Influence of pre-treatment methods on quality indicators and mineral composition of plant milk from different sources of raw materials.

BACKGROUND: Pre-treatment of plant materials is essential in producing plant-based products and can affect their various organoleptic and physicochemical characteristics. This work aimed to study the effect of pre-treatment of vegetable raw materials, namely ultrasonic processing and freezing of raw materials under various low-temperature conditions, to obtain multiple types of vegetable milk and determine their characteristics. RESULTS: It is shown that by applying a certain kind of pre-treatment of vegetable raw materials it is possible to adjust organoleptic parameters and the content of solids, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber and mineral composition of various types of vegetable milk from soy, rice, oats, wheat, peas, buckwheat, pumpkin seeds and lentils. Ultrasound pre-treatment allows increasing of polyphenol content by an average of 15-20% for all types of plant milk, except for lentil milk. The results showed that ultrasound treatment for 3 min had the most significant effect on the overall acceptability for lentils, pumpkin, rice and pea milk. Pre-freezing at a temperature regime of -17 and -85 °C contributed to an increase in Fe, K, Zn, Ca, Mg, Si and P by an average of 30-100%, depending on the plant material. CONCLUSION: Pre-treatment of vegetable raw materials, including freezing and ultrasonic treatment, can positively affect the macro- and micronutrient composition of plant milk. However, the effect may vary depending on the type of raw material and processing conditions. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Jerusalem Artichoke Tuber Processing: Influence of Pre-Treatment Methods, Lactic Acid, and Propionic Acid Bacteria Strains on Functional Fermented Beverage Production.

Fermented plant-based products are rapidly gaining popularity. Jerusalem artichoke is a medicinal plant that can be used to make fermented beverages. Samples were subjected to pretreatment (ultrasound at 35 kHz for 2, 4, and 6 min, freezing at -80 °C and -17 °C) while an untreated sample was used as control. It was shown that all types of pretreatments did not lead to an increase in protein, solids, polyphenols, and carbohydrates compared to the control sample. The greatest decrease in the values of these indicators occurs when pre-freezing tubers are used for Jerusalem artichoke dispersion production. It was also found that samples frozen at -80 °C had a significantly higher concentration of Ca, Si, Mg, and P whereas untreated samples frozen at -17 °C had more Al, K, Cu, Sr, and Cr. The processing method can affect the sensory descriptors of Jerusalem artichoke tuber dispersions to different extents, but the preference was for the control sample without pre-treatment. The fermentation of Jerusalem artichoke tuber dispersions demonstrated that S. thermophilus induced the most rapid fermentation (pH 4.75 in 5 h). The highest antioxidant activity after fermentation (55.39% FRSA) was shown for L. acidophilus H9, while the highest % FRSA value during the storage period was for L. bulgaricus (67.5%) on day 5 after fermentation. The highest viability among all selected microorganisms was detected for L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus AT-41, and B. coagulans MTCC 5856 with the increase in biomass content by 2.3, 2.27, and 2.12 log10CFU/ml after fermentation. According to the results of sensory evaluation using hybrid hedonic scale the best results were shown for samples fermented with L. bulgaricus.

The effects of desynchronosis on the gut microbiota composition and physiological parameters of rats.

BACKGROUND: All living organisms experience physiological changes regulated by endogenous circadian rhythms. The main factor controlling the circadian clock is the duration of daylight. The aim of this research was to identify the impact of various lighting conditions on physiological parameters and gut microbiota composition in rats. 3 groups of outbred rats were subjected to normal light-dark cycles, darkness and constant lighting. RESULTS: After 1 and 3 months we studied urinary catecholamine levels in rats; indicators of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity in the blood; protein levels of BMAL1, CLOCK and THRA in the hypothalamus; composition and functional activity of the gut microbiota. Subjecting the rats to conditions promoting desynchronosis for 3 months caused disruptions in homeostasis. CONCLUSIONS: Changing the lighting conditions led to changes in almost all the physiological parameters that we studied. Catecholamines can be regarded as a synchronization super system of split-level circadian oscillators. We established a correlation between hypothalamic levels of Bmal1 and urinary catecholamine concentrations. The magnitude of changes in the GM taxonomic composition was different for LL/LD and DD/LD but the direction of these changes was similar. As for the predicted functional properties of the GM which characterize its metabolic activity, they didn't change as dramatically as the taxonomic composition. All differences may be viewed as a compensatory reaction to new environmental conditions and the organism has adapted to those conditions.

Temperature-Induced Structural Transformations in Undoped and Eu3+-Doped Ruddlesden-Popper Phases Sr2SnO4 and Sr3Sn2O7: Relation to the Impedance and Luminescence Behaviors.

We report that luminescence of Eu3+ ion incorporated into Ruddlesden-Popper phases allows monitoring phase transition in powders (instead of single crystals), in a time-efficient manner (compared to neutron diffraction), and importantly, with greater sensitivity than previous methods. Crystal structure and dielectric response of undoped and 0.5%Eu3+-doped Sr3Sn2O7 ceramics were studied as a function of temperature over the temperature range of 300-800 K. The luminescence studies of 0.5%Eu3+-doped Sr2SnO4 and Sr3Sn2O7 samples were performed in the temperature range of 80-500 K. These results were compared with the respective dependences for the undoped compounds. The structural transformations in 0.5%Eu3+-doped Sr3Sn2O7 were found at 390 and 740 K. The former is associated with the isostructural atomic rearrangement that resulted in a negative thermal expansion along two of three orthorhombic crystallographic axes, while the latter corresponds to the structural transition from the orthorhombic Amam phase to the tetragonal I4/mmm one. A similar temperature behavior with the structural transformations in the same temperature ranges was observed in undoped Sr3Sn2O7, although the values of lattice parameters of the Eu3+-doped and undoped compounds were found to be slightly different indicating an incorporation of europium in the crystal lattice. A dielectric anomaly associated with a structural phase transition was observed in Sr3Sn2O7 at 390 K. Optical measurements performed over a wide temperature range demonstrated a clear correlation between structural transformations in Eu3+-doped Sr2SnO4 and Sr3Sn2O7 and the temperature anomalies of their luminescence spectra, suggesting the efficacy of this method for the determination of subtle phase transformations.

Geochemistry aspects of modern mercury accumulation in bottom sediments from the south-western Chukchi Sea.

Mercury (Hg) having a high migration capacity reach the Arctic region via the atmosphere. The absorbers for Hg are sea bottom sediments. Sedimentation in the Chukchi Sea occurs under the influence of highly productive Pacific waters entering through the Bering Strait and the inflow of a terrigenous component from the western direction with the Siberian Coastal Current. The Hg concentrations ranged from 12 µg kg-1 to 39 µg kg-1 in bottom sediments of study polygon. Based on dating sediment core the background concentration was 29 µg kg-1. Concentration of Hg in fine sediment fractions was 82 µg kg-1, in sandy fractions (>63 µm) varied from 8 to12 µg kg-1. In recent decades the Hg accumulation in bottom sediments has been controlled by the biogenic component. The Hg in the studied sediments presents as sulfide form.

The anthropogenic fallout radionuclides in soils of Mount Khuko (the Western Caucasus) and their application for determination of sediment redistribution.

The purposes of this study are to determine the content and origin of anthropogenic fallout radionuclides (FRN) in soils of Mount Khuko, located in the western sector of the Caucasus Mountains and to assess the possibility to use them for evaluation of sediment redistribution for the alpine grasslands,. The field study was carried out in August 2019 near the top of Mount Khuko, located in the western part of the main Caucasus Mountain Ridge. Integral and incremental soil samples were collected from the different morphological units of the studied area. The content of 137Cs and 241Am in soil samples was evaluated using laboratory gamma-spectrometry. A part of samples was selected for Pu isotopes extraction and then alpha-spectrometric analysis. It was established that the 137Cs contamination of soils in the studied area has at least two sources of origin. The first source is the 137Cs bomb-derived fallout after the bomb tests in 1950-60th, which is widespread across the globe. The second source is 137Cs Chernobyl-derived fallout High random variability (Cv = 25-42%) was found within reference sites, located at the undisturbed areas on the local flat interfluves due to high variability of soil characteristics (grain size, density, organic matter content etc.). However minimum spatial variability (range 12,2-14,3 kBq/m2) was identified for the mean value of 137Cs inventories for all 5 reference sites located in the different parts of the studied area. It is difficult to separate individual peaks of the bomb-derived and Chernobyl-derived 137Cs falloutin sediment sinks with low sedimentation rates. Application 239,240Pu as an additional chronological marker allows to identify the origin of above mention peaks in the soils of alpine grasslands and of dry lake bottom.

Assessment of mercury levels in modern sediments of the East Siberian Sea.

Mercury (Hg) is an important environmental indicator of anthropogenic pollution. In this study, the Hg content in the bottom sediments of the East Siberian Sea was observed to range from 13 to 92 ppb, with an average of 36 ppb. Facies dependence was also observed and expressed as an increase in the Hg concentration in fine-sized sediments on the shelf edge and continental slope, compared to that in the sandy silts and sands of the inner shelf. The Hg accumulation in bottom sediments of the eastern part has increased over the past 150 years due to an increase in global emissions of anthropogenic Hg, which is caused by the transboundary transport of Hg to the Arctic. Moreover, changes in the Hg value, which occur due to the plankton arriving at the bottom sediments because of changes in hydrology and primary production, are thought to be associated with global warming.