Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca- Università degli Studi di Foggia
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Quality of fresh-cut apple (Malus domestica) as affected by the sharpness of the cutting tool
No full textFruit and vegetables represent an important source of nutritional components, such as vitamins,
minerals and fibers. However, when subjected to minimal processing, a faster deterioration and a
reduction in terms of nutritional value, as well as general appearance, can be observed. During fresh-
cut process quality loss occurs mainly during cutting procedures, such as slicing, peeling and
shredding. In fact, cutting tools are responsible of cellular membrane break, leading to a reduction in
terms of chemical and physical characteristics, as well as a major exposure to microorganisms
contamination. Mechanical damage is correlated both to the morphology of the cut tissue and the
sharpness of the cutting tool. Many studies have been conducted regarding the response of fresh-cut
products to mechanical damage, especially for fresh-cut apples, unlike the characteristics of cutting
blade. This thesis aims to set an effortless method to evaluate and compare blade sharpness and
explore the effects of cutting blades, according to various Degrees of Sharpness (DoS), on fresh-cut
apples. A methodology was developed for the objective assessment of cutting damage on fresh-cut
produce based on DoS, defined as the required force exerted by the instrument to cut a reference
body. To this aim, 3 kitchen knives (A, B and C) were used with 8 DoS values (from 1, sharpest to 8,
bluntest) to cut silicon plugs as reference bodies with cross-section diameters of 6 and 8-mm. For the
6-mm plugs and knife A, the force varied from 16.2±0.5 N (DoS=1) to 93.6±7.0 N (DoS=8), for knife
B from 17.9±0.4 (DoS=1) to 80.1±6.1 N (DoS=8), and for knife C from 17.4±0.9 (DoS=1) to
155.3±2.0 N (DoS=8). As for the 8-mm plugs forces ranged for knife A, B and C from 26.0±1.1 N
(DoS=1) to 105.6±7.6 N (DoS=8), from 29.0±1.3 (DoS=1) to 104.6±6.5 N (DoS=8) and from
26.1±0.7 (DoS=1) to 195.9±11.7 N (DoS=8), respectively. Cutting force mean values for all knives
and DoS depicted statistically significant differences in relation to standard deviation values.
Following, kitchen knives at 3 different DoS corresponding to 30, 90, and 140 N of cutting forces,
labeled as DoS1, DoS2 and DoS3 respectively, were used to cut fresh apples and quality of the
product was evaluated during storage in terms of changes in the visual appearance (sensorial),
CIELAB values and chemical response. The results confirmed that color changes in terms of
browning were higher as the DoS decreased with data significantly fitting an exponential relation,
pointing out that the blade sharpness is a key factor involved in the success of the cutting operation.
On the base of the results achieved, a methodology has been developed in order to define an objective
method to be used as essay to evaluate cutting damage on fresh tissue. The methodological approach
involved the use of 3 kitchen knives (A, B and C) each possessing 4 DoS values from the sharpest to
the bluntest following an order starting at 30 N to 90 N, 140 N, and 190 N respectively, and were
addressed to cut in total of 96 apples into 288 slices for the physical quality assessment of color,
visual acceptance score, electrolytic leakage which represents the severity of cell damage, and
nutritional quality evaluation of total soluble solid content (SSC), total acidity (TA), pH and total
phenol during 14 days storage. A two-way ANOVA was performed to assess the effect of DoS on the
quality of apples during storage and the results showed that there was no any significant correlation
between DoS and nutritional quality, however color change in terms of browning index and a*
increased significantly as the DoS decreased with the value at 39.42, 2.68 in 30 N and 41.41, 3.11 in
190 N respectively, whereas for the visual acceptance score, the best was obtained at 3.98 for DoS
30 N allowing the shelf-life of the fresh cut apple up to 14 days while the worst at 2.95 for DoS 190
N with the shelf-life reaching only up to 5 days. The impact of mechanical damage on the physical
and chemical properties of ‘Golden Delicious’ apples was investigated and the results were further
validated using the X-ray micro CT. The apples were cut into slices using kitchen knife maintaining
four degrees of sharpness (DoS), termed as DoS1 (sharp blade) DoS2, DoS3 and DoS4 (blunt blade).
The analysis of the color parameters over a 15 days storage period indicated that apples sliced with
DoS1 depicted higher L* value of 80.81 in accordance with non-remarkable changes in the a* value
over the storage period. In case of the apple slices cut with blunt knife (DoS4), the L* value
significantly reduced to 78.08 after the 15-day storage period together with an increase in the redness
values (a*) from 1.22 to 3.32 on the 15th storage day. X-ray micro-CT revealed that while in case of
DoS1 slices have a porosity of about 13% close to the cut surface, for the DoS4 samples this parameter
drops to 11% for the same sample portion, confirming how a sharp blade induces a minor wounding
stress.
To sum up, cutting blade sharpness is an important factor affecting the marketability of fresh-cut
apples. Data presented underline how the use of a sharp cutting tools significantly reduce physical
symptoms, particularly browning, supported by the results obtained from X-ray micro-CT. This could
be a hopeful base for further research to better understand the threshold above which, both for
physical and microstructural point of view, wound stress becomes harmful for fresh-cut products
Myocardial revascularization in patients with chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of surgical versus percutaneous coronary revascularization
No full textObjectives: To compare outcomes of two different revascularization strategies in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients: coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) versus percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: We conducted this meta-analysis according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021238659), evaluated studies comparing CABG and PCI in patients with CAD and CKD (defined by KDIGO guidelines). Data were extracted from PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane from 2000 to 2023. The primary end-point was long-term major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event rates, with secondary end-points including 30-day mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction (MI) and repeat revascularization. Statistical analyses included Kaplan-Meier estimations, Cox regression, and meta-regression to address heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed via funnel plots. No funding was received, and the authors report no conflicts of interest. Results: We included 33 studies with 402 300 patients (eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2). The cohort comprised 132 314 coronary artery bypass graft and 269 986 PCI patients. Over 3 years, coronary artery bypass group provided protection against major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, MI, and repeat revascularization compared to PCI. However, PCI showed better short-term outcomes, including lower 30-day mortality. Coronary artery bypass group was linked to a higher stroke risk over the 3-year follow-up. Conclusions: Revascularization strategies for CKD and coronary artery disease patients should balance PCI's short-term benefits with CABG's long-term advantages
12. Interplay Between Glutamine Metabolism and Other Cellular Pathways: A Promising Hub in the Treatment of HNSCC
No full textLa responsabilità medica tra disfunzionalità, tutela del paziente e collettivizzazione del rischio sanitario [nota a Tribunale di Reggio Calabria 27 dicembre 2024, n. 1833]
No full textElementi relativi ad esercizi precedenti: il loro riflesso sul conto economico. Un commento
No full textIl capitolo si colloca nel dibattito teorico-metodologico che ha attraversato l’Economia Aziendale italiana nei primi anni Novanta, con particolare riferimento al ruolo delle discipline contabili nella comprensione e nel governo delle aziende. In tale contesto, ancora fortemente segnato da impostazioni dottrinali e da scuole nazionali di Ragioneria, il contributo scientifico del Prof. Gianfranco Zanda emerge per rigore analitico, apertura interdisciplinare e capacità di mettere in discussione concetti consolidati. Attraverso un commento critico a uno dei suoi scritti meno citati, pubblicato nel 1991 sulla Rivista dei Dottori Commercialisti insieme ai Proff. Lacchini e Onesti, il capitolo intende valorizzare la rilevanza e l’attualità del suo pensiero. L’articolo analizzato affronta il tema del trattamento contabile degli errori, delle variazioni di stime e delle politiche contabili, un ambito allora poco esplorato dalla dottrina contabile italiana ma già centrale nel nascente dibattito internazionale. L’analisi evidenzia come Zanda abbia saputo anticipare riflessioni che avrebbero successivamente trovato spazio nei processi di armonizzazione contabile, proponendo una visione della contabilità non come mera tecnica, bensì come sapere critico e riflessivo. Il capitolo si propone, dunque, come omaggio scientifico e umano a un Maestro che ha contribuito in modo significativo all’evoluzione del pensiero contabile
Immunometabolism of monocyte/macrophage system in chronic diseases
No full textIn recent years, immunometabolism has emerged as a key field to understand the interplay
between cellular metabolism and immune cell function, offering novel therapeutic perspectives in
chronic inflammatory diseases. Therefore, we explored the role of immunometabolic
reprogramming, particularly within the monocyte/macrophage system, in two major pathologies:
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). In the
context of AD, the key-role of microglia, brain-resident macrophages, as major pathogenic drivers,
has recently emerged. Amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) and circulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
activates microglia via toll-like receptor (TLRs), promoting cytokine production.
We investigated the role of metabolic modulation in the control of inflammatory activity in HMC3
line, activated by LPS exposure simultaneously treated with dimethyl malonate (DMM), a
succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) inhibitor. Analysing cellular bioenergetics and biochemical
alterations in HCM3, we demonstrated that LPS induced a metabolic rewiring characterised by
high glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration with high reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.
DMM partially restored normal functions by inhibiting SDH but also by limiting the LPS-induced
mitochondrial biogenesis. We also underlined a possible role of hypoxia inducible-factor 1 α (HIF-
1α). A hyper bioenergetic profile was also detected in microglia isolated from 3xTg-AD mice, and
DMM in vivo administration revealed a potential strategy to control microglia metabolic
reprogramming, dampening inflammation in the early stages of disease. In MASH, we revealed a
distinct bioenergetic profile in circulating monocytes from patients, characterized by elevated
glycolysis and enhanced mitochondrial respiration, particularly at the level of SDH (Complex II).
This metabolic shift leads to excessive ROS production and is transcriptionally sustained via the
AMPK-mTOR-PGC-1α axis. The inhibition of SDH with DMM successfully rebalanced mitochondrial
activity, reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and restored cellular metabolic
homeostasis. Moreover, scRNA-seq data from murine models confirmed that monocyte-derived
hepatic macrophages in MASH exhibit upregulation of both mitochondrial and glycolytic energy
pathways. In vivo, DMM administration effectively reduced liver macrophage infiltration and
inflammation. Interestingly, these results highlight the role of metabolic reprogramming as a
driver of chronic inflammation, suggesting immunometabolism as a potential target in both AD
and MASH
Cultured Meat As A Sustainable Alternative For World Hunger
No full textSi prevede che il consumo di carne continuerà ad aumentare entro il 2050. Pertanto,
secondo gli scienziati, la sola produzione di carne convenzionale non sarebbe sufficiente a
soddisfare la crescente domanda e offerta di questo alimento, considerando anche che il
suo costo potrebbe aumentare in futuro, rendendola un alimento riservato principalmente
alle classi con un alto reddito. Ciò potrebbe aggravare significativamente la disuguaglianza
nella distribuzione alimentare globale. Una delle alternative per soddisfare i bisogni
alimentari non basati sull'agricoltura o sull'allevamento intensivo potrebbe essere la
possibilità di produrre un cibo innovativo con l'ausilio di metodi avanzati di bioingegneria e
rigenerazione tissutale: la carne coltivata.
Il metodo di produzione di carne coltivata, quindi, se svolto su scala commerciale,
potrebbe rappresentare una possibile e valida alternativa alla produzione di carne
convenzionale. Tuttavia, uno dei principali problemi da risolvere a livello tecnologico è il
notevole consumo energetico derivante dalla sua produzione. Infatti, nonostante vi sia un
minore rilascio di gas serra, un minore sfruttamento delle risorse naturali e un minore
utilizzo di suolo e acqua rispetto a quella convenzionale, la carne coltivata richiede una
quantità significativa di energia per la sua produzione. La produzione di questo alimento
innovativo mira anche a risolvere le controversie etiche associate alla produzione
convenzionale di carne.
È necessario anche comprendere il livello di percezione e accettazione dei consumatori
nei confronti della carne coltivata. In questo contesto, lo scopo del presente lavoro è quello
di fornire una panoramica delle principali tecniche di produzione di carne coltivata,
analizzando i vantaggi e gli svantaggi che questo processo può comportare. Inoltre,
intende valutare i progressi nelle conoscenze scientifiche in questo settore, così come
analizzare gli aspetti di sostenibilità, economici ed etici, strettamente interconnessi con lo
sviluppo di questo nuovo prodotto. Questo studio potrebbe anche fornire informazioni utili
per affrontare le sfide che questa innovazione si trova ad affrontare, oltre a fornire dati
oggettivi ai decisori politici che desiderano conoscere come sostenere concretamente ed
efficacemente il suo consumo.The consumption of meat will continue to increase by 2050. Therefore, according to
scientists, the only conventional meat production would not be enough to satisfy the
growing supply and demand of this food, also considering that its cost could increase in
the future, making it a food reserved mainly for classes with a high income. This could
significantly aggravate inequality in global food distribution. One of the alternatives to meet
food needs not based on agriculture or intensive breeding could be the possibility of
producing innovative food with the help of advanced bioengineering methods and tissue
regeneration: cultivated meat.
The method of production of cultivated meat, therefore, if carried out on a commercial
scale, could represent a possible and valid alternative to the production of conventional
meat. However, one of the main problems to be solved on a technological level is the
remarkable energy consumption deriving from its production. In fact, although there is a
lower release of greenhouse gases, a lower exploitation of natural resources and a lower
use of soil and water compared to the conventional one, cultivated meat requires a
significant amount of energy for its production. The production of this innovative food also
aims to resolve the ethical disputes associated with the conventional production of meat.
It is also necessary to understand the level of perception and acceptance of consumers
towards cultivated meat. In this context, the purpose of this work is to provide an overview
of the main production techniques of cultivated meat, analyzing the advantages and
disadvantages that this process may entail. In addition, it intends to evaluate the progress
in scientific knowledge in this sector, as well as analyze the aspects of sustainability,
economic and ethical, strictly interconnected with the development of this new product.
This study could also provide useful information to deal with the challenges that this
innovation is facing, in addition to providing objective data to political decision makers who
wish to know how to actually and effectively support its consumption
