Improvement of the digestibility of the proteins of the red alga Palmaria palmata by physical processes and fermentation.

Palmaria palmata (dulse) is an edible red alga constituting a potential protein source in human diet. However, previous studies showed that the digestibility of dulse proteins is bad because of the cell-wall encapsulating cytoplasmic proteins and the presence of fibers. The water-soluble xylan, present in high proportions in dulse, could be involved to explain the weak digestibility of proteins.

The cholesterol-lowering property of soybeans fed to rats is related to the fasting duration.

Numerous factors affect plasma cholesterol and, therefore, represent potential interferences with the specific effects of diet on lipid metabolism. After casein intake, serum cholesterol levels depend on many experimental conditions in rats, such as the type of casein, the presence or absence of cholesterol in the diet, the age and strain of rat, the diet composition, the nutritional status. The effect of fasting duration on selected parameters was studied in adult male Wistar rats fed a 20% casein and 1% cholesterol-based diet.

[Effects of treatments (heat and fermentation by Rhizopus oligosporus sp-T3) of sweet white lupin seeds on certain factors of its nutritional use].

For improving the nutritional value and functional properties of sweet white lupin (SWL), a solid fermentation process using Rhizopus oligosporus was developed for the preparation of lupin products. A comparison of the effects of soaking + thermal treatment and fermentation was made from 3 lupin products: non-treated lupin seeds (SWLnt), heated lupin seeds (steamed at 100 degrees C for 30 min) (SWLh), and fermented lupin products (SWLf) from SWLh on chemical characteristics and protein efficiency ratio (PER) in rats. The major effect of soaking and thermal treatment is a loss of protein solubility and available lysine (from 3.

[Common presence on strawberries of ascospores of Byssochlamys nivea capable of producing patulin].

Tha auteurs have obtained a strain of Byssochlamys nivea from heat processed strawberries. The mold grown on synthetic media shows antibiotic properties. The metabolite responsible is patulin which has been purified and characterized.