Resting cells and growing cells of bifidobacteria strains exhibited an ability to remove cholesterol in the presence of bile salts. In resting cell assays, the removed cholesterol was precipitated in the presence of cholic acid at pH values lower than 5.4. However, this precipitated cholesterol was redissolved when the pellets were washed with phosphate buffer, pH 7, and no cholesterol was found in the cells. It appears that this precipitation is a transient phenomenon. In the case of growing cells, the removed cholesterol was partially recovered when cells were washed with phosphate buffer, pH 7, while the remaining cholesterol was extracted from the cells. Cultured in the presence of radiolabeled free or esterified cholesterol, bifidobacteria strains were able to assimilate esterified cholesterol. It is concluded that the removal of cholesterol from the growth medium by bifidobacteria strains is due to both bacterial assimilation and precipitation of cholesterol.

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To determine the validity of the hypothesis of assimilation or precipitation of cholesterol by Bifidobacterium species, resting cell assays and cultures were undertaken in TPY medium containing oxgall. With resting cell assays (pH 5), cholesterol was precipitated and redissolved in phosphate buffer (pH 7). At the end of the cultures, only part of the removed cholesterol from the culture medium was found in the phosphate buffer, while the missing cholesterol was in cell extracts. It appeared that removal of cholesterol during culturing was not solely due to its precipitation. It is concluded that growing bifidobacteria cells are able to remove cholesterol both by precipitation and assimilation.

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Adulteration detection of argan oil is one of the main aspects of its quality control. Following recent fraud scandals, it is mandatory to ensure product quality and customer protection. The aim of this study is to detect the percentages of adulteration of argan oil with sunflower oil by using the combination of a voltammetric e-tongue and an e-nose based on metal oxide semiconductor sensors and pattern recognition techniques. Data analysis is performed by three pattern recognition methods: principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant factor analysis (DFA), and support vector machines (SVMs). Excellent results were obtained in the differentiation between unadulterated and adulterated argan oil with sunflower one. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to demonstrate whether the combined e-nose and e-tongue technologies could be successfully applied to the detection of adulteration of argan oil.

Objective and rapid electronic sensing systems for distinguishing among meat species and identifying the degree of spoilage have been developed.

To determine the conditions of cholesterol assimilation,various strains of Bifidobacterium species were cultured in the presence of cholesterol and bile salts. During culturing, Bifidobacterium breve ATCC 15700 assimilates cholesterol in the presence of oxgall at pH values lower than 6. This strain was selected to study the influence of conjugated (taurocholic acid) and deconjugated (cholic acid) bile salts on cholesterol assimilation. B. breve ATCC 15700 assimilated cholesterol(up to 51%) when cultures were undertaken in the presence of taurocholic acid, whereas less than 13% of the initial amount ofcholesterol was measured in the cells in the presence of cholic acid. Cultured in the presence of six individual di- or trihydroxyconjugated bile salts, bifidobacteria strains assimilated cholesterol. This assimilation appeared to be more important in the presence of trihydroxyconjugated bile salts (tauro- and glycocholic acids). It is concluded thattrihydroxyconjugated bile salts are involved in the assimilation of cholesterol by bifidobacteria.