Starch has been an inexhaustible subject of research for many decades. It is an inexpensive, readily-available material with extensive application in the food and processing industry. Researchers are ...continually trying to improve its properties by different modification procedures and expand its application. What is mostly applied in this view are their chemical modifications, among which organic acids have recently drawn the greatest attention, particularly with respect to the application of starch in the food industry. Namely, organic acids naturally occur in many edible plants and many of them are generally recognized as safe (GRAS), which make them ideal modification agents for starch intended for the food industry. The aim of this review is to give a short literature overview of the progress made in the research of starch esterification, etherification, cross-linking, and dual modification with organic acids and their derivatives.
Volatile organic compounds in honey represent a fingerprint of a specific honey and therefore could significantly affect the quality of honey brandy. In addition, during fermentation, yeast ...synthesise volatiles also affecting aroma and quality of brandy. The aim of this research was to assess the impact of immobilized cell fermentation on volatile aroma of honey brandies produced from acacia and chestnut honey. Aroma profile was determined using GC/FID and sensory analysis was conducted according to German DLG model. The results showed that immobilized cell technique had resulted in honey brandies with lower ester contents, but significantly higher content of volatile organic compounds from honey.
The prospects of sparkling wine production by the ‘Champenoise’ method using alginate-immobilised yeast cells were examined. Grape varieties dominant in quantity were selected within the group of ...recommended and permitted varieties of Kutjevo vineyards, located in the eastern part of continental Croatia. Research revealed that there are no influential variations in the principal physicochemical and sensory characteristics between sparkling wines obtained through immobilised yeast and traditional sparkling method. The analysis of aroma compounds showed minor differences between samples. Observed oenological parameters assessed in the final products did not show any relevant oenological differences, with the exception of alcohol content, which was slightly higher in sparkling wines made with yeast cells immobilised with calcium alginate beads. According to this research, the sensory properties of the produced sparkling wines, compared to sparkling wine produced with free yeast, did not show any significant differences. On the full-scale obtained results indicate that some of the selected varieties can be sorted as suitable for the production of sparkling wine using immobilised yeast cells.
Jedno od najpoželjnijih alkoholnih pića diljem Europe je rakija od kruške. Od svih vrsta kruške, najznačajnija je sorta Bartlett ili Viljamovka. Cilj rada bio je istražiti utjecaj različitih tipova ...konstrukcijskih uređaja za destilaciju (alembic, pot and spheric) na kvalitetu rakije od kruške sorte Viljamovka. Pri određivanju kvalitete i arome uzoraka rakija Viljamovki korištene su senzorske analize te plinska kromatografija. Rezultati su pokazali da konstrukcija uređaja za destilaciju ima značajan utjecaj na kvalitetu i aromu rakije Viljamovke. Uzorci destilirani na uređaju tipa alembic imali su najbolje ocijenjenu kvalitetu i aromu. Najbolje ocijenjeni uzorak sadržavao je 59,51 % etanola, 478 mg/l estera, 120 mg/l aldehida te 962 mg/l viših alkohola.
Novi trendovi na području sigurnosti hrane povećali su fokus na elemente i spojeve u tragovima koji mogu utjecati na ljudsko zdravlje, u koje se ubrajaju i biogeni amini. Biogeni amini su biološki ...aktivni dušični spojevi male molekulske mase. U vinu mogu nastati iz prekursora, djelovanjem mikroorganizama u bilo kojoj fazi proizvodnje. Cilj ovoga rada bio je ispitati utjecaj fermentacije imobiliziranim kvascima na sadržaj biogenih amina u pjenušcu. Kvantitativno određivanje provedeno je pomoću RP-HPLC (Reversed Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography) te je utvrđeno da je pjenušac proizveden pomoću imobiliziranih kvasaca sadržavao niži udio biogenih amina (5,41 mgL-1 u odnosu na 7,24 mgL-1 u klasično proizvedenom).
Cilj ovoga rada bio je ispitati utjecaj fermentacije pomoću imobiliziranih stanica kvasca na aromu i senzorska svojstva destilata proizvedenih od dviju sorti smokve koje se uzgajaju u Republici ...Hrvatskoj (Petrovača bijela i Petrovača crna). Uzorci destilata proizvedeni su klasičnim postupkom i pomoću imobiliziranih stanica kvasca. Profil arome određen je pomoću GC/FID-a, a senzorska analiza provedena je prema njemačkome DLG modelu. Rezultati su pokazali da postupak s imobiliziranim stanicama kvasca daje destilate s višim udjelom etanola i nižim udjelima estera, ali bolje senzorske kvalitete. Taj postupak ima velik potencijal u proizvodnji visokokvalitetnih voćnih destilata.
Pear brandy is one of the most desirable alcoholic beverages across Europe. But of all varieties, the most appreciated is Bartlett pear or Williams's pear as it is better known. The purpose of this ...work was to create an objective evaluation of the influence of various construction forms of pot still, (alembic, pot and spheric) on final quality of Williams pear brandy. Gas-chromatography and sensory analysis were applied to the determination of quality and aroma profile of Williams pear brandy. Results showed that the type of pot still construction has a significant influence on quality and aroma profile of Williams pear brandy. The samples that are produced by alambic pot still had better quality and more expressive flavour. The best evaluated sample had an amount of ethanol of 59,51 % in total volume, esters 478 mg/l, aldehydes 120 mg/l and higher alcohols of 962 mg/l.
Introduction: Podoplanin is a cell-surface glycoprotein constitutively expressed in the brain and implicated in human brain tumorigenesis. The intrinsic function of podoplanin in brain neurons ...remains however uncharacterized.
Materials and methods: Using an established podoplanin-knockout mouse model and electrophysiological, biochemical, and behavioral approaches, we investigated the brain neuronal role of podoplanin.
Results: Ex-vivo electrophysiology showed that podoplanin deletion impairs dentate gyrus synaptic strengthening. In vivo, podoplanin deletion selectively impaired hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory without affecting amygdala-dependent cued fear conditioning. In vitro, neuronal overexpression of podoplanin promoted synaptic activity and neuritic outgrowth whereas podoplanin-deficient neurons exhibited stunted outgrowth and lower levels of p-Ezrin, TrkA, and CREB in response to nerve growth factor (NGF). Surface Plasmon Resonance data further indicated a physical interaction between podoplanin and NGF.
Discussion: This work proposes podoplanin as a novel component of the neuronal machinery underlying neuritogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and hippocampus-dependent memory functions. The existence of a relevant cross-talk between podoplanin and the NGF/TrkA signaling pathway is also for the first time proposed here, thus providing a novel molecular complex as a target for future multidisciplinary studies of the brain function in the physiology and the pathology.
Key messages
Podoplanin, a protein linked to the promotion of human brain tumors, is required in vivo for proper hippocampus-dependent learning and memory functions.
Deletion of podoplanin selectively impairs activity-dependent synaptic strengthening at the neurogenic dentate-gyrus and hampers neuritogenesis and phospho Ezrin, TrkA and CREB protein levels upon NGF stimulation.
Surface plasmon resonance data indicates a physical interaction between podoplanin and NGF. On these grounds, a relevant cross-talk between podoplanin and NGF as well as a role for podoplanin in plasticity-related brain neuronal functions is here proposed.
While the consumption of caffeine and cocoa has been associated with a variety of health benefits to humans, some authors have proposed that excessive caffeine intake may increase the frequency of ...epileptic seizures in humans and reduce the efficiency of antiepileptic drugs. Little is known, however, about the proconvulsant potential of the sustained, excessive intake of cocoa on hippocampal neural circuits. Using the mouse as an experimental model, we examined the effects of the chronic consumption of food enriched in cocoa-based dark chocolate on motor and mood-related behaviours as well as on the excitability properties of hippocampal neurons. Cocoa food enrichment did not affect body weights or mood-related behaviours but rather promoted general locomotion and improved motor coordination. However,
ex vivo
electrophysiological analysis revealed a significant enhancement in seizure-like population spike bursting at the neurogenic dentate gyrus, which was paralleled by a significant reduction in the levels of GABA-α1 receptors thus suggesting that an excessive dietary intake of cocoa-enriched food might alter some of the synaptic elements involved in epileptogenesis. These data invite further multidisciplinary research aiming to elucidate the potential deleterious effects of chocolate abuse on behaviour and brain hyperexcitability.
This study characterizes the effects of sustained dark-chocolate consumption on mouse behavior and reveals its potential to induce seizure-like events in the hippocampus, a brain structure critical for memory storage.
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