Archives April 2007 - OurFood-news

 

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                              April 2007

28.04.2007: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in grilled, fried or broiled meat and cheese products [1]

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.

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]

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.

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.

[1] Uribarri, Jaime; Cai, Weijing; Peppa, Melpomeni; Goodman, Susan; Ferrucci, Luigi; Striker, Gary and Vlassara, Helen: Circulating Glycotoxins and Dietary Advanced Glycation Endproducts: Two Links to Inflammatory Response, Oxidative Stress, and Aging

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

[2] Wautier, J.L. And Guillausseau P.J.: Advanced glycation endproducts, their receptors and diabetic Angiopathy. Diabetes Metab (Paris) 2001, 27, 535-542

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

 

28.04.2007: Climate change makes near-surface fish grow faster

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.

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]

[1] Thresher, Ronald E.; Koslow, J. A.; Morison, A. K.; and Smith, D. C.: Depth-mediated reversal of the effects of climate change on long-term growth rates of exploited marine fish PNAS published April 25, 2007, 10.1073/pnas.0610546104

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0610546104v1?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10

&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Ronald+Thresher&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

[2] Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Coastal Resources Division: Otolith Analysis in Sportfish Population Studies. How Ear Bones Influence Future Fishing Regulations

http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=396

[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

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/315/5808/95%20

[4] Biello, David: Fish Fin?: How Climate Change Is Hurting Cold Water Fish

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

 

27. 04.2007: Brand Community [1]

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.

The authors found that these brand communities exhibit three traditional markers of community:

 

• 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

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.

Brand Communities

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 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

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.

[1] Muniz, Jr. Albert M. and O'Guinn, Thomas C.: Brand community. Journal of Consumer Research, Inc. · Vol. 27 · March 2001

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JCR/journal/issues/v27n4/270402/270402.html

 

26.04.2007: Leptin in infant formulas to prevent later obesity [1]

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.

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]

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.

Ways to tackle overweight [8]

Absorption of fat molecules

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.

Thermogenesis

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.

Feeling of satiety

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,.

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]

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.

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 inhibits the release of neuropeptide Y (NPY), a small protein that increases appetite.

Leptin effects

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.

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]

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.

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]

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]

The position of the charity Weight Concern [5]

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.

[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

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/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)

http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/5/201S

[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

http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/cgi/content/abstract/193/1/1

[7] Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Leptin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin

[8] Alan Dove: Biotech weighs up the options in obesity.Nature Biotechnology 19, 25 - 28 (2001)

doi:10.1038/83465

http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v19/n1/full/nbt0101_25.html

[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

http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fda.gov%2Fcder%2Fnews

%2Fmmwr.pdf&ei=C-0wRrqgOqbknAPczcSPBA&usg=AFrqEzcbuUB92ECMon3zU_szWX_RSXjeUw

&sig2=VEMix_rTSd1ewe_i37iS8Q

 

25.04.2007 Better cheese with corn silage feed milk than from fresh pasture milk [1]

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.

Small (SMFG)and large milk fat globules (LMFG) secreting cows

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 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 authors compared fresh pasture supplemented with cereal concentrate against corn silage treatment supplemented with soybean meal.

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).

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

 

25.04.2007: Antidiabetic effects of CLA mediated via anti-inflamatory effects in adipose tissue [1]

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.

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

http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/56/3/574

 

 

24.04.2007: Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Supplement CLA [1]

Conjugated linoleic acid was proposed as supplement improving body composition, cancer prevention, diabetes, high cholesterol. It also has been promoted as a fat burning supplement. According to Emory Healthcare, however, there is little evidence that it works, and growing evidence that CLA might actually worsen blood sugar control in people who are overweight.

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]

A small double-blind trial found weak evidence that CLA might be useful for high cholesterol. [5]

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]

One study failed to find that CLA can enhance immune function [6]

CLA and nursing mothers

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 ]

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.:

http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=8482e079-8512-47c2-960c-a403c77a5e4c

&chunkiid=21676

[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.

http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=8482e079-8512-47c2-960c-a403c77a5e4c

&chunkiid=21676#ref13

[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]

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 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]

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.

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

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.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5614a4.htm

[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

www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-213

 

17.04.2007: Antibiotic resistance marker genes nptII in GM plants poses no risk to human, animal or environment [1]

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.

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

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.

(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

transformation, a process that occurs infrequently in many bacteria and in most environmental conditions.

(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

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.

(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]

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

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]

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.

Potential mutations of the nptII gene resulting in resistance to other antibiotics [2]

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.

[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.

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press_room/news/ns_gmo_npt2.html

[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

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/etc/medialib/efsa/science/gmo/statements/npt2.Par.0001.File.dat/gmo

_statement_%20nptII_.pdf

 

16.04.2007: Still death cases caused by H5N1 avian flue virus [1]

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.

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

(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

Preparedness plans for a global flu epidemic

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

 

[1] Latest Bird Flu World News 8 – 14. April 2007

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/exec/pa/birdflu/

[2]WHO: Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1) Reported to WHO 11 April 2007

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2007_...

 

15.04.2007: Pharmaceutical rice [1] [2] [3]

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.

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]

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.

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.

Aspergillus is being used in the production of recombinant human lactoferrin but the cost is too high for use as a food additive. [4]

Ventria and its GM rice [1]

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.

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]

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 argument supporting pharmaceutical rice

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.

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

conditions of confinement."

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

http://www.calrice.org/documents/CRCNR031407.pdf

[2] CRC: California Rice Certification Act. A National Biotech Model

http://pewagbiotech.org/research/fields/CAData.pdf

[3] California Food and Agricultural Code

http://www.legaltips.org/california/california_food_and_agricultural_code/

[4] Lonnerdal, Bo: Expression of Human Milk Proteins in Plants. Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California

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

[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.

http://www.jpgn.org/pt/re/jpgn/abstract.00005176-200702000-00018.htm;jsessionid

=GvGKPTSQ8bhxhvDRzqn0hnY1nQzB7T4Yng2NQ8fcP8bQJ248Nw7J!-890758831!

-949856145!8091!-1

[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

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/132/6/1214

 

14.04.2007: New starter cultures for better yoghurt and cheese [1]

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.

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.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/315/5819/1709

 

14.04.2007: Reduction of Pressure on Palmoil production [1]

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.

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.

This may reduce the pressure on the forests in Asian countries saving thus precious wildlife.

[1] Pidkowich, Mark S.; Nguyen, Huu Tam; Heilmann, Ingo; Ischebeck, Till and Shanklin, John:

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

 

14.04.2007 Emergency Preparedness  [1]

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:

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

• 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

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.

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.

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.

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

possible.

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	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

In this recommndation the following distribution is being suggested:

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

 

A three days survival

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 days ration for 1 person:

• 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.

In fact, you can survive 3 days without food at all; so get water and let the rest behind you.

This ration is fit for transportation and will keep you fed for three days.

Milk powder and tomato paste will be a welcome variation for kids.

The William Bell and Cham Dallas report on nuclear threat {2}

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.

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

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.

First aid: Kool with cold water. Cover of wounds with aluminium foil. Burn shock treatment by drinking electrolyte, fruit juices.

Be sure you have aluminium foil packages in your first aid kit.

Drive upright to wind direction to avoid fallout

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.

With a steady wind, the pattern of accumulated dose of radioactivity assumes the shape of nested

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 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

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/

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)

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

[1] Bundesamt fuer Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK): Für den Notfall vorgesorgt.

http://www.bbk.bund.de/cln_007/nn_402322/DE/05__Publikationen/01__Broschueren/Broschueren

__node.html

[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

http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1476-072X-6-5

13.04.2007: New applications of biomass of bacteria and algae in food technology.

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

http://dx.doi.org/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.

http://bases.bireme.br/cgi-bin/wxislind.exe/iah/online/?IsisScript=iah/iah.xis&nextAction=lnk

&base=LILACS&exprSearch=351386&indexSearch=ID&lang=i

[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

http://dx.doi.org/0.1016/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.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract

&list_uids=15640510

 

12.04.2007: The Northern Osteosporosis and Obesity Study (NO2 Study) linking omega-3 fatty with increased bone build up in young men

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]

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

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]

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.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/3/803

[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.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/3/647

[3] Connor, W.E. (2000): Importance of n-3 fatty acids in health and disease.Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 71:171S-175S.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/71/1/171S

[4] Simopoulos AP. n–3 Fatty acids in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. J Am Coll Nutr 2002;21:495–505.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/3/647

 

11.04.2007: Cocoa extract and vitamin E counteract overproduction of free radicals [1]

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.

[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

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]

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.

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

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]

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.

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]

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.

Life Cycle Assessment is a method for estimating and assessing the resource usage and

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.

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

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607605388/fulltext

[2] MHRA: Nanotechnology. 15 November 2006

http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&useSecondary=true

&ssDocName=CON2025213

[3] MHRA: The Toxicology of Nanoparticles Used in Healthcare Products http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dDocName=con2025205

&RevisionSelectionMethod=Latest

[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)

http://www.nanotechproject.org/file_download/168

 

06.04.2007: Salt, sugar and labelling


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.

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]

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.

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

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]

Salt highlight  [5]

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)

Sugar highlights [6]

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.

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

http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,1979239,00.html

[2] Sanders, Tom: The Health Benefits of Breakfast Cereal. Presentation 02.02.2005.

http://www.breakfastcereal.org/Health_benefits_cereals_2.pps

[3] Sugar content on labels is confusing, says Which?

http://www.which.co.uk/reports_and_campaigns/food_and_drink/reports/_labelling_and_

shopping/sugar_labels_news_article_557_112217.jsp

[4] www.foodtechnology: Which? Criticises complex sugar labelling

http://www.ap-foodtechnology.com/news/ng.asp?n=75524-which-fsa-sugar-labelling-traffic-light

[5] Food Standards Agency: Undesrtanding labels

http://www.salt.gov.uk/understanding_labels.html

[6] Food Standards Agency: Checking food labels

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/fatssugarssalt/sugars/

05.04.2007: Irradiated foods in EU [1]

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.

Under Article 6 of Directive 1999/2/EC, any irradiated food or any irradiated food ingredient of a

compound food must be labelled with the words ‘irradiated’ or ‘treated with ionising radiation’.

Approved food irradiation facilities in EU

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

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:

- 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.

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:

- 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 United Kingdom: It has one facility approved. No food was irradiated in 2004.

Labelling

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.

The information submitted shows that during 2004, 3,9 % of samples were irradiated and not

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.

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)

http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/biosafety/irradiation/approved_facilities_en.pdf

 

05.04.2007: Slimming ingredients, an unserious category?

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]

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:

• 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-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 supplementation and fat absorption [5]

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.

The author conclude that the fat trapped was clinically insignificant. The product fails to meet claims.

Weight loss supplements [6]

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.

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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

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

[3] www.Foodnavigator-USA: Science building for chitosan weight management benefits.

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=75497-chitosan-weight-management-cholesterol

[4] Gades Matthew D. and Stern, Judith S.: Chitosan Supplementation and Fecal Fat Excretion in Men. Obesity Research 11:683-688 (2003)

http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/5/683?etoc

[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.

http://docnews.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/4/3/3

[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

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.

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

http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v96/n7/abs/6603689a.html

 

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]

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.

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.

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

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]

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).

Palmoil is excluded from this issue.[2]

The sustainability of corn farming in the US corn belt [3]

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 industrial corn cycle is not renewable, and is unsustainable by a wide margin.

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.

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

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]

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]

ESRU at the University of Strathclyde made a survey of biofuel using setaside land in UK.

The paper stresses limitations.

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.

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]

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

01.04.2007: Pros and cons related to supplements

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.

This study has been highly criticised and discredited as flawed

The Bjelakovie meta-analysis 2007 [2]

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.

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

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.

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

http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/142/1/37

[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

Journal of the American Medical Association. February 28 2007;297:842-857.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/297/8/842