Artículos de revista ISFOOD - ISFOOD aldizkari artikuluak

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Open Access
Adipose tissue modification through feeding strategies and their implication on adipogenesis and adipose tissue metabolism in ruminants
(MDPI, 2020) Urrutia Vera, Olaia; Mendizábal Aizpuru, José Antonio; Alfonso Ruiz, Leopoldo; Soret Lafraya, Beatriz; Insausti Barrenetxea, Kizkitza; Arana Navarro, Ana; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Dietary recommendations by health authorities have been advising of the importance of diminishing saturated fatty acids (SFA) consumption and replacing them by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly omega-3. Therefore, there have been efforts to enhance food fatty acid profiles, helping them to meet human nutritional recommendations. Ruminant meat is the major dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) source, but it also contains SFA at relatively high proportions, deriving from ruminal biohydrogenation of PUFA. Additionally, lipid metabolism in ruminants may differ from other species. Recent research has aimed to modify the fatty acid profile of meat, and other animal products. This review summarizes dietary strategies based on the n-3 PUFA supplementation of ruminant diets and their effects on meat fatty acid composition. Additionally, the role of n-3 PUFA in adipose tissue (AT) development and in the expression of key genes involved in adipogenesis and lipid metabolism is discussed. It has been demonstrated that linseed supplementation leads to an increase in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), but not in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), whilst fish oil and algae increase DHA content. Dietary PUFA can alter AT adiposity and modulate lipid metabolism genes expression, although further research is required to clarify the underlying mechanism.
Open Access
Alginate edible coating and cold storage for improving the physicochemical quality of cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana l.)
(Herald Scholarsly Open Access, 2015) Pedro Carvalho, Catarina; Villaño Valencia, Débora; Moreno, Diego A.; Serrano, María; Valero, Daniel; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
The Cape gooseberry is an exotic tropical fruit and, nowadays, is the second most exported fruit from Colombia. Therefore, the high demand for quality required research for a better understanding of fruit behavior. Furthermore, postharvest quality properties play an important role in meeting consumer demands. Cold storage and edible coatings are reported as efficient technologies for extending shelf life and preserve the quality of fruits in postharvest. As there are no reports of studies about the effect of these technologies on shelf life, quality and antioxidant activity in Cape gooseberry, this work aim to evaluate the use of alginate 1% during 21 days of storage at 2ºC as an alternative for postharvest handling of this fruit. Cape gooseberry exhibits a high respiration rate and ethylene production at 20ºC. Alginate coat decreased significantly the metabolism activity of fruit during the cold storage without change significantly the fruit organoleptic quality and showing total phenolic, carotenoid contents and antioxidant activity. Alginate is an efficient edible coat for preserve the quality and bioactivity of Cape gooseberry during 21 days of storage at 2ºC.
Open Access
Anthocyanin metabolites in human urine after the intake of new functional beverages
(MDPI, 2020) Agulló, Vicente; Villaño Valencia, Débora; García-Viguera, Cristina; Domínguez-Perles, Raúl; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
Sugar intake abuse is directly related with the increase of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and insulin resistance. Along this line, the development of new beverages using alternative sweeteners could help with combatting the pathophysiological disorders associated to the consumption of sugar. To provide evidence on this issue, in the present work, the bioavailability of anthocyanins was evaluated after the acute ingestion of a new maqui-citrus-based functional beverage rich in polyphenols, and supplemented with a range of sweeteners including sucrose (natural high caloric), stevia (natural non-caloric), and sucralose (artificial non-caloric), as an approach that would allow reducing the intake of sugars while providing bioactive phenolic compounds (anthocyanins). This approach allowed the evaluation of the maximum absorption and the diversity of metabolites excreted through urine. The beverages created were ingested by volunteers (n = 20) and the resulting anthocyanin metabolites in their urine were analyzed by UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS. A total of 29 degradation metabolites were detected: Caffeic acid, catechol, 3,4-dihidroxifenilacetic acid, hippuric acid, trans-ferulic acid, 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzaldehyde, trans-isoferulic acid, and vanillic acid derivatives, where peak concentrations were attained at 3.5 h after beverage intake. Sucralose was the sweetener that provided a higher bioavailability for most compounds, followed by stevia. Sucrose did not provide a remarkably higher bioavailability of any compounds in comparison with sucralose or stevia. The results propose two sweetener alternatives (sucralose and stevia) to sucrose, an overused high calorie sweetener that promotes some metabolic diseases.
Open Access
Antibrowning compounds for minimally processed potatoes: a review
(Taylor & Francis, 2020) Bobo García, Gloria; Arroqui Vidaurreta, Cristina; Merino Antón, Gorka; Virseda Chamorro, Paloma; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
This review covers some recent advances in browning prevention in minimally processed potatoes (MPP). Polyphenol oxidase (EC 1.10.3.1, PPO) is one of the main enzymes involved in browning of potatoes. Antibrowning agents are used in combination with other compounds and techniques to reduce browning such as physical treatments with modified atmospheres and cold temperatures in processing and storage. Due to increasing concerns involving toxicity from various traditional food preservatives, this review focuses on studies involving substances that have different mechanisms to control browning. These substances include reducing agents, acidulants, chelating agents, enzyme inhibitors, complexing agents or others, such as Maillard reaction products and natural extracts.
Open Access
Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and microbial-modulating activities of nutraceuticals and functional foods
(Hindawi, 2017) Peluso, Ilaria; Magrone, Thea; Villaño Valencia, Débora; Chen, Oliver; Palmery, Maura; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
This special issue highlights the importance of using different methodological approaches in order to clarify the mechanisms of the potential health effects of nutraceuticals.
Open Access
Assessing outcomes of genetic selection panels to predict marbling in crossbred beef cattle
(Oxford University Press, 2020) Weber, Tanya M.; Buseman, Brianna J.; Nasados, James A.; Lancaster, Jessica M.; Insausti Barrenetxea, Kizkitza; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of genetic panel marbling indexes [Igenity (IT) and PredicGEN (PG)] to predict marbling and tenderness of crossbred cattle. Steers (n = 23) were harvested at the University of Idaho Meat Science Laboratory, and blood samples were submitted to Neogen and Zoetis for genetic panel analysis. Forty-eight hours posthar-vest, one boneless strip loin was collected from each carcass, and six 2.54-cm thick steaks were cut from each strip loin. Steaks were aged for 14 and 21 d and assigned to consumer sensory evaluation or Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) analysis. Results were analyzed using the Mixed Model procedure of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC). Carcasses were grouped by marbling index score into Low IT (IT indexes 3-6; n = 16; marbling score (MS) = 410), High IT (IT indexes 7-10; n = 7; MS = 496), Low PG (PG index <50; n = 9; MS = 398), or High PG (PG index >= 50; n = 14; MS = 458). Mean MS was observed to be greater in High IT steaks than Low IT (P < 0.01) and greater in High PG steaks than Low PG (P = 0.01). There was a trend observed in WBSF between IT marbling groups (P = 0.06); however, no difference in WBSF was observed between PG marbling groups (P = 0.83). Consumers did not report differences between IT marbling groups in terms of acceptability (P = 0.99) or tenderness (P = 0.24). Additionally, consumers could not detect differences between PG marbling groups in terms of acceptability (P = 0.75) or tenderness (P = 0.40). Consumers consistently preferred Choice steaks over Select steaks in terms of acceptability (P = 0.02) and tenderness (P = 0.02). In conclusion, though consumers were not able to tell the difference between steaks from each of the genetic panels, using genetic panels to predict marbling, in conjunction with proper nutrition and handling practices, could be a beneficial tool to producers making decisions about retaining ownership at the feedlot.
Open Access
Biocompounds content prediction in Ecuadorian fruits using a mathematical model
(MDPI, 2019) Llerena Silva, Wilma Maribel; Samaniego, Iván Rodrigo; Angós Iturgaiz, Ignacio; Brito, Beatriz; Ortiz, Bladimir; Carrillo, Wilman; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
Anthocyanins, carotenoids and polyphenols are biomolecules that give the characteristic color to fruits. Carotenoids relate to yellow, orange and red colors whereas anthocyanins and polyphenols mainly relate to purple and red colors. Presently, standard determination of antioxidants is carried out using relatively complex methods and techniques. The aim of this study was to develop a mathematical prediction model to relate the internal color parameters of the Amazonic fruits araza (Eugenia stipitata Mc Vaugh), Andean fruit blackberry (Rubus glaucus Benth), Andean blueberry (Vaccinium floribundum Kunth), goldenberry (Physalis peruviana L.), naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lam.), and tamarillo (Solanum betaceum Cav.) to their respective anthocyanins, carotenoids and polyphenols contents. The mathematical model was effective in predicting the total anthocyanins content (TAC), the total carotenoids content (TCC) and finally the total phenolic content (TPC) of fruits assayed. Andean blueberry presented a TPC with an experimental value of 7254.62 (mg GAE/100 g sample) with respect to a TPC prediction value of 7315.73 (mg GAE/100 g sample). Andean blackberry presented a TAC with an experimental value of 1416.69 (mg chloride cyanidin 3-glucoside/100 g) with respect to a prediction TAC value of 1413 (mg chloride cyanidin 3-glucoside/100 g).
Open Access
Carbon and water footprints of the revalorisation of glucosinolates from broccoli by-products: case study from Spain
(Elsevier, 2025-05-01) González Peñalver, José Miguel; Martínez Aldaya, Maite; Muez, Ane Maite; Martín-Guindal, Andrea; Beriain Apesteguía, María José; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Ciencias; Zientziak; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua
Assessing the costs, benefits, and externalities of circular economy measures from a life cycle perspective is increasingly important for developing sustainable agro-food strategies. This study evaluates the carbon and water implications of revalorising glucosinolates from broccoli by-products through two distinct life-cycle scenarios in a case study conducted in Navarra, Spain. In the first scenario, glucosinolates are obtained from conventional broccoli production, where they are naturally present in the edible inflorescences. The second scenario introduces an innovative step: extracting glucosinolates from otherwise discarded broccoli by-products, such as stalks and inflorescence detachments. Carbon and water footprints were analysed for both scenarios based on the production of 1000 grams of glucosinolates. The results reveal that while the second scenario enhances resource efficiency by utilizing agricultural waste, the environmental costs of the extraction process outweigh the benefits, leading to a 37.6 % increase in greenhouse gas emissions and a 4.6 % rise in water usage compared to the first scenario. To address this, an improvement scenario is proposed, featuring a more efficient use of solvents during extraction, which significantly reduces both emissions and water use. This study underscores that circular economy strategies in agro-food systems do not always translate into environmental benefits accross all resources. A detailed analysis of various carbon and water indicators has provided valuable insights to enhance the environmental performance of such strategies, reinforcing the importance of life-cycle assessments in shaping more effective agro-food policies.
Open Access
Classification of beef longissimus thoracis muscle tenderness using hyperspectral imaging and chemometrics
(MDPI, 2022) León Ecay, Sara; López Maestresalas, Ainara; Murillo Arbizu, María Teresa; Beriain Apesteguía, María José; Mendizábal Aizpuru, José Antonio; Arazuri Garín, Silvia; Jarén Ceballos, Carmen; Bass, Phillip D.; Colle, Michael J.; García, David; Romano Moreno, Miguel; Insausti Barrenetxea, Kizkitza; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Ingeniaritza; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Ingeniería; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate
Nowadays, the meat industry requires non-destructive, sustainable, and rapid methods that can provide objective and accurate quality assessment with little human intervention. Therefore, the present research aimed to create a model that can classify beef samples from longissimus thoracis muscle according to their tenderness degree based on hyperspectral imaging (HSI). In order to obtain different textures, two main strategies were used: (a) aging type (wet and dry aging with or without starters) and (b) aging times (0, 7, 13, 21, and 27 days). Categorization into two groups was carried out for further chemometric analysis, encompassing group 1 (ngroup1 = 30) with samples with WBSF < 53 N whereas group 2 (ngroup2 = 28) comprised samples with WBSF values 53 N. Then, classification models were created by applying the partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) method. The best results were achieved by combining the following pre-processing algorithms: 1st derivative + mean center, reaching 70.83% of correctly classified (CC) samples and 67.14% for cross validation (CV) and prediction, respectively. In general, it can be concluded that HSI technology combined with chemometrics has the potential to differentiate and classify meat samples according to their textural characteristics.
Open Access
Color stability and pH-indicator ability of curcumin, anthocyanin and betanin containing colorants under different storage conditions for intelligent packaging development
(Elsevier, 2021) Etxabide Etxeberria, Alaitz; Kilmartin, Paul A.; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación
8.8 MT of food wastes are annually generated in the EU, in part due to the lack of real-time food freshness information provided by current food data labels. To address this issue, intelligent packaging strategies are being developed. In this study, in search of new natural and food grade pH-indicators, color stability and variability of curcumin (E−100), betanin (E−162), and anthocyanin (E−163) containing food colorants were studied in solution under different food storage conditions and pHs by light absorbance, color, pH and turbidity measurements. E−100 provided color variations (yellow/brown-yellow) at pH > 9 and was particularly photosensitive since a color loss of 67% was observed after 1 day of storage. E−162 and E−163 colorants, however, were thermosensitive and showed significant lower loss of color (30%) after 28 days of storage. E−163, especially, presented a broader color response (red-purple-blue-green) over a wider pH range. Furthermore, color variations at different pHs were dependent upon colorant type and concentration.
Open Access
Combination of spectral and textural features of hyperspectral imaging for the authentication of the diet supplied to fattening cattle
(Elsevier, 2024) León Ecay, Sara; Insausti Barrenetxea, Kizkitza; Arazuri Garín, Silvia; Goenaga Uceda, Irantzu; López Maestresalas, Ainara; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Ingeniería; Ingeniaritza; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
This study explored the potential of hyperspectral imaging in the near infrared region (NIR-HSI) as a non-destructive and rapid tool to discriminate among two beef fattening diets. For that purpose, a feeding trial was carried out with a total of 24 purebred Pirenaica calves. Twelve of them were fed barley and straw (BS) while 11 animals were finished on vegetable by-products (VBPR). When comparing the reference measurements of the meat coming from those animals, only the total collagen ratio expressed the feeding effect (p-value<0.05). To undertake the authentication procedure, two discrimination approaches were run: partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and radial basis function-support vector machine (RBF-SVM). To precisely extract spectral and textural information from the lean portion of the meat steaks, various techniques were executed, such as principal component (PC) images, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) for selecting optimal wavelengths, and gray-level-co-occurrence matrix (GLCM). After hyperspectral imaging and the combination of their own texture features, samples were classified according to feeding diet with an overall accuracy of 72.92% for PLS-DA and 80.56% for RBF-SVM. So, the potential of using HSI technology to authenticate the meat obtained from beef supplied a diet based on circular economy techniques was made in evidence.
Open Access
Comparison between capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography for the study of the occurrence of patulin in apple juice intended for infants
(Elsevier, 2010) Murillo Arbizu, María Teresa; González-Peñas, Elena; Amézqueta, Susana; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación
Open Access
Comparison of culturing and metabarcoding methods to describe the fungal endophytic assemblage of brachypodium rupestre growing in a range of anthropized disturbance regimes
(MDPI, 2021) Durán Lázaro, María; San Emeterio Garciandía, Leticia; Canals Tresserras, Rosa María; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua, CENEDUCA18; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Fungal endophytes develop inside plants without visible external signs, and they may confer adaptive advantages to their hosts. Culturing methods have been traditionally used to recognize the fungal endophytic assemblage, but novel metabarcoding techniques are being increasingly applied. This study aims to characterize the fungal endophytic assemblage in shoots, rhizomes and roots of the tall grass Brachypodium rupestre growing in a large area of natural grasslands with a continuum of anthropized disturbance regimes. Seven out of 88 taxa identified via metabarcoding accounted for 81.2% of the reads (Helotiaceae, Lachnum sp. A, Albotricha sp. A, Helotiales A, Agaricales A, Mycena sp. and Mollisiaceae C), revealing a small group of abundant endophytes and a large group of rare species. Although both methods detected the same trends in richness and fungal diversity among the tissues (root > rhizome > shoot) and grasslands (low-diversity >high-diversity grasslands), the metabarcoding tool identified 5.8 times more taxa than the traditional culturing method (15 taxa) but, surprisingly, failed to sequence the most isolated endophyte on plates, Omnidemptus graminis. Since both methods are still subject to important constraints, both are required to obtain a complete characterization of the fungal endophytic assemblage of the plant species.
Open Access
Cubierta vegetal bajo las cepas: una alternativa al control de las malas hierbas en los viñedos
(INTIA (Tecnologías e Infraestructuras Agroalimentarias), 2023) Abad Zamora, Francisco Javier; Cibriain Sabalza, Félix; Sagüés Sarasa, Ana; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Lezáun San Martín, Juan Antonio; Fabo Boneta, Jesús María; Virto Quecedo, Íñigo; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Marín Arroyo, Remedios; Garbisu Crespo, Carlos; Ciencias; Zientziak; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
En este artículo se presentan los resultados obtenidos con una cubierta vegetal de trébol sembrada bajo las cepas para competir con las malas hierbas, de manera que no sea necesario recurrir al empleo de herbicidas o laboreos intercepas.
Open Access
Decoupling of traditional burnings and grazing regimes alters plant diversity and dominant species competition in high-mountain grasslands
(Elsevier, 2021) Múgica Azpilicueta, Leire; Canals Tresserras, Rosa María; San Emeterio Garciandía, Leticia; Peralta de Andrés, Francisco Javier; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Zientziak; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Ciencias; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Over millennia, the combination of controlled burnings and extensive grazing has maintained mosaic landscapes and preserved mountain grasslands in southern Europe. In the last century, deep socio-economic changes have led to an abandonment of traditional uses, to a general decline of the domestic herbivory and to a misuse of burning practices. This study aims to quantify how the decoupling of burning and grazing regimes affects in the long-term the structure, diversity and dynamics of high-mountain, shrub-encroached grasslands. In spring 2012, four treatments (burned-grazed, burned-ungrazed, unburned-grazed and unburned-ungrazed) were set up at three sites in the Special Area of Conservation Roncesvalles-Selva de Irati, in southwest Pyrenees. During seven years, we monitored floristic composition and the height of the native tall-grass Brachypodium rupestre in four plots at each site. In the burned plots, we surveyed the resprout of the dominant shrub Ulex gallii and the dynamics of recovering of the herbaceous vegetation. Plant communities evolved differently in grazed and ungrazed plots. Extensive grazing, despite being lower than in previous decades, maintained plant diversity and limited shrub encroachment. The total absence of grazing fostered the encroachment of U. gallii at two sites and the expansion of B. rupestre at the other site. When B. rupestre cover was >60%, the encroachment of U. gallii was reduced. This research highlights the competition that occurs between shrubs and tall-grasses in the absence of grazing, and the modulating effect exerted by the burnings and the site-specific features. Understanding local plant dynamics is the first step to design the most appropriate practices that help to preserve diversity at the landscape and the community level in high-mountain grasslands of south Europe.
Open Access
Detection of minced lamb and beef fraud using NIR spectroscopy
(Elsevier, 2019) López Maestresalas, Ainara; Insausti Barrenetxea, Kizkitza; Jarén Ceballos, Carmen; Pérez Roncal, Claudia; Urrutia Vera, Olaia; Beriain Apesteguía, María José; Arazuri Garín, Silvia; Ingeniaritza; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Ingeniería; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
The aim of this work was to investigate the feasibility of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), combined with chemometric techniques, to detect fraud in minced lamb and beef mixed with other types of meats. For this, 40 samples of pure lamb and 30 samples of pure beef along with 160 samples of mixed lamb and 156 samples of mixed beef at different levels: 1-2-5-10% (w/w) were prepared and analyzed. Spectral data were pre-processed using different techniques and explored by a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to find out differences among pure and mixed samples. Moreover, a PLS-DA was carried out for each type of meat mixture. Classification results between 78.95 and 100% were achieved for the validation sets. Better rates of classification were obtained for samples mixed with pork meat, meat of Lidia breed cattle and foal meat than for samples mixed with chicken in both lamb and beef. Additionally, the obtained results showed that this technology could be used for detection of minced beef fraud with meat of Lidia breed cattle and foal in a percentage equal or higher than 2 and 1%, respectively. Therefore, this study shows the potential of NIRS combined with PLS-DA to detect fraud in minced lamb and beef.
Open Access
Development of a duplex qPCR assay with locked nucleic acid probes for A, B and E kappa-casein variants detection
(Springer Nature, 2022) Jiménez Montenegro, Lucía; Mendizábal Aizpuru, José Antonio; Alfonso Ruiz, Leopoldo; Azparren Domínguez, Leire; Urrutia Vera, Olaia; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
Milk proteins determine important milk technological characteristics. Among caseins, Ƙ-casein has been correlated with fat and protein content and cheese yield. Fourteen Ƙ-caseins variants have been described but the alleles A, B and E are the most important ones due to their frequency and/or influence on the technological aptitudes of milk. Therefore, in the present study two different duplex qPCR assays with locked nucleic acid probes (for positions 13104 and 13124 of the Ƙ-casein gene) were developed for the detection of A, B and E variants. Firstly, DNA isolation method from milk somatic cells and hair was optimised. The developed 13124-qPCR assay showed an increased sensitivity reaching up to 6.7 copies DNA copies/reaction at a 95% confidence level with A, B and E alleles reference samples. The 13104-qPCR assay reached up to 6.7 DNA copies/reaction for A allele reference sample and 67 DNA copies/reaction for B and E samples. Intra-assay variation results were below 6%. Applicability was determined using DNA samples from animals with known genotype for Ƙ-casein (AA, AB, BB, BE, AE, EE) and both assays were able to discriminate among the six genotypes with 100% accuracy. Thus, this qPCR method represents a sensitive and rapid option for the detection of Ƙ-casein alleles in both hair and milk samples.
Open Access
Disruption of traditional grazing and fire regimes shape the fungal endophyte assemblages of the tall-grass Brachypodium rupestre
(Frontiers Media, 2021) Durán Lázaro, María; San Emeterio Garciandía, Leticia; Múgica Azpilicueta, Leire; Zabalgogeazcoa, Iñigo; Vázquez de Aldana, Beatriz R.; Canals Tresserras, Rosa María; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
The plant microbiome is likely to play a key role in the resilience of communities to the global climate change. This research analyses the culturable fungal mycobiota of Brachypodium rupestre across a sharp gradient of disturbance caused by an intense, anthropogenic fire regime. This factor has dramatic consequences for the community composition and diversity of high-altitude grasslands in the Pyrenees. Plants were sampled at six sites, and the fungal assemblages of shoots, rhizomes, and roots were characterized by culture-dependent techniques. Compared to other co-occurring grasses, B. rupestre hosted a poorer mycobiome which consisted of many rare species and a few core species that differed between aerial and belowground tissues. Recurrent burnings did not affect the diversity of the endophyte assemblages, but the percentages of infection of two core species -Omnidemptus graminis and Lachnum sp. -increased significantly. The patterns observed might be explained by (1) the capacity to survive in belowground tissues during winter and rapidly spread to the shoots when the grass starts its spring growth (O. graminis), and (2) the location in belowground tissues and its resistance to stress (Lachnum sp.). Future work should address whether the enhanced taxa have a role in the expansive success of B. rupestre in these anthropized environments.
Open Access
Effect of black garlic consumption on endothelial function and lipid profile: a before-and-after study in hypercholesterolemic and non-hypercholesterolemic subjects
(MDPI, 2023) Villaño Valencia, Débora; Marhuenda, Javier; Arcusa, Raúl; Moreno-Rojas, José Manuel; Cerdá, Begoña; Pereira-Caro, Gema; Zafrilla, Pilar; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
Background: Black garlic is obtained from raw garlic (Allium sativum L.), by a fermentation process, under humidity and heat treatment, showing a high concentration of organosulfur compounds, which have been related to benefits in the prevention or delay of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The objective of the research was to evaluate whether long-term consumption of black garlic improves endothelial function and lipid profile in subjects with hypercholesterolemia. Methods: Single center, controlled clinical trial with two branches: Hypercholesterolemia vs. Healthy condition. Sixty-two subjects of both sexes were distributed in two groups, the hypercholesterolemia group (n = 31) (total cholesterol (TC) range 200-300 mg/dL and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol range 135-175 mg/dL) and the healthy group (n = 31). The intervention consisted of the ingestion of 4 cloves of black garlic (12 g) daily for 12 weeks. Results: significant increases in Apolipoprotein (Apo)A1 occurred in both groups: Hypercholesterolemia (& UDelta; 11.8 mg/dL p < 0.001) vs Healthy (& UDelta; 11.1 mg/dL p < 0.001). Besides, significant reductions for endothelial adhesion molecules monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) (& UDelta; -121.5 pg/mL p = 0.007 vs. & UDelta; -56.3 pg/mL p = 0.015), intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) (& UDelta; -39.3 ng/mL p < 0.001 vs. & UDelta; 63.5 ng/mL p < 0.001), and vascular cyto-adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) (& UDelta; -144.4 ng/mL p < 0.001 vs. & UDelta; -83.4 ng/mL p = 0.061) were observed, for hypercholesterolemic and healthy subjects, respectively. Conclusions: These data show that black garlic consumption could improve some parameters related to endothelial function and lipid profile, which may have a favorable impact on the risk of CVDs, although more long-term studies are necessary to confirm.
Open Access
Effect of curcumin, betanin and anthocyanin containing colourants addition on gelatin films properties for intelligent films development
(Elsevier, 2021) Etxabide Etxeberria, Alaitz; Maté Caballero, Juan Ignacio; Kilmartin, Paul A.; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación
About 52 Mt of food waste is generated annually at the household level. Almost a quarter of this waste is related to packaging issues such as inaccurate data labelling systems. This shows the crucial need to replace or improve food data labels in order to reduce food waste. Gelatin films with different concentrations of curcumin, betanin and anthocyanin containing colourants were prepared by casting. The effect of different concentrations of colourants on the optical, barrier, physicochemical, structural and colour response properties of films was investigated. The addition of colourants altered the colour, light barrier, and wettability of the films. Although the colourant retention capacity of films varied as a function of colourant type, no changes were observed in infrared spectra, and likewise the similar results were obtained by X-ray diffraction, mechanical testing and scanning electron microscopy pointed to retention of tertiary and inner structural properties of the films. The addition of colourants provided films with the capacity to sense pH changes before and after immersion in a fatty food simulant. These properties establish the suitability of the films for intelligent fatty food packaging applications.