Extended shelf life (ESL) processing (i.e., heat treatment at 130°C for 2 s) is usually not used for producing set yogurt because of the fragility of the curd structure. We investigated the effects ...of homogenization conducted at higher pressure than the conventional conditions (10 MPa for the first stage and 5 MPa for the second stage) on the curd structure of set yogurt, with a focus on the fat globule size. Each yogurt mix was adjusted at the range of fat globule sizes from 0.45 μm to 1.1 μm by a homogenizer and then heated at 95°C for 5 min (conventional heat treatment), 120°C for 2 s, ESL processing, or 140°C for 2 s. The yogurt mixes were fermented by a common yogurt starter, and the curd texture of the obtained yogurts was evaluated. We observed that the curd hardness and curd firmness of the yogurt were each negatively correlated with the fat globule size regardless of the heat-treatment temperature. Compared with the curd obtained with conventional heat treatment, the ESL-processed curd was extremely fragile, but significantly smooth. With ESL processing, a curd hardness >40 g, which is a sufficient strength for commercial transport systems, was obtained by making the fat particle size <0.6 µm, using 2-stage homogenization pressure: 35 MPa for the first stage and 5 MPa for the second stage. A microscopy analysis indicated that the smaller fat globules reinforce the network structure. The yogurt made by ESL processing and that created with 35 + 5 MPa homogenization had significant sensory evaluation scores. Our results indicate that the combination of ESL processing and 35 + 5 MPa homogenization is a novel and useful method for manufacturing set yogurt.
An overview is given on the historical development of the cluster conference series which started at Bohum in 1969. I start with the discussion of the philosophy of Karl Wildermuth and then I make a ...review on the main subjects and topics in cluster conferences. Since the cluster dynamics is a main nuclear dynamics together with the mean-field dynamics, we see that development of the cluster conference has been along with the rises of many new subjects in nuclear physics itself. Examples of them include superheavy nuclei, nuclear astrophysics, neutron-rich nuclei, cluster-gas states and ab initio calculations. Finally I discuss that more activities in and attention to cluster physics are seen in recent days.
It is shown that the THSR (Tohsaki-Horiuchi-Schuck-Roepke) wave function describe well not only cluster-gas like structures but also ordinary cluster structures with spatial localization of clusters. ...Based on this fact, the container model has been proposed as a new model of cluster dynamics. For better description of cluster dynamics, extended version of container model has been introduced. The container model of cluster dynamics teaches us how is the evolution of cluster structure which starts from the ground state having shell-model structure to many kinds of cluster states up to the cluster-gas states.
We investigate the α+^{16}O cluster structure in the inversion-doublet band (Kπ=0(1)±}) states of 20Ne with an angular-momentum-projected version of the Tohsaki-Horiuchi-Schuck-Röpke (THSR) wave ...function, which was successful "in its original form" for the description of, e.g., the famous Hoyle state. In contrast with the traditional view on clusters as localized objects, especially in inversion doublets, we find that these single THSR wave functions, which are based on the concept of nonlocalized clustering, can well describe the Kπ=0(1)- band and the Kπ=0(1)+ band. For instance, they have 99.98% and 99.87% squared overlaps for 1- and 3- states (99.29%, 98.79%, and 97.75% for 0+, 2+, and 4+ states), respectively, with the corresponding exact solution of the α+16O resonating group method. These astounding results shed a completely new light on the physics of low energy nuclear cluster states in nuclei: The clusters are nonlocalized and move around in the whole nuclear volume, only avoiding mutual overlap due to the Pauli blocking effect.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive neuronal loss and cognitive decline. Oligomeric amyloid β (oAβ) is involved in the pathogenesis of AD by ...affecting synaptic plasticity and inhibiting long-term potentiation. Although several lines of evidence suggests that microglia, the resident immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS), are neurotoxic in the development of AD, the mechanism whether or how oAβ induces microglial neurotoxicity remains unknown. Here, we show that oAβ promotes the processing of pro-interleukin (IL)-1β into mature IL-1β in microglia, which then enhances microglial neurotoxicity. The processing is induced by an increase in activity of caspase-1 and NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) via mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and partially via NADPH oxidase-induced ROS. The caspase-1 inhibitor Z-YVAD-FMK inhibits the processing of IL-1β, and attenuates microglial neurotoxicity. Our results indicate that microglia can be activated by oAβ to induce neuroinflammation through processing of IL-1β, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, in AD.
The protocooperation between Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus relies on metabolite exchanges that accelerate acidification during yogurt fermentation. ...Conflicting results have been obtained in terms of the effect of the Strep. thermophilus urease and the NH3 and CO2 that it generates on the rate of acidification in yogurt fermentation. It is difficult to perform a systematic study of the effects of urease on protocooperation because it is necessary to distinguish among the direct, indirect, and strain-specific effects resulting from the combination of the strains of both species. To evaluate the direct effects of urease on protocooperation, we generated 3 urease-deficient mutants (ΔureC) of fast- and slow-acidifying Strep. thermophilus strains and observed the effects of NH3 or CO2 supplementation on acidification by the ΔureC strains. Further, we examined 5 combinations of 3 urease-deficient ΔureC strains with 2 CO2-responsive or CO2-unresponsive strains of L. bulgaricus. Urease deficiency induced a shortage of ammonia nitrogen and CO2 for the fast- and slow-acidifying Strep. thermophilus and for the CO2-responsive L. bulgaricus, respectively. Notably, the shortage of ammonia nitrogen had more severe effects than that of CO2 on yogurt fermentation, even if coculture with L. bulgaricus masked the effect of urease deficiency. Our work established (1) that urease deficiency inhibits the fermentative acceleration of protocooperation regardless of the Strep. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus strain combinations, and (2) that urease is an essential factor for effective yogurt acidification.
Yogurt is made by fermenting milk with 2 lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. To comprehensively understand the protocooperation mechanism ...between S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus in yogurt fermentation, we examined 24 combinations of cocultures comprising 7 fast- or slow-acidifying S. thermophilus strains with 6 fast- or slow-acidifying L. bulgaricus strains. Furthermore, 3 NADH oxidase (Nox)-deficient mutants (Δnox) and one pyruvate formate-lyase deficient mutant (ΔpflB) of S. thermophilus were used to evaluate the factor that determines the acidification rate of S. thermophilus. The results revealed that the acidification rate of S. thermophilus monoculture determined the yogurt fermentation rates, despite the coexistence of L. bulgaricus, whose acidification rate was either fast or slow. Significant correlation was found between the acidification rate of S. thermophilus monoculture and the amount of formate production. Result using ΔpflB showed that the formate was indispensable for the acidification of S. thermophilus. Moreover, results of the Δnox experiments revealed that formate production required Nox activity, which not only regulated dissolved oxygen, but also the redox potential. The Nox provided the large decrease in redox potential required by pyruvate formate-lyase to produce formate. A highly significant correlation was found between formate accumulation and Nox activity in S. thermophilus. In conclusion, the formate production ability provided by the action of Nox activity determines the acidification rate of S. thermophilus, and consequently, regulates yogurt coculture fermentation.
Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus (L. bulgaricus) and Streptococcus thermophilus are traditionally used for the manufacture of yogurt. It is said that a symbiotic relationship exists between ...Strep. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus and this decreases fermentation time. It is well known that L. bulgaricus is stimulated by the formate produced by Strep. thermophilus, and Strep. thermophilus is stimulated by free amino acids and peptides liberated from milk proteins by L. bulgaricus in symbiotic fermentation. We found that acid production by starter culture LB81 composed of L. bulgaricus 2038 and Strep. thermophilus 1131 was greatly accelerated by decreasing dissolved oxygen (DO) to almost 0mg/kg in the yogurt mix (reduced dissolved oxygen fermentation) and that DO interferes with the symbiotic relationship between L. bulgaricus 2038 and Strep. thermophilus 1131. We attributed the acceleration of acid production of LB81 by reduced dissolved oxygen fermentation mainly to the acceleration of formate production and the suppression of acid production of LB81 by DO mainly to the suppression of formate production.
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