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This study aimed to investigate the impact of adding clay and silica nanoparticles (NPs) on the swelling and thermal properties of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) composite. The migration of nano-clay and nano-silica into food simulants (distilled water, acetic acid 3% and ethanol 95%) was examined within 10 day storage at 40 ℃. It was found that adding NPs into composites could increase the swelling index, mainly in acetic acid 3%. The nanocomposites' thermal properties changed after migration, and crystallinity degree of nanocomposite diminished due to migration of NPs from the film. The migration of aluminum (Al) and silicon (Si) NPs into ethanol 95% was generally higher than migration into acetic acid 3%. Thus, NPs from this type of nanocomposite are more likely to migrate into foods with high fatty acid contents than into aqueous foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate and precise determination of free fatty acid (FFA) contents is essential for quality control and assurance in food production. Herein, a mass spectrometric study was performed to develop a sample preparation protocol that can minimize exogenous FFA contamination during the quantification of FFA in food. The quantities of exogenous FFAs were measured using various combinations of seven pretreatment methods for a sample tube, three extraction methods, and four types of sample tubes. Methanol washing could effectively reduce exogenous palmitic acid (PA) and stearic acid (SA) by 73 and 64%, respectively, in contrast to furnace baking resulting in a decrease in the amount of PA and SA contaminants by 50 and 37%, respectively. A lower amount of FFA contaminants was extracted from glass tubes during comparative analysis of the four different sample tubes studied. A combination of a methanol-washed glass tube and chloroform extraction solvent was determined to be the optimal method for minimizing the error in FFA quantification. The optimized sample preparation protocol used for FFA quantification can lower the amount of foreign palmitic acid and stearic acid to the sub-nanomolar level in the analysis of FFAs in skimmed milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study’s objective was to assess the fatty acid composition and oil oxidation traits of hazelnuts that were dried with a drying machine (DM), on concrete ground (CG), and grass ground (GG) during 12-month storage (2014-2016) at 20-25 °C and 70-90% relative humidity. The result showed that monounsaturated was the major fatty acid groups (83.56-85.03%) in hazelnut, followed by polyunsaturated (9.36-11.17%) and saturated (5.61-6.60%) fatty acids. Furthermore, the minor fatty acid contents found were approximately 0.5% that of the total fatty acids. However, none of the following were found at detectable level: caproic acid (C6: 0), caprylic (C8: 0), capric (C10: 0), lauric (C12: 0), eicosadienoic (20: 2), erucic (22: 1), docosadienoic (22: 2) and lignoceric (C24: 0) acids. Consequently, the comparison showed that over 12-month storage, drying hazelnut using DM provides products with a higher oxidative stability than those using sun-dried methods (i.e., CG and GG). Therefore, DM seems to be suitable procedure for drying hazelnut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hazelnuts are a well-known source of different healthy molecules. However, only few studies have investigated deeply their amounts considering simultaneously the contribution of the cultivar, the pellicle and the effect of roasting. For such purpose, peeled/unpeeled and raw/toasted samples of “Nocchione”, “Tonda di Giffoni”, “Tonda Gentile delle Langhe” and “Tonda Gentile Romana” hazelnuts were investigated as regards to their fatty acid composition, tocopherols and total phenolic compounds. Our results indicate that all four cultivars contain a high fraction of mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, about 110-210 mg/kg of tocopherols and, when unpeeled, 1250-2100 mg/kg of phenolic compounds. In particular, unpeeled and toasted “Tonda Gentile delle Langhe” hazelnuts contain more than 2 g/kg dry weight of hydrophilic phenolics and more than 200 mg/kg dry weight of tocopherols. The study confirms that the highest concentration of bioactive compounds is contained in hazelnut’s pellicle. Accordingly, a principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrates that removal of the pellicle is associated with reduced amounts of phenolic compounds and α- and γ-tocopherols. The PCA also indicates that β-tocopherol, together with total fat, are the variables that most characterize the cultivar. Toasting, on the other hand, induces the oxidation of monounsaturated fatty acids, but does not influence the presence of tocopherols and has a positive impact on the presence of phenolic compounds whose concentration significantly increased regardless of kernel’s pellicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary fatty acids can be both beneficial and detrimental to human health depending on the degree and type of saturation. Healthcare providers and research scientists monitor the fatty acid content of human plasma and serum as an indicator of health status and diet. In addition, both the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health - Office of Dietary Supplements are interested in circulating fatty acids (FAs) because they may be predictive of coronary heart disease. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides a wide variety of reference materials (RMs) and Standard Reference Materials® (SRM®s) including blood, serum, plasma, and urine with values assigned for analytes of clinical interest. NIST SRM 2378 Fatty Acids in Frozen Human Serum was introduced in 2015 to help validate methods used for the analysis of FAs in serum, and consists of three different pools of serum acquired from (1) healthy donors who had taken fish oil dietary supplements (at least 1000 mg per day) for at least one month (level 1 material), (2) healthy donors who had taken flaxseed oil dietary supplements (at least 1000 mg per day) for at least one month (level 2 material), and (3) healthy donors eating “normal” diets who had not taken dietary supplements containing fish or plant oils (level 3 material). The use of dietary supplements by donors provided SRMs with natural endogenous ranges of FAs at concentrations observed in human populations. Results from analyses using two methods at NIST, including one involving a novel microwave-assisted acid hydrolysis procedure, and one at the CDC are presented here. These results and their respective uncertainties were combined to yield certified values with expanded uncertainties for 12 FAs and reference values with expanded uncertainties for an additional 18 FAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial hydrogenation of soybean oil is well established. However, its control is carried out through time-consuming methods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the mid-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) in tandem with support vector machines (SVM) in controlling the hydrogenation process. Models were constructed to predict the content of saturated fatty acids (SFA), unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), trans fatty acids (TFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and the iodine value (IV). The values predicted by the SVM models were compared to values obtained through gas chromatography. Feasible multivariate models were obtained with r minimum of 0.96 and RMSEP in the range of 0.65-2.65. Feature selection using correlation spectra was also efficient, maintaining the performance of the models and reducing the number of variables used by up to 94%. Therefore, it was demonstrated that FTIR-ATR methodology with SVM could be applied to monitor industrial hydrogenation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the idea of exploiting edible insects for their industrial production has attracted the attention of media, research institutions and food industry operators, because of the numerous positive factors associated with this food source. Notwithstanding, insects are still underutilized in Western countries. Moreover, edible insects are carriers of natural microorganisms; hence, safety issues may arise from their industrial production. This study was aimed at providing insight into the proximate composition, with a focus in the fatty acid and amino acid composition, and microbial diversity of some processed edible insects marketed in the European Union. A high content of protein and fat was seen, with values ranging from 59.46 to 46.78 and 35.32 to 15.18%, respectively, with nutritionally valuable characteristics in both the lipid fractions and amino acid profiles. Furthermore, a great variation in microbial counts was seen. Both commensal and potential pathogenic microorganisms ascribed to the genera Pediococcus, Weissella, Streptomyces, Acinetobacter, Agrococcus, Arthrobacter, Naxibacter, Planomicrobium, Rufibacter, Bacillus, Clostridium, Vibrio, Desulfovibrio, Loktanella, Escherichia, Tetrapisispora, Aspergillus, Eurotium, Debaryomyces, and Wallemia, were identified by PCR-DGGE. The high diversity in the chemical composition and microbial profile of the marketed edible insects analyzed suggest a role of both the rearing and processing procedures on these variables. The results overall collected encourage the exploitation of edible insects as a valuable large-scale, animal-based commodity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes occurring in refined olive pomace oil (ROPO) blended with refined palm oil (RPO) during repeated frying cycles were monitored. Four ratios of ROPO/RPO blends were prepared: (100:0), (75:25), (50:50) and (25:75). The effect of deep-frying was studied by assessing the changes in iodine value, acid value, color value and fatty acids composition. The results show that the mixture ROPO/RPO (25:75) is the most stable compared with other blends. The fate of 3-MCPD and glycidyl esters during deep-frying was investigated showing no endogenous formation of the esters during 16 h of deep-frying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of long-term frozen storage (2 years) of pork on colour stability, lipid and protein oxidation, drip/thawing losses and intramuscular fatty acid composition, as well as to examine the relationships among them. Pork quality parameters were significantly altered by frozen storage during 2 years, causing an increase in pH values, drip and thawing losses and metmyoglobin percentage, and a decrease in colour indices ( a* and b* values) and oxymyoglobin percentage. The percentage of intramuscular fat and total saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were significantly higher in pork after 2 years of storage at −20 °C, whereas it had the lowest values of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially n-3 long chain fatty acids. Furthermore, the relationships among colour stability, lipid and protein oxidation, thawing losses and fatty acid profile revealed the complex interrelations generated during frozen storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microwave (MW) assisted rapid high through-put method for the preparation of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) for the analysis of fatty acid profiles in a selection of foods was evaluated by comparing fatty acid profiles with those resulting from conventional FAME preparation. The microwave method gave fatty acid profiles in close agreement with those arising from conventional methods and the protocol gave acceptable recoveries (98-102%) and repeatability (RSDs for replicate analyses were 0.56-5.2%). In comparison to conventional methods the MW assisted method was simple, rapid and universally effective across foods ranging from dairy products to ready meals. EU regulation (No. 1169/2011) requiring declaration of the saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated content of foods is placing pressure on processors and contract laboratories to analyse fatty acid profiles using relatively low through-put conventional methods. MW assisted preparation of FAMEs offers analysts a high-through-put, rapid and universal method to help overcome this potentially costly and labour intensive regulatory hurdle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We examined maternal dietary intake of fatty acids and foods which are sources of fatty acids during lactation and whether they are associated with the risk of preclinical and clinical type 1 diabetes in the offspring. Methods: The subjects comprised a cohort of 2,939 mother-child pairs from the prospective Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Study. Composition of maternal diet during the third month of lactation was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Among the children with HLA-conferred susceptibility to type 1 diabetes, 172 developed preclinical and 81 clinical diabetes. Average follow-up for preclinical type 1 diabetes was 7.5 years (range 0.2-14.0 years) and for clinical type 1 diabetes 7.7 years (0.2-14.0 years). Results: Maternal intake of fatty acids during lactation was not associated with the risk of type 1 diabetes in the offspring. After adjusting for putative confounders, maternal total consumption of red meat and meat products during lactation was associated both with increased risk for preclinical [hazard ratio (HR) 1.19, 95 % CI 1.02-1.40, p = 0.038] and clinical type 1 diabetes (HR 1.27, 95 % CI 1.06-1.52, p = 0.025). In particular, consumption of processed meat products showed an association with increased risk for type 1 diabetes (HR 1.23, 95 % CI 1.02-1.48, p = 0.045). Maternal use of vegetable oils was associated with increased risk for preclinical type 1 diabetes (HR 1.21, 95 % CI 1.03-1.41, p = 0.023). Conclusions: Maternal consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, during lactation may increase the risk of type 1 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nauplii hatching from Artemia cysts are crucial in larviculture nutrition. Artemia cysts may be exposed to repeated hydration/dehydration (H/D) cycles pre-harvesting or during processing and storage. To observe the effect of these cycles on cyst quality, Artemia franciscana cysts were exposed to a comprehensive set of various H/D treatments, differing in the number of cycles (1, 2, or 3) and the duration of the freshwater hydration period (2 or 4 h). Cyst quality was assessed using the criteria of immediate relevance for aquaculture use, such as hatching percentage directly after H/D treatment and after −18 °C storage up to 1 month, longevity of axenically hatched starved nauplii, cyst and naupliar energy content, and (for the most extreme H/D treatment) cyst and naupliar fatty acid and vitamin C content. Repeated H/D cycles resulted in significantly ( P < 0.05) decreased cyst hatching, reduced starved naupliar longevity and individual energy content, loss in vitamin C and fatty acid content, and moreover a close correlation between these parameters as a function of progressive H/D treatments. This is of immediate relevance for aquaculture nutrition, as commercial Artemia cysts may have gone through an unknown sequence of H/D cycles in nature or in the processing line, which affects the nutritional quality of the nauplii used in larviculture operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatty acids are integral mediators of energy storage, membrane formation and cell signaling. The pathways that orchestrate uptake of fatty acids remain incompletely understood. Expression of the integrin ligand Mfge8 is increased in human obesity and in mice on a high-fat diet, but its role in obesity is unknown. We show here that Mfge8 promotes the absorption of dietary triglycerides and the cellular uptake of fatty acid and that Mfge8-deficient (Mfge8−/−) mice are protected from diet-induced obesity, steatohepatitis and insulin resistance. Mechanistically, we found that Mfge8 coordinates fatty acid uptake through αvβ3 integrin- and αvβ5 integrin-dependent phosphorylation of Akt by phosphatidylinositide-3 kinase and mTOR complex 2, leading to translocation of Cd36 and Fatp1 from cytoplasmic vesicles to the cell surface. Collectively, our results imply a role for Mfge8 in regulating the absorption and storage of dietary fats, as well as in the development of obesity and its complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physico-chemical and biochemical properties of the raw pork products, spontaneously fermented as entire primal cuts of ham hock (raw smoked ham hock (RSR)) and loin (raw smoked loin (RSL)), were estimated during the 4-week ripening period. A decrease in water content (4 % in RSR and 7 % in RSL) and an increase in protein (2 and 4.5 %, respectively), fat and salt content (1-2 % for both products) were associated with the phenomena of slight drying. An almost 2.5-fold increase of free amino groups dissolved in water, from 480 to 1,100 μMGly/100 g and from 490 to 1,200 μMGly/100 g, accompanied by a gradual increase of total free fatty acids, from 250 to 530 mg/kg and from 270 to 460 mg/kg, was indicated in the RSR and RSL, respectively. The fermentation and accumulation of free fatty acids affected the pH decrease in the RSL, particularly with a low fat content. The increase of tyramine, tryptamine, putrescine and spermine amounts confirm the activity of bacteria strains in the RSR and RSL during ripening. The considerable part of the 'house microflora' included the species fermenting in the presence of air or in anaerobic conditions-in the presence of nitrogen. The presence of volatile cell metabolism products (3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 3-methyl-1-butanol and butanoic acid) confirmed a greater amino acid transformation and saccharide fermentation activity of microflora in the RSR. Similarly, products of free fatty acid degradation (pentanal, hexanal and butanoic acid) as well as products of lipid oxidation (e.g. 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol and 3-methyl-1-butanol) confirmed the far advanced ripening in the RSR with a greater fat content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an unbiased review of the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and drug-drug interaction data of telaprevir, an NS3/4A protease inhibitor. Telaprevir is well absorbed with fatty food, moderately protein bound (59-76 %) with a large volume of distribution (~252 L), primarily metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 and P-glycoprotein, and is largely excreted into feces. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters are well described in healthy subjects and individuals infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), although only limited data are available in specific patient subpopulations. Telaprevir is recommended to be given at 750 mg by mouth every 8 h for 12 weeks, in combination with peginterferon and ribavirin (the standard care). The addition of telaprevir to the standard care regimen results in increased sustained virological response in treatment-naïve patients (30 %) and treatment-experienced patients (up to 50 %), and works synergistically to lower viral resistance. Telaprevir is a substrate and/or inhibitor of CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein, and drug-drug interaction studies in humans have focused on these pathways. Based on our analysis, a few reported drug-drug interactions may be classified as clinically significant, but more experiments under dosing conditions that resemble those given in the clinic are needed to understand the relevance of some of the reported interactions. Future studies should focus on the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of telaprevir in special populations or patients with concomitant conditions that will likely co-exist with HCV infection, with an emphasis on establishing pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships. In vitro characterization of other phase 1-3 metabolic pathways could assist in elucidating the mechanisms of the drug-drug interactions observed in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of oil type and oxidation status on acrylamide (AA) formation and colour development in potato products under domestic baking conditions. Sunflower, soybean and olive oil were used; the first one was thermally oxidized to obtain different oxidation status. A potato dough containing 10 % oil, potato powder, flour and water was shaped into thin discs and baked at 180 °C for different heating times. AA concentration, moisture content and surface colour were determined. Results obtained showed that neither the nature of lipids present, in terms of content of unsaturated fatty acids, nor the degree of fat oxidation influenced AA formation in low-fat baked potato products. Browning ratio higher than 45 % and moisture content lower than 17 % resulted in dark brown, almost burnt, products. Moreover, in those cases, no correlation could be found between those variables and AA content, since formation and degradation simultaneously occur. When the browning ratio ranged between 0 and 45 %, a good linear correlation with AA formation was observed, suggesting that the browning ratio may be considered as a reliable indicator of AA concentration. Finally, AA less than 1000 μg/kg, which is an indicative value that has been recently set for potato crisps by the European Commission, corresponds to a browning ratio of less than 8 % and moisture content more than 23.5 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean ( Glycine max L.) plants were subjected to different levels of cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) stress supplied as CdCl, HgCl separately and as binary mixture (CdCl + HgCl). An exposure of increasing concentration of heavy metals significantly reduces the oil content when applied separately, while the interactive effect of heavy metal showed less decrease in oil content and showed antagonistic impact of heavy metal on oil content. The study also revealed considerable changes in major and minor fatty acids of the soybean seeds due to heavy metal exposure. There was a noteworthy decrease in the amounts of fatty acid such as oleic acid (18:1), linoleic acid (18:2), while the fatty acids such as palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid (18:0) and linolineic acid (18:3) were markedly increased as a result of increasing concentration of heavy metals. The results suggested that the heavy metal exposures adversely affected the seed oil content and changes in the fatty acid composition of oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the present work was the production of structured diacylglycerols (DAG) by Novozym 435-catalysed glycerolysis of n-3 PUFA rich fish oil. Different enzyme loads (5, 7, 10, 13 and 15 %, with respect to the total weight of substrates), temperatures (40, 44, 50, 56 and 60 °C) and molar ratios of substrates (1, 1.4, 2, 2.6 and 3, oil/glycerol) were explored by the response surface methodology in order to optimize the reaction system. Temperature showed the highest significant effect ( P < 0.05) on the glycerolysis reaction. Good agreement on the experimental data and the second-order polynomial regression was obtained ( R = 0.85). Optimal conditions for the production of DAG were established by the model using 15 % enzyme load at 60 °C for a 2:1 (oil/glycerol) substrates molar ratio, reaching a 50 % yield, with 89.37 % n-3 PUFA content, namely, EPA (11.32 %), DPA (8.34 %) and DHA (69.71 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical traits related to dry-curing process (pH, moisture, water activity total and chlorides), color and textural properties and changes of free fatty acid and amino acid compositions during the processing of dry-cured duck breast were quantified. For this purpose, 25 male ducks from crossbred mule were used in this study and samples at 0 days (raw breast) and after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of ripening were taken. The results showed that all physico-chemical parameters suffered significant differences during the manufacture of dry-cured duck breast. A decrease in all variables was observed with the exception of chlorides and textural properties due to dehydration process. Concerning free fatty acids, a significant increase ( P < 0.05) from 299.57 mg/g of fat in the raw breast to 380.43 mg/g of fat at the end of the drying-ripening stage was recorded. Finally, a significant increase ( P < 0.001) in the total free amino acids was observed from raw breast (1,059.17 mg/100 g of DM) to the end of dry-ripening (2,792.48 mg/100 g of DM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice bran is an underutilized agricultural by-product with economic importance. The unique phytochemicals and fatty acid compositions of bran have been targeted for nutraceutical development. The endogenous lipases and hydrolases are responsible for the rapid deterioration of rice bran. Hence, we attempted to provide the first comprehensive profiling of active serine hydrolases (SHs) present in rice bran proteome by activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) strategy. The active site-directed fluorophosphonate probe (rhodamine and biotin-conjugated) was used for the detection and identification of active SHs. ABPP revealed 55 uncharacterized active-SHs and are representing five different known enzyme families. Based on motif and domain analyses, one of the uncharacterized and miss annotated SHs (Os12Ssp, storage protein) was selected for biochemical characterization by overexpressing in yeast. The purified recombinant protein authenticated the serine protease activity in time and protein-dependent studies. Os12Ssp exhibited the maximum activity at a pH between 7.0 and 8.0. The protease activity was inhibited by the covalent serine protease inhibitor, which suggests that the ABPP approach is indeed reliable than the sequence-based annotations. Collectively, the comprehensive knowledge generated from this study would be useful in expanding the current understanding of rice bran SHs and paves the way for better utilization/stabilization of rice bran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]