Background and aims: Observational data indicate that diets rich in fruits and vegetables have a positive effect on inflammatory status, improve metabolic resilience and may protect against the development of non-communicable diseases. Nevertheless, experimental evidence demonstrating a causal relationship between nutrient intake (especially whole foods) and changes in metabolic health is scarce. This study investigated the pleiotropic effects of sulforaphane from broccoli sprouts, compared to pea sprouts, on biomarkers of endothelial function, inflammation and metabolic stress in healthy participants subjected to a standardized caloric challenge.Methods: In this double-blind, crossover, randomized, placebo-controlled trial 12 healthy participants were administered 16 g broccoli sprouts, or pea sprouts (placebo) followed by the standardized high-caloric drink PhenFlex given to disturb healthy homeostasis. Levels of inflammatory biomarkers and metabolic parameters were measured in plasma before and 2 h after the caloric overload.Results: Administration of broccoli sprouts promoted an increase in levels of CCL-2 induced by caloric load (p = 0.017). Other biomarkers (sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, hs-CRP, and IL-10) individually showed insignificant tendencies toward increase with administration of sulforaphane. Combining all studied biomarkers into the systemic low-grade inflammation score further confirmed upregulation of the inflammatory activity (p = 0.087) after sulforaphane. No significant effects on biomarkers of metabolic stress were detected.Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that sulforaphane facilitated development of a mild pro-inflammatory state during the caloric challenge, which could be suggestive of the onset of the hormetic response induced by this phytonutrient. The use of integrative outcomes measures such as the systemic low-grade inflammation score can be viewed as a more robust approach to study the subtle and pleiotropic effects of phytonutrients.Clinical trial registration:www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT05146804.Keywords: biomarkers; diet; glucoraphanin; hormesis; inflammation; nutrients; phenotypic flexibility; sulforaphane.
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What about people, hardware (biology) and software (culture)? Our construction starts with an egg cell and a sperm cell that is 83,000 times smaller (in this phase the female is certainly cooperative). The 2 cells double, and double, 47 times (247) resulting in the 140.737 billion (1.4 * 1014) complex collaborating cells! Every day millions of cells die and the same number is re-formed. Usually we notice nothing of this "maintenance" (sometimes a cold, sometimes worse). In time, for example, we get hungry and then we become saturated, or there is a sense of movement. All essential nutrients and processes are thus guaranteed. Our body never gets older than 10 years! In the colomn it is argued that we exist in interaction rather than in content.
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Dark homogenous fungal-based layers called biofinishes and vegetable oils are keyingredients of an innovative wood protecting system. The aim of this study was todetermine which of the vegetable oils that have been used to generate biofinishes onwood will provide carbon and energy for the biofinish-inhabiting fungus Aureobasidiummelanogenum, and to determine the effect of the oil type and the amount of oil on thecell yield. Aureobasidium melanogenum was cultivated in shake flasks with differenttypes and amounts of carbon-based nutrients. Oil-related total cell and colony-formingunit growth were demonstrated in suspensions with initially 1% raw linseed,stand linseed, and olive oil. Oil-related cell growth was also demonstrated with rawlinseed oil, using an initial amount of 0.02% and an oil addition during cultivation. Nilered staining showed the accumulation of fatty acids inside cells grown in the presenceof oil. In conclusion, each tested vegetable oil was used as carbon and energysource by A. melanogenum. The results indicated that stand linseed oil provides lesscarbon and energy than olive and raw linseed oil. This research is a fundamental stepin unraveling the effects of vegetable oils on biofinish formation.
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The seaweed aquaculture sector, aimed at cultivation of macroalgal biomass to be converted into commercial applications, can be placed within a sustainable and circular economy framework. This bio-based sector has the potential to aid the European Union meet multiple EU Bioeconomy Strategy, EU Green Deal and Blue Growth Strategy objectives. Seaweeds play a crucial ecological role within the marine environment and provide several ecosystem services, from the take up of excess nutrients from surrounding seawater to oxygen production and potentially carbon sequestration. Sea lettuce, Ulva spp., is a green seaweed, growing wild in the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. Sea lettuce has a high nutritional value and is a promising source for food, animal feed, cosmetics and more. Sea lettuce, when produced in controlled conditions like aquaculture, can supplement our diet with healthy and safe proteins, fibres and vitamins. However, at this moment, Sea lettuce is hardly exploited as resource because of its unfamiliarity but also lack of knowledge about its growth cycle, its interaction with microbiota and eventually, possible applications. Even, it is unknown which Ulva species are available for aquaculture (algaculture) and how these species can contribute to a sustainable aquaculture biomass production. The AQULVA project aims to investigate which Ulva species are available in the North Sea and Wadden Sea which can be utilised in onshore aquaculture production. Modern genomic, microbiomic and metabolomic profiling techniques alongside ecophysiological production research must reveal suitable Ulva selections with high nutritional value for sustainable onshore biomass production. Selected Ulva spp lines will be used for production of healthy and safe foods, anti-aging cosmetics and added value animal feed supplements for dairy farming. This applied research is in cooperation with a network of SME’s, Research Institutes and Universities of Applied Science and is liaised with EU initiatives like the EU-COST action “SeaWheat”.
Plastic products are currently been critically reviewed due to the growing awareness on the related problems, such as the “plastic soup”. EU has introduced a ban for a number of single-use consumer products and fossil-based polymers coming in force in 2021. The list of banned products are expected to be extended, for example for single-use, non-compostable plastics in horticulture and agriculture. Therefore, it is crucial to develop sustainable, biodegradable alternatives. A significant amount of research has been performed on biobased polymers. However, plastics are made from a polymer mixed with other materials, additives, which are essential for the plastics production and performance. Development of biodegradable solutions for these additives is lacking, but is urgently needed. Biocarbon (Biochar), is a high-carbon, fine-grained residue that is produced through pyrolysis processes. This natural product is currently used to produce energy, but the recent research indicate that it has a great potential in enhancing biopolymer properties. The biocarbon-biopolymer composite could provide a much needed fully biodegradable solution. This would be especially interesting in agricultural and horticultural applications, since biocarbon has been found to be effective at retaining water and water-soluble nutrients and to increase micro-organism activity in soil. Biocarbon-biocomposite may also be used for other markets, where biodegradability is essential, including packaging and disposable consumer articles. The BioADD consortium consists of 9 industrial partners, a branch organization and 3 research partners. The partner companies form a complementary team, including biomass providers, pyrolysis technology manufacturers and companies producing products to the relevant markets of horticulture, agriculture and packaging. For each of the companies the successful result from the project will lead to concrete business opportunities. The support of Avans, University of Groningen and Eindhoven University of Technology is essential in developing the know-how and the first product development making the innovation possible.
Zand en andere grove grondstoffen worden steeds schaarser door intensief gebruik in infrastructuur en industrie, terwijl miljarden kubieke meters slib wereldwijd worden uitgebaggerd om vaargeulen en havens operationeel te houden. Vanwege dit groeiende tekort aan traditionele grondstoffen is er behoefte aan het ontwikkelen van nieuwe methodieken voor hergebruik van slib en lokaal sediment, onder andere voor dijkversterking en ophoging van landbouwgronden. Echter wordt gebaggerd slib volgens de regelgeving nog als een van de grootste potentiële afvalstromen gezien. Ook is slib complexer in het gebruik omdat het bestaat uit een heterogeen mengsel van onder meer water, zand, organisch materiaal, fijnstof en gas. Vanwege schaarste in bouwmaterialen lopen er steeds meer initiatieven voor het nuttig hergebruiken van gebaggerd slib, maar de optimale laagdikte en aanlegtechnieken moeten nog worden onderzocht. Met dit project zoeken lectoraat Sustainable River Management samen met Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein en de praktijkpartners Klaei B.V., Waterschap Noorderzijlvest en EcoShape naar de best practices voor het produceren van waardevol klei uit havenslib. Via laboratoriumexperimenten en veldproeven binnen grootschalige pilots worden mechanische eigenschappen van havenslib uit de Lauwersoog haven in beeld gebracht. Er wordt gezocht naar de optimale dikte van havenslib om bruikbare klei te produceren. Daarbij wordt onderzocht of de mechanische eigenschappen van de geproduceerde klei afhankelijk zijn van de laagdikte van de initiële laag of havenslib. De resultaten verbinden de laagdikte in rijpingscompartimenten met materiaaleigenschappen en monitoren de initiële verouderingsprocessen na de aanleg van de klei in een proefdijk. Het eindresultaat biedt inzicht in de best practices voor toepassing van havenslib en de daarbij horende materiaaleigenschappen. Dit project draagt daarmee direct bij aan de ontwikkeling van een nieuw, duurzaam materiaal voor gebruik in dijkversterkingen en landbouw en een circulaire economie in Nederland in 2050.
