Search

This study presents for the first time functional cookies for diabetics made with 100% organic Cyperus esculentus L. flour, either plain or enhanced with 5% polyfloral honey syrup containing the probiotic strain Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus SL42. The flour's chemical composition and rheological and functional properties were analyzed, and 33 diabetic and semi-naive panelists assessed the cookies' sensory properties. MRS-cys agar cultures and SEM analysis evaluated SL42 survival and adhesion capacity over 21 days at 25 °C. Results showed that the flour and its extracts are rich in polyphenols and flavonoids, indicating strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Both cookie types met international standards when compared to commercial cookies and had similar physical properties. Sensory evaluation on day 1 revealed higher quality indicators for honey syrup-enriched cookies, but after 15 days, control cookies were preferred. The CIE LAB analysis confirmed the dietetic flour's typical dark color, with honey syrup-enriched cookies being darker. Despite textural differences, both cookies maintained detectable crispness over storage. Honey syrup-enriched cookies effectively carried L. rhamnosus SL42, remaining viable at 6.43 Log CFU per cookie after 21 days and adhering to the cookie's surface, as confirmed by SEM analysis. Further research is recommended to better understand the therapeutic value of these cookies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective modeling of fresh cementitious materials during setting is an active and challenging research topic. The material behavior as well as the parameters and properties are not fully understood yet. Therefore, the flow during casting is the subject of ongoing research. Previous works attempted to model cement paste as a solid subjected to yielding, or as a fluid modeled by a Brinkman law or a power law, both in 2D or 3D. Of existing models, 3D simulation of power-law fluids seems to carry the best predictive abilities, considering the shear-thinning behavior of the cement paste. In this work, we model the vane test of cement paste using a power-law pseudoplastic fluid. We also add all material and model parameters as extra coordinates of the problem, an appealing approach when identifying material properties, at the expense of increasing the problem’s dimensionality and computational time, often referred to as the combinatory explosion. However, using model order reduction techniques, we have the ability to circumvent the curse of dimensionality by solving a full-scale multidimensional problem as a sequence of lower dimensionality problems. In what follows, we use the Proper Generalized Decomposition (PGD) to solve a multidimensional (6D) nonlinear power-law fluid problem and identify the cement paste properties.

The human intestine harbours a complex and diverse bacterial community called the gut microbiota. This microbiota, stable during the lifetime, is specific of each individual despite the existence of a phylogenetic core shared by the majority of adults. The influence of the gut microbiota on host’s physiology has been largely studied using germfree animals and studies using these animal models have revealed that the effects of lipids on host physiology are microbiota-dependent. Studies in mice have also shown that a high-fat diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the gut microbiome. In humans, dietary fat interventions did not lead to strong and consistent modifications of the microbiota composition. Nevertheless, an association between total fat intake and the reduction of the microbiota richness has been repeatedly found. Interestingly, different types of fat exert different or even opposite effects on the microbiota. Concurrently, the gut microbiota is able to convert the lipids entering the colon, including fatty acids or cholesterol, leading to the production of metabolites with potential health effects.