Effect of Excess Iodide Intake on Salivary Glands in a Swiss Albino Mice Model.

Iodine is an important micronutrient required for nutrition. Excess iodine has adverse effects on thyroid, but there is not enough information regarding its effect on salivary glands. In addition to food and iodized salt, skin disinfectants and maternal nutritional supplements contain iodide, so its intake could be excessive during pregnancy, lactation, and infancy. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of excess iodide ingestion on salivary glands during mating, gestation, lactation, and postweaning period in mouse. During assay, mice were allocated into groups: control and treatment groups (received distilled water with NaI 1 mg/mL). Water intake, glandular weight, and histology were analyzed. Treatment groups showed an increase in glandular weight and a significantly (p < 0.05) higher water intake than control groups. Lymphocyte infiltration was observed in animals of treatment groups, while there was no infiltration in glandular sections of control groups. Results demonstrated that a negative relationship could exist between iodide excess and salivary glands. This work is novel evidence that high levels of iodide intake could induce mononuclear infiltration in salivary glands. These results should be considered, especially in pregnant/lactating women, to whom a higher iodine intake is usually recommended.

Fatty acid profile of pig meat after probiotic administration.

The aim of this work was to study the fatty acid profile of pig meat after probiotic administration. Thirty postweaned pigs (25 day old) were distributed into 2 groups: control (n = 15) and probiotic (n = 15). Each experimental group was fed ad libitum on a commercial diet for 35 days. Lactobacillus amylovorus and Enterococcus faecium mixed culture (10(8) CFU/ml)was daily orally delivered to the probiotic group. At the end of the assay, six pigs randomly selected from each group were slaughtered and muscle samples (Longissimus dorsi) were taken for fatty acid analysis. Tissues from the probiotic group animals exhibited an increase in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids; furthermore, linoleic acid (C18:2), linolenic acid (18:3), and cis-9,trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) concentrations were significantly higher (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. These results suggest probiotic administration could be useful to modify and improve the fatty acid profile of pig meat.

Effects of probiotic administration in swine.

In the present work we evaluated the effects of probiotic strains administration in pigs. On the 35th day of age, 30 pigs were distributed into 2 groups: the non-treated control group (initial average BW: 8.3+/-0.6 kg) and a probiotic supplemented fed group (initial average BW: 8.7+/-0.4 kg). Each experimental group was fed ad libitum on a commercial diet with free access to tap water for 35 days. A mixed probiotic culture (10(8) CFU/ml) was orally delivered, every day, to the animals of the probiotic supplemented fed group. Body weight (BW), feed intake (FI), efficiency (BW: Feed), and faecal microflora, were studied before and throughout the experimental trial. At the end of the fifth week, 5 animals of each dietary treatment were slaughtered and intestinal samples were taken for histology. The results obtained showed that the group receiving probiotic bacteria exhibited lower FI values and better efficiency than control group (P

Microencapsulation of probiotic strains for swine feeding.

Probiotics are live microorganisms which have health-promoting attributes. These bacteria must overcome biological barriers, including acid in the stomach and bile in the intestine to exert beneficial effects. The encapsulation consists in a provision of an outer layer to protect the core material from damage. Microencapsulating in calcium alginate, nowadays, is being used to bacteria immobilization owing to its easy handling, nontoxic nature, and low cost. The aims of this study were to improve the microencapsulating method for probiotic bacteria and to investigate whether the material used as coating, afford an increase on strain survival under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Lactic acid bacteria used in this work were isolated from feces of young and healthy pigs and they were selected because of their probiotic properties. Our results showed that the optimal encapsulation process was achieved using 1 : 1 (v/v) 20% non fat milk cell suspension mixed with 1.8% sodium alginate solution. Alginate capsules hardening was carried out using 0.1 m calcium chloride solution for 30 min. This microencapsulating technique could protect the probiotic bacteria against gastric environment, allowing viable cells get to the intestinal tract. So it could be a useful way to deliver these beneficial bacteria to host.