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Shea butter is becoming increasingly popular in foods, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. This work aims to study the effect of the refining process on the quality and stability of fractionated and mixed shea butters. Crude shea butter, refined shea stearin, olein and their mixture (1:1 w / w ) were analyzed for fatty acids, triacylglycerol composition, peroxide value (PV), free fatty acids (FFA), phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC), unsaponifiable matter (USM), tocopherol and phytosterol content. Additionally, the oxidative stability, radical scavenging activity (RSA), antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated. The two main fatty acids in the shea butter samples were stearic and oleic. The refined shea stearin showed lower PV, FFA, USM, TPC, TFC, RSA, tocopherol and sterol content than crude shea butter. A higher EC50 was observed, but antibacterial activity was much lower. The refined olein fraction was characterized by lower PV, FFA and TFC in comparison with crude shea butter, but USM, TPC, RSA, EC50, tocopherol and sterol content was unchanged. The antibacterial activity was higher, but the antifungal activity was lower than those of crude shea butter. When both fractions were mixed, their fatty acid and triacylglycerol composition were similar to those of crude shea butter, but other parameters were different.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of roasting linseeds on the pigment, lipid profile, bioactive components, and oxidative stability of the extracted oils. The linseed varieties Giza 11, Giza 12, Sakha 3, and Sakha 6 were roasted at 180 °C for 10 min, and the oils were extracted by cold pressing. The results showed that, after roasting, there was an increase in oil percentage and peroxide value, as well as small increases in p -anisidine and acid values. Roasting also caused an increase in chlorophyll content, while lutein and β-carotene tend to slightly decrease, except in the Giza 11 variety. The total phenolics content was markedly enhanced after roasting. Omega-3 fatty acids were not affected by the roasting process. The total amounts of tocochromanol were found to decrease in the Giza 12 and Sakha 6 varieties after roasting. Plastochromanol-8 increased in all varieties after roasting. The phytosterol composition was minimally affected by roasting. Roasting enhanced the stability of the extracted oils, increasing the induction period and decreasing EC50 values. These results may thus help to discriminate between the different linseed varieties and serve to recommend the use of roasting to enhance the oxidative stability of extracted oil.

The need to maintain the highest possible levels of bioactive components contained in raw materials requires the elaboration of tools supporting their processing operations, starting from the first stages of the food production chain. In this study, artificial neural networks (ANNs) and response surface regression (RSR) were used to develop models of phytosterol degradation in bulks of rapeseed stored under various temperatures and water activity conditions ( T = 12-30 °C and a w = 0.75-0.90). Among ANNs, networks based on a multilayer perceptron (MLP) and a radial basis function (RBF) were tested. The model input constituted a w , temperature and storage time, whilst the model output was the phytosterol level in seeds. The ANN-based modeling turned out to be more effective in estimating phytosterol levels than the RSR, while MLP-ANNs proved to be more satisfactory than RBF-ANNs. The approximation quality of the ANNs models depended on the number of neurons and the type of activation functions in the hidden layer. The best model was provided by the MLP-ANN containing nine neurons in the hidden layer equipped with the logistic activation function. The model performance evaluation showed its high prediction accuracy and generalization capability ( R 2 = 0.978; RMSE = 0.140). Its accuracy was also confirmed by the elliptical joint confidence region (EJCR) test. The results show the high usefulness of ANNs in predictive modeling of phytosterol degradation in rapeseeds. The elaborated MLP-ANN model may be used as a support tool in modern postharvest management systems.

The aim of this study was to examine olive oils purchased in Poland for their compliance with label declarations and EEC criteria. Statistical analysis was used to compare the olive oils in terms of their content and composition of essential constituents and color parameters. Fifty olive oils (extra virgin, bioextra virgin, cold-pressed, refined, and pomace) from different countries (Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Germany, France, Israel, and the European Union), were purchased commercially in Poland. The contents of triacylglycerols, sterols, and tocopherols, the fatty acid composition, and the color parameters were determined using chromatographic and spectrophotometric methods. Statistical methods were used to divide the olive oils into clusters. Our results show that the composition and color parameters of olive oils available commercially in Poland, excluding pomace olive oils, are similar. It can thus be concluded that, irrespective of the type of olive oil stated on the label, their quality is the same or very similar.

Plant sterols, also referred as phytosterols, have been known as bioactive compounds which have cholesterol-lowering properties in human blood. It has been established that a diet rich in plant sterols or their esters alleviates cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and also may inhibit breast, colon and lung carcinogenesis. Phytosterols, in their free and esterified forms, are prone to thermo-oxidative degradation, where time and temperature affect the level of degradation. Looking for new derivatives of phytosterols with high thermo-oxidative stability for application in foods, our idea was to obtain novel structured acylglycerols in which two fatty acid parts are replaced by stigmasterol residues. In this work, asymmetric (1,2- and 2,3-) distigmasterol-modified acylglycerols (dStigMAs) were synthesized by the covalent attachment of stigmasterol residues to sn -1 and sn -2 or sn -2 and sn -3 positions of 3-palmitoyl- sn -glycerol or 1-oleoyl- sn -glycerol, respectively, using a succinate or carbonate linker. The chemical structures of the synthesized compounds were identified by NMR, HR-MS, and IR data. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of the obtained compounds was determined. The dStigMAs possessing a carbonate linker showed potent cytotoxicity to cells isolated from the small intestine and colon epithelium and liver, whereas the opposite results were obtained for compounds containing a succinate linker.

Legume seeds (Fabaceae) of seven species Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (guar), Glycine max (soybean), Lablab purpureus (lablab-bean), Macrotyloma uniflorum (kulthi bean), Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean), Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) and Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) were studied. The oil yield ranged from 1.2 to 20.2% dw, in the lablab-bean and soybean, respectively. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) constituted the largest part (46-78%) of total fatty acids in studied legumes. γ-Tocopherol was the predominant tocopherol (T) homologue (61-95%) in most of the tested legumes with the exception of fenugreek (α-T, 97%) and cowpea (γ-T and δ-T, nearly equal). The β-sitosterol was the main sterol (51-56%) in most legumes. While in cowpea, lablab-bean and kulthi bean the main sterols were β-sitosterol and Δ5-stigmasterol (28-37% and 14-42%, respectively). Squalene was detected only in kulthi bean and lablab-bean (58 and 284 mg/100 g oil). The total concentration of carotenoids, tocochromanols, and sterols in the studied legumes was 0.2-9.2, 12.4-276.0, and 350-8,542 mg/100 g oil, respectively. Based on the levels of minor lipophilic compounds of this study, C. tetragonoloba, T. foenum-graecum and G. max seem to have a better nutritional value compared to P. vulgaris, V. unguiculata, L. purpureus, and M. uniflorum.

Milk thistle oils are available on the market and appeal to consumers because of their healthy properties as cold-pressed oils. The raw material for producing such oils is purchased from a range of domestic and foreign sources. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of drying temperature on the peroxide value, acid value, fatty acid composition, tocopherol and phytosterol contents in the lipid fraction extracted from milk thistle seeds. The seeds were purchased in three different farms and were dried in a thin layer at 40 °C, 60 °C, 80 °C, 100 °C, 120 °C, and 140 °C. The level of phytosterols and the fatty acid composition were determined using GC-FID, while tocopherols concentrations were determined using HPLC. The study showed that the quality of seeds used in the production of oil varies. The drying of milk thistle seeds using air cooler than 80 °C caused no statistically significant changes in AV, p- AnV, phytosterol levels, tocopherols, or SFA levels. Drying temperatures in the 100-140 °C range caused significant losses of phytosterols and tocopherols and also resulted in changes in fatty acid composition. When seeds were dried at 140 °C, phytosterol levels dropped by 19-23%, tocopherols by 10-23%, MUFA by 30%, and PUFA by 11%., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Phytosterols and their esters are often used as functional ingredients in food products due to its lowering blood cholesterol properties. Products containing phytosterols and its esters are recommended for direct consumption, cooking, baking and frying, however during food preparation it is possible thermo-oxidative degradation is possible. Unsaturation of fatty acid present in steryl ester may further stimulates degradation. Free stigmasterol degraded faster than its esters, even with linoleic acid attached. The highest amount of degradation products was observed for free stigmasterol, followed by esters with linoleic and oleic acids. Polar dimers were fund in all heated samples, although for free stigmasterol heated at 60 °C were not detected. Whereas non-polar dimers were observed only in heated stigmasterol. Degradation of esterified stigmasterol generated degradation products with lower cytotoxicity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Algae are a group of autotropic and eukaryotic organisms that play a significant role in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, fuel, and textile industries. They are an important part of our ecosystem, and they can help control the growing problem of pollution. In this work, the carotenoid, sterol, polyphenol and mineral content, spectral and thermal characteristics of six common river algae, viz. Chara spp., Hydrodictyon spp., Lyngbya spp., Nitella spp., Pithophora spp., and Spirogyra spp., collected from Kharun river (India), were evaluated. The concentration of oil, total polyphenols, flavonoids, and mineral ranged from 0.4 to 4.3%, from 2705 to 4450 mg/kg, from 1590 to 2970 mg/kg, and from 85,466 to 122,871 mg/kg of algae (dw), respectively. The concentration of carotenoids and sterols varied from 1.6 to 109 mg/kg and from 522 to 35,664 mg/kg. The potentiality towards the bioaccumulation of 22 trace elements from the surface reservoir was assessed and discussed in relation to carbonate inlay of the algae wall and to the ions ability to bind to pectin, polypeptides, carotenoids, polyphenols, and flavonoids, on the basis of infrared spectroscopy data. In view of the extremely high enrichment factors found for certain elements, such as P, Co, Cu, Pb, and Fe, some of these algae hold promise as bioindicators for the detection of these elements in aquatic environments. Ordination analysis was used to measure the variance gradient of the algal data.

The seeds of nine species belonging to the Fabaceae family (Cassia alata, Cassia uniflora, Cassia obtusifolia, Cassia tora, Crotalaria albida, Crotalaria juncea, Crotalaria pallida, Indigofera tinctoria, and Tephrosia purpurea) were studied. The oil yield ranged from 2.0 to 9.6% dw, in the seeds of I. tinctoria and T. purpurea, respectively. The unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) were the predominant group of fatty acids (41-74%) in the investigated samples. The sum of tocopherol homologues α and γ constituted 90-100% of total tocochromanols identified in each species. The β-sitosterol, campesterol, and Δ5-stigmasterol were the main sterols in most of the samples, however, in some of the seeds considerable levels of Δ5-avenasterol, Δ5,24-stigmastadienol, 24-ethylcholest-7-en-3beta-ol, and cycloartenol were also determined. Although the studied seeds were marked by relatively low yield of oil, the predomination of UFA, as well as relevant quantities of tocochromanols, carotenoids, sterols, and squalene (144.3-444.8, 4.1-43.1, 603.2-2590.2, and 0-88.1 mg/100 g oil, respectively), thus, the studied seeds can be considered as an alternative source of valuable ingredients for human nutrition.

The increasing demand for cocoa and search for ingredients rich in bioactive compounds encouraged us to investigate the possibility of replacing it by carob powder in the muffins containing soy beans, sesame oil and flaxseeds. There was 5% addition of carob or cocoa powder to the individual doughs. The muffins with the addition of carob were characterized by improved antiradical activity (by 36% - 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) method, by 83% - 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method), higher content of genistein (18%) and total phytosterols (17%) in the dry mass. The color differences in the carob muffins crusts were not perceptible by consumers (ΔE = 0.70 for crust, ΔE = 5.6 for crumb) and their taste was found to be less bitter and sweeter than the taste of cocoa muffins. Moreover, the addition of carob powder as well as cocoa powder resulted in good sensory quality. The high content of phytosterols, genistein and improved antiradical properties proved carob to be a source of bioactive compounds. The results show that carob powder may be used as valuable alternative muffin ingredient to cocoa.

This study examined the thermo-oxidative degradation of stigmasterol fatty acids esters. Stigmasterol stearate, oleate, linoleate and linolenate were synthesized by chemical esterification and their purity evaluated by 1 H-NMR and GC-MS. The degradation of stigmasterol esters was examined after heating them at 60 and 180 °C for 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 h. It was established that stigmasterol esters were prone to thermo-oxidative degradation, with time and temperature affecting the degree of degradation. The unsaturation of fatty acids affected the rate of stigmasteryl ester degradation. The kinetics of StS and StO degradation were similar and the additional double bonds in StL and StLn resulted in their faster decomposition. The esters degraded faster at 180 than at 60 °C. The sterol and fatty acid molecules degraded at different rates, such that the fatty acid moiety deteriorated faster than the sterol at both temperatures, independent of the time of heating and the level of unsaturation.

Lipophilic bioactive compounds in oils recovered from the kernels of seven sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars, harvested at single location in 2013, were studied. Oil yield in sweet cherry ranged between 30.3-40.3 % (w/w) dw. The main fatty acids were oleic acid (39.62-49.92 %), linoleic acid (31.13-38.81 %), α-eleostearic acid (7.23-10.73 %) and palmitic acid (5.59-7.10 %), all four represented approximately 95 % of the total detected fatty acids. The ranges of total tocochromanols and sterols were between 83.1-111.1 and 233.6-419.4 mg/100 g of oil, respectively. Regardless of the cultivar, the γ-tocopherol and β-sitosterol were the main lipophilic minor bioactive compounds. The content of the carotenoids and squalene were between 0.38-0.62 and 60.9-127.7 mg/100 g of oil, respectively. Three significant correlations were found between oil yield and total contents of sterols (r = -0.852), tocochromanols (r = -0.880) and carotenoids (r = -0.698) in sweet cherry kernel oils. The oil yield, as well as the content of lipophilic bioactive compounds in oil was significantly affected by the cultivar.

For the increase of oxidative stability and phytonutrient contents of rapeseed oil 5, 10 and 20 % blends with rice bran oil and black cumin oil were prepared. Profiles of different bioactive lipid components of blends including tocopherols, tocotrienols, phytosterols and phytostanols as well as fatty acid composition were carried out using HPLC and GLC. Rancimat was used for detecting oxidative stability of the fatty material. The blends with black cumin seed oil characterized higher level of α- and γ-tocopherols as well as all isomers of tocotrienols. Presence of rice bran oil in blends leads to increased tocotrienols amounts, β-sitosterol and squalene. Blending resulted in lowering ratio of PUFA/SFA and improves stability of these oils. The ratio of omega-6/omega-3 raises from 2.1 in rapeseed oil to 3.7 and 3.0 in blends with black cumin and rice bran oils, respectively. Addition of 10 and 20 % of black cumin and rice bran oils to rapeseed oil were influenced on the oxidative stability of prepared blends. The results appear that blending of rapeseed oil with black cumin seed oil or rice bran oil enhanced nutritional and functional properties via higher oxidative stability as well as improved phytonutrient contents.

Objectives: Presentation of our own, preliminary experiences in the assessment of the right subclavian artery's (RSA) position during the second trimester scan., Material and Methods: Since January 2012 our center has started to conduct the assessment of the position of the right subclavian artery in the second trimester scan. Patients who were diagnosed with an aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) were referred to invasive method of prenatal diagnosis. Abnormal karyotype and microdeletion 22q11 were analyzed. Detailed echocardiography was conducted in each case., Results: Between January 2012 and September 2013 we diagnosed 19 cases of ARSA. There were three cases of congenital heart defect (15.8%; 3/19) (ventricular septal defect--VSD, n=2, atrioventricular septal defect--AVSD, n=1). Two out of 17 cases showed an abnormal karyotype (11.8%; 2/17)--46,XY del(5) (q15q31) and 47,XX+18. No 22q11.2 deletions were observed. Two patients did not consent to invasive methods of prenatal diagnosis., Conclusions: The position of the right subclavian artery (RSA) should be routinely assessed during the second trimester of ultrasound screening. The presence of ARSA increases the risk for abnormal karyotype in the fetus and therefore, all patients who are diagnosed with ARSA should be referred to the reference center.

Maternal alloimmunization can lead to hemolytic anemia, hydrops fetalis and even fetal or neonatal death. Intrauterine treatment is possible and effective even though it is associated with some risk. We present a rare method of maternal blood intrauterine transfusions in the therapy of three difficult cases of erythroblastosis fetalis. The aim of this report was to present an alternative to volunteer donors. In severe cases, i.e. in the absence of matching blood types from the donor in the presence of multiple alloantibodies in the pregnant woman or if multiple transfusions are required, this can be the only therapeutic option. To the best of our knowledge, this has been the first publication on maternal blood donation for intrauterine transfusion in the Polish literature.

Flaxseeds have been recently in focus due to the antioxidant capacity of some of their compounds. However, there is a lack of easily accessible information concerning their activity against lipid oxidation in food systems. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the effect of defatted meals (DFM) and the aqueous extracts (AFE) obtained from brown and golden flaxseeds on lipid oxidation in pork meatballs. Fatty acid composition, peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and cholesterol content were monitored during 6 months of freezer storage. Cholesterol oxidation products were identified and quantified. Both DFM and AFE limited fatty acid and cholesterol oxidation during meatball storage. Their antioxidant effect depended on flax variety (brown or golden) and preparation type (DFM or AFE). Lower level of PV and TBARS, compared with the ones with AFE, were noted in meatballs with DFM. Both DFM and AFE, from the brown seed variety, protect the lipids against oxidation to a higher extent. During the storage, a cholesterol degradation was observed. AFE (particularly from the brown variety) limited changes in cholesterol content. Moreover, they stabilized fatty acid composition of stored meatballs. However, DFM efficiently inhibited cholesterol oxidation.

The effect of temperature (25 or 35 °C) and moisture content (10, 12.5, 15.5 %) on rapeseed phytosterol degradation was examined for 18 days. Statistical analysis showed that temperature, moisture and time of storage have a significant effect on phytosterol degradation. After 18 days of seed storage at a temperature of 25 and 30 °C losses of these compounds amounted to 11 and 13 % in seeds with moisture contents of 10, 12 and 16 % in seeds with a moisture content of 12.5 %, while they were 24 and 58 % in seeds with a moisture content of 15.5 %. Among all the identified sterols the greatest degradation rate was observed for stigmasterol and brassicasterol. Losses of stigmasterol and brassicasterol during storage of seeds with a 12.5 % moisture content at a temperature of 30 °C were 17 and 28 %, respectively, while in seeds with a moisture content of 15.5 % these losses increased to 73 and 63 %.

The effect of the drying method applied and subsequent rapeseed storage on changes in phytosterols was determined. After harvest, rapeseeds were dried by the near-ambient method in a thick immobile layer of 2 m and using air heated to a temperature of 60, 80 and 100 °C. Analyses of phytosterol contents were performed immediately after drying and after 6 and 12 months of storage at a temperature of 10 ± 2 °C. Results showed a significant effect of drying conditions, cultivar-specific differences and storage time on the contents of phytosterols. Near-ambient drying of seeds resulted in a reduction in total sterol contents by 6-20 %, while for drying with hot air it was by 14-40 %. The level of sterols decreased by 13-18 % after a 1 year storage of seeds dried by the near-ambient methods. A reduction in 12-22 % in sterols for seeds dried by high temperature occurred after 1 year of storage.