Current insights into non-thermal preservation technologies alternative to conventional high-temperature short-time pasteurization of drinking milk.

Milk is an important nutritional food source characterized by a perishable nature and conventionally thermally treated to guarantee its safety. In recent years, an increasing focus on competing non-thermal food processing technologies has been driven mainly by consumers' expectations for minimally processed products. Due to the heat sensitivity of milk, much research interest has been addressed to mild non-thermal pasteurization processing to keep safety, 'fresh-like' taste and to maintain the organoleptic qualities of raw milk. This review provides an overview of the current literature on non-thermal treatments as standalone alternative technologies to high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization of drinking milk. Results of lab-scale experimentations suggest the feasibility of most emerging non-thermal processing technologies, including high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric field, cold plasma, cavitation and light-based technologies, as alternative to thermal treatment of drinking milk with premium in shelf life duration. Nevertheless, a series of regulatory, technological and economical hurdles hinder the industrial scaling-up for most of these substitutes. To date, only high hydrostatic pressure treatments are applied as alone alternative to HTSH pasteurization for processing of "cold pasteurized" drinking milk. Milk submitted to HTST treatment combined to ultraviolet light is currently accepted in EU countries as novel food.

Impact of in vitro static digestion method on the release of ß-casomorphin-7 from bovine milk and cheeses with A1 or A2 ß-casein phenotypes.

Beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM7) represents the fragment Val60-Ile66 of bovine ß-casein (ß-CN), and there is evidence that it is more easily released during gastrointestinal digestion (GID) of A1 ß-CN variant, in comparison to the A2 variant. This study aimed at investigating the effect of type of enzymes and the protease/protein (P/S) ratio on BCM7 release during the intestinal step of in vitro static GID of bovine milk and cheeses with A1 or A2 ß-CN phenotypes. BCM7 occurred in digests of both A1 and A2 samples, being the release more marked for A1 counterparts. Nonetheless, the BCM7 release depended on both the type of GID enzymes and the P/S ratio. These findings highlight the importance of GID conditions which may affect the outcomes for possible differences between A1 and A2 milk based on BCM7 release during in vitro GID.

Transmission routes, preventive measures and control strategies of SARS-CoV-2 in the food factory.

SARS-CoV-2 virus represents a health threat in food factories. This infectious virus is transmitted by direct contact and indirectly via airborne route, whereas contamination through inanimate objects/surfaces/equipment is uncertain. To limit the potential spread of the pathogen in the food industry, close working between individuals should be avoided and both personal and respiratory hygiene activities should be enforced. Despite the high infectivity, SARS-CoV-2, being an enveloped virus with a fragile lipid envelop, is sensitive to biocidal products and sanitizers commonly used in the food factory. In the context of the building design, interventions that promote healthy air quality should be adopted, especially in food areas with high-occupancy rates for prolonged times, to help minimize the potential exposure to airborne SARS-CoV-2. Air ventilation and filtration provided by heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, are effective and easy-to-organize tools to reduce the risk of transmission through the air. In addition to conventional sanitation protocols, aerosolization of hydrogen peroxide, UV-C irradiation or in-situ ozone generation are complementary techniques for an effective virucidal treatment of the air.

Model infant biscuits release the opioid-acting peptides milk ß-casomorphins and gluten exorphins after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

Infant biscuits (IBs) are commonly used during the complementary feeding of infants from the 6th month of life. They contain wheat flour and dairy ingredients, which can release the opioid-acting peptides ß-casomorphins (BCMs) and gluten exorphins (GEs) after gastrointestinal digestion. In the present study, five model IBs were prepared with or without gluten and different powdered milk derivatives in the formulations. IBs were digested simulating an in vitro static gastrointestinal digestion for infants aged 6-12 months. BCMs and GEs were identified and quantified by UPLC/HR-MS. The amounts of BCM7 and the GE A5 were related to the ß-CN and gluten content of the formulations. To date, levels of BCMs and GEs in digests of IBs have not been reported in literature. This work represents an in vitro investigation regarding the release of opioid-acting peptides in IBs. It could add additional knowledge on complementary foods for infant health.

Proteolytic Traits of Psychrotrophic Bacteria Potentially Causative of Sterilized Milk Instability: Genotypic, Phenotypic and Peptidomic Insight.

The proteolytic traits of the psychrotrophic strains Pseudomonas poae LP5, Pseudomonas fluorescens LPF3, Chryseobacterium joostei LPR1, Pseudomonas fulva PS1, Citrobacter freundii PS37, Hafnia alvei PS46, and Serratia marcescens PS92 were initially investigated by phenotypic and genotypic approaches. Six strains elicited extracellular proteolytic activity, and five expressed the thermostable AprX or (likely) Ser1 enzymes. Then, the strains were inoculated (104 CFU/mL) in microfiltered pasteurized milk and kept at 4 °C for five days. All of the strains reached 108 CFU/mL at the end of storage and five produced thermostable extracellular proteolytic enzymes. The freshly inoculated samples and the corresponding samples at 108 CFU/mL were batch-sterilized (131 °C, 30 s) and kept at 45 °C up to 100 days. The former samples did not gel until the end of incubation, whereas the latter, containing P. poae, P. fluorescens, C. joostei, C. freundii, and S. marcescens, gelled within a few days of incubation. The thermostable proteolytic activity of strains affected the peptidomic profile, and specific proteolyzed zones of ß-CN were recognized in the gelled samples. Overall, the results confirm some proteolytic traits of psychrotrophic Pseudomonas spp. strains and provide additional insights on the proteolytic activity of psychrotrophic bacteria potentially responsible for sterilized milk destabilization.

Effect of protein fortification on heat damage and occurrence of ß-casomorphins in (un)digested donor human milk intended for nutrition of preterm infants.

Pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) for preterm infant nutrition is fortified with hydrolyzates of cow's milk proteins, which have been poorly investigated in relation to heat-damage and occurrence of the bioactive peptides ß-casomorphins (BCMs). Therefore, thermal protein modifications of three commercial fortifiers were assessed by measuring well-recognized indexes of heat load. The fortifiers did not contain pyrraline, whereas furosine and lysinoalanine levels roughly overlapped the lowest values reported for liquid formulas addressed to term infant nutrition. Bovine BCMs 3 to 7 and human BCMs 3 to 9 were searched. Bovine BCMs 3, 4, 6 and 7 were found in the undigested fortifiers. Following in vitro digestion simulating the digestive conditions of premature infant, bovine BCMs still occurred in fortified PDHM; the human BCMs 3, 7, 8 and 9 formed. Overall, these results better address the nutritional features of protein fortifiers and fortified PDHM intended for nutrition of preterm infants.

Essa eu vou postar: Explorando as relações entre narcisismo, uso do Instagram e a moderação da autoestima / This I will post: Exploring the relationship between narcissism, use of Instagram and moderation role of self-esteem / Esto lo voy a publicar: Explorando las relaciones entre narcisismo, uso del Instagram y la moderación de la autoestima

Resumo: O narcisismo envolve características como exibicionismo, grandiosidade e necessidade constante de ser admirado. Tais características apontam o papel fundamental que este traço de personalidade pode ter para explicar o uso do Instagram. Esta rede social parece ser um cenário propício para que os narcisistas possam se autopromover e manterem seu autoconceito grandioso e irrealístico, buscando feedback positivo por meio de curtidas, visualizações e comentários. Nesta direção, o presente estudo objetiva analisar o papel preditor do narcisismo em relação ao uso do Instagram, testando o papel moderador da autoestima. Participaram 207 usuários desta rede social, sendo identificado que narcisistas tendem a passar mais tempo no Instagram, postam mais fotos e stories, atribuindo muita importância a receber feedback (curtidas e visualizações). Ademais, verificou-se que a importância atribuída a receber feedbacks foi mais forte entre os narcisistas que possuem baixa autoestima, sendo que receber curtidas e visualizações pode ser uma forma de compensação para os baixos níveis nesta variável. Portanto, observa-se que o uso do Instagram pode ser explicado por meio do narcisismo, podendo haver interações com a autoestima, dando importantes insights para se entender o uso problemático desta rede social.

Abstract: Narcissism involves characteristics such as exhibitionism, grandiosity and a constant need to be admired. Such characteristics highlight the role that this personality trait may have in the use of Instagram. This social network seems to be a propitious setting for narcissists to self-promote and maintain their grandiose and unrealistic self-concept by seeking positive feedback through number of likes, views, and comments. Thus, the present study aims to analyze the predictive role of narcissism in Instagram use, testing the moderating role of self-esteem. Participants were 207 users of this social network, whereby it was identified that narcissists tend to spend more time on Instagram, post more pictures and stories, giving much importance to receiving feedback (likes and views). Moreover, it was verified that the importance attributed to receiving such feedback was stronger among the narcissists with low self-esteem, such that gathering likes and views can be a way of compensating for low self-esteem. Therefore, it was observed that the use of Instagram can be explained by narcissism, and there may be interactions with self-esteem, which gives important insights to the understanding of the problematic use of this social network.

Resumen: El narcisismo involucra características como el exhibicionismo, grandiosidad y necesidad constante de ser admirado. Dichas características apuntan el papel fundamental que este rasgo de personalidad puede tener para explicar el uso del Instagram. Esta red social parece ser un escenario propicio para que los narcisistas puedan autopromoverse y mantener su autoconcepto grandioso y irrealístico, buscando feedback positivo por medio de curtidas, visualizaciones y comentarios. En esta dirección, este estudio tiene por objetivo analizar el rol predictor del narcisismo con relación al uso del Instagram, evaluando el rol moderador de la autoestima. 207 personas usuarias de Instagram participaron del estudio, teniendo en cuenta que narcisistas pasan más tiempo en Instagram, publican más fotos y stories, atribuyendo mucha importancia a recibir feedbacks. Además, se observó que la importancia atribuida a recibir feedbacks fue más elevada entre los narcisistas con baja autoestima, siendo que recibir curtidas y visualizaciones pueden ser una forma de compensación para los bajos niveles en esta variable. Por lo tanto, se observa que el uso del Instagram puede ser explicado por medio del narcisismo, pudiendo haber interacciones con la autoestima, dando importantes claves para entender el uso problemático de esta red social.

Functional characterization of Lactobacillus plantarum ITEM 17215: A potential biocontrol agent of fungi with plant growth promoting traits, able to enhance the nutritional value of cereal products.

In this work, we explored the potential of 25 Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from cereals and milk-based products, testing characteristics related to antifungal activity and to nutritional quality. The tested strains demonstrated interesting beneficial traits, such as the ability to utilize fructo-oligosaccharides, prebiotic substances that help probiotic microorganisms to grow in the human gut, and to reduce phytate, an antinutrient present in cereal sector. Regarding mould inhibition, we highlighted the ability of the strains to inhibit Penicillium roqueforti, Mucor circinelloides and mycotoxinogenic moulds associated with cereal grains as Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Fusarium verticillioides. Moreover, a moderate reduction of the bioavailability of aflatoxin AFB1 was detected. The selected L. plantarum strain ITEM 17215, showed a strong inhibitory ability towards fungal growth and was able to produce 1,2-dihydroxybenzene, benzoic acid, p-hydroxyphenyllactic acid and 3-phenyllactic acid. The latter compound, already described as efficient antifungal inhibitor, was the most abundant and its concentration was further increased by adding phenylalanine and phenylpyruvic acid in the growth medium. The metabolites produced by strain ITEM 17215 could also be related to the ability of the strain to induce cereal germination and promote plant growth. This aspect, not yet investigated in L. plantarum, could have interesting applications in the agro-food sector.

Characterization of Whole Grain Pasta: Integrating Physical, Chemical, Molecular, and Instrumental Sensory Approaches.

The consumption of whole-grain food-including pasta-has been increasing steadily. In the case of whole-grain pasta, given the many different producers, it seems important to have some objective parameters to define its overall quality. In this study, commercial whole-grain pasta samples representative of the Italian market have been characterized from both molecular and electronic-senses (electronic nose and electronic tongue) standpoint in order to provide a survey of the properties of different commercial samples. Only 1 pasta product showed very low levels of heat damage markers (furosine and pyrraline), suggesting that this sample underwent to low temperature dry treatment. In all samples, the furosine content was directly correlated to protein structural indices, since protein structure compactness increased with increasing levels of heat damage markers. Electronic senses were able to discriminate among pasta samples according to the intensity of heat treatment during the drying step. Pasta sample with low furosine content was discriminated by umami taste and by sensors responding to aliphatic and inorganic compounds. Data obtained with this multidisciplinary approach are meant to provide hints for identifying useful indices for pasta quality. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: As observed for semolina pasta, objective parameters based on heat-damage were best suited to define the overall quality of wholegrain pasta, almost independently of compositional differences among commercial samples. Drying treatments of different intensity also had an impact on instrumental sensory traits that may provide a reliable alternative to analytical determination of chemical markers of heat damage in all cases where there is a need for avoiding time-consuming procedures.

Protein breakdown and release of ß-casomorphins during in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion of sterilised model systems of liquid infant formula.

Protein modifications occurring during sterilisation of infant formulas can affect protein digestibility and release of bioactive peptides. The effect of glycation and cross-linking on protein breakdown and release of ß-casomorphins was evaluated during in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion (GID) of six sterilised model systems of infant formula. Protein degradation during in vitro GID was evaluated by SDS-PAGE and by measuring the nitrogen content of ultrafiltration (3kDa) permeates before and after in vitro GID of model IFs. Glycation strongly hindered protein breakdown, whereas cross-linking resulting from ß-elimination reactions had a negligible effect. Only ß-casomorphin 7 (ß-CM7) was detected (0.187-0.858mgL(-1)) at the end of the intestinal digestion in all untreated IF model systems. The level of ß-CM7 in the sterilised model systems prepared without addition of sugars ranged from 0.256 to 0.655mgL(-1). The release of this peptide during GID was hindered by protein glycation.

Heat damage and in vitro starch digestibility of puffed wheat kernels.

The effect of processing conditions on heat damage, starch digestibility, release of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and antioxidant capacity of puffed cereals was studied. The determination of several markers arising from Maillard reaction proved pyrraline (PYR) and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) as the most reliable indices of heat load applied during puffing. The considerable heat load was evidenced by the high levels of both PYR (57.6-153.4 mg kg(-1) dry matter) and HMF (13-51.2 mg kg(-1) dry matter). For cost and simplicity, HMF looked like the most appropriate index in puffed cereals. Puffing influenced starch in vitro digestibility, being most of the starch (81-93%) hydrolyzed to maltotriose, maltose and glucose whereas only limited amounts of AGEs were released. The relevant antioxidant capacity revealed by digested puffed kernels can be ascribed to both the new formed Maillard reaction products and the conditions adopted during in vitro digestion.

Occurrence and fate of ACE-inhibitor peptides in cheeses and in their digestates following in vitro static gastrointestinal digestion.

The occurrence of the casein-derived angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitor (ACE-I) peptides VPP, IPP, RYLGY, RYLG, AYFYPEL, AYFYPE, LHLPLP and HLPLP were investigated in 12 different cheese samples by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography/High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry. The total amount of ACE-I peptides was in the range 0.87-331mgkg(-1). VPP and IPP largely prevailed in almost all cheeses. Following in vitro static gastrointestinal digestion of Cheddar, Gorgonzola, Maasdam and Grana Padano cheeses, type and amount of ACE-I peptides changed, and only VPP, IPP, HLPLP and LHLPLP were detected in the intestinal digestates. The results evidenced that the degree of proteolysis itself cannot be regarded as a promoting or hindering factor for ACE-I peptide release during cheese digestion. Moreover, the data indicated that the ACE-I potential of cheeses cannot be inferred based on the type and amount of ACE-I peptides present in undigested samples.

Liquid infant formulas: technological tools for limiting heat damage.

In a study considering 15 commercial samples of liquid milk-based infant formulas (MBF) from different manufacturers, the levels of selected molecules, that is, furosine (FUR), galactosyl-beta-pyranone (GAP), lactulose (LCT), and lysinoalanine (LAL), have been measured to provide estimation of the heat damage in these products. The ranges of the studied markers were as follows: FUR=153-600 mg 100 g(-1) of protein, GAP=0.5-4.3 mg L(-1), LCT=226-1511 mg L(-1), and LAL=1.0-16.1 mg 100 g(-1) of protein. The highest levels were found in MBF intended for the youngest babies. Experimental samples were produced in an industrial plant to evaluate the relative contribution of individual technological aspects to the final heat damage. About 90% of both GAP and LCT contents was due to the ultrahigh-temperature sterilization process itself. This effect was more than halved when the pH of the ingredient mixture was adjusted from 7.2 to 6.9 before sterilization or when the product recirculated in the plant was discarded. Up to 60 and 20%, respectively, of the FUR and LAL levels in the finished product were already present in protein ingredients (whey powder, whey protein concentrate). Accurate optimization of processing conditions and scrupulous selection of raw materials proved to be effective means to minimize heat damage in such special food products.