Efficient production of single cell protein from biogas slurry using screened alkali-salt-tolerant Debaryomyces hansenii.

Production of single cell protein (SCP) by recovering ammonia nitrogen from biogas slurry shows great potential against protein scarcity and unsustainable production of plant and animal proteins. Herein, a high-alkali-salt-tolerant yeast strain, Debaryomyces hansenii JL8-0, was isolated and demonstrated for high-efficient SCP production. This strain grew optimally at pH 8.50 and 2500 mg/L NH4+-N, and it could efficiently utilize acetate as the additional carbon source. Under optimal conditions, SCP biomass of 32.21 g/L and productivity of 0.32 g/L·h-1 were obtained in fed-batch fermentation. Remarkably, nearly complete (97.40 %) ammonia nitrogen from biogas slurry was recovered, probably due to its high affinity for NH4+-N. Altogether, this strain showed advantages in terms of cell biomass titer, productivity, and yield. A cultivation strategy was proposed by co-culturing D. hansenii with other compatible yeast strains to achieve high-efficient SCP production from biogas slurry, which could be a promising alternative technology for biogas slurry treatment.

Type of starter culture influences on structural and sensorial properties of low protein fermented gels.

Organoleptic properties of skimmed milk fermented gels are progressively demanding to produce optimal quality yogurts. Chr-Hansen trademark registered cultures were used to produce low-protein (3.4%) gels to assess the ability to redesign the sensorial and textural properties with the choice of starter culture. Resulting gels were assessed for sensorial, textural, rheological, and microstructural properties and compared with a commercial control (4.5% protein). Mouth thickness, syneresis, firmness, elasticity, and consistency values were lower for polysaccharides-producing cultures. Such cultures contributed to the higher creaminess and tended to give higher ropiness. Observed differences among microstructures of the gel were minute. Microstructural and rheological data corresponded and reflected the instrumental and sensory interpretations. Strong correlations were observed between sensory and instrumental data. Nonprobiotics cultures resulted in promising overall gel properties compared with probiotic cultures according to the principal component analysis. Yet probiotic cultures resulted in lower syneresis than nonprobiotic cultures. Thus, the choice of bacterial culture modifies the sensorial and textural properties of fermented gel with strong correlations, as a result of altered gel network formation with the production of polysaccharides. Inferior textural and sensorial quality aspects, particularly at low protein levels, have negative impact on consumer demand of low protein yogurts. Thus, we attempted to gain required gel textural and sensorial properties with a choice of starter culture with a low protein level. Resulting gel properties at lowered protein content with different starter cultures are not fully known. The present study compares the effect of probiotic and nonprobiotic starter cultures on gel properties, as gel texture and sensory properties are of great interest and thus not willing to be compromised. In addition, we examined the overall texture profile of studied cultures and correlate with sensory properties. Therefore, reducing protein level in milk and achieving required gel properties with the choice of appropriate starter culture is of great commercial interest as a cost-cutting strategy to produce low-cost optimum quality yogurt.

Protein profile of leprosy patients with plantar ulcers from the Eastern Amazon region.

BACKGROUND: Studies investigating the nutritional status of patients with leprosy and plantar ulcers are sparse. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe the protein profile of leprosy patients with plantar ulcers from the Eastern Amazon region. METHODS: A case record form was created for 75 patients with leprosy (31 with plantar ulcers and 44 without plantar ulcers) with the following data: sociodemographic characteristics, clinical form of leprosy, presence or absence of plantar ulcers, and nutritional assessment using anthropometry consisting of the measurement of body mass index, arm circumference, arm muscle circumference, and triceps skinfold. Levels of blood albumin, transferrin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were also measured. Data regarding protein intake were obtained using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. RESULTS: Plantar ulcers occurred more frequently in male patients (67.7%), patients aged 40-49 years (mean ± SD: 47.3 ± 8.0 years), and patients receiving 300 or 600 USD (71.0%). The mean weight and height of patients were 71.6 ± 11.4 kg and 1.62 ± 0.1 m, respectively. High levels of CRP were detected in 51.6% of leprosy patients with plantar ulcers and only 9.1% of patients without plantar ulcers (P < 0.001). Nutritional depletion of transferrin was observed in 14.3% of patients with paucibacillary leprosy and 44.3% of patients with multibacillary leprosy (P = 0.0447). Most patients had normal levels of serum albumin (74.2% with plantar ulcers and 77.3% without plantar ulcers). CONCLUSIONS: Most leprosy patients with plantar ulcers have normal levels of serum albumin and transferrin and high CRP levels, which indicates the presence of an inflammatory process. Our findings suggest the need to monitor patients with leprosy to prevent the occurrence of plantar ulcers and to provide adequate treatment for patients with existing plantar ulcers.

From darkening urine to early diagnosis of alkaptonuria.

Alkaptonuria is a rare disorder of metabolism characterized by deficiency of homogentisic acid oxidase. Characteristic features include darkening of urine, ochronosis, and arthropathy. Darkening of urine is the only sign of the disorder in the pediatric age group, and it occurs at very early stage of the disorder, as reported by the parents. A 4-year-old boy presented to our clinic with the complaint of dark urine and bluish black staining of clothes. This darkening pointed to a positive physical history of bluish discoloration of sclerae which occurred off and on. We initiated treatment with ascorbic acid and a protein diet with restriction of phenylalanine and tyrosine (1.6 g/kg/d). This case report is significant because of the early diagnosis made.

[Nutritional status assessment in leprous hospitalized patients in Argentina]. / Evaluación del estado nutricional de pacientes en un hospital con lepra en Argentina.

INTRODUCTION: Leprosy is a regional problem of public health in the Argentine Republic. It has seen a continuous decrease of the prevalence in the last 10 years, with value is about 0.17/10000 citizen and the detection rate is constant about 0.10/10000 citizen. Even the death rate is low, its importance is given for the physicals, socials, permanents and the progressive disabilities that its produce if there no early diagnostic and a regular and complete treatment. The Dr. Baldomero Sommer National Hospital, that give a complete assistance to the leprosy patients either to the pavilion patients or the ill patients that help oneselves and live in houses with their families and where it is given food assistance to promote and increase their quality of life. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate The nutritional state of the ill patients that help oneselves and live in houses with their families. Analyze the caloric and proteic brought by the institution. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It is a transversal and descriptive study. We made a nutritional evaluation of the patients that live in each of the 4 suburb of the hospital, whom has been previously appointed by the coordinator of the zone, with the porpoise of identify the nutritional state of each one of the patients, quantify the nutritional risk, and indicate, adequate and monitories the nutritional support. The diagnostic was realized by the dietician through: anthropometric parameters (weight, height and body mass index), biochemical parameters, according to the clinical history: albumin, cholesterol, urea, hematocrito and associated illness. RESULTS: We evaluated 219 patients of 246, with a middle age of 56.4 years, 62.2% males and 57.8% females. We detected that obesity was the nutritional disorder with mayor prevalence in these population (74.3%) and with mayor incidence in the moderate obesity in males and mayor incidence in severe obesity in females. The prevalence of malnourishment was 3.6% and well-nourished was 23.7%, 27 of the patients (10.9%) did not go to the nutritional evaluation. The 2.8% of the patients did not have an actual laboratory for more than 2 years. In the clinical histories, we found that the dosage of albumin in an average of 4.2 g/dl, and the 2.8% of the patients did not have any value of albumin. The values of hematocrito and urea determinate an adequate brought of proteins in the evaluated population. Inside the nutritional diagnostic we considerate the search of diabetes (present ion the 9.7% of the patients), dislipemia (present ion the 32.8% of the patients, taken a level of 200 mg / dl of cholesterol), chronic renal deficiency (present in the 9.3% of the patients), and arterial hypertension (present in the 33.6% of the patients). CONCLUSIONS: Exist a high prevalence of moderate-severe obesity in the studied population that have no coincidence with the universal literature. These data shows the necessity to adequate the caloric and proteic brought to the patients. The majority of the patients presented Dislipemia and or diabetes and or arterial hypertension. Promote the development of educational programs to better the nutritional state of the risk population, better the quality of life and reduce cardiovascular risks, using an international model that include strategies for the following of a health diet and an increase of physical activity.

Possibilidades secundárias no tratamento da hanseníase / Secondary possibilities in leprosy's therapy

O autor faz uma revisäo da terapêutica em hanseníase, enfatizando as medicaçöes secundárias, as de apoio ao tratamento e as pouco documentadas. Conclui sugerindo esquemas terapêuticos alternativos, ainda näo experimentados na prática.

Effect of yeast on feed intake and performance of cows fed diets based on corn silage during early lactation.

Thirty-six multiparous Holstein cows were fed a mixture of corn silage and concentrate [1:1; dry matter (DM) basis] and long hay (0.9 kg/d) through wk 18 of lactation. Beginning at 30 d prepartum through wk 4 of lactation, the total mixed rations of 18 of these cows were top-dressed daily with 10 g of Biomate Yeast Plus (Chr. Hansen's, Inc., Milwaukee, WI). The other 18 cows served as controls. At wk 5, both control and treated cows were divided into three groups and fed 0, 10, or 20 g/d of yeast. Yeast supplementation during early lactation significantly improved DM intake, milk yield, and the digestibility of crude protein and acid detergent fiber. Least squares means for DM intake, fat-corrected milk yield, crude protein digestibility, and acid detergent fiber digestibility for cows fed 0, 10, 20 g/d of yeast during wk 5 to 18 of lactation were 23.8, 24.7, and 25.0 kg/d; 37.7, 40.7, and 41.4 kg/d; 78.5, 80.8, and 79.5%; and 54.4, 60.2, and 56.8%, respectively. Although numerical responses in DM intake and milk yield were greater for cows fed 20 g/d of yeast than for cows fed 10 g/d of yeast, the response was not significant.

Macrophage function in leprosy.

The macrophage function in patients with leprosy was assessed by estimating histochemically the acid phosphatase activity in skin biopsies and by assessment of phagocytic and lytic capability of in vitro cultured macrophages derived from peripheral blood monocytes, challenged with live M. leprae. Acid phosphatase was demonstrated in skin biopsies of different groups of leprosy patients classified according to the Ridley and Jopling scale. The degree of acid phosphatase positivity was correlated with clinical spectrum, Bacterial and Morphologic Indices and treatment status. Peripheral blood monocytes from patients with leprosy, either tuberculoid or lepromatous, were cultured in monolayers and challenged with M. leprae. The phagocytosis and lysis of mycobacteria by macrophages was observed at different time intervals from the 1st to the 28th day. The morphology of the macrophages in different types of leprosy was also studied. The results suggest that macrophages from patients with either tuberculoid or lepromatous leprosy are not by themselves capable of lysing live M. leprae. Live M. leprae injected into the foot pad of Wistar strain of rats evoked similar responses on the tenth day, in normal and protein deficient animals.

The role of protein malnutrition in the pathogenesis of ulcerative "Lazarine" leprosy.

1. Clinical and necropsy observations in lepromatous leprosy associated with severe emaciation and accompanying hypoproteinemia suggest that protein deprivation may be of pathogenic significance in the ulcerative phenomenon that is designated "Lazarine leprosy". 2. An experimental utilizing Wiersung rats infected with Mycobacterium lepraemurium and maintained on a protein-free diet was developed for the purpose of studying the effect of protein starvation on the course of chronic mycobacterial disease similar to lepromatous leprosy with respect to pathogen and host inflammatory response. 3. It was possible to maintain the experimental animals on a protein-free diet for up to 18 weeks of concomitant M. lepraemurium infection. This was long enough for the infection to disseminate to a degree that was evident in control animals only several weeks later. 4. The protein-deprived animals showed decreased inflammatory response to the pathogen, presented more rapid dissemination of the infection and harbored more bacilli per macrophage than did animals similarly infected but maintained on a protein adequate diet. This indicates impairment of native cellular immunity by protein deprivation through decrease in ability of macrophages to inhibit bacillary multiplication. 5. There was no evidence of impairment of macrophage ability to phagocytose the pathogens. 6. Morphologically the increased dissemination of pathogens and decrease in inflammatory response was similar to the increase in number and extent of visceral lesions seen in Lazarine leprosy. Decreased ability to dispose of the infecting bacilli was similar in the two models, human and animal. The animal model does not, as does lepromatous leprosy, involve the skin in the infection. Hence comparable ulcerative phenomena were not replicated in the animals. 7. It is suggested that Lazarine leprosy may result from enhanced lepromatous leprous infection occurring as a result of protein malnutrition. The pathogenic mechanism appears to be impairment of cellular immunity probably enhanced by concomitant impairment of humoral antibody immunity resulting also in decreased resistance to pyogenic and other secondary pathogens. The tissue edema attendant on decreased serum osmotic pressure due to lowering of the serum protein fractions enhances the probability of ulceration.

[Evaluation of protein quality in human and animal foodstuffs]. / Zur Proteinqualitätsbeurteilung von Nahrungs- und Futtermitteln

Having mentioned the present criteria for the evaluation of the protein quality, which are almost exclusively based on a numerical value, the author explains and discusses the principles of new criteria suggested since 1969. The following criteria are presented: the "Index d'Equilibre de la Protéine" of Arnould; the criteria "Total Amino Acid Value" and "Essential Amino Acid Value", outlined by GLEM-HANSEN and EGGUM; the "Nitrogen Efficiency Ratio" of EGGUM; the model of a nitrogen balance function, developed by RUFEGER; the multicompartment model for studying the resorption and metabolism kinetics of nitrogen and amino acids, as extended by KRAWIELITZKI; the functional conception of the relationships between the parameters of the nitrogen metabolism and of the laws of growth, according to GEBHARDT, and the method for determining the true amino-acid digestibility according to DAMMERS [7], EGGUM [8], WIESEMULLER [23], POPPE and co-workers [19], UHLEMANN [22] and HERRMANN [12]. Finally, the author gives suggestions for further research on the evaluation of protein quality.