Distribution of Selected Toxic Elements in Sauced Chicken during Their Feeding, Processing, and Storage Stages.

Sauced chicken is popular food worldwide. However, the elemental pollution of poultry industrialization has led to an increasing health risk concern. In this study, four typical toxic elements, including chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), were selected and detected in whole industry chains of sauced chicken preparation by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The detection method was optimized and verified with an average recovery of 93.96% to 107.0%. Cr has the highest proportion among the elements during the three stages, while the content of Cd was the least. In the feeding stages, elements were at the highest level in the starter broiler, and the grower broiler was considered to have a good metabolic capacity of them. In addition, the elements were mainly distributed in the chicken kidney, gizzard, liver, leg, wing, and lung. In the processing stage, the elements continued to accumulate from the scalding to the sterilization process. The elements were mainly distributed in the chicken wing, leg, head, and breast. In the storage stage, the elements almost kept constant in the polyamide and polyethylene packaging, while it showed irregular small-range fluctuations in the other two packages. This study provides beneficial references for the toxic element risk management in the whole industry chain.

Cadmium and lead bioavailability to poultry fed with contaminated soil-spiked feed

Geophagy is common for free-range chickens, however, the relative bioavailability (RBA) of heavy metals in contaminated soils consumed by chickens has not fully investigated. In this work, chickens were fed diets increasingly spiked with a contaminated soil (Cd = 105, Pb = 4840 mg kg−1; 3, 5, 10, 20 and 30 % of overall feed by weight), or Cd/Pb reagent spikes (from CdCl2 or Pb(Ac)2), for 23 d. After the study period, chicken liver, kidney, femur and gizzard samples were analyzed for Cd and Pb concentrations, and organ/tissue metal concentrations were used to calculate Cd and Pb RBA. Linear dose response curves (DRCs) were established for both Cd/Pb reagents-spiked and soil-spiked treatments. Femur Cd concentrations of soil-spiked treatments were two times of Cd-spiked treatments with similar feed Cd levels, while feed spiked with Cd or Pb also resulted in elevated Pb or Cd concentrations in some organ/tissues. Metal RBA was calculated using three different methods. Most Cd and Pb RBA values were in the range 50–70 %, with the chicken gizzard as a potential endpoint for bioaccessible Cd and Pb. Cadmium and Pb bioavailability values can help with more precise estimation of Cd and Pb accumulation in chicken following heavy metal-contaminated soil ingestion, with overall results helping to protect human health.

Wounds That Kill, Wound Us All, and: Break, 2020

Wounds That Kill, Wound Us All, and: Break, 2020 Sean William Carrero (bio) Wounds That Kill, Wound Us All Morning's dry tongue receives no forgiveness.I know as much about deathas chicken gizzards know how to be eaten,or how to put the wind into boxes,pierce a dark room with my body,and make and unmake myself again. I fold what I know about death into memory,as much as little David knows, how hediscovered his mother's divorce from lifea wound in the backyard after school. Sinfulbefore heaven, she dead. Warfare never truly restores order,but transforms everything else that stays alive. There was no one else to clipthe eldest's toenails, leavered lipstick on my pale face annuallyor get excited about the Wizard of Oz. No one else to keep us, our little familyfrom sewing blank seeds in the garden.No one to fight the cotton mouth there. This poison stains us instead of your lipstick.I know as much about death as chicken gizzardsknow how to be eaten as an appetizer annually. [End Page 152] I am the size of a centimeter on a yard stick,thrash my boy fists into the rug floor foreverfeel rugged anger brush my knucklesalive without her. I foldwhat I know about death, lessthan what my cousin saw firsthand,a human body against a backyard treea bullet pierced clean through her brain.A poem reads differently when that poet has died.I read you distorted after you have died. [End Page 153] Break, 2020 In the middle of thousands dyingI learn how to come back home.The first and last time I ordercurbside pickup it's steak dinnerfor an ex, her son, and me.What is learned from the monotonyfits inside a pigeon pea: my small car,teaches me how to come back home.The UPS man came so oftenhe knew us by name back then.All performance. All pageantryfits inside a pigeon pea,all of the tragedy in Hollywood, FLteaches me how to come back homefits inside a pigeon pea.I learn from monotonyhow to pack everything insidemy small car, drive across three states.In the galley kitchen, the belly of a whale,her son begins unpacking our steakdinner alone. Typically, he' d never do that.Familiar the way eyes blink to catchthe moon, just the gistof it in the sky's mouththe sky says moon be gone.She speaks on the phone.This is a ghost signal. Callit a shell pluckedfrom the beach stuffedin your silent pocket. A dancestep out of time. Grazestoo close to the devil's tail. [End Page 154] Sean William Carrero sean william carrero holds the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree from the Creative Writing Workshop at the University of New Orleans. Carrero's poetry appears in Angel City Review and Ellipsis Literary Journal. He is from Hollywood, FL. Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota

Purification of Myosin from Bovine Tracheal Smooth Muscle, Filament Formation and Endogenous Association of Its Regulatory Complex.

Dynamic regulation of myosin filaments is a crucial factor in the ability of airway smooth muscle (ASM) to adapt to a wide length range. Increased stability or robustness of myosin filaments may play a role in the pathophysiology of asthmatic airways. Biochemical techniques for the purification of myosin and associated regulatory proteins could help elucidate potential alterations in myosin filament properties of asthmatic ASM. An effective myosin purification approach was originally developed for chicken gizzard smooth muscle myosin. More recently, we successfully adapted the procedure to bovine tracheal smooth muscle. This method yields purified myosin with or without the endogenous regulatory complex of myosin light chain kinase and myosin light chain phosphatase. The tight association of the regulatory complex with the assembled myosin filaments can be valuable in functional experiments. The purification protocol discussed here allows for enzymatic comparisons of myosin regulatory proteins. Furthermore, we detail the methodology for quantification and removal of the co-purified regulatory enzymes as a tool for exploring potentially altered phenotypes of the contractile apparatus in diseases such as asthma.

Poultry Food Assess Risk Model for Salmonella and Chicken Gizzards: I. Initial Contamination

The Poultry Food Assess Risk Model (PFARM) project was initiated in 1995 to develop data collection and modeling methods for simulating the risk of salmonellosis from poultry food produced by individual production chains. In the present study, the Initial Contamination (IC) step of PFARM for Salmonella and chicken gizzards (CG) was conducted as a case study. Salmonella prevalence (Pr), number (N), and serotype/zoonotic potential (ZP) data (n = 100) for one sample size (56 g) of CG were collected at meal preparation (MP), and then Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) was used to obtain data for other sample sizes (112, 168, 224, 280 g). The PFARM was developed in Excel and was simulated with @Risk. Data were simulated using a moving window of 60 samples to determine how Salmonella Pr, N, and ZP changed over time in the production chain. The ability of Salmonella to survive, grow, and spread in the production chain and food, and then cause disease in humans was ZP, which was based on U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data for salmonellosis. Of 100 CG samples tested, 35 were contaminated with Salmonella with N from 0 to 0.809 (median) to 2.788 log per 56 g. Salmonella serotype Pr per 56 g was 16% for Kentucky (ZPmode = 1.1), 9% for Infantis (ZPmode = 4.4), 6% for Enteritidis (ZPmode = 5.0), 3% for Typhimurium (ZPmode = 4.9), and 1% for Thompson (ZPmode = 3.7). Results from MCS indicated that Salmonella Pr, N, and ZP among portions of CG at MP changed (P ≤ 0.05) over time in the production chain. Notably, the main serotype changed from Kentucky (low ZP) to Infantis (high ZP). However, the pattern of change for Salmonella Pr, N, and ZP differed over time in the production chain and by the statistic used to characterize it. Thus, a performance standard (PS) based on Salmonella Pr, N, or ZP at testing or MP will likely not be a good indicator of poultry food safety or risk of salmonellosis.

Determination of the functional properties of protein hydrolysates by the in silico method

Bioactive peptides are of increasing interest to scientists. The development of peptidomics and bioinformatics contributes to a deeper study of peptides obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of raw materials. In this work, the in silico method was used to study the properties and biological value of peptides identified in protein hydrolysates obtained by microbial fermentation of the broiler chicken gizzards in whey with the addition of bifidobacteria and propionic acid bacteria. The activity of the peptides was determined using the BIOPEP database. Potential toxicity and such properties as hydrophobicity, hydropathicity, hydrophilicity, molecular weight of each peptide were predicted through the tool ToxinPred. The potential activity of the peptides was evaluated using the PeptideRanker database. The conducted studies made it possible to identify bioactive peptides TR, SY, VW, PPP, SW in hydrolysates, which have various physiological effects. Several peptides with high potential biological activity have also been identified. Due to the fact that not all peptides obtained during the fermentation of raw materials have been studied, in silico methods allow us to assess the feasibility of isolating certain peptides from hydrolysates.