Impact of washing and freezing on nutritional composition, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and microstructure of mango peels.

Mango peels are widely produced and highly perishable. Disinfectant washing and freezing are among the most used methods to preserve foods. However, their impact on products' properties is conditioned by the foods' features. This study evaluated for the first time the phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, and microstructure of mango peels washed with peracetic acid (27 mg/mL for 19 min) and frozen at -20 °C for 30 days. Washing decreased the content of vitamin C (-7%), penta-O-galloyl-ß-d-glucose (-23 %), catechin (-30 %), and lutein (-24 %), but the antioxidant activity was preserved. Freezing changed mango peels' microstructure, increased free phenolic compounds, namely acid gallic (+36 %) and catechin (+51 %), but reduced bound phenolic compounds (-12 % to -87 %), bound phenolic compounds' antioxidant activity (-51 % to -72 %), and violaxanthin (-51 %). Both methods were considered adequate to conserve mango peels since fiber and the main bioactive compounds (free mangiferin, free gallic acid, and ß-carotene) remained unchanged or increased.

Valorization of Mushroom By-Products as a Source of Value-Added Compounds and Potential Applications.

Nowadays, the food sector is highly concerned with environmental issues and foreseen to develop strategies to reduce waste and losses resulting from activities developed in the food system. An approach is to increment added value to the agro-industrial wastes, which might provide economic growth and environmental protection, contributing to a circular economy. Mushroom by-products represent a disposal problem, but they are also promising sources of important compounds, which may be used due to their functional and nutritional properties. Research has been developed in different fields to obtain value added solutions for the by-products generated during mushroom production and processing. Bioactive compounds have been obtained and applied in the development of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical formulations. Additionally, other applications have been explored and include animal feed, fertilizer, bioremediation, energy production, bio-based materials, cosmetics and cosmeceuticals. The main purpose of this review is to highlight the relevant composition of mushroom by-products and discuss their potential as a source of functional compounds and other applications. Future research needs to explore pilot and industrial scale extraction methods to understand the technological feasibility and the economic sustainability of the bioactive compounds extraction and valorization towards different applications.

Tolerance to multiple metal stressors in emerging non-typhoidal MDR Salmonella serotypes: a relevant role for copper in anaerobic conditions.

OBJECTIVES: Factors driving the expansion of particular MDR Salmonella serotypes/clones are not completely understood. We assessed if emergent MDR Salmonella serotypes/clones were more enriched in metal tolerance genes (e.g. to Cu/Ag) than other less frequent ones, as an additional feature to survive in environments contaminated with metals. METHODS: Metal (Cu pco/Ag,Cu sil/Hg mer/As ars/Te ter) tolerance genes screening (PCR/sequencing), MICs of CuSO4/AgNO3 (aerobiosis/anaerobiosis), genetic element characterization (S1/I-CeuI PFGE) and conjugation assays were performed in a well-characterized Salmonella collection (n = 275 isolates; 2000-14; 49 serotypes/clones). RESULTS: The sil ±â€Špco genes were detected in 37% of isolates from diverse serotypes, mainly in emergent Rissen/ST469 and Typhimurium/ST34 European clone (100%), which are mostly associated with pig settings where Cu is highly used. These genes were frequently co-located with merA ±â€ŠterF and/or antibiotic resistance genes in plasmids (100-270 kb; IncHI2/IncHI1/IncN/IncFIIA; mostly transferable by conjugation) or in the chromosome. Most sil ±â€Špco(+) isolates (77%) were MDR contrasting with sil ±â€Špco(-) ones (48%). The sil ±â€Špco(+) isolates presented significantly higher MICCuSO4 under anaerobiosis (MIC50/MIC90 = 28/32 mM) and MICAgNO3 after previous Ag contact (MIC50/MIC90 > 3 mM) than sil(-) ones (MIC50/MIC90 = 2/8 mM to CuSO4; MIC50/MIC90 = 0.125/0.16 mM to AgNO3). Use of these modified methodological approaches allowed the establishment of CuSO4/AgNO3 tolerance cut-offs to differentiate sil(+) and sil(-) isolates, here firstly proposed. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that acquisition of Cu/Ag tolerance genes (sil/pco genes) might contribute to the emergence of particular clinically relevant MDR Salmonella serotypes/clones by facilitating their survival in diverse metal-contaminated settings, particularly in pig production. Assessment of control measures for the use and/or accumulation of metals in diverse environments are needed to prevent a wider expansion of such strains or the emergence of new ones.

Mast cell in dental pulp: does it have a role / Mastócitos na polpa dental: eles têm uma função

Os mastócitos desempenham um importante papel em uma variedade de processos biológicos e participam, ativamente, da resposta inflamatória. Existe, no entanto, uma controvérsia na literatura a respeito da presença de mastócitos em polpas dentais. O presente trabalho procurou responder essa controvérsia no que se refere à presença de mastócitos no tecido pulpar de ratos e humanos em condições normais e durante a inflamação. Para isso, polpas inflamadas e não inflamadas de humanos e ratos foram coletadas e analisadas, utilizando-se a técnica histoquímica do azul de toluidina e a técnica de imunohistoquímica. Nossos resultados mostraram a ausência de mastócitos em polpas dentais de ratos e humanos tanto em condições normais quanto durante a inflamação. O papel dos mastócitos na resposta inflamatória da polpa dental não é claro. Fatores de crescimento e citocinas envolvidas na sua migração, desenvolvimento e sobrevivência podem estar ausentes no tecido pulpar e necessitam de futuras investigações.

Mast cells play an important role in a variety of biological processes and actively participate in the inflammatory response. There is a controversy in the literature whether mast cells are present in dental pulp. In this investigation we sought to answer the question concerning the presence of mast cells in human and rat dental pulp tissues, under normal and inflammatory conditions. Human and rat dental pulp under normal and inflammatory conditions were analyzed using toluidine blue histochemistry and immunohistochemistry techniques. Our results showed that inflamed and non-inflamed dental pulps neither from humans nor from rats presented mast cells. The role of mast cells in the inflammatory dental pulp response is not clear. Growth factors and cytokines involved in their migration, development and survival could be absent in this tissue and need further investigations.