24663 research outputs found
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Tradition and Innovation in Raw Meat Products with a Focus on the Steak Tartare Case
No full textSteak tartare is a ready-to-eat (RTE) meat product, prepared with finely chopped or ground raw beef, with a rich culinary history and increasing consumption trend in the last years. Yet, its microbiological safety and technological challenges remain largely under-investigated. This review analyses the regulations, the safety, and technological advances in steak tartare manufacturing, focusing on microbiological risks due to potential contamination by pathogens like Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7. From this perspective, the outbreaks associated with the consumption of raw meat products have confirmed the importance of good hygiene practice and process control, currently based on the presence of nitrite in the formulation and accurate cold chain management. Recently, the EU regulations have set stricter limits for the use of nitrites and nitrates in meat products, and this evolution has increased the interest in natural alternatives. The scientific literature indicates that plant-based antimicrobials, high-pressure processing (HPP), and novel starter cultures can be promising tools to improve raw meat safety and shelf life. This review analyses the possible options for nitrite replacement, which might involve combined interventions with natural antimicrobials, starter cultures, and packaging solutions. Future studies need to address the microbial behaviour and dynamics in nitrite-free formulations, including safety validation by challenge testing with foodborne pathogens. In this respect, steak tartare could be a model for innovation in the meat industry. However, considering the challenges that must be faced, collaboration across disciplines will be essential to meet regulatory constraints and consumer expectations while ensuring product quality and safety
Il principio coordinatore esterno tra il valore della giustizia e la misericordia evangelica
No full text
Monitoring centriole dynamics in androgenetic sheep embryos: preliminary data
No full textIn most mammals, the spermatozoon provides the only functional centriole, making its correct activation essential for successful cleavage during the first embryonic cell cycle. Although
pronuclear formation occurs in approximately 80% of embryos produced via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), cleavage rates remain significantly lower (~30%). This discrepancy, not observed under standard IVF conditions, suggests that post-fertilization developmental failure may be linked to centriole-dependent mechanisms. Among the proposed causes, defective sperm aster nucleation and abnormal microtubule organization have been identified as key factors impairing early embryonic progression. To investigate these mechanisms, we analyzed centriolar dynamics and sperm aster formation in ICSI-derived embryos using different chemical activation protocols, including ionomycin alone and ionomycin combined with cycloheximide. Sperm aster nucleation was assessed at multiple time points post-fertilization through α-tubulin immunodetection, revealing the critical role of the spermatozoon in organizing the microtubule network during syngamy in both IVF and ICSI embryos.
We also employed sex-sorted ram spermatozoa (bearing either X or Y chromosomes) to assess whether sperm chromosomal sex influences aster formation efficiency, hypothesizing potential mechanistic differences between X- and Y-bearing sperm. In parallel, we produced an androgenetic embryo model—generated by injecting two spermatozoa into enucleated sheep oocytes—as a system to study centriole function in a completely paternal genomic context, enabling the isolation of sperm-specific regulatory factors.
This study provides novel functional insights into sperm-derived centriole dynamics and represents an essential step toward identifying the molecular determinants of centriole activation, a key process required to initiate and support early embryonic development
Immune challenges and pathogen risks in edible insects: safeguarding health in space life-support systems
No full textAs space agencies progress toward long-duration missions and extraterrestrial colonisation, Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) have become central to achieving closed-loop sustainability. Edible insects offer a highly efficient protein source suited for BLSS integration, yet the unique stressors of spaceflight, microgravity, ionising radiation, and limited microbial exposure, pose significant risks to insect immunity and pathogen dynamics. This review synthesises current research on insect immune function, microbiome stability, and disease susceptibility under space-relevant conditions, highlighting vulnerabilities introduced by physical, nutritional and behavioural stressors. We emphasise species-specific immune traits, life stage- and sex-dependent responses, and the contribution of natural behaviours and transgenerational immunity to colony resilience. Further, we examine the synergistic effects of the space environment and high-density rearing on pathogen transmission and virulence evolution. Mitigation strategies, including environmental controls, probiotic interventions and biosensor-based health monitoring, are discussed. By identifying critical knowledge gaps, particularly concerning immune suppression under microgravity and radiation, density-driven pathogen evolution, and the stability of behavioural immunity, we propose system-level responses to support robust insect health. Our synthesis advances the framework for designing resilient, health-optimised insect rearing systems for future space missions and terrestrial applications. Ensuring insect immune competence will be essential for ecological stability and food security in extraterrestrial environments
Assembly of 1,2,3‐Triazole‐Fused Polycyclic Compounds by Palladium‐Catalyzed C-H Bond Activation
No full textA palladium-catalyzed protocol for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole-fused heterocycles, such as 1,4,5,6-tetrahydrobenzo[c][1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-e]azepines and 4,6-dihydro-1H-benzo[5,6]oxepino[3,4-d][1,2,3]triazoles, is reported. The method is versatile, high yielding, and even suitable for domino and one-pot sequential protocols, combining the copper-catalyzed reaction of alkynes and organic azides (CuAAC) with palladium-catalyzed C-H bond activation. A plausible reaction mechanism is proposed
A comparative study for UV filter determination: HPLC- PDA, HPLCMS/MS and a new portable voltammetry device
No full textThe determination of UV filters (UVFs) in cosmetic products is of increasing interest, both for
compliance with European legislation and for monitoring their environmental impact. At present,
the reference methods are based on liquid chromatography, which guarantees high sensitivity and
accuracy but is not suitable for on-site analysis. In this study, an electrochemical methodology
based on square wave voltammetry (SWV) was developed using a portable device for the
determination of organic UVFs in cosmetics, comparing its performance with HPLC-PDA and
HPLC-MS/MS. An interesting element is represented by the fact that in the present work, not only
are the SWV method and a portable device developed and validated but also everything is
compared with two reference configurations (HPLC-PDA and HPLC-MS/MS). In this case, the
chromatographic method has demonstrated the necessary granularity to be applied directly to
two different instrumentations, obtaining a comparable performance without any method transfer
problems. One of the main objectives of green analytical chemistry (GAC) and green sample
preparation (GSP) lies in the possibility of carrying out in situ measurements using simple
strumentation and with the use of nontoxic reagents and solvents, reducing the sample
manipulation and the number of steps related to pretreatment. The method and the portable
device presented here allow us to be compliant with these principles, highlighting how this
approach can be considered green and low-impact, paving the way for new applications in other
fields as well (i.e., environmental and biological ones) in order to monitor the presence of these
compounds
I sistemi di controllo e la digital transformation: le sfide del middle management alla luce dei nuovi “topoi”
No full textLa digitalizzazione sta trasformando radicalmente il management accounting ed il controllo di gestione (MAC), offrendo nuove opportunità ma anche ponendo sfide complesse per il controller aziendale. Attraverso un’analisi della letteratura internazionale, è stato sviluppato un framework concettuale, basato sui contributi di Knudsen (2020) e Fähndrich (2023), che esaminano gli effetti della digitalizzazione sul MAC. L’analisi evidenzia come il processo di digitalizzazione sia fondamentale per lo sviluppo di nuovi modelli di business sostenibili, fungendo sia da catalizzatore che da motore di cambiamento. Per fornire evidenze empiriche e comprendere meglio la complessità della trasformazione digitale aziendale, è stato condotto un approfondito studio di caso in un’azienda manifatturiera high-mix low- volume ad alta intensità di conoscenza. L’analisi del caso studio è stata effettuata seguendo un approccio basato sul costruttivismo pragmatico (Cinquini, Nørreklit, 2022). L’adozione di questo metodo ha permesso di evidenziare come la transizione verso sistemi digitali integrati abbia influenzato non solo l’infrastruttura tecnologica, ma anche il modo in cui i middle manager, figure chiave nel tradurre le strategie digitali in pratiche operative, comunicano e utilizzano le informazioni contabili. In particolare, è emerso come essi, tramite gli accounting language games e la sinergia tra i metodi epistemici adottati, plasmati dai nuovi “topoi” emersi nel contesto digitale, abbiano riconfigurato i task del MAC, promuovendo la trasformazione digitale e l’innovazione. Dall’analisi sono emerse anche sfide legate ai rapporti umani e al capitale delle relazioni interne ed esterne ai confini aziendali, nonché limiti quali inefficienze operative e pratiche disfunzionali che ledono gli equilibri economici. Per approfondire tali limiti, la ricerca si sviluppa ampliando l’oggetto verso l’analisi di contesti inter-organizzativi nel settore aerospaziale, esaminando le implicazioni per il MAC e valutando il modo in cui i middle manager comunicano e utilizzano le informazioni digitali a supporto delle misure di performance con eterogenei livelli di digitalizzazione
