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Prebiotics are known for their health-promoting functions associated with the modulation of the colonic microbiota and the products of fermentation. Recently, single-pot syntheses of galactooligosaccharides in combination with steviol glycosides (mSG-GOS) have been developed. This work was conducted to evaluate their prebiotic effect by using faecal inoculum from healthy human donors during in vitro batch fermentations. Additionally, their relative sweetness was evaluated to determine their suitability as food ingredients. The results showed a significant growth (p < 0.05) of bacteria, including the genera Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides and Clostridium, and a corresponding increase in short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in comparison to either positive and negative controls. The sweetness equivalence to 1 % w:v of SG-GOS was 0.8 % w:v when compared to sucrose. Considering the bacteria and organic acids analyses and their sweetness values of these new biosynthesized compounds, SG-GOS could act as a prebiotic sweetener with potential health benefits warranting further evaluation through human studies.

Aims: This study aimed to identify mentors’ cultural competence profiles at mentoring culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students in clinical practice and explore associating factors. Background: Globalization has had a significant impact on healthcare, increasing the diversity of healthcare workforces and the number of culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students in clinical practice. The cultural competence of mentors is important to secure students’ safe and successful learning. The mentor role in clinical practice contributes toward enabling and ensuring students’ high-quality and goal-oriented development of competence. Design: This study implemented a cross-sectional design with a final sample of 270 clinical practice mentors from Finland, Lithuania, Spain and Slovenia. Methods: The data were collected using an online survey including the Mentors’ Cultural Competence Instrument, Mentors’ Competence Instrument and background questions during 2020–2021. The data were analyzed using a K-mean cluster algorithm to identify mentors’ competency profiles. Results: Three significantly differing mentor competency profiles (Profile A 42%, Profile B 41%, Profile C 17%) were identified in this study. The cultural competence of the mentors in clinical practice varied between intermediate and high levels. Mentors rated their cultural competence as best in the area of cultural sensitivity and awareness, whereas the lowest scored area was cultural interaction and safety. Conclusions: This study showed that the cultural competence of mentors in clinical practice varied and was influenced by mentors’ work experience, age, job title and frequency of mentoring. This study provides new knowledge that could help to develop cultural competence operating models and education to enhance the cultural competence of healthcare professionals.

Arabinoxylan (AX) and arabinoxylo-oligosaccharides (AXOS) derived therefrom are emergent prebiotics with promising health promoting properties, likely linked to its capacity to foster beneficial species in the human gut. Bifidobacteria appear to be one taxa that is frequently promoted following AX or AXOS consumption, and that is known to establish metabolic cross-feeding networks with other beneficial commensal species. Therefore, probiotic bifidobacteria with the capability to metabolize AX-derived prebiotics represent interesting candidates to develop novel probiotic and synbiotic combinations with AX-based prebiotics. In this work we have deepen into the metabolic capabilities of bifidobacteria related to AX and AXOS metabolization through a combination of in silico an in vitro tools. Both approaches revealed that Bifidobacterium longum and, particularly, B. longum subsp. longum, appears as the better equipped to metabolize complex AX substrates, although other related subspecies such as B. longum subsp. infantis, also hold some machinery related to AXOS metabolization. This correlates to the growth profiles exhibited by representative strains of both subspecies in AX or AXOS enriched media. Based on these results, we formulated a differential carbohydrate free medium (CFM) supplemented with a combination of AX and AXOS that enabled to recover a wide diversity of Bifidobacterium species from complex fecal samples, while allowing easy discrimination of AX metabolising strains by the appearance of a precipitation halo. This new media represent an appealing alternative to isolate novel probiotic bifidobacteria, rapidly discriminating their capacity to metabolize structurally complex AX-derived prebiotics. This can be convenient to assist formulation of novel functional foods and supplements, including bifidobacterial species with capacity to metabolize AX-derived prebiotic ingredients.

The current public health framework promotes fiber increase and simple sugar decrease intakes as part of a healthy diet. This scenario has sparked the interest in the use of nondigestible or slowly digestible carbohydrates and low-calorie sweeteners. Nowadays, there is still insufficient information on physicochemical properties and structural features of nondigestible carbohydrates that prevent us from understanding the underlying causal mechanisms leading to health benefits. We describe recent findings about the role of fiber viscosity and distal small intestinal digestion of carbohydrates in gastric emptying, postprandial glycemic response, and weight management. Furthermore, the role of terpenoid glycosides, polyols, and rare sugars as simple sugar replacers, and how challenging it is to meet acceptable sensorial properties and desirable functionality in a single carbohydrate is also discussed.

The steel industry is the most relevant sector in emerging economies due to its application in numerous fields. However, steel manufacturing involves large energy investment and produces significant greenhouse gas emissions. The current world economic and environmental scenario therefore necessitates that improvements in the footprint of the steel industry be made without affecting its viability. Considering the present challenge, we report two possible processes for Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU). The first process is the competitive capture of CO2–SO2, followed by CO2 valorisation to methane. However, the CO2 capture capacity and lifetime for the adsorbent after multiple cycles could be improved through preliminary desulphurization of the gas current. The improved system demonstrates net profitability in a typical stainless steel plant. Therefore, it can be implemented in an industrial setting without profitability loss to steelmaking operations, fulfilling bot the goal of reducing CO2 emissions while protecting the mainstay of the plant.

Iberian lacustrine sediments are a valuable archive to document environmental changes since the last glacial termination, seen as key for anticipating future climate/environmental changes and their far-reaching implications for generations to come. Herein, multi-proxy-based indicators of a mountain lake record from Serra da Estrela were used to reconstruct atmospheric (in)fluxes and associated climatic/environmental changes over the last ∼13.5 ka. Depositions of long-range transported dust (likely from the Sahara) and halogens (primarily derived from seawater) were higher for the pre-Holocene, particularly in the late Bølling-Allerød–Younger Dryas period, compared to the Holocene. This synchronous increase could be related to a recognized dust-laden atmosphere, along with the combined effect of (i) an earlier proposed effective transport of Sahara dust for higher latitudes during cold periods and (ii) the progressive Polar Front expansion southwards, with the amplification of halogen activation reactions in lower latitudes due to greater closeness to snow/sea ice (halide-laden) surfaces. Additionally, the orographic blocking of Serra da Estrela may have played a critical role in increasing precipitation of Atlantic origin at higher altitudes, with the presence of snow prompting physical and chemical processes involving halogen species. In the Late Holocene, the dust proxy records highlighted two periods of enhanced input to Lake Peixão, the first (∼3.5–2.7 ka BP) after the end of the last African Humid Period and the second, from the 19th century onwards, agreeing with the advent of commercial agriculture, and human contribution to land degradation and dust emission in the Sahara/Sahel region. The oceanic imprints throughout the Holocene matched well with North Atlantic rapid climatic changes that, in turn, coincided with ice-rafted debris or Bond events and other records of increased storminess for the European coasts. Positive parallel peaks in halogens were found

Brewer's spent grain (BSG), one of the largest by-products generated by brewing industries, holds a wealthy nutritional value due to its content in proteins and fibres. Although some initiatives have explored alternatives for leveraging the nutritional value of BSG, it mostly remains an underexploited source of valuable ingredients for human nutrition, being mainly dedicated to animal feed and landfilling. BSG is rich in hemicellulosic material, composed of arabinoxylans (AX), which have been postulated as emergent prebiotics, capable to confer health benefits through modulating the gut microbiome. In this work we comprehensively investigated in vitro the composition and gut microbiome modulatory potential of BSG and AX fractions on human microbiota of two population groups by means of fecal batch fermentations and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The gut microbiome modulatory effects was influenced by the specific BSG/AX fraction; the population group (healthy or Crohn's disease (CD) patients) and by interindividual variation. For instance, Dorea and Eubacterium halli which include well-known fibre degrading, and health promoting bacteria, were only stimulated in fermentations of fractions with high arabinose and xylose contents. This work demonstrates diverse modulatory capacity of distinct AX fractions, diversifying alternative BSG valorization strategies through exploitation of novel prebiotics tailored to specific groups.

Pectin is a group of structurally diverse dietary fibers, very abundant in agri-food waste and by-products such as those generated during apple cider manufacturing. In recent years, pectin and pectinoligosaccharides have demonstrated good fermentation properties and prominent health promoting traits, particularly ameliorating certain inflammatory conditions. In previous investigations apple pomace derived from production of monovarietal Asturian ciders was demonstrated to represent a source of pectin with varied structural characteristics. In this work we investigated in vitro the modulatory effect of pectin and pomace fractions derived from the production of selected monovarietal ciders on human microbiota from healthy subjects and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients through fecal batch fermentations and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Overall, these fractions promoted the growth of Akkermansia, Lachnospiraceae UCG-010, Prevotella, Sucinivibrio and Turicibacter on samples from healthy donors, while Blautia, Lachnospiraceae CAG-56, Dialister, Eubacterium eligens and Intestinimonas were stimulated in fermentations from IBD patients. The growth of Akkermansia, Blautia, E. eligens group, Intestinimonas and Succinivibrio only occurred with pomace and pectin derived from the tested by-products, and not with other non-pectic prebiotics/substrates. Galactose content and (Arabinose + Galactose)/Rhamnose ratio in apple pomace, and galactose and rhamnose content in pectin, were positively associated to the promotion of most of these genera. This work comprehensively characterize the gut microbiota modulation of apple pectin and pomace fractions derived from cider by-products, demonstrating diverse modulatory capacity of structurally distinct pectin and apple pomace fractions. This diversifies the opportunities to achieve cider by-products valorization through formulation of novel prebiotics for particular population groups.

Human gut microbiota (HGM) is a complex functional ecosystem with different biological functions and any alteration in its composition can affect different aspects of human health. Diet is an external factor that can affect the HGM composition and metabolic functions therefore the consumption of specific food ingredients ensures the incorporation of substrates for fermentation by intestinal bacteria. Here, we review the pathways of metabolism of dietary carbohydrates including dietary fiber, selected prebiotics and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) by gut microbiota. Metabolites originated by intestinal microbiota fermentation and their beneficial effects for the host health have been widely described.

[Purpose]: There is a generalised public demand to increase alternative food protein sources. Food proteins derived from biotechnology or other means can meet this demand, but they must undergo a comprehensive safety assessment before they enter the market. Typically, a ‘weight-of-evidence approach’ integrates information from multiple sources and types of data to reduce uncertainty and improve reliability and predictability. Currently, in vitro digestion data are primary elements in the safety assessment. However, improvements are needed to frame the overall usefulness of these data in the risk assessment (RA)., [Methods]: The classical pepsin resistance test defined by Codex Alimentarius provides information on protein digestion for the RA. However, this test has several inherent limitations as a predictor of digestion and allergenicity. EFSA published a guidance document proposing more refined digestion conditions to provide more reliable knowledge about a novel protein’s fate in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Additionally, EFSA commissioned experimental work that provided a comprehensive dataset on in vitro digestion methods. EFSA has recently considered these methods and published a statement on in vitro protein digestibility tests in the allergenicity and protein safety assessment of genetically modified plants., [Results/discussion]: There is still great controversy on the usefulness of the current methodologies used to understand protein stability and its fate in the GI tract. To frame and build a more robust strategy in the safety assessment, we need a better understanding of protein–GI tract interactions. In response, EFSA asked specific questions, including: what is the usefulness of in vitro digestion in the overall protein safety assessment?; what are the most suitable in vitro digestion models? What is an adequate item to test? What criteria should be used to identify digestion fragments as relevant for RA (abundance, persistence, size; others)? How can this information be integrated into a weight-of-evidence approach? What follow-up actions would be required to assess the relevant proteins/fragments identified in previous steps? Answering these questions would be essential to better integrate in vitro digestion data into the overall safety assessment of proteins. EFSA is committed to dedicating continued efforts to this vital topic by promoting discussions at the international level to develop a scientifically robust consensus approach.

[Background] Food waste management is a key issue to global food security and friendly environmental governance. Worldwide, one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted along the food supply chain, primary production and food processing representing the most significant loses. Therefore, the need to achieve zero waste production schemes is becoming a priority to meet Sustainable Development Goals. Increasing evidence points towards vegetable food waste as a rich source of a wide array of carbohydrate structures and fibres providing the opportunity to identify and develop alternative approaches to valorize agro-food waste., [Scope and approach] This review describes the valorization of vegetable waste and by-products via production of (novel) substrates targeted to gut microbiota modulation, emphasizing the importance of raw materials and structural-functional properties of carbohydrates. Furthermore, we propose a novel framework for the rational selection of vegetable sources with potential prebiotic activity, based on machine learning and other computational tools applied to available literature and public database information., [Key findings and conclusions] Integration of the body of knowledge within the field of vegetable food waste valorization, from different perspectives, allows a rational selection of carbohydrate-based substrates with promising prebiotic activities. By exploring the interactions among dietary fibre and gut microbial ecosystems using computational tools fed with structural, functional and genomic data, we can identify substrates with potential to selectively stimulate gut commensals, in agreement with experimental evidence. Our approach establishes a new framework that can be extended to a wide range of commensal microbes and carbohydrate structures.

Comprehensive chemical characterization of nine mono-varietal apple pomaces obtained from the production of ciders with PDO is described. They were rich in essential minerals, fibers (35–52.9 %), and polyphenols. High levels in GalA (11.8–21.6 %), revealed the suitability of these apple pomaces as efficient sources of pectins. Extracted pectins showed high variability in monomer composition, with degrees of methylesterification, strongly associated with pectins functional properties, ranging from 58 to 88 %. For a subset of apple pomace varieties, pectin extraction was accomplished by conventional acid heat treatment or ultrasound. Despite ultrasound-assisted extraction did not improve pectin yield, it minimized levels of “non-pectin” components as revealed by the low content of Glc/Man, leading to the obtainment of high-purity pectin. Our work highlights the key role played by the selection of the apple variety to streamline the potential food applications (gelling/thickening agents or prebiotics) of the extracted pectins that largely depend on their structural features.

Large intestine cancer is one of the most relevant chronic diseases taking place at present. Despite therapies have evolved very positively, this pathology is still under deep investigation. One of the recent approaches is the prevention by natural compounds such as pectin. In this paper, we have assessed the impact of citrus pectin and modified citrus pectin on colorectal cancer in rats (Rattus norvegicus F344) to which azoxymethane and DSS were supplied. The lowest intake of food and body weight were detected in animals fed with citrus pectin, together with an increase in the caecum weight, probably due to the viscosity, water retention capacity and bulking properties of pectin. The most striking feature was that, neither citrus pectin nor modified citrus pectin gave rise to a tumorigenesis prevention. Moreover, in both, more than 50% of rats with cancer died, probably ascribed to a severe dysbiosis state in the gut, as shown by the metabolism and metagenomics studies carried out. This was related to a decrease of pH in caecum lumen and increase in acetate and lactic acid levels together with the absence of propionic and butyric acids. A relevant increase in Proteobacteria (Enterobacteriaceae) were thought to be one of the reasons for enteric infection that could have provoked the death of rats and the lack of cancer prevention. However, a reduction of blood glucose and triacylglycerides level and an increase of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillaceae were found in animals that intake pectin, as compared to universal and modified citrus pectin feeding.

Background: Mentoring in clinical settings is an important factor in the development of nursing students’ professional knowledge and competences, but more knowledge of mentors’ current and required competences is needed to improve nursing students’ clinical learning. Objectives: This study aimed to develop and test an evidence-based model of mentoring nursing students in clinical practice. Design: An international cross-sectional survey coordinated in five European countries: Finland, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia and Spain. Methods: Mentors, 4980 registered nurses working in both primary and specialist healthcare organizations, were invited to participate in the study during 2016—2019. The final sample consisted of 1360 mentors (mean age 41.9 ± 11). Data were collected with background questions and the Mentor Competence Instrument. The instrument was psychometrically validated then the data were used to construct a Structural Equation Model (SEM) with Full Imputation Maximum Likelihood (FIML) estimation. Results: All of six hypotheses were verified. In summary: mentors’ characteristics related to their motivation and reflection are positively related to mentoring practices in the workplace, which (together with constructive feedback) are positively related to and foster goal-orientation in students’ clinical learning and student-centered evaluation. All parameters in the SEM model were significant and the model’s fit indexes were verified (RMSEA = 0.055; SRMR = 0.083; CFI = 0.914, TLI = 0.909). Conclusion: Our evidence-based modeling confirms the research hypotheses about mentorship, and identifies focal competences for designing mentors’ education to improve students’ clinical learning and establish a common European mentoring model. Mentorship is important for both healthcare organizations and educational systems to enhance students’ clinical competences, professional growth and commitment to the nursing profession and organizational environments.

Synbiotic yoghurts are fermented using a probiotic starter culture and prebiotics, which are claimed to promote health benefits. We have previously shown that new prebiotic oligosaccharides derived from lactulose (OsLu) are chemically stable during fermentation and cold storage. This study tested how physical properties are affected when adding OsLu and lactulose at concentrations reasonable for fermented milks' consumption (2% and 4%). Sixty six stirred yoghurts were produced from skimmed milk (<0.1% fat), as high-heated (95 °C, 256 s) after prebiotic supplementation. Protein content was standardized (4.5–5.2%) by skim milk powder (SMP) or total milk protein (TMP). Lactose and maltodextrin served as inert carbohydrate controls. Fermentation was significantly slowed by OsLu or lactulose, regardless of concentration, indicating substrate inhibition. Such gels were softer and resulted in less viscous yoghurt. Multivariate analysis revealed clustering into samples containing OsLu, lactulose, or the inert carbohydrates, with acidification rate being the most prominent feature.

We studied the viability of probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis and microorganisms of a starter culture for set-style yoghurt, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, during manufacture and cold of storage of synbiotic yoghurts containing lactulose and the emerging prebiotic lactulose-derived oligosaccharides (OsLu). The evolution of the carbohydrate fraction, pH and microbial metabolites, such as organic acids, were assessed. Supplementation of yoghurts with lactulose significantly increased counts of Lb. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Lb. acidophilus and B. animalis ssp. lactis during fermentation in comparison with control yoghurt, in agreement with partial lactulose consumption. OsLu content was unchanged during fermentation or subsequent storage. These results demonstrated that the chemical structure of the oligosaccharide plays a remarkable role in the fermentation of probiotics, suggesting OsLu as an alternative prebiotic to conventional lactulose in dairy products with adequate cell counts of probiotics while preserving the initial levels of added prebiotic.

Five unexplored Andean tubers grown in Ecuador were characterized. Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius, var. INIAP-ECU-1247) showed a high level of prebiotic inulin-type fructooligosaccharides with a degree of polymerisation from 2 to 6 and the highest content of phenolic compounds. Mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum, var. INIAP-ECU-Izaño) showed high antioxidant capacity, attributed to its high carotenoid and vitamin C content. Melloco (Ullucus tuberosus, var. INIAP-ECU-amarillo-rosa) had the highest content of fibre and crude protein, while purple sweet potato (Ipomea batatas, var. INIAP-ECU-morado) and white carrot (Arracacia xanthorrhiza, var. INIAP-ECU-blanca) showed a high yield of starch rich in amylose, with possible better functional properties than potato starch. Fructose, glucose and sucrose were found in all samples. These ancestral crops can be useful as non-traditional sources of bioactive compounds with applications in the development of biomaterials, pharmacological products or new functional ingredients.

Allergenicity prediction is one of the most challenging aspects in the safety assessment of foods derived from either biotechnology or novel food proteins. Here we present a bottom-up strategy that defines a priori the specific risk assessment (RA) needs based on a database appropriately built for such purposes.

Oligosaccharides are gaining importance because of their beneficial properties in human health. They normally appear in natural and synthetic products as complex mixtures of different monomeric units, glycosidic linkages and degrees of polymerization, being disaccharides and trisaccharides usually the most abundant ones. Although liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry is a useful technique for oligosaccharides analysis, the similarity of their structures makes difficult their characterization. Moreover, there is still scarce information about the relationship between carbohydrate chemical structure, mass spectra and chromatographic data. Then, in this work, chromatographic parameters for 23 disaccharides with different linkages and monomeric units (glucose, galactose, mannose and fructose) were determined using porous graphitized and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography columns. Moreover, diagnostic ions of these disaccharides obtained by tandem mass spectra (MS) were established by stepwise linear discriminant analysis. The relationship between carbohydrate chemical structure and their chromatographic retention data and characteristic ions obtained by multiple-stage mass spectrometry (MS) was successful in establishing some specific criteria that allowed the characterization of trisaccharides with different structural features.

The feasibility of manufacturing yoghurts with three prebiotics, i.e., fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS) or lactulose added at two concentrations (2 and 4%, w/v) was investigated. Physicochemical and microbial characterisation was conducted on the effect of prebiotics on acidification, viability of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, lactose and prebiotic consumption and production of organic acids during fermentation (up to 6 h) and cold storage (for 28 d). GOS and FOS remained unaltered throughout fermentation and cold storage, while the viability of starter culture was similar to that observed in the control yoghurt. Yoghurts manufactured with 4% lactulose showed a significant decrease of lactulose content associated with a lower decrease of lactose relative to the control. This effect was associated with a significant increase (2.2 log10 cfu mL−1) in L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and a moderate decrease (1.0 log10 cfu mL−1) in S. thermophilus at the end of cold storage.

In Sierra Nevada (southern Spain), the highest mountain range in southern Europe, the application of an ancestral Integrated Water Resources Management system (IWRM), based on the conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water, provides water resources for irrigation and supply in the driest months of the year in this semiarid mountain region. Meltwater is derived from the headwaters of the mountain streams and rivers through a set of uncoated channels excavated in the ground (locally known as acequias de careo) to infiltrate at the upper part of the valleys. Water infiltrated along the acequias de careo slowly flows down the hillsides, through the weathered zone of the hard rock aquifer and the glacial and periglacial sediments. The recharge accomplished through this Managed Aquifer Recharge technique (MAR) activates numerous springs located halfway down the hillside and increases the base flow of the rivers. In this study, focused on a careo channel located on the southern slope of Sierra Nevada called Acequia de El Espino, different archaeological, sedimentological, geophysical and hydrogeological techniques are applied to determine the age and the efficiency of this ancestral example of a MAR and IWRM system. Results suggest that the acequias de careo may be the oldest MAR system in Europe, and that this MAR technique could be applied in other high mountain alpine watersheds to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Stratification of women according to their risk of breast cancer based on polygenic risk scores (PRSs) could improve screening and prevention strategies. Our aim was to develop PRSs, optimized for prediction of estrogen receptor (ER)-specific disease, from the largest available genome-wide association dataset and to empirically validate the PRSs in prospective studies. The development dataset comprised 94,075 case subjects and 75,017 control subjects of European ancestry from 69 studies, divided into training and validation sets. Samples were genotyped using genome-wide arrays, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected by stepwise regression or lasso penalized regression. The best performing PRSs were validated in an independent test set comprising 11,428 case subjects and 18,323 control subjects from 10 prospective studies and 190,040 women from UK Biobank (3,215 incident breast cancers). For the best PRSs (313 SNPs), the odds ratio for overall disease per 1 standard deviation in ten prospective studies was 1.61 (95%CI: 1.57–1.65) with area under receiver-operator curve (AUC) = 0.630 (95%CI: 0.628–0.651). The lifetime risk of overall breast cancer in the top centile of the PRSs was 32.6%. Compared with women in the middle quintile, those in the highest 1% of risk had 4.37- and 2.78-fold risks, and those in the lowest 1% of risk had 0.16- and 0.27-fold risks, of developing ER-positive and ER-negative disease, respectively. Goodness-of-fit tests indicated that this PRS was well calibrated and predicts disease risk accurately in the tails of the distribution. This PRS is a powerful and reliable predictor of breast cancer risk that may improve breast cancer prevention programs.

The computationally-aided photophysical and lasing properties of a selected battery of BOPHYs are described and compared to those of related BODIPY counterparts. The present joined theoretical-experimental study helps to put into context the weaknesses and strengths of both dye families under different irradiation conditions. The chemical versatility of the BOPHY scaffold has been also comparatively explored to modulate key photonic properties towards the development of red-emitting dyes, chiroptical dyes and singlet oxygen photosensitizers. Thus, BOPHY BINOLation by fluorine substitution with enantiopure BINOLs endows the BOPHY chromophore with chiroptical activity, as supporting by the simulated circular dichroism, decreasing deeply its fluorescent response due to the promotion of fluorescence-quenching intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). Interestingly, the sole alkylation of the BOPHY core strongly modulates the promotion of ICT, allowing the generation of highly bright BINOL-based BOPHY dyes. Moreover, 3,3′-dibromoBINOLating BOPHYs can easily achieve singlet-oxygen photogeneration, owing to spin-orbit coupling mediated by heavy-atom effect feasible in view of the theoretically predicted disposition of the bromines surrounding the chromophore. From this background, we have established the master guidelines to design bright fluorophores and laser dyes, photosensitizers for singlet oxygen production and chiroptical dyes based on BOPHYs. The possibility to finely mix and balance such properties in a given molecular scaffold outstands BOPHYs as promising dyes competing with the well-settled BODIPY dyes.

Current international guidelines for the risk assessment of biotechnology-derived foods date back to 2003. We present new strategies and directions for assessing immune adverse reactions to novel food proteins. Understanding genetic factors involved in food allergy and the role of the gastrointestinal tract will streamline risk assessment strategies.

The fermentation properties of a starter culture during kefir manufacture was studied with the inclusion of one emerging lactulose-derived oligosaccharide prebiotic and with the well-recognised galactooligosaccharide and lactulose prebiotics at different doses (2 and 4%). Microbial growth, glycerol, lactic and citric acids and short-chain fatty acids and carbohydrate utilisation during fermentation and cold storage of control and prebiotic supplemented kefirs were determined. Prebiotic levels remained unaltered during fermentation (24 h) and storage (28 days), with the exception of a decrease (7.3%) of lactulose in kefir with 4% prebiotic. Consequently, the viability of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, as well as the pH or level of fermentation metabolites was similar for all kefirs. Therefore, our data highlight the suitability of kefir as a matrix for the consumption of a variety of prebiotics, including that of novel synthesis as lactulose-derived oligosaccharides, widening their potential food uses and applications.

The behaviour of citrus pectin during digestion and its potential prebiotic properties were examined using a Dynamic Gastrointestinal Simulator (simgi®) model for the human gut, which simulates processes in the stomach, small intestine, ascending, transverse and descending colon. A remarkable non-digestibility of pectin in the upper gastrointestinal tract was observed by HPLC-ELSD analysis, where ∼88% of citrus pectin remained intact during its transit through the stomach and small intestine. Fermentation of pectin stimulated the growth of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium spp, Bacteroides spp and Faecalobacterium prausnitzii. High increases of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were observed, especially in acetate and butyrate concentration due to direct fermentation of pectin or by cross-feeding interaction between bacteria. This is the first study on the digestibility and fermentation of pectin carried out in a complex dynamic gastrointestinal simulator, being of special relevance the results obtained for F. prausnitzii.

Carbohydrates are one of the most important ingredients in foods. They are normally present as complex mixtures with different glycosidic linkages, monomeric units and degrees of polymerization. This structural heterogeneity impairs their comprehensive characterization and requires the use of analytical techniques with high resolving power and sensitivity. The use of chromatographic techniques, especially liquid chromatography (LC), has been extremely helpful for the analysis of carbohydrates. However, in many cases, the use of monodimensional LC is not enough to resolve these complex mixtures; then, the use of techniques with a higher resolving power, as multidimensional LC, could be a good alternative. To the best of our knowledge, our findings are pioneer in applying online LC × LC for the analysis of carbohydrate mixtures. For this purpose, different conditions such as stationary phases (BEH amide, C and PGC columns) and chromatographic conditions for the separation of di- and trisaccharide mixtures were optimized. The BEH amide × C combination was selected for the LC × LC analysis of carbohydrate standards with different degrees of polymerization, linkages and monomeric units. In order to allow their proper UV detection, carbohydrates were previously derivatized using p-aminobenzoic ethyl ester. This method also resulted to be successful for the separation of commercial prebiotic mixtures of galacto-oligosaccharides and gentio-oligosaccharides. This is the first time that LC × LC has been applied for the separation of bioactive carbohydrate mixtures and it could be considered as a powerful analytical technique for the characterization of other oligosaccharide complex mixtures.

One of the most remarkable natural events on Earth are the large lateral flank collapses of oceanic volcanoes, involving volumes of rock exceeding tens ofkm3• These collapses are relatively frequent in recent geological times as supported by evidence found in the geomorphology of volcanic island edifices and associated debris flows deposited on the proximal ocean floor. The Island of Fogo in the Cape Verde archipelago is one of the most active and prominent oceanic volcanoes on Earth. The island has an average diameter of 25 km and reaches a maximum elevation of 2829 m above sea level (m a.s.l.) at Pico do Fogo, a young stratovolcano located within a summit depression open eastward due to a large lateral flank collapse. The sudden collapse of the eastern flank of Fogo Island produced a megatsunami -73 ky ago. The limits of the flank collapse were deduced as well from geomorphologic markers within the island. The headwall of the collapse scar is interpreted as either being located beneath the post-collapse volcanic infill of the summit depression or located further west, corresponding to the Bordeira wall that partially surrounds it. The magnetotelluric (MT) method provides a depth distribution of the ground resistivity obtained by the simultaneous measurement of the natural variations of the electric and magnetic field of the Earth. Two N-S magnetotelluric profiles were acquired across the collapsed area to determine its geometry and boundaries. The acquired MT data allowed the determination of the limits of the collapsed area more accurately as well as its morphology at depth and thickness of the post-collapse infill. According to the newly obtained MT data and the bathymetry of the eastern submarine flank of Fogo, the volume involved in the flank collapse is estimated in -110 km3 • This volume -the first calculated onshore- stands between the previously published more conservative and excessive calculations -offshore- that were exclusively based in geomorphic evid

We describe Castalia, a proposed mission to rendezvous with a Main Belt Comet (MBC), 133P/Elst-Pizarro. MBCs are a recently discovered population of apparently icy bodies within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which may represent the remnants of the population which supplied the early Earth with water. Castalia will perform the first exploration of this population by characterising 133P in detail, solving the puzzle of the MBC’s activity, and making the first in situ measurements of water in the asteroid belt. In many ways a successor to ESA’s highly successful Rosetta mission, Castalia will allow direct comparison between very different classes of comet, including measuring critical isotope ratios, plasma and dust properties. It will also feature the first radar system to visit a minor body, mapping the ice in the interior. Castalia was proposed, in slightly different versions, to the ESA M4 and M5 calls within the Cosmic Vision programme. We describe the science motivation for the mission, the measurements required to achieve the scientific goals, and the proposed instrument payload and spacecraft to achieve these.

This study investigates the sweetness properties and other sensory attributes of ten commercial and four novel prebiotics (4-galactosyl-kojibiose, lactulosucrose, lactosyl-oligofructosides and raffinosyl-oligofructosides) of high degree of purity and assesses the influence of their chemical structure features on sweetness. The impact of the type of glycosidic linkage by testing four sucrose isomers, as well as the monomer composition and degree of polymerization on sweetness properties were determined. Data from the sensory panel combined with principal component analysis (PCA) concludes that chain length was the most relevant factor in determining the sweetness potential of a carbohydrate. Thus, disaccharides had higher sweetness values than trisaccharides which, in turn, exhibited superior sweetness than mixtures of oligosaccharides having DP above 3. Furthermore, a weak non-significant trend indicated that the presence of a ketose sugar moiety led to higher sweetness. The novel prebiotics tested in this study had between 15 and 25% of relative sweetness, in line with other commercial prebiotics, and samples varied in their extent of off flavour. Therefore, these findings suggest a potential use for clean tasting prebiotics as partial sugar replacers, or in combination with high intensity sweeteners, to provide a well-balanced sweetness profile.

The suitability of artichoke and sunflower by-products as renewable sources of pectic compounds with prebiotic potential was evaluated by studying their ability to modulate the human faecal microbiota in vitro. Bacterial populations and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production were measured. Reduction of the molecular weight of artichoke pectin resulted in greater stimulation of the growth of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Bacteroides/Prevotella, whilst this effect was observed only in Bacteroides/Prevotella for sunflower samples. In contrast, the degree of methoxylation did not have any impact on fermentability properties or SCFA production, regardless of the origin of pectic compounds. Although further in vivo studies should be conducted, either pectin or enzymatically-modified pectin from sunflower and artichoke by-products might be considered as prebiotic candidates for human consumption showing similar ability to promote the in vitro growth of beneficial gut bacteria as compared to well-recognized prebiotics such as inulin or fructo-oligosaccharides.

In this study, the immunogenicity and protective capacity of a new recombinant vaccine candidate, the rFh14-3-3z protein was analysed in sheep experimentally challenged with Fasciola hepatica, in terms of fluke burden, faecal egg counts, hepatic damage and humoral immune response. Three groups of 8 animals each were used for study, group 1 was immunised with the rFh14-3-3z in Montanide adjuvant, whereas group 2 and 3 remained as adjuvant control and infection control groups, respectively. The parasitological analysis showed that no significant reduction in fluke burden, fluke size and faecal egg counts was detected. The extent of hepatic damage was very similar between groups. Nonetheless, animals immunised with the rFh14-3-3z protein induced the development of specific IgG1 and IgG2, being the IgG1 the predominant antibody; which confirms the immunogenicity of this protein in sheep. This is the first report of the 14-3-3z proteins as vaccine against the infection with F. hepatica.

According to EU regulation, genetically modified (GM) plants considered to be allergenic have to be assessed concerning their endogenous allergens before placement on the EU market, in line with the international standards described in Codex Alimentarius. Under such premises, a quantitative relevant increase in allergens might occur in GM plants as an unintended effect compared with conventionally produced crops, which could pose a risk to consumers. Currently, data showing a connection between dose and allergic sensitisation are scarce since the pathophysiological mechanisms of sensitisation are insufficiently understood. In contrast, data on population dose-distribution relationships acquired by oral food challenge are available showing a connection between quantity of allergenic protein consumed and the population of allergic individuals experiencing reactions. Soybean is currently the only recognised allergenic GM food by law for which EFSA has received applications and was therefore taken as an example for defining an assessment strategy. Identification of potential allergens, methodology for quantification as well as risk assessment considerations, are discussed. A strategy is proposed for the identification, assessment and evaluation of potential hazards/risks concerning endogenous allergenicity in food derived from plants developed by biotechnology. This approach could be expanded to other allergenic foods in the future, whenever required.

Pectin-derived oligosaccharides are emerging as a new generation of functional ingredients with new or improved technological and/or bioactive properties as compared to pectin. This work addresses the impact of power ultrasound (US) on the structure of citrus and apple pectin under different experimental conditions of power, amplitude and pectin concentration in aqueous and acid media, as well as in the presence of a pectinase. Results indicated that depolymerisation of both pectin increased with time and intensity of US in aqueous media and their polydispersity decreased. In general, a higher depolymerisation was observed in pectin treated by US in the presence of nitric and citric acids than in water, and hardly any difference was detected between both types of acids. Most of the assays gave rise to high-methoxylated pectin with a degree of esterification above 50%, pointing out their suitability for potential gelling agents. Finally, US did not have any impact in assisted enzymatic hydrolysis on the degree and/or rate of depolymerisation at low and medium levels of pectin concentration (0.5 and 2%), whereas a higher diversity of pectin fragments was found at 5% which could be indicative of a more controlled depolymerisation. These findings highlight the importance of the selection of appropriate US processing conditions to diversify the applications of modified pectin, as well as the potential of US as a prospective alternative to currently used depolymerisation techniques.

The increasing knowledge on the complexity of the gut microbiota and its interaction with the host is challenging the concept and definition of prebiotics. This review emphasises the recent advances in the enzymatic production of prebiotic oligosaccharides, the use of renewable and/or alternative sources, that is seaweeds and marine microalgae, and the clinical evidences towards the beneficial effects of prebiotic oligosaccharides in the gut and other systems. It also focuses on the current gaps and research needs in the field of prebiotics, highlighting the necessity to gain a deeper knowledge on mechanisms that govern the interactions between prebiotics and human gut microbiota, on chemical structure-function relationship of prebiotics or to develop well-controlled human intervention studies to support claims of health benefits.

Deficit irrigation scheduling needs accurate indicators and in recent decades, continuous plant indicators have been developed. However, threshold values that could be useful in commercial orchards are not commonly reported. The water potential is a discontinuous measurement commonly used as a reference in the description of water stress level. In some fruit trees, such as olive trees, there are several works suggesting threshold values in fully irrigated conditions, but the influence of the evaporative demand is not taken into account. The aim of this work is to compare the values of the fully irrigated water potential in different locations in order to study the estimation of a common baseline. Three mature olive orchards were selected, two in Seville (South Spain) and one in Ciudad Real (Central Spain). There were clear differences between the three orchards during the 2015 season. Orchards in Seville (S-1 and S-2) were close (10 km apart) and had the same cultivar (table olive, cv Manzanilla) but they were different in terms of the fruit load (almost no fruit in S-1, medium fruit load in S-2) and distribution of water (single drip line in S-1, double drip line in S-2). The orchard in Ciudad Real (CR) was very different with regards to the olive cultivar (cv Cornicabra) and the location, as it was in a borderline zone for olives growing with very low temperatures that delay the phenological development. In all the orchards, the best baseline was obtained with different climatic measurements, even in S-1 and S-2. When all the data were considered, the best fit was obtained with the average vapour pressure deficit (VPDav). Influence of the location was significant in the interception term of the equations when Temperature was used but not with VPD. This source of variation was reltade with the level of fruit load. Slope of the equations was not affected for the location. The equation obtained was validated with water potential data from previous seasons of S-1 and

Maximum daily trunk shrinkage (MDS) is the most popular indicator derived from trunk diameter fluctuations in most fruit trees and has been reported to be one of the earliest signs in the detection of water stress. However, in some species such as olive trees (Olea europaea L.), MDS does not usually change in water stress conditions and trunk growth rate (TGR) has been suggested as better indicator. Most of this lack of sensitivity to drought conditions has been related to the relationship between the MDS and the water potential. This curvilinear relationship produces an uncertain zone were great variations of water potential do not imply any changes of MDS. The MDS signal, the ratio between measured MDS and estimated MDS with full irrigation, has been thought to be a better indicator than MDS, as it reduces the effect of the environment.. On the other hand, though literature results suggest an effect of environment in TGR values, there are not clear relationship between this indicator and meteorological data. The aims of this work are, on one hand, to study the improvements of the baseline approach in the MDS signal and, on the other, study the influence of several meteorological variables in TGR. Three years’ data from an irrigation experiment were used in to carry out the MDS analysis and six years’ data for full irrigated trees during pit hardening period were used for TGR study. The comparison between MDS vs. water potential and MDS signal vs. water potential presented a great scattering in both relationships. Values of MDS signal between 1.1 and 1.4 were always identified with moderate water stress conditions (−1.4 to −2 MPa of water potential). However, since this MDS signal values are around the maximum in the curvilineal relationship with water potential, greater values of MDS signal (in the range of 1.1–1.4) were not necessary lower values of water potential. In addition, during low fruit load seasons MDS signal was not an accurate indicator. On the other

Fermentation profiles of five enzymatically synthesized purified oligosaccharides (kojibiose, 4-galactosyl-kojibiose, lactulosucrose, and sets of lactosyl- (DP 4-6) and raffinosyl-oligofructosides (DP 4-7)) were studied using an in vitro batch-culture fermentation system inoculated with human faecal slurries, simulating the events in the distal colon. Selectivity index for bifidobacteria and lactobacilli was calculated for each oligosaccharide to obtain a comparative relationship between the growth of these beneficial bacteria with respect to the other bacterial groups studied. Results showed a strong bifidogenic effect for all oligosaccharides, with similar Bifidobacterium levels compared to those produced by well-established prebiotics such as lactulose and fructo-oligosaccharides. Accordingly, acetic acid was the most prevalent SCFA produced. Oligosaccharides sharing structural features such as monomer composition and type of glycosidic linkage were grouped by dendrogram analysis, thus, underlining the potential correlation between the structural features of prebiotic candidates and their impact on the composition and metabolism of the human faecal microbiota.

This work explores the use of both hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and reverse phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) for the separation and subsequent characterization of bovine caseinomacropeptide (CMP) phosphopeptides and O-glycopeptides using a quadrupole-time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization. Two neutral, ethylene bridged hybrid (BEH) amide and polyhydroxyethyl aspartamide (PHEA), and a zwitterionic, sulfobetaine (ZIC), stationary phases were used for the HILIC mode, whilst an octadecylsilane (C) stationary phase was employed for the RPLC separation. Overall, developed HILIC-QTOF method using the ZIC or BEH amide stationary phases resulted to be the most efficient methods to separate and characterize post-translationally modified (PTM) peptides without the need of any previous fractionation or derivatization step. The separation of phosphopeptides and differently sialylated O-glycopeptides in the ZIC stationary phase was dominated by an electrostatic repulsion interaction mechanism between the negatively charged phosphate groups or sialic acid moieties and the negatively charged terminal sulfonate group of the stationary phase, whereas the separation of either non-modified peptides or neutral O-glycopeptides both free of basic amino acids was based on a partitioning mechanism. In neutral amide columns, the separation was mainly dominated by hydrophilic partitioning, leading to a higher retention of the post-translationally modified peptides than the unmodified counterparts due to the hydrophilicity provided by the phosphate groups and/or O-glycans. As a consequence, HILIC-ESI-QTOF MS operating in the positive ion mode is a powerful tool for the characterization of underivatized O-glycopeptides and phosphopeptides.

© 2014 Elsevier B.V. Pit hardening period is the phenological stage when water stress is recommended in regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) in olive trees. In table olive trees, fruit growth is a very important process which could affect the final profit of the yield. RDI scheduling based on water status measurements could improve water management, but accurate threshold values are needed. Previous works in low fruit load conditions suggested -1.8MPa of midday stem water potential as >first step> of water stress level where no variations of fruit growth have been detected. The aim of this work is to describe the physiological response of table olive trees with a significant yield in a moderate water stress conditions during pit hardening period. Water relations of Control (no water stress) trees and Stressed trees were studied in a mature table olive orchard in Seville (Spain). Control trees were irrigated with 100% of ETc and values around field capacity were measured. Irrigation in Stressed trees was withdrawn during pit hardening period, and they were irrigated as Control in the rest of the experiment. Fruit growth was not affected until the last days of the deficit period, though midday stem water potential and maximum leaf conductance measurements reached minimum values a few days after the beginning of the water stress period. Such responses suggest two phases in the water stress period. At the beginning of the experiment, the physiological response of the trees (osmotic adjustment and trunk dehydration in the present work) compensated the decrease in water potential. In this phase, leaves and fruits are similar water sink in the shoots. During the last days of the drought period, the reduction of the osmotic adjustment and the greater decrease of fruit water potential transform fruits in more strength water sink than leaves. These changes produced a decrease in the fruit growth. The recovery, though it was not complete, increase fruit size as the same level th