Fatty Acid Classes Research Articles

Osmotic dehydration effects on major and minor components of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) slices.

The effect of osmotic dehydration (OD) conditions (temperature, time and sucrose concentration) on some nutritional parameters, soluble sugars, organic acids, fatty acids and vitamin E composition of chestnut slices was studied. Temperature at 60°C and contact time of 7.5h decreased significantly both protein (in 20 and 15%) and fat (in 25 and 20%) contents when compared to 30°C and contact time of 2.5h, simultaneously with the incorporation of sugars from the osmotic medium. An increase in temperature from 30 to 60°C and contact time from 2.5 to 7.5h also changed amylose percentage from 12 to 17g/100g of starch, suggesting modifications on starch conformation. Concerning organic acids, an increase in temperature from 30 to 60°C induced thermal degradation of citric (54% of loss), malic (36% of loss) and ascorbic (23% of loss) acids. Temperature and sugar concentration did not affect significantly fat composition, particularly PUFA, the main fatty acid class, while contact times of 7.5h led to the partial oxidation of linolenic acid (17% of loss when compared to 2.5h). A 50% decrease was also observed on vitamin E content when temperature increased from 30 to 60°C. Thus, OD might cause changes on the chemical composition of chestnut slices, requiring low temperature and contact times to avoid loss of important bioactive components such as ω-3 fatty acids (ex. linolenic acid) and vitamin E.

Direct actions of macronutrient components on goldfish hepatopancreas in vitro to modulate the expression of ghr-I, ghr-II, igf-I and igf-II mRNAs

In mammals and fish, somatic growth and metabolism are coordinated by the GH-IGF axis, composed of growth hormone (GH), growth hormone receptors I and II (GHR-I and GHR-II), and the insulin-like growth factors I and II (IGF-I and IGF-II). In order to determine if dietary macronutrients regulate the hepatopancreatic expression of ghr-I, ghr-II, igf-I and igf-II independently of circulating GH, organ culture experiments were conducted. Briefly, goldfish hepatopancreas sections were incubated with different doses of glucose; L-tryptophan; oleic acid; linolenic acid (LNA); eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). After two and four hours of treatment, the expression of ghr-I, ghr-II, igf-I and igf-II mRNAs was quantified. We found that glucose and L-tryptophan globally upregulate the mRNA expression of ghr-I; ghr-II; igf-I and igf-II. Duration of exposure, and unsaturation level of fatty acids differentially modulate ghr-I, ghr-II and igf-II mRNA expression. Additionally, we found that fatty acids increase the expression of igf-I depending on incubation time and fatty acid class. In conclusion, here we present evidence for GH-independent, direct effects exerted by dietary macronutrients on GHR and IGF in goldfish hepatopancreas.

A novel polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor encoding gene (OXTR) affects milk fatty acid composition in Italian Mediterranean river buffalo.

The oxytocin receptor, also known as OXTR, is a protein which functions as receptor for the hormone and neurotransmitter oxytocin and the complex oxytocin-oxytocin receptor plays an important role in the uterus during calving. A characterisation of the river buffalo OXTR gene, amino acid sequences and phylogenetic analysis is presented. The DNA regions of the OXTR gene spanning exons 1, 2 and 3 of ten Mediterranean river buffalo DNA samples were analysed and 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms were found. We focused on the g.129C > T SNP detected in exon 3 and responsible for the amino acid replacement CGCArg > TGCCys in position 353. The relative frequency of T allele was of 0·257. An association study between this detected polymorphism and milk fatty acids composition in Italian Mediterranean river buffalo was carried out. The fatty acid composition traits, fatty acid classes and fat percentage of 306 individual milk samples were determined. Associations between OXTR g.129C > T genotype and milk fatty acids composition were tested using a mixed linear model. The OXTR CC genotype was found significantly associated with higher contents of odd branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFA) (P < 0·0006), polyunsaturated FA (PUFA n 3 and n 6) (P < 0·0032 and P < 0·0006, respectively), stearic acid (C18) (P < 0·02) and lower level of palmitic acid (C16) (P < 0·02). The results of this study suggest that the OXTR CC animals might be useful in selection toward the improvement of milk fatty acid composition.

Association of polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acids to metabolic syndrome cardiovascular risk factors and lipoprotein (a) in hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients.

We investigated whether PUFA/SFA - PUFA-ω6/PUFA-ω3 ratios and EPA + DHA can be associated with predictive atherothrombogenic biomarkers status in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with or without hypertension (HT). The study was conducted on 507 adult subjects (men and women) cohort (36-54 years), divided into 3 groups: T2D, diabetic-hypertensive (DH) and healthy group. Patients were phenotyped regarding their CMS profile using the NCEP/ATPIII criteria. Hypertension was defined as systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg, respectively. Insulin resistance was assessed by Homa-IR model. Metabolic, atherothrombogenic and inflammatory parameters (CRP) were analyzed by various automata; Non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) by microfluorimetry; PUFA-ω6 and PUFA-ω3 by gas phase chromatography. CMS clusters and IR were found in T2D and DH groups. Dyslipidemia was correlated with accretion NEFA levels. The PUFA/SFA ratio and PUFA-ω3 level are decreased, concomitant with an increase ApoB100/ApoA1 ratio and very high lipoprotein (a) concentrations. Raising the PUFA-ω6/PUFA-ω3 ratio and PUFA-ω6 levels were associated with the drop HDL-c/LDL-c ratio and EPA+DHA drastic depletion. In conclusion, fatty acids nutritional quality may be associated with atherothrombogenic biomarkers, mainly Lp (a), to prevent the thrombosis and an accident vascular risk in diabetic-hypertensive subjects.

Unexpected Formation of Low Amounts of (R)-Configurated anteiso-Fatty Acids in Rumen Fluid Experiments

Anteiso-fatty acids (aFA) with odd carbon number are a class of branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) mainly produced by bacteria. Bacterial sources are also made responsible for their occurrence in the low percent-range in lipids of ruminants (meat and milk) and fish. aFAs are chiral molecules and typically occur predominantly in form of (S)-enantiomers, and their primary precursor has been noted to be isoleucine. Yet, low proportions of (R)-aFAs were also detected in fish and cheese samples. Here we investigated the potential formation of (R)-aFAs by means of incubation experiments with rumen fluid from fistulated cows. Supplementation of rumen fluid with both L- and DL-isoleucine, resulted in a significant (α <0.05) increase of the aFA concentrations but in both cases enantiopure (S)-aFAs were observed. By contrast, incubations without addition of any isoleucine lead to a significant (α <0.05) formation of small proportions of (R)-aFAs similarly to those previously observed in fish and cheese. These results were consistently reproduced in three different years with rumen fluid from different cows fed different diets. All findings point to the existence of a further biosynthesis pathway of aFAs with different stereospecificity than the classic one using isoleucine as primer.

Use of Fibonacci numbers in lipidomics \u2013 Enumerating various classes of fatty acids

In lipid biochemistry, a fundamental question is how the potential number of fatty acids increases with their chain length. Here, we show that it grows according to the famous Fibonacci numbers when cis/trans isomerism is neglected. Since the ratio of two consecutive Fibonacci numbers tends to the Golden section, 1.618, organisms can increase fatty acid variability approximately by that factor per carbon atom invested. Moreover, we show that, under consideration of cis/trans isomerism and/or of modification by hydroxy and/or oxo groups, diversity can be described by generalized Fibonacci numbers (e.g. Pell numbers). For the sake of easy comprehension, we deliberately build the proof on the recursive definitions of these number series. Our results should be of interest for mass spectrometry, combinatorial chemistry, synthetic biology, patent applications, use of fatty acids as biomarkers and the theory of evolution. The recursive definition of Fibonacci numbers paves the way to construct all structural formulas of fatty acids in an automated way.

Evidence for chronic omega-3 fatty acids and ascorbic acid deficiency in Palaeolithic hominins in Europe at the emergence of cannibalism

At the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic (M/UP) transition in Western Europe, hominins depended mostly on terrestrial mammals for subsistence, being pointed out that reliance on reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) would have promoted declines in human population densities during that period. Food-composition tables have been compiled for hominins at the M/UP transition, listing protein, fat, energy, different omega-3 fatty acids and ascorbic acid concentrations. These data were used to compute the regular relations between fatty and lean tissues of the main hunted food-animals to meet hominin energy needs. Then, with daily protein intake considered critical, the optimal contribution of the different omega-3 fatty acids from different hunted species to hominin diets were computed. Several faunal assemblages from different human sites at different M/UP periods were used to assess the overall daily intake of the various omega-3 fatty acid classes. The results of the calculations made in this work are quite clear; hominins at the M/UP transition had a deficit of both omega-3 fatty acids and ascorbic acid. Data on human organs summarized here are also conclusive: these contain such nutrients in amounts much higher than reached in the corresponding mammal organs consumed, and thus could have been alternative sources of those nutrients for Palaeolithic hominins. Therefore, nutritional cannibalism detected at such times could have had the function of alleviating these deficits. The evolutionary advantages gained by the consumption of the various omega-3 fatty acids of human origin are also discussed.

Influence of Dietary Supplementation with Prebiotic, Oregano Extract, and Vitamin E on Fatty Acid Profile and Oxidative Status of Rabbit Meat

The effect of dietary supplementation with vitamin E, oregano, and prebiotic on fatty acids and oxidative profiles of rabbit meat (loin and hind leg) was evaluated. New Zealand white rabbits weaned at 30 days of age were fed with one of six diets until 80 days of age: standard diet includingω3 polyunsaturated fatty and conjugated linolenic acids sources (S) and five diets adding vitamin E (150 ppm, E), oregano water extract (2 g/kg feed diet, O), prebiotic (THEPAX® 1.5 g/kg feed diet, T), vitamin E plus prebiotic (TE), and oregano water extract plus prebiotic (TO), respectively. The lipid oxidative status (TBARS) showed lower values with respect to S, mainly when vitamin E was administered. In particular, all the experimental diets decreased TBARS values with respect to the control group in the loin, but no effect was found in the hind leg. In all feed samples, the amounts of fatty acid classes increased in the following order: polyunsaturated fatty acids &gt; monounsaturated fatty acid &gt; saturated fatty acid. The dietary supplementations did not affect the fatty acid composition of meat. The experimented diets compared to the control were not able to provide a selective increase of bioactive fatty acid in meat samples; however, the six nutritional strategies led to highly nutritional rabbit meat with an interesting value of theω6/ω3 ratio.

Saturated Branched Chain, Normal Odd-Carbon-Numbered, and n-3 (Omega-3) Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Freshwater Fish in the Northeastern United States.

The fatty acid profiles of wild freshwater fish are poorly characterized as a human food source for several classes of fatty acids, particularly for branched chain fatty acids (BCFA), a major bioactive dietary component known to enter the US food supply primarily via dairy and beef fat. We evaluated the fatty acid content of 27 freshwater fish species captured in the northeastern US with emphasis on the BCFA and bioactive polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) most associated with fish, specifically n-3 (omega-3) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Mean BCFA content across all species was 1.0 ± 0.5% (mean ± SD) of total fatty acids in edible muscle, with rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) and pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) the highest at >2% BCFA. In comparison, EPA + DHA constituted 28% ± 7% of total fatty acids. Across all fish species, the major BCFA were iso-15:0, anteiso-15:0, iso-16:0, iso-17:0 and anteiso-17:0. Fish skin had significantly higher BCFA content than muscle tissues, at 1.8% ± 0.7%, but lower EPA and DHA. Total BCFA in fish skins was positively related with that in muscle (r2 = 0.6). The straight chain saturates n-15:0 and n-17:0 which have been identified previously as markers for dairy consumption were relatively high with means of 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively, and may be an underappreciated marker for seafood intake. Consuming a standardized portion, 70 g (2.5 oz), of wild freshwater fish contributes only small amounts of BCFA, 2.5-24.2 mg, to the American diet, while it adds surprisingly high amounts of EPA + DHA (107 mg to 558 mg).

Discrimination of peanuts from bulk cereals and nuts by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy

Adulteration and allergenic food materials are a common problem all around the world. European legislation (EU) 1169/2011/EC requires labelling of food products with respect to the presence of allergenic components including nuts, cereals or any other food products. Therefore, rapid methods for analysis of food ingredients are required to enforce this legislation. Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) being fast and non-destructive could be a candidate technique. Present study investigates the potential of NIRS (896–1686 nm) and chemometrics to classify thirty different cereals and nineteen different nuts based on their spectral signatures. The aim was to perform the specificity analysis for peanuts to detect its presence in various food materials. As a first step, Principal Components (PCs) modelling was used to perform a primary classification. PCs provided a classification of the samples into five major groups as gluten, non-gluten, high fatty acid, high fibre and omega-3 fatty acid. To perform segregation within the class identified as nuts intermixed with oilseeds (high fatty acid class), Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLSDA) was performed. First two discriminant vectors obtained from PLSDA were successfully able to segregate a group identified as peanuts and pine nuts, from other nuts (almond) and cereals (sesame and flaxseed). However, to segregate peanuts from pine nuts, first and third discriminant vectors were used. Results concluded that NIRS combined with chemometrics is a robust method for specificity analysis of peanuts from different cereals and nuts.

Exogenous fatty acids and niacin on acute prostaglandin D2 production in human myeloid cells

Niacin activates HCA2 receptor that results in the release of PGD2. However, little is known on PGD2-producing cells and the role of fatty acids. Notably M-CSF macrophages exhibited a timely dependent PGD2 production upon niacin challenge. Short pretreatment of M-CSF macrophages with autologous postprandial TRLs induced the down-regulation of HCA2 gene and up-regulation of genes encoding COX1 and COX2 enzymes in a fatty acid-dependent manner. These effects were paralleled by a higher PGD2 production with postprandial TRL-SFAs. The niacin-mediated transcriptional activity of all genes involved in PGD2 biosynthesis was desensitized in a time-dependent manner by postprandial TRLs, leading to a decreased PGD2 release. In vivo, the net excursions of PGD2 in plasma followed similar fatty acid-dependent patterns as those found for PGD2 release in vitro. The predominant fatty acid class in the diet acutely modulates PGD2 biosynthetic pathway both in vitro and in vivo.

The implications of substituting dietary fish oil with vegetable oils on the growth performance, fillet fatty acid profile and modulation of the fatty acid elongase, desaturase and oxidation activities of red hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis sp.

A 75-day feeding trial was carried out to examine the effects of fish oil (FO) replacement with various alternative vegetable oil (VO) on the growth performance and feed utilization efficiency of red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis sp.). The VO evaluated included canola oil (high in monoenes), perilla oil (high in n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, PUFA), sunflower oil (high in n−6 PUFA) and refined, bleached, deodorized palm olein (high in saturates) added as the sole lipid source in semi-purified experimental diets. The ability of hybrid tilapia to biosynthesize long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) from dietary 18:2n−6 and 18:3n−3 was also determined. With the exception of sunflower oil, results showed that total FO replacement by various VO did not compromise (P>0.05) tilapia growth performance. However, dietary VO significantly (P<0.05) influenced the fatty acid composition of tilapia fillet and whole-body lipids through changes in the overall fatty acid metabolism. The total Δ5 and Δ6 fatty acid desaturase activities were exclusively triggered in tilapia fed VO-based diets. Tilapia fed the VO diets, which contained no PUFA longer than C18, recorded significant amounts of both n−6 and n−3 LC-PUFA in their tissue lipids. Dietary canola oil (CO) increased Δ-6 desaturation of 18:3n−3 to the greatest extent despite the dietary 18:3n−3 content being comparatively lower than dietary perilla oil (PeO). Beta-oxidation of 18:3n−3 was observed to be highest in fish fed the PeO diet, indicating that the 18:3n−3 content in the PeO diet exceeded the optimum substrate level for Δ-6 desaturase. Omega-3 LC-PUFA biosynthetic activities were highest in fish fed the CO diet and resulted in a comparatively higher eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)+docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content than in fish fed other VO diets. However, endogenous LC-PUFA synthesis induced by the VO diets was insufficient to rival the n−3 LC-PUFA content of fish fed the FO diet. It was also observed that β-oxidation of 18:3n−3 and 18:2n−6 was regulated by tissue n−3/n−6 PUFA ratio and proportional to their dietary level. This study provided the first comprehensive evidence of the significant impact of dietary oils with different fatty acid class profile on the in vivo fatty acid metabolism of tilapia. Statement of relevanceMarine fish oil (FO) was traditionally used as the major lipid source in commercial tilapia feeds to provide energy and essential fatty acids as well as to impart palability to the feed. With the rising costs of FO and limited global supplies, the use of alternative lipid resources in aquafeeds, including tilapia feeds, has become more critical to enable the continued sustainability and scalability of the global aquaculture industry. Terrestrial vegetable oil (VO) are viable alternatives since their production is more sustainable and cost-effective. However, unlike FO, which is rich in n−3 long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), VO are deficient in these essential fatty acids and but high in other fatty acid classes. The present study evaluated perilla oil (high levels of n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids), sunflower oil (rich in n−6 PUFA), canola oil (high amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids) and palm oil (rich in saturated fatty acids) together with fish oil. By understanding how dietary lipid source with different major fatty acid classes modulates in vivo fatty acid metabolism, we can better formulate fish feeds that can optimize not only growth performance but also maintaining the health benefits of eating seafood for the human consumer in regards to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels in farmed fish fillets. As far as we know, there is currently no information comparing the fatty acid metabolism of red hybrid tilapia fed diets with lipids containing different major fatty acid classes.

Lipid compositions in diatom Conticribra weissflogii under static and aerated culture conditions

SUMMARYThe diatom Conticribra weissflogii is a microalga with high nutrition value, rich in docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acids (EPA). In order to study the effect of culture conditions on the changes of lipid compositions, the intact lipid structural profiles and fatty acids in C. weissflogii were monitored under static and aerated culture conditions. The results showed that, lipids identified in C. weissflogii were neutral lipid triacylglycerols (TAG), betaine lipid diacylglycerylcarboxy‐N‐hydroxymethyl‐choline (DGCC), phosphatidylcholine (PC) and four classes of photosynthetic glycerolipids. The profiles of lipid metabolites of C. weissflogii were different between two culture modes, with the following characteristics under aerated conditions: TAGs increased significantly, whereas the levels of sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG), monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), and DGCC decreased. Furthermore, higher contents of EPA‐rich TAG and EPA/DHA‐rich DGCC were detected at the end of stationary phase, while EPA/DHA‐rich PC, EPA‐rich MGDG and EPA‐rich digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) were obtained in the exponential phase under static conditions. Meanwhile, the contents of almost all classes of the essential fatty acids (EFAs)‐enriched lipids increased at onset of stationary phase under aerated conditions. Taken together, given that the high levels of EFAs are required for artificial rearing of marine organisms, aeration is critically important for increasing the production rate and the contents of EFA molecules and therefore increasing the nutritional value of the microalgae.

Screening of some Naturally Isolated Microalgal Strains for Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Production

Background and Purpose: Nowadays, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are playing a great role in human wellbeing and health improvement. A wide spectrum of biological, medical and health benefit effects ranging from cardiovascular, neuronal, anticancer and antioxidant have been reported from different PUFAs in human. Methodology: In this study, six different species of microalgae belonging to the chlorophyta and cyanobacteria phylum were isolated from soil and water samples collected from Persian Gulf. Their growth rate, biomass and lipid production and productivity and more importantly their ability to produce PUFAs was investigated. Results: The isolated species represented a great fatty acid profile including many different polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ranging from 6-20 carbon atoms. S. obliquus and N. muscorum proven to have a better profile for PUFAs production, whilst C. vulgaris could be considered as a more robust strain to produce other fatty acid classes. Besides, C. vulgaris with its higher growth rates (0.39 d-1)and S. obliquus owing to its higher total lipid content (43.92%) seems more interesting strains for scale up studies. Conclusion: The obtained results demonstrated the great potential of naturally isolated strains of microalgae for PUFA production and provided some insights in next studies to explore more producing strains.

Association of Plasma Phospholipid n-3 and n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids with Type 2 Diabetes: The EPIC-InterAct Case-Cohort Study.

BackgroundWhether and how n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are related to type 2 diabetes (T2D) is debated. Objectively measured plasma PUFAs can help to clarify these associations.Methods and FindingsPlasma phospholipid PUFAs were measured by gas chromatography among 12,132 incident T2D cases and 15,919 subcohort participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-InterAct study across eight European countries. Country-specific hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using Prentice-weighted Cox regression and pooled by random-effects meta-analysis. We also systematically reviewed published prospective studies on circulating PUFAs and T2D risk and pooled the quantitative evidence for comparison with results from EPIC-InterAct. In EPIC-InterAct, among long-chain n-3 PUFAs, α-linolenic acid (ALA) was inversely associated with T2D (HR per standard deviation [SD] 0.93; 95% CI 0.88–0.98), but eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were not significantly associated. Among n-6 PUFAs, linoleic acid (LA) (0.80; 95% CI 0.77–0.83) and eicosadienoic acid (EDA) (0.89; 95% CI 0.85–0.94) were inversely related, and arachidonic acid (AA) was not significantly associated, while significant positive associations were observed with γ-linolenic acid (GLA), dihomo-GLA, docosatetraenoic acid (DTA), and docosapentaenoic acid (n6-DPA), with HRs between 1.13 to 1.46 per SD. These findings from EPIC-InterAct were broadly similar to comparative findings from summary estimates from up to nine studies including between 71 to 2,499 T2D cases. Limitations included potential residual confounding and the inability to distinguish between dietary and metabolic influences on plasma phospholipid PUFAs.ConclusionsThese large-scale findings suggest an important inverse association of circulating plant-origin n-3 PUFA (ALA) but no convincing association of marine-derived n3 PUFAs (EPA and DHA) with T2D. Moreover, they highlight that the most abundant n6-PUFA (LA) is inversely associated with T2D. The detection of associations with previously less well-investigated PUFAs points to the importance of considering individual fatty acids rather than focusing on fatty acid class.

THE EFFECT OF THE LIPID AND FATTY ACID STATUS OF ATLANTIC SALMON, SALMO SALAR L., FINGERLINGS ON THEIR PRIMARY DISPERSAL AND FORMATION OF PHENOTYPIC GROUPS

A comparative study of the lipid metabolism in Atlantic salmon fingerlings staying after hatching near their spawning redds along the banks of the Varzuga River main channel (at rapids and riffles) and those who had migrated to tributaries – the Arenga, the Pjatka and the Falaley. The choice of habitats by fingerlings after hatching and dispersal affects the quantitative characteristics of lipids and fatty acids, and is supported by the organism’s adaptive systems, including variations in the ratios of individual lipid and fatty acid classes within physiological limits. Fingerlings from the Pjatka had higher length-weight values, the energy/structural lipids ratio(TAG+ECHOL/PL+CHOL), and the ratio of essential fatty acids 18:3ω-3/18:2ω-6 as compared to fish from other studied biotopes. The combination of ecological and trophic conditions (temperature, water flow rate, depth, riverbed particle size composition and fouling, species composition and amount of food items, and their availability) in the Pjatka are more favorable for the growth and development of fingerlings. The identified biochemical differences between the fingerlings that had migrated to the tributaries and those remaining along the main channel banks may be the basis for the formation of steady fish differentiation into groups with different lipid status and length-weight indices during further development (in fish aged 1+ and 2+). This differentiation in 0+ Atlantic salmon can be considered as a start of intrapopulation heterogeneity, affecting further choices on the fish life strategy.

ChemInform Abstract: Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology of Origanum onites (L.): A Review

AbstractReview: 103 refs.

Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology of Origanum onites (L.): A Review.

Origanum onites L., known as Turkish oregano, has great traditional, medicinal, preservative, and commercial importance. It is used for the treatment of several kinds of ailments, such as gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, high cholesterol, leukemia, bronchitis, etc. In this review, traditional use, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of O.onites reported between 1988 and 2014 were discussed. This review was prepared based on literature survey on scientific journals and books from libraries and electronic sources, such as Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, etc. All databases were searched up to June 2014. Several different classes of terpenoids, triterpene acids, phenolic acids, hydroquinones, flavonoids, hydrocarbons, sterols, pigments, fatty acids, tocopherols, and inorganic compounds were detected mainly in the aerial parts of this plant. Pharmacological studies revealed that extracts obtained from several solvents and individual compounds exhibited antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, insecticidal, anticancer, hepatoprotective, genotoxic, antidiabetic, cholinesterase inhibitory, anti-inflammatory, analgesic activities, etc. O.onites, in general, exhibited remarkable activity potential in almost all test systems. The results of toxicity studies indicated that O.onites did not show any significant toxicity and mutagenicity on Drosophila and Salmonella. Toxicity of the extracts/essential oils and also individual compounds should be evaluated on mammalian cells to ensure their safety. The bioactivity of individual compounds aside from terpenoids should also be assessed in detail. Additionally, mode of action for the bioactive compounds should be evaluated to understand the complex pharmacological effects of these phytochemicals.

Reproducibility and relative validity of a FFQ to estimate the intake of fatty acids.

We investigated the validity and reproducibility of the FFQ used in the Dutch European Investigation of Cancer and Nutrition cohort, in order to rank subjects according to intakes of fatty acid classes and individual fatty acids. In total, 121 men and women (23-72 years) filled out three FFQ at 6-month intervals between 1991 and 1992. As a reference method, they filled out twelve monthly 24-h dietary recalls (24HDR) during the same year. Intra-class correlation coefficients for the FFQ showed moderate to good reproducibility across all fatty acids (classes and individual) in men (0·56-0·81) and women (0·57-0·83). In men, Spearman's correlation coefficients (r s) for the FFQ compared with the 24HDR indicated moderate to good relative validity (r s=0·45-0·71) for all fatty acids, except for arachidonic acid and marine PUFA (r s<0·40). In women, relative validity was moderate to good for MUFA and trans-fatty acids (TFA) and the majority of SFA (r s=0·40-0·66), was fair for the short-chain SFA and lauric acid (r s=0·30-0·33) and was fair to moderate for PUFA (r s=0·22-0·47). Bland-Altman plots showed good agreement between the FFQ and 24HDR, and proportional bias for fatty acids with very low intakes. In conclusion, the FFQ showed good reproducibility for subject ranking based on intakes of fatty acids (classes and individual). The relative validity measures indicated that the FFQ is an adequate tool to rank subjects according to intakes of high-abundant fatty acids, but less for low-abundant fatty acids.

Amazonian Buriti oil: chemical characterization and antioxidant potential

Buriti oil is an example of an Amazonian palm oil of economic importance. The local population uses this oil for the prevention and treatment of different diseases; however, there are few studies in the literature that evaluate its properties. In this study, detailed chemical and antioxidant properties of Buriti oil were determined. The predominant fatty acid was oleic acid (65.6%) and the main triacylglycerol classes were tri-unsaturated (50.0%) and di-unsaturated-mono-saturated (39.3%) triacylglycerols. The positional distribution of the classes of fatty acids on the triacylglycerol backbone indicated a saturated and unsaturated fatty acid relationship similar in the three-triacylglycerol positions. All tocopherol isomers were present, with a total content of 2364.1 mg·kg −1 . α-tocopherol constitutes 48% of the total tocopherol content, followed by γ- tocopherol (45%). Total phenolic (107.0 mg gallic acid equivalent·g −1 oil) and β-carotene (781.6 mg·kg −1 ) were particularly high in this oil. The highest antioxidant activity against the free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was obtained at an oil concentration of 50 mg·mL −1 (73.15%). The antioxidant activity evaluated by the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) was 95.3 μmol Trolox equivalent·g −1 oil. These results serve to present Buriti oil as an Amazonian resource for cosmetic, food and pharmaceuticals purposes.