Pasture feeding improves the nutritional, textural and techno-functional characteristics of butter.

There is an increasing consumer desire for pasture-derived dairy products, as outdoor pasture-based feeding systems are perceived as a natural environment for animals. Despite this, the number of grazing animals globally has declined as a result of the higher milk yields achieved by indoor, total mixed ration feeding systems, in addition to the changing climatic conditions and lower grazing knowledge and infrastructure. This has led to the development of pasture-fed standards, stipulating the necessity of pasture and its minimum requirements as the primary feed source for products advertising such claims, with various requirements depending on region for which it was produced. This work investigates the differences in the composition and techno-functional properties of butters produced from high, medium and no pasture allowance diets during early, mid and late lactation. Butters were produced using milks collected from 3 feeding systems: outdoor pasture grazing (GRS; high pasture allowance); indoor total mixed ration (TMR; no pasture allowance); and a partial mixed ration (PMR; medium pasture allowance) system, which involved outdoor pasture grazing during the day and indoor TMR feeding at night. Butters were manufactured during early, mid and late lactation. Creams derived from TMR feeding systems exhibited the highest milk fat globule size. The fatty acid profiles of butters also differed significantly as a function of diet, and could be readily discriminated by partial least squares analysis. The most important fatty acids in such analysis, as indicated by their highest variable importance projection scores, were CLA C18:2 cis-9 trans-11 (rumenic acid), C16:1 n-7 trans (trans-palmitoleic acid), C18:1 trans (elaidic acid), C18:3 n-3 (α-linolenic acid) and C18:2 n-6 (linoleic acid). Increasing pasture allowances resulted in reduced crystallization temperatures and hardness of butters, while concurrently increasing the 'yellow' b* color. Yellow color was strongly correlated with Raman peaks commonly associated with carotenoids. The milk fat globule size of cream decreased with advancing stage of lactation and churning time of cream was lowest in early lactation. Differences in the fatty acid and triglyceride contents of butter as a result of lactation and dietary effects demonstrated significant correlations with the hardness, rheological, melting and crystallization profiles of the butters. This work highlighted the improved nutritional profile and functional properties of butter with increasing dietary pasture allowance, primarily as a result of increasing proportions of unsaturated fatty acids. Biomarkers of pasture feeding (response in milk proportionate to the pasture allowance) associated with the pasture-fed status of butters were also identified as a result of the significant changes in the fatty acid profile with increasing pasture allowance. This was achieved through the use of 3 authentic feeding systems with varying pasture allowances, commonly operated by farmers around the world and conducted across 3 stages of lactation.

Impact of varying levels of pasture allowance on the nutritional quality and functionality of milk throughout lactation.

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of increasing proportions of grazed pasture in the diet on the composition, quality, and functionality of bovine milk across a full lactation. Fifty-four spring-calving cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups (n = 18), blocked on the basis of mean calving date (February 15, 2020 ± 0.8 d), pre-experimental daily milk yield (24.70 ± 3.70 kg), milk solids yield (2.30 ± 0.27 kg), lactation number (3.10 ± 0.13), and economic breeding index (182 ± 19). Raw milk samples were obtained weekly from each group between March and November 2020. Group 1 (GRS) consumed perennial ryegrass and was supplemented with 5% concentrates (dry matter basis); group 2 was maintained indoors and consumed a total mixed ration (TMR) diet consisting of maize silage, grass silage, and concentrates; and group 3 consumed a partial mixed ration diet (PMR), rotating between perennial ryegrass during the day and indoor TMR feeding at night. Raw milk samples consisted of a pooled morning and evening milking and were analyzed for gross composition, free amino acids, fatty acid composition, heat coagulation time, color, fat globule size, and pH. The TMR milks had a significantly higher total solids, lactose, protein, and whey protein as a proportion of protein content compared with both GRS and PMR milks. The GRS milks demonstrated a significantly lower somatic cell count (SCC), but a significantly higher pH and b*-value than both TMR and PMR milks. The PMR milks exhibited significantly lower total solids and fat content, but also demonstrated significantly higher SCC and total free amino acid content compared with GRS and TMR. Partial least squares discriminant analysis of fatty acid profiles displayed a distinct separation between GRS and TMR samples, while PMR displayed an overlap between both GRS and TMR groupings. Variable importance in projection analysis identified conjugated linoleic acid cis-9,trans-11, C18:2n-6 cis, C18:3n-3, C11:0, and C18:2n-6 trans as the largest contributors to the variation between the diets. Milk fats derived from GRS diets exhibited the highest proportion of unsaturated fats and higher unsaturation, health-promoting, and desaturase indices. The lowest proportions of saturated fats and the lowest atherogenic index were also exhibited by GRS-derived milk fats. This work highlights the positive influence of grass-fed milk for human consumption through its more nutritionally beneficial fatty acid profile, despite the highest milk solid percentages derived from TMR feeding systems. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the proportional response of previously highlighted biomarkers of pasture feeding to the proportion of pasture in the cow's diet.

Chemical and antioxidant characterization of Dovyalis caffra and Dovyalis abyssinica fruits in Kenya.

This study aimed at chemical characterization of Dovyalis caffra (Hook.f. & Harv.) Sim. and Dovyalis abyssinica (A. Rich.) Warb. fruits from Kinamba Town (KT) in Laikipia county and Gitoro Forest (GF) in Meru county of Kenya. All analysed fresh fruit samples had low pH values averaging at 2.67. Other tests showed D. abyssinica-GF to be significantly inferior to D. caffra-GF and D. caffra-KT in terms of TSS, TSS:TTA ratio, and ascorbic acid content. Based on these parameters, D. caffra-KT presents itself with a higher potential for direct consumption as compared to D. caffra-GF. Proximate analysis of dried fruit pulps demonstrated D. abyssinica-GF to be significantly higher in ash content and significantly lower in protein and fat contents compared to the other two samples. There were insignificant difference in the fibre and carbohydrate contents of all the fruit samples. In phytochemical analysis, D. caffra-GF recorded the highest total polyphenol content of 1845 mg Gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g while D. abyssinica-GF reported the lowest figure of 1128 mg GAE/100 g. Flavonoid and simple phenols fractions were in the range of 18.15-26.85% and 73.15-81.85% respectively in all fruit samples. As for antioxidant activity, D. caffra-GF recorded significantly high scores in both DPPH and CUPRAC assays, and D. abyssinica-GF the lowest. The range of DPPH and CUPRAC scores for all samples was 1995-4993 mg l-ascorbic acid/100 g and 1384-2303 mg l-ascorbic acid/100 g respectively. The current study presents the nutritional and health potential of D. caffra and D. abyssinica fruits. This forms a good basis for future adoption and exploitation of these fruits.

Optimization of enzyme-assisted extraction of ferulic acid from sweet corn cob by response surface methodology.

BACKGROUND: Sweet corn cob (SCC), an agricultural by-product of the corn-processing industry, contains more than 80% insoluble bound ferulic acid (FA). Extraction of these bound phenolics can be achieved through chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis; however, the shift towards greener chemistry has raised awareness about the use of enzymatic hydrolysis. In the present study, the ability of ferulic acid esterase (FAE) and xylanase (XY) to catalyze the hydrolysis of FA from SCC was investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM), based on a five-level, four-factor central composite rotatable design (CCRD), was used to establish the optimum conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis of FA from SCC. Sweet corn cob was treated with a combination of FAE and XY at various concentrations (FAE: 0.00 to 0.04 U/g; XY: 0.00 to 18 093.5 U/g), temperatures (45 to 65 °C), and pH levels (pH 4.5 to 6.5). RESULTS: The optimum extraction conditions predicted by the model were: FAE concentration of 0.02 U/g, XY concentration of 3475.3 U/g, extraction pH of 4.5, and an extraction temperature of 45 °C. CONCLUSION: Under these conditions, the experimental yield of FA was 1.69 ± 0.02 g kg-1 of SCC, which is in agreement with the value predicted by the model. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of domestic processing methods on the phytochemical content of watercress (Nasturtium officinale).

The impact of conventional cooking and processing methods on total phenols, antioxidant activity, carotenoids and glucosinolates of watercress was evaluated. Boiling significantly decreases phenolic content, antioxidant activity and recoverable glucosinolates, however it increases the carotenoid concentrations of watercress as compared to the raw vegetable. Cooking by microwaving and steaming maintains the majority of phytochemicals in comparison to the fresh material, suggesting that they should be used as the preferred methods of watercress preparation. Boiling of watercress should be avoided to ensure maximum ingestion of watercress-derived beneficial phytochemicals.

An in vivo study examining the antiinflammatory effects of chamomile, meadowsweet, and willow bark in a novel functional beverage.

The antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties of polyphenols are well documented in vitro but there are few human studies. A herbal beverage composed of chamomile, meadowsweet, and willow bark (CMW) was developed and tested for its antiinflammatory effect in a cohort of healthy adults (n = 20) during a 4-week intervention. Subjects were randomised to either the treatment (TG) or placebo group (PG). The three herbs under study, which have been used in traditional and alternative medicine, were delivered in a berry extract matrix. This berry extract was used as a control in the experiment. The objective was to assess the herbs' effects on systemic inflammation and joint function by examining circulating cytokines and mechanical joint flexibility. Blood serum was analyzed for cytokines IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNFα. There was an average decrease of 21.7% IL-1ß in the treatment group, whereas the decrease seen in the placebo group was 3% but these were not statistically significant. Quartile analysis based on baseline production of TNFα demonstrated a decrease in the treatment group's IL-6 levels. This group showed improvements in mechanical joint function and pain upon movement of joints specific to the knee and lower back. Overall, no significant antiinflammatory effects were seen. The evidence is therefore inconclusive and further investigations are required using a larger cohort with some degree of elevated inflammatory activity.

Inhibition of proinflammatory biomarkers in THP1 macrophages by polyphenols derived from chamomile, meadowsweet and willow bark.

Antiinflammatory compounds in the diet can alleviate excessive inflammation, a factor in the pathogenesis of common diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis and diabetes. This study examined three European herbs, chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria L.) and willow bark (Salix alba L.), which have been traditionally used to treat inflammation and their potential for use as antiinflammatory agents. Aqueous herbal extracts and isolated polyphenolic compounds (apigenin, quercetin and salicylic acid, 0-100 µM) were incubated with THP1 macrophages, and interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured. At concentrations of 10 µM, both apigenin and quercetin reduced IL-6 significantly ( p < 0.05). Apigenin at 10 µM and quercetin at 25 µM reduced TNF-α significantly ( p < 0.05). Amongst the herbal extracts, willow bark had the greatest antiinflammatory activity at reducing IL-6 and TNF-α production. This was followed by meadowsweet and then chamomile. The lowest effective antiinflammatory concentrations were noncytotoxic (MTT mitochondrial activity assay). The Comet assay, which was used to study the protective effect of the isolated phenols against oxidative damage, showed positive results for all three polyphenols. These are the first findings that demonstrate the antiinflammatory capacity of these herbal extracts.