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[Background]: Guanylate cyclase C (GC-C) receptor is a transmembrane receptor, predominantly expressed in intestinal epithelial cells, which is considered to play a main role in homeostasis and function of the digestive tract. The endogenous ligands for this receptor are the paracrine hormones uroguanylin and guanylin. Upon ligand binding, GC-C receptors increase cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels, regulating a variety of key cell-type specific processes such as chloride and bicarbonate secretion, epithelial cell growth, regulation of intestinal barrier integrity and visceral sensitivity. It has been suggested that GC-C acts as an intestinal tumor suppressor with the potential to prevent the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer. In fact, loss of ligand expression is a universal step in sporadic colorectal carcinogenesis. Interestingly, the role of GC-C is not limited to the digestive tract but it has been extended to several other systems such as the cardiovascular system, kidney, and the central nervous system, where it has been involved in a gut-hypothalamus endocrine axis regulating appetite., [Objetive]: In this review we summarize the physiology of the GC-C receptor and its ligands, focusing on newly developed drugs like linaclotide, and their suggested role to reverse/prevent the diseases in which the receptor is involved., [Conclusion]: Available data points toward a relationship between uroguanylin and guanylin and their receptor and pathological processes like gastrointestinal and renal disorders, colorectal cancer, obesity, metabolic syndrome and mental disorders among others. Recent pharmacological developments in the regulation of GC-receptor may involve further improvements in the treatment of relevant diseases.

[EN] In recent years, the general and scientific interest in nutrition, digestion, and what role they play in our body has increased, and there is still much work to be carried out in the field of developing sensors and techniques that are capable of identifying and quantifying the chemical species involved in these processes. Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder that mainly affects the health of children and women. Iron from the diet may be available as heme or organic iron, or as non-heme or inorganic iron. The absorption of non-heme iron requires its solubilization and reduction in the ferric state to ferrous that begins in the gastric acid environment, because iron in the ferric state is very poorly absorbable. There are chemical species with reducing capacity (antioxidants) that also have the ability to reduce iron, such as ascorbic acid. This paper aims to develop a sensor for measuring the release of encapsulated active compounds, in different media, based on dielectric properties measurement in the radio frequency range. An impedance sensor able to measure the release of microencapsulated active compounds was developed. The sensor was tested with calcium alginate beads encapsulating iron ions and ascorbic acid as active compounds. The prediction and measurement potential of this sensor was improved by developing a thermodynamic model that allows obtaining kinetic parameters that will allow suitable encapsulation design for subsequent release., This research was funded by Spanish AGENCIA ESTATAL DE INVESTIGACIÓN, grant number PID2020-116816RB-I00.

Jasonia glutinosa (L.) DC., known as rock tea (RT), is traditionally used in Spain as a digestive due to its beneficial properties in bowel disorders. The pharmacological nature of these properties has not been established yet. The aim of this work was to evaluate the therapeutic utility of RT in experimental colitis and to identify chemical constituents with anti-inflammatory and/or anti-oxidative properties. RT extract was prepared with ethanol in a Soxhlet apparatus and analysed by HPLC–DAD. Superoxide radical scavenging properties, xanthine oxidase and lipoxygenase (5-LOX) inhibitory activity, and capability to lower nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-a) levels were measured in cell-free and cell-based assays. In the 2.5%-dextran-sodium sulphate (DSS) injury-repair model of ulcerative colitis (UC), mice were daily treated with sulfasalazine (SSZ, as reference drug, 100 mg/kg bw), RT (5, 25 and 50 mg/kg bw, p.o.), or vehicle over 20 days. Colitis was scored daily. Colon samples were examined macroscopically and histopathologically. Protein levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukins 6, and 10 (IL-6, IL-10), inducible NO synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were studied as markers of oxidative stress and inflammatory activity. The integrity of the apical epithelial layer was assessed by immunofluorescence staining of zonula ocludens-1 (ZO-1). Finally, intestinal contractility was also evaluated by isometric myography. Fifteen phenolic compounds and three pigments were identified and quantified, of which caffeoylquinic acids, and the flavonoid, quercetin-3-O-galactoside, were the most abundant. RT extract significantly scavenged superoxide radicals, inhibited 5-LOX activity, and lowered NO and TNF-a levels. DSS-treated mice receiving RT scored clinically lower than controls during the first 3 days of DSS treatment and during the recovery period. SSZ was less effective than RT. Anatomical and histological examination of colon samples revealed that RT significantly prevented colon shortening, increased colon thickness, and lowered the macroscopic damage score. RT also significantly prevented the increase of MPO activity, IL-6 levels, iNOS and COX-2 expression, the loss of ZO-1 apical expression, and normalized contractility disturbances. In conclusion, daily administration of RT showed therapeutic properties in the DSS-model of UC. The benefits of RT can likely be attributed to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phenolic and flavonoid constituents.

8 figures, 1 table.-- Electronic supplementary information available, If not properly regulated, the inflammatory immune response can promote carcinogenesis, as evident in colorectal cancer (CRC). Aiming to gain mechanistic insight into the link between inflammation and CRC, we perform transcriptomics analysis of human CRC, identifying a strong correlation between expression of the serine protease granzyme A (GzmA) and inflammation. In a dextran sodium sulfate and azoxymethane (DSS/AOM) mouse model, deficiency and pharmacological inhibition of extracellular GzmA both attenuate gut inflammation and prevent CRC development, including the initial steps of cell transformation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Mechanistically, extracellular GzmA induces NF-κB-dependent IL-6 production in macrophages, which in turn promotes STAT3 activation in cultured CRC cells. Accordingly, colon tissues from DSS/AOM-treated, GzmA-deficient animals present reduced levels of pSTAT3. By identifying GzmA as a proinflammatory protease that promotes CRC development, these findings provide information on mechanisms that link immune cell infiltration to cancer progression and present GzmA as a therapeutic target for CRC., This work was supported in part by FEDER/Gobierno de Aragón (group B29), Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (SAF2014-54763-C2-1 and SAF2017-83120-C2-1-R to J.P. and SAF2014-54763-C2-2-R to E.M.G.), and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI13/00864 to L.M.-L.). Predoctoral grants/contracts from Fundacion Santander/Universidad de Zaragoza (to L.S. and M.A.A.), Gobierno de Aragon (to I.U.-M., L.C., L.S., and P.J.-S.), and FPU/Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deportes (to P.M.L.). I.U.-M. was supported by Fondo Garantía Empleo Juvenil/INAEM. M.A.A. has a Juan de la Cierva contract (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades). J.P. was supported by Fundación Aragon I+D (ARAID).

We examine the impact of changes in microbiota induced by antibiotics on intestinal motility, gut inflammatory response, and the function and expression of toll-like receptors (TLRs). Alterations in mice intestinal microbiota were induced by antibiotics and evaluated by q-PCR and DGGE analysis. Macroscopic and microscopic assessments of the intestine were performed in control and antibiotic-treated mice. TLR expression was determined in the intestine by q-RT-PCR. Fecal parameter measurements, intestinal transit, and muscle contractility studies were performed to evaluate alterations in intestinal motility. Antibiotics reduced the total bacterial quantity 1000-fold, and diversity was highly affected by treatment. Mice with microbiota depletion had less Peyer's patches, enlarged ceca, and mild gut inflammation. Treatment with antibiotics increased the expression of TLR4, TLR5, and TLR9 in the ileum and TLR3, TLR4, TLR6, TLR7, and TLR8 in the colon, and it reduced the expression of TLR2, TLR3, and TLR6 in the ileum and TLR2 and TLR9 in the colon. Antibiotics decreased fecal output, delayed the whole gut and colonic transit, and reduced the spontaneous contractions and the response to acetylcholine (ACh) in the ileum and colon. Activation of TLR4 by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) reverted the reduction of the spontaneous contractions induced by antibiotics in the ileum. Activation of TLR4 by LPS and TLR5 by flagellin reduced the response to ACh in the ileum in control mice. Our results confirm the role of the microbiota in the regulation of TLRs expression and shed light on the microbiota connection to motor intestinal alterations.

[EN] Previous works show that the addition of trehalose and gums in ß-galactosidase (lactase) Ca(II)-alginate encapsulation systems improved its intrinsic stability against freezing and dehydration processes in the pristine state. However, there is no available information on the evolution in microstructure due to the constraints imposed by the operational conditions. The aim of this research is to study the time course of microstructural changes of Ca(II)-alginate matrices driven by the presence of trehalose, arabic and guar gums as excipients and to discuss how these changes in¿uence the di¿usional transport (assessed by LF-NMR) and the enzymatic activity of the encapsulated lactase. The structural modi¿cations at di¿erent scales were assessed by SAXS. The incorporation of gums as second excipients induces a signi¿cant stabilization in the microstructure not only at the rod scale, but also in the characteristic size and density of alginate dimers (basic units of construction of rods) and the degree of interconnection of rods at a larger scale, improving the performance in terms of lactase activity., This work was supported by the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS, Brazil, proposal SAXS1-20160278), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBACyT 20020130100610BA), Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica (ANPCyT PICT 2013 0434 and 2013 1331), CIN-CONICET (PDTS 2015 no 196), and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. The author Maria Victoria Traffano-Schiffo wants to thank "Programa para la Formacion de Personal Investigador (FPI)" Pre-doctoral Program of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) for support her PhD studies and also her mobility to Argentina.

[EN] The purpose of the present work was to analyze the effect of trehalose, arabic and guar gums on the preservation of beta-galactosidase activity in freeze-dried and vacuum dried Ca(II)-alginate beads. Freezing process was also studied as a first step of freeze-drying. Trehalose was critical for beta-galactosidase conservation, and guar gum as a second excipient showed the highest conservation effect (close to 95%). Systems with T-g values similar to 40 degrees C which were stables at ambient temperature were obtained, being trehalose the main responsible of the formation of an amorphous matrix. Vacuum dried beads showed smaller size (with Feret's diameter below 1.08 +/- 0.09 mm), higher circularity (reaching 0.78 +/- 0.06) and large cracks in their surface than freeze-dried beads, which were more spongy and voluminous. Ice crystallization of the beads revealed that the crystallization of Ca(II)-alginate system follows the Avrami kinetics of nucleation and growth. Particularly, Ca(II)-alginate showed an Avrami index of 2.03 +/- 0.07, which means that crystal growing is bidimensional. Neither the addition of trehalose nor gums affected the dimension of the ice growing or its rate. These results open an opportunity in the development of new lactic products able to be consumed by lactose intolerance people., This work was supported by Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBACyT 20020130100610BA), Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT PICT 2013 0434 and 2013 1331), CIN-CONICET (PDTS 2015 n° 196). The author María Victoria Traffano Schiffo wants to thank Programa para la Formación de Personal Investigador (FPI) Pre-doctoral Program of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) for support her PhD studies and also her mobility to Argentina.

[EN] Frozen storage is a method widely implemented in meat industry in order to maintain the nutritional value and sensorial characteristics of meat products. The aim of this research was to implement and validate the use of the infrared technique as a non-destructive control tool to monitor the physicochemical phenomena that occurred during the freezing stage. This enables to evaluate the final impact of this operation in a complex system such as meat To do this, the evolution of the freezing process in pork loin (Longissimus dorsi) was followed by a thermographic camera Optris PI (R) 160 thermal imager (Optris GmbH, Berlin, Germany), whose spectral infrared range of wavelength is comprised between 7.5 and 13 mu m. The results obtained have demonstrated the existence of a chemical potential gradient which caused an internal flux of water. In turn, as a result of nucleation phenomena and the influence of the surface tension existent, a new water chemical potential gradient appeared, leading to the displacement of water molecules towards the ice agglomerates. This provoked the progressive dehydration of the tissue areas immediately close to the ice crystals. Micrographs obtained in different positions of the meat tissue confirm this theory. Industrial relevance: Currently, there is a significant gap in the knowledge of the complex phenomena that occurred during food freezing. This research develops a thermodynamic model which provides an accurate explanation and a new insight of the main mechanisms involved in the meat freezing process. Moreover, this model enables to leave a proof of the real structural impact that occurred in the muscular tissues, as a consequence of the generation of ice crystals and agglomerates. In order to carry out this research, the thermal imaging (TI) technique has been used. This is an innovative and emergent technology whose popularity and use at the food industry has experienced a significant growth in recent years. The results obtained represent a starting point for the future development of on-line cold chain monitoring systems in the food industry. The aim is no other than to provide the necessary basis to meet current demands for food quality and safety. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion throughout the project AGL2011-30096.

[EN] Dielectric spectroscopy in microwave and radiofrequency region is an emerging control technique used to obtain information about the transformation of biological systems. In microwave region, the main interaction is produced with different food constituents and water molecule. In this context, the dielectric properties were analyzed during beer production in order to improve beer quality. There were also analyzed the most important physical and chemical properties of beer through the process. Good correlations were found between loss tangent at 10 GHz and the ethanol and sugars concentration. Therefore, this technique can be used as a fast, accurate and non-destructive control method of beer production. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion throughout the project AGL2011-30096. Author M. Castro-Giraldez thanks the Campus de Excelencia Internacional VLC/CAMPUS for their support. Author J. Velazquez-Varela thanks the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) of Mexico for their support.

[EN] Osmotic dehydration (OD) is a widely used preservation technique that consists in the reduction in food water activity by the immersion of the biological tissue in hypertonic solutions. The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of pulsed electric fields (PEF) in mass transfer as a pre-treatment of the OD using NMR. In this sense, PEF pre-treatments were done using three different voltages (100, 250 and 400 V/cm) and 60 number of pulse. The OD of kiwifruit was carried out in 61.5% of sucrose solution at 25 °C, for a contact period from 0 to 120 min. The water distribution into the cellular tissue was studied by NMR relaxometry. In conclusion, NMR is an excellent technique for quantifying water molecules according to their interactions in the fruit tissue, obtaining the adsorbed water and opening the possibility to apply the BET model to fit the adsorbed isotherm over the whole range of water activity., The authors Urszula Tylewicz and Marco Dalla Rosa want to thank for the financial support provided by funding bodies within the FP7 ERA-Net CORE Organic Plus, and with cofounds from the European Commission. The author Maria Victoria Traffano Schiffo wants to thank the FPI Predoctoral Program of the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for support her PhD studies, ERASMUS PRACTICAS program to finance her mobility to Italy. The authors Pedro J. Fito, Marta Castro-Giraldez and M. Victoria Traffano-Schiffo acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Programa Estatal de I+D+i orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad AGL2016-80643-R.

[EN] beta-Galactosidase (lactase) is a widely used enzyme in the food industry; however, it has low stability against thermal and mechanical treatments. Due to this, the purpose of the present research was to analyze the encapsulation of lactase in alginate-Ca(II) beads in order to maintain its enzymatic activity toward freezing, freezing/ thawing, and storage. Also, the effect of the addition of trehalose, and arabic and guar gums and their influence on the microstructure as well as on thermal properties and molecular mobility were studied. Lactase was successfully encapsulated in alginate-Ca(II) beads, and the inclusion of trehalose was critical for activity preservation toward treatments, being improved in guar gum-containing systems. The gums increased the T-m' values, which represents a valuable technological improvement. Finally, the presence of secondary excipients affected the microstructure, showing rods with smaller outer diameter and with lower compactness than alginate-Ca(II) beads. Also, bead composition greatly affects the size, shape, and relaxation times. mobility were studied. Lactase was successfully encapsulated in alginate-Ca(II) beads, and the inclusion of trehalose was critical for activity preservation toward treatments, being improved in guar gum-containing systems. The gums increased the Tm′ values, which represents a valuable technological improvement. Finally, the presence of secondary excipients affected the microstructure, showing rods with smaller outer diameter and with lower compactness than alginate-Ca(II) beads. Also, bead composition greatly affects the size, shape, and relaxation times., The author Maria Victoria Traffano-Schiffo wants to thank "Programa para la Formation de Personal Investigador (FPI)" Predoctoral Program of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) for supporting her Ph.D. studies and also her mobility to Argentina. This work was supported by the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS, Brazil, proposal SAXS1-20160278), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBACyT 20020130100610BA), Agenda Nacional de Promotion Cientifica y Tecnologica (ANPCyT PICT 2013 0434 and 2013 1331), CIN-CONICET (PDTS 2015 no 196), and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. The authors acknowledge Pombero of R.D.C. for useful discussions. PRS is a member of CONICET (Argentina).

[EN] Orange by-products are an excellent source of dietary fibre. The main objective of this work was to compare the physico-chemical and technological properties of fibres obtained from orange by-products by applying two different drying methods: hot air (HAD) and hot air coupled with microwave drying (HAD + MW). Process efficiency was also compared. 92% reduction in processing time and 77% reduction in energy consumption was achieved with HAD + MW. The drying treatment did not affect the physico-chemical properties of the fibres; however, the shrinkage-swelling phenomena that occurred during drying changed the rehydration properties of the fibre. HAD mainly affected the mechanical energy whereas HAD + MW affected the surface tension. An increase in particle size due to an increase in porosity during HAD + MW improved the fibre swelling capacity. HAD + MW can reduce drying time resulting in a more efficient drying process that positively affects the orange fibre's technological properties., The authors would like to acknowledge the Basque Government for the financial support of the project (LasaiFood). The author Marta Castro-Giraldez wants to thanks to the UPV Postdoctoral Program (PAID-10-14) from Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for their support. The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Programa Estatal de I + D + i orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad AGL2016-80643-R. This paper is contribution no 738 from AZTI (New Foods).

[EN] This work analyzes the effect of Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) as a pre-treatment of the osmotic dehydration (OD) of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa cv Hayward) in the internal structure and in the internal water transport. PEF pre-treatments were done using three PEF intensities (100, 250 and 400 V/cm) and analyzed by TD-NMR. The OD was carried out by immersing the samples in 61.5% sucrose solution at 25 °C. The application of a PEF pre-treatment before the OD produces a process of plasmolysis proportional to the electric field applied. It is because the PEF removes the mobile charges of the medium, such as electrolytes, organic acids, amino acids; Ca+2 is the major culprit of the plasmolysis because it fixes some of the junctions of the microtubules between the cell wall and the membrane. Therefore, a previous plasmolysis produces an increase in the apoplastic transport increasing the rate of dehydration., The authors Urszula Tylewicz and Marco Dalla Rosa want to thank for the financial support provided by funding bodies within the FP7 ERA-Net CORE Organic Plus, and with cofounds from the European Commission. The author Maria Victoria Traffano Schiffo wants to thank the FPI Predoctoral Program of the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for support her PhD studies, ERASMUS PRACTICAS program to finance her mobility to Italy. The authors Pedro J. Fito, Marta Castro-Giraldez and M. Victoria Traffano-Schiffo acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Programa Estatal de I + D + i orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad AGL2016-80643-R, Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER).

[EN] Recently, some authors have applied pulsed electric fields (PEF) as a pre-treatment of osmotic dehydration, showing a faster kinetics of dehydration. Osmotic dehydration of fruit tissue shows complex mass transfer mechanism associated with active and passive transports of the vegetal matrix, usually driven by electrolytes. The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of different PEF values (100, 250, 400 V/cm) as a pre-treatment of the osmotic dehydration (61.5°Brix, up to 120 min) on mass transport mechanism of organic kiwifruit. A thermodynamic model able to describe the mass transfer and tissue deformation in kiwifruit was developed. It was possible to conclude that pulsed electric field as a pre-treatment, remove a part of the native electrolytes, reducing the activity of protein active pumps, leaving alone the passive protein channels as a main mass transmembrane transport and therefore affecting to the regular functionality of cell homeostasis system., The authors Urszula Tylewicz and Marco Dalla Rosa want to thank for the financial support of this project provided by funding bodies within the FP7 ERA-Net CORE Organic Plus, and with cofunds from the European Commission (this project has received funding from the European Union's 7th Framework Programme under grant agreement No 618107.). The author Marta Castro-Giraldez wants to thank the UPV Postdoctoral Program (PAID-10-14) of the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for its support. The author Maria Victoria Traffano Schiffo wants to thank the FPI Predoctoral Program of the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for support her PhD studies, ERASMUS PRACTICAS program to finance her mobility to Italy and also Silvia Tappi and Wei Luo for their cooperation during the experiment.

Alterations in intestinal motility are one of the features of sepsis induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This study investigated the role of the nuclear transcription factor κB (NF-κB) in the LPS-induced duodenal contractility alterations, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and production of cytokines in rabbit duodenum. Rabbits were treated with saline, LPS, sulfasalazine + LPS, pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) + LPS or RO 106-9920 + LPS. Contractility studies were performed in an organ bath. The formation of products of oxidative damage to proteins (carbonyls) and lipids (malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxyalkenals) was quantified in intestinal tissue and plasma. The protein expression of NF-κB was measured by Western blot. The DNA binding activity of NF-κB was evaluated by transcription factor activity assay. The expression of interleukin-1β, tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-6, interleukin-10 and interleukin-8 mRNA was determined by RT-PCR. Sulfasalazine, PDTC and RO 106-9920 blocked the inhibitory effect of LPS on contractions induced by ACh in the longitudinal smooth muscle of rabbit duodenum. Sulfasalazine, PDTC and RO 106-9920 reduced the increased levels of malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxyalkenals and the carbonyls induced by LPS in plasma. Lipopolysaccharide induced the activation, translocation to the nucleus and DNA binding of NF-κB. Lipopolysaccharide increased the mRNA expression of interleukin-6 and TNF-α in duodenal tissue, and this effect was partly reversed by PDTC, sulfasalazine and RO 106-9920. In conclusion, NF-κB mediates duodenal contractility disturbances, the generation of ROS and the increase in the expression of interleukin-6 and TNF-α induced by LPS. Sulfasalazine, PDTC and RO 106-9920 may be therapeutic drugs to reduce these effects.

Dielectric measurements of apple were done during its maturity in order to find relations with apple physiological compounds (sugar content, malic acid). An Agilent 85070E open-ended coaxial probe connected to an Agilent E8362B vector network analyzer were used in these experiments. All determinations were made at 30 °C from 500 MHz to 20 GHz. These assays were performed in order to consider the potential use of dielectric spectroscopy for determining the state of fruit maturity. Good correlations among apples Thiault Index with a new defined Dielectric Maturity Index were found. The Dielectric Maturity Index was related to loss factor at two punctual frequencies (0.5 GHz and dipolar relaxation frequency). This work is presenting a non-destructive control method for the prediction of climacteric fruits maturity. Industrial relevance The results of this research article are demonstrated to be useful for determining apple maturity. Thus, the industrial relevance is clear because the determination of fruit maturity is important to decide the best uses and storage time of the fruit. In the paper, a Maturity Index based on dielectric properties was developed. The results are obtained for the concrete application of apple fruit but they can be extended to other climacteric fruits although more studies are necessary. Dielectric spectroscopy, which can be considered an emerging technology, has the advantage of being an objective and a non destructive technique. For all these reasons we are sending to this journal “Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies” our results.

Salting treatment is a common operation in high quality meat production, which main objectives are to conserve the product by water activity depression and to transform the sensorial properties of fresh meat to the final meat products (like salted, cured, dried or cooked meat products). One of its main problems is the difficulty to control the simultaneous water and salt fluxes into the product and the protein fibers transformation throughout process. Water and salt transport during osmotic treatment of pork meat (Longissimus dorsi) immersed in saturated salt solution, were investigated by using a thermodynamic approach. In this work the effect of rigor mortis state in the salting treatment has been demonstrated. A thermodynamic model in non-equilibrium has been developed for describing the different behaviors involved in salting process.

Salting treatment is a common operation in the production of high quality meat products, one of its main problems is the difficulty to control the simultaneous water and salt fluxes into the product and control the protein fibers transformation throughout process. Dielectric properties of salted porcine meat are strongly related to its structure and composition. Thus, dielectric properties measurement appears as a promising method for controlling on-line the salting process in meat industry. Dielectric spectroscopy studies have been performed on raw and salted Longissimus dorsi pork samples. Dielectric spectra were measured in the frequency range from 500 MHz to 20 GHz by an Agilent 85070E open-ended coaxial probe connected to an Agilent E8362B Vector Network Analyzer immediately after salting process and also 16 h. Salt content, moisture, water activity and volume were also measured. It has been demonstrated that the dielectric properties are a good tool to analyze the share of the added sodium chloride molecules in the muscle tissue during the salting treatment (bounded and solved ions).

Summary Vascular endothelial dysfunction occurs during the human aging process, and it is considered as a crucial event in the development of many vasculopathies. We investigated the underlying mechanisms of this process, particularly those related with oxidative stress and inflammation, in the vasculature of subjects aged 18‐ 91 years without cardiovascular disease or risk factors. In isolated mesenteric microvessels from these subjects, an age-dependent impairment of the endotheliumdependent relaxations to bradykinin was observed. Similar results were observed by plethysmography in the forearm blood flow in response to acetylcholine. In microvessels from subjects aged less than 60 years, most of the bradykinin-induced relaxation was due to nitric oxide release while the rest was sensitive to cyclooxygenase (COX) blockade. In microvessels from subjects older than 60 years, this COX-derived vasodilatation was lost but a COX-derived vasoconstriction occurred. Evidence for age-related vascular oxidant and inflammatory environment was observed, which could be related to the development of endothelial dysfunction. Indeed, aged microvessels showed superoxide anions (O2 ) ) and peroxynitrite (ONOO ) ) formation, enhancement of NADPH oxidase and inducible NO synthase expression. Pharmacological interference of COX, thromboxane A2 ⁄prostaglandin H2 receptor, O2 ) , ONOO ) , inducible NO synthase, and NADPH oxidase improved the age-related endothelial dysfunction. In situ vascular nuclear factor-jB activation was enhanced with age, which correlated with endothelial dysfunction. We conclude that the age-dependent endothelial dysfunction in human vessels is due to the combined effect of oxidative stress and vascular wall

[EN] Monitoring moisture and water activity during drying is crucial for process optimization, avoiding inadequate uses of energy. The main objective of this work was to study the dielectric properties of orange peel during hot air drying at 55 °C (HAD) and microwave power coupled with hot air drying at different power intensities (2 W/g, 4 W/g and 6 W/g). At 5, 15, 40, 60 and 120 min mass, aw, moisture, and permittivity were measured in fresh and dried samples. Results allowed developing a dielectric isotherm technique by adapting the GAB model to predict aw in dried orange peel by using ε'ε' (20 GHz). The physical meaning of the dielectric isotherm parameters (View the MathML sourceε0' and Cd) was studied. The value of View the MathML sourceε0' at 20 GHz (γ-dispersion) represents the induction effect of the minimum quantity of adsorbed water or the monomolecular moisture layer. The parameter Cd is related with isosteric heat, as well as the C parameter of the GAB model. The application of MW power produced an increase of isosteric heat or adsorption energy of the monomolecular layer, improving surface tension of samples and thus the hygroscopicity, explaining the reduction of the View the MathML sourceε0' independently of the quantity of the water molecules adsorbed., The authors would like to acknowledge the Basque Government for the financial support of the project (LasaiFood). The author Marta Castro-Giraldez wants to thanks to the UPV Postdoctoral Program (PAID-10-14) from Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for their support. The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion throughout the project AGL2011-30096.

[EN] The citrus juice industry produces a great amount of waste that needs innovation and development to become products. There is a continuous demand to develop innovative approaches for the valorization of citrus by-products by applying environmentally and economically sustainable processes. One of the critical steps for by-products stabilization is the drying operation. The aim of this work was to develop a thermodynamic model for understanding internal heating and water transport mechanisms occurring from the inside to the outside of orange peels during hot air-microwave drying, and to predict the chemical and structural transformations. Different microwave energies (2, 4 and 6 W/g) combined with hot air (HAD) at 55 degrees C were used for drying citrus peels (5,15, 40, 60 and 120 min). Mass, volume, surface, water activity, moisture, and permittivity were measured in fresh and dried samples. A thermodynamic model was developed to explain the mechanisms involved in mass and energy transports throughout the combined drying by hot air and microwave. This model allows optimizing the traditional hot air drying, by coupling microwave, of orange peel waste as a novel process for citrus by-products valorization, reducing the process time and therefore process costs. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., The authors would like to acknowledge the Basque Government for the financial support of the project (LasaiFood). The author Marta Castro-Giraldez wants to thanks to the UPV Postdoctoral Program (PAID-10-14) from Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for their support. The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion throughout the project AGL2011-30096.

Cytokines are involved in fever and other symptoms of the acute phase response induced by endotoxins. The aim of this work was to study the involvement of central tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the changes induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on gastrointestinal (GI) motility in sheep. Body temperature and myoelectric activity of the antrum, duodenum and jejunum was recorded continuously. Intravenous (i.v.) administration of LPS (0.1 micro g kg-1)-induced hyperthermia, decreased gastrointestinal myoelectric activity and increased the frequency of the migrating motor complex (MMC). These effects started 40-50 min after LPS and lasted for 6-7 h. TNF-alpha (50 and 100 ng kg-1) mimicked these effects when injected intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) but not i.v. Pretreatment with soluble recombinant TNF receptor (TNFR:Fc, 10 micro g kg-1, i.c.v.) abolished the TNF-induced actions and reduced those evoked by LPS. Furthermore, the effects induced by either LPS or TNF were suppressed by prior i.c.v. injection of indomethacin (100 micro g kg-1). In contrast, the i.v. injections of TNFR:Fc or indomethacin were ineffective. Our data suggest that LPS disturbs GI motility in sheep through a central pathway that involves TNF-alpha and prostaglandins sequentially.

[EN] The manufacture of cheese is a complex process which involves several phases and biochemical transformations. All these variables have important influence over the performance, composition and quality of cheese. Therefore, the optimization of the manufacturing process of this product is difficult. Salting process involves complex phenomena which are hardly to explain, and one of its main problems is the difficulty to control de simultaneous water and salt fluxes into the product and to control the proteins transformations throughout process. Water and salt transport during osmotic treatment of cheese in saturated brine, were investigated by using a thermodynamic approach. Moisture, water activity, dielectric properties and volume were measured in treated and reposed samples. A nonlinear irreversible thermodynamic model has been developed to determine the transport of water and ions through the structure of cheese, obtaining a phenomenological coefficient of 1.8 . 10(-5) mol(2) s(-1) m(-2). This model describes various phenomena that occur in salting cheese process, including the different driving forces. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., Author J. Velazquez-Varela thanks the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) of Mexico for their support.

[EN] Drying operation is one of the most important unit operations used to preserve meat products. Drying process involves a lot of mechanisms coupled together, and traditional kinetic theory of drying explains part of them, covering up the most important behaviors in the falling drying period. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the critical points of each transformation throughout the drying, and to analyse and quantify all of them. In this sense, an irreversible thermodynamic model has been developed, focusing on the falling drying period. In this work, infrared thermography has been used in order to obtain the evolution of meat surface temperature during drying operation. Infrared measurements were made with an Optris PI (R) 160 thermal imager (Optris GmbH, Berlin, Germany), with a spectral infrared range of wavelength from 7.5 to 13 mu m. Surface water activity, volume, mass and moisture were obtained at different drying times. Drying analysis shows five stages, the traditional induction and the constant kinetic drying period (wet temperature of 22 degrees C) and three more stages in the falling drying period, shared out by the evolution of the surface internal energy and the vitreous transition. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., Author Marta Castro-Giraldez thanks the Campus de Excelencia Internacional VLC/CAMPUS for their support.

[EN] Amaranth (Amaranth spp) is considered a pseudocereal with valuable nutritional characteristics. Amaranth grain is commonly used in cereal industry as expanded product obtained from the puffing operation. In this work, the puffing process of amaranth seeds with different water content was studied. Moreover, the seeds and puffed kernels were analyzed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), image analysis, dielectric spectroscopy and Cryo-SEM. The results of the study allowed identifying different levels of water retention in amaranth seeds. Moreover, the expansion process was modeled determining the critical points, obtaining the state variables and the final product conditions. It was also performed a structural study of the amaranth seed and the puffed product. The dielectric properties were also measured for determining the optimal time for the puffing operation. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resonant optical antennas are ideal for nanoscale nonlinear optical interactions due to their inherent strong local field enhancement. Indeed second- and third-order nonlinear response of gold nanoparticles has been reported. Here we compare the on- and off-resonance properties of aluminum, silver, and gold nanoantennas, by measuring two-photon photoluminescence (TPPL). Remarkably, aluminum shows 2 orders of magnitude higher luminescence efficiency than silver or gold. Moreover, in striking contrast to gold, the aluminum emission largely preserves the linear incident polarization. Finally, we show the systematic resonance control of two-photon excitation and luminescence polarization by tuning the antenna width and length independently. Furthermore, we analyze this tuning of the polarization with the rod dimensions by measuring the angular emission of TPPL via back focal plane imaging. Our findings point to aluminum as a promising metal for nonlinear plasmonics.

[EN] Dielectric spectroscopy studies have been performed on fresh and osmotically dehydrated kiwifruits (Actinidia deliciosa cv Hayward). The osmotic treatment consisted on the immersion the samples into 65% (w/w) sucrose aqueous solution at 30 °C during different treatment times from 5 to 1440 min. Some physical-chemical parameters were measured in fresh, treated and reposed (24 h at 30 °C) samples. Dielectric spectra were measured in the frequency range from 500 MHz to 20 GHz by an Agilent 85070E Open-ended Coaxial Probe connected to an Agilent E8362B Vector Network Analyzer in the fresh, treated and reposed samples. It has been demonstrated that the dielectric technique is a good method to control the osmotic treatment in kiwifruit. Industrial relevance: The results of this research article are demonstrated to be useful for controlling candying of kiwifruits in bakery industries. Thus, the industrial relevance is clear in order to optimize the osmotic dehydration times and the final quantity of sugars added by using a non destructive technique that can be implemented in process line. Dielectric spectroscopy, which can be considered an emerging technology, has the advantage of being an objective and a rapid technique. For all these reasons we are sending to this journal "Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies" our results. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trolox is a hydrophilic analogue of vitamin E and a free radical scavenger. Ethanol diminishes the amplitude of spontaneous contractions and acetylcholine (ACh)-induced contractions in rabbit duodenum. The aim of this work was to study the effect of Trolox on the alterations induced by ethanol on contractility and lipid peroxidation in the duodenum. The duodenal contractility studies in vitro were carried out in an organ bath and the levels of malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxyalkenals (MDA+4-HAD) were measured by spectrophotometry. Trolox increased the reduction induced by ethanol on the amplitude of spontaneous contractions in longitudinal muscle but not in circular muscle. Trolox 4 mM decreased the effects of ethanol on ACh-induced contractions and on MDA+4-HDA concentrations. We conclude that Trolox might prevent oxidative stress induced by ethanol in the duodenum.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the role of nitric oxide (NO) synthase isoforms (nNOS, eNOS, and iNOS) in the regulation of the migrating motor complex (MMC) in sheep using electromyography and their expression in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract by Western blot (WB) and immunohistochemistry. Intravenous administration of L-NAME or the nNOS inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) decreased the MMC interval. Myoelectric activity of intestinal phase II was increased, whereas antral activity was reduced. These effects were blocked by L-arginine. Inhibitors of either iNOS (aminoguanidine and S-methylisothiourea) or eNOS (L-NIO) were ineffective. The NO donor sodium nitroprusside decreased GI myoelectric activity, inhibited the MMC pattern, and prevented the effects induced by L-NAME and 7-NI in the intestine. Intracerebroventricular administration of these agents did not modify GI motility. In the rumen, abomasal antrum, duodenum, and jejunum, WB showed three bands at about 155, 145, and 135kDa corresponding to nNOS, and a 140-kDa band (eNOS); however iNOS was not detected. Positive nNOS immunostaining was observed in neurons of the myenteric and submucous plexus of all GI tissues, while eNOS was found in the endothelial cells, ruminal and intestinal epithelium, as well as in some enteric neurons and in endocrine-like cells of the duodenal Brunner's glands. In contrast, only weak iNOS immunoreactivity was found in ruminal epithelium. Taken together, our results suggest that NO, synthesized at a peripheral level by nNOS, is tonically inhibiting the MMC pattern and intestinal motility in sheep.

[EN] Dielectric spectroscopy studies have been performed on fresh and osmotically dehydrated Granny Smith apples. The osmotic treatment consisted on immerse the samples into 65% (w/w) sucrose aqueous solution at 30 degrees C during different exposure times lasted from 3 h to 16 days. Some physical chemical parameters were measured in fresh, treated and reposed (24 h at 30 degrees C) samples. Dielectric spectra were measured in the frequency range from 500 MHz to 20 GHz by an Agilent 85070E Open-ended Coaxial Probe connected to an Agilent E8362B Vector Network Analyzer in the fresh, treated and reposed samples. It has been demonstrated that the dielectric properties are a good tool to control the surface water activity by using the loss factor at relaxation frequency. This relation of dielectric properties with the water activity allows controlling the shrinkage level and determines the moment when the driving forces change from diffusional to mechanical behaviors. This value corresponds to 12.25 +/- 0.16 and represents a practical control value to decide if the final dehydrated samples shrink or swell. Moreover, the quantity of adsorbed water was estimated by the subtraction between the overall moisture and the water content in liquid phase estimated by using dielectric loss factor at relaxation frequency. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[EN] Shelf life of kiwifruit is short and requires conservation techniques to increase its commercial life. In this sense, the modern techniques used to analyze the changes of the product through the treatment allow developing new products with the specific quality characteristics required. In this work, the structural and physico-chemical changes of kiwifruit through the osmotic dehydration treatment with 61.5% (w/w) sucrose solution at short times from 0 to 300 min were explained. The SAFES (systematic approach to food engineering systems) methodology applied in kiwifruit is useful to obtain the internal composition of each phase, to control the fruit changes through the process, and to determine the behaviors involved in transports. Moreover, the Gibbs free energy, the enthalpy and the entropy estimation of each phase was calculated in order to analyze the irreversibility of the process. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[EN] Osmotic dehydration experiments of Granny Smith apple were carried out in order to model the operation by using a nonlinear irreversible thermodynamic approach Samples were immersed into 65% (w/w) sucrose aqueous solution at 30 degrees C during 180, 360, 480. 720, 1463, 1577, 1722. 3375, 4320, 7200. 8540, 10,270 min Some physical chemical parameters were measured in fresh, treated and reposed (24 h at 30 degrees C) samples The results allow identifying three differentiated steps in the osmotic operation process At the beginning of the treatment, the cells were turgid and the wall-membrane system stored high level of mechanical energy In this step, the highest velocity of shrinkage occurred In the second step, the main driving force was diffusional, with important concentration profiles in the tissue, in this step, the deformation of the tissue reached the maximum shrinkage level of approximately 60% It produces an important structural change in the tissue removing the concentration profiles and changing the mechanism driving forces Last step shows internal relaxation of the tissue, increasing the mechanical transport behaviours (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved

[EN] Osmotic dehydration experiments of kiwifruit (Actinidiadeliciosa cv Hayward) were carried out in order to apply a nonlinear irreversible thermodynamic model. Samples were immersed into 65% (w/w) sucrose aqueous solution at 30 degrees C during 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, 250, 320, 400, 720, 1440 min. Some physical-chemical parameters were measured in fresh, treated and reposed (24 h at 30 degrees C) samples. It was possible to apply the enthalpy-entropy compensation coupled to a nonlinear thermodynamic model, obtaining the apparent bulk modulus and explaining the elastic answer of the tissue throughout the osmotic process. The osmotic dehydration also produces losses in the native compounds of kiwifruit such as citric acid and Calcium and Potassium. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dielectric measurements (from 500 MHz to 20 GHz) on different standard solutions (K(+), malic acid) with different sugar contents were assayed simulating concentrations of these substances during apple ripening. These assays were performed for considering the potential use of dielectric spectra (500 MHz to 20 GHz) to determine the optimal time for eating the fruit. Good correlations between a newly defined dielectric maturity index and the Thiault index were found. This work presents prospective data of dielectric spectra for certain apple key chemical components in order to consider its potential application as a nondestructive control sensor for the prediction of climacteric fruit maturity.