Lower Fat Levels Research Articles

Should Competitive Bodybuilders Ingest More Protein than Current Evidence-Based Recommendations?

Bodybuilding is an aesthetic sport whereby competitors aspire to achieve a combination of high levels of muscularity combined with low levels of body fat. Protein is an important macronutrient for promoting muscle growth, and meeting daily needs is necessary to optimize the accretion of lean mass. Current recommendations for muscle hypertrophy suggest a relative protein intake ranging from 1.4g/kg/day up to 2.0g/kg/day is required for those involved in resistance training. However, research indicates that the actual ingestion of protein in competitive bodybuilders is usually greater than advocated in guidelines. The purpose of this current opinion article is to critically evaluate the evidence on whether higher intakes of protein are warranted in competitive bodybuilders. We conclude that competitive bodybuilders may benefit from consuming a higher protein intake than what is generally prescribed for recreationally trained lifters; however, the paucity of direct research in this population makes it difficult to draw strong conclusions on the topic.

Cereal type significantly affects the composition and reconstitution characteristics of dried fermented milk-cereal composites.

Dairy and cereal products are frequently combined to create composites with enhanced nutritional benefits. Commercially available dried dairy-cereal composites are typically reconstituted and cooked to produce porridge or soup. Dried fermented milk-cereal composites (FMCC) with ∼193 g kg-1 protein were prepared by blending fermented milk with parboiled oats (FMCCo), wheat (FMCCw), or barley (FMCCb), incubating the blend, drying, and milling. Cereal type significantly affected the composition of the FMCC and the properties of the reconstituted, cooked FMCC (R-FMCC). The FMCCo had a higher starch and fat content and lower levels of lactose, lactic acid, and amylose than FMCCb. The R-FMCCo had higher viscosity during cooking at 95 °C and cooling to 35 °C, and higher values of yield stress (σ0 ), consistency index (K) and viscosity on shearing from 20 to 120 s-1 at 60 °C than R-FMCCb. The FMCCw had lower levels of fat and β-glucan than FMCCo or FMCCb, but was otherwise closer to FMMCb with respect to composition, cooking properties and flow behavior. Differences in composition and consistency associated with cereal type are likely to affect the nutritional value of the FMCC. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of Linseed Supplementation on Total Longissimus Muscle Lipid Composition and Shelf-Life of Beef From Young Maremmana Bulls.

Twenty young Maremmana bulls were randomly allotted to two dietary groups during a finishing period (~90 days): C diet (without lipid supplementation), and L diet (with linseed supplementation, 20% concentrate feed). The aim was to investigate the effects of dietary linseed supplementation on the intramuscular fat composition, and the shelf-life of minced beef. The L diet did not alter the dressing rate and daily weight gain, whereas the C18:3n-3 content in the intramuscular fat significantly increased (from 0.85 to 1.78 g/100 g of total fatty acid, +109%), leading to a reduction in a n-6/n-3 ratio below four and an increase in the overall proportion of long chain n-3 fatty acids in beef lipids. These effects were principally related to differences in the distribution of fatty acids between the neutral and polar lipids. The results demonstrated that linseed supplementation modified the lipid composition of beef, without negatively impacting overall productivity, in the period from weaning the bull until its slaughter. However, the total amount of n-3 fatty acids in the beef of young bulls on the L diet, was not sufficient for the aliquot of humans′ n-3 fatty acid requirements. This was mainly related to the low levels of fat in the beef. Comparing beef samples from animals on the L diet, with samples from animals on the C diet, the higher levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids led to a significant reduction of shelf-life starting after 2 days of storage at 4°C, because of fatty acid and cholesterol oxidation. The L diet group samples showed a higher level of TBARS (+80%) and COPs (+73%), two important parameters to estimate the oxidation level of beef. This suggests that enriching beef with n-3 fatty acids should be coupled with packaging techniques that consider the higher susceptibility to lipid oxidation. In conclusion, dietary linseed supplementation led to a higher proportion of n-3 fatty acids in beef lipids, however, the natural content of antioxidant substances was not able to protect intramuscular fat from oxidation during storage at 4°C.

Current situation and prospects for the horse meat market in Poland and the world

Humans have developed strong emotional connections with horses throughout the centuries, and horses continue to occupy a special place among other livestock animals. For this reason, horses are reared industrially for slaughter only in some countries. Horse meat is characterized by a high content of protein of high biological value and low levels of fat with a desirable fatty acid profile. Aged horse meat has a long shelf life, and it is an attractive food and raw material for further processing. The high demand for high quality raw horse meat creates new opportunities for breeders, and it could become an alternative or supplementary source of income for traditional livestock farms.

Effect of Substituting Alfalfa by Wheat Straw Powder on Rumen Digestion, Metabolism and Production Performance in Lactating Dairy Cows

China has abundant straw resources. However, the straw has high levels of crude fiber, low levels of crude protein and fat, poor palatability and low digestibility and a large volume. This study explored the feasibility of using wheat straw powder to replace some of alfalfa and the suitable replacement ratio for lactating dairy cows. In this trial, cows in the mid-lactation stage were fed with rations in which alfalfa hay was replaced isocalorically and isonitrogenously at 0%, 20%, 40% and 60% by wheat straw powder to explore the rumen metabolism and production performance of lactating dairy cows. Using a large randomized block design, 60 cows were selected and divided into 4 groups: the positive control group CG (0% replacement), and groups AL (20% replacement), AM (40% replacement), and AH (60% replacement). The pre-feeding period was 2 weeks and the trial period was 8 weeks. Milk yield, milk protein yield, milk protein percentage, lactose yield, lactose percentage, milk fat yield, and milk fat percentage were not affected by the diets, and the differences among the groups were not significant (P > 0.05). The results show that replacing 20% alfalfa with wheat straw powder is most beneficial to production. When only the feed costs were considered, without considering other costs (such as labor, machinery, etc.) in the economic benefit calculation process, and assume that other costs are the same among the groups, and the economic benefits obtained by the AL group were the largest. The experimental results provide a basis for the further development of straw feed.

Analysis of the physical development and somatotype of girls and females involved into dancing and gymnastic sports

Purpose: the comparative analysis of the physical development and somatotype of girls and females involved in dancing and gymnastic sports (acrobatic rock and roll, sports aerobics) Material: The study involved 45 girls and females. Group 1 - acrobatic rock and roll (n = 25, age - 13.00 ± 0.41 years); Group 2 - sports aerobics (n = 20, age - 19.70 ± 0.59 years). It was determined the length and body weight. It was evaluated the level and harmony of physical development. The bioimpedance method was applied to determine the composition of muscle and fat tissue, the level of visceral fat. It was evaluated the body mass index, water composition in the body. The results are evaluated by applying parametric and non-parametric statistical indicators. Results: the average level of physical development dominates in athletes. Its specific gravity is: group 1 - (64.00 ± 9.60)%; group 2 - (50 ± 11.18)%. Rather high prevalence of the level below the average: group 1 - (20.00 ± 8.00)%; group 2 - (25.00 ± 9.68)%. The proportion of athletes with harmonious development was: group 1 - (64.00 ± 9.60)%; group 2 - (50.00 ± 11.18)%. The disharmony of physical development due to overweight: group 1 - (20.00 ± 8.00)%; group 2 - (30.00 ± 10.25)%. The disharmony of development due to underweight: group 1 - (16.00 ± 7.33)%; group 2 - (20.00 ± 8.94)%. The average values of fat tissue reflect its normal composition in both groups. In group 1, was determined the normal for the age fat composition in (52.00 ± 9.99)%; low level of fat had (48.00 ± 9.99)%. In group 2, the normal fat composition was found in (75.00 ± 9.68)%. The increased fat composition was (15.00 ± 7.98)% of female athletes. The reduced fat composition was (10.00 ± 7.61)% of female athletes. The level of visceral fat in athletes of group 2 was within the age norm. Female athletes of group 1 were characterized by virtually no visceral fat. The specific gravity of muscle tissue in all athletes was above the average for this age group. Group water composition in both groups was average. Conclusions: Most athletes have an average harmonious physical development. Deviations of physical development are most often associated with underweight. It is determined the increase in the composition of muscle mass above the average age standards for all female athletes. The composition of fat tissue in 52% of female athletes of the younger group corresponded to the average value. The rest of the athletes had a fat composition below normal. In the older group: 75% of athletes had an average fat composition; 15% of athletes had a reduced fat composition; 10% of athletes had a high fat composition. It was determined the significant differences between groups. The female athletes of group 1 had smaller values of body length, body weight, the specific gravity of fat tissue and visceral fat, body water composition, and body mass index. Females of group 1 had a big specific gravity of muscle tissue. The application of the bioimpedance method has significantly expanded the data obtained in the analysis of anthropometric indicators and indices. This method can be recommended for monitoring the functional condition of athletes dancing and gymnastic sports.

Effect of Microwave Frying on Acrylamide Generation, Mass Transfer, Color, and Texture in French Fries

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of microwave power on acrylamide generation, as well as moisture and oil fluxes and quality attributes of microwave-fried potatoes. Concretely, 25 g of potato strips, in 250 mL of fresh oil (at room temperature), were subjected to three different microwave powers (315, 430, and 600 W) in a conventional microwave oven. Microwave frying resulted in an acrylamide reduction ranged from 37 to 83% compared to deep-oil frying. Microwave-fried French fries presented lower moisture and higher fat content than deep-oil fried potatoes. Concretely, microwave-fried potatoes presented values of moisture and texture more similar to potato chips than French fries, nonetheless with lower fat levels (less than 20 g/100 g wb) and acrylamide content (lower than 100 μg/kg wb) at the reference time. This study presents an alternative way of frying to address the production of healthier potato chips.

Diet Affects Muscle Quality and Growth Traits of Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus): A Comparison Between Grass and Artificial Feed.

Fish muscle, the main edible parts with high protein level and low fat level, is consumed worldwide. Diet contributes greatly to fish growth performance and muscle quality. In order to elucidate the correlation between diet and muscle quality, the same batch of juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) were divided into two groups and fed with either grass (Lolium perenne, Euphrasia pectinata and Sorghum sudanense) or artificial feed, respectively. However, the different two diets didn't result in significant differences in all the detected water quality parameters (e.g., Tm, pH, DO, NH3/-N, -N, , TN, TP, and TOC) between the two experimental groups. After a 4-month culture period, various indexes and expression of myogenic regulatory factor (MRFs) and their related genes were tested. The weight gain of the fish fed with artificial feed (AFG) was nearly 40% higher than the fish fed with grass (GFG). Significantly higher alkaline phosphatase, total cholestrol, high density cholestrol and total protein were detected in GFG as compared to AFG. GFG also showed increased hardness, resilience and shear force in texture profile analysis, with significantly bigger and compact muscle fibers in histologic slices. The fat accumulation was most serious in the abdomen muscle of AFG. Additionally, the expression levels of MyoG, MyoD, IGF-1, and MSTNs were higher, whereas Myf-5, MRF4, and IGF-2 were lower in most positional muscles of GFG as compared to AFG. Overall, these results suggested that feeding grass could promote muscle growth and development by stimulating muscle fiber hypertrophy, as well as significantly enhance the expression of CoL1As. Feeding C. idellus with grass could also improve flesh quality by improving muscle characteristics, enhancing the production of collagen, meanthile, reducing fat accumulation and moisture in muscle, but at the cost of a slower growth.

Abstract P089: Fitness and Fatness Are Both Associated With Cardiometabolic Health in 8-10 Year Old New Zealand Children

Introduction: In adults, low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and overweight-obesity are associated with greater cardiometabolic disease risk. However, the association between measures of CRF and overweight-obesity upon cardiometabolic risk in youth, particularly pre-adolescents, is less clear. Further, previous studies in children have predominantly examined the relationships between CRF and overweight-obesity upon individual cardiometabolic risk factors. The clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors has been recognized for over two decades, including in young children. Hypothesis: We tested the null hypothesis of no association between clustered cardiometabolic risk factors and high CRF or overweight-obesity. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 392 children (50% F) aged 8-10 years from three representative sample sites across New Zealand. Overweight-obesity was classified according to 2007 WHO criteria for Body Mass Index. CRF was estimated using a shuttle run test, and high CRF was categorized as a maximum oxygen uptake exceeding 35 ml/kg/min in girls, and 42 ml/kg/min in boys. Eleven traditional and novel cardiometabolic risk factors were measured: peripheral blood pressures, central systolic blood pressure, heart rate, augmentation index, fasting total cholesterol, high density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins, triglycerides, serum glucose, and glycosylated haemoglobin. Principal component analysis identified underlying cardio-metabolic factors, and a 2-way (high fitness, overweight-obese) analysis of co-variance was used to determine associations between cardio-metabolic risk factors with fitness and overweight-obesity. Covariates were: age, sex, ethnicity, socio-economic status. Results: Principle component analysis revealed four underling factors: blood pressure, cholesterol, vascular, and carbohydrate-metabolism. Using these factors, a cumulative risk score was also calculated. Only high CRF (P=0.001, Eta=0.028) was significantly associated with the blood pressure factor. Only overweight-obesity associated with vascular (P=0.010, Eta=0.018) and carbohydrate-metabolism (P=0.005, Eta=0.021) factors. Neither high fitness (p=0.728) nor overweight-obesity (P=0.121) significantly associated with cholesterol. For the cumulative risk score, there was an interaction effect (P=0.038, Eta=0.012). High CRF improved cardiometabolic risk in overweight-obese children (P=0.006, Eta=0.02), but not in normal weight children. Conversely, being overweight-obese increased cardiometabolic health risk in children with low fat levels (P<0.001, Eta=0.039), but not in high fit children. Conclusions: In pre-adolescent children, fitness and fatness associate with different cardio-metabolic risk. With regards to overall cardio-metabolic risk, high fitness may protect against overweight-obesity.

The evaluation of the physical characteristics of young football players

Introduction. Regular physical activity impacts on growth, development and health of children and adolescents. This study has been conducted with the aim of evaluating the physical characteristics of adolescents, who play football using the regional and WHO normative data.Methods. Сomplete sample of 64 adolescents borned in 2002-2005 from the football sport school were assessed. Main study parameters: height, body mass, BMI, fat mass, skeletal muscle mass fat free mass and water. Comparison analysis was performed using the regional and WHO normative data. Results. Participants of the present study was higher and heavier, but had a low level of body fat compared with the regional normative data for adolescents of this age. Depending on the method used, adolescents were defined to different centile groups for height, weight, BMI and fat mass. The agreement between regional and WHO data for height was poor with, a kappa coefficient of 0.17 for 12 years group, for 13 years - 0.56, for 14 years - 0.75, for 15 years and older - 0.90-100% of participants were overweight or BMI above normal range according to the regional or WHO normative data. At the same time, 30% of 13-year-olds, 50% of 14-year-olds and 100% of 15-year-olds and older had a deficit of fat mass according to the regional normative data. Using the normative data of fat mass for young athletes, a deficit of fat mass was discovered in 5% of 12-year-olds, in 47% of 13-year-olds and in 10% of 15-year-olds and older.Conclusion. Playing football contribute to changing the proportions of the body, reducing fat and increasing muscle mass in the body of adolescents. Therefore, to assess the physical development of adolescents involved in sports, it is necessary to evaluate not only height, weight and BMI, but also fat and muscle mass. Using of general population normal ranges for assessing the physical development of this group of adolescents can lead to hypo- and overdiagnosis of overweigth and malnutrition. (For citation: Turusheva AV, Gora DA, Rasmagina IA, et al. The evaluation of the physical characteristics of young football players. Russian Family Doctor. 2018;22(1):23-31. doi 10.17816/RFD2018123-31).

Modifying textural and microstructural properties of low fat Cheddar cheese using sodium alginate

Low fat Cheddar cheese (LFC) with up to 91% fat reduction were prepared using four levels of sodium alginate (alginate): 0.12 (LFCA1), 0.17 (LFCA2), 0.18 (LFCA3) and 0.23% (w/w) (LFCA4). Control full fat cheese (CFFC) and control low fat cheese (CLFC) were used for comparison. Physical characteristics, namely texture profile, microstructure, transverse relaxation time (T2) distribution (measured by low-field NMR) and color were analysed periodically during ripening until 180 days. Texture profile analysis illustrated a significant improvement in texture of alginate added LFC (P < 0.05) as compared to CLFC. The textural attributes of LFCA1 ripened for 30 days were comparable to CFFC ripened for 60 days and beyond. A close resemblance in textural attributes between alginate added LFC and CFFC, not previously reported when using other fat replacers, was observed. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) images revealed that alginate added LFCs had smoother surfaces as compared to CFFC and CLFC, and the dense and compact protein matrix characteristic of CLFC was not observed. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) suggested that the fat particle size, area and volume were affected in all LFCs due to their lower fat level and these parameters increased during ripening in CFFC. NMR results revealed increase in higher mobility water fraction in alginate added cheese compared to CFFC and CLFC. Hunter L, a and b values for alginate added LFCs indicated that they were whiter than CLFC and less yellowish than CFFC at the beginning of ripening; the color of some of the alginate added LFCs was comparable to CFFC after 120 days of ripening. Overall, addition of alginate significantly improved the textural, microstructural properties and color of LFCs, affirming its potential as a promising texture modifier.

KARAKTERISTIK SOSIS BERBAHAN BAKU CAMPURAN JAMUR TIRAM PUTIH (Pleurotus ostreatus) DAN OTAK SAPI

sage is a processed product which have meat as its main ingredients and the extender ingredients are binders, filler, sugar, salt and also seasoning then mixed and put it into a casing. Commonly sausage use meat as its raw ingredient.The expensive price of meat will cause the price of sausage also increasing, so then an innovation to use another main ingredients as the alternative of meat that is cheaper, such as white oyster mushroom. Oyster mushroom have protein and fiber but also contain low level of fat, so it need to increase of fat content by cow’s brain. Cow’s brain have high of fat content so that it will be useful to increase the fat content in the oyster mushroom mixed with cow brain sausage. The purpose of this experiment is to find the right ratio in the process of mixing white oyster mushroom with cow brain. This experiment was conducted by the Complete Randomized Design. The treatment was ratio of oyster mushroom and cow brain it had 5 levels. The oyster mushroom and cow brain ratio are P1 (90:10); P2 (80:20); P3 (70:30); P4 (60:40); P5(50:50). The parameter of the observation are texture, colour, cooking loss,apperance of the slice, moisture content, fat content, and sensoric properties was the preference of colour, flavour, texture, taste and overall. The best treatment was analysis of proximate test. Based on effectiveness test from this research, the best formulation was on P5 treatment (oyster mushroom and cow meat ratio 50:50). The sausage had score of texture of 63 g/1,5mm; color 57,59; cooking loss 7,11%; moisture content 60,31%; fat content 4,22%; protein content 21,05%; ash content 2,08%; carbohydrate content 12,34%; preference of colour, smell, texture, taste and overall was 5,7;6,36;5,36;5,75;5,92 (neutral- a bit of contentment).&#x0D; Keywords: sausage, oyster mushrooms, cow’s brain, ratio

MANAGEMENT OF CHEESE WHEY BY FILM FREEZE CONCENTRATION

This study evaluates the behavior of freeze concentration of cheese whey (CW). Parameters studied were: Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Suspended Solids (SS), Total Settleable Solids (TSS), pH and electrical conductivity (EC) in the concentrated cheese whey and in the ice. The final concentration of TDS reached was 25 0.16 %wt for the liquid phase, which corresponds to a reduction of 83% of the initial volume. The COD in the ice fractions had lower values than the COD in the original cheese whey. The mean energy consumption was of 0.25 kWh/kg of ice. The results indicate that low levels of fat and low levels of salt in cheese whey improve the efficiency of the process of freeze concentration and reduce the environmental impact.

Police Officers Who Are Physically Active and Have Low Levels of Body Fat Show Better Reaction Time.

To analyze the relationship between reaction time (RT), level of physical activity (PA), and anthropometric indicators in police officers in Special Operation Units. Twenty-two police officers (34.5 ± 9.1 years old) from Santa Catarina, Brazil, who were members of a Special Operation Coordination Unit. RT was measured by the Vienna Test System. Were obtained values of body mass index (BMI), body fat (BF), and waist-to-hip ratio. PA was investigated using the Physical Activity Evaluation Questionnaire. Younger police officers (less than 34 years) and BF less than 15% presented better performance in RT when compared with older, and BF more than 15%, respectively. RT was negatively related to PA (rho = -0.48, P < 0.05), and positively related to BF (rho = 0.76, P < 0.01) and to BMI (rho = 0.46, P < 0.05). Participants from the group with greater BF and insufficient PA reacted significantly slower than others.

The UCP2 -866G/A, Ala55Val and UCP3 -55C/T polymorphisms are associated with premature coronary artery disease and cardiovascular risk factors in Mexican population.

We examined the role of UCP gene polymorphisms as susceptibility markers for premature coronary artery disease (pCAD). The UCP2 Ala55Val (C/T rs660339), UCP2 -866G/A (rs659366), and UCP3 -55C/T (rs1800849) polymorphisms were genotyped in 948 patients with pCAD, and 763 controls. The distribution of the UCP2 A55V (C/T rs660339) and UCP3 -55 (rs1800849) was similar in patients and controls. However, under a recessive model, the UCP2 -866 (rs659366) A allele was associated with increased risk of developing pCAD (OR = 1.43, Pc = 0.003). On the other hand, patients with pCAD and UCP2 A55V (rs660339) TT showed high levels of visceral abdominal fat (VAF) (Pc = 0.002), low levels of subcutaneous abdominal fat (SAF) (Pc = 0.001) and high VAT/SAT ratio (Pc < 0.001). Also, patients with UCP2 -866 (rs659366) AA showed increased levels of VAF (Pc = 0.003), low levels of SAF (Pc = 0.001) and a high VAT/SAT ratio (Pc = 0.002), whereas patients with the UCP3 -55 (rs1800849) TT presented high levels of VAF (Pc = 0.002). The results suggest the association of the UCP2 -866 (rs659366) polymorphism with risk of developing pCAD. Some polymorphisms were associated with abdominal fat levels and cardiovascular risk factors.

Understanding fat, proteins and saliva impact on aroma release from flavoured ice creams

The release profile of fourteen aroma compounds was studied in ice cream samples varying in fat and protein, both in level and type. In vitro aroma release was monitored by solid phase micro-extraction gas chromatography using an innovative saliva reactor, which imitated human chewing under temperature control. The results showed that the effect of the fat type on aroma release was smaller than that of fat level. Ice creams with low fat level released more hydrophobic aroma compounds than ice creams with high fat level. At low fat level more aroma compounds were released from ice creams with lower protein content. At high fat level a small increase of aroma release was observed by the addition of saliva, which was explained by a salting out effect, due to the presence of proteins and salts in the saliva. These findings confirmed that the interactions between salivary proteins and aroma compounds occurring in aqueous solutions are not observed in emulsions.

Functional Properties of a Strawberry Ice Cream Based on Donkey Milk and Lactic Acid Bacteria

Donkey milk was used as unconventional ingredient for products of new generation. Fresh strawberries and donkey milk were used to develop an ice cream with a high functional profile. The ice cream was supplemented with two strains of lactic acid bacteria showing probiotic properties, Lactobacillus plantarum 998 and Bifidobacterium adolescentis ATCC15703. The final product had very low fat levels and achieved an overrun of 24.7±1.2%. Changes of the main nutritional factors were investigated during 4 months of storage at -20°C. Remarkably, the content of vitamin C decreased whereas total phenols and the antioxidant capacity resulted stable, with no significant changes.

Effects of Packaging Methods on Shelf Life of Ratite Meats.

Over the last years a growing demand for ratite meat, including ostrich, emu, and rhea has been observed in the world. Ratite meat is recognised as a dietetic product because of low level of fat, high share of PUFA, favourable n6/n3 ratio, and higher amounts of iron content in comparison with beef and chicken meat. The abundance of bioactive compounds, e.g. PUFA, makes ratite meat highly susceptible to oxidation processes. Moreover, pH over 6 creates favourable environment for fast microbial growth during storage conditions affecting its shelf life. However, availability of information on ratite meat shelf life among consumers and industry is still limited. Thus, the aim of the present review is to provide current information about the effect of ratite meat packaging type, i.e. air packaging, vacuum packaging with skin pack, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), on its shelf life quality during storage, including technological and nutritional properties.

Biochemical profile and in vitro neuroprotective properties of Carpobrotus edulis L., a medicinal and edible halophyte native to the coast of South Africa

This work reports the nutritional profile and in vitro neuroprotective properties of leaves of Carpobrotus edulis L., a medicinal and edible succulent species native to the coast of South Africa. Biomass was evaluated for proximate composition and for contents in carotenoids, liposoluble pigments and minerals. Hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were prepared by Soxhlet extraction from dried biomass and evaluated for in vitro inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), capacity to attenuate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced injury in the human dopaminergic cell line SH-SY5Y and for anti-neuroinflammatory potential on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated microglia cells. Extracts were evaluated for antioxidant activity by four complementary methods, total content of phenolics, tannins and flavonoids. Finally the profile of the main phenolic compounds was determined by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). C. edulis has a high moisture content, high levels of crude protein, fibre, ash, carotenoids, calcium and iron and a low fat level. The extracts were able to efficiently scavenge the free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reduce iron and chelate copper and iron ions, and exhibited different levels of phenolic compounds in the order ethyl acetate>methanol>dichloromethane>hexane. The main compounds detected were gallic and salicylic acids and quercetin, all in the ethyl acetate extract. The extracts allowed a dual and potent inhibition of AChE and BuChE. The dichloromethane and methanol extracts had the strongest capacity to prevent cell death induced by H2O2, and the methanol extract had anti-neuronflammatory properties. All together our results suggest that consumption of leaves of C. edulis can contribute for a balanced diet, and that they may add to the improvement of cognitive functions. It also suggests possible novel biotechnological applications of C. edulis such as source of molecules and/or products for the food and/or pharmaceutical industries. Studies aiming to the isolation and identification of the bioactive compounds are already in progress.

Effects of Environmental Temperature and Dietary Fat Content on The Performance and Heat Production and Substrate Oxidation in Growing Pigs.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of temperature and dietary fat level on growth performance, heat production, nutrient oxidation and nitrogen balance in growing pigs. Thirty-two pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Large White) with initial weight of 25±1.91 kg were assigned to treatments in 2×4 factorial design. All pigs were fed with two isoenergetic and isoproteic diets of different fat levels (low fat level: 3.68% fat of dry matter (DM) and high fat level: 8.39% fat of DM) under four environmental temperatures (23, 18, 13 and 8 ºC). Heat production (HP) and nutrient oxidation were calculated from gas exchange via measurement with respiration chambers. The results showed that there was no interaction effect on growth performance by the temperature and dietary fat level. The average daily feed intake (ADFI) was lower (P < 0.001), the average daily gain (ADG) was higher (P < 0.001) and feed utilization was more efficient at 23 ºC than 13 and 8 ºC (P < 0.001). Dietary fat had no effect on growth performance and feed utilization at the four different temperatures. A significant interaction (P < 0.001) between temperature and dietary fat level on oxidation of carbohydrate (OXCHO) and fat (OXF) was observed. HP, OXF and OXCHO were significantly increased (P < 0.001) as environment temperatures decreased. Increasing dietary fat generated an increase in the OXF and decrease in the OXCHO (P < 0.001). No significant difference was observed in protein oxidation (OXP) of two factors. The intakes of nitrogen, nitrogen excretion in feces (FN) and urine (UN) by the pigs kept in 8 ºC environment were highest. Nitrogen digestibility decreased as environmental temperature decreased, with the most efficient gains obtained at 23 ºC. However, nitrogen retention was not influenced by environmental temperature. Dietary fat level did not affect nitrogen balance. No significant interaction between temperature and dietary fat level was observed for nitrogen balance. These results indicated that the rate of growth and nutrition utilization in pigs fed ad libitum are influenced by the environmental temperatures in which they are maintained, and the oxidation of nutrition utilization of the pig to different environmental temperatures is altered by the dietary fat supplementation.