Development and Characterization of Probiotic Beers with Saccharomyces boulardii as an Alternative to Conventional Brewer's Yeast.

The development of new non-dairy probiotic foods is interesting, given lactose intolerance, milk allergies, and the growing trend of vegetarianism. In this paper, beer has been used as a probiotic delivery matrix, using Saccharomyces boulardii as an alternative to conventional brewer's yeast. The strain was able to grow in worts prepared with hops containing different alpha-acid concentrations, attaining in all cases a final cell concentration above 1·108 cells mL-1. Some differences were found in the physicochemical parameters of beers brewed with S. boulardii compared to those brewed with a standard brewer's yeast. Probiotic beers turned out to be less cloudy, which could help with a possible filtering step; less alcoholic in some cases; a healthier alternative; and with a slightly lower pH, interesting for the reduction of spoilage risk. Thirty volatile compounds were determined in the samples, and, in general, the beers brewed with the probiotic yeast presented significantly higher concentrations for the majority of the studied volatile compounds. In addition, multivariate statistical analysis was successfully performed to differentiate the beers obtained in terms of their volatile composition. Probiotic and standard beers were also subjected to sensory analysis, and they presented similar results in their overall impression.

Patologia nutricional en America Latina y el Caribe / Nutritional pathology in Latin America and Caribe

La Región de América Latina y el Caribe tiene características generales diferentes a las de otras áreas geográficas del mundo. Esas características se traducen en una problemática alimentaria y nutricional propias, con factores causales que han determinado políticas y programas específicos. Si bien lo justo es la cobertura universal de las necesidades básicas, esto es por ahora prácticamente imposible, pudiéndose identificar fácilmente grupos marginados en todas las colectividades, denominados "grupos vulnerables integrales". El estudio de los problemas relacionados con la alimentación y la nutrición necesita de un enfoque global, multidisciplinario, del complejo de condiciones ecológicas, económicas, sociales y culturales que afectan a las comunidades, especialmente las rurales y las urbanas marginales. Las enfermedades nutricionales representan las últimas etapas en la cadena ecológica de la malnutrición, y si bien se usan como indicadores de la situación nutricional, su magnitud estimada siempre subvalora el impacto real de ésta, que depende de factores condicionantes que se modifican más lentamente. En las grandes ciudades de América Latina es donde mejor se comprende y aprecia el concepto de malnutrición, que engloba ambos tipos de patología, por déficit o por exceso de consumo de alimentos. En efecto, la marginalización de los cordones suburbanos de las grandes ciudades, la lactancia corta, bajos ingresos, el nivel deficiente de instrucción materna, la escasa disponibilidad de...

Validación de un programa de enzeñanza de nutrición en agronomía / Evaluation of a teaching program of nutrition in agronomy

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el conjunto de materiales didácticos sobre alimentación, nutrición y agricultura, adaptados en el Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos (INTA), Universidad de Chile, en el ámbito de un proyecto conjunto con la AID y la Faculdad de Agronomía de la Universidad Católica de Chile (U.C.), cuyo propósito es incorporar la enseñanza de nutrición humana en la formación curricular del Ingeniero Agrónomo de América Latina. Se dictó un curso de un semestre (54 horas) a 22 alumnos del 7§ semestre de Agronomía y dos Ingenieros Agrónomos de Ecuador (becados por la AID). Se aplicó un conjunto de instrumento de evaluación del conocimiento inicial y final. El 83.3% de los alumnos aprobó el examen final (>75% de respuestas correctas). La diferencia entre los conocimientos iniciales y finales fue altamente significativa (P <0.001). En opinión de alumnos y docentes, el Libro del Profesor y el Texto General contribuyeron efectivamente al logro de los objetivos de aprendizaje, necesitando algunas modificaciones el Manual para el Alumno

Acción de los Gobiernos en el combate de la malnutrición: analisis critico de resultados / Action of the governments against malnutrition: critical analysis of results

Se examina en forma crítica, el porque de la acción gubernamental, las prioridades reales que mueven a los gobiernos en la acción, la limitación en la evaluación de los resultados, el tipo de programa de combate a la malnutrición, análisis crítico de los resultados de algunos programas y una orientación multidisciplinaria integrada para la acción gubernamental en el problema alimentario nutricional

Problemas nutricionales colectivos de Chile / Community nutrition problems in Chile

A comparison made in 1960 between the statistically average diet and the food input established by the Chilean Nutrition Association revealed that theoretically there is an excess of calories and of most nutrients, with the exception of vitamin A, calcium, and some proteins. These findings imply that in Chile the nutrition problem is presumably one of poor distribution -caused by economic, social, and cultural conditions -rather than one of lack of foostuffs. Undernourishment is present in children and young people, and overnourishment in adults. In the children, the principal disorders caused by undernourishment are malnutrition and dental caries, and considering the importance of these, there is a notable lack of studies to assess the extent of the problems. In adults, there is a high rate of obesity (28 percent) and of diabetes (1.3 percent), and a high mortality from cardiovascular diseases, all of which are caused by overnourishment. The conclusion is that countries which are becoming industrialized, of which Chile is one, undergo a stage in which community nutritional diseases can be prevented through a national food plan

El colesterol sanguíneo y la dieta de los Chilenos / Cholesterol in the blood and Chilean diet

1) The possibility that atherosclerosis may be prevented through changes in diet fully justifies the great interest in research on the relationship between diet and the blood lipids and between these and atherosclerosis. Most epidemiological observations, animal experiments, and clinical examination s show that there is a relationship between the total blood cholesterol and the following dietary factors: calories; percentage of calories contributed by fats; the degree of saturation of these fats; percentage of calories contributed by animal protein and by non-cellulose glucids. 2) In order to ascertain the normal cholesterol level among the Chilean population, the technique devised by Abell and collaborators was used to study 482 normal persons between the ages of 15 and 64 years; in 467 of these cases simultaneous study was made of their diet by the quantified consumption technique. Cholesterolemia in the blood of the umbilical chord was also determined in 183 normal newly born babies. 3) The Chilean is born with a cholesterol level of 95 mg. percent, which increases with age; it is 156.5 mg. percent in males from 15 to 24 years of age, and reaches 209 mg. percent in the decade between 45 and 54 years. In women the figures are 102, 155 and 221.9 mg. percent for the same ages. A "normal cholesterol curve" rather than asingle figure for each age group is suggested

El colesterol sanguíneo y la dieta de los Chilenos / Cholesterol in the blood and Chilean diet

1) The possibility that atherosclerosis may be prevented through changes in diet fully justifies the great interest in research on the relationship between diet and the blood lipids and between these and atherosclerosis. Most epidemiological observations, animal experiments, and clinical examination s show that there is a relationship between the total blood cholesterol and the following dietary factors: calories; percentage of calories contributed by fats; the degree of saturation of these fats; percentage of calories contributed by animal protein and by non-cellulose glucids. 2) In order to ascertain the normal cholesterol level among the Chilean population, the technique devised by Abell and collaborators was used to study 482 normal persons between the ages of 15 and 64 years; in 467 of these cases simultaneous study was made of their diet by the quantified consumption technique. Cholesterolemia in the blood of the umbilical chord was also determined in 183 normal newly born babies. 3) The Chilean is born with a cholesterol level of 95 mg. percent, which increases with age; it is 156.5 mg. percent in males from 15 to 24 years of age, and reaches 209 mg. percent in the decade between 45 and 54 years. In women the figures are 102, 155 and 221.9 mg. percent for the same ages. A "normal cholesterol curve" rather than asingle figure for each age group is suggested

Problemas nutricionales colectivos de Chile / Community nutrition problems in Chile

A comparison made in 1960 between the statistically average diet and the food input established by the Chilean Nutrition Association revealed that theoretically there is an excess of calories and of most nutrients, with the exception of vitamin A, calcium, and some proteins. These findings imply that in Chile the nutrition problem is presumably one of poor distribution -caused by economic, social, and cultural conditions -rather than one of lack of foostuffs. Undernourishment is present in children and young people, and overnourishment in adults. In the children, the principal disorders caused by undernourishment are malnutrition and dental caries, and considering the importance of these, there is a notable lack of studies to assess the extent of the problems. In adults, there is a high rate of obesity (28 percent) and of diabetes (1.3 percent), and a high mortality from cardiovascular diseases, all of which are caused by overnourishment. The conclusion is that countries which are becoming industrialized, of which Chile is one, undergo a stage in which community nutritional diseases can be prevented through a national food plan