Search

Eggs are a complete food with high-quality proteins; a 2:1 ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acid (SFA); and a good amount of minerals, as well as vitamins or antioxidant compounds. Seeds or mature plants were usually added to the feed to improve egg quality. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of alfalfa and flax freeze-dried sprouts supplementation in diets of laying hens on egg oxidative status and key bioactive compounds. Thirty Sassò hens were fed with three different diets: standard, standard + 3% freeze-dried alfalfa sprouts, or flaxseed sprouts. Ten pools of 10 egg yolks per group were collected at 0, 4, and 8 weeks and analyzed. Supplementation with sprouts enriched the phytosterols, phytoestrogens, tocols, carotenes, vitamin D, and n-3 fatty acid contents in the eggs. Cholesterol content was lower in both sprout-supplemented groups, and a decrease in its oxidative products was also observed. It was found that a 3% freeze-dried sprouts supplementation of approximately 56 days improves the egg quality. Further studies are necessary to verify higher supplementing doses and the applicability of this strategy in the commercial egg production chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhalation of olive pollen (Olea europaea L.) is one of the main causes of allergy in Mediterranean countries and some areas of North America. The response to allergens consists in the production of inflammatory cytokines which is mediated by the deregulation of Ca2+ signals. In this study, the biological activity of the material released in olive pollen hydration (PMR) was tested on Ca2+ cytosolic of PE/CA-PJ15 cells (PJ-15). Ca2+ cytosolic was determined by fluorometric assay with the cell line PE/CA-PJ15 (PJ-15) labeled with the fluorescent probe FURA 2 AM. The material released in olive pollen hydration (PMR) was analyzed by HPLC for the determination of phenolic acids. PMR was subjected to fractionation by gel filtration, and the fractions with Ca2+-chelating activity were tested with SDS-PAGE and the single bands characterized by proteomic analysis. PMR showed high Ca2+-chelating activity and is able of blocking the increase Ca2+-cytosolic produced by thapsigargin (TG). PMR then restored Ca2+ homeostasis in PJ-15 cells deregulated by the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPases inhibitor. It is therefore possible that PMR can antagonize the effects of allergens on Ca2+ cytosolic. The analytical characterization of the material released by the pollen highlighted in the pollen allergen Ole e 3 and in the p-coumaric acid the possible culprits of the Ca2+-antagonist activity of PMR. Furthermore, the sequence of Ole e 3 could provide information for the possible construction of a synthetic peptide to be used in an allergy-targeted Ca2+-antagonist therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Lipid oxidation causes changes in quality attributes of vegetable oils. Synthetic antioxidants have been used to preserve oils; however, there is interest in replacing them with natural ones. Garlic and its thiosulfinate compound allicin are known for their antioxidant activities. This study assesses a novel formulation, the supercritical fluid extract of garlic, on sunflower oil oxidation during an accelerated shelf-life test. RESULTS Three quality parameters (free acidity, peroxide values, and p-anisidine values) were evaluated in each of the six oil samples. The samples included sunflower oil alone, sunflower oil supplemented with BHT, the undiluted supercritical fluid extract of garlic, and sunflower oils supplemented with three levels of garlic extract. The oils were also investigated for their antioxidant properties using the DPPH and the FRAP assays. The results were compared with the effect of the synthetic BHT. Our results underlined that the highest level of garlic extract may be superior, or at least comparable, with BHT in preserving sunflower oil. CONCLUSION The oxidative degradation of oily samples can be limited by using supercritical fluid extract of garlic as it is a safe and an effective natural antioxidant formulation. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is an invasive species widely distributed in several regions of the world, where it shares a large area with domesticated sunflower. The imidazolinone-tolerant sunflower enables the control of problematic weeds (such as Xanthium spp., Brassica spp., wild sunflower) with imidazolinone herbicides (Clearfield® production system) in cultivated sunflower crops, but could facilitate the gene transfer of herbicide resistance, from cultivated sunflower to wild sunflower, generating hard-to-control weed biotypes or herbicide-resistant populations. The development of new practices that involve the selective inhibition of reproduction structures, such as pollen granules, could be an innovative strategy to minimize outcrossing and the origin of weed–crop hybrids in Clearfield® production systems. In this study, the effects of mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.) aqueous extract on cytosolic Ca2+ and the germination of pollen grains collected from conventional, wild and IMI-tolerant sunflower were tested. The results showed that mugwort deregulated Ca2+ homeostasis and markedly reduced the germination of conventional and wild sunflower pollen, but not IMI-tolerant pollen. The HPLC analysis revealed the presence of phenolic acids belonging to the hydroxycinnamic and benzoic classes in the mugwort extract. Hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic and ferulic) deregulated the cytosolic Ca2+ of conventional and wild sunflower pollen, but not those which were IMI-tolerant, similar to mugwort extract. Selective inhibition of wild sunflower pollen in the Clearfield® sunflower crop contributes to a possible new weed management strategy, reducing the wild sunflower reproduction by seed, minimizing the potential risks of outcrossing with the formation of weed–crop hybrids. The Ca2+ selective chelating activity of caffeic or ferulic acids provides elements to be investigated for their possible use as an alternative to mugwort extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]