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Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to investigate the effects of pistachio oil (7.5 and 15%), xanthan gum (0 and 0.3%), distillated monoglyceride (0.5 and 1%), and cocoa butter (7.5 and 15%) on the sensorial descriptors of spread based on pistachio oil. The response variables were the most significant spread texture attributes: hardness, graininess, meltability, adhesiveness to spoon, adhesiveness to mouth, spreadability, fluidity, and oiliness. PCA revealed that the first two principal components explained 90% or more of the variance between the data. The first principal component was dominated by the descriptors' adhesiveness and hardness on the positive side and the descriptors' oiliness and fluidness on the negative side. The descriptor spreadability had a high positive loading on the second principal component. Herschel-Balkley and power law models were fitted to confirm the sensory evaluation results on different formulations. In the current research, the power law model seemed to be more accurate for fitting the samples. In terms of the selected texture attributes determined by the sensory evaluation, using component plot, the optimum combination of variables was found as follows: 15 pistachio oil, 7.5% cocoa butter, 0.3% xanthan gum, and 1% distilled monoglyceride that produced desirable spreads that mimic commercial spread., Competing Interests: It is hereby confirmed that there are no known conflicts of interest related to this publication and that there was no significant financial support for this project., (© 2023 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

In the present study, the aerial parts of the Laperrine olive (Olea europaea subsp. Laperrinei) are subjected to acid extraction and the chemical composition of the extracts is determined by HPLC-DAD. The main compounds found in all of extracts are: hydroxytyrosol (30.45%), tyrosol (0.69%), oleuropein (32.76%), ferrulic acid (17.77%), quercetin (31.57%) and hesperetin (6.90%).The extracts obtained from the leafy stems of Laperrine olive tree are tested on the moth Ephestia kuehniella flour. Their administration by inhalation of newly exuviated chrysalises extends the duration of nymphalid development and disturbs the exuviated adults reproduction, by reducing the period in which the eggs are being laid. Thus, compared to the control insects, the number of eggs laid by treated females is significantly reduced after the treatment by extracts. Besides, the administration of different extracts of adult butterflies has a premature mortality effect.

A total of 213 subjects from a community in Italy of immigrants from Somalia and other NE African countries were enrolled in this study to evaluate the prevalence of HAV, HBV, HCV and HDV infections and to assess their possible risk factors. Of the subjects, 45 per cent (96) were female and 24 per cent (52) were under 12 years old. The age range was from 1 to 67 years and the mean age was 24 years. Eighty-three per cent (177 subjects) were born in Somalia, 10 per cent (21 subjects) in Ethiopia, and the rest in Djibouti, Egypt or Saudi Arabia. The 213 subjects were administered a questionnaire which covered socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors resulting from Western medical practice, traditional medicine, personal behaviour and living conditions. Blood was drawn from 209 subjects to ascertain the presence of HbsAg, HBeAg, anti-HAV, anti-HBc, anti-HBs, anti-HCV and anti-HDV. The results of this study show an HAV prevalence of 96 per cent (an 87.5 per cent prevalence in children under 12), and an HBV prevalence of 32 per cent (a 3.3 per cent prevalence of HBsAg carriers). No subject under 11 was HBV positive and no woman tested positive for HBeAg, confirming the extreme unlikelihood of vertical transmission of HBV. The prevalence of HBV is closely correlated with age (ranging from 2 per cent in those under 12 to 59 per cent in subjects over 39).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)