Physicochemical Composition, Antioxidant Status, Fatty Acid Profile, and Volatile Compounds of Milk and Fresh and Ripened Ewes' Cheese from a Sustainable Part-Time Grazing System.

We conducted the first nutritional analysis of dairy products from the traditional Roja Mallorquina sheep breed. Samples of bulk raw milk were taken twice a month from December 2015 to March 2016 from sheep fed using a part-time grazing system, and fresh soft (FC, n = 8) and ripened (RC, n = 8) cheeses were made. The variability in vitamins, total phenolic compounds (TPC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and fatty acid (FA) content was influenced by the cheese-making process (differences between the cheese and the original milk) and by the type of cheese-making technology (mainly related to heating, the use of starter culture, and ripening). The most notable physicochemical characteristic of the cheeses was low fat content (24.1 and 29.6 g/100 g for FC and RC). Milk and RC were characterised by major concentrations of retinol (211.4 and 233.6 µg/100 g dry matter (DM), respectively) and TPC (18.7 and 54.6 µg/100 g DM, respectively), while FC was characterised by major concentrations of retinol (376.4 µg) and α-tocopherol (361.7 µg). The fat-soluble components of the FC generally exhibited better nutritional value for human health than those of the milk and RC, with a higher level of retinol and α-tocopherol; lower values for saturated FA, atherogenic, and thrombogenic indices; and higher levels of monounsaturated FA, polyunsaturated FA, n-3, and n-6. Acids, alcohols, and ketones comprised almost 95% of the volatile compounds detected. Acetoin and products of lactose and citrate metabolism played an important role in the development of the aromatic attributes of both kinds of cheese. This preliminary study can contribute to add value to these traditional products according to healthy nutritional criteria and supports the implementation of strategies to promote their commercialisation and obtain product labelling as "pasture-fed" or specific marks.

Stability of fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat from pasture- and grain-fed young bulls during the first 7 d postmortem.

In order to study the effect of different amounts of concentrate feed and the effectiveness of natural antioxidants on the fatty acid stability of intramuscular fat during the first days postmortem, 75 young bulls of the Retinta breed were divided in three groups: 30 were grazed, 30 were fed on medium concentrate diets, and 15 were fed on high-concentrate diets. Young bulls were slaughtered at commercial weight, around a 500 kg final body weight. Samples from Longissimus lumborum muscle were assigned to two ageing periods (0 and 7 d) and were vacuum packaged in vacuum bags ( O 2 permeability: 9.3  mL   O 2 / m 2 per 24  h at 0  ∘ C ) using an EGARVAC ® sealer. Beef from grass-fed bulls showed a higher polyunsaturated fatty acid content than concentrate-fed bulls. During the first 7 d postmortem, no changes in the fatty acids profile were observed, because α -tocopherol content was optimal to prevent lipid oxidation. The higher level of natural antioxidants in grass than in grain resulted in the stability of the fatty acid profile. This study shows that the anti-oxidative potential of natural antioxidants in meat plays an important role during the first 7 d postmortem.

Implications for food safety of the uptake by tomato of 25 trace-elements from a phosphogypsum amended soil from SW Spain.

Phosphogypsum (PG) has been usually applied as Ca-amendment to reclaim sodic soils such as those in the marshland area of Lebrija (SW Spain). This work aimed at the effects of PG amendments on the uptake of trace-elements by tomato and its implications for food safety. A completely randomized experiment was performed using a representative soil from Lebrija in a greenhouse involving six replicates and four PG treatments equivalent to 0, 20, 60, and 200 Mg ha(-1). Soil-to-plant transfer factors (TFs) were determined for Be, B, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, Tl, Pb, Th and U. The highest TF in shoots was observed for Cd (4.0; 1.5 in fruits), its concentration being increased with increasing PG doses due to its content in this metal (2.1 mg Cd kg(-1)PG). Phosphogypsum applying decreased the concentrations of Mn, Co and Cu in shoots; and of B, Cu, Sb, Cs, Ba, Tl and Th in fruits, however enhanced the accumulation of Se in fruits. Although Cd concentrations in tomato were below the maximum allowed levels in control pots (0 Mg PG ha(-1)), PG amendments above 60 Mg ha(-1) exceeded such limits.

Feasibility of use of fatty acid and triacylglycerol profiles for the authentication of commercial labelling in Iberian dry-cured sausages.

In the present study, fatty acid and triacylglycerol profiles were used to evaluate the possibility of authenticating Iberian dry-cured sausages according to their label specifications. 42 Commercial brand 'chorizo' and 39 commercial brand 'salchichón' sausages from Iberian pigs were purchased. 36 Samples were labelled Bellota and 45 bore the generic Ibérico label. In the market, Bellota is considered to be a better class than the generic Ibérico since products with the Bellota label are manufactured with high quality fat obtained from extensively reared pigs fed on acorns and pasture. Analyses of fatty acids and triacylglycerols were carried out by gas chromatography and a flame ion detector. A CP-SIL 88 column (highly substituted cyanopropyl phase; 50 m × 0.25 mm i.d., 0.2 µm film thickness) (Varian, Palo Alto, USA) was used for fatty acid analysis and a fused silica capillary DB-17HT column (50% phenyl-50% methylpolysiloxane; 30 m × 0.25 mm i.d., 0.15 µm film thickness) was used for triacylglycerols. Twelve fatty acids and 16 triacylglycerols were identified. Various discriminant models (linear quadratic discriminant analyses, logistic regression and support vector machines) were trained to predict the sample class (Bellota or Ibérico). These models included fatty acids and triacylglycerols separately and combined fatty acid and triacylglycerol profiles. The number of correctly classified samples according to discriminant analyses can be considered low (lower than 65%). The greatest discriminant rate was obtained when triacylglycerol profiles were included in the model, whilst using a combination of fatty acid and triacylglycerol profiles did not improve the rate of correct assignation. The values that represent the reliability of prediction of the samples according to the label specification were higher for the Ibérico class than for the Bellota class. In fact, quadratic and Support Vector Machine discriminate analyses were not able to assign the Bellota class (0%) when combined fatty acids and triacylglycerols were included in the model. The use of fatty acid and triacylglycerol profiles to discriminate Iberian dry-cured sausages in the market according to their labelling information is unclear. In order to ensure the genuineness of Iberian dry-cured sausages in the market, identification of fatty acid and triacylglycerol profiles should be combined with the application of quality standard traceability techniques.

Genetic variation at the goat hormone-sensitive lipase ( LIPE) gene and its association with milk yield and composition.

Hormone-sensitive lipase (LIPE) plays a fundamental role in the regulation of energy balance by releasing free fatty acids from adipose triacylglycerol stores. These fatty acids can be subsequently transferred to other body compartments to be oxidized or employed in other biochemical reactions. This enzymic function is particularly important in lactating animals because the synthesis of milk components involves the mobilization of lipid depots to satisfy the large energy demands of the mammary gland. In the current study, we partially sequenced the goat LIPE gene in several individuals. In doing so, we identified two synonymous polymorphisms at exons 2 (c.327C>A>T, triallelic polymorphism) and 3 (c.558C>T). Moreover, we found a mis-sense polymorphism at exon 6 (c.1162G>T) that involves an alanine to serine substitution at position 388. Analysis with Polyphen and Panther softwares revealed that this amino acid replacement is expected to be neutral. Performance of an association analysis with a variety of milk traits revealed that goat LIPE genotype has highly suggestive effects on milk yield (P=0.0032) as well as on C18:3 n-6g (P=0.0051), trans-10 cis-12 CLA (P=0.007) and C12:0 (P=0.0084) milk contents. These associations are concordant with the preference of LIPE to selectively mobilize medium-chain and unsaturated fatty acids.

Estrogenic activity in sediments from European mountain lakes.

Superficial and bottom sediment samples from 83 European mountain lakes, ranging from Norway to the Pyrenees and East Europe, were tested for estrogenic compounds by the recombinant yeast assay. The results showed widespread potential estrogenic activity arriving at remote lakes. Tatra Mountains (Slovakia) and Scotland Highlands were the regions with the highest prevalence of lakes with high estrogenic values. Comparison of the estrogenic activity in the superficial layer of sediments with pre-industrial age sections showed that estrogenic compounds were predominantly deposited in recent times. Chemical analysis showed that highly estrogenic sediments were significantly enriched in both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and organochlorine compounds. For PAH, enrichment ratios in highly estrogenic samples versus nonestrogenic ones were inversely correlated with the vapor pressure value for each compound, indicating a significant relationship between estrogenicity and accumulation of less volatile PAH. Two PAH of predominantly diagenetic origin, retene and perylene, did not show specific enrichment in estrogenic samples. Principal component analysis revealed a strong correlation between estrogenic activity and the presence of contaminants of anthropogenic origin. These data reveal significant amounts of estrogenic compounds in remote lakes, relate them to the overall human activity, and suggest that they may affect organisms inhabiting these ecosystems.