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Egg and milk proteins are widely used in food products for several reasons, including their nutritive value and their emulsifying and heat-gelling properties. Few studies have used systematic experimental design to examine the ingredient interactions in food protein mixtures. A new study of milk, egg yolk and albumen blends uses Scheffe simplex-centroid design to investigate ingredient interactions and their effect on functional properties. Foaming properties reveal antagonistic effects, while heat gelling and emulsifying properties reveal synergistic effects.

The effect of mineral cations on the microstructure of egg yolk granules was examined. Sodium chloride destabilized the granular structure while sodium from the salt replaced the calcium bound to the proteins. However, iron binding was not affected by sodium. Granule dialysis partially releases calcium and destabilized the granular structure. EDTA bound all cations and also destabilized the granular structure and the phospholcalcic bridges. The presence of bivalent or trivalent cations at low concentrations stabilized the structure and protected the granules from degradation caused by changes in pH or ionic strength.

We report on the case of an adolescent with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy exhibiting compulsory sporadic voluntary movement. These movements entailed the deliberate act of touching her forehead with her hand and were triggered by a short and indefinable cephalic sensation. Upon inquiry regarding the nature of this movement, the patient reported a sudden perception of a peculiar event localized "inside her head". In the course of a prolonged video-electroencephalographic recording, it appeared that the movements consistently followed the occurrence of diffuse Generalized Spike-and-Wave Bursts (GSWBs), lasting one to three seconds. This observation suggests that the impact of the GSWBs on the patient's stream of consciousness could be detected by the patient herself, who attributed it to an internal sensation, like a "blip on a screen". This clinical observation echoes the "blip syndrome", as described by the neurologist James W. Lance thirty years ago. These findings give some support that "blips" could be of an epileptic origin and lend weight to the notion that some patients could perceive their own EEG discharges. Moreover, this observation should be added to the perennial debate on the cognitive impact of intercritical discharges., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2024 The Author(s).)