The capability of Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom to accumulate lithium (Li) and the accessibility of this Li compared with lithium carbonate (Li(2)CO(3)), often used as psychiatric medicine, were investigated. Mushrooms were produced on a substrate-based on coffee husk, with different added concentrations of lithium chloride (LiCl). Biological efficiency (BE), the crude protein content, the concentration of Li and other elements present in mushrooms were determined. The sequential extraction and in vitro test were used to verify the accessibility and the degree of solubility of this element. Li concentration in mushrooms was directly influenced by increasing LiCl concentration in the substrate (P<0.05). The BE was not affected by different concentrations of LiCl. Li present in enriched mushrooms showed greater accessibility than in Li(2)CO(3). Therefore, P. ostreatus mushrooms, enriched with lithium can be an alternative source of Li, as well as being a food with high nutritional value.

No abstract

Um experimento foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar a utilização de farelo do resíduo de manga (FRM) (Mangifera indica L., var. Ubá) em rações para frangos de corte de 1 a 42 dias de idade. Utilizaram-se 600 pintos machos, Ross, distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com cinco tratamentos, cada um com seis repetições de 20 aves por unidade experimental. Os tratamentos consistiram da inclusão de 0,0; 2,5; 5,0; 7,5 ou 10,0% de farelo do resíduo de manga em dietas à base de milho e farelo de soja. Avaliaram-se o consumo de ração (CR), o ganho de peso (GP), a conversão alimentar (CA) e o índice de eficiência produtiva (IEP). No período de 1 a 42 dias de idade, não houve efeito dos níveis de farelo do resíduo de manga no consumo de ração. O ganho de peso e a conversão alimentar também não foram afetados pela inclusão de 2,5 e 5,0% de farelo do resíduo de manga na ração. A inclusão de até 5% de farelo do resíduo de manga na ração não afeta o desempenho de frangos no período de 1 a 42 dias de idade.

-The experiment was conducted to evaluate the addition of phytase on productive performance and egg quality of Japanese quails fed diets containing different levels of phytase. It was used 320 Japanese quails at 167 days of age, weighing 182.3 ± 3.8 g distributed in a completely randomized design with four experimental diets and eight repetitions of ten birds per experimental unit. Diets were formulated from a basal diet (control) and they were corn and soybean meal based, without supplementation, added with 200, 400 or 600 phytase activity unit (ftu). Supplementation of phytase in the diets improved productive performance and quality of eggs. Efficiency of phosphorus use for egg mass, from 0.13% of availability of this mineral in the ration, improved with supplementation of 463 ftu/kg. Optimum levels of phytase for the other performance traits and egg quality were also reached with 463 ftu/kg.

The liquid-liquid extraction with low-temperature partitioning technique (LLE/LTP) was miniaturized to determine the pesticides chlorpyrifos, bifenthrin, λ-cyhalothrin, and deltamethrin in a biological matrix, by gas chromatography. The method was proposed for fetal-bovine serum samples (500 μL), by using a full factorial design (23) with one center point. The evaluated factors included the volume of water added to the sample (1000 μL), volume of extraction solvent (500 μL) and stirring time (60 s) – a cleanup step was not necessary. The method was validated for the main figures of merit. The results indicated that the LLE/LTP/GC/ECD miniaturized method was efficient in extracting pesticides from blood-serum samples (75 to 115%). It showed both selectivity and sensitiveness, with limits of quantification (LOQ) ranging from 8 at 17 μg L-1. Once validated, the method was applied to blood-serum samples of rural workers from a city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In that case, the presence of chlorpyrifos was detected in two of the samples.

We evaluated the effect of including 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0% mango waste meal (MWM) variety UBA in corn and soybean meal-based diet on the serum lipid profile of broilers. The experimental design was completely randomized, with five treatments and six replicates with 20 birds per experimental unit. Concentrations of creatinine, albumin, total protein, total cholesterol, triacylglycerols (TAG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), were evaluated at the ages of 14, 28 and 42 days, with 30 birds evaluated per age. At 14 days, there was no difference serum creatinine, total cholesterol, HDL, triacylglycerols, total proteins or VLDL-C concentrations as compared with control. Albumin concentration was the highest at the MWM inclusion levels of 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0%. At 28 days, triacylglycerols, VLDL-C and LDL-C were the lowestat 7.5% inclusion whereas at 42 days, these same variables were the lowest with addition of 10.0% meal. At 14, 28 and 42 days of age, the VLDL-C, LDL-C and total TAG contents were found to decrease at mango waste meal inclusion levels of 5.0 and 7.5% in the diets, which maybe considered an indicator of improvements in the metabolic conditions of broilers.

No abstract

Background: People manifest a growing concern with their bodies due to health-related or esthetic reasons which contributes to increase their body dissatisfaction and distortion. Objective: To analyze weight gain, body image dissatisfaction and distortion among employees of a university restaurant in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study in which we analyzed the participants’ body weight, height and body mass index. Body image dissatisfaction and distortion were investigated with a figure scale. We administered a questionnaire to investigate weight gain and changes in dietary habits since starting in the job. Sample characteristics and factors related to body image dissatisfaction are described as frequencies and were compared by means of the χ2 test with software SPPS version 17.0. Results: We analyzed 46 employees (82.61% female) 63% of whom gained weight since starting in the job, 3.4 kg on average. Women reported having acquired poorer dietary habits. About 68.4% of the women and 75% of the men exhibited overweight. All the women (100%) and 50% of the men reported body image dissatisfaction and 76.3 and 50% respectively a desire to lose weight. We found a high prevalence of body image distortion, of 94.7% for the women and 100% for the men. Conclusion: Weight gain, changes in dietary habits, body image distortion and dissatisfaction point to the need for dietary and nutritional educational programs which promote healthy eating habits and changes in behavior relating to diet and body image.