Nutrition knowledge, attitudes and fat intake: application of the theory of reasoned action.

Validated questionnaires eliciting information on nutrition knowledge and attitudes, related to fat intake from meat, meat products, dairy products and fried foods, were completed by 538 subjects. There were high correlations (ranging from 0.40 to 0.

Digestion and metabolism of sugars.

Many factors potentially influence the digestion, absorption, and metabolism of the various species of sugars occurring in the human diet. Experimental evidence indicates that the source of sugars in foods does not in itself affect the rate of absorption or the metabolism of the sugars. However, the form in which the sugars are ingested and the physical and chemical properties of the food matrices do have significant effects on the rates of absorption.

Investigation of methods to detect mechanically recovered meat in meat products - I: Chemical composition.

The proximate composition (fat, moisture, nitrogen, ash and collagen) and the calcium, iron and total purine contents of samples of mechanically recovered meat (MRM) derived from beef, lamb, pork, chicken and turkey were analysed. The data obtained illustrate the variability in the composition of mechanically recovered meats derived from different meat species. The effect of including a high proportion of bones containing marrow in the starting material, the effect of recovery machine type (Yieldmaster and Protecon) and the effect of employing different operating conditions, were investigated.

Habituation patterns to colour naming of eating-related stimuli in anorexics and non-clinical controls.

The current study was an investigation into intra-session changes in the pattern of Stroop colour-naming impairments with body shape-related words and food-related words. The subject pool comprised anorexic women and a control group of non-clinically disordered women. The results indicated that anorexic women show greater colour-naming decrements that non-disordered controls for both types of eating-related words.

Detection of low levels of specific Salmonella species by fluorescent antibodies and flow cytometry.

The use of fluorescently-labelled monoclonal antibodies, with detection by multi-parameter flow cytometry, was investigated for the rapid detection of salmonellas in pure cultures. Accurate detection of specific Salmonella serotypes was demonstrated down to levels of below 10(4) cells ml-1 (within 30 min) and 1 cell ml-1 (after 6 h non-selective pre-enrichment). This level of sensitivity was attained even in the presence of high levels of other bacterial species that would otherwise have interfered with the results.

Phylogenetic analysis of members of the genus Porphyromonas and description of Porphyromonas cangingivalis sp. nov. and Porphyromonas cansulci sp. nov.

The partial 16S rRNA gene sequences of representative strains of two groups of anaerobic, gram-negative, pigmented, asaccharolytic, rod-shaped bacteria isolated from subgingival plaque of dogs with naturally occurring periodontal disease were determined. A comparative analysis of the rRNA sequence data revealed that the two groups of organisms represent previously unknown lines of descent within the genus Porphyromonas. On the basis of our phylogenetic findings and the phenotypic distinctiveness of the organisms, two new species, Porphyromonas cangingivalis and Porphyromonas cansulci, are proposed.

The repression of listeriolysin O expression in Listeria monocytogenes by the phenolic beta-D-glucoside, arbutin.

Expression of the listeriolysin O, a key virulence factor for Listeria monocytogenes, was monitored using a hlyA-luxAB transcriptional fusion. The phenolic beta-D-glucoside, arbutin, was found to repress the expression of the listeriolysin O at the level of transcription. In contrast, the structurally similar beta-glucoside salicin did not prevent expression of listeriolysin.

IR and Raman spectroscopic studies of the interaction of trehalose with hen egg white lysozyme.

Infrared and Fourier transform Raman spectra are reported for dried mixtures of trehalose and lysozyme. The Raman spectra show effects on the protein amide I band and some sugar bands that are not present when the components are dried separately. Comparison of ir spectra with those published previously show significant differences.

Thiamin intake, erythrocyte transketolase (EC 2.2.1.1) activity and total erythrocyte thiamin in adolescents.

The relationships between thiamin intake, erythrocyte transketolase (EC 2.2.1.

Validation of a simple technique for the detection of abnormal mucosal cell replication in humans.

Abnormal intestinal crypt cell proliferation is considered to be an important early risk marker for colorectal cancer but measurement of the rate and spatial distribution of cell division by histochemical localization of DNA synthesis is labour-intensive and expensive. We developed and evaluated a simpler technique for measurement of these parameters using direct visual analysis of mitotic figures in microdissected crypts. The direct crypt analysis technique was applied to colorectal biopsies from patients with ulcerative colitis or no mucosal abnormality.

Characterization of IS905, a new multicopy insertion sequence identified in lactococci.

IS905 is a multicopy insertion sequence identified in Lactococcus lactis. It is 1313 bp long, bounded by 28-bp imperfect inverted repeats, and encodes a putative transposase of 391 amino acids. One end of IS905 contains sequences that are potentially promoter active.

Cloning, sequencing and comparison of three lactococcal L-lactate dehydrogenase genes.

The conversion of pyruvate to lactate is a key feature of lactococcal strains. The enzyme which facilitates this conversion, L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and the gene which encodes it (Idh), are therefore of great significance. This paper presents the cloning and DNA sequence analysis of three further lactococcal genes which are of key importance in the genetic manipulation of commercial starter strains.

Protease-catalyzed synthesis of oligopeptides in heterogenous substrate mixtures.

A systematic study of enzymatic peptide synthesis in heterogeneous substrate mixtures was carried out, with the aim of establishing the preparative scope of this methodology. Semiliquid eutectics were obtained with various combinations of neutral, acidic, and basic amino acid derivatives, in the presence or absence of adjuvants. A range of serine cysteine, and metalloproteases readily catalyzed the formation of the required dipeptides under these conditions.

Enzymatic catalysis in heterogenous mixtures of substrates: The role of the liquid phase and the effects of "Adjuvants".

The physicochemical mechanism of protease-catalyzed peptide synthesis in heterogenous etuectic mixtures of substrates has been examined by a combination of microscopic techniques. Using a number of model reactions of dipeptide amide synthesis, it was determined that liquid phase catalysis was mostly, if not exclusively, responsible for the observed conversion of substrates. Furthermore, the formation of liquid or semiliquid eutectics was an important requirement for the occurrence of those reactions where both substrates were solids in the pure state.

The Lactococcus lactis sex-factor aggregation gene cluA.

A gene, cluA, was cloned from the chromosomally located sex factor of Lactococcus lactis MG1363. Sequence analysis revealed significant homology with previously described aggregation proteins in Enterococcus and Streptococcus species. The possibility that cluA was an equivalent protein involved in cell aggregation between donor and recipient bacteria during lactococcal conjugation was confirmed by its expression under the control of a heterologous promoter in L.

Impairment of cognitive performance associated with dieting and high levels of dietary restraint.

Seventy women students were tested on a short battery of tasks assessing cognitive performance. They also completed self-report ratings of mood, the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) to which was appended several additional items concerning their recent dieting behaviour, and a 24-h dietary recall. Heart rate was measured before and after testing.

The activity of porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 in 20% alcohol/aqueous solvent, by experiment and electrostatics calculations.

The activity of porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 (pla2), measured at pH 8, is reduced when methanol or ethanol is added to the aqueous solution. Finite difference electrostatics calculations were used to study the effect of modelling mixed solvents on the pKas of histidine 48 and the amino-terminal group, both of which influence the pH-dependence of catalysis. Calculations and experiment indicate that these pKa values cannot account for the activity reduction.

Improved continuum electrostatic modelling in proteins, with comparison to experiment.

Electrostatic interactions in macromolecules can be calculated with the method of finite differences applied to a continuum model. The accuracy of dielectric and counterion continuum modelling has been tested for long-range interactions by comparison with available experimental data over a range of ionic strengths. Various model parameters have been adjusted.

Sensory assessment of fat content: effect of emulsion and subject characteristics.

This work examines some of the fundamental stimulus properties contributing to the perception and discrimination of fat content in foods. In an initial experiment, oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions were prepared with 0, 5, 10, ..