3,134 publications from this institution
The food industry generates large amounts of organic waste, which generally accumulates in landfills or is burned, causing environmental problems. However, many studies indicate that this waste is rich in bioactive compounds, so it could be revalued for transformation purposes into high-value-added products, thus favoring the circular and sustainable economy, while also reducing environmental impact and climate change. It is estimated that the wine industry (Vitis vinifera L.), in terms of weight, produces up to 30% of waste in relation to the material used, including the stems, skins, seeds, and pomace, i.e., dietary sources rich in phenolic compounds, minerals, acids fatty acids, and dietary fiber, which have had beneficial effects on health, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and even anticancer activities, both in vitro and in vivo. In this sense, chemical characterization (minerals, phenolic compounds, and fatty acid profiles) was carried out in dehydrated and ground seeds of Vitis vinifera L., and in the oily extract, obtained by supercritical fluids (SCFEs) at 20 MPa. Minerals were quantified by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), the phenolic profile was identified and quantified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the profile of fatty acids was studied by gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The main minerals found were calcium, potassium, and magnesium. The total calcium concentration (22.66 g/kg) in the oily extract should be emphasized in comparison to that of seeds (7.8 g/kg). The potassium concentration was 3.9 g/kg in seeds and 1.53 g/kg in the extract, while magnesium values of 1.4 g/kg and 0.59 g/kg corresponded to the seeds and extract, respectively. Regarding the polyphenol profile, the seeds mainly contained dihydroxybenzoic acid (42.580 mg/kg), catechin (81.05 mg/kg), quercetin (4856 mg/kg), and resveratrol (1 mg/kg) as the main phenols, while the oily extract mainly included oleacein (156.942 mg/kg), hydroxytyrosol (10.226 mg/kg), and Tyrosol (8644 mg/kg). Additionally, a profile of healthy fatty acids was obtained, with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) representing the majority (71.4%), including oleic acids (16.868 mg/kg) and linoleic acid (82.606 mg/kg). The results obtained show that these by-products could be applied as part of the formulation of functional foods, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics, aimed at a broad yet niche population, for the prevention of different diseases.
These findings suggest that artocarpanone may be used to enhance the antibacterial activity of norfloxacin against MRSA.
Abstract Deliberate adulteration of food products is as old as food processing and production systems. Food adulteration is occurring increasingly often today. With globalization and complex distribution systems, adulteration may have a far‐reaching impact and even adverse consequences on well‐being. The means of the international community to confront and solve food fraud today are scattered and largely ineffective. A collective approach is needed to identify all stakeholders in the food supply chain, certify and qualify them, exclude those failing to meet applicable standards, and track food in a real time. This review provides some background into the drivers of fraudulent practices (economically motivated adulteration, food‐industry perspectives, and consumers’ perceptions of fraud) and discusses a wide range of the currently available technologies for detecting food adulteration followed by multivariate pattern recognition tools. Food chain integrity policies are discussed. Future directions in research, concerned not only with food adulterers but also with food safety and climate change, may be useful for researchers in developing interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary problems.
This study extends previous results on the effects of low-dose aspirin (ASA) on blood pressure (BP) in pregnant women who were at a higher risk of developing preeclampsia than the general obstetric population and who received ASA at different times of the day according to their rest-activity cycle. A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in 341 pregnant women (181 primipara) randomly assigned to 1 of 6 possible groups according to treatment (either placebo or ASA, 100 mg/day, starting at 12-16 weeks of gestation) and the time of treatment: on awakening (Time-1), 8 hours after awakening (Time-2), or before bedtime (Time-3). BP for each woman was automatically monitored for 48 consecutive hours every 4 weeks from the day of recruitment until delivery, as well as at puerperium. The women under investigation provided a total of 2511 BP profiles. Effects of medication and time of ingestion upon BP were evaluated by ANOVA. There was no effect of ASA on BP at Time-1 (compared with placebo). A BP reduction was, however, highly statistically significant when ASA was given at Time-2 and, to a greater extent, at Time-3 (mean reductions of 12.6/8.5 mm Hg in 24-hour mean for systolic/diastolic BP at the time of delivery as compared to placebo given at bedtime). Differences in BP among women receiving ASA at different circadian times disappeared at puerperium (P>0.096). There was no effect of ASA or placebo on heart rate at any time of administration. Results indicate a highly significant effect of ASA on BP that is markedly dependent on the time of ASA administration with respect to the rest-activity cycle. Timed use of ASA at low dose effectively contributes to BP control in women at high risk for preeclampsia and could thus eventually reduce the incidence of hypertensive complications in pregnancy, as previously documented [Hermida et al. Hypertension. 1999;34:1016-1023]. SUPPORT: DGES, PM98-0106; PGICT00-PXI-32205PN; Univ. Vigo.
A method for controlled and homogeneous silica coating of low-aspect-ratio CTAB-stabilized gold nanorods has been developed through the combination of the LBL technique and the Stöber method. Hydrophobation of the gold nanoparticles was achieved via surface functionalization with a hydrophobic silane coupling agent.
Abstract Marteilia refringens is a protozoan parasite causing a disease notifiable to the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) and its distribution has implications for the transfer of live animals. The internal transcribed spacer‐1 (ITS‐1) from Marteilia clones contains polymorphism. Digestion with Hha I reveals two different restriction profiles, previously referred as ‘O’ ( Marteilia from oyster or Marteilia refringens ) and ‘M’ ( Marteilia from mussels or Marteilia maurini ). The aim of the present work was to determine whether the two previously described Marteilia molecular types (O and M) exist in the Iberian Peninsula and the strictness of the association with their bivalve host species. The sequence variability in the ITS‐1 of Marteilia species was studied in mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis , and flat oysters, Ostrea edulis , from different geographical locations in Spain, to establish the existence and the distribution of different species or molecular types. Although there were two distinct evolutionary lineages that corresponded more or less strictly with the ‘M’ and ‘O’ types, it was evident from the estimated phylogeny that some ‘O’ types have switched to ‘M’ type, and vice versa. Moreover, ‘O’ types were found in mussels and ‘M’ types were found in oysters, which suggests that there have been several cross‐species transmissions of Marteilia between mussels and oysters.
