Eggshell fractions containing different particle sized affect mineral absorption but not bone mineral retention in growing rats.

The purpose of this study was to compare the calcium (Ca) bioavailability from eggshell fractions containing different particle size to purified CaCO3 in male growing rats. Mineral absorption, bone mineral concentration, and biomechanical properties were evaluated. Mean Ca absorption of rats fed with eggshell diets amounted to 56.2% of the ingested Ca, which is considered high. However, we observed lower Ca absorption in large-sized particle eggshell fraction (ES L) and small-sized particle eggshell fraction groups but similar Ca absorption in intermediate-sized particle eggshell fraction (ES M) compared with the CaCO3 group. Rats that received ES M and ES L had higher P and Mg absorption than the CaCO3 group. No changes were observed in the bone mineral deposition, weight or mechanical resistance. We conclude that eggshell Ca is well absorbed by the intestine and retained in bones of growing rats, being a low cost alternative to achieve adequate Ca ingestion.

Effects of ultrasonic-assisted cooking on the volatile compounds, oxidative stability, and sensory quality of mortadella.

Ultrasound is a form of green technology that has been applied efficiently to improve processes in the food industry. This study evaluated the application of ultrasound to reduce the cooking time of mortadella. The volatile compounds, oxidative stability, and sensory quality of mortadella were evaluated. Four cooking conditions were used, as follows: Control, corresponding to the cooking time traditionally used in the meat industry; TUS100 and TUS50: cooking with US (25 kHz) and 50% reduction of the cooking time of Control, using 100% (462 W) and 50% (301 W) amplitude, respectively; and TWUS: cooking without the application of US and 50% reduction of the cooking time of Control. TUS100 and TUS50 showed an increase of 10.8% and 29.4%, respectively, in the total amount of terpenes on the first day of storage in relation to the Control. The presence of nonane on the 60th day only in the US-treated samples (0.22 × 106 vs 0.11 × 106 for TUS100 and TUS50, respectively) indicated that the US treatment may have induced higher oxidation in mortadella. The oxidative stability index ranged from 274 to 369 days for TUS100 and the Control, respectively. The treatments TWUS and TUS50 showed a lower sensory quality at the end of storage. On the other hand, TUS100 presented sensory quality similar to the Control, demonstrating that ultrasonic-assisted cooking using a 100% amplitude is an alternative to reduce the cooking time without affecting the product quality.

Combined effect of ultrasound and basic electrolyzed water on the microbiological and oxidative profile of low-sodium mortadellas.

Ultrasound (US) and basic electrolyzed water (BEW) are considered emerging technologies; however, few studies have addressed the combination of both technologies in emulsified meat products. This study aimed to evaluate the individual and combined effect of US (25 kHz; 175 W; 20 min) and BEW (pH 10.99; -92.33 mV) on the microbiological and oxidative profile of low-sodium mortadellas (30% of NaCl reduction) stored for 90 days at 5 °C. The use of BEW alone increased the pH and reduced the redox potential of mortadellas, while the US did not affect these parameters. The combined application of US and BEW reduced the lactic acid bacteria counts by up to 0.36 log CFU/g. In addition, BEW stimulated the growth of lipolytic bacteria. The treatments subjected to US application alone showed a lower growth rate of lipolytic bacteria, lower lipid and protein oxidation, and higher ΔE* values. Therefore, the application of US and BEW may be a promising strategy to improve the microbiological and oxidative quality of mortadella during storage.

Is it possible to reduce the cooking time of mortadellas using ultrasound without affecting their oxidative and microbiological quality?

This study evaluated the reduction of cooking time of mortadellas using ultrasound (US, 25 kHz) and the effects on the oxidative and microbiological quality of the product. Three cooking conditions were studied: control, cooking time traditionally adopted by the meat industry; TUS and TWUS: cooking with and without US application and 50% reduction of the traditional cooking time, respectively. The application of US did not increase the peroxide, conjugated dienes, and TBARS indices and did not accelerate the protein oxidation. In addition, no significant changes were observed in the color of the mortadellas subjected to ultrasonic-assisted cooking. TUS and control presented a similar mesophilic, psychrotrophic and lactic acid bacteria counts during storage. The ultrasonic-assisted cooking provided a faster increase and higher homogeneity in the internal temperature of the mortadellas. Therefore, the US can be considered a promising technology to improve the cooking process of mortadellas.

Lived Experiences of Nursing Professionals Providing Care to COVID-19 Patients / Experiencias y vivencias de profesionales de enfermería en el cuidado a pacientes con covid-19 / Experiências e vivências de profissionais de enfermagem no cuidado a pacientes com covid-19

Abstract Objective: To analyze nursing professionals' reports on their lived experience in the care provided to hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This is an exploratory study using a qualitative analysis, which included twelve nurses and eight nursing technicians from a public hospital in Brazil, conducted between December 2020 and February 2021. The inclusion criteria were professionals who provided care to COVID-19 patients in emergency, intensive care, and inpatient units and who had at least one year of experience in the institution. The interviews were analyzed through content and similarity analysis that generated a similarity tree; the Reinert method was used for thematic categories. Results: Most participants were female, with a mean age of 34.15 years and 4.85 years of experience. From the analysis, the words 'patient,' 'to stay,' and 'to find' were the most frequent, and for the categories, they were "nursing professionals' feelings regarding the pandemic," "the nurses' role and work with the multi-professional team in the care provided to patients with COVID-19," "precautions with the care provided to patients with COVID-19," and "nursing professionals' concern that their family members may become ill during the pandemic." Conclusions: The nursing staff is predominantly composed of females and, in their reports on the lived experience of providing care to patients with COVID-19, they pointed out that concern and fear were prevalent, with the family being one of the protective factors to withstand the risks of working against something novel that may result in death.

Resumen Objetivo: analizar los relatos de profesionales de enfermería sobre la experiencia y vivencia en la asistencia brindada a los pacientes hospitalizados con covid-19. Materiales y método: estudio exploratorio, con análisis cualitativo, en el que participaron 12 enfermeros y ocho técnicos de enfermería de un hospital público en Brasil, realizado entre diciembre de 2020 y febrero de 2021. Como criterio de inclusión estaban profesionales que brindaban asistencia a pacientes con covid-19, en unidades de emergencia, de terapia intensiva y de hospitalización y al menos un año de experiencia en la institución. El análisis de las entrevistas por el análisis de contenido y por el análisis de similitud que generó un árbol de similitud y se utilizó el método Reinert para las categorías temáticas. Resultados: la mayoría de los participantes fue mujer, con promedio de 34,15 años y experiencia de 4,85 años. De los análisis, las palabras "paciente", "ficar" ("quedar") y "achar" ("crer") fueron las más frecuentes y las categorías "sentimientos de los profesionales de enfermería ante la pandemia"; "rol del enfermero y trabajo con el equipo multiprofesional en los cuidados al paciente con covid-19"; "cuidados en la atención al paciente con covid-19" y "preocupación de los profesionales de enfermería de que sus familiares se enfermaran durante la pandemia". Conclusiones: la enfermería es predominantemente constituida por mujeres y, en sus relatos sobre la experiencia y vivencia de cuidar a paciente con covid-19, señalaron que la preocupación y el miedo fueron predominantes, siendo la familia un de los factores protectores para soportar los riesgos de trabajar en contra algo nuevo y que puede culminar con la muerte.

Resumo Objetivo: analisar os relatos de profissionais de enfermagem sobre a experiência e vivência na assistência prestada aos pacientes hospitalizados com covid-19. Materiais e método: estudo exploratório, com análise qualitativa, do qual participaram 12 enfermeiros e oito técnicos de enfermagem de um hospital público no Brasil, realizado entre dezembro de 2020 e fevereiro de 2021. Como critério de inclusão estavam profissionais que prestavam assistência a pacientes com covid-19, em unidades de emergência, de terapia intensiva e de internação e pelo menos um ano de experiência na instituição. A análise das entrevistas pela análise de conteúdo e pela análise de similitude que gerou uma árvore de similitude e foi utilizado o método Reinert para as categorias temáticas. Resultados: a maioria dos participantes foi mulher, com média de 34,15 anos e experiência de 4,85 anos. Das análises, as palavras "paciente", "ficar" e "achar" foram as mais frequentes e as categorias "sentimentos dos profissionais de enfermagem ante a pandemia"; "papel do enfermeiro e trabalho com a equipe multiprofissional nos cuidados ao paciente com covid-19"; "cuidados no atendimento ao paciente com covid-19" e "preocupação dos profissionais de enfermagem de seus familiares adoecerem durante a pandemia". Conclusões: a enfermagem é predominantemente constituída por mulheres e, nos seus relatos sobre a experiência e a vivência de cuidar de paciente com covid-19, apontaram que a preocupação e o medo foram predominantes, sendo a família um dos fatores protetores para suportar os riscos de trabalhar contra algo novo e que pode culminar com a morte.

Application of electrolyzed water for improving pork meat quality.

The microbiological and oxidative qualities of pork loin sprayed with different types (slightly acidic, acidic and basic) and combinations of electrolyzed water (EWs) were evaluated. The EWs were applied at two temperatures (18° and 30°C) and pressures (30 and 45psi) and the volume corresponded to approximately 10% water commonly used in carcass washing. EW after spraying exhibited a chlorine concentration between 15 and 25ppm. The application of acidic EW (AEW) alone or in combination with basic EW (BEW) decreased (P<0.05) the microbial counts shortly after spraying. In addition, the combination of BEW+AEW (30psi) reduced the mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria counts throughout the refrigerated storage (P<0.05). The EWs did not increase the lipid oxidation of the samples. On the other hand, a high protein oxidation was observed in the samples sprayed with AEW and slightly acidic EW (SAEW), while BEW was effective to reduce the oxidation reactions. Therefore, the results showed that the combination BEW+AEW may be a viable alternative to reduce the volume of water used at slaughter and to improve the microbiological quality of pork meat.

Casca de ovo como fonte de cálcio para humanos: composição mineral e análise microbiológica / Eggshell as calcium source for humans: mineral composition and microbiological analysis

Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a composição mineral de diferentes tipos de cascas de ovo, bem como a segurança microbiológica de amostras submetidas a diferentes métodos de higienização. Para a obtenção do pó de casca de ovo, as cascas foram lavadas, higienizadas, secas em estufa e trituradas em moinho. Cascas de ovo de granja (criação confinada), de coloração branca e vermelha, e cascas de ovo coloniais (caipira), provenientes da região central do Rio Grande do Sul, foram comparadas quanto a sua composição mineral. O Ca, mineral predominante na casca de ovo, se manteve em concentrações semelhantes nas diferentes amostras (cerca de 365mg g-1). As cascas de ovo de granja apresentaram maior concentração de Mg e menor concentração de Sr que as cascas de ovo coloniais. Não foram encontradas quantidades significativas de Fe, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se, Al, Cd e Pb nas amostras analisadas. Adicionalmente, tanto amostras higienizadas com imersão em hipoclorito e posterior fervura em água, quanto amostras nas quais a imersão em hipoclorito foi suprimida, não apresentaram contaminação por coliformes, estafilococos ou salmonela. Os resultados indicam que a casca de ovo pode ser utilizada na nutrição humana, já que é rica em Ca, não apresenta contaminação por metais tóxicos e, se processada de forma adequada, apresenta boa qualidade higiênico-sanitária.

This study aimed to evaluate the mineral composition of different kinds of eggshell, as well as the microbiological safety of samples submitted to different sanitization procedures. To obtain the eggshell powder, the shells were washed, sanitized, oven dried and grinded in a mill. White- and brown-colored eggshells from confined laying hens and eggshells from free-ranged laying hens from the central region of Rio Grande do Sul were compared for their mineral composition. Ca, the predominant mineral in eggshells, remained at similar concentrations in the different samples (approximately 365mg g-1). Eggshells from confined laying hens had higher Mg concentration and lower Sr concentration than the shells from free-ranged laying hens. No significant amounts of Fe, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se, Al, Cd or Pb were found in the samples. Additionally, both samples that were sanitized by immersion in hypochlorite and subsequently boiled in water as well as samples in which hypochlorite immersion was suppressed did not show coliform, staphylococcus or salmonella contamination. The results indicate that eggshell can be used in human nutrition since it is rich Ca source, shows no contamination by toxic metals and has good sanitary quality when properly processed.