Safety assessment of poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) as a potential drug carrier in extenders for boar sperm cryopreservation.

Polymers may be used to deliver compounds in freezing extenders to minimize injuries in spermatozoa during cryopreservation, although their activity and toxicity for boar sperm are unknown. This study investigated the effects of the polymer (N-vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL), when included in extenders for boar sperm cryopreservation. In Experiment 1, sperm was exposed to PNVCL at: 0 (control); 39.1; 78.1; 156.3; and 312.5 µg/mL. Spermatozoa structure, kinetics and biochemical functions were unaltered in contact with PNVCL at 38 °C (P > .05) but declined with prolonged exposure (10, 60 and 120 min) in all treatments (P > .05). In Experiment 2, after inclusion of PNVCL in the freezing extender at the same concentrations, post-thawing sperm quality did not differ compared to the control (P > .05). Lipid peroxidation and the production of reactive oxygen species were the only parameters of sperm quality that were unaffected in both experiments, even after contact with PNVCL for 120 min (P > .05). As no negative effects were observed in post-thawing boar sperm quality, PNVCL did not incur in cytotoxicity and may be a potential carrier for antioxidants in freezing extenders.

Effect of the addition of chia's by-product on the composition of fatty acids in hamburgers through chemometric methods.

BACKGROUND: Hamburger is a meat-based food that is easy to prepare and is widely consumed. It can be enriched using different ingredients, such as chia's by-product, which is rich in omega-3. Chemometrics is a very interesting tool to assess the influence of ingredients in the composition of foods. A complete factorial design 2(2) (two factors in two levels) with duplicate was performed to investigate the influence of the factors (1) concentration of textured soy proteins (TSP) and (2) concentration of chia flour partially defatted (CFPD) as a partial replacement for the bovine meat and porcine fat mix in hamburgers. RESULTS: The results of proximal composition, lipid oxidation, fatty acids sums, ratios, and nutritional indexes were used to propose statistical models. The factors TSP and CFPD were significant, and the increased values contributed to improve the composition in fatty acids, crude protein, and ash. Principal components analysis distinguished the samples with a higher content of chia. In desirability analysis, the highest level of TSP and CFPD was described as the optimal region, and it was not necessary to make another experimental point. CONCLUSION: The addition of chia's by-product is an alternative to increase the α-linolenic contents and to obtain nutritionally balanced food.