Assessment of hepatic function, perfusion and parenchyma attenuation with indocyanine green, ultrasound and computed tomography in a healthy rat model: Preliminary determination of baseline parameters in a healthy liver.

Background: Defining reference intervals in experimental animal models plays a crucial role in pre-clinical studies. The hepatic parameters in healthy animals provide useful information about type and extension of hepatic damage. However, in the majority of the cases, to obtain them require an invasive techniques.

Iron bioavailability of four iron sources used to fortify infant cereals, using anemic weaning pigs as a model.

Purpose: Iron (Fe) deficiency anemia in young children is a global health concern which can be reduced by Fe fortification of foods. Cereal is often one of the first foods given to infants, providing adequate quantities of Fe during weaning. In this work, we have compared iron bioavailability and iron status of four iron sources used to fortify infant cereals, employing piglets as an animal model.

Physicochemical properties of different thickeners used in infant foods and their relationship with mineral availability during in vitro digestion process.

Locust bean gum (LBG) and modified starches are commonly used as thickeners in food products for infants. However, there is no consensus on their possible effects on infant nutrition, especially on mineral availability. The aim of the present work was to characterize the effect of LBG, cross-linked, hydroxypropylated maize starch (Mhdp) and pre-gelatinized rice starch (gRS) on Ca, Fe and Zn availability during a gastric and intestinal in vitro digestion assay in relation to their physicochemical properties in solution (apparent viscosity, solubility, molar mass (M) and conformational properties) through the simulated digestion process.