María Ángeles Bustamante

Nutritional Differences Between a Gluten-free Diet and a Diet Containing Equivalent Products with Gluten

The gluten-free (GF) products market represents one of the most prosperous markets in the field of food and beverages in the immediate future. Historically, counselling for celiac disease has focused on the absence of gluten in foods, however the nutritional quality of GF foodstuffs is an important aspect to consider. The aim of the present work was to compare the nutritional composition of the 206 GF rendered products most consumed in Spain, against the composition of 289 equivalent foods with gluten, and to make a comparison between the diet including GF products and the same diet with equivalent products with gluten in a 58 adult celiac population. The results of the present collaborative study pointed out differences in calorie, macronutrient, fiber, sodium, salt and cholesterol content between GF rendered and gluten-containing foodstuffs. Thus, calorie and nutrient intake in a GF diet is different when compared to its equivalent diet with gluten. Following a diet based on GF products could suppose a nutritional imbalance for celiac patients as well as for non-celiacs who follow a diet that includes many GF rendered foodstuffs.

Simultaneous analysis of carotenoids and tocopherols in botanical species using one step solid-liquid extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography.

Carotenoids and tocopherols from botanical species abundant in Atlantic mountain grasslands were simultaneously extracted using one-step solid-liquid phase. A single n-hexane/2-propanol extract containing both types of compounds was injected twice under two different sets of HPLC conditions to separate the tocopherols by normal-phase chromatography and carotenoids by reverse-phase mode. The method allowed reproducible quantification in plant samples of very low amounts of α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocopherols (LOD from 0.0379 to 0.0720 μg g(-1) DM) and over 15 different xanthophylls and carotene isomers. The simplified one-step extraction without saponification significantly increased the recovery of tocopherols and carotenoids, thereby enabling the determination of α-tocopherol acetate in plant samples. The two different sets of chromatographic analysis provided near baseline separation of individual compounds without interference from other lipid compounds extracted from plants, and a very sensitive and accurate detection of tocopherols and carotenoids. The detection of minor individual components in botanical species from grasslands is nowadays of high interest in searching for biomarkers for foods derived from grazing animals.

Detecting human mitigation intervention: Effects of sewage treatment upgrade on rocky macrofaunal assemblages

The effectiveness of secondary vs primary treatments of wastewaters in mitigating the effects of sewage discharge on the multivariate structure and diversity of rocky invertebrate assemblages was assessed over a nine-year period through a beyond-BACI experimental design. Assemblages from different tidal levels (i.e. mid-shore, low-shore, 3 m and 8 m subtidal) were sampled at the impact location (I) and three control locations (Cs) at a hierarchy of spatial scales. The improvement in water treatment significantly changed the structure, diversity and cover of low intertidal assemblages. Faunal cover at 8 m subtidal increased significantly after the treatment upgrade at I. The secondary treatment also affected patterns of spatial heterogeneity between I and Cs for mid-shore and 3 m subtidal assemblages. This study demonstrates that powerful experimental designs combined with univariate and multivariate analytical approaches are fundamental in distinguishing the subtle effects of human impact from those of natural processes.

Temporal and spatial variability on rocky intertidal macrofaunal assemblages affected by an oil spill (Basque coast, northern Spain).

A large (100 km) rocky coast intertidal was sampled several times (from 2004 to 2006) to assess the affection degree of invertebrate assemblages impacted by a continuous oil spill. Twelve locations and two intertidal heights were selected along the coast representing two spatial scales (kilometres and tens of metres). Univariate and multivariate analyses of variance were used to test whether faunal assemblages exposed to different intensities of oil disturbance differ in terms of diversity, total cover, key species cover and trophic guilds. Whereas no significant differences in midshore assemblages were noted, the low intertidal zone exhibited comparatively lower abundance values of the limpet Patella ulyssiponensis at worst affected sites. Besides, a generalized increasing diversity trend was found in the low intertidal fram 2004 to 2006. Natural variability of communities is also discussed as the cause of the differences we observed. With respect to spatial and temporal scales of variation, mid-intertidal communities showed a more consistent structure, while lowshore assemblages were markedly heterogeneous in practically all the variables measured.

Analysis of Body Composition and Food Habits of Spanish Celiac Women

The purpose of the present work was both to analyze composition of Spanish celiac women and to study the food habits and gluten-free diet of these celiac patients, in order to determine whether they achieve a balanced and healthy diet as well as to highlight nutritional qualitative and/or quantitative differences. 54 adult celiac women (34 ± 13 years) took part in the six-month study. Height, weight and body composition were measured. An analysis of energy consumption and of the macronutrient distribution of their diet was carried out. Their fulfillment of micronutrient intake recommendations was verified. Participants showed a Body Mass Index of 21.6 ± 2.4 kg/m2. Energy Intake was slightly lower than the Dietary Reference Intakes. Excessive protein apart from over-consumption of fat was observed. More than three quarters of participants consumed meat in excess. Carbohydrate consumption along with that of fiber was below recommended levels. Vitamin D, iron, and iodine had a low percentage of recommendation compliance. In general, participants followed the recommendations of dairy products and fruit intake whereas vegetable consumption was not enough for the vast majority. We conclude that although the diet of celiac women does not differ much from the diet of general population, some considerations, such as reducing fat and protein consumption and increasing fiber intake, must be taken into account.

A census of deep-water sipunculans (Sipuncula)

The Sipuncula, or peanut worms, are a small taxon of lophotrochozoan worms that live mostly in warm shallow waters, but little is known about the diversity and distribution of this group in the deeper parts of the ocean (>2000 m). To address this point, all existing information from the scientific literature on deep-water sipunculans was retrieved, and a census was organised in several data matrices by species and by geographic and bathymetric distribution. From this data, deep-water sipunculan fauna were found to include representatives of 4 families, 10 genera, 51 species and 3 subspecies. Geographical range maps for all the censused species were created. The most ubiquitous species are Nephasoma diaphanes (Gerould, 1913); Phascolion lutense Selenka, 1885; Golfingia muricaudata (Southern, 1913); Apionsoma murinae (Cutler, 1969), G. margaritacea (Sars, 1851) and Onchnesoma magnibathum Cutler, 1969. By contrast, 18 species of various genera in the dataset are considered to be extremely rare, with only one previous record. No endemic species have been detected on the sea bottoms investigated to date. With regard to vertical distribution, most deep-water sipunculans were collected at depths ranging from 2500 to 3000 m, whereas there were fewer ultra-abyssal and hadal records (>6500 m). This also applies to the deepest depths investigated (>7000 m), where only three isolated records of three different species (N. diaphanes, P. lutense and P. pacificum Murina, 1957) were found. By relating species richness to depth, a significant linear regression was found, with lower richness values at greater depths. Finally, attempts to relate the species richness values to latitudinal or longitudinal gradients have as yet proved unsuccessful. The conclusion drawn from this census is that sipunculan fauna down to a depth of 2000 m is characterised as remarkably sensitive to bathymetry, with the lowest species richness values recorded in the deeper bottoms.

Evolution of Gluten Content in Cereal-Based Gluten-Free Products: An Overview from 1998 to 2016

The treatment of Celiac disease consists in a strict lifelong gluten-free (GF) diet. As the ingestion of small amounts can have damaging complications, there has been an ongoing discussion regarding the safe threshold for dietary residual gluten. The aim was to analyze the evolution of gluten content in cereal-based GF foodstuffs (n = 3141) from 1998 to 2016 measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Eight categories were defined: flours, breakfast cereals/bars, bakery, pasta, breads, dough, snacks, and yeasts, and these were divided into GF labeled-foods (GF-L) or reportedly GF foodstuffs, but not certified (GF-NC). Gluten-detection was decreased over time in line with the evolving European regulations about food information and gluten content claims. This decline started sooner in GF-L products than in GF-NC. As a whole, gluten was detected in 371 samples, with breakfast cereals/bars being the most contaminated group. Snacks and yeasts changed from being high gluten-detected samples to being totally GF over the years. The downside is that, of contaminated samples, those in the low levels of gluten detection range have decreased while flour samples containing over 100 mg/kg gluten have risen in the 2013–2016 period. Obtained data confirm that GF cereal-based foods are becoming safer but gluten control must be maintained.

Rapeseed and sunflower oilcake as supplements for dairy sheep: animal performance and milk fatty acid concentrations

The influence of different amounts of oilseed cake (rapeseed and sunflower) on animal production parameters and fatty acid (FA) concentrations of the milk was studied in a Latxa dairy sheep experimental flock, both in winter (50% oilcakes; indoor feeding) and in spring (30% oilcakes; part-time grazing). The two different levels of the oilcakes tested did not affect animal production parameters or milk yield. Milk fat content and the fat/protein ratio decreased significantly with 30 and 50% sunflower cake. Yet, fat/protein ratio values were within the range for cheesemaking. Both levels of either type of oilcake tested significantly increased the concentrations of nutritionally interesting FA (CLA isomer C18:2cis-9, trans-11, vaccenic, oleic, and total unsaturated FA), while simultaneously decreasing the concentration of atherogenic FA. The atherogenicity indexes of milks from ewes fed 50 or 30% of either oilcake were significantly lower than those of their corresponding control. The use of cakes in winter increased the concentration of nutritionally interesting FA to the values obtained with part-time grazing.

A new subspecies of Phascolion Theel, 1875 (Sipuncula: Golfingiidae) from Indian waters

A new subspecies of Phascolion pacificum Murina, 1957 is described from shallow waters (15-20 m deep) off Malvan and Ratnagiri in India. Phascolion pacificum denticulatum ssp. nov. is characterized by the presence of a prominent tooth-like projection in the median part of the free border of the holdfast papillae. This finding represents the first record of any Phascolion species for all the Indian coasts.

Nutritional and Sensorial Aspects of Gluten-Free Products

Gluten is responsible for some of the organoleptic characteristics of cereal-derived products. To elaborate gluten-free (GF) products, it is common to use cereals without gluten, such as corn and rice, which do not have the same characteristics as gluten-containing cereals. Thus, it is often necessary to add substances that mimic the viscous and elastic properties of gluten, such as gums, hydrocolloids, fats, or enzymes. The fact that raw materials are different in GF products and their conventional homologues causes important changes in the nutritional composition and organoleptic characteristics of cereal products as well as in their physicochemical properties, digestibility, or glycemic index. This chapter discusses the main differences found by researchers in this field.