Meat quality in relation to swine well-being after transport and during lairage at the slaughterhouse

Meat Science, 2018, 142, 38-43

DOI:10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.04.005

Cortisol and corticosterone in saliva were evaluated as pig stress biomarkers, using pig genotype (Duroc, L62 or Pietrain) and lairage time in the slaughterhouse (0, 2.0, 4.0 or 6.0 h) as controlled variables. Although some pigs were found to be carriers of stress susceptibility, all were healthy heterozygous individuals. Pre-slaughter transport increased cortisol levels in saliva above 3.0 μg/L (medium stress), and 4.0 h of lairage in the slaughterhouse raised them above 6.0 μg/L, whereas corticosterone concentrations exceeded 4 μg/L, which are suggestive of high stress. The highest cortisol levels were detected in the Duroc genotype. Other factors such as food deprivation, background noise, the presence of a large number of animals waiting to be slaughtered, mixing with unfamiliar animals or recent mixing of genders may also influence stress. Corticosterone proved a reliable indicator of high stress only. Meat quality from the pig breeds studied was not affected by lairage in the slaughterhouse for up to 6.0 h.

Modelling the isothermal degradation kinetics of metrafenone and mepanipyrim in a grape juice analog

Food Research International, 108, 339-346, 2018

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.03.058

Five photodegradation products of metrafenone (MTF) and six of mepanipyrim (MEP) were identified in synthetic grape juice at 25 °C and the structures of the main reaction products established. The degradation of MTF and MEP was modelled by using three different strategies involving monitoring (a) the disappearance of the parent compound, (b) the conversion of the parent compound into its main structurally related reaction products and (c) the degradation of the parent compound to all intermediates and degradation end-products. The kinetic coefficients of degradation for these fungicides were determined and the corresponding half-lives found to be 20.8 h for MFT and 10.1 h for MEP. The proposed models afford reasonably accurate interpretation of the experimental data. Based on the results, modelling the kinetics of disappearance of the parent compound by itself does not ensure the best fit of the degradation behaviour of the fungicides.

Nutraceutical Potential of Phenolics from ′Brava′ and ′Mansa′ Extra-Virgin Olive Oils on the Inhibition of Enzymes Associated to Neurodegenerative Disorders in Comparison with Those of ′Picual′ and ′Cornicabra′

Molecules, 23, 722, 2018

DOI: 10.3390/molecules23040722

The increasing interest in the Mediterranean diet is based on the protective effects against several diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. Polyphenol-rich functional foods have been proposed to be unique supplementary and nutraceutical treatments for these disorders. Extra-virgin olive oils (EVOOs) obtained from ′Brava′ and ′Mansa′, varieties recently identified from Galicia (northwestern Spain), were selected for in vitro screening to evaluate their capacity to inhibit key enzymes involved in Alzheimer′s disease (AD) (acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX)), major depressive disorder (MDD) and Parkinson′s disease (PD) (monoamine oxidases: hMAO-A and hMAO-B respectively). ′Brava′ oil exhibited the best inhibitory activity against all enzymes, when they are compared to ′Mansa′ oil: BuChE (IC50 = 245 ± 5 and 591 ± 23 mg·mL−1), 5-LOX (IC50 = 45 ± 7 and 106 ± 14 mg·mL−1), hMAO-A (IC50 = 30 ± 1 and 72 ± 10 mg·mL−1) and hMAO-B (IC50 = 191 ± 8 and 208 ± 14 mg·mL−1), respectively. The inhibitory capacity of the phenolic extracts could be associated with the content of secoiridoids, lignans and phenolic acids.

Aldehydes as Additives in AOT-based Microemulsions: Influence on the Electrical Percolation

Tenside Surfactants Detergents, 55 (2), 2018, 110-115.

The influence of alkyl-aldehydes upon electric percolation of AOT-based microemulsions has been studied. The number of carbons in the hydrocarbon chain was varied between 0 and 5 atoms (chain length between 0 and 7.33 Å). Two different behaviors were found, while the presence in the microemulsion of short chains aldehydes implies a decrease in the percolation temperature, aldehydes with 4 or 5 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain increase the percolation threshold. This opposite behavior has been justified in terms of aldehyde location in the microheterogeneous system.

Geochemical signatures of the groundwaters from Ourense thermal springs, Galicia, Spain

Sustainable Water Resources Management

DOI: 10.1007/s40899-018-0239-3

Different hot springs and boreholes in the city of Ourense, Galicia, Spain, have been studied to determine the mineral equilibrium conditions of the discharged groundwaters and the reservoir temperatures predicted by the equilibrium conditions. Ourense is located in the Miño River’s valley. The area is characterized by two fault systems, which determine groundwater circulation. A NW trending fault system is the permeable system that transfers groundwater and heat to springs in the Miño River valley as it is evident from the location of the springs in the region. Groundwaters traveling and discharging from granitic and schistose rocks are mainly bicarbonate waters. In comparison, groundwaters traveling and discharging from granodiorite rocks can be bicarbonate, sulfate or chloride waters. Different equilibrium activity diagrams for the dominant cations in groundwater (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) have been constructed to correlate water equilibrium conditions with the mineral assemblage, K-feldspar, clinochlore, muscovite, quartz, and calcite. Granites and schists are the rocks within which groundwater circulation approaches mineral equilibrium with equilibrium temperatures around 140–160 °C. Groundwaters circulating throughout granodiorite seem a little bit high in Mg2+ to reach equilibrium conditions. Miño River’s tectonic valley presents strong morphological contrasts in terms of faulting and rock types to the north of the river that allow increased longitude and depth of groundwater circulation. These conditions allow close achievement of water–mineral equilibrium conditions. More research is needed to know the extension of this energy resource and optimize its use.

A critical review on the use of artificial neural networks in olive oil production, characterization and authentication

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 

doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2018.1433628

Artificial neural networks (ANN) are computationally based mathematical tools inspired by the fundamental cell of the nervous system, the neuron. ANN constitute a simplified artificial replica of the human brain consisting of parallel processing neural elements similar to neurons in living beings. ANN is able to store large amounts of experimental information to be used for generalization with the aid of an appropriate prediction model. ANN has proved useful for a variety of biological, medical, economic and meteorological purposes, and in agro-food science and technology.

The olive oil industry has a substantial weight in Mediterranean's economy. The different steps of the olive oil production process, which include olive tree and fruit care, fruit harvest, mechanical and chemical processing, and oil packaging have been examined in depth with a view to their optimization, and so have the authenticity, sensory properties and other quality-related properties of olive oil. This paper reviews existing literature on the use of bioinformatics predictive methods based on ANN in connection with the production, processing and characterization of olive oil. It examines the state of the art in bioinformatics tools for optimizing or predicting its quality with a view to identifying potential deficiencies or aspects for improvement.

Fungicide residues affect the sensory properties and flavonoid composition of red wine

Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 66 (2018) 185-192

doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.12.021

The influence of four fungicide treatments [viz., metrafenone, boscalid + kresoxim-methyl, fenhexamid and mepanipyrim, which are typically used to control downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) and grey mould (Botrytis cinerea)] on the composition of Tempranillo red wines was assessed by examining changes in phenolic composition, colour and aroma profile in wines from pesticide-treated grapes in relation to control wines made from untreated grapes. The results were also compared with those for wine of a previous vintage in order to ascertain whether fungicide-related changes were comparable to vintage-related changes. Only the boscalid + kresoxim-methyl treatment led to significant differences in wine of the 2013 vintage; thus, it increased the contents in monomeric anthocyanins (58%) and flavan-3-ols (36%), and also colour lightness (20%), but decreased the contribution of the ripe (42%) and fresh fruits (59%) odorant series. These results seemingly confirm that the presence of boscalid + kresoxim-methyl residues in must impairs the sensory quality of the resulting wine by diminishing its brightness and aroma. Differences varied markedly between years, which suggests that the course of the fermentation process is influenced not only by the composition of the grapes but also by the presence of the fungicide.

Evaluation of the neuroprotective and antidiabetic potential of phenol-rich extracts from virgin olive oils by in vitro assays

Food Research International, 106, 558-567, 2018

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.01.026

In this work, phenol-rich extracts from ‘Cornicabra’ and ‘Picual’ virgin-olive oils (EVOOs) were examined, for the first time, to establish their capacity to inhibit key enzymes involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) (acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and 5-lipoxygenase (LOX)), major depressive disorder (MDD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) (monoamine oxidases: hMAO-A and hMAO-B respectively), and diabetes mellitus (DM) (α-glucosidase and α-amylase). ‘Cornicabra’ displayed the best inhibitory activity against all enzymes, when compared to ‘Picual’: BuChE (IC50 = 156 ± 4 and 308 ± 33 mg mL−1), LOX (IC50 = 26 ± 0.5 and 37 ± 3 mg mL−1), hMAO-A (IC50 = 20 ± 2 and 37 ± 0.2 mg mL−1), hMAO-B (IC50 = 131 ± 7 and 215 ± 13 mg mL−1) and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 154 ± 17 and 251 ± 31 mg mL−1), respectively. The behaviour observed can be associated with the higher content of secoiridoids, lignans and phenolic acids in ‘Cornicabra’ EVOO.

Genotypic and phenotypic identi cation of olive cultivars from north-western Spain and characterization of their extra virgin olive oils in terms of fatty acid composition and minor compounds

Scientia Horticulturae, 2018

Galicia (NW Spain) is emerging as a new olive-growing region. Galician oil producers are currently striving to recover old autochthonous cultivars with a view to obtaining high quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). In this work, a total of 32 trees were studied in order to established their identity and genetic relationships to the main cultivated material in the Iberian Peninsula. The analysis of 11 morphological features of the endocarp and 14 microsatellite markers allowed three different cultivars to be identi ed among the sampled trees. Compar- ison with the morphological and molecular pro les available in the World Olive Germplasm Bank of Cordoba (WOGBC) revealed that 24 trees (75%) were of the ‘Brava’ cultivar and 7 (22%) of the ‘Mansa’ cultivar. The other tree, labelled as Picuda, matched no speci c cultivar in WOGBC. Characterizing the oils obtained from the studied cultivars revealed a high potential for producing high-quality EVOOs of speci c origin.

Bioaccessibility and potential bioavailability of phenolic compounds from achenes as a new target for strawberry breeding programs

Food Chemistry 248 (2018) 155-165

10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.11.105

Strawberry is a major natural source of bioactive compounds. Botanically, strawberry is an aggregate fruit consisting of a fleshy floral receptacle that bears a cluster of real dry fruits (achenes). Existing knowledge on the phenolic composition of achenes and its contribution to that of the whole fruit is limited. Also, the gastric and intestinal bioavailability of phenols is poorly known. In this work, a combination of spectrophotometric and HPLC–DAD methods was used to analyse the phenolic composition of whole fruits and achenes before and after in vitro digestion. Five different phenol families were identified. Also, achenes were found to contribute a sizeable fraction of phenolic acids and hydrolysable tannins in the whole fruit. Because the mere presence of phenolic compounds in a food matrix does not ensure their ready absorption and bioavailability, polyphenol potential bioavailability could be an effective selection criterion for strawberry breeding programs aimed at improving dietary healthiness.

Aldehydes as additives in AOT-based microemulsions: influence upon electrical percolation

Tenside, Surfactants & Detergents, 2018

The influence of alkyl-aldehydes upon electric percolation of AOT-based microemulsions has been studied. The number of carbons in the hydrocarbon chain was varied between 0 and 5 atoms (chain length between 0 and 7.33Å). Two different behaviors were found, while the presence in the microemulsion of short chains aldehydes implies a decrease in the percolation temperature, aldehydes with 4 or 5 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain increase the percolation threshold. These opposite behavior has ben justified in terms of aldehyde location in the microheterogeneous system.

Screening of organic pollutants in pet hair samples and the significance of environmental factors

Science of The Total Environment, 625 (2018) 311–319

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.270

Organic pollutants (OPs) represent a wide range of chemicals that are potentially harmful for human and wildlife health. Many of these pollutants have been identified as endocrine disruptors that can alter hormonal balance producing adverse biological effects such as neurotoxicity, reproductive disorders, carcinogenicity and hepatotoxicity. For years, hair has been selected as a non-invasive source to assess levels of animal contamination. In the present study, a multiclass screening method for determining about 60 organic pollutants in pet hair was designed and validated for qualitative and quantitative purposes. Concentrations from different classes of organochlorine, and organophosphate pesticides (OCPs, and OPPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs and DL-PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) were identified in the selected pet hair samples from Ourense (NW, Spain). We detected most of these pollutants in the selected hair pets. The mean concentrations found ranged from 89 to 6556 ng/g for OPEs, from 8.6 to 1031 ng/g for PAHs, from 8.6 to 256 ng/g for PBDEs, from 29 to 184 ng/g for OPPs, from 0.29 to 139 for OCPs, from 0.30 to 59 ng/g for NDL-PCBs and from 1.2 to 14 ng/g for DL-PCBs. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document the presence of OPs in pets from North-West Spain and it could provide baseline information for future monitoring of OPs in the area.

Changes of the shelf life of candelilla wax/tarbush bioactive based-nanocoated apples at industrial level conditions

Scientia Horticulturae  231 (2018) 43-48

10.1016/j.scienta.2017.12.005

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the candelilla wax-based nanocoating for increase the shelf life of apples at industrial level. Phytomolecules of tarbush were obtained and were added in the nanocoating for morphological characterization and quantification of nanoparticles. Phytomolecules of tarbush promoted a high amount of nanoparticles and a surface uniform and free from heterogeneity in the nanocoating. Apples fruit dipped for 10 s in nanocoating with phytomolecules of tarbush and without phytomolecules then were stored on marketing conditions at 22 ± 2 °C and refrigeration at 5 ± 2 °C, 90% RH at industrial level, while the uncoated fruit served as controls. Physicochemical changes were monitored during 8 weeks. A sensory evaluation of preference in taste and appearance was performed in the apples. Candelilla wax-based nanocoating with phytomolecules of tarbush was able to reduce significantly (P ˂ 0.05) the physicochemical changes in the apples. The results of the overall preference indicated that control apples were the most preferred in taste and appearance. Apples coated with nanocoating with phytomolecules of tarbush were the least preferred in appearance and taste. According to the results, phytomolecules of tarbush incorporated into the candelilla wax-based nanocoating is an alternative for increase shelf life of Golden delicious apples in marketing conditions and refrigeration at industrial level.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of encapsulated guava leaf oil in hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin

Industrial Crops and Products
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.10.027

The essential oil from guava leaves has low physicochemical stability and low solubility in water, what limits its application in food formulations. This study aimed to characterize the physicochemical properties and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of encapsulated guava leaf oil in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD). Inclusion complex formation of guava leaf oil and HPβCD was determined by several techniques. Antioxidant activity of encapsulated guava leaf oil was more stable to sunlight exposure than free guava leaf oil by 26–38%. The antibacterial activity of guava leaf oil against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was improved by 4 and 2 times after encapsulation in HPβCD, respectively.

Improved 1,3-propanediol production with maintained physical conditions and optimized media composition: Validation with statistical and neural approach

Biochemical Engineering Journal

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2017.07.003

This work is aimed at assessing the use of response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) for modelling, and predicting, the optimum parameters for 1,3-Propanediol production by Lactobacillus brevis N1E9.3.3 from glycerol and glucose co-fermentation. A preliminary study of physical parameters was conducted using Plackett-Burman design to reduce the number of input variables up to seven; i) beef extract, ii) yeast extract, iii) MgSO4·7H2O, iv) MnSO4·H2O, v) vitamin B12, vi) glycerol and vii) glucose. The traditional RSM models were improved by ANN models between a 54.08% and 12.19% in terms of root mean square error (RMSE). This study suggested that RSM and ANN can be considered as effective tools to model and predict optimum parameters for 1,3-Propanediol production by L. brevis N1E9.3.3.

Dietary exposure and neurotoxicity of the environmental free and bound toxin β-N-methylamino-l-alanine

Food Research International, 100, 2017, Pages 1-13

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2017.07.033

The growing evidence supporting a link between exposure to the naturally occurring toxin β-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) and progressive neurodegenerative diseases, has recently arisen the interest of the scientific community. Latest investigations suggest that dietary exposure to this algal toxin may have been largely underestimated. This paper reviews the state of the art regarding BMAA, with special attention paid to its neurotoxicity, its concentration levels in food, and human exposure. As for other environmental toxins, dietary intake is most likely the main route of exposure to BMAA for the general population. However, data concerning BMAA levels in foodstuffs are still scarce. It is concluded that further investigations on dietary intake and potential human health effects are clearly necessary to assess the risks to public health associated with BMAA exposure. Some critical remarks and recommendations on future research in this area are provided, which may help to identify approaches to reduce dietary BMAA exposure.

Chromatographic Fingerprinting with Multivariate Data Analysis for Detection and Quantification of Apricot Kernel in Almond Powder

Food Analytical Methods

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-017-0903-5

Adulteration of almond powder samples with apricot kernel was solved by gas chromatographic fatty acid fingerprinting combined with multivariate data analysis methods (principal component analysis (PCA), PCA-linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA), partial least squares (PLS), and LS support vector machine (LS-SVM). Different almond and apricot kernel samples were mixed at concentrations ranging from 10 to 90% w/w. PCA and PCA-LDA methods were applied for the classification of almonds, apricot kernels, and mixtures. PLS and LS-SVM were used for the quantification of adulteration ratios of almond. Models were developed using a training data set and evaluated using a validation data set. The root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and coefficient of determination (R2) of validation data set obtained for PLS and LS-SVM were 5.01, 0.964 and 2.29, 0.995, respectively. The results showed that the methods can be applied as an effective and feasible method for testing almond adulteration.

Covers 2017

Diseñando aceites de oliva “gourmet” en Galicia

Lección Inaugural

Curso 2017-2018

Resumen

Pretendo exponer alguno de los principales resultados obtenidos por nuestro grupo a lo largo de varios años de investigación sobre la caracterización aromá- tica y fenólica de aceitunas y aceites de oliva producidos en Galicia, y –de esta manera- visualizar una de nuestras apuestas científicas, de gran interés y rele- vancia actual en Galicia. El objetivo último es contribuir a diseñar una estrategia que permita potenciar la puesta en el mercado de aceites de oliva “gourmet” con valor diferencial.

Link (Gallego)

Link (Castellano)

Combination of food wastes for an efficient production of nisin in realkalized fed-batch cultures

Biochemical Engineering Journal

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2017.03.012

Nisin production by Lactococcus lactis CECT 539 was studied in four realkalized fed-batch cultures in diluted whey with feeding with lactose- and glucose-containing substrates. The first and third cultures were fed with mixtures of whey (W) and a 400 g/L concentrated glucose (CG), or with a concentrated mussel processing waste (CMPW) and CG, respectively.

The second and fourth cultures were respectively performed under the same conditions as in the first and third fermentations. However, these cultures were supplemented with mixtures of W plus a 2% (w/v) yeast extract (WYE2) and CG (second culture), or with CMPW plus a 2% (w/v) yeast extract (CMPWYE2) (fourth culture) after sample extractions at 132 and 168 h, respectively. From these times, each culture was fed with mixtures of WYE2 and CG, or CMPWYE2 and CG, respectively.

The final concentrations of nisin obtained in the third (223.98 BU/mL) and fourth (350.61 BU/mL) cultures, fed with glucose-containing substrates (CG and CMPW), were considerably higher than those obtained in the first (108.00 BU/mL) and second (158.53 BU/mL) cultures fed with the mixture of lactose- and glucose-containing substrates (W and CG).