Regulators have been reluctant to set maximum levels (ML) for arsenic in food because of the molecular diversity of the arsenic species present. Arsenic levels in food can vary by several orders of magnitude, with the arsenic present in many different molecular forms which vary substantially in toxicity. Arsenic in food is found as a multitude of different organoarsenic species and as inorganic arsenic (iAs). iAs is regarded as the most toxic form of arsenic in food and feed and is classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Organoarsenic species are, in general, believed to be of low toxicity or even non-toxic, e.g., most of the arsenic in fish occurs as non-toxic arsenobetaine.
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Lipid and microbial quality of smoked capelin (two groups differing in lipid content) and sardine was studied, with the aim of introducing capelin in the smoked sardine markets. Lipid hydrolysis (phospholipid and free fatty acids) and oxidation index (hydroperoxides and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances), fatty acid composition, and total viable count were measured in raw and packaged smoked fish during chilled storage (day 2, 10, 16, 22, 28). Lipid hydrolysis was more pronounced in low lipid capelin, whereas accelerated lipid oxidation occurred in high lipid capelin. Muscle lipid was less stable in sardine than capelin. Essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) constituted 12% of fatty acids in capelin and 19% in sardine. Vacuum packaging as well as hot smoking retarded bacterial growth, recording counts of ≤log 5 CFU/g compared to ≥log 7CFU/g in cold smoked air packaged. Smoked low lipid capelin was considered an alternative for introduction in smoked sardine markets.
Colonization of life on Surtsey has been observed systematically since the formation of the island 50 years ago. Although the first colonisers were prokaryotes, such as bacteria and blue–green algae, most studies have been focused on the settlement of plants and animals but less on microbial succession. To explore microbial colonization in diverse soils and the influence of associated vegetation and birds on numbers of environmental bacteria, we collected 45 samples from different soil types on the surface of the island. Total viable bacterial counts were performed with the plate count method at 22, 30 and 37 °C for all soil samples, and the amount of organic matter and nitrogen (N) was measured. Selected samples were also tested for coliforms, faecal coliforms and aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The subsurface biosphere was investigated by collecting liquid subsurface samples from a 181 m borehole with a special sampler. Diversity analysis of uncultivated biota in samples was performed by 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis and cultivation. Correlation was observed between nutrient deficits and the number of microorganisms in surface soil samples. The lowest number of bacteria (1 × 104–1 × 105 cells g−1) was detected in almost pure pumice but the count was significantly higher (1 × 106–1 × 109 cells g−1) in vegetated soil or pumice with bird droppings. The number of faecal bacteria correlated also to the total number of bacteria and type of soil. Bacteria belonging to Enterobacteriaceae were only detected in vegetated samples and samples containing bird droppings. The human pathogens Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria were not in any sample. Both thermophilic bacteria and archaea 16S rDNA sequences were found in the subsurface samples collected at 145 and 172 m depth at 80 and 54 °C, respectively, but no growth was observed in enrichments. The microbiota sequences generally showed low affiliation to any known 16S rRNA gene sequences.
Upon oxidation of the polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil, either before ingestion or, as recently shown, during the gastro-intestinal passage, a cascade of potentially cytotoxic peroxidation products, such as malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal, can form. In this study, we digested fresh and oxidised cod liver oils in vitro, monitored the levels of lipid peroxidation products and evaluated oxidative, proteomic and inflammatory responses to the two types of digests in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human monocyte-derived dendritic cells.
Digests of cod liver oil with 22-53 µmol L(-1) malondialdehyde and 0.26-3.7 µmol L(-1) 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal increased intracellular oxidation and cell energy metabolic activity compared to a digested blank in yeast cells and the influence of digests on mitochondrial protein expression was more pronounced for oxidised cod liver oil than fresh cod liver oil. The four differentially expressed and identified proteins were related to energy metabolism and oxidative stress response. Maturation of dendritic cells was affected in the presence of digested fresh cod liver oil compared to the digested blank, measured as lower CD86 expression. The ratio of secreted cytokines, IL-12p40/IL-10, suggested a pro-inflammatory effect of the digested oils in relation to the blank (1.47-1.67 vs. 1.07).
Gastro-intestinal digestion of cod liver oil increases the amount of oxidation products and resulting digests affect oxidation in yeast and immunomodulation of dendritic cells.
Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits.
Despite the potential benefits of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFAs), intake is often low because of low consumption of oily seafood. Microencapsulated fish oil powder can improve tolerance and acceptance of LC n-3 PUFAs. Bioavailability is important to achieve efficacy. We investigated the bioavailability of LC n-3 PUFAs from microencapsulated powder in comparison with meals enriched with liquid fish oil.
Participants (N=99, age⩾50 years) of this 4-week double-blinded dietary intervention were randomized into three groups. Group 1 (n=38) received 1.5 g/d eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as ready-to-eat meals enriched with liquid fish oil; group 2 (n=30) received the same amount of these LC n-3 PUFAs as microencapsulated fish oil powder and regular meals; and group 3 (n=31) was the control group, which received placebo powder and regular meals. Blood samples were taken from fingertips at baseline and at the end point.
Seventy-seven subjects (77.8%) completed the study. The amount of EPA in blood doubled in both groups that received LC n-3 PUFAs (P<0.05), but it did not change in the control group. The changes in DHA were less but still significant in both intervention groups. According to multivariate analysis, both intervention groups had higher end-point LC n-3 PUFA concentrations compared with placebo, but differences between intervention groups were not significant.
Bioavailability of LC n-3 PUFAs in encapsulated powder is very similar to the bioavailability of LC n-3 PUFAs in ready-to-eat meals enriched with liquid fish oil. Thus, encapsulated powder can be considered useful to increase LC n-3 PUFA concentrations in blood.
Bioactive compounds from Fucus vesiculosus were extracted and their antioxidant efficacy in fish-oil-enriched foods was evaluated. Water extract (WE) and ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) were obtained and characterised. Furthermore, WE and EAF were added to fish-oil-enriched milk or mayonnaise. Oxidation during storage was evaluated. EAF showed highest phenolic and pigment contents compared with WE. Antioxidant efficacy was found to be dependent on the concentration in the foods. Furthermore, high antioxidant activity in the foods was related to high radical scavenging, high or moderate metal chelating ability, as well as high phenolic and carotenoid contents.
The feasibility of enriching fish cakes with long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAs) as a source of high quality lipids and seaweed extracts as a natural antioxidant was investigated. The LC-PUFAs were in the form of bulk cod liver oil and microencapsulated fish oil. The sensory quality and lipid oxidation were studied by means of chemical analysis, namely peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and sensory evaluation (descriptive analysis), throughout 28-days of refrigerate storage. In addition near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was assessed as a rapid tool to evaluate TBARS content. Omega-3 enriched samples showed slightly higher levels of lipid oxidation than the control samples but microencapsulation of fish oil seemed to protect PUFAs, leading to a lower content of peroxides and a lower rate of formation of secondary compounds during storage. Addition of seaweed extracts did not affect lipid oxidation nor the quality of the products as evaluated with descriptive analysis. No off-flavor was detected in any of the samples and low scores in rancid odor and flavor were registered.
Upphafsfundur í íslenska hluta verkefnisins DiscardLess fór fram hjá Matís í sl. viku en verkefnið gengur út á að auka fullnýtingu á öllum afla sem veiddur er innan landa Evrópu og er stýrt af DTU í Danmörku. Upplýsingarnar og tæknin sem koma út úr verkefninu verða auk þess nýtanleg í öðrum löndum enda öllum til hagsbóta að sjávarfang sem ekki er óskað eftir eða ekki er nýtt sé annaðhvort ekki veitt eða fullnýtt til aukinnar verðmætasköpunar.
Stóra málið er að veiða ekki sjávarfang sem ekki er nýtt til verðmætasköpunar og þar með er hægt að minnka sóun á takmarkaðri auðlind. En stundum gerist það að óæskilegur afli er veiddur og er meðafli skýrt dæmi um slíkt. Því er mikilvægt að tryggt sé að slíkur afli sé nýttur eins og best verður á kosið. Auk þess má ekki gleyma að mikilvægt er að fullnýta einnig þann afla sem við viljum fá að landi þannig að sem mest verðmæti verði búin til úr hverju kg af sjávarfangi sem veitt er. Íslendingar hafa staðið sig sérstaklega vel í fullnýtingu ýmissa fisktegunda, þá sérstaklega þorsks.
Nánar um DiscardLess má finna í bæklingi um verkefnið sem og á CORDIS síðu verkefnisins. Tengiliður Matís við verkefnið er Jónas R. Viðarsson og veitir hann allar nánari upplýsingar um þetta áhugaverða og tímabæra verkefni.
Tengiliður
Sophie Jensen
Verkefnastjóri
sophie.jensen@matis.is
Nýting minkafitu – Urðarköttur / Utilising minkfat – Urðarköttur
Árlega falla til um 30-40 tonn af minkafitu við skinnverkun á Íslandi. Hingað til hefur fitan ekki verið nýtt en verið urðuð ásamt skrokkum dýranna með tilheyrandi kostnaði og umhverfisáhrifum. Til þess að gera íslenska minkarækt samkeppnishæfari og umhverfisvænni er mikilvægt að auka heildarnýtingu með því að nýta fituna og gera hana að eftirsóttri söluvöru rétt eins og skinnin. Meginhugmynd verkefnisins var að þróa vörulínu fyrir hesta og hestamenn þar sem uppistaðan er minkaolía unnin úr minkafitu frá íslenskum minnkabúum. Áhersla var lögð á þróun smyrsla úr minkaolíu og íslenskum lækningajurtum til meðhöndlunar á múkki en ætlunin er að framleiða sápur til þvotta á hestum og leðurfeiti fyrir reiðtygi og leðurfatnað. Upplýsingum um vinnslu á minkafitu og lækningajurtum í smyrsl og aðrar sambærilegar vörur, íblöndun, pökkun og geymslu var safnað. Öryggismat fór fram samkvæmt I. viðauka reglugerðar (EB) nr. 1223/2009 til þess að tryggja öryggi vörunnar. Einnig var unnið að gerð gæðahandbókar samkvæmt ÍST EN ISO 22716:2007. Hreinsunarferli var þróað og bætt til þess að auka gæði og endingartíma minkaolíunnar. Niðurstöður verkefnisins eru heildarvinnsluferill fyrir hreinsun á minkaolíu, upplýsingar um gæði og fitusýrusamsetning olíunnar, upplýsingar um plöntuútdrátt og grundvallarleiðbeiningar í smyrslagerð. Auk þess hefur verið lagt mat á öryggi vörunnar með mælingum á óæskilegum efnum ásamt samantekt á tilheyrandi öryggisskjölum eins og öryggisblöðum, vörulýsingaskrám og öryggisskýrslu. Einnig liggja fyrir drög að gæðahandbók Urðarkattar sem gerir framleiðanda kleift að framleiða vöru með fyrirfram skilgreindum eiginleikum ásamt tryggðum gæðum og stöðugleika vöru að hverju sinni.
Annually about 30-40 tons of mink fat is discarded in Iceland during mink skin harvesting. So far the fat has not been utilised properly, but the fat has been buried with the carcasses of the animals along with the associated costs and environmental impact. In order to make Icelandic mink farming more competitive and environmentally friendly it is important to increase the overall utilisation by refining and processing the mink fat and turn it into an attractive commodity, just like the skin. The main idea of the project was to develop a product line for horses and riders where the main ingredient is mink oil derived from mink fat from Icelandic mink farms. The focus was on developing ointments based on mink oil and local herbs to treat pastern dermatitis in horses but the intention is to produce soap for washing horses as well as products for leather treatment, e.g. saddlery and leather clothing. This report summarises the considerable amounts of data obtained regarding the processing of mink fat and medicinal herbs in ointments and similar products as well as additives, packaging and storage conditions. A safety evaluation was conducted in accordance with Annex I of Regulation (EC) no. 1223/2009 to ensure product safety. In this project work was performed to draft a quality manual according to ISO 22716:2007. A rendering process was developed and optimised to enhance the quality and shelf life of the mink oil. Results of the project was an overall production process for refining of mink oil and information on the quality and fatty acid composition of the oil, as well as information on plant extracts and basic guidelines in making ointments with medicinal herbs. In addition, product safety has been evaluated with measurements of undesirable substances and a summary of relevant safety documents, such as safety data sheets, product data records and a safety report. A framework for a quality manual in GMP (Good Manufacturing Procedures) for cosmetics has been established for Urðarköttur ehf., which enables the production of a product with well characterised properties and to ensure that the quality and stability of the product is the same at all times.
Skýrsla lokuð til 01.07.2017