Fatty Acids Profile, Trans Isomers, and Lipid Quality Indices in Smoked and Unsmoked Cheeses and Cheese-Like Products

Cocoa byproduct inclusion in dairy sheep diet: Effects on sensory, volatile, and antioxidant properties of cheese

The possibility of inclusion of agro-industrial byproducts in the diet of small ruminants represents both an economic and an environmental strategy for reducing waste management by industries and costs of feeding as well as the impact of livestock farming. Large amounts of wastes from the cocoa industry are produced annually, with a considerable part represented by cocoa bean shells, considered a suitable ingredient to be included in the diet of ruminants within the limits established by European legislation. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of including cocoa bean shells in the diet of dairy sheep on the sensory, volatile, and antioxidant properties of cheese. To this purpose, 20 lactating Comisana ewes were randomly assigned to 2 experimental groups: control (CTRL) and cocoa bean shells (CBS), and received alfalfa hay ad libitum and 800 g of conventional (CTRL) or experimental (CBS) concentrate containing 11.7% CBS to partially replace corn and barley of the CTRL concentrate. Bulk milk collected from each group was used to produce a total of 15 cheeses per group, obtained in 5 different days of cheesemaking (3 cheeses a day per group). After 60 d of aging, each cheese of each experimental group was sampled for the analyses. The results on chemical composition revealed a greater content of monounsaturated fatty acids and an increase in the nutritional indices, suggesting a favorable role of cocoa bean shell dietary inclusion on the nutritive value of cheese. The cheese sensory profile was affected by the cocoa bean shell inclusion, with more pronounced appearance, odor, aroma, and taste attributes in the product. The volatile profile showed only a few significant differences, mainly related to the cheese ripening process, and no differences were found in α-tocopherol contents in cheese fat between the 2 groups. Therefore, the inclusion of coca bean shells in the diet of dairy sheep allowed us to obtain a good-quality cheese, without altering the characteristics associated with the typical profiles of sheep cheese. Furthermore, the use of this byproduct could contribute to decreasing feed costs and waste management, representing a good practice for increasing the sustainability of dairy products.

Evaluation and Discrimination of Lipid Components and Iron and Zinc Levels in Chicken and Quail Eggs Available on the Polish Market

All over the world, birds' eggs are an important and valuable component of the human diet. This study aimed to compare the content of lipid components and their nutritional value as well as iron and zinc levels in chicken and quail eggs commonly available on the market. In egg lipids, unsaturated fatty acids were dominant, especially oleic acid, the content of which was about 40% of the total fatty acids (TFAs). Linoleic acid was the major polyunsaturated fatty acid. Compared to other products of animal origin, eggs were characterized by favorable values of lipid quality indices, especially the index of atherogenicity, thrombogenicity, and the hypocholesterolemic-to-hypercholesterolemic ratio. In the present study, no differences were found in the content of tested nutrients between eggs from different production methods (organic, free-range, barn, cages). Based on linear discriminant analysis, inter-breed differences were noticed. Cluster analysis showed that eggs enriched in n3 PUFAs (according to the producers' declarations) differed from other groups of chicken eggs. However, in eggs from one producer only, the amount of EPA and DHA exceeds 80 mg per 100 g, entitling the use of the nutrition claim on the package. Quail eggs differed from chicken eggs in FA profile and cholesterol and iron levels.

Cheese consumption on atherosclerosis, atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases and its complications: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Evidence from prospective cohort studies has revealed an inverse association between cheese consumption and the development of atherosclerosis (AS), atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD), and their complications. However, it remains unclear whether this observed association is influenced by potential confounding factors that may arise during the long-term development process of AS, ASCVD, and its complications. Therefore, to further clarify the causal relationship between cheese consumption and AS, ASCVD, and its complications, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal association between cheese intake and the aforementioned health outcomes.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We employed a two-sample MR analysis based on publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to infer the causal relationship, with no overlap between their participating populations. The effect estimates were calculated using the random-effects inverse-variance-weighted method. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using Cochran's Q statistic, funnel plot, leave-one-out analysis, and MR-Egger intercept tests. The genetically predicted cheese intake was found to be associated with lower risks of coronary AS (odds ratio [OR] = 0.72, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.59-0.88, P = 0.001), peripheral vascular AS (OR = 0.56, 95 % CI 0.37-0.84, P = 0.006), other vascular AS (OR = 0.66, 95 % CI 0.44-0.99, P = 0.043), coronary artery disease (OR = 0.64, 95 % CI 0.56-0.74, P = 1.57e-09), angina pectoris (OR = 0.70, 95 % CI 0.58-0.84, P = 4.92e-05), myocardial infarction (OR = 0.63, 95 % CI 0.52-0.77, P = 3.56e-06), heart failure (OR = 0.62, 0.49-0.79, P = 1.20e-04), total ischemic stroke (OR = 0.76, 95 % CI 0.63-0.91, P = 0.003), peripheral artery disease (OR = 0.64, 95 % CI 0.43-0.95, P = 0.028), and cognitive impairment (OR = 0.65, 95 % CI 0.56-0.74, P = 3.40e-10). However, no associations were observed for cerebrovascular AS, arrhythmia, cardiac death, ischemic stroke (large artery AS), ischemic stroke (small vessel), ischemic stroke (cardioembolic), and transient ischemic attack.

CONCLUSION

This two-sample MR analysis reveals a causally inverse association between cheese intake and multi-vascular AS (including coronary AS, peripheral vascular AS, and other vascular AS), as well as multiple types of ASCVD and its complications (such as coronary artery disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, heart failure, total ischemic stroke, and peripheral artery disease). The findings from this study may lay a stronger theoretical foundation and present new opportunities for the dietary management of future atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.

Branched-Long-Chain Monomethyl Fatty Acids: Are They Hidden Gems?

Branched-long-chain monomethyl fatty acids (BLCFA) are consumed daily in significant amounts by humans in all stages of life. BLCFA are absorbed and metabolized in human intestinal epithelial cells and are not only oxidized for energy. Thus far, BLCFA have been revealed to possess versatile beneficial bioactivities, including cytotoxicity to cancer cells, anti-inflammation, lipid-lowering, reducing the risk of metabolic disorders, maintaining normal β cell function and insulin sensitivity, regulation of development, and mitigating cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, compared to other well-studied dietary fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), BLCFA has received disproportionate attention despite their potential importance. Here we outlined the major food sources, estimated intake, absorption, and metabolism in human cells, and bioactive properties of BLCFA with a focus on the bioactive mechanisms to advocate for an increased commitment to BLCFA investigations. Humans were estimated to absorb 6-5000 mg of dietary BLCFA daily from fetus to adult. Notably, iso-15:0 inhibited the growth of prostate cancer, liver cancer and T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas in rodent models at the effective doses of 35-105 mg/kg/day, 70 mg/kg/day, and 70 mg/kg/day, respectively. Feeding formula prepared with 20% w/w BLCFA mixture to neonatal rats with enterocolitis mitigated the intestine inflammation. Iso-15:0 at doses of 10, 40, and 80 mg/kg relieved brain ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats. In the future, it is crucial to conduct research to establish the epidemiology of BLCFA intake and their impacts on health outcomes in humans as well as to fully uncover the underlying mechanisms for their bioactivities.

Coagulation temperature and smoking time determine product quality and shelf life of the acid-heat coagulated Circassian cheese

This study examined the effects of process parameters on acid-heat coagulated Circassian cheese. For this purpose, cheeses were produced at coagulation temperatures of 70°C and 90°C, and smoked for 0, 2.5, and 6 h in both summer and winter. Microbiological, textural, proteolytic, and sensorial changes were observed for 90 days at 30-day intervals. According to the results, coagulation at 90°C instead of 70°C formed a firmer structure. Six-hour smoking time instead of 2.5-h provided higher dry matter, reduced proteolysis rates, and extended the microbial shelf life. In addition, higher (6 h) smoking decelerated sourness while resulting in intense smoke flavor and higher lipolytic activity. In conclusion, seasonal changes in milk and applied the process conditions revealed significant differences in the quality parameters and shelf life of acid-heat coagulated Circassian cheese.

A Comparative Analysis on the Environmental Impact of Selected Methods for Determining the Profile of Fatty Acids in Cheese

The fatty acid profile of cheese influences its sensory parameters, such as color, texture, or flavor. Examining the fatty acid profile also helps to assess the nutritional value of the cheese that is being tested. However, the determination of fatty acids in cheese samples is a multi-stage and time-consuming task. In addition, large amounts of toxic organic solvents are used to prepare samples for analysis purposes. This paper presents the results of a study to determine the fatty acid profile of yellow cheese samples. Six different methods of sample preparation were compared for analysis purposes. The profile of fatty acids was determined using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The study showed significant differences (p > 0.05) in the resulting fatty acid profile between the methods used. It was found that the most reliable fatty acid profile results were obtained using methods derived from the Folch method. In addition, tools such as the Analytical Eco-Scale tool and the Analytical Greenness Metric for Sample Preparation (AGREEprep) tool were used to assess the greenness of the methods used. In the case of the Analytical Eco-Scale tool, all six methods scored 'acceptable green analysis' with scores ranging from 61 to 73. However, an evaluation of methods using the AGREEprep metric showed that the results of the methods (0.13-0.27) did not show the "greenness" of the analytical methods.

New research development on trans fatty acids in food: Biological effects, analytical methods, formation mechanism, and mitigating measures

The trans fatty acids (TFAs) in food are mainly generated from the ruminant animals (meat and milk) and processed oil or oil products. Excessive intake of TFAs (>1% of total energy intake) caused more than 500,000 deaths from coronary heart disease and increased heart disease risk by 21% and mortality by 28% around the world annually, which will be eliminated in industrially-produced trans fat from the global food supply by 2023. Herein, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the biological effects, analytical methods, formation and mitigation measures of TFAs in food. Especially, the research progress on the rapid, easy-to-use, and newly validated analytical methods, new formation mechanism, kinetics, possible mitigation mechanism, and new or improved mitigation measures are highlighted. We also offer perspectives on the challenges, opportunities, and new directions for future development, which will contribute to the advances in TFAs research.

Improving the functional value of meat quality by feeding with protected fat supplementation in Morkaraman lambs

This study investigated the effect of feeding different levels of protected fat (calcium soaps of tallow) on fattening performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, fatty acid composition of Longissimus Thoracis (LT) muscle and economic evaluation of 45 fat-tailed Morkaraman male lambs. The lambs were randomly divided into three groups including a control diet without protected fat (CON), supplemented with 2% protected fat (group PF2), and supplemented with 4% protected fat (group PF4) during the fattening period. Eight lambs randomly selected from each group were slaughtered to determine carcass characteristics and meat quality. Supplementing protected fat significantly improved the fattening performance and carcass characteristics (p<0.05). The groups were similar in terms of pH, colour, ether extract, dry matter and sensory evaluations, except for the crude protein of group PF2. Myristic acid and stearic acid (p<0.05), which are saturated fatty acids (SFA), were decreased with the supplementation of protected fat, while palmitic acid was increased (p<0.01). The fattening with protected fat had a highly significant positive effect on important unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid (p<0.01) and resulted in an increase of approximately 91% in the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (p<0.05). SFA was significantly decreased, and health indicators were improved (p<0.01). In conclusion, the supplementation of protected fat had a positive effect on fattening performance, carcass traits, chemical, sensory properties and economic evaluation.

Changes in the Fatty Acid Composition of Milk of Lipizzaner Mares during the Lactation Period

The composition and properties of the milk fat of mares’ milk is interesting from a nutritional standpoint. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional value of Lipizzaner mare’s milk for possible human consumption and identity the influence of the parity and stage of lactation on its fatty acid (FA) composition. This study was conducted on 17 Lipizzaner mares from a state stud farm in the Slavonian region (eastern Croatia). Mares were hand-milked twice during lactation in the fourth and sixth months. Significantly higher contents of MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) and PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and lower ratios of n-6/n-3 were found in the fourth month of lactation. This parity significantly affected the PUFA/SFA ratio (polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids), with lower values found in older mares. The fatty acid composition of mare’s milk that is especially high in UFAs (unsaturated fatty acids) is considered to be beneficial for consumers.

The Use of Unique, Environmental Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains in the Traditional Production of Organic Cheeses from Unpasteurized Cow's Milk

The aim of this study was to use local LAB cultures for the production of organic acid-rennet cheeses from unpasteurized cow’s milk. Under industrial conditions, three types of cheese were produced, i.e., traditionally with acid whey (AW), with starter culture L. brevis B1, or with starter culture L. plantarum Os2. Strains were previously isolated from traditional Polish cheeses. Chemical composition, physico-chemical, microbiological, and sensory studies during 2 months of storage were carried out. As a result of this research, it was found that the basic composition was typical for semi-hard, partially skimmed cheeses. Mainly saturated fatty acids were detected. The cheeses were rich in omega-3, -6, and -9 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and were characterized by good lipid quality indices (LQI). All of the cheeses were characterized by a high number of lactic acid bacteria, with Enterobacteriaceae, yeast, molds, and staphylococci contaminants, which is typical microbiota for unpasteurized milk products. Water activity, pH, and total acidity were typical. A lower oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of cheeses with the addition of strains and stability of the products during storage were observed. The B1 and Os2 cheeses were lighter, less yellow, had a more intense milk and creamy aroma, were softer, moister, and more elastic than AW cheese. The research results indicate the possibility of using environmental LAB strains in the production of high-quality acid-rennet cheeses, but special attention should be paid to the production process due to the microbiological quality of the cheeses.

Nutrigenomics of Dietary Lipids

Dietary lipids have a major role in nutrition, not only for their fuel value, but also as essential and bioactive nutrients. This narrative review aims to describe the current evidence on nutrigenomic effects of dietary lipids. Firstly, the different chemical and biological properties of fatty acids contained both in plant- and animal-based food are illustrated. A description of lipid bioavailability, bioaccessibility, and lipotoxicity is provided, together with an overview of the modulatory role of lipids as pro- or anti-inflammatory agents. Current findings concerning the metabolic impact of lipids on gene expression, epigenome, and gut microbiome in animal and human studies are summarized. Finally, the effect of the individual’s genetic make-up on lipid metabolism is described. The main goal is to provide an overview about the interaction between dietary lipids and the genome, by identifying and discussing recent scientific evidence, recognizing strengths and weaknesses, to address future investigations and fill the gaps in the current knowledge on metabolic impact of dietary fats on health.

Upregulation of hepatic autophagy under nutritional ketosis

Many of the metabolic effects evoked by the ketogenic diet mimic the actions of fasting and the benefits of the ketogenic diet are often attributed to these similarities. Since fasting is a potent autophagy inductor in vivo and in vitro it has been hypothesized that the ketogenic diet may upregulate autophagy. The aim of the present study was to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the influence of the ketogenic diet on the hepatic autophagy. C57BL/6N male mice were fed with two different ketogenic chows composed of fat of either animal or plant origin for 4 weeks. To gain some insight into the time frame for the induction of autophagy on the ketogenic diet, we performed a short-term experiment in which animals were fed with ketogenic diets for only 24 or 48 h. The results showed that autophagy is upregulated in the livers of animals fed with the ketogenic diet. Moreover, the size of the observed effect was likely dependent on the diet composition. Subsequently, the markers of regulatory pathways that may link ketogenic diet action to autophagy were measured, i.e., the activity of mTORC1, activation of AMPK, and the levels of SIRT1, p53, and FOXO3. Overall, observed treatment-specific effects including the upregulation of SIRT1 and downregulation of FOXO3 and p53. Finally, a GC/MS analysis of the fatty acid composition of animals' livers and the chows was performed in order to obtain an idea about the presence of specific compounds that may shape the effects of ketogenic diets on autophagy.

Biotransformation of Flaxseed Oil Cake into Bioactive Camembert-Analogue Using Lactic Acid Bacteria, Penicillium camemberti and Geotrichum candidum

This study aimed at investigating the antioxidant activity, oxidative stability, physicochemical and microbial changes of innovative vegan Camembert-analogue based on flaxseed oil cake (FOC) which was produced using lactic acid bacteria (LAB), mold Penicillium camemberti (PC) and yeast Geotrichum candidum (GC). Two variants were prepared, namely with LAB + PC and LAB + PC + GC. After fermentation for 24 h at room temperature, the samples were stored for 14 days at 12 °C and maturated for 14 days at 6 °C. Changes in microbial population, polyphenolics, flavonoids, radical scavenging capacity were evaluated. Additionally, textural changes, pH, acidity, levels of proteins, free amino acids, reducing sugars, oil content and its oxidative stability were determined. Results showed that LAB as well as fungi were capable of growing well in the FOC without any supplementation and the products were characterized by a high antioxidant potential (high polyphenolics and flavonoids contents as well as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), superoxide (O2-) and hydroxyl (·OH) radicals scavenging activity). This study has demonstrated that bioactivity as well as the physicochemical properties depend on the starter culture used. Due to functional and biochemical characteristics conferred to the obtained Camembert-analogues, the use of P. camemberti and G. candidum showed a potential for industrial application. There is a potential for these products to be used where non-dairy alternatives are desired.

Addition of selected starter/non-starter lactic acid bacterial inoculums to stabilise PDO Pecorino Siciliano cheese production

The present study was carried out to produce Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) Pecorino Siciliano cheese with a multi-species lactic acid bacteria (LAB) culture, composed of starter and non-starter strains in order to reduce the microbiological variability of the products derived without LAB inoculums. To this end, cheese samples produced in six factories located in five provinces (Agrigento, Catania, Enna, Palermo and Trapani) of Sicily, and previously characterised for physicochemical, microbiological and sensory aspects, have been investigated in this work for bacterial microbiome, fatty acid (FA) composition as well as volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles. Analysis of the cheese microbiomes indicated that streptococci (30.62-77.18% relative abundance) and lactobacilli (on average 25.90% relative abundance) dominated the bacterial communities of control cheeses, produced without exogenous inoculums, whereas the cheeses produced with the selected multi-strain culture saw the dominance of lactococci (in the range 6.49-14.92% relative abundance), streptococci and lactobacilli. After the addition of the selected mixed culture, Shannon index increased in all cheeses, but only the cheeses produced with the selected LAB mixed culture in the factory 2 showed Gini-Simpson diversity index (0.79) closer to the reference value (0.94) for a perfect even community. FA composition, mainly represented by saturated FA (on average 69.60% and 69.39% in control cheeses and experimental cheeses, respectively), was not affected by adding LAB culture. The presence of polyunsaturated FA ranged between 7.93 and 8.03% of FA. VOC profiles were different only for the content of butanoic acid, registered for the experimental cheeses at higher concentrations (on average 662.54 mg/kg) than control cheeses (barely 11.96 mg/kg). This study validated addition of the ad hoc starter/non-starter culture for PDO Pecorino cheese production.