Marisa Caruso - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Marisa Caruso

International Journal of Food Science & Technology

Foods, Apr 9, 2020

Hypercholesterolemia, which is an increase in total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) serum chole... more Hypercholesterolemia, which is an increase in total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) serum cholesterol, is an important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Lifestyle modifications underpin any action plan for reducing serum cholesterol. Phytosterols are natural compounds belonging to the triterpenes family. Thanks to their structural analogy with cholesterol, phytosterols have the ability to reduce serum LDL-cholesterol levels. Phytosterols are used to enrich or fortify a broad spectrum of food products. Like unsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol, phytosterols are easily oxidized. Microencapsulation could be a useful tool to overcome this and other drawbacks linked to the use of phytosterols in food fortification. In this review, in addition to explaining the phytosterols' mechanisms of action, a focus on the use of free and encapsulated phytosterols for the formulation of functional foods, taking also into account both technological and legislative issues, is given.

Foods

The nutritional quality of animal products is strongly related to their fatty acid content and co... more The nutritional quality of animal products is strongly related to their fatty acid content and composition. Nowadays, attention is paid to the possibility of producing healthier foods of animal origin by intervening in animal feed. In this field, the use of condensed tannins as dietary supplements in animal nutrition is becoming popular due to their wide range of biological effects related, among others, to their ability to modulate the rumen biohydrogenation and biofortify, through the improvement of the fatty acids profile, the derivate food products. Unfortunately, tannins are characterized by strong astringency and low bioavailability. These disadvantages could be overcome through the microencapsulation in protective matrices. With this in mind, the optimal conditions for microencapsulation of a polyphenolic extract rich in condensed tannins by spray drying using a blend of maltodextrin (MD) and gum Arabic (GA) as shell material were investigated. For this purpose, after the ext...

Journal of clinical pathology, Jan 14, 2018

Multiple myeloma is a genomically complex haematological malignancy with many genomic alterations... more Multiple myeloma is a genomically complex haematological malignancy with many genomic alterations recognised as important in diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic decision making. Here, we provide a summary of genomic findings identified through routine diagnostic next-generation sequencing at our centre. A cohort of 86 patients with multiple myeloma underwent diagnostic sequencing using a custom hybridisation-based panel targeting 104 genes. Sequence variants, genome-wide copy number changes and structural rearrangements were detected using an inhouse-developed bioinformatics pipeline. At least one mutation was found in 69 (80%) patients. Frequently mutated genes included (36%), (22.1%), (15.1%), (8.1%) and (5.8%), including multiple mutations not previously described in myeloma. Importantly we observed mutations in the absence of a 17 p deletion in 8% of the cohort, highlighting the need for sequencing-based assessment in addition to cytogenetics to identify these high-risk patient...

Fermentation

Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Currently, it affects aro... more Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Currently, it affects around 1% of world population, but it is constantly growing. Celiac patients have to follow a strict gluten-free (GF) diet. Beer is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide, but it is not safe for people with CD. It has a gluten content usually above the safe threshold (20 ppm), determined by the official method for hydrolyzed foods (R5-competitive-ELISA). The demand on the market for GF beers is increasingly growing. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of different strategies to produce GF beer, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of each approach and taking into account technological and sensory issues. GF cereals or pseudocereals have poor brewing attitudes (if used as main raw material) and give the beer unusual flavour. Instead, enzymatic treatments allow traditional brewing process followed by gluten content reduction. A survey on 185 GF-producing breweries (bot...

Beneficial Microbes in Fermented and Functional Foods

Food & Function

Chocolate is one of the most consumed delicacies in the world.

Applied Sciences

The production of biogas from anaerobic digestion (AD) of residual agro-food biomasses represents... more The production of biogas from anaerobic digestion (AD) of residual agro-food biomasses represents an opportunity for alternative production of energy from renewable sources, according to the European Union legislation on renewable energy. This review provides an overview of the various aspects involved in this process with a focus on the best process conditions to be used for AD-based biogas production from residual agro-food biomasses. After a schematic description of the AD phases, the biogas plants with advanced technologies were described, pointing out the strengths and the weaknesses of the different digester technologies and indicating the main parameters and operating conditions to be monitored. Subsequently, a brief analysis of the factors affecting methane yield from manure AD was conducted and the AD of fruit and vegetables waste was examined. Particular attention was given to studies on co-digestion and pre-treatments as strategies to improve biogas yield. Finally, the se...

Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization

Trends in Food Science & Technology

Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture

Since antiquity, horseradish is known as folk medicinal herb and food condiment. The richness in ... more Since antiquity, horseradish is known as folk medicinal herb and food condiment. The richness in phytochemicals has recently encouraged its use in the medical field and as functional food. In this study, vitamin C content by HPLC analysis in young and mature leaves and roots of two horseradish accessions collected at different developmental stages was evaluated. The effect of freezing and freeze-drying on vitamin C loss after different storage time was also analyzed. The vitamin C content varied in fresh tissues depending on accessions and developmental stages. Roots contained the highest values of vitamin C when plant approximated to senescence (about 80 mg 100 g-1 fw). A great content of vitamin C was found in young leaves during the full developmental stages (up to 350 mg 100 g-1 fw) and in mature ones toward plant senescence (up to 280 mg 100 g-1 fw, respectively). By freezing tissues at ˗20°C, a monthly vitamin C loss of 5% was estimated, while by freezing at ˗80°C the losses d...

European Food Research and Technology

INFORM International News on Fats, Oils, and Related Materials, 2017

Chemosphere, 2016

This study was carried out in two olive orchards (Olea europaea L., cv. Chemlali) located in a po... more This study was carried out in two olive orchards (Olea europaea L., cv. Chemlali) located in a polluted area near a fertilizers factory and in a control unpolluted site, managed with similar cultivation techniques. The aim was to investigate the physiological and biochemical responses of polluted plants (PP), exposed to atmospheric metal contamination (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Pb) as compared to control plants (CP). Leaves, roots and fruits of PP showed a depression of their non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant defences and a disruption of their hormonal homeostasis. The anomalous physiological status of PP was also demonstrated by the lower values of pigments in leaves and fruits, as compared to CP. Atmospheric metals negatively affected olive oil chemical and sensory quality. However, despite metal deposition on fruit surfaces, the accumulation of potentially toxic metals in olive oil was negligible. Considering that olive oil is an important food product worldwide and that many productive olive orchards are exposed to several sources of pollution, this work could contribute to clarify the effects of atmospheric metal pollution on olive oil quality and its potential toxicity for humans.

International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2016

Many nutritional experts and food scientists are interested in developing functional foods contai... more Many nutritional experts and food scientists are interested in developing functional foods containing bioactive agents and many of these health-promoting ingredients may benefit from nano/micro-encapsulation technology. Encapsulation has been proven useful to improve the physical and the chemical stability of bioactive agents, as well as their bioavailability and efficacy, enabling their incorporation into a wide range of formulations aimed to functional food production. There are several reviews concerning nano/micro-encapsulation techniques, but none are focused on the incorporation of the bioactive agents into food matrices. The aim of this paper was to investigate the development of microencapsulated food, taking into account the different bioactive ingredients, the variety of processes, techniques and coating materials that can be used for this purpose.

OENO One, 2003

An optimised HPLC analysis is described for the determination by dansylation of the following 11 ... more An optimised HPLC analysis is described for the determination by dansylation of the following 11 biogenic amines in wine: agmatine, cadaverine, ethanolamine, histamine, methylamine, 2-phenylethylamine, spermine, spermidine, putrescine, tryptamine and tyramine. Seven amines were found in red and white wines produced in Southern Italy, being present at levels ranging from not detectable to 10.97 mg/L. The most abundant amine resulted ethanolamine, while the polyamine present at the highest concentration was agmatine with maximum levels of 9.92 mg/L. Total biogenic amines content was higher in the red wines.

World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Mar 31, 2003

One hundred and fifteen Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains from Aglianico del Vulture, a red wine p... more One hundred and fifteen Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains from Aglianico del Vulture, a red wine produced in Southern Italy, were characterized for the production of some secondary compounds involved in the aroma and taste of alcoholic beverages. The strains exhibited a uniform behaviour in the production levels of n-propanol, active amyl alcohol and ethyl acetate, whereas isobutanol, isoamyl alcohol and acetaldehyde were formed with a wide variability. Only five strains produced wines close to the reference Aglianico del Vulture wine for the traits considered. Of these, two strains were selected, underwent to tetrad analysis and the single spore cultures were tested in grape must fermentation. The progeny of one strain showed a significant metabolic variability, confirming the necessity to test starter cultures for the segregation of traits of technological interest. Our findings suggest the selection of specific strains for specific fermentations as a function of the vine variety characteristics in order to take the major advantage from the combination grape must/S. cerevisiae strain.