1,158,706 results match your criteria: "Italy; Institute of Genetic and Biophysics "ABT"[Affiliation]"

Fish sustainability has become an ever more important issue in recent years, as increases in consumption are leading to overfishing practices, resulting in the depletion of the seas and environmental damage. Therefore, fish companies have been adhering to sustainability programs, although these sustainable practices are not well valued and thus well known by end consumers. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of sustainability label information on the hedonic perception of a consumer group regarding two fish species threatened by overfishing: European anchovy () and Bluefin tuna ().

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Gender Differences in Protein Consumption and Body Composition: The Influence of Socioeconomic Status on Dietary Choices.

Foods

March 2025

Department for the Promotion of Human Science and Quality of Life, San Raffaele Open University, Via di Val Cannuta, 247, 00166 Rome, Italy.

Introduction: Gender differences in eating habits and protein consumption patterns are determined by cultural, socio-economic, and behavioural factors. Men tend to consume more meat, while women prefer plant-based proteins; however, the impact of these choices on body composition remains unclear.

Objectives: This study explores gender differences in protein consumption and the influence of socioeconomic status on dietary choices, evaluating their potential association with body composition parameters, including fat mass (FM%) and fat-free mass (FFM%).

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Cultured meat (CM) is currently experiencing a surge in popularity, primarily due to its promise to produce animal-based products with a lower environmental impact and a higher level of animal welfare. Although CM production remains limited and lacks pre-market approval (except for Singapore and the USA), recent technological advancements have been notable. A greater number of stakeholders, including biotechnology companies, start-ups, private investors, NGOs and big agrifood companies, are entering the CM value chain.

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The aim of this study was to identify and characterize the bioactive peptide profile of Podolica cow's milk. This dairy product is known for its nutritional properties related to the presence of peculiar lipids and is a typical breed traditionally reared in southern Italy. Using top-down peptidomics, we identified 2213 peptides in milk samples from four different farms, with 19 matching bioactive sequences.

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Using Bran of Ancient and Old Grains for Wheat Bread Production.

Foods

March 2025

Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale Italia, 39/A, 07100 Sassari, Italy.

In the current era of heightened awareness regarding the impact of food choices, there has been a noticeable shift towards revisiting traditional ingredients. Following the growing interest in ancient grains, this study evaluated their potential use for enriching modern wheat dough and bread. The effects of substituting 20% of wheat flour with the bran of seven ancient grains on dough's rheological properties and bread quality were assessed.

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This study evaluates the effects of fortifying bread with different concentrations (3%, 10%, and 30%) of L. (MC) infusion and powder, derived from the plant's aerial parts (stem, leaf, and flower). UPLC/MS-MS analysis of MC infusion and powder ethanolic extract confirmed the presence of polyphenolic compounds, including flavonoids, contributing to enhanced antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory properties.

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This review contributes to the knowledge on the complex and adaptive microbial ecosystems within cheese, emphasizing their critical role in determining cheese quality, flavor, and safety. This review synthesizes the current knowledge on the microbial interactions and the dynamics of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), encompassing both starter (SLAB) and non-starter (NSLAB) strains, which are pivotal to the curd fermentation and ripening processes. The adaptability of these microbial consortia to environmental and technological stressors is explored, highlighting their contributions to acidification, proteolysis, and the development of distinctive organoleptic characteristics.

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This study critically examines the limitations of the official Italian methodology used for detecting bovine adulteration milk in Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (MdBC). This method focuses on the whey fraction of cheese samples, which comprises about 1% of total MdBC proteins, and is based on a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) quantification of the bovine β-lactoglobulin A (β-Lg A) as a marker. Here, we have demonstrated that this official methodology suffers from measurement inconsistencies due to its reliance on raw bovine whey standards, which fail to account for β-Lg genetic polymorphisms in real MdBC samples and protein thermal modifications during cheesemaking.

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Effect of Coffee Silverskin on Meat Quality of Growing Rabbits.

Foods

February 2025

Department of Agriculture, Animal Production, University of Reggio Calabria, Via dell'Università, 25, 89124 Reggio Calabria, Italy.

The aim of the present study was to assess the impacts of coffee silverskin (CSS) inclusion in rabbit diets in regard to meat quality. A total of 30 Hycole rabbits were divided into two groups of 15 animals per group and fed with a basal diet (C group) or with the same basal diet but with 10% of CSS (CSS10 group) as a partial cereal replacement. Integration of 10% CSS in the rabbit diet increased dry matter intake (DMI, < 0.

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The Optimization of the Dehydration Temperature of Peels from Prickly Pears.

Foods

February 2025

Department of Humanistic Studies, Letters, Cultural Heritage and Educational Sciences, University of Foggia, Via Arpi, 176, 71121 Foggia, Italy.

The optimization of the prickly pear peel (PPP) dehydration temperature was addressed. Two indicators of efficiency were used to select the optimal dehydration temperature: one related to the process productivity, another to the energy consumption. To calculate them the PPP dehydration kinetics were measured at three different temperatures (i.

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Bee pollen is produced by honeybees from the agglutination of pollen grains belonging to one or more plant species. Although it is intended to be a nutritional source for the hive, its remarkable concentration of nutrients and phytochemicals, combined with its pleasant organoleptic qualities, makes it appealing for human consumption. This study examined the phytochemical content and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of a polyfloral bee pollen collected in Tuscany (Italy).

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Sustainable Fortification of Corn Tortillas with Broccoli By-Products.

Foods

February 2025

Postharvest and Refrigeration Group, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT), Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain.

Fortification is the deliberate addition of essential micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, to enhance a food's nutritional profile and contribute to public health. A promising approach to fortification involves the use of plant by-products which are rich in bioactive compounds. This study evaluates the effects of incorporating broccoli by-product powder into corn-flour tortillas.

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The transition toward sustainable food systems is a critical challenge for the European Union (EU), requiring integrated policies and collaborative action. However, the complexity of food systems and the diverse interests of stakeholders often hinder effective progress. To apply a systemic approach and deliver context-specific solutions, it is necessary to establish key commodity/supply chain groups that include diverse perspectives from multiple stakeholders.

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An increasing trend among food business operators (FBOs) to extend the shelf life of Ready-To-Eat (RTE) fish products over 5 days, the duration usually assigned to this kind of product, has been observed recently. In this study, three independent challenge tests (food artificial contamination) were performed on tuna fillet, marinated salmon tartare, and cubed salmon, with the aim of calculating the maximum growth rate (V) of and estimating the time required to reach the legal limit of 2 log CFU/g, as established by European Regulation 2073/2005. The pathogen counts were fitted by the model of Baranyi and Roberts to calculate the V, which were 0.

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(LM) is a frequent post-process contaminant in meat products. This study aimed to investigate the antilisterial effectiveness of post-process antimicrobial treatments employing olive mill wastewater polyphenolic extract (PE) in commercially manufactured frankfurters. Frankfurters were inoculated on the surface with a three-strain LM mixture (~10 CFU/g), treated on the surface with PE in a 2-fold series of concentrations (PM, 2PM, 4PM) and a control group (CTR) of PE-untreated samples.

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Special Issue: "".

Foods

February 2025

Department of Biomedical Dental Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy.

The Special Issue "" reaches its conclusion, having successfully compiled a collection of nine articles [...

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This work describes the development of a method for the extraction of methylxanthines from cocoa bean shell (CBS) by employing the novel Energized Dispersive Guided Extraction (EDGE) system. The mixtures were composed of ethanol-methanol-water and the ratio was optimized using a simplex-centroid design. Doehlert design (DD) was used to optimize the variables of temperature and time while using methylxanthine content obtained by HPLC-DAD as an analytical response.

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Food safety and quality awareness have reached significant relevance as consumers are more interested in authentic foods and drinks with specific organoleptic values. Among foodstuffs, grape products can be contaminated by Ochratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin that can occur in red grape after infection with The high affinity of grape pomace with OTA makes its use advantageous as an adsorbing/decontaminating material whether the pomace is fresh, has undergone pressing, or has undergone a stabilizing process. The effects of different grape repassage treatments on wine metabolic profiles were studied by H NMR spectroscopy coupled with metabolomics.

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In recent years, mass spectrometry has played a key role as a confirmatory method to unequivocally identify multiple allergens, increasing the level of protection of allergic consumers. Despite advances made in methods of development, food processing still represents a critical issue in terms of the detection and accurate quantification of allergens due to chemical/structural modifications that can occur on the protein moiety or interferences of matrix compounds that might impair their final detection. Based on the multi-allergen MS/MS method devised within the ThrAll project, in this paper, we investigated the applicability of the developed method for the detection of traces of allergenic ingredients including egg, milk, soy, almond, hazelnut, peanuts, and sesame in two different kind of food matrices, namely cookies and rusks.

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Cocoa quality serves as a differentiating factor that provides monetary and non-monetary benefits to farmers, defined by the genotype, agroecological conditions of cultivation, and the post-harvest processes involved in transforming seeds into cocoa beans, including harvesting, pre-conditioning, fermentation, and drying. Drying plays a crucial role in ensuring the sensory, chemical, and microbiological quality of the beans, as simultaneous mass and heat transfer phenomena occur during this process, along with chemical reactions (both enzymatic and non-enzymatic) that influence the concentration and dynamics of phenolic compounds, organic acids, methylxanthines, and the formation of volatiles, directly impacting flavor development in cocoa beans. This paper comprehensively reviews cocoa drying methods, variables, and equipment and analyzes their impact on these flavor-determining compounds.

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The viability of anaerobic degradation treatment as an end-of-life option for commercial disposable bioplastic tableware, typically certified as compostable, was assessed. Two types of polylactic acid-based items were selected and tested under mesophilic conditions (38 °C) for 155 days, until reaching a plateau. Advanced chemical characterization of the products was performed with a combination of analytical techniques, i.

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A single (BaCa)(ZrTi)O phase material with a tetragonal structure is processed and synthesized with a modified Pechini method using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and glycerol as chelating and esterifying agents, respectively. The complete chemical transformation to the desired phase is achieved at 900 °C, which is 300 °C lower than conventional synthesis methods. Its consolidation, reaching up to 91% relative density, is carried out at 1400 °C.

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Considering the increasing use of plastics in vehicles, the need for sustainable management is becoming a matter of concern. The reintroduction of plastic originated from post-consumer waste in the vehicle manufacturing loop can also be a solution to meet the recent EU ELVs (end-of-life vehicles) legislation in terms of sustainability. This study focuses on post-consumer polypropylene (PP) compounds destined for automotive applications by assessing their morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties.

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The increase in life expectancy has led to a rise of musculoskeletal disorders. Calcium phosphate cements (CPCs), thanks to some amazing features such as the ability to harden in vivo, bioactivity, and resorbability, are promising candidates to treat these diseases, notwithstanding their poor mechanical properties. We aimed to synthesise pure and barium- or silicon-doped brushite-based CPCs loaded with piroxicam to study the effects of the substitution on physical-chemical and pharmaceutical properties before and after cement immersion in phosphate buffer for different time periods.

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Exploring the Structure-Activity Relationship of Bentonites for Enhanced Refinement of Recycled Vegetable Oil.

Materials (Basel)

February 2025

Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "G. Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy.

The use of bentonite for recycling vegetable oils presents challenges, as even minor variations in the clay composition and structure can lead to significant differences in its ability to retain various chemical groups. This study investigates the structure-activity relationship of four bentonites-two hydrophilic and two hydrophobic (both in commercial and ground forms)-to better understand these effects. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy revealed subtle differences between hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials, as well as distinctions between ground and unground hydrophilic clays, through Si and Al experiments.

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