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April 2007
28.04.2007: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in grilled, fried or broiled meat and cheese products [1] These compounds are linked with inflammation, insulin resistance, diabetes, vascular and kidney disease, and Alzheimer's. According
to the authors the kidney function of older people slows down and it
might be the cause why the capacity to remove AGEs from the body is
reduced. People aged 65 and older were found to have higher AGE levels
in their blood as people younger than age 45. AGEs accumulates in the
tissues, take over the body's own built-in defences, pushing them
toward a state of inflammation leading to disease or early ageing. N-carboxymethyl-lysine
(CML) and methylglyoxal (MG) derivatives are found in blood and are
used to measure the body content of AGEs. They correlate with
indicators of inflammation and oxidative stress According to the
authors, indicators of both AGEs and oxidative stress are directly
influenced by the intake of dietary AGEs, independent of age or energy
intake. The researchers call for reduced consumption of these oxidants
to prevent age-related diseases, especially in an ageing population. The
authors advice to avoid excessive intake of fried, broiled, and grilled
foods and call for new methods of cooking to reduce AGE intake,
particularly steaming, boiling or making stews, keeping the heat down
and maintaining the water content in food. AGEs and diabetes [2] The
data of this review emphasize the role of AGEs and of the interaction
of AGE modified proteins with diabetic mesangial cells in
glomerulosclerosis development. (scarring of the kidneys' tiny blood
vessels, the glomeruli, the functional units in the kidney that filter
urine from the blood). The authors come to the conclusion that
AGEs and RAGE play a central role in the development of chronic
complications of diabetes. [2]
Wautier, J.L. And Guillausseau P.J.: Advanced glycation endproducts,
their receptors and diabetic Angiopathy. Diabetes Metab (Paris) 2001,
27, 535-542 28.04.2007: Climate change makes near-surface fish grow faster The authors conclude that marine
life is growing faster nears the surface, but is slowing down in deep
water. The researcher used otolith analysis. [1] Otoliths are
calcified structures located in the inner ear just behind the brain
that assist fish with balance and hearing. In temperate waters seasonal
growth periods appear on otoliths asalternating opaque and translucent
bands. This pattern looks much like the annual growth rings present in
the trunks of trees. Depending on the number of rings in these
structures the age of each fish can be determined. Similar seasonal
bands can also be found in other hard parts such as scales, fin rays,
spines, and vertebrae. [2] However, Hans O. Pörtner and
Rainer Knust from the Bremerhavener Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar-
und Marine Research warn that a mismatch between the demand for oxygen
and the capacity of oxygen supply to tissues is the first mechanism to
restrict whole-animal tolerance to thermal extremes. The researchers
studied the eelpout, Zoarces viviparus, a bioindicator fish species for
environmental monitoring from North and Baltic Seas (Helcom). Warm
water prevents an eelpout from absorbing enough oxygen to cope with a
changing environment. Both scientists found out how changes in
temperature directly affect the fish physiology of fish, a link between
rising sea temperatures and declining numbers of fish. They concluded
that decrements in aerobic performance in warming seas will be the
first process to cause extinction or relocation to cooler waters.[3] Tobias
Wang a zoophysiologist at the University of Aarhus in Denmark does not
believe that the species will go extinct necessarily, but they will
move and a major impact on the distribution of animals will take place.
[4] [2]
Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Coastal Resources Division:
Otolith Analysis in Sportfish Population Studies. How Ear Bones
Influence Future Fishing Regulations [3]Pörtner,
Hans O. and Knust, Rainer: Climate Change Affects Marine Fishes Through
the Oxygen Limitation of Thermal Tolerance. Science 5 January 2007:
Vol. 315. no. 5808, pp. 95 – 97 DOI: 10.1126/science.1135471 [4] Biello, David: Fish Fin?: How Climate Change Is Hurting Cold Water Fish 27. 04.2007: Brand Community [1] The authors found that these brand communities exhibit three traditional markers of community:
Helen
Vlassara and colleagues (2007) found new toxins in grilled meat and
cheese. Advanced glycation end products AGEs are a group of compounds
formed from the non-enzymatic reaction of reducing sugars with the free
amino groups of proteins in grilled, fried or broiled animal products
and sterilised or pasteurised meat products and are responsible for
desirable tastes and smells of these foods.
Wautier
and Guillausseau in a review in 2001 focuses on the consequences of
hyperglycemia on the formation of advanced glycation end-products
(AGEs), and on the role of AGEs and of their specific receptors (RAGE)
in the functional and anatomical alterations of the vascular wall.
J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 2007 62: 427-433.
http://biomed.gerontologyjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/62/4/427?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10
&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=Vlassara&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and
&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT
http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alfediam.org%2Fmedia
%2Fpdf%2FRevueWautierD%26M5c1-2001.pdf&ei=B5AzRsHxFqHOnQPNy425BA
&usg=AFrqEzfqx4Kl1anpX0iyLYILzBEE4FX17Q&sig2=rssdIVJH08dKte1vin1CYg
Ronald
E. Thresher and colleagues (2007) studying the the biological impacts
of the climate change on marine species found that six of eight species
show significant changes in growth rates during the last century. In
depths <250 m temperatures increases speeding growth rates.
Deep-water (>1,000 m) cool down and species register a decline in
growth during the last century.
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0610546104v1?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10
&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Ronald+Thresher&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT
http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=396
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/315/5808/95%20
A
bottom-loving fish in the North Sea shows how climate change can
directly impact aquatic species--and presage their local doom.
Scientific American News 01/04/2007.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=EF298568-E7F2-99DF-3AF9CDD8264FB2F1&sc=I100322
Albert
M. Muniz, Jr. and Thomas C. O'Guinn introduced the idea of brand
community. According to the authors a brand community is a specialized,
non-geographically bound community, based on a structured set of social
relations among admirers of a brand. Brand community may also be used
to describe a connected group of admirers of a brand. Muniz and
colleague explore the characteristics, processes, and particularities
of brand communities, such as centred on Ford Bronco, Macintosh, and
Saab.
- Shared consciousness
- Rituals and traditions
- A sense of moral responsibility.
The
commercial and mass-mediated ethos in which these communities are
situated affects their character and structure and gives rise to their
particularities. This article highlights implications for branding,
sociological theories of community, and consumer behaviour. As
branded goods replaced unmarked commodities, where mass advertising
replaced personal selling, and where the individual consumer replaced
the communal citizen, the brand should have a central and prominent
place in the discourse of modernity, community, and society. Consumption communities Brand Communities The communities that form around brands need not be marginal, or stand in opposition to mainstream culture. Community
became a common understanding of a shared identity, and the consumer
demands to be taken seriously are driving the creation of brands and
influencing how the brand is marketed. Brand communities have
changed the basic marketing paradigm in that it has forced marketers to
realize the enormous importance of consumer-to-consumer communication
in a wired world, where groups of consumers may speak not with the
voice of one, but with the power of thousands. Wired groups of
consumers behave similarly to traditional communities and present
significant challenges and opportunities for marketers. Conclusions [1] Muniz, Jr. Albert M. and O'Guinn, Thomas C.: Brand community. Journal of Consumer Research, Inc. · Vol. 27 · March 2001 26.04.2007: Leptin in infant formulas to prevent later obesity [1] Stocker
points out that the absence of leptin is known to disrupt the
development of energy balance regulatory mechanisms. Adding leptin to
infant formulas could turn baby foods more similar to the composition
of mother milk similar which contains leptin. Breastfeeding may
often not be possible because of health situation of the mother or for
comodity reasons. Thus well balanced infant formulas replicating the
healthy profile of breast milk as far as possible are essential for the
fist months of life. This article started a discussion on leptin. Leptin [7] Ways to tackle overweight [8] Absorption of fat molecules Thermogenesis Feeling of satiety Centrally
acting appetite suppressants in weight-reducing drugs such as Redux
(dexfenfluramine) and fenfluramine in combination with phentermine
(acts as a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor) in the fen-phen diet drug
were approved by FDA in 1996 and withdrawn in the same year because of
link to heart valve damage. Dexfenfluramine boosted serotonin levels by
stimulating its release and inhibited its reuptake. The American Home
Products (AHP) company is being sued for withholding and concealing
informations on the safety of the drug. The company still researches on
serotonergic control systems, however, it concentrates on mice studies
targeting the 5-HT2c subtype of receptor 5-HT Leptin, a fat-regulating hormone [2] Jeff Flier, an obesity researcher at Harvard's Beth
Israel Deaconess stressed the fact that high levels of endogenous
leptin in obese people had been found, suggesting that sensitivity to
leptin is lost and cannot be restored by further elevation of the
compound. The company Amgen is still working on new formulations on the
product. It has been used successfully to treat a handful of severely
obese children who have an inherited deficiency in the hormone.
Researchers now suspect that obese people appear to be resistant to
leptin because the hormone is not transported into the brain. Leptin
is produced by fat cells, circulating in the blood to the hypothalamus
where it works through a number of nuclei and pathways to reset the
body's weight controller. As fat levels increase, leptin levels rise,
triggering a reduction of food intake and increasing metabolism. Leptin effects Leptin increases
the production of the SOCS-3 (suppressor of cytokine signaling-3)
protein, which terminates its activity at the leptin receptor. The
SOCS-3 a regulator of the leptin signaling pathways in healthy
individuals, it is overactive in obese patients. Researchers of
Johns Hopkins University discovered that malonyl coenzyme A inhibits
NPY independently of leptin, decreasing appetite in mice and might lead
to eight loss in humans. Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) George
Yancopoulos of Regeneron tested Axokine (ciliary neurotrophic factor,
CNTF) as a treatment of a disease noted that the drug used the same
signaling pathway as leptin with the effect of weight reduction. There
are hope that the drug has better effects compared with leptin, but it
must be injected, because it is not stable by oral intake. A
healthy diet and regular exercise are still the best ways to prevent
obesity, but something more will be needed to combat the current
obesity epidemic. According to Flier, "The old 'diet and exercise'
approach has clearly not worked very well, so there's plenty of room
for improvement." Fatty acid synthase (FAS) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 [4] Studies indicate that
inhibition of FAS or stimulation of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1
using cerulenin or synthetic FAS inhibitors reduces food intake with
resulting weight loss. compounds also increase energy consumption. The
authors say that at least part of C75’s effects is mediated by
modulation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, a
member of an energy-sensing kinase family, and conclude that these
effects could be useful in obesity therapy. Leptin and melanocortin activity on the hypothalamus [6] The position of the charity Weight Concern [5] [1] Stocker, ClaieJ.; Wargent, Ed;
O'Dowd, Jackeline; Cornick,Claire; Speakman, John R.; Arch, Jonathan
R.S.; Cawthorne, Michael A.: Prevention of diet-induced obesity and
impaired glucose tolerance in rats following administration of leptin
to their mothers. American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory,
Integrative and Comparative Physiology doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00676.2006 [2]
Zhang,Yiying; Proenca, Ricardo; Maffei, Margherita; Barone, Marisa;
Leopold, Lori and. Friedman, Jeffrey M.: Positional cloning of the
mouse obese gene and its human homologue. Nature 372, 425 - 432 (01
December 2002); doi:10.1038/372425a0 [3] Loftus, Thomas M.;
Joworski, Donna M.; Frehywot Gojeb L; Townsend, Craig A.; Ronnett,
Gabriele V.; Lane, Daniel M.; Kuhajda, Francis P.: Reduced Food Intake
and Body Weight in Mice Treated with Fatty Acid Synthase Inhibitors.
Science 30 June 2000: Vol. 288. no. 5475, pp. 2379 – 2381 DOI:
10.1126/science.288.5475.2379 [4]
Ronnett, Gabriele V.; Kleman, Amy M. ; Kim, Eun-Kyoung; Landree Leslie
E. and Tu, Yajun: Fatty Acid Metabolism, the Central Nervous System,
and Feeding. Obesity 14:201S-207S (2006) [5] BBC News: Fat-fighting baby milk criticised. Sunday, 22 April 2007, 23:11 GMT 00:11 UK http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6575767.stm [6]
Shimizu, Hiroyuki; Inoue, Kinji and Mori, Masatomo: The
leptin-dependent and -independent melanocortin signaling system:
regulation of feeding and energy expenditure. J. Endocrinol. 193, 1-9
DOI: 10.1677/JOE-06-0144 [7] Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Leptin. [8] Alan Dove: Biotech weighs up the options in obesity.Nature Biotechnology 19, 25 - 28 (2001) [9]
CDC: Cardiac Valvulopathy Associated with Exposure to Fenfluramine or
Dexfenfluramine: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Interim
Public Health Recommendations, November 1997. November 14, 1997 / Vol.
46 / No. 45
Consumption
communities are groups of community members placing special emphasis on
some type of consumption (e.g., food, drink, gifts) as part of a
celebration, ritual, or tradition is the subject of considerable
scholarship, as well as common lived experience.
According
to the authors brand communities do not typically reject aspects of the
surrounding culture's ideology. They embrace them. The authors argue
that brand communities are in fact legitimate forms of community, but
communities of a particular stripe, and of their time. These
communities may form around any brand, but are probably most likely to
form around brands with a strong image, a rich and lengthy history, and
threatening competition.
The
authors conclude that they believe brand communities to be real,
significant, and generally a good thing, a democratic thing, and
evidence of the persistence of community in consumer culture.
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JCR/journal/issues/v27n4/270402/270402.html
Clair
C. Stocker and colleagues (2007) report that supplementing infant rats'
diets with the hormone leptin resulted in adult animals that did not
fat or develop diabetes, even when fed a high-fat diet. The researchers
concluded that leptin levels during pregnancy and lactation can affect
the development of energy balance regulatory systems in their offspring.
Leptin
is a hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and
energy expenditure, including the regulation (decrease)of appetite and
metabolism.Leptin is produced by adipose tissue and interacts with six
types of receptor (LepRa–LepRf). LepRb is the only receptor isoform
that contains active intracellular signaling domains. This receptor is
present in a number of hypothalamic nuclei, where it exerts its
effects. Importantly, leptin binds to the Ventral Medial nucleus of the
hypothalamjus, known as the satiety center. Binding of leptin to this
nucleus signals to the brain that the body has had enough to eat - a
sensation of satiety.
Xenical (orlistat), Roche's (Basel, Switzerland) drug that blocks the breakdown and absorption of about 30% of dietary fats.
Studies
on a fatty acid transporter (FATP4) which blocks the uptake of fatty
acids which result from the digestion of fat may replace Xenical.
Thyreoid hormones stimulating thermogenesis to burn off excessive caused loss of bone calcium.
Increasing
the expression of uncoupling proteins (UCPs) to create heat and thus
reduce risk of obesity and agonists of the beta3-adrenergic receptor
which also targets the energy output, are being studied.
Peptides
produced by the gastrointestinal system and pancreas such as
cholecystokinin (CCK), and others include neuromedin B,
gastrin-releasing peptide, and enterostatin naturally regulate
peripheral feelings of satiety and the amount of food consumed,.
Jeffrey
Friedman and his team (2002) discovered the ob gene, which underlies
the gross obesity in the ob/ob strain of mice. Injecting leptin back
into the ob/ob mice appetites were reduced and the excess weight was
lost.
Leptin inhibits the release of neuropeptide Y (NPY), a small protein that increases appetite.
Leptin
is related to the alfa-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alfa-MSH), which
is actually a fragment of the precursor protein POMC.alfa-MSH acts
through the MCR-4 receptor to reduce appetite.
Gabriele
V. Ronnett and colleaugues (2006) say that fatty acid synthase (FAS)
catalyzes the synthesis of long-chain fatty acids, whereas the
breakdown of fatty acids by ß-oxidation is regulated by carnitine
palmitoyltransferase-1, the rate-limiting enzyme for the entry of fatty
acids into the mitochondria for oxidation.
Shimizu
and colleagues (2007) note that the brain hypothalamus coordinates
extra-hypothalamic regions to maintain energy homeostasis through the
regulation of food intake and energy expenditure. According to these
authors leptin and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived
alfa-melanocyte-stimulating hormone are key anorectic molecules, and
the leptin receptor and POMC gene are both expressed in the
hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. Data support the concept of a
leptin-independent melanocortin signaling system in the regulation of
energy homeostasis. [6]
According
to Dr. Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern
leptin has proved to be a great disappointment, and most of us have
plenty and true deficiencies are rare. Obese people tend to have higher
than normal levels.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/288/5475/2379
http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/5/201S
http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/cgi/content/abstract/193/1/1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin
doi:10.1038/83465
http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v19/n1/full/nbt0101_25.html
25.04.2007 Better cheese with corn silage feed milk than from fresh pasture milk [1] Small (SMFG)and large milk fat globules (LMFG) secreting cows The authors suggest that higher calcium of this milk improves cheese despite lower yield because of reduced protein content. Fresh pasture Feed and corn silage feed The
fresh pasture feed led to an increase in milk and protein yields lower
milk fat yield, to a decrease in milk fat globule size and an increase
in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid contents, decreased
protein content, lower calcium mineralization of casein micelles,
turning the milk less suitable for cheese production. The
authors found no correlation between the cows, based on milk fat
globule size and diet. The authors suggest milk fat quality improvement
based on milk fat globule size, and composition. [1] Couvreur
S, Hurtaud C, Marnet PG, Faverdin P, Peyraud JL. Composition of milk
fat from cows selected for milk fat globule size and offered either
fresh pasture or a corn silage-based diet. J. Dairy Sci.90(1):392–403
(2007). 25.04.2007: Antidiabetic effects of CLA mediated via anti-inflamatory effects in adipose tissue [1] The authors
found that c9,t11-Conjugated Linoleic Acid inhibited tumor necrosis
factor-alfa-induced downregulation of insulin receptor substrate 1 and
GLUT4 mRNA expression and promoted insulin-stimulated glucose transport
in 3T3-L1 adipocytes compared with linoleic acid. The authors
suggest that altering fatty acid composition may attenuate the
proinflammatory state in adipose tissue that predisposes to
obesity-induced insulin resistance. [1] Moloney, Fiona; Toomey,
Sinead; Noone, Enda; Nugent, Anne; Allan, Bernard; Loscher, Christine
E.; Roche, Hellen M.: Antidiabetic effects of cis-9,
trans-11-conjugated linoleic acid may be mediated via anti-inflammatory
effects in white adipose tissue. Diabetes 56(3):574-582 (2007).
doi:10.2337/db06-0384 24.04.2007: Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Supplement CLA [1] The typical dosage of CLA ranges from 3 to 5 g daily
even very small amounts of a toxic contaminant can quickly add up if
low quality of CLA is used, warns Emory Healthcare. Voevodin and
colleaugues (2005) in a meta-analysis found only minimal benefits,
whether for weight or body composition, the evidence being more
negative than positive in relation to weight loss supplement. [2] CLA
does NOT appear to be a useful supplement for people with diabetes, and
might in fact contribute to diabetes in overweight people. CLA might
decrease insulin sensitivity, creating a pre-diabetic state. [7] [8]
[9] In contrast, a study using the most precise method of measuring
insulin sensitivity failed to find any harmful effect. [10] Emory
Healthcare advices at present individuals with diabetes or at risk for
it not to use CLA except under physician supervision.[1] One study found that CLA impairs endothelial function, suggesting that it might increase cardiovascular risk. [11] Some
animal and test tubes suggesting that CLA might help prevent cancer are
based on animal and test tube researches, evidence is preliminary and
inconsistent. [3] [4] CLA and nursing mothers Since
infants depend on the fat in breast milk to provide adequate calories
and on certain fats to aid proper growth and development, it is
probably prudent for nursing mothers to avoid CLA supplements. Maximum
safe dosages of CLA for young children, pregnant women, or those with
severe liver or kidney disease have not been determined. [1] [1] Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, Georgia: Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Supplement Forms CLA.: [2]
Voevodin M, Sinclair A, Gibson R et al. The effect of CLA on body
composition in humans: systematic review and meta-analysis. Asia Pac J
Clin Nutr. 2005;14 Suppl:S55. [3] Chajes V, Lavillonniere F,
Ferrari P, et al. Conjugated linoleic acid and the risk of breast
cancer. Presented at: European Conference on Nutrition & Cancer;
June 21–24, 2001; Lyon, France. [4] MacDonald HB. Conjugated
linoleic acid and disease prevention: a review of current knowledge. J
Am Coll Nutr. 2000;19(2 Suppl):111S-118S. [5] Noone EJ, Noone EJ,
Roche HM, et al. The effect of dietary supplementation using isomeric
blends of conjugated linoleic acid on lipid metabolism in healthy human
subjects. Br J Nutr. 2002;88:243-251. [6]
Nugent AP, Roche HM, Noone EJ et al. The effects of conjugated linoleic
acid supplementation on immune function in healthy volunteers. Eur J
Clin Nutr. 2005 Apr 13 [Epub ahead of print]. [7] Riserus U,
Arner P, Brismar K, et al. Treatment with dietary trans10cis12
conjugated linoleic acid causes isomer-specific insulin resistance in
obese men with the metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Care. 2002;25:1516-1521. [8]
Moloney F, Yeow TP, Mullen A, et al. Conjugated linoleic acid
supplementation, insulin sensitivity, and lipoprotein metabolism in
patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80:887-95. [9]
Larsen TM, Toubro S, Astrup A. Efficacy and safety of dietary
supplements containing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) for the treatment
of obesity-evidence from animal and human studies. J Lipid Res. 2003
[Epub ahead of print] [10] Syvertsen C, Halse J, Hoivik HO et al.
The effect of 6 months supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid on
insulin resistance in overweight and obese. Int J Obes (Lond). 2006 Oct
10 [Epub ahead of print] [11] Taylor JS, Williams SR, Rhys R et
al. Conjugated Linoleic Acid Impairs Endothelial Function. Arterioscler
Thromb Vasc Biol. 2005 Dec 8 [Epub ahead of print]. [12] Masters
N, McGuire MA, Beerman KA, et al. Maternal supplementation with CLA
decreases milk fat in humans. Lipids. 2002;37:133-138. 23.04.2007: Reduction of severity of diarrhoea with fermented infant formulae [1] The authors recommend further studies on
the effects of fermented infant formulae on infectious diarrhoea and
other relevant outcomes Available data do not allow general conclusion
on this matter Agostoni,Carlo, Goulet, Olivier; Kolacek, Sanja;
Koletzko, Berthold; Moreno, Luis; Puntis, John; Rigo, Jacques; Shamir,
Raanan; Szajewska, Hania; Turck, Dominique; ESPGHAN Committee on
Nutrition: Fermented Infant Formulae Without Live Bacteria. J Peditr
Gastroenterol Nutr March 2007, 44(3) 392-397 [1] http://www.jpgn.org/pt/re/jpgn/abstract.00005176-200703000-00022.htm 21.04.2007: Early Nutrition Programming Project EARNEST [1] It investigates early nutrition
programming to enable a better understanding of the extent to which
nutritional influences in early life can programme a person's
development and metabolism in adulthood, and studies the consumer
attitudes to early nutrition programming and their economic importance. Important
questions are targeted such as beneficial effects of maternal diet on
visual, motor and cognitive development, and cardiovascular risk
factors, including obesity propensity and type II diabetes for the
child Also on the agenda is the safety of prenatal
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supply with regard to growth, infection
rates, and occurrence of other potential adverse effects, the relation
between prenatal (maternal) and postnatal (infant) dietary factors and
how they predict early disease markers and risk factors for chronic
diseases, including chryptorchism, early growth patterns, psychomotor
developmental milestones, atopic diseases and cognitive development. One
point is the importance of promotion of breastfeeding, together with
the development of the right composition of infant formula and the
appropriate complementary food. The Program also wants to
determine when are the critical windows during early development when
maternal nutrition programmes can influence one or more of the
following chronic degenerative diseases; obesity, cardiovascular
disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, renal disease, immune function
and cancer. A possible genotype dependence of these outcomes is to be
elucidated. Combined analysis of European Databases: EARNEST also
assesses the combined analyses of the Danish National Birth Cohort
(DNBC) and Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort (NMCC) databases. Analysis
of the information sources used by parents: The aim is to determine the
information sources used by parents to acquire knowledge about matters
related to infant care and nutrition in selected EU countries, and
evaluate the accuracy of available information on early nutritional
programming. Improved dietetic producs and commercial
application: The knowledge generated by EARNEST has great potential for
application in new and improved dietetic products and thus for creation
of wealth and employment in Europe, and studies the modification of
infant formulae for commercial application. Such as innovative
approaches to inulin-type oligosaccharides and a recombinant human
protein, both of which are natural constituents of breast milk. [1] Early Nutrition Programming Project EARNEST
Hurtaud
and colleauges (2007) compared the milk from dairy cows secreting small
milk fat globules ( 3.44 millimicra) with that of cows with large milk
fat globules (4.53 millimicra) and looked at the effect of pasture feed
and soybean meal feed.
The
SMFG dairy cows produced higher yields of milk, protein, and calcium,
their milk had lower fat and protein contents a higher concentration of
monounsaturated fatty acids and a lower concentration of short-chain
fatty acids, and a higher C18:1/C18:0 ratio which suggests a higher
fatty acid elongation and desaturation. than LMFG cows.
The
authors compared fresh pasture supplemented with cereal concentrate
against corn silage treatment supplemented with soybean meal.
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/1/392?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT
=&author1=Couvreur&fulltext=Composition+of+milk&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec
=relevance&volume=90&firstpage=392&resourcetype=HWCIT
Helen
M. Roche and colleagues investigated whether dietary fatty acids could
attenuate the proinflammatory insulin-resistant state in obese adipose
tissue which may be the source of insulin desensitizing proinflammatory
molecules that predispose to insulin resistance.
http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/56/3/574
A small double-blind trial found weak evidence that CLA might be useful for high cholesterol. [5]
One study failed to find that CLA can enhance immune function [6]
Concerns
have also been raised regarding use of CLA by nursing mothers. A study
found that CLA reduces the fat content of human breast milk. [12 ]
http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=8482e079-8512-47c2-960c-a403c77a5e4c
&chunkiid=21676
http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=8482e079-8512-47c2-960c-a403c77a5e4c
&chunkiid=21676#ref13
Carlo
Agostini and colleagues in an analysis found only limited published
data on the effects of fermented infant and follow-up formulae. In
these products the lactic acid producing bacteria are heat inactivated
after the fermentation. Only 2 studies mentioned that some fermented
infant formulae may reduce the occurrence or severity of infectious
diarrhoea in infants.
The
Early Nutrition Programming Project EARNEST is an European
collaborative investigation into the long-term consequences of early
nutrition by metabolic programming and will work until 2010 being
coordinated by Professor Koletzko of the Children's Hospital,
University of Munich, Germany.
http://earnest.web.med.uni-muenchen.de/index2.htm
20.04.2007: Guidance issued on preventing and responding to food incidents [1] [2]
The
Food Standards Agency in a press release from 18. April 2007 announces
that it has published a guidance to help businesses and enforcement
authorities to prevent and better respond to food incidents.
According to the UK Food Standards Agency an incident is defined as any event where, there are concerns about actual or suspected threats to the safety or quality of food that could require intervention to protect consumers’ interests. This includes Food and feed where it impacts on food safety or quality.
The guidance gives step-by-step advice about preventing food incidents, including how to identify potential hazards. It also gives practical advice about effective incident response from notification through to post-incident actions.
The guidance is designed to help anyone who is responsible for handling incidents in the food industry as well as those in local authorities. A summary version has been developed particularly for small businesses.
According to FSA the food chain is complex and food incidents are difficult to eliminate altogether but the Agency hopes that providing clear, easy-to-follow information will help food businesses to reduce the likelihood of them happening. The FSA notes that the guidance also aims to improve the handling of incidents by providing easy-to-follow advice on the steps to follow if an incident does occur.
The contents are voluntary in nature and do not replace legal obligations set out in EC General Food Law Regulation 178/2002, but aim to summarise current best practice in incident management.
[1] Taskforce Factsheet
Principles
for preventing and responding to food incidents. A guidance document
for small businesses produced by The Food Incidents Taskforce Factsheet
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/taskforcefactsheet23mar07.pdf
[2] Guidance Document
Principles
for preventing and responding to food incidents. A guidance document
for small businesses produced by The Food Incidents Taskforce Guidance
Document
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/principles23mar07
20.04.2007: No conclusion that a high-sugar diet necessarily results in lower nutrient intake [1]
Rennie
and Livingston (2007) in a systematic computerised literature search
determined the associations between dietary added sugar intake and
micronutrient intake.
Dietary added sugars are getting in headlines as they might compromise intakes of micronutrients. However, in this study, the authors found no clear evidence of micronutrient dilution such as vitamins or minerals, or a threshold for a quantitative amount of added sugar intake. The authors conclude, that there are insufficient data and inconsistency between studies which require further research to determine which food products high in added sugars might adversely affect micronutrient intakes by displacing other food items from the diet.
[1] Rennie, Kirsten and Livingstone,
M Barbara E: Associations between dietary added sugar intake and
micronutrient intake: a systematic review. British Journal of Nutrition
2007. doi:10.1017/S0007114507617206
http://www.journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=898900
18.04.2007: Microencapsulation of fish oil using sugar beet pectin and spray-drying [1]
Stephan
Drusch from the University of Kiel microencapsulated 20% and 50% fish
oil in a matrix of 2,2% sugar beet pectin and glucose syrup obtaioning
a good oxidative stability due to a small oil droplet size.
The authors found that the proportion of non-encapsulated fat was higher in samples with 50% oil compared to samples with 20% oil and may limit the maximum oil load of the microcapsules.
[1]Drusch Stephan: Sugar
beet pectin: A novel emulsifying wall component for microencapsulation
of lipophilic food ingredients by spray-drying. Food Hydrocolloids
(Elsevier)Volume 21, Issue 7, October 2007 Pages 1223-1228
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2006.08.007
17.04.2007: New U.S. uniform food safety network needed
The FoodNet Data on the Incidence of Infection with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food eport describes preliminary surveillance data for 2006 and compares them with baseline data from the period 1996--1998. Incidence of infections caused by Campylobacter, Listeria, Shigella, and Yersinia has declined since the baseline period. Incidence of infections caused by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 (STEC O157) and Salmonella, however, did not decrease significantly, and Vibrio infections have increased, indicating that further measures are needed to prevent food borne illness and achieve national health objectives. [1]
Increasing
Escheriche coli Vibrio spp and other food borne hazards triggers the
call for attention from government and industry. The last spinach
contamination with E.coli, lettuce, tomatoes and peanut butter with
salmonella contamination resulted in massive financial losses, and
last, but not least, the broken confidence of consumers on the food
chain. Great efforts were made to reduce the risk for illness
attributed to fresh produce, the Food and Drug Administration published
draft guidance advising processors on how to minimize microbial
food-safety hazards common to the processing of most fresh-cut fruits
and vegetables. Available at
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/prodgui3.html. [2] A better systems
for prevention is urgently needed comprising a uniform food safety
network, stringent regulation and more federal fundings for FDA.
Monitoring, inspection and labelling functions are spread across 15
agencies in the federal government, including the US Department of
Agriculture (USDA) which oversees meat, poultry and egg products; the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which oversees most other food
products; and the US Commerce Department's National Marine Fishetries
Service which inspects fish. The agencies collectively administer at
least 30 laws. The report GAO 2005 has documented many problems
resulting from the fragmented nature of the federal food safety system
and recommended fundamental restructuring to ensure the effective use
of scarce government resources. The report identified several
overlapping food safety activities that occur at multiple agencies
because the agencies operate under different statutes, which give them
responsibility for conducting similar activities for different food
products, and different regulatory and enforcement authorities. As a
result, federal agencies are spending resources on overlapping food
safety activities designed to ensure the safety and quality of domestic
and imported food. In some cases, the agencies conduct these activities
at the same locations. [3] Europe has already moved to a
centralised food safety system creating the the Federal Agency for the
Safety of the Food Chain. The European way to handle food safety is a
centralised system comprising the whole food chain including feed and
has everything in one hand despite 24 different countries, each having
its own language and own culture. Its the way U.S. Could tackle their
own food safety problems. [1] CDC: Preliminary FoodNet Data on
the Incidence of Infection with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through
Food- 10 States , 2006 Vol 56, No MM14;336 April 13, 2007. [2]
US Food and Drug Administration. Draft final guidance for industry:
guide to minimize food safety hazards for fresh-cut fruits and
vegetables. Fed Regist 2007;72:11364--8. Available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/prodgui3.html. [3]
Government Accountability Office: OVERSIGHT OF FOOD SAFETY ACTIVITIES
Federal Agencies Should Pursue Opportunities to Reduce Overlap and
Better Leverage Resources. GAO-05-213 Oversight of Food Safety
Activities 17.04.2007: Antibiotic resistance marker genes nptII in GM plants poses no risk to human, animal or environment [1] The EC asked EFSA to consider an information of EMEA
and any potential consequences for the safety of the nptII gene as a
marker gene in genetically modified plants and for previous opinions on
specific GM plants (and derived food and feed) comprising the nptII
gene. According to the European Medicines Agency EMEA
information, aminoglycosides comprise a class of antibiotics that has
become increasingly important in the prevention and treatment of
serious invasive bacterial infections in humans. This is because
bacteria, such as tuberculosis bacteria, are becoming resistant to
other classes of antibiotics. It also said that, although kanamycin and
neomycin are used relatively infrequently, the development of similar
antibiotics should be taken into account and that aminoglycosides as a
group are a class of antibiotics critically important for veterinary
medicine. The GMO Panel responded agreeing with the EMEA that the
preservation of the therapeutic potential of the aminoglycoside group
of antibiotics is important. The Panel is also of the opinion that the
therapeutic effect of these antibiotics will not be compromised by the
presence of the nptII gene in GM plants, given the extremely low
probability of gene transfer from plants to bacteria. The GMO
Panel reconfirms its earlier conclusions in its opinion on antibiotic
resistant marker genes that the use of the nptII gene as selectable
marker in GM plants (and derived food or feed) does not pose a risk to
human or animal health or to the environment. The FSA arguements (ii)
The probability that bacteria will be exposed to DNA stretches long
enough to contain the intact nptII gene is very low because of the
above mentioned digestion and degradation processes. (iii) The nptII gene from plant material can only be taken up by competent bacteria via natural (iv)
If the intact nptII gene enters the bacteria, it will be rapidly
degraded by restriction endonucleases inm many bacterial cells which
possess DNA restriction systems in order to destroy foreign DNA. (v) If the intact nptII gene does indeed survive, the probability of its incorporation into the bacterial (vi)
Expression of the incorporated nptII gene is unlikely considering that
in GM plant material the nptII gene is under the control of a promoter
with preferential expression in plants, which does not support its
efficient expression in bacteria. (vii) Stable integration and
inheritance of the nptII gene in the host bacterium is not likely in
the absence of selective pressure from a relevant antibiotic. When
all of the above mentioned aspects are taken into account, the
probability of functional gene transfer from plants into microorganisms
is extremely low. It is not surprising that transfer of an antibiotic
resistance marker from GM plants to bacteria has not been observed
under natural conditions. The EMEA has indicated that under
laboratory conditions gene transfer from plants to bacteria has been
demonstrated. According to EFSA, however, gene transfer from plants to
bacteria has only been demonstrated in a few highly transformable
bacterial species (e.g., Acinetobacter sp. BD413 or Pseudomonas
stutzeri) under artificial and forced laboratory conditions when
regions of homology were already present in the recipient bacterium. In
the absence of this optimisation of the process and selection pressure,
resistance gene transfer from GM plants to bacteria, even in the
laboratory, could not be demonstrated. Prevalence of the nptII gene in soil, humans and animals [2] Studies indicate that, as expected of a gene located
on a transposable genetic element, nptII is located on a wide range of
replicons in bacterial clinical isolates from humans The nptII gene was
present in 2.5% of bacterial clinical isolates resistant to kanamycin
and neomycin collected between 1987 and 1991 in several European and
Central and South American countries. Studies on the prevalence of the
nptII gene in animal-associated bacterial populations have not been
found in the scientific literature. Contribution of the nptII gene to the prevalence of resistance to kanamycin [2] Potential mutations of the nptII gene resulting in resistance to other antibiotics [2] [1] European Food Safety
Authority: News 13.04.2007: EFSA's GMO panel reconfirmes its opinion
that the use of the nptII gene as a selectionable marker in GM plants
for food or feed poses no risk to human or animal health or the
environment. [2]
EFSA: Statement of the Scientific Panel on Genetically Modified
Organisms on the safe use of the nptII antibiotic resistance marker
gene in genetically modified plants. Adopted on 22-23 March 2007 16.04.2007: Still death cases caused by H5N1 avian flue virus [1] Nigeria: In
the city of Lagos, Nigeria, 11 contact persons were tested for H5N1
virus, having symptoms of the disease in early April 2007. One women
died on February after slaughtering a chicken without wearing gloves or
a mask and probably spread the virus to their contacts. Reported human deaths due to H5N1 virus Preparedness plans for a global flu epidemic [1] Latest Bird Flu World News 8 – 14. April 2007 [2]WHO: Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1) Reported to WHO 11 April 2007 15.04.2007: Pharmaceutical rice [1] [2] [3] In 2000, the California legislature,
in response to a proposal advanced by the CRC, enacted the Rice
Certification Act of 2000279 with the broad intent of enhancing and
protecting the reputation of California’s rice industry throughout the
nation and around the world. Ventria [4] Recombinant human milk proteins can now be expressed in a variety of systems Recombinant
human lactoferrin and lysozyme added to a rice-based oral rehydration
solution were found to increase recovery of children with acute
diarrhea. [5] Ventria rice expresses human lactoferrin or
lysozyme protecting the intestinal tract similarly to subtherapeutic
antibiotics. The GM rice has potentials to to be used as a substitute
for antibiotics in broiler diets. [6] Saccharomyces is used for expression of human lactoferrin but has low expression levels. Ventria and its GM rice [1] In order for
Ventria’s pharma rice product to be commercialized in California, APHIS
would have to authorize the necessary planting through the issuance of
an appropriate permit. Of the 84 permits for the field testing of
pharma crops that APHIS has issued nationwide, nine have been issued
for trials in California, including for pharma rice, but APHIS has not
to date authorized commercial production for any pharma crop. Ventria
stipulated that its pharma rice had characteristics of commercial
impact. The advisory board of CRC worked with Ventria to develop
proposed conditions for the production and handling of the company’s
pharma rice. These included growing the pharma rice in Southern
California, which is outside the state’s rice belt; not seeding the
rice from the air ; ensuring a buffer zone of 100 feet between biotech
rice and other crops; ensuring seed containers are sealed and numbered
and silos are labeled and locked in order to keep pharma rice separate
from other rice; and testing for the presence of the biotech pharma
trait. On March 29, 2004, by a vote of six to five, the advisory
board recommended to the secretary of agriculture conditions and
protocols under which Ventria’s pharma rice could be planted
commercially with adequate identity preservation and containment. California
Department of Food and Agriculture CDFA Secretary Kawamura denied the
recommendation of the commission’s advisory board for an emergency
exemption to plant its pharma rice crop during the spring 2004. Ventria
said the company has plans to reapply in California and is also
considering other options, such as planting in Hawaii and states in the
South. Acording to Ventia the health benefits of the technology
outweigh the risks, claiming that producing these proteins through
crops is the most cost-effective and efficient means of reaching the
most people. Planting 65 acres of pharma rice, they say, could generate
1,400 pounds of lactoferrin, which would be enough to treat 650,000
children with dehydration, a condition that kills 3 million infants
each year worldwide, mostly in developing countries. Japans concern about the US pharma rice [1] The argument supporting pharmaceutical rice The industry also points out that food crops are good platforms for pharma crop development and production. Acording
to Ventia the health benefits of the technology outweigh the risks,
claiming that producing these proteins through crops is the most
cost-effective and efficient means of reaching the most people.
Planting 65 acres of pharma rice, they say, could generate 1,400 pounds
of lactoferrin, which would be enough to treat 650,000 children with
dehydration, a condition that kills 3 million infants each year
worldwide, mostly in developing countries. However, a report by
the National Research Council on the biological containment of
genetically modified organisms concluded that crops used to produce
common food products would be a “poor choice” for use to produce pharma
and industrial crops unless they can be grown under “stringent The
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) had
discovered GM in a variety of long grain rice seed from BASF, all of
them outside of the California state. Following this announcement, the
California Rice Commission (CRC) called for a suspension of field
testing of all genetically modified rice cultivars in the State of
California for the 2007 crop, and for future crops, until safety is
guaranteed. These arguments made the California Rice Commission,
to call for a moratorium on GM field testing in the state, allowing for
an opportunity to evaluate federal regulations that safeguard the rice
industry. [1] Role of State Advisory Bodies in Decisions to Commercialize Biotech Crops: California’s Pharma Rice Experience [2] CRC: California Rice Certification Act. A National Biotech Model [3] California Food and Agricultural Code [4]
Lonnerdal, Bo: Expression of Human Milk Proteins in Plants. Department
of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California [5]
Zavaleta, Nelly; Figueroa, Dante; Rivera, Juan; Sanchez, Julia; Alfaro,
Segundo; Lonnerdal Bo: Efficacy of rice-based oral rehydration solution
containing recombinant human lactoferrin and lysozyme in Peruvian
children with acute diarrhea. J. Pediatric Gastroenterology and
Nutrition. 2007 Feb: 44(2): 258-64. [6]
Humphrey, Brooke D.; Huang, Ning and Klasing, Kirk C.: Rice expressing
lactoferrin and lysozyme has antibiotic-like properties when fed to
chicks. Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 132 (6) June (2002) pp. 1214-1218 14.04.2007: New starter cultures for better yoghurt and cheese [1] This knowledge opens the way to modify the genetic
structure of starter cultures for more resistance to the attack of
bacteriophages. Food industry, mainly dairy production, depends on
bacterial cultures which sometimes are changed or killed by these
bacterial viruses. According Philippe Horvath and colleagues
working for Danisco and Nestl\'e, the findings of this research will
enable researchers to select bacteria which have developed natural
resistance against the bacteriophages. New starter cultures may thus be
selected without artificial genetic modification of the bacteria and
may present high resistance to bacteriophages. [1] Rodolphe
Barrangou, Christophe Fremaux, Hélène Deveau, Melissa Richards, Patrick
Boyaval, Sylvain Moineau, Dennis A. Romero, and Philippe Horvath:
CRISPR Provides Acquired Resistance Against Viruses in Prokaryotes.
Science 23 March 2007, Vol 315: 1709-1712. 14.04.2007: Reduction of Pressure on Palmoil production [1] Temperate oil
add two carbons with a desaturating activity of the expression of the
gene KASII. Reducing the expression of this gene the double bounded
elongation of the fatty acid chain from C16 to C18 is reduced. A higher
melting point of the fat is attained which resembles that of palm oil. [1] Pidkowich, Mark S.; Nguyen, Huu Tam; Heilmann, Ingo; Ischebeck, Till and Shanklin, John: 14.04.2007 Emergency Preparedness [1]
Being prepared for emergencies avoids fatal errors when time is short.
Fire, flood, chemical spill, nuclear accidents or terrorism attack.
Some simple rules may help you to handle it: Emergency evacuation
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5614a4.htm
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-213
The
nptII gene (neomycin phosphototransferase II) provides resistance to
certain antibiotics, such as the aminoglycosides kanamycin, neomycin
and geneticin, in plants. In in 2004 the EFSA found no scientific
evidence that a transfer of this gene to bacteria, animals or humans
could occur.
Likelihood of transfer of the nptII gene from the genome of GM plants to bacteria [2]
(i) DNA is released from plant material by normal digestion processes that take place in the
gastrointestinal tract, or by activities of nucleases present in various organisms in the environment.
transformation, a process that occurs infrequently in many bacteria and in most environmental conditions.
genome is very low unless there are homologous regions already present in the bacterial genome.
Gene transfer from plants to bacteria has only been demonstrated under laboratory conditions when
regions of homology were already present in the recipient bacteriu.
Antibiotic
resistance is a common feature in natural microbial communities in
soils, aquatic systems, and habitats associated with animals and
humans.There is already a widespread presence of nptII in the soil
environment
Kanamycin-resistant
bacteria are ubiquitous in nature. Only a fraction of
kanamycin-resistant bacteria contain the nptII (aph(3’)-IIa) gene, the
other resistant bacteria having different genes and/or other mechanisms
conferring kanamycin resistance. The nptII gene has been reported to
occur naturally only in eubacteria. In one survey, 3 out of 184
kanamycin resistant bacterial isolates from three stream sites in the
USA (Leff et al., 1993) and 44 out of 355 from different habitats in
the Netherlands (Smalla et al., 1993) contained nptII sequences.
Resistance
towards amikacin, an important reserve antibiotic could be obtained
under laboratory conditions and was the result of a mutated nptII gene
and a diminished rate of amikacin uptake into the bacterial cell.
However, to date no clinical amikacin resistant strains with a mutated
nptII gene have been identified.
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press_room/news/ns_gmo_npt2.html
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/etc/medialib/efsa/science/gmo/statements/npt2.Par.0001.File.dat/gmo
_statement_%20nptII_.pdf
Egypt:
One teenage girl tested positive for the H5N1 avian flu died on April
10, 2007 at a hospital in Cairo despite Tamiflu medication. The total
number of H5N1 deaths in Egypt are 14.
(WHO 11.04.2007) [2] Azerbaijan 5 Cambodia 7 China 15 Egypt 14 Indonesia 63 Iraq 2 Laos 2 Nigeria 1 Thailand 17 Turkey 4 Viet Nam 42 Total 172
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gives advices and preparedness plans for a global epidemic.
Please look at http://www.avianflu.gov/plan/individual/index.html
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/exec/pa/birdflu/
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2007_04_11/en/index.html
The
California Rice Commission was created by the government of California
to serve the interests of the California rice industry by expanding and
maintaining the industry’s markets. California ranks second in the
United States behind Arkansas in rice production, accounting for 20% of
the U.S. total production.
Lonnerdal
in a review states that expression of recombinant human milk proteins
in rice is realistic and a possibility for the addition of bioactive
factors to infant formula and baby foods. The protein composition of
infant formula is still quite different than that of human milk, as
there are proteins in cow’s milk which are absent in human milk, and
many proteins in human milk are absent in cow’s milk such as
lactoferrin. Addition of human milk proteins to infant formula may be
necessary to obtain some of the nutritional and health benefits that
breast-fed infants enjoy.
Aspergillus
is being used in the production of recombinant human lactoferrin but
the cost is too high for use as a food additive. [4]
In
the fall of 2002, Ventria began formal discussions with the CRC on its
intent to commercially plant its pharma rice during the 2004 planting
season, and, in December 2003, Ventria submitted an application to
APHIS to renew its California field trial permits.
Japan
imports 40% of the California´ s production of rice. The Japanese Rice
Retailers Association has been concerned about biotech products in
general and the commercialization of pharma rice specifically which
will evoke a distrust of U.S. rice as a whole among Japanese consumers,
The
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) argues that the health
benefits of pharma crops outweigh the risks and that the risks are
adequately regulated by the federal government.
conditions of confinement."
http://www.calrice.org/documents/CRCNR031407.pdf
http://pewagbiotech.org/research/fields/CAData.pdf
http://www.legaltips.org/california/california_food_and_agricultural_code/
http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacn.org%2Fcgi
%2Freprint%2F21%2Fsuppl_3%2F218S.pdf&ei=jEsiRrbvHIPgnAOH9M3MBw
&usg=__zLCedWfQpg-PMSBOVk5TPlO8qtM=&sig2=8KGoBvgOzbw1-l9Wu-iZng
http://www.jpgn.org/pt/re/jpgn/abstract.00005176-200702000-00018.htm;jsessionid
=GvGKPTSQ8bhxhvDRzqn0hnY1nQzB7T4Yng2NQ8fcP8bQJ248Nw7J!-890758831!
-949856145!8091!-1
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/132/6/1214
Clustered
regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), together with
associated cas genes, provided resistance against phages, and
resistance specificity is determined by spacer-phage sequence
similarity.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/315/5819/1709
John
Shanklin looking for better understanding of the enzymes and metabolic
pathways that produce oils in oil plants found how to manipulate the
accumulation of fats using genetic techniques. They found that reducing
the levels of the gene Arabidopsis KASII convert temperate oilseed
composition of temperate oil plants , such as canola, soybean, and
sunflower to that of a palm-like tropical oil.
This may reduce the pressure on the forests in Asian countries saving thus precious wildlife.
Modulating
seed beta-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase II level converts the
composition of a temperate seed oil to that of a palm-like tropical
oil. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. March 13, 2007
vol. 104 no. 11 4742-4747 doi: 10.1073/pnas.0611141104
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/104/11/4742
After
the nine eleven attack and the invasion of Irak by the coalition the
world became unsafe. Nuclear and chemical threatens every country.
Personel emergency preparedness is therefore being recommended by
governments of all continents. Here are some ideas about the issue:
- Have an emergency note prepared telling you are away, with a free place you can fill in the place where to meet.
- Have a phone list of relatives, friends and work whom you might want to let them know that you are safe, where you are heading, and how long it will take to return to normality.
- Have your car in the garage always refuelled, because in case of emergency all petrol stations will be overcrowded and there will be no time to wait in line.
Have an emergency car kit always in the back of your car. It should contain: A pliers, a screwdriver set, a flashlight (check the charge of the batteries from time to time), a socket wrench set and a foldable spade, so you can spade a way out for your car if it gets struck in mud, sand or snow. Make sure the car-jack, the wheel lug wrench, jumper cables, tire chains if winter, is in place. Make sure the shelf life of the first aid kit is not exceeded, and there are space blankets for everyone available. Have a package of handkerchiefs in the glove compartment and road maps.
Have all tin can holder of your car filled with canned coffee and mineral water, be sure not to have carbonated drinks on board. Rising temperatures inside the car may cause them to open and spill.
Have nothing else in the car, as you need the place for persons, and other things you can grab and which are suited to the season, such as blankets
- Have your driver licence, ID card and credit cards and a pen with you.
- You can include some canned foods such as chilly con carne, spaghetty and others. Be sure to have twist-off cans and spoons. Canned food may be consumed without heating. Once open, be sure to consume the whole can in one day, if not you have to discard the rest.
- Don't panic. Drive carefully to avoid accidents which could keep you immobile.
- A small rucksack with toothpaste,toothbrush soap, towel and a sleeping sack are usefull, but not necessary.
Survival at home Milk and milkshake: Have
milk powder at home, so you can rehydrate it for your kids. Together
with cocoa powder and sugar it turns out to become a wonderful
milkshake. Premixing it before the whole water is added
will avoid the mix to get lumpy. You don't need to heat it in case
there is no electricity. It tastes good without heating. Tomato cream: One
cup part of tomato paste, or tomato powder, two cups of water and half
cup of milk powder. Make first a slurry of tomatopaste/powder and a
slurry of the milk powder. Remember: Have
food for 3 days at home. You cannot have more, unless it gets very
bulky, turnover becomes difficult and you will for sure have hoarded
the wrong things. Cereals, rice, grains, legumes and pastas are
good staple food with long shelf life, however they need to be cooked.
This requires electricity, gas or wooden fire, and time you don't have
in an emergency. In case of radioactive fall out all food should be
left behind and the region must be evacuated as soon as The German preparedness recommendation [1] The
German government recommends a food supply for 15 days to counter
emergency situation, providing 2000 Calories/day. www.bbk.bund.de One person ration for 15 days The
German government recommends a food supply for 15 days to counter
emergency situation, providing 2000 Calories/day. www.bbk.bund.de One person ration for 15 day Cereals In this recommndation the following distribution is being suggested: A three days survival Three days ration for 1 person:
If
you are trapped at home by an emergency remember that it probably will
not take more than 3 days the situation to normalise. Help from other
regions will come to the distressed area. In case of radioactive
contamination, the region will be evacuated anyway. If you have food
and water for this time make yourself comfortable at home. Canned food
may be eaten without heating in case of electricity or gas failure.
To rehydrate it without the help of a electrical blender,
join sugar, cocoa and milk powder. Mix it with a spoon. Add some
droplets of water just enough to make a slurry. Mix well and add the
rest of the water.
possible.4,5 Kg Meat 2,0 Kg Vegetables 2,0 Kg Fruits 2,0 Kg Fats 0,5 Kg Milk 4,5 Kg Water 21,0 Litres Meat, fish and sausage 1 to 2 Kg Canned ready-meals and soups 4 Kg Canned fruits 3,5 Kg Canned vegetables 5,5 Kg Jam, honey 0,5 Kg Evaporated milk 5 cans with 175 g Milk powder 0,5 Kg Cheese 0,25 Kg Oil and fats 0,5 Kg Bread, log shelf life, biscuits 5,5 Kg Oat flakes, pasta 0,5 Kg Sugar 0,5 Kg Salt, spices 0,5 Kg Koffee, cocoa, tea 0,5 Kg Mineral Water 30 Litres Fruit or vegetable juices 5 Litres Vitamin supplements, Baby food according Dairy products should total 3,5 Kg
The above German suggestions are not practical. Anyway, serious emergencies comprise
an evacuation of the region. The following suggested amount of foods are fit for transportation and can be consumed on road.
- Three 875 g cans of your favourite ready to eat meals such as Chilli con Carne, Peas with bacon or Ravioli in tomato sauce. Be sure they have a ring pull system, so you will not be troubled with a missing tin opener.
- 3 litres mineral water
- 150 g milk powder
- 100 g tomato paste in tube. Or change milk powder and tomato paste for one bar of chocolate or baby food if baby on board.
This ration is fit for transportation and will keep you fed for three days. The William Bell and Cham Dallas report on nuclear threat {2} Lack of
immediate (12 hours) or even intermediate (48 hours) health care often
results in the body going into shock or succumbing to infection, which
would not have occurred had basic health care been available. Preparedness to treat thermal injuries First aid: Kool with cold water. Cover of wounds with aluminium foil. Burn shock treatment by drinking electrolyte, fruit juices. Drive upright to wind direction to avoid fallout With a steady wind, the pattern of accumulated dose of radioactivity assumes the shape of nested The authors claim that looking to trees, the
wind direction can be estimated. Driving upright to this direction
avoids fallout. Safe places occur 2 to 7 kilometres upright to wind
direction, according to Bell and its colleagues. Federal assistance Should
a real event occur, federal assistance can be provided by specialized
teams, such as the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education's
(ORISE) [1] Bundesamt fuer Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK): Für den Notfall vorgesorgt. [2]
Bell, William C. and Dallas, Cham E.: Vulnerability of populations and
the urban health care systems to nuclear weapon attack - examples from
four American cities. International Journal of Health Geographics 2007,
6:5 doi:10.1186/1476-072X-6-5
Milk powder and tomato paste will be a welcome variation for kids.
Mass
casualties from weapons of mass destruction have low probability
scenarios, however they are not completely unthinkable. Due to the
combination of injury categories, death rates can be exacerbated far
beyond that expected for any one of the injuries taken alone. Victims
cannot move and could be consumed by fire or are simply left to die due
to lack of resources. Others fall victim to poor sanitation due to
failure of the main power, water and waste facilities.
Bell
and colleagues expect that the total number of affected population by
thermal injuries due to the fireball of nuclear weapon detonation is
greater than that for blast injuries.
Be sure you have aluminium foil packages in your first aid kit.
Most
of the radioactive fallout is downwind from the explosion and up to 70
per cent is in the larger particle portion, or "early fallout"
occurring within hours. One principle of note is that the intensity of
the radioactivity varies inversely with distance from the site of
explosion.
cigar-shaped
contours. Both early and delayed fallout result in the deposition of
radioactive material in the environment, turning it necessary to
evacuate the region.
The
Department of Homeland Security has a number of ongoing initiatives
such as the Radiological and Nuclear Countermeasures Program to enhance
U.S. security against unconventional attacks.
http://www.dhs.gov/xres/programs/
Radiation Emergency Assistance Center (REAC/ TS). These teams can also provide pre-event nuclear and radiation training.
http://orise.orau.gov/nsem/exercises_doe.htm
http://orise.orau.gov/reacts/pubs-resources.htm
http://www.bbk.bund.de/cln_007/nn_402322/DE/05__Publikationen/01__Broschueren/Broschueren
__node.html
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1476-072X-6-5
Bacteria and algae may become more important in food technology, such as the production of natural colours. Rhodocyclus gelatinosus: Posano
and colleagues evaluated in Campinas, Brazil, the effect of different
supplementation levels of Rhodocyclus gelatinosus biomass produced in
industrial wastewater on the performance and pigmentation of broilers.
According to their research visual appearance, especially color, is the
most important characteristic of foods especially the colour of skin,
meat and egg yolk of poultry products. Well-pigmented poultry products
are preferred in some markets. The researchers found that Rhodocyclus
gelatinosus biomass supplementation resulted in more yellow breast skin
and increased darkening and color purity in breast and thigh meat of
broilers, but had no effect on lightness or color purity of breast and
thigh skins. [1] According to Posano Rhodocyclus gelatinosus is a
purple non-sulphur bacterium which grew photoautotrophically in poultry
slaughterhouse wastewater inside glass columns during 7 days under
anaerobiosis and lightness supplied by daylight plus incandescent and
fluorescent lamps. The valuable chemical composition of Rhodocyclus
gelatinosus R1 biomass and the high content in essential amino acids
signs for the potential use of the product in poultry feed. [2] Chlorella vulgaris: Biomass
of Chlorella vulgarisBeij. [K and H] formerly Chlorella pyrenoidosa
(Starr and Zeikus 1987) is being being studied by Luisa Gouveia in
Lisabon for the colouring of cookies which were attractive and had
innovative appearance and higher textural characteristics. Microalgal
biomass is also a source for carotinoids, omega-3 fatty acids,
vitamins, pigments and polysaccharides. [3] Lutein and zeaxanthin
are xanthophyll carotenoids found particularly in dark-green leafy
vegetables and in egg yolks. Epidemiologic studies link xanthophyll
with a protective role in the eye, reducing the risk of cataract and
age-related macular degeneration and may reduce the risk of certain
types of cancer, particularly those of the breast and lung. Other
studies suggest that lutein and zeaxanthin may prevent heart disease
and stroke. Foods rich in xanthophylls are therefore recommended by
current dietary guidelines.[4] [1] Ponsano EHG; Pinto MF;
Garcia-Neto M; Lacava PM: Performance and color of broilers fed diets
containing Rhodocyclus gelatinosus biomass. Rev. Bras. Cienc. Avic.
Vol.6 no.4 Campinas Oct./Dec. 2004 Print ISSN 1516-635X doi:
10.1590/S1516-635X2004000400008 [2]
Ponsano, Elisa Helena Giglio; Lacava, Pedro Magalhaes; Pinto, Marcos
Franke.: Chemical composition of Rhodocyclus gelatinosus biomass
produced in poultry slaughterhouse wastewater. Braz. Arch. Biol.
Technol: 46(2):143-147, Mar. 2003. tab. [3]
Gouveia, L; Batista, AP; Miranda, A; Empis, J. and Raymundo, A:
Chlorella vulgaris biomass used as colouring source in traditional
butter cookies. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies
(Elsevier) doi: 10.1016/j.ifset.2007.03.026 [4]
Ribaya-Mercado, JD; Blumberg,JB: Lutein and zeaxanthin and their
potential roles in disease prevention. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 2004 Dec;23(6
Suppl):567S-587S. 12.04.2007:
The Northern Osteosporosis and Obesity Study (NO2 Study) linking
omega-3 fatty with increased bone build up in young men Chaim Vanek and
William Connor suggested that the healt benefit of n-3 fatty acids on
bone health might result from affecting expression of the role of
peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gama (PPAR-gama).
Overexpression of this protein is linked to lower bone mass, therefore
eicosapentaenoic acid EPA and docosahexaenoic acid DHA may protect bone
mass. The authors call for more research on this matter. [2] The essential fatty acids Significant
benefits of dietary supplementation with fish oils were found in
several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in humans, including
rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis,
lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis and migraine headaches. [4] [1]
Magnus Högström, Peter Nordström, and Anna Nordström: n–3 Fatty acids
are positively associated with peak bone mineral density and bone
accrual in healthy men: the NO2 Study Am J Clin Nutr March 2007 85:
803-807. [2]
Vanek, Chaim and Connor, Wiliam E.: Do n-3 fatty acids prevent
osteoporosis? Editorial Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, March 1, 2007;
85(3): 647 - 648. [3] Connor, W.E. (2000): Importance of n-3 fatty acids in health and disease.Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 71:171S-175S. [4] Simopoulos AP. n–3 Fatty acids in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. J Am Coll Nutr 2002;21:495–505. 11.04.2007: Cocoa extract and vitamin E counteract overproduction of free radicals [1] [1] P.
Rozan, S. Hidalgo, A. Nejdi, J.-F. Bisson, R. Lalonde, M. Messaoudi
(2007): Preventive Antioxidant Effects of Cocoa Polyphenolic Extract
on Free Radical Production and Cognitive Performances after Heat
Exposure in Wistar Rats. Journal of Food Science 72 (3), S203–S206.
doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2007.00297.x
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-635X2004000400008
http://bases.bireme.br/cgi-bin/wxislind.exe/iah/online/?IsisScript=iah/iah.xis&nextAction=lnk
&base=LILACS&exprSearch=351386&indexSearch=ID&lang=i
http://dx.doi.org/0.1016/j.ifset.2007.03.026
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract
&list_uids=15640510
Magnus
Högström and colleagues in a Sweden study known as the Northern
Osteosporosis and Obesity Study (NO2 Study) measured fatty acids in the
serum phospholipids fraction in healthy men and their association with
bone mineral density and bone accrual . They found that n–3 fatty
acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n–3), are positively
associated with bone mineral accrual and with peak bone mineral density
in young men around the age of 16 to 22 years. In an earlier study
higher ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids was negatively associated with
bone build up in elderly men and women. [1]
The essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) comprise 2 main classes: n–6 and n–3 fatty acids.
The
most common source of n–6 fatty acids is linoleic acid is found in
vegetable oils. Arachidonic acid n–6 fatty acid, is obtained largely by
synthesis from linoleic acid in the body.
The n–3 fatty acids
eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid are found in fish and
fish oils. The beneficial health effects of these two n–3 fatty acids
were first described in the Greenland Eskimos, who consumed a
high-seafood diet and had low rates of coronary heart disease, asthma,
type 1 diabetes mellitus, and multiple sclerosis. These positive health
attributes of n–3 fatty acids include reduction of risc of cancer,
inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. [3]
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/3/803
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/3/647
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/71/1/171S
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/3/647
P.Rozan
and colleagues studied the effect of a a cocoa polyphenolic extract and
vitamin E , on free radicals produced by leucocytes assessing cognitive
impairments in rats which had been exposed to heat of 40°C/2hours. They
found that the extract as well as vitamin E counteract the
overproduction of free radicals under these conditions.
https//dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2007.00297.x
11.04.2007: Varying nutritional content is no excuse for misleading claims and inappropriate advertising, the Ribena story [1]
GlaxoSmithKline
has pleaded guilty to 15 representative charges of breaching the Fair
Trading Act by making misleading claims about the Vitamin C content of
Ribena, a black currant drink. GlaxoSmithKline was fined $227,500, and
ordered to undertake a nationwide campaign of corrective advertising in
newspapers to explain that some forms of Ribena contain no detectable
level of vitamin C.
GlaxoSmithKline's Consumer Healthcare division sells health care products, including a range described as "nutritional drinks," of which Ribena is the most significant.
Claims that ready-to-drink Ribena contain 7mg of vitamin C per 100ml were found to be untrue because testing found no vitamin C in the ready-to-drink product and claims in TV adverts that "the blackcurrants in Ribena have four times the vitamin C of oranges."was misleading consumers.
In 2004 two students, working for a science project, found no detectable vitamin C in Ribena. They notified GlaxoSmithKline from their findings but not action was taken by the company.
According to New Zealnd Commerce Commission Chair Paula Rebstock health claims are big business in today's market. It is very disappointing to see a major pharmaceutical and health products company like GlaxoSmithKline mislead the public in this way. Ms Rebstock calls this to be a massive breach of trust with the New Zealand public as the company specifically promoted the vitamin C-related health benefits of Ribena for children, teenagers, and pregnant women.
Monitoring of raw ware and natural products must cover all charges to insure correctness of claims on the packaging and in TV commercials and printed advertising.
[1] Commerce
Commission of New Zealand: Ribena Vitamin C claims false and
misleading: Court. Release no. 112, Issued 27 March 2007
http://www.comcom.govt.nz//MediaCentre/MediaReleases/200607/ribenavitamincclaimsfalse
andmislea.aspx
11.04.2007: Tapioca (Cassava) starch as microencapsulating agent. [1] Microencapsulation
technologies are developed using gums arabic, hydrolyzed starches,
emulsifying starches whey proteins, sodium caseinate, and gelatin to
avoid commodification , changing prices and cope with new consumer
demands As tapioca starch finds finds growing applications in
global food industry the producing countries are highlighted: Nigeria
is the largest producer of cassava, followed by Brazil, Thailand
Indonesia and Congo. Floods, droughts and cassava mosaic virus threaten
African tapioca yields, and low prices for cassava made Thailand
farmers change from cassava to maize and sugar cane because of low
prices of cassava. To counter this,Thai government plans to launch a
futures market to stabilize the price. Bacteria harm cassava such as
Phytomonas manihotis in Brazil, Bacterium cassava in Africa and
Bacterium solanacearum in Indonesia. Insects like locusts, beetles and
ants, rats, goats and wild pigs may devastate plantations. [1]
Loksuwan, Jarunee:Characteristics of microencapsulated β-carotene
formed by spray drying with modified tapioca starch, native tapioca
starch and maltodextrin. Food Hydrocolloids (Elsevier) Volume 21, Pages
928-935
Jarunee
Loksuwan and colleagues from the Thammasat University in Thailand.found
in a study in 2006 that acid-modified tapioca starch had better spray
dried encapsulating properties than native starch and maltodextrin.
Suphuric acid was used for the hydrolisation, and neutralisation with
sodium carbonate prior to steam pressure treatment.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2006.10.011
10.04.2007: Germans pep up the Burger, the new European gourmet feeling will revolutionize fast food!
Wener
Theurich, German editor of Spiegel Online, calls for a gourmet movement
to pep up the Burger. “Rome-Burger” as he calls it, has a genial
recipe:
Werner Theurich´ s Rome Burger :
125 g lean meat is cut in very fine stripes, seasoned with salt, fresh grounded pepper and fried.
60 g fresh rasped Italian Provolone or Swiss Greyerzer is added and
heated until everything sticks together in form of a disc.
Hamburger bread or a small baguette is cut and light-brown under a grill.
Put
the meat/cheese between the halves of the bread, joined with onion
rings or cubes which had been glazed by heating it in butter.
The gourmet-guru Theurich recommends to serve Rome Burger with a French vin du pays, such as from Minervois or from the Rhone.
Sounds good, but please don't change any ingredients as the fine gourmet feeling will be lost and you will have an ordinary everyday Burger.
The
whole revolutionary fast food story in the German edition of Spiegel
Online, together with the picture of the author and of the Rome Burger
you find at
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,444478,00.html
10.04.2007: Medium roasted coffee favoured by researchers
Acrylamide the bad part of coffee
According
to Carmelina Summa and colleagues, coffee accounts for 40\% exposure to
acrylamide in Sweden and 33\% in Zwitzerland. Acrylamide is formed
during rosting of coffe together with melanoidins, which account for
the antioxidant activity of coffee, reducing risk of several diseases,
such as liver diseases and diabetes.
In a study how to reduce acrylamide researchers rosted coffee at 236°C obtaining light medium and dark roasted coffee depending on the time of roasting. They found that both acrylamide and melanoidins decrease with heating time. The authors concluded that any reduction of unwanted contents may also cause the loss of desired food constituents and consequently changes to the risk/benefit characteristics of foods must be considered. Darker coffee has less acrylamide, but has also reduced antioxidant activity. [1]
Melanoidin, the good counterpart of coffee
Melanoidins
such as found in coffee, cocoa, bread, malt, honey, caramel are
polymeric and coloured final products of the Maillard reaction. None of
the malanoidins has been fully characterised yet.
Melanoidins from roasted coffee show strong antioxidative effects depending on the way the coffee is treated. Medium roasted coffee showed the strongest potential. Polymer Maillard reaction products have a remarkable antioxidative potential though it is exceeded by low molecular phenolcarbonic acids. The contribution of free chlorogenic acid isomers to the total antioxidative effect of roasted coffee equals 25% depending on the content. Despite the decomposition of chlorogenic acids in coffee during the roasting process, an increase of the antioxidative capacity is observed. [2]
Phenolcarbonic acids: They can be viewed as the potential precursors of light synthesized flavonoids. [3]
Chlorogenic acid: It is an ester of caffeic acid and quinic acid, and is a major phenolic compound in coffee.. Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid are antioxidants in vitro and might therefore contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. They are hailed for reducing risc of diabetes, and is considered to have anti-infectuous effects. [4]
[1] Summa, C.A. ; de la Calle, B. ; Brohee, M. ; Stadler, R.H. Anklam, E:Impact of the roasting degree of coffee on the in vitro radical scavenging capacity and content of acrylamide. LWT - Food Science and Technology Published on-line ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.lwt.2006.11.016 Received 30 January 2006; revised 17 November 2006; accepted 30 November 2006. Available online 21 February 2007.
[2]
Steinhart, H. ; Luger, A.; Piost, J.: Manuscript Sample Antioxidative
Effect of Coffee Melanoidins Institute of Biochemistry and Food
Chemistry, Dep. of Food Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Grindelallee
117, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asic-cafe.org%2Fhtm
%2Feng%2FSampleManuscript.pdf&ei=oJcbRs3PKKWcnQO165HjDQ&usg=__
-OC-NL81KVEQvEFJbAU3nc_21xc=&sig2=ucWn5_Q7F92hLTZpHqI_Fw
[3]
Kefeli,Valentine I. ; Kalevitch, Maria V. and Borsari , Bruno: Phenolic
cycle in plants and environment. Journal of Cell and Molecular Biology
2: 13-18, 2003. Halic University, Turkey.
Received 30 October 2002; Accepted 15 November 2002
[4] Great Vista Chemicals: Chlorogenic Acid.
http://www.greatvistachemicals.com/herb\_extracts/chlorogenic\_acid.html
07.04.2007: Concerns about safety of Nanoparticles [1] Developments in gene therapies,
targeted drug-delivery systems, microencapsulation in food tchnology
and other science fields rely on techniques that manipulate
nanoparticles so that they can bypass the human body's defence
mechanisms, but also unwanted nanoparticles could also penetrate into
cells or cross natural barriers. The UK's Medicine and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency MRHA stoped its participation in
the British Standards Institute's Nanotechnology Standardisation
Committee arguing that existing regulatory frameworks and trial safety
procedures were sufficient to cover the use of nanotechnologies in
medicines and medical devices. MRHA says that one of the
conclusions of the many nanotoxicology reviews, is that there isn’t yet
enough data to derive systematic rules that govern toxicological
characterisation of the nanotechnology products. Another is that there
might be new hazards associated with loose nanoparticles. The main
conclusion that MHRA has come to after reviewing this enormous amount
of data was: there is currently no evidence for the actual existence of
any such new hazard! [2] The MHRA members agree that the
mechanisms of toxicity seen with healthcare nanoparticles are not
unique. The review on The Toxicology of Nanoparticles Used in
Healthcare Products does not currently indicate the need for
nanotechnology specific regulations. The Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) in the United States has also concluded that the current
requirements for safety testing of medicinal products is sufficiently
rigorous and are currently believed to be adequate. MHRA concludes,
however, if research identifies toxicological risks that are unique to
nanomaterials, additional testing requirements may be necessary. [3] Life Cycle Assessment of nanotechnology using ISO 14040:2006 [4] Life Cycle Assessment is a method for estimating and assessing the resource usage and The report points out, that confidentiality is also
referred to as a major problem, as existing Life Cycle Assessment data
is often proprietary data of companies and even the exact composition
of nanomaterials is strictly confidential. [1]The Lancet Editorial: The risks of nanotechnology for human health2007; 369:1142 DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60538-8 [2] MHRA: Nanotechnology. 15 November 2006 [3] MHRA: The Toxicology of Nanoparticles Used in Healthcare Products http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dDocName=con2025205 [4]
Nanotechnology and Life Cycle Assessment Synthesis of Results Obtained
at a Workshop Washington, DC 2–3 October 2006 Date of publication: 20
March 2007 Organized by Barbara Karn (US Environmental Protection
Agency/Woodrow Wilson, International Center for Scholars) and Pilar
Aguar (European Commission) 06.04.2007: Salt, sugar and labelling Reducing salt and sugar can, however,
improves the product not only from the nutritional side, but may also
become a gain in acceptance due to the improved taste of the corn. This
could be targeted in commercials changing nutritional habits towards a
healthier breakfast. Dr. Tom Sanders says that breakfast cereals
served with semi-skimmed milk, are low energy meals that provide about
one fifth of the micronutrient requirements of children and should be
encouraged. Portion size as it is being eaten but not dry weight
nutritional facts should be considered. Dr. Sanders is professor of
nutrition at King's College London, leading scientist of the OPTILIP
trial and acting as a consultant to the cereal manufacturers, says that
traffic light labels misclassifies unfairly breakfast cereals. [2] Sugar and salt and labelling loopholes [3] Checking
for sugar on food labels can be confusing, however. It comes in many
different forms: corn sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose,
glucose syrup, high-fructose glucose syrup, honey, invert sugar, invert
sugar syrup, isoglucose, levulose, maltose, molasses, sucrose and
sucrose syrup, among others. These can be listed separately but add up.
Labelling of total sugar is voluntary, unless on a product claiming to
be ‘low sugar’. So, everyone who has high sugar, high salt or high
saturated fatty acids do not label Guideline Daily Amount (GDA)
information in front of packaging. If you want to go for sure, buy only
products with front of packaging GDA's. However Melanie Leech, director general of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) argues that Salt highlight [5] Sometimes
the figure you see in the nutrition panel is a total figure for
'Carbohydrates', and not for 'Carbohydrates (of which sugars)'. This
means the figure will also include starchy carbohydrates. So, to
get a feel for whether the product is high in added sugars you might
also need to look at the ingredients list. Added sugars must be
included in the ingredients list, which always starts with the biggest
ingredient first. Watch out for other words that are used to describe
added sugar, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolysed
starch and invert sugar, corn syrup and honey. If you see one of these
near the top of the list, you know that the product is likely to be
high in added sugars. Some foods that you might not expect to
have sugar added to them can contain lots, for example some breakfast
cereals and cereal bars. Other foods can be higher in added sugar than
you might expect, such as tins of spaghetti or baked beans. [1] Guardian Unlimited Special Report: Why Kellog's saw red over labelling scheme [2] Sanders, Tom: The Health Benefits of Breakfast Cereal. Presentation 02.02.2005. [3] Sugar content on labels is confusing, says Which? [4] www.foodtechnology: Which? Criticises complex sugar labelling [5] Food Standards Agency: Undesrtanding labels
Nanoparticles,
ranging from 2 – 10 atoms, less than 100 nanometres, can potentially
invade body systems. Studies to date show that the human body's normal
defence mechanisms treat nanoparticles like micro-organisms but
nanoparticles could link together to form fibres that are too large to
be engulfed by macrophages.
According
to a report summarising the workshop discussions, held in October 2006,
among international nanotech and LCA experts the impact on environment
and human health can be accessed using Life Cycle Assessment.
environmental impacts attributable to the entire life cycle of a product, from raw material
extraction
and acquisition, through energy and material production and
manufacturing, to use and end-of-life treatment and final disposal (ISO
14040:2006). The environmental and resource impacts include climate
change, stratospheric ozone depletion, toxicological stress on human
health and ecosystems, the depletion of resources, water use and many
others.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607605388/fulltext
http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&useSecondary=true
&ssDocName=CON2025213
&RevisionSelectionMethod=Latest
http://www.nanotechproject.org/file_download/168
Salt reduction reduces sugar in formulations in cereals [1]
According
to the managing director of Kellogg's Europe, Tony Palmer, it is not
easy to take 25% of the salt out of cornflakes because salt interacts
with sugar. Reducing salt, sugar starts to taste sweeter and has to be
reduced too. Sugar helps keep the flakes crispy and is part of the
bulk. Reducing the salt the risk is that the cardboard carton tastes
better than the crisps.
Which?
still finds high sugar and salt levels with 75% of products receiving
FSA red labels, and nearly 90% of products targeted at children were
high in sugar, 13% high in salt, and 10% high in saturated fat.
labelling
regulations require companies to include a precise description of the
sugars used in a product, such as fructose or glucose. According to
Leech, 15 000 products are already using Guideline Daily Amount
information on the front packs, clearly indicating the total amount of
sugar in the product - whether added or naturally present. [4]
High is more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
Medium is less than 1.5 g. salt and more that 0.3g salt per 100 g
Low is 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)
High is 10g sugars or more per 100g
Medium is less that 10g sugar and more than 2g sugar per 100g
Low is 2g sugars or less per 100g.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,1979239,00.html
http://www.breakfastcereal.org/Health_benefits_cereals_2.pps
http://www.which.co.uk/reports_and_campaigns/food_and_drink/reports/_labelling_and_
shopping/sugar_labels_news_article_557_112217.jsp
http://www.ap-foodtechnology.com/news/ng.asp?n=75524-which-fsa-sugar-labelling-traffic-light
http://www.salt.gov.uk/understanding_labels.html
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/fatssugarssalt/sugars/
05.04.2007: Irradiated foods in EU [1] Under Article 6 of Directive 1999/2/EC, any irradiated food or any irradiated food ingredient of a Approved food irradiation facilities in EU Czech Republic: Dried aromatic herbs, spices and vegetable seasonings, egg white, total 460 tons in 2004 Germany: In 2004 there were four approved irradiation facilities in Germany: Spain: There were two facilities approved for the irradiation of food. No information concerning activities in 2004 were given. France: There
were seven facilities approved for irradiation of food. In 2004 the
following foods were irradiated: Herbs, spices and vegetable
seasonings, frozen herbs, dried vegetables and fruits, gum arabic,
casein, caseinates, mechanically recovered poultry meat, offal of
poultry, frozen frog legs, shrimps, total of 1.800 Tonns. Hungary: In 2004 there was one facility. No informations were given. Italy: In Italy here was one facilty. No information was given. The Netherlands:
There were two facilities. One in Ede and one in Etten-Leur. Irradiated
foods in 2004 were: Spices and herbs, dehydrated vegetables, poultry
meat (frozen) frog parts, egg white (cooled), Foods intended for export
to third countries. Total in 2004 4 768 Tons Poland: There were two approved facilities: The United Kingdom: It has one facility approved. No food was irradiated in 2004. Labelling The information submitted shows that during 2004, 3,9 % of samples were irradiated and not Differences
between Member States regarding the results of controls could partly be
explained by the choice of the samples and the performance of the
analytical methods used. No reports from 2005 and 2006 are available. [1]Report from the commission on Food Irradiation for the year 2004 ( 2006/C 230/08) 05.04.2007: Slimming ingredients, an unserious category? Chitosan is also useful in other filtration
situations, is used to clarify wine, mead and beer, improves
flocculation, and removes yeast cells, fruit particles, and other
detritus that cause hazy wine. Chitosan is supposed to have the
capability of attracting fat from the digestive system and expelling it
from the body so that users can, it is claimed, lose weight without
eating less. However, some scientific research suggests that these
claims are likely without substance. [1] With the unavailability
of specific research studies to support the claims made on chitosan as
a revolutionary weight loss supplements, one must be careful on what is
fact and what is speculation. [1] Chitosan reduces cholesterol and bodyweigt gain [Hossain 2007) [2] Dr.
Shahdat Hossain and colleagues from Jahangirnagar University, studyed
the effects of chitosan extracted from locally sourced shrimps
Macrobracium rosenbergii using sequential decalcification,
deproteination, deacetylation and the acid-extraction of chitin.on
bodyweight, plasma lipid profile, fatty acid composition, liver lipid
peroxide levels and plasma levels of glutamate pyruvate transaminase. The
authors found that dietary supplementation of chitosan decreases the
atherogenic lipid profiles of both NC and HC rats and reduces the
bodyweight gain of HC rats. Adequate anti-oxidants should be
added to chitosan-enriched supplements in order to minimize the degree
of oxidative stress to the liver. Further studies should clear whether
the benefits of chitosan noted in rats are also translated into humans. International Conference on Innovations and Trends in Weight Loss and Weight Management. [3] At
the First International Conference on Innovations and Trends in Weight
Loss and Weight Management held in March 2007 in Berlin Dr. Jorg
Gruenwald reviewed the European market of slimming ingredients and
stated that the science supporting chitosan's benefits was limited. He
Is a leading European expert in the field of botanicals and natural
products. According to an overview by Dr. Gruenwald, the slimming
ingredients market can be divided into five groups based on the
mechanisms of action:
The irradiation of dried aromatic herbs, spices and vegetable seasonings is authorised in the EU
(Directive 1999/3/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 February 1999 on the
establishment of a Community list of food and food ingredients treated with ionising radiation
In addition, 6 Member States have notified that they maintain national authorisations for certain
foods in accordance with Article 4(4) of Directive 1999/2/EC.
compound food must be labelled with the words ‘irradiated’ or ‘treated with ionising radiation’.
Belgium: IBA
Mediris S.A. Irradiating shrimps, frog legs, herbs, frozen vegetables,
cheese, eggs, poultry/game, meat, fish, dried fruit, starch, plasma,
prepared dishes, total 5,8 Tons in 2004
-
Gamma Service Produktbestrahlung GmbH, Radeberg irradiating dried
vegetables, herbs and seasonings, other foodstuffs ( guarana seeds),
Total of 342 Tons in 2004.
- Beta-Gamma Service GmbH&Co. KG,
Wiehl irradiating granulated slippery jack mushroom, Plant raw
materials (parsley, dill, cilantro), powdered spinach powdered celery,
horse radish, parsley. Total of 24 Tons in 2004. Total of 429 Ton in
2004.
- Isotron Deutschland GmbH, Allershausen irradiating seasonings, herbs total 429 Tons in 2004.
- Gamma-Service GmbH&Co KG, Bruchsal. No food products were irradiated in this facility in 2004.
-
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and technology, Warsaw, irradiated were
spices, Herbs, dehydrated vegetables, and dried mushrooms, total in
2004 of 680 Tons.
- Institute of Applied Radiation Chemistry Technical university of Lodz. Spices in 2004 total of 47,8 Tons.
The
Neatherlands reports that a total of 430 samples had been taken in the
marketplace and analysed for irradiation. Of these 430 samples, 45
dietary supplements and spices proved to be irradiated. Only 2 of the
irradiated samples were correctly labelled as such. No indication of
the origin of the positive samples was given.
correctly labelled.
The infringements are unevenly distributed over product categories. Products imported from Asia,
especially Asian-type noodles and dried prepared noodles, are particularly concerned. In addition, it
should be noted that in 2004, there were no facilities in Asia approved by the European Community.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/biosafety/irradiation/approved_facilities_en.pdf
Chitosan
can be used in water processing engineering as a part of a filtration
process. Chitosan causes the fine sediment particles to bind together
and is subsequently removed with the sediment during sand filtration.
Chitosan also removes phosphorus, heavy minerals, and oils from the
water. [1]
Boosting fat burning/ thermogenesis
Inhibiting protein breakdown
Suppressing appetite/ boosting satiety (feeling of fullness)
Blocking fat absorption
Regulating mood
According
to Dr. Gruenwald supplements with weight reduction claims with various
levels of supporting scientific evidence are green tea polyphenols,
CLA, Hoodia gordonii, DHEA, hydroxy-methylbutyrate (a metabolit of
leucine), and chromium picolinate, leading down to ingredients with
only limited available data, like L-carnitinewith only limited
available data, like L-carnitine, calcium and chitosan. The conference called for industry to make more effort with academia and clinical trials to obtain credibility. Chitosan supplementation and fecal fat excretion [4] Chitosan supplementation and fat absorption [5] The author conclude that the fat trapped was clinically insignificant. The product fails to meet claims. Weight loss supplements [6] Unfortunately, the
federal government has limited power and money to stop the marketing of
such supplements. According to the Dietary Supplement Act (DSHEA) of
1994, supplement manufacturers are not required to perform premarketing
safety evaluations of their products . DSHEA leaves it to the federal
government to prove that a specific supplement is not safe. The FDA and
FTC simply do not have the budget to do that job. In April
2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made an effort in ensuring
public safety by sending warning letters to 16 dietary supplement
distributors for making false and misleading claims for weight-loss
products promoted over the Internet. [7] Minimal effect of chitosan on body weight. [8] Ni
Mhurchu and colleagues, in a review of studies related to chitosan,
come to the conclusion that there is some evidence that chitosan is
more effective than placebo in the short-term treatment of overweight
and obesity. However, many trials to date have been of poor quality and
results have been variable. Results obtained from high quality trials
indicate that the effect of chitosan on body weight is minimal and
unlikely to be of clinical significance. Adequate anti-oxidants
should be added to chitosan-enriched supplements in order to minimize
the degree of oxidative stress to the liver. Further studies are
certainly needed to clarify these aspects of chitosanand wether the
benefits of chitosan noted in rats are also translated into humans. [1] Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Chitosan [2]
Hossain, S.; Rahman, A.; Kabir, Y.; Shams, A.A.; Afros, F.; Hashimoto,
M:Effects of shrimp (Macrobracium rosenbergii)-derived chitosan on
plasma lipid profile and liver lipid peroxide levels in normo- and
hypercholesterolaemic rats. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and [3] www.Foodnavigator-USA: Science building for chitosan weight management benefits. [4]
Gades Matthew D. and Stern, Judith S.: Chitosan Supplementation and
Fecal Fat Excretion in Men. Obesity Research 11:683-688 (2003) [5] Gades MD, Stern JS: Chitosan supplementation and fat absorption in men and women. J Am Diet Assoc 105: 72–77, 2005. http://docnews.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/external_ref?access_num=15635349&link_type=MED [6] Stern, J. S.: No Dietary Supplement Will Result in Substantial Weight Loss. DOC News, March 1, 2007; 4(3): 3 - 3. [7]
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: FDA warns distributors of dietary
supplements promoted online for weight loss (Press Release P04-39).
April 1, 2004. www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01045.html. [8]
Ni Mhurchu C, Dunshea-Mooij CAE, Bennett D, Rodgers A: Chitosan for
overweight or obesity. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Date
of last Subtantial Update: May 24. 2005 According
to Professor Janet Cade and colleagues from the University of Leeds,
the high saturated fat content of the meat may be behind the apparent
effects, with this kind of fat linked to cholesterol production which
is a precursor for the female hormone oestrogen, linked to breast
cancer risk. The disease is, however not limited to red meat as sole cause, but many other factors may trigger breath cancer.
The authors found a 64 per cent greater risk of breast cancer for
post-menospausal women which consumed more than 20 grams per day
processed meat, such as as bacon, sausages, ham or pies. An increased risk of 56% was found in women of the same age, which consumed more than 57 gram red meat per day. In
pre-menospausal women consuming more than 20 grams processed meat per
day an increase of breast cancer of 20 percent, compared with none meat
eating women. British Charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer denotes
that there are other factors like age, weight, nutritional habits
accounting for 30 per cent of the cases, and exercise which influence
health. It is being emphasized that all women eat a balanced diet,
limit alcohol consumption, exercise regularly and keep a healthy weight
in order to maintain general good health. [1] Taylor, E F;
Burley; V J; Greenwood, D C and Cade J E: Meat consumption and risk of
breast cancer in the UK Women's Cohort Study. British Journal of Cancer
Volume 96, Pages 1139-1146 doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6603689
Chitosan-based
supplements are sold as fat trappers and fat magnets. Matthew Gades and
Judith Stern quantified the in vivo effect of a chitosan product on fat
absorption. In this study the authors concluded that the fat trapping
claims associated with chitosan are unsubstantiated with no significant
effect on energy balance.
Chitosan
is a primary ingredient in dietary weight-loss supplements. Its claimed
activity is the binding and trapping of dietary fat, leading to fat
excretion and weight loss without caloric restriction. Gades and Stern
(2005) tested the fat-trapping capacity of a chitosan product in men
and women.
According
to Judith S. Stern there are not any supplements that cause substantial
weight loss. Consumer rely on testimonials, and they erroneously assume
that supplements are safe because they believe the federal government
would not allow unsafe products on the market.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitosan
Physiology (Wiley-Blackwell) March 2007, Volume 34, Issue 3, Pages 170-176
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1440-1681.2007.04568.x
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=75497-chitosan-weight-management-cholesterol
http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/5/683?etoc
http://docnews.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/4/3/3
http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab003892.html
04.04.2007: High consumption of red and processed meat linked breast cancer risk. [1]
In
a survival analysis to assess the effect of meat consumption and meat
type on the risk of breast cancer in the UK it was found that women,
both pre- and postmenopausal, who consumed the most meat and processed
meats had a significant increase in the risk of breast cancer.
04.04.2007: Survey on the prevalence of Salmonella in EU poultry [1]
European Community legislation foresees setting of Salmonella reduction targets for animal population including broiler flocks.
The survey was the second of several baseline surveys to be conducted in the Community. The sampling of the broiler flocks took place between October 2005 and September 2006.
A total of 11.0% of the broiler flocks was estimated to be positive for Salmonella Enteritidis and/or Salmonella Typhimurium, the two most common serovars found in Salmonella infection cases in humans. The Member State-specific observed flock prevalence of S. Enteritidis and/or S. Typhimurium varied also greatly, from 0% to 39.3%. The number of positive samples in a Salmonella positive flock ranged between one and five but at European Union level 42% of the positive flocks was found positive for all the five samples taken.
The five most frequently isolated Salmonella serovars from broiler flocks in the European Union were respectively in decreasing order S. Enteritidis, S. Infantis, S. Mbandaka, S. Typhimurium and S. Hadar. All these serovars, with the exception of S. Mbandaka, are frequent causes of Salmonella infections in humans within the European Union. S. Enteritidis was the most common serovar and it was detected in 37% of the Salmonella positive flocks. S. Infantis accounted also for an important proportion of positive flocks (20%). The serovar distribution varied amongst the Member States, many of them having a specific distribution pattern of their own.
While the Community reduction target will most likely be set for a transitional period only for S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium, it is recommended that Member States would address in their national Salmonella control programmes also other serovars when these serovars are of public health importance in their country.
[1]
Report of the Task Force on Zoonoses Data Collection on the Analysis of
the baseline survey on the prevalence of Salmonella in broiler flocks
of Gallus gallus, Part A, The EFSA Journal (2007) 98, 1-85.
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/monitoring_zoonoses/reports/zoon_report_
finbroilers.html
04.04.2007: Insect-resistan GMO Maize 59122 approved in EU [1] Maize
59122 was transformed by Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer
technology and expresses CRY34Ab1, CRY35Ab1 and PAT proteins. The
molecular characterisation data established that maize 59122 contains a
single insert of the T-DNA. The structure of the insert in maize 59122
was determined by Southern analysis and DNA sequencing. No vector
backbone sequences were detected. BLAST sequence analysis revealed that
border regions of the maize event 59122 show significant homology to
maize genomic DNA and EST sequences. None of the EST sequences showed
homology to known toxin or allergen encoding sequences. Analysis of
ORFs spanning the two junction regions was performed by bioinformatic
analysis and no novel ORFs with sequence similarity to known toxins or
allergens were identified. the GMO Panel concludes that maize
59122 is unlikely to have any adverse effect on human and animal health
or on the environment in the context of its intended uses. [1]
EFSA maize 59122}Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Genetically
Modified Organisms on an application (Reference EFSA-GMO-NL-2005-12)
for the placing on the market of insect-resistant genetically modified
maize 59122, for food and feed uses, import and processing under
Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003, from Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.
and Mycogen Seeds, c/o Dow Agrosciences LLC. Adopted on 23 March 2007.
(Question No EFSA-Q-2005-045) Publication Date: 3 April 2007.
The
maize 59122 from Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. and Mycogen Seeds,
c/o Dow Agrosciences LLC was approved on the 23 March 2007 by the Panel
of the European Food Safety Authority for food and feed uses, import
and processing of maize 59122 but does not include cultivation.
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/gmo/gmo_opinions/gmo_maize59122.html
03.04.2007: Polyhydroxibutirate (PHB) new biodegradable plastic from sugar [1]
PHB
polyhydroxibutirate new plant operations planned to start in 2008, the
new plant will produce Biocycle, a biodegradable plastic using sugar as
raw material
The
Pedra Sugar Mill, in Serrana, in the region of Ribeirão Preto, in the
State of São Paulo, is Brazil produces. Polyhydroxibutirate,
sugar-derived plastic under the Biocycle trademark,. The pilot
plant produces 60 tons of Biocycle a year.The entire production is
exported to companies in the United States, Japan and Germany PHB is biodegradable. Packing made with PHB is degraded into water and carbonic gas in six to 12 months. According
to the producer, a kilogram of the sugarcane polymer costs US$ 5,
whereas a kilogram of other biodegradable plastics, made from beet or
corn, for instance, costs US$ 14. According to Jefter Fernandes
do Nascimentooday the world produces 200 million tons a year of
polypropylene. “PHB is not indicated to replace all the uses of
polypropylene, but in the next years it will take between 1% and 2% of
that market, A packaging for eucalyptus seedlings made with PHB
plastic were launched. Three months after the seedling has been planted
the PHB degrades into the soil. Productivity increases at paper and
pulp plants farms. A research group from the Institute of
Biomedical Sciences (Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, ICB), of the
University of São Paulo (Universidade de São Paulo, USP), led by
biologist Ana Clara Schemberg, selected the bacterium — Alcaligenes
eutrophus, found in sugarcane fields’ soil — and produced a transgenic
variety that is more efficient in synthesizing PHB. The process
in stages organizes the plant’s operation, which is divided into three
main blocks: fermentation, in which the bacteria reproduce and
synthesize the polymer; extraction, in which the polymer is taken out
of the bacteria; and purification and drying, in which the organic
residues – in other words, bacteria remains – are eliminated from the
polymer. The selling of eucalyptus seedlings placed in PHB
packaging promising cost reduction and productivity gains since the
seedlings are planted directly into the soil, the elimination of
handling prevents contamination, which affects 20% of the plants when
conventional tubets are used.This will be extended to coffee, pupunha
(known as spiny peachpalm) and papaya seedlings. [1] UNICAMP: polyhydroxibutirate http://www.inovacao.unicamp.br/english/report/news-phb.shtml 03.04.2007: Renewable fuel in the City of Portland [2] USA and Biofuel The
City of Portland, Oregon issued the Biofuel Requirements act, demanding
that in the City of Portland, on and after July 1, 2007 all diesel fuel
shall contain 5% biodiesel (B5 fuel) and on and after September 16,
2007, all gasoline shall contain a minimum blend of 10% ethanol (E10
fuel), Biodiesel for this act is produced from used cooking oil
and/or feedstock from the Genera Brassica (rape, mustard), Caina,
Helianthus (sunflower) or Carthamus (safflower). The sustainability of corn farming in the US corn belt [3] The industrial corn cycle is not renewable, and is unsustainable by a wide margin. Ethanol
became the salvation for Midwest corn growers struggling to make ends
meet with a saturated market and slumping prices. U.S. ethanol
production is rising dramatically, thanks to generous corn subsidies,
American soils have been depleted for like 50 years or something. The
only reason we can get any good yeilds out of them is through massive
fertilization. Fertilizer that we synthesize using gasoline. It's very
inefficient to use the new bio-fuels, as they ultimately require more
fossil fuels to produce than enrgy they yeilds. [4] Bio fuel worldwide Also there is great potential in "enzimatic hydrolysis" for efficiency improvement of the conversion The
biomass wastes contain cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin. Acids or
enzymes are used to break down the cellulose and hemi-cellulose.into
sucrose sugar that is then fermented into ethanol. The lignin is more
resistant to these pre-treatment processes and is therefore burned to
produce energy for the system. [5] Wheat, sugar beet and rapeseed as biofuel in UK [6] The paper stresses limitations. U.S. corn ethanol neglects the
problem of monoculture. Depletion of the region and environmental
destruction of the Gulf Region will be the result of U.S. ethanol
agrarian politics. ESRU suggests crop rotation to address this
problem, stressing that it is necessary to use at least two different
crops for producing bioethanol. If rapeseed, which is the crop used to
produce biodiesel, is also added in then this will also help the
problem. [7]
USA,
trying to boost farming started many projects . National Renewable
Energy Laboratory claims that the production of ethanol from US corn
has already reached the volume of the Brazilian production. [1]
Palmoil is excluded from this issue.[2]
Tad
Patzek, from the University of California looks at the thermodynamics
of the corn-ethanol biofuel cycle in 2004. He concludes that the
minimum cumulative exergy consumption in restoring the environment
polluted and depleted by the industrial corn-ethanol cycle is over 7
times higher than the maximum shaft work of a car engine burning the
cycle’s ethanol.
The limiting factors, nutrient-rich humus and water that carries the dissolved nutrients to
plant roots are augmented by chemicals obtained in the linear, irreversible fossil fuel-based
processes. Corn yields demand continuously increases in fertilization rate of corn fields.
Patzek
writes that the annual corn-ethanol biofuel production is a human
assault on geologic processes and the geologic time scale.
Sugar cane:
Sugar cane grows in regions with abundant rain all the year round
growing season, cheap land and not expensive labour. The product can be
sold as sugar or as alcohol according to the demands of the market. [4]
ESRU at the University of Strathclyde made a survey of biofuel using setaside land in UK.
Bioethanol
produced from Sugar beet results in a much greater yield, but should
not be used as mono culture. When only one type of crop is grow on the
same land for successive years then this crop will become very
susceptible to certain pests and diseases as well as causing the
depletion of certain minerals in the soil. The net result of these
effects is a requirement for increased use of pesticides and
fertilizers which due to their production process results in CO2
emissions. Sugar Beet yields are considerably higher than that of wheat
and so fertilizer requirements are likely to be higher also, again
causing increased emissions.
ESRU says that total use of the 644.000 hectares of
setaside land in UK could supply 9,7% by volume and 5,5 by energy of
fuel using sugar beet / wheat 50:50. Yeld
Tonnes/Hectare Ethanol
cb m/ Tonne Energy content Wheat 7,74 0,336 Ethanol= 21,1 MJ/L
Petrol = 31,5 MJ/L Sugar Beet 53,30 0,108 Rapeseed 3,00 0,400 Rape oil = 35,6
Diesel = 37,9
[1] USA National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Innovation for Our Energy Future
http://www.nrel.gov/
[2] City of Portland, Oregon, USA: 16.60.020 Biofuel Requirements (Amended by Ordinance No. 180671, effective .)
http://www.portlandonline.com/Auditor/index.cfm?a=begbac&c=cigai
[3]
Patzek, Tad W.:Thermodynamics of the Corn-Ethanol Biofuel Cycle.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 425 Davis Hall
University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 23(6):519-567 (2004)
http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpetroleum.berkeley.edu%2Fpapers
%2Fpatzek%2FCRPS416-Patzek-Web.pdf&ei=y_8RRq34HojknAPMsImACw
&usg=__3PyRUnd6NfEgD26HmPNpRiHdhYE=&sig2=WaIXMpX7Mn87U2SrpFbeLg
[4] www.sciforum.com: Alcohol fuel – The obvious answer, Yes or No?
http://www.sciforums.com/Alcohol-fuel-The-obvious-answer-Yes-or-No-t-50183.html
[5] What is bioethanol? http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/02-03/biofuels/what_bioethanol.htm
[6] ESRU at the University of Strathclyde: Bioethanol production
http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/02-03/biofuels/quant_bioethanol.htm
[7] ESRU at the University of Strathclyde: Biodiesel production http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/02-03/biofuels/quant_biodiesel.htm#limitations
02.04.2007: Genetic risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus identified [1]
Diabetes
is widespread in industrial countries. It develops mainly in advanced
age, but children may also have type 2 diabetes mellitus. Overweight,
lack of physical exercise and genetic factors may trigger the disease.
It is supposed that the body on behalf of continuously high blood-sugar, produces so much insulin that the cells do not react any more on this hormone and at some moment the produced insuline is not sufficient any more.
Type I diabetes is somewhat of an autoimmune reaction working against the production of insulin of the pancreas.
Robert Sladek and colleagues from the McGill University in Montreal identified four loci in the human genome, containing variants that confer type 2 diabetes risk, in addition to confirming the known association with the TCF7L2 gene. These loci include a non-synonymous polymorphism in the zinc transporter SLC30A8, which is expressed exclusively in insulin-producing beta-cells, and two linkage disequilibrium blocks that contain genes potentially involved in beta-cell development or function (IDE–KIF11–HHEX and EXT2–ALX4). These associations explain a substantial portion of disease risk and constitute proof of principle for the genome-wide approach to the elucidation of complex genetic traits.
The researchers are developing an easy test which can identify the genetic anomaly and direct the therapy toward the modified zinc transporter.
The authors look forward to a genetic test of persons with the predisposition to type 2 diabetes. This can motivate these persons to a follow a specific nutrition plan and practice more sports and avoid the development of the disease.
Sladek, Robert;
Rocheleau, Ghislain; Rung, Johan; Dina, Christian; Shen, Lishuang;
Serre, David; Boutin, Philippe; Vincent, Daniel; Belisle, Alexandre;
Hadjadj, Samy; Balkau, Beverley; Heude, Barbara; Charpentier,
Guillaume; Hudson, Thomas J.; Montpetit, Alexandre; Pshezhetsky, Alexey
V.; Prentki, Marc; Posner, Barry I.; Balding,David J.; Meyre, David;
Polychronakos, Constantin and Froguel, Philippe: A genome-wide
association study identifies novel risk loci for type 2 diabetes Nature
advance online publication 11 February 2007: Received 11 November 2006;
Accepted 23 January 2007; Published online 11 February 2007,
doi:10.1038/nature05616.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v445/n7130/abs/nature05616.html;jsessionid=
F7373CDC21FE372D6A74ABF3D17E9E79
The vitamin E study [1]
A 10 per cent increased risk of mortality for people taking 400 International Units per day of vitamin E were reported by Miller and colleagues in 2005.
A
meta-analysis of 19 randomized, controlled trials involving more than
135 000 participants found that high-dosage vitamin E supplementation
(400 IU/d for at least 1 year) increased all-cause mortality. The
effects of lower-dosage supplementation were unclear. Tnhe authors
concluded that high vitamin E supplementation should be avoided. The Bjelakovie meta-analysis 2007 [2] Bjelakovic
and colleages excluded studies which did not match the criteria of his
meta-analysis. Only 68 randomised trials were included in the
meta-analysis, comprising beta-carotene doses ranging from 1.2 to 50
milligrams, vitamin A from 1333 to 200 000 International Units (RDI
5000 IU, Upper Safe Limit 10,000 IU), vitamin C from 60 to 2000 mg (RDI
60 mg, UL 2000 mg), vitamin E from 10 to 5000 IU (RDI 30 IU, UL 900
IU), and selenium from 20 to 200 micrograms (RDI 65 micrograms, UL 450
micrograms). The authors found that beta carotene, vitamin A, and
vitamin E, taken singly or combined with other antioxidant supplements,
were associated with increased all-cause mortality. The authors
conclude that treatment with beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E
may increase mortality. The potential roles of vitamin C and selenium
on mortality need further study. The authors say that although
oxidative stress has a hypothesized role in the pathogenesis of many
chronic diseases, it may be the consequence of pathological conditions.
By eliminating free radicals from our organism, we interfere with some
essential defensive mechanisms. Critics on the Bjelakovie meta-analysis Andrew Shao, vice
president of the US-based Council for Responsible Nutrition said that
the combined studies were far too diverse and different in terms of
dosage, duration, study population and nutrients tested that the
results of the analysis were compromised. According to Dr. Shao most of
the trials included in the meta-analysis tested for secondary
prevention in diseased populations, instead of primary prevention
studies in healthy populations. Combining secondary prevention and
primary prevention trials and then making conclusions for the entire
population is an unsound scientific approach. [1] Miller vitamin
E 2005}Miller,Edgar R.; Pastor-Barriuso, Roberto; Dalal, Darshan;
Riemersma, Rudolph A.;Appel, Lawrence J. and Guallar Eliseo:
Meta-Analysis: High-Dosage Vitamin E Supplementation May Increase
All-Cause Mortality. Annals of Internal Medicine; 4 January 2005 |
Volume 142 Issue 1 | Pages 37-46 [2]
Bjelakovic meta-analysis 2007}Bjelakovic, Goran; Nikolova, Dimitrinka;
Gluud, Lise Lotte; Simonetti, Rosa G.; Gluud, Christian: Mortality in
Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary
Prevention: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
This study has been highly criticised and discredited as flawed
Goran
Bjelakovic and colleagues report results of a systematic literature
review to assess the effects of beta carotene, vitamins A and E,
ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and selenium on all-cause mortality among
participants in primary and secondary disease prevention trials.
Meir
Stampfer, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard
School of Public Health points out that the studies reviewed were too
different to be able to pool them together.
http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/142/1/37
Journal of the American Medical Association. February 28 2007;297:842-857.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/297/8/842