Automated early detection of drops in commercial egg production using neural networks.

1. The purpose of this work was to support decision-making in poultry farms by performing automatic early detection of anomalies in egg production. 2. Unprocessed data were collected from a commercial egg farm on a daily basis over 7 years. Records from a total of 24 flocks, each with approximately 20 000 laying hens, were studied. 3. Other similar works have required a prior feature extraction by a poultry expert, and this method is dependent on time and expert knowledge. 4. The present approach reduces the dependency on time and expert knowledge because of the automatic selection of relevant features and the use of artificial neural networks capable of cost-sensitive learning. 5. The optimum configuration of features and parameters in the proposed model was evaluated on unseen test data obtained by a repeated cross-validation technique. 6. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value are presented and discussed at 5 forecasting intervals. The accuracy of the proposed model was 0.9896 for the day before a problem occurs.

Flour from Prosopis alba cotyledons: A natural source of nutrient and bioactive phytochemicals.

The Prosopis alba seed is a waste material in the process to produce pod flour. To suggest a potential use of these seeds it is necessary to determine the nutritional, phytochemical and functional quality of cotyledon flour from Prosopis alba. This flour showed high level of proteins (62%), low content of total carbohydrate and fat. Free polyphenol (1150±20mg GAE/100g flour) and carotenoids (10.55±0.05mg ß-CE/100g flour) compounds were the dominant compounds. The main identified constituents in the polyphenolic extracts were C- glycosyl flavones, including schaftoside, isoschaftoside, vicenin II, vitexin and isovitexin. The extract enriched in polyphenolic compounds exhibited ABTS(+) reducing capacity and scavenging activity of H2O2; and was able to inhibit phospholipase, lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase, three pro-inflammatory enzymes. According to our results, the P. alba cotyledon flour could be considered as a new alternative in the formulation of functional foods or food supplements.

Evaluation of different bovine muscles to be applied in freeze-drying for instant meal. Study of physicochemical and senescence parameters.

The aim of the present research was to evaluate bovine muscles to be subjected to freeze-drying for an instant meal. Physicochemical and senescence parameters were evaluated. The experimental part was divided into two steps. In the first step, the Semitendinosus muscle was chosen to establish methodology and experimental conditions. Physicochemical, microstructure and senescence parameters were analysed. In the second step, economic bovine muscles such as Semimembranous and Spinalis dorsi were subjected to the same methodology and conditions as in the first step in order to compare them by analysing the same parameters. L* and a* values were statistically significant (P<0.05) for Semimembranous and Spinalis dorsi muscles, showing differences among condition effects and in muscles. Humidity and water activity showed among the muscles analysed that cooked and rehydrated samples did not exhibit differences. Microstructure of Semitendinosus and Semimembranous were not separated and fragmented as occurred with Spinalis dorsi after freeze-drying. Results allowed us to select among the muscles studied that Semimembranous was suitable and economic to be used in an instant meal.

Effect of salt addition on sous vide cooked whole beef muscles from Argentina.

Sodium chloride (NaCl, 0-1.4%) and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP, 0-0.5%) were added to Semitendinosus muscles and submitted to sous vide cooking at different temperatures (55-75°C). The effects of these three factors on pH, cooking loss, instrumental colour parameters, protein solubilization and distribution, and micro- and ultra-structure were evaluated. Quadratic surface responses equations were obtained from data (pH, cooking loss and colour parameters) as a function of the salts concentrations and cooking temperature. Both salts - alone or in combination - successfully reduced cooking loss. The best results were obtained for the combinations 0.25%STPP+1.20%NaCl and 0.25%STPP+0.70%NaCl, and temperatures between 60 and 65°C. Under these conditions, cooking loss was reduced close to 0%. pH was only dependent on STPP concentration, with a threshold concentration value of 0.25%. Temperature increment and NaCl addition produced a redness reduction. STPP incorporation recovered partially this parameter in comparison to non-added samples. Microscopy and SDS-PAGE results support the effect of the selected combinations of factors, suggesting that both salts together induced protein solubilization and gelation upon heating.

Effect of calcium chloride marination on bovine Cutaneus trunci muscle.

The aim of this investigation was to determine the possibility of using calcium chloride solution in tough muscles (Cutaneus trunci) to reduce the aging period required to increase tenderness, without introducing undesirable flavors. Muscles were marinated in 0.25 M CaCl(2) solution for 2 h and after that aged for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 days. Tenderness was evaluated by the myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI), Warner Bratzler shear force (WBS) and sensory panel evaluation. MFI values showed significant differences between treated and control samples aged for 1, 2 and 3 days (P<0.05). MFI values of treated samples aged 3 days were similar to those obtained for the control samples but aged seven days. WBS values were not significantly different between samples. Consumer panelists preferred treated samples aged 3 days to the control ones aged 7 days. It was concluded that calcium chloride treatment can be used in Cutaneus trunci muscle to reduce the aging time required to increase tenderness.

Abnormal QT intervals associated with negative T waves induced by antiarrhythmic drugs are rapidly reduced using magnesium sulfate as an antidote.

This study was undertaken to determine whether prolonged QTc interval as a consequence of abnormal repolarization induced by coronary disease or antiarrhythmic drugs could be shortened by intravenous administration of magnesium sulfate. A total of 21 patients with basal prolonged QTc intervals (QTc > 500 ms) were divided in two groups: 7 with ischemic coronary disease and negative T waves (Group A), and 14 treated with antiarrhythmic drugs (Group B). Nine of the latter had negative T waves (Subgroup B-1) and five had positive T waves (Subgroup B-2) recorded in precordial leads. Nine patients were taking amiodarone and six quinidine. Magnesium sulfate was given intravenously in a bolus of 3.75 g (25% solution) over 3 min. Patients had normal electrolyte serum levels. The prolonged QTc and JTc intervals were shortened after magnesium sulfate in patients of Subgroup B-1 from the basal values [QTc 20.7% and JTc 25.4%, (p = < 0.0001 and 0.02, respectively)]. None of the patients in Group A or Subgroup B-2 experienced altered QTc or JTc intervals. While some antiarrhythmic drugs are capable of altering the refractoriness of ventricular cells, probably by causing changes in the intracellular metabolic pathways, in patients with coronary disease gaps in the membrane induced by ischemic injury let calcium enter the cells parallel with dispersion of ventricular repolarization. When secondary negative T waves are present, magnesium sulfate as an antidote probably acts as a blocking agent at the sarcoplasmic reticulum, thus reducing both QTc and JTc intervals.