Evidence has linked excessive salt consumption to the development of chronic degenerative diseases. Therefore, special attention has been given to the consumption of healthier products with reduced sodium contents. This study aimed to develop a Mozzarella cheese with a reduced sodium content using a mixture of salts through acceptance testing and temporal sensory evaluation. The following 3 formulations of Mozzarella cheese were prepared: formulation A (control), which was produced only with NaCl (0% sodium reduction), formulation B (30% sodium reduction), and formulation C (54% sodium reduction). Every formulation was produced using a mixture of salts consisting of NaCl, KCl, and monosodium glutamate at different concentrations. The products underwent sensory acceptance tests, and the time intensity and temporal dominance of sensations were evaluated. The proportions of salts used did not cause strange or bad tastes but did result in lower intensities of saltiness. Mozzarella with low sodium content (B and C) had a sensory acceptance similar to that of traditional Mozzarella (A). Therefore, the use of a mixture of salts consisting of NaCl, KCl, and monosodium glutamate is a viable alternative for the production of Mozzarella, with up to a 54% reduction in the sodium content while still maintaining acceptable sensory quality.

Youth problem gambling has become an emergent public health issue, and adolescents constitute a vulnerable age group for the development of gambling-related problems. Although there is research concerning the risk factors of youth problem gambling, rigorous evaluations of the effectiveness of preventive initiatives is still rare. The present study evaluated the efficacy of an integrative intervention to prevent youth problem gambling based on a multidimensional set of factors including gambling-related knowledge, misconceptions, attitudes, gambling frequency, amount of money spent, total hours spent gambling per week, and sensation seeking. A pre-and post-test design was performed with 111 Portuguese high-school students randomly assigned to two groups (experimental and control). The findings demonstrated that the intervention was effective in improving correct knowledge about gambling, reducing misconceptions and attitudes, and in decreasing the total hours spent gambling per week. The intervention was also effective in reducing the number of at-risk/problem gamblers during the study period. Furthermore, these findings were stable after a 6-week follow-up. Overall, the intervention program appeared to be effective in correcting some gambling-related behaviours, and provides suggestions for future interventions.

-Artificial chromosome duplication of diploid genotypes of

A obtenção artificial de genótipos com duplicação cromossômica em forrageiras busca maximizar características de interesse agronômico, como valor nutricional e produção de forragem, resistência a pragas e doenças, tolerância a estresses abióticos e restauração da fertilidade de híbridos estéreis. Outro objetivo da duplicação cromossômica é a geração de variabilidade genética em espécies apomíticas, por meio da duplicação cromossômica de acessos sexuais igualando a ploidia de modo a permitir a realização de cruzamentos e a obtenção de descendentes férteis. A indução de poliploidia é feita utilizando substâncias antimitóticas, sendo a colchicina a mais amplamente usada em plantas forrageiras. Entretanto, devido a sua toxicidade, outras substâncias como herbicidas e cafeína vem sendo empregadas com sucesso em gramíneas. A eficácia na obtenção de poliploides artificialmente depende de uma série de fatores exógenos, tais como as substâncias antimitóticas utilizadas, o tipo de explante, o tempo e as condições de exposição e as concentrações dos antimitóticos. Esta revisão tem por objetivo apresentar os principais métodos usados para indução de poliploidia em gramíneas forrageiras e os avanços obtidos no melhoramento genético, a partir do uso de genótipos poliploidizados.

AbStRACt. The texture of corn grains is a fundamental characteristic for the industry as well as for grain producers and processors. To further understand the mechanisms involved in grain hardness, contrasting corn cultivars for grain hardness and protein quality were evaluated. The cultivars were Cateto L 237/67 (hard endosperm and low protein value), QPM BR 451 (semi-hard endosperm and high protein value); Bolivia-2 (floury endosperm and low protein value), and Opaque-2 (floury endosperm and high protein value). Evaluations were carried out at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 days after pollination in developing corn grains and in the mature grain. In developing grains, evaluation consisted in the determination of the area, percentage of starch granules, distribution of starch granules, and protein bodies in the endosperm. In mature corn grains, the parameters evaluated were: density, percentage of total proteins, levels of lysine and tryptophan, and banding pattern of zeins. The results 499©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 7 (2): 498-508 (2008) Corn grain texture indicate that the higher physical resistance of corn grains from the cultivars analyzed is influenced by the high percentage of total proteins, high synthesis of 27-kDa zeins, presence of protein bodies, and perfect organization of starch granules in the endosperm, independent of their sizes.

Resumo Os hábitos alimentares de adolescentes têm sido marcados pelo alto consumo de alimentos ricos em gorduras, sódio e açúcares simples que, somados ao sedentarismo, estão diretamente relacionados com a incidência de obesidade entre outras doenças crônicas não transmissíveis tanto nesta faixa etária como na vida adulta. Este cenário reforça a urgência de se adotar programas de educação alimentar e nutricional (EAN). Sabendo-se disso, o objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar o hábito alimentar e sequencialmente avaliar o grau de conhecimento sobre alimentação e nutrição de adolescentes, intervir com EAN, aplicando dois recursos pedagógicos distintos (palestra e jogo do tipo quiz) e comparar a eficácia de ambos no processo educativo. Participaram do estudo 59 adolescentes entre 13 e 16 anos, matriculados em duas turmas da oitava série de uma escola municipal do município de Lavras – Minas Gerais. Os resultados indicaram prevalência de padrão alimentar inadequado evidenciando o consumo elevado de alimentos ricos em gorduras e açúcares simples. Tanto a aplicação do jogo como a palestra se mostraram eficientes para aumentar o grau de conhecimento dos adolescentes e, quando comparados, os métodos não mostraram diferença significativa entre si.

-The objective of the present work was to induce chromosome doubling in genotypes of Brachiaria ruziziensis with potential for production of good-quality biomass and tolerance/resistance to stress caused by aluminum and spittlebugs. Germinated seeds of B. ruziziensis were immersed in 0.1% colchicine solution for 2 or 3 hours. Ploidy level was determined by flow cytometry and confirmed by chromosome count. Fertility of the tetraploid plants was assessed through evaluation of pollen viability by staining. There was no statistical difference with regard to seedling survival and number of duplicate seedlings between the treatments. Survival rate was 8%, of which 11.45% were tetraploid genotypes. The mean viability of pollen grains from the evaluated tetraploid plants ranged from 51.75 to 55.50%. So, the tetraploids plants obtained from genotypes of a bred population of ruzigrass produce fertile pollen, in percentages that render crosses viable in genetic breeding programs.

Sprouted and fermented foods have shown hypoglycemic effects on humans and animals, by reducing concentrations of soluble carbohydrates, and increasing dietary fiber and resistant starch content. In this study, diets with high levels of simple carbohydrates supplemented with toasted quinoa flour, sprouted and toasted quinoa flour, fermented and toasted quinoa flour or sprouted/fermented and toasted quinoa flour were given to Wistar rats. During the experiment, the glycemic index (GI) of the diets were measure and, at the end of 47 days of feeding, the effects of the diets on physical and biochemical parameters of the animals were evaluated. Results indicated that the processes of sprouting and/or fermentation potentiate the ability of quinoa to reduce GI of diets with high levels of simple carbohydrates. Moreover, food intake, blood glucose and lipid levels, and accumulation of epididymal adipose tissue were reduced in rats fed diets supplemented with quinoa. These effects may be due to the nutritional composition of the supplemented diets, besides the chemical changes promoted by processing quinoa. These results are particularly relevant once sprouted and fermented quinoa could be an alimentary source of interest, especially for disease risk prevention such as diabetes, obesity and dyslipidemias.