Complex aneuploidy triggers autophagy and p53-mediated apoptosis and impairs the second lineage segregation in human preimplantation embryos.

About 70% of human cleavage stage embryos show chromosomal mosaicism, falling to 20% in blastocysts. Chromosomally mosaic human blastocysts can implant and lead to healthy new-borns with normal karyotypes. Studies in mouse embryos and human gastruloids showed that aneuploid cells are eliminated from the epiblast by p53-mediated apoptosis while being tolerated in the trophectoderm.

De Novo Cancer Mutations Frequently Associate with Recurrent Chromosomal Abnormalities during Long-Term Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are pivotal in regenerative medicine, yet their in vitro expansion often leads to genetic abnormalities, raising concerns about their safety in clinical applications. This study analyzed ten human embryonic stem cell lines across multiple passages to elucidate the dynamics of chromosomal abnormalities and single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in 380 cancer-related genes. Prolonged in vitro culture resulted in 80% of the lines acquiring gains of chromosome 20q or 1q, both known for conferring an in vitro growth advantage.

Zùsto: A new sweetening agent with low glycemic index.

Background & Aims: Sweetening agents are sugar substitutes with a low glycemic index, used to obtain a better glycemic control in diabetes patients. However, they also may have a role in other subjects, as a high glycemic index is thought to cause many pathological conditions. Unfortunately, not all artificial sweeteners are perceived as sweet as sugar by patients.

Dietary cadmium intake by the Belgian adult population.

The aim of this study was to estimate the dietary cadmium (Cd) intake of the Belgian adult population, to compare this dietary Cd exposure to the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) recently established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and to determine the major food groups that contribute to dietary Cd exposure in Belgium. Food consumption data were derived from the 2004 Belgian food consumption survey (two 24 h recalls, 3083 participants). Cadmium concentrations in food items (n = 4000) were gathered from the control program of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain for the period 2006-2008.

Assessment of the acrylamide intake of the Belgian population and the effect of mitigation strategies.

The acrylamide (AA) intake of the Belgian consumer was calculated based on AA monitoring data of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) and consumption data of the Belgian food consumption survey coordinated by the Scientific Institute for Public Health (3214 participants of 15 years or older). The average AA exposure, calculated probabilistically, was 0.4 microg kg(-1) body weight (bw) day(-1) (P97.

Enhanced levels of dioxins in eggs from free range hens; a fast evaluation approach.

As a consequence of an initiative of the local authorities of the city of Antwerp (Belgium), dioxin levels were determined in eggs from free range hens owned by private owners in the Northern districts of Antwerp. The reasons for this survey stem from some fears that free range eggs could be contaminated by local environmental sources (e.g.

Cadmium in the food chain near non-ferrous metal production sites.

Dietary cadmium (Cd) exposure was estimated for adults living in Cd-contaminated areas close to non-ferrous metal plants and compared with dietary Cd exposure in the general Belgian adult population. To evaluate the contamination levels of locally produced food items, 35 fruit samples, 97 vegetable samples, 98 samples of potatoes and 53 samples of meat, liver and kidney of cattle, which had resided for more than 18 months in the contaminated area, were analyzed for Cd. Mean Cd concentrations in fruit and vegetables were 1.

On-farm contamination of animals with chemical contaminants.

Food products should not contain unsafe levels of chemical contaminants. However, it is not possible to monitor each and every one of the many thousands of chemicals that are used in our advanced societies. Chemical contaminants in foodstuffs of animal origin may be classified into three categories: natural contaminants (e.

Protective influence of several packaging materials on light oxidation of milk.

Light-induced degradation reactions in milk create a serious problem for the dairy industry because of the development of off-flavors, the decrease in nutritional quality, and the severity and speed by which these phenomena develop. Packaging materials are essential to avoid this particular deterioration of milk. Therefore, efforts are being made to design protective polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packages.

Influence of the lactokinin Ala-Leu-Pro-Met-His-Ile-Arg (ALPMHIR) on the release of endothelin-1 by endothelial cells.

Milk protein-derived peptides with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity can reduce blood pressure in hypertensive subjects. The lactokinin Ala-Leu-Pro-Met-His-Ile-Arg (ALPMHIR) is an ACE-inhibitory peptide released by tryptic digestion from the milk protein beta-lactoglobulin. Its ACE-inhibitory activity is 100 times lower than that of captopril.

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for bisphenol a using chicken immunoglobulins.

Bisphenol A was coupled, after derivatization into a suitable hapten, to bovine serum albumin and ovalbumin in order to produce immunizing and coating antigens. The immunizing antigens were injected into chickens, which allowed the isolation of specific bisphenol A immunoglobulins from the egg yolk. These antibodies were used in an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the determination of bisphenol A in aqueous solutions.

Evaluation of the nutritional characteristics of a finger millet based complementary food.

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana), kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), peanuts (Arachis hypogoea), and mango (Mangifera indica) were processed separately and then combined, on the basis of their amino acid scores and energy content, into a complementary food for children of weaning age. The finger millet and kidney beans were processed by germination, autoclaving, and lactic acid fermentation. A mixture containing, on a dry matter basis, 65.

Reduction of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus stearothermophilus and Streptococcus faecalis in meat batters by temperature-high hydrostatic pressure pasteurization.

People have a growing preference for fresh, healthy, palatable and nutritious meals and drinks. However, as food deterioration is a constant threat along the entire food chain, food preservation remains as necessary now as in the past. High pressure processing is one of the emerging technologies being studied as an alternative to the classical pasteurization and sterilization treatments of food.

Modeling of alpha-tocopherol loss and oxidation products formed during thermoxidation in triolein and tripalmitin mixtures.

The degradation of alpha-tocopherol and the formation of alpha-tocopherol and triacylglycerol oxidation products at high temperatures (150-250 degrees C) over a heating period (0-4 h) for a model system ranging between triolein and tripalmitin were modeled by use of an experimental design. The oxidation products of alpha-tocopherol formed under these conditions were alpha-tocopherolquinone (1 .4-7.

Gas chromatographic characterization of vegetable oil deodorization distillate.

Because of its complex nature, the analysis of deodorizer distillate is a challenging problem. Deodorizer distillate obtained from the deodorization process of vegetable oils consists of many components including free fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols, squalene and neutral oil. A gas chromatographic method for the analysis of deodorizer distillate without saponification of the sample is described.

Identification of alpha-tocopherol oxidation products in triolein at elevated temperatures.

The effect of high-temperature treatment on the stability of alpha-tocopherol (1) in triolein was assessed under a reduced-pressure atmosphere (4-40 mbar) simulating the deodorization step of the refining of vegetable oils. A marked degradation of 1 was observed, which increased with increasing temperature (180-260 degrees C) and heating time (20-80 min). The degradation of 1 in triolein at 240 degrees C was inhibited by the addition of the synthetic antioxidant TBHQ or when heating was performed under nitrogen atmosphere, indicating oxidative degradation.

Combined liquid and gas chromatographic characterisation of polyglycerol fatty acid esters.

In the present study a combined liquid and gas chromatographic technique is described for the analysis of polyglycerol fatty acid esters. Liquid chromatographic fractionation of samples resulted in pure standards of monoesters of di- and triglycerols and diesters of di- and triglycerols. Confirmation of their identity was achieved by LC-MS analysis.