Corn Germ Research Articles

The occurrence of fungi from burn wound patients and antifungal susceptibility patterns: a cross-sectional study in Lusaka, Zambia.

Fungal opportunistic infections in burn wound patients are among the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Attention remains focused on preventing bacterial infection at the expense of increasing fungal infection in burn wound patients. To determine the occurrence of common fungi in admitted burn wound patients and their environment: and their antifungal susceptibility patterns at the University Teaching Hospitals, Lusaka, Zambia. This laboratory-based cross-sectional study enrolled a total 101 participants whose pus swab specimens were collected from their burn wounds as well as 50 environmental swabs collected from strategic points. Wet mount, gram stain, culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar, Corn meal agar and Germ tube were used to identify possible fungal isolates. Agar based disc susceptibility test was carried out using fluconazole. Data was analysed using Excel and STAT version 14. Median age was 3 years and median burn % of TBSA was 18 in participants' who had burn wound fungal infection and consisted of 3 males and 6 females. Organisms isolated included Candida albicans from 8(7.9%) participants and 2(4%) from 50 environmental swabs. 1(1%) Candida spp was isolated from pus swabs. Out of the total 11 Candida isolates, 4 (36.4%) were susceptible to fluconazole and 7 (63.6%) were resistant. The isolation of Candida albicans and Candida spp from burn wound patients and the hospital ward environment suggests presence of fungi in burn wound patients and hospital ward environments. Candida isolated showed varying susceptibility patterns to fluconazole.

Biobased lignin-blockers enable efficient production of glucose from lignocelluloses

Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose in lignocelluloses exhibits low efficiency due to low cellulose accessibility and adverse lignin effects. By using phenylsulfonic acid pretreatment to improve cellulose accessibility, we have developed several new plant proteins such as corn germ and green rapeseed proteins that extracted from inexpensive defatted meals as lignin-blockers. For pretreated lignocellulosic substrates with high cellulose accessibility, such plant proteins could effectively overcome negative lignin effects and achieve robust cellulose enzymatic conversion (88–97 %) at a low cellulase loading of 5 FPU/g glucan. To reach the same level of cellulose enzymatic conversion, adding corn germ protein could save cellulase loading by 3.6 times as compared to those without lignin-blockers. But these plant proteins showed insignificant promotion effects on substrates with low cellulose accessibility. Overall, this study coupled high cellulose-accessible substrates and efficient lignin-blockers to synergistically improve the profitability of lignocellulosic biorefinery.

Effects of complete substitution of dietary grain and protein sources with by-products on the production performance of mid-lactation dairy cows fed diets based on barley silage under heat-stress conditions

This study evaluated the effects of replacing cereal grains and soybean meal with by-products (BY) on production performance, nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation, nutrient recovery, and eating and chewing behavior of moderate-producing dairy cows under heat-stress conditions. Twelve multiparous Holstein cows (116.7 ± 12.01 d in milk; 42.7 ± 5.06 kg/d milk yield; 665 ± 77 kg body weight; mean ± SD) were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square with 28-d periods (21 d for diet adaptation and 7 d for sampling and data collection). Cows were fed a total mixed ration containing a 39.2:60.8 ratio of forage to concentrate throughout the experiment. All diets were formulated to be isoenergetic and isonitrogenous, with different concentrates. Diets were (1) control diet based on cereal grains (CON: ground corn and ground barley, plus soybean meal); (2) sugar-rich BY diet (S-BY-CM: beet pulp, citrus pulp, and liquid molasses, plus canola meal); and (3) cereal grain BY diet (CG-BY: rice bran, corn germ meal, wheat bran, barley sprout, and broken corn). Our results showed that replacing grains with BY increased neutral detergent fiber intake and digestibility but decreased starch intake, human-edible energy, and human-edible protein. Milk yield and dry matter intake (DMI) decreased more in cows fed the CG-BY diet compared with the other 2 treatments. In contrast, no significant differences were observed between the CON and S-BY-CM diets in terms of milk yield and DMI. The S-BY-CM diet increased energy-corrected milk production compared with the CG-BY diet (36.2 vs. 34.3 kg/d), but CG-BY enhanced feed conversion efficiency compared with the other 2 treatments. Although the S-BY-CM diet prolonged the eating and sorting of small particles, neither of the dietary treatments affected chewing activity or ruminal pH 4 h after feeding. Furthermore, both diets containing BY contributed to an increase in milk fat content in comparison to the CON group. Additionally, the CG-BY and S-BY-CM diets demonstrated better performance than the CON diet in terms of human-edible feed conversion efficiency for protein and energy. The results indicated that S-BY-CM can completely replace barley and corn grain in the diet of mid-lactating dairy cows exposed to heat-stress conditions without any negative effect on production and ruminal pH. However, the inclusion of CG-BY did impair DMI, milk yield, and digestibility of nutrients and is not recommended during heat-stress conditions.

Extraction of oil from mishes using ethanol as an alternative solvent

Between the various types of vegetable oils consumed, the corn germ oil stands out, is characterized by benefits to human health and being considered raw material in Angola, due to the climatic characteristics of these regions. It is in this context that the present work was developed, which aims to implement methodologies to extract corn germ oil, having hydrated ethanol as solvent. The procedure consisted of the use of Soxhlet, as extractor, hydrated ethanol, with an operating temperature of 80ºC, when a vapor current of the solvent that rises to the condenser and the condensate descends to the carthusian with the corn germ where it is accumulated, extracts the oil, and returns to the base of this equipment. The procedure used showed high operational performance and extraction capacity was comparable to the data cited in the literature, based on the use of conventional solvents. The procedure resulted in 7 ml (6.3g) of corn oil with a specific mass of 900 kg/m3 and a refractive index of 1.469. These results show that the use of ethanol as a solvent provides the identification of alternative solvents, derived from biomass processing, with similar efficiency or better than the efficiency obtained when using conventional solvents.

Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus, 1758): Microbiological Screening of Feed for a Safe Food Choice.

As a result of the increasing focus on alternative protein sources which are ideally still sustainable, the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, has come into focus. To verify its suitability as a food source in relation to human health, an analysis of the microbiome of larvae of T. molitor is pertinent. Subsequently, the focus of this study was, on the one hand, to analyze the influence of the substrate on the microbial load of the larvae microbiome, and, on the other hand, to determine which processing methods ensure the risk-free consumption of mealworms. For this purpose, mealworms were grown on 10 different substrates derived from by-products of food production (malt residual pellets, corn germ meal, chestnut breakage and meal, wheat bran, bread remains, draff, nettle, hemp seed oil cake, oyster mushrooms with coffee grounds, pumpkin seed oil cake) and microbial loads were analyzed using different selective media. Further starvation/defecation and heating (850 W for 10 min) methods were used to investigate how the reduction of microorganisms is enabled by these methods. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between the microbial load of the substrate and the mealworm. Starvation and defecation led to a lower stock of microorganisms. Heating led to a significant microbial reduction in non-defecated mealworms. The group of defecated and heated mealworms showed no detectable microbial load. In conclusion, firstly, the choice of substrate showed no effect on the microbial load of larvae of Tenebrio molitor and secondly, heating and starvation allow risk-free consumption. This study makes an important contribution for evaluating the safety of mealworms as a sustainable protein source in human nutrition.

Full-fat corn germ in diets for dairy cows as an alternative to ground corn.

The experiments reported in this research paper address the effects of replacing ground corn (GC) with full-fat corn germ (FFCG) on nutrient intake and digestibility, nitrogen utilization efficiency, performance, and predicted methane production in dairy cows fed cactus cladodes and sugarcane. We hypothesized that the inclusion of FFCG in the diet would not alter the performance of lactating cows but would reduce the predicted methane production in vivo. Ten multiparous Holstein cows at 90 ± 10 d of lactation and yielding 24.2 ± 3.5 kg milk/d were assigned to dietary treatments consisting of different levels of replacement of GC by FFCG (0; 25; 50; 75 and 100% of diet dry matter) in a replicated 5 × 5 Latin square design with 21-d periods. Methane production was predicted using an automated gas in vitro production system. Except for ether extract intake, which increased, the intake of all nutrients decreased linearly with the replacement of GC by FFCG. The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and neutral detergent fiber reduced, whereas the digestibility of ether extract increased linearly with FFCG. There were no changes in the digestibility of crude protein. The nitrogen intake and daily excretion in urine and feces decreased, while nitrogen use efficiency increased linearly. There was no significant effect of diets on nitrogen balance or microbial protein synthesis and efficiency. The yield of protein, lactose and total solids in milk showed a quadratic behavior. On the other hand, milk fat yield and energy-corrected milk yield decreased linearly with the replacement of GC by FFCG. No effect on pH or ammonia nitrogen was observed. The production of methane (CH4, g/kg DM) and total CH4 (g/d), and CH4 intensity decreased linearly with the replacement of GC by FFCG. In conclusion, FFCG has been shown to be an effective source of fat to reduce methane production in dairy cows, partially supporting our initial hypothesis. However, as it decreases milk fat production, it is not recommended to replace more than 50% of GC by FFCG for lactating cows fed cactus cladodes and sugarcane.

Activity and Characterization of Tocopherol Oxidase in Corn Germs and Its Relationship with Oil Color Reversion.

Color reversion has long been a major problem for the vegetable oil industry, and the enzymatic oxidation of γ-tocopherol is thought to trigger this phenomenon. In this study, first, the extraction, purification, and detailed characterization of tocopherol oxidase from fresh corn germs were performed. Then, the relationship between the enzyme reaction of γ-tocopherol and oil color reversion was verified. The results showed that the membrane-free extracts of raw corn germ performed specific catalysis of tocopherol in the presence of lecithin. In terms of the oxidation product, tocored (the precursor of color reversion) was detected in the mixture after the catalytic reactions, indicating that this anticipated enzyme reaction was probably correlated with the color reversion. Furthermore, the optimal pH and temperature for the tocopherol oxidase enzyme were 4.6 and 20 °C, respectively. In addition, ascorbic acid at 1.0 mM completely inhibited the enzymatic reaction.

Hepatoprotective Effect of Albumin Peptide Fractions from Corn Germ Meal against Alcohol-Induced Acute Liver Injury in Mice.

Acute alcoholic liver disease can cause serious liver damage. This study reports on the hepatoprotective effect of albumin peptide fractions from corn germ meal (MW < 1 kDa) (APF4) on acute alcohol hepatic damage in mice. In the mice model, the results indicated that APF4 at a dose of 800 mg/kg/bw could markedly boost alcohol metabolism, which was shown in the reduced duration of the loss of the righting reflex; the reduced level of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aminotransferase (AST), triglycerides (TG), and malondialdehyde (MDA) (p < 0.01); the enhanced activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH); and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) levels being increased by up to 84.02% and 193.22% (p < 0.01) compared to the control group. The antioxidant capability and lipid peroxidation inhibition activity of APF4 may be responsible for its protective effect against liver damage induced by alcohol. The findings suggested that APF4 had the hepatoprotective property against liver damage induced by alcohol.

Nutritional Quality of Milk Fat from Cows Fed Full-Fat Corn Germ in Diets Containing Cactus Opuntia and Sugarcane Bagasse as Forage Sources

We evaluated the performance, milk composition, and milk fatty acid profile of cows fed diets composed of cactus cladodes (Opuntia stricta [Haw.] Haw), sugarcane bagasse and increasing levels of full-fat corn germ (FFCG). We hypothesized that ground corn can be effectively replaced by FFCG when cactus cladodes and sugarcane bagasse are used as forage sources. The cows were randomly distributed into two 5 × 5 Latin Squares and fed five diets in which ground corn was progressively replaced with full-fat corn germ (FFCG; 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of substitution). Adding FFCG to the diet increased milk production and milk fat content and reduced milk protein content. Overall, FFCG reduced the proportion of saturated FAs and increased mono- and polyunsaturated FAs in milk, including CLA isomers. In addition, activity indices of stearoyl-CoA desaturase were reduced by increasing levels of FFCG. We conclude that the substitution of corn for FFCG in diets based on cactus cladodes and sugarcane bagasse positively modifies the FA profile of milk and could add commercial value to milk products (e.g., CLA-enriched milk). In addition, the milk fat response indicates that the basal diet was favorable to the rumen environment, preventing the trans-10 shift commonly associated with milk fat depression.

Comparative genomic and transcriptome analysis of Bacillus velezensis CL-4 fermented corn germ meal

Bacillus, an excellent organic-degrading agent, can degrade lignocellulose. Notably, some B. velezensis strains encode lignocellulases. However, their ability to degrade lignocellulose in fermented feed is not much appreciated. This study performed a comparative genomic analysis of twenty-three B. velezensis strains to find common carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) encoding genes and evaluated their potential to degrade lignocellulose. The comparative genomic and CAZyme database-based analyses identified several potential CAZymes genes that degrade cellulose (GH1, GH4, GH5, GH13, GH16, GH32, PL1, and PL9), hemicellulose (GH11, GH26, GH43, GH51, and CE3) and lignin (AA4, AA6, AA7, and AA10). Furthermore, Illumina RNA-seq transcriptome analysis revealed the expression of more than 1794 genes in B. velezensis CL-4 fermented corn germ meal at 48 h (FCGM 48 h). Gene ontology analysis of expressed genes revealed their enrichment in hydrolase activity (breaking the glycosyl bonds during carbohydrate metabolism), indicating the upregulation of CAZymes. In total, 58 differentially upregulated CAZymes-encoding genes were identified in FCGM 48 h compared to FCGM 0 h. The upregulated CAZymes-encoding genes were related to cellulose (6-phospho-β-galactosidase and 6-phospho-α-glucosidase), starch (α-glucosidase and α-amylase), pectin (pectin lyase), and hemicellulose (arabinan endo-1,5-α-L-arabinosidase, xylan 1,4-beta-xylosidase, α-N-arabinofuranosidase, and acetyl xylan esterase). Importantly, arabinoxylan degradation mainly occurred in FCGM 48 h, followed by partial degradation of cellulose, pectin, and starch. This study can support the development of enzymatic cocktails for the solid-state fermented feed (SFF).

The first stage of refining of post-fermentation corn oil with a high content of free fatty acids and phytosterols – Comparison of neutralisation by an ion-exchange resin without solvent and base neutralisation

Post-fermentation crude corn oil obtained as a by-product in the production of bioethanol from maize grains is characterized by a very high content of free fatty acids. Refining of post-fermentation corn oil will give a product that will be different from the refined oil obtained by extracting oil from corn germs. From the point of view of refining vegetable oils, the neutralisation of this oil is the most important process. Anionic ion-exchange resin was used in the research in a way to avoid the use of harmful organic solvents and a comparatively standard method of neutralising free fatty acids based on the use of a sodium hydroxide solution. Ion-exchange resin can be used in the processes of neutralising vegetable oil with an average content of free fatty acids, then the oil is neutralised in miscela. In the research, no organic solvent was used, but to reduce the flow resistance, a system based on an adjustable reduced pressure in the range of 300–50 mbar was used, to maintain a constant contact time of the oil with the resin in each cycle. The aim of the research was to obtain neutral oil with a high content of biologically active substances such as phytosterols and carotenoids. Both methods showed a reduction of free fatty acids up to 93–96 % and a similar refining loss of 18–19 %. The use of an ion-exchange resin allowed to obtain an oil in which the phytosterol content increased by 5 % for β-sitosterol, by 6.3 % for ϭ5-avenasterol, and the carotenoid content was reduced by 35 %. An increase in the number of fatty acids, such as 18:1 cis-oleic acid and 18:2 cis-linoleic, was observed.

Development and Utilization of Corn Processing by-Products: A Review.

As an important food crop, corn has an important impact on people's lives. The processing of corn produces many by-products, such as corn gluten meal, corn husk, and corn steep liquor, which are rich in protein, oil, carbohydrates, and other nutrients, all of which are inexpensive. Their accumulation in large quantities during the production process not only results in a burden on the environment but also the loss of potentially valuable food materials that can be processed. In fact, the by-products of corn processing have been partially used in functional foods, nutrients, feed, and other industries. There is no doubt that the secondary utilization of these by-products can not only solve the problem of waste pollution caused by them, but also produce high value-added products and improve the economic benefits of corn. This paper describes in detail the processing and higher-value utilization of the five main by-products: corn gluten meal, corn husks, corn steep liquor, corn germ, and fuel ethanol by-product. The utilization status of corn processing by-products was discussed roundly, and the development trend of corn processing by-products in China and other countries was analyzed, which provided the reference for the development of the corn deep processing industry.

Determination of some edible oils adulteration with paraffin oil using infrared spectroscopy

The spectroscopy of molecular vibrations using mid-infrared or near-infrared techniques was used more and more to characterize different compounds, including edible oil, in order to monitor any changes and to detect fraudulent modifications. This article presents a new method for quantitative adulteration of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or corn germ oil (CGO) with a mineral oil, such as paraffin oil (PO). A Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometric method, using ATR spectra, was developed for the rapid, direct measurement of edible oils adulteration. The results indicate the efficiency of the proposed method for the detection of paraffin oil in adulteration of EVOO and CGO with RSD (&amp;lt; 3.0%). Graphical abstract:

An Update Regarding the Bioactive Compound of Cereal By-Products: Health Benefits and Potential Applications.

Cereal processing generates around 12.9% of all food waste globally. Wheat bran, wheat germ, rice bran, rice germ, corn germ, corn bran, barley bran, and brewery spent grain are just a few examples of wastes that may be exploited to recover bioactive compounds. As a result, a long-term strategy for developing novel food products and ingredients is encouraged. High-value compounds like proteins, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, ferulic acid, and other phenols, tocopherols, or β-glucans are found in cereal by-products. This review aims to provide a critical and comprehensive overview of current knowledge regarding the bioactive compounds recovered from cereal by-products, emphasizing their functional values and potential human health benefits.

Fermentation of NaHCO3-treated corn germ meal by Bacillus velezensis CL-4 promotes lignocellulose degradation and nutrient utilization.

Sodium bicarbonate pretreatment and solid-state fermentation (SSF) were used to maximize the nutritional value of corn germ meal (CGM) by inoculating it with Bacillus velezensis CL-4 (isolated from chicken cecal contents and capable of degrading lignocellulose). Based on genome sequencing, B. velezensis CL-4 has a 4,063,558bp ring chromosome and 46.27% GC content. Furthermore, genes associated with degradation of lignocellulose degradation were detected. Pretreatment of CGM (PCGM) with sodium bicarbonate (optimized to 0.06g/mL) neutralized low pH. Fermented and pretreated CGM (FPCGM) contained more crude protein (CP), soluble protein of trichloroacetic acid (TCA-SP), and total amino acids (aa) than CGM and PCGM. Degradation rates of cellulose and hemicellulose were reduced by 21.33 and 71.35%, respectively, after 48h fermentation. Based on electron microscopy, FPCGM destroys the surface structure and adds small debris of the CGM substrate, due to lignocellulose breakdown. Furthermore, 2-oxoadipic acid and dimethyl sulfone were the most important metabolites during pretreatment. Concentrations of adenosine, cytidine, guanosine, S-methyl-5'-thioadenosine, and adenine decreased significantly after 48h fermentation, whereas concentrations of probiotics, enzymes, and fatty acids (including palmitic, 16-hydroxypalmitic, and linoleic acids) were significantly improved after fermentation. In conclusion, the novel pretreatment of CGM provided a proof of concept for using B. velezensis CL-4 to degrade lignocellulose components, improve nutritional characteristics of CGM, and expand CGM lignocellulosic biological feed production. KEY POINTS: • Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) can be used as an economical and green additive to pretreat corn germ meal; • Fermentation with B. velezensis degrades the cellulose and hemicellulose component of corn germ meal and improves its feed quality; • As a novel qualified presumption of safety (QPS) strain, B. velezensis should have broad potential applications in food and feed industries.

A simple and rapid homogeneous fluorescence polarization immunoassay for rapid identification of gutter cooking oil by detecting capsaicinoids.

In order to address the widespread concerns with food safety such as adulteration and forgery in the edible oil field, this study developed a fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) based on a monoclonal antibody in a homogeneous solution system for determination of capsaicinoids in gutter cooking oil by using chemically stable capsaicinoids as an adulteration marker. The prepared fluoresceinthiocarbamyl ethylenediamine (EDF) was coupled with capsaicinoid hapten C, and the synthesized tracer was purified by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and showed good binding to the monoclonal antibody CPC Ab-D8. The effects of concentration of tracer and recognition components, type and pH of buffer and incubation time on the performance of FPIA were studied. The linear range (IC20 to IC80) was 3.97-97.99 ng/mL, and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 19.73 ng/mL, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 1.56 ng/mL. The recovery rates of corn germ oil, soybean oil and peanut blend oil were in the range of 94.7-132.3%. The experimental results showed that the fluorescence polarization detection system could realize the rapid detection of capsaicinoids, and had the potential to realize on-site identification of gutter cooking oil. As a universal monoclonal antibody, CPC Ab-D8 can also specifically identify capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, so the proposed method can be used to quickly monitor for the presence of gutter cooking oil in normal cooking oil.

Feeding corn germ instead of corn grain on the performance of Holstein dairy cows fed low-forage diet and human-edible feed conversion efficiency

Using corn germ (CG) instead of corn grain could maintain dairy cow performance and might increase the efficiency of human food production. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of replacing corn grain with CG on the performance, nutrient intake, and digestibility of dairy cows. It also aimed to investigate the effect of CG on the efficiency of human food production in high-producing Holstein dairy cows in early lactation. Nine multiparous Holstein cows with 65.6 ± 8.5 DIM, milk yield of 55.6 ± 4.5 kg/d, and body weight of 611.3 ± 43.3 kg (mean ± SD) were used in a 3 × 3 Latin square design with 21-d periods. Treatments were (1) control treatment (CT, diet contains corn grain), (2) alternative treatment (AT, diet where corn grain was replaced with CG), and (3) balanced treatment (BT, diet where corn grain was replaced with CG but with the same energy content as CT). Control and balanced diets were isoenergetic (6.61 MJ/kg of DM); however, AT had higher energy (6.77 MJ/kg of DM). Treatments had no effect on dry and organic matter intake. NDF intake, however, was higher in CG diets compared with CT (P = 0.0001). Total-tract digestibility of DM tended to be reduced (P = 0.08), and OM digestibility was reduced (P = 0.05) by the inclusion of CG in diets. Whole and energy-corrected milk production were greater in AT compared with CT and BT (P < 0.05). Milk yield was similar in cows fed CT and BT. Treatments had no effect on milk composition or feed efficiency. Diet CT, when compared with CG diets, had lower efficiency in terms of human-edible feed conversion efficiency (HeFCE) and net food production (P < 0.05). Diet BT had greater HeFCE and net production of human-edible CP than AT (P < 0.05). Plasma BHBA, non-esterified fatty acids, and glucose concentrations were not affected by treatments, but plasma cholesterol was higher in cows that consumed CG diets (P = 0.04). The results indicate that, in high-producing early lactation dairy cows fed high concentrate diets, net food protein production can be substantially improved without lowering milk production through the reduction of dietary starch from 30.2 to 24.8% by replacing corn grain with CG.

Whole Corn Germ as an Energy Source in the Feeding of Feedlot Lambs: Metabolic and Productive Performance.

Simple SummaryBy-products are the focus of many ruminant nutrition studies in recent decades. These alternative feeds show different concentrations of ideal nutrients for feeding ruminants. These are generally less expensive than common ingredients used in traditional diets (soybean meal and corn). From the corn industry we obtain the by-product whole corn germ (WCG). The highest lipid content of corn is found in WCG (85%), which makes it useful for increasing the energy density of diets. This research aims to evaluate the inclusion in the diet of different levels of WCG, an energy source, on the metabolic and productive behavior of feedlot lambs. Although some changes in nutrient intake and digestibility were observed, the inclusion of WCG in the diet did not promote changes in nitrogen retention, productive performance, and blood parameters. In this way, the use of WCG up to 120 g/kg DM, in the total diet, is recommended as an alternative source of energy for feedlot lambs.The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary inclusion (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 g/kg DM) of whole corn germ (WCG), an energy source, on the metabolic and productive performance of feedlot lambs. To this end, two complementary experiments were carried out. In Experiment I, we tested the effects of WCG inclusion levels on the metabolism of 10 uncastrated Santa Inês male lambs, which were distributed into two 5 × 5 Latin squares design. Non-fibrous carbohydrates digestibility decreased (p = 0.01), whereas ether extract digestibility increased (p < 0.01) with the inclusion of WCG. Retained nitrogen did not change (p = 0.99) with the WCG inclusion. In Experiment II, we tested the effect of WCG inclusion levels on the production performance of 40 uncastrated Santa Inês male lambs, in a completely randomized design. There was a reduction in the intake of nutritional components (p < 0.05), except EE (p < 0.01), which increased with the increasing WCG levels. Production performance and blood parameters did not change. Based on the observed metabolism, performance, and feed efficiency, the use of WCG at up to 120 g/kg DM, in the total diet, is recommended as an alternative energy source for feedlot lambs.

Analysis of Furan in Red Pepper Powder Treated by Three Methods-Boiling, Roasting, and Frying.

In this study, furan analysis was conducted on dried red pepper powder treated by three cooking methods (boiling, roasting, and frying). A total of 144 samples were prepared and their furan levels were analysed using automated solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The furan concentration in boiled soup ranged from 1.26 to 4.65 ng/g, and from 7.37 to 27.68 ng/g for boiled red pepper samples. For the roasting method, a furan concentration between 6.66 and 761.37 ng/g was detected. For the frying method, the furan level of edible oils ranged from 3.93 to 125.88 ng/g, and a concentration ranging from 4.88 to 234.52 ng/g was detected for the fried red pepper samples. The cooking method using edible oil obtained a higher furan concentration than the water-based method. Samples using corn germ oil (linoleic acid-rich oil) obtained the highest furan concentration among the four edible oils. In all cooking methods, the higher the heating temperature and time, the higher the furan concentration detected. A kinetic study was conducted using the roasting model system and the apparent activation energy was 60.5 kJ/mol. The results of this study could be useful as a database for furan concentration in dried red pepper powder according to various cooking methods.

Corn Germ Color Detection during Storage in Kendal Regency, Central Java

Kendal is in Central Java, Indonesia, and has large production in corn and prominent corn-produced-regency in Indonesia. Two varieties have been cultivated in this regency but no documentation on its appearance in germ color. This research was done to analyze the corn ness, yellowness, mushroom smell, and RH in the corn as a heating process to decrease water content in corn prior to its storage. The research used NK212 and Perkasa 72 corn varieties which were commonly obtained in this local area. The shininess, color appearance, and smell senses of the 25 panelists were used to detect shininess, yellowness, and mildew odor. The obtained data was explained using the relative humidity or RH value as supporting data. The automatic RH meter that was integrated and synchronized in the cloud was used to detect the RH of the corn seed. All samples were placed in the glass box with no additional treatment but was covered using thin cloth to avoid contamination and infection. The corn was stored for 6 months. As result, shininess, yellowness, mildew odor, and RH value provided specific value among these two varieties.