Moderate Consumption of Nuts and Seeds
John J.B. Anderson, Marilyn C. Sparling in The Mediterranean Way of Eating, 2014
Nuts and seeds, while being nutrient dense, are also energy dense and contain high amounts of calories and fat. Most of the fat, however, is the healthier unsaturated type rather than saturated fat. Walnuts and flaxseeds contain high amounts of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PFAs), mainly in the form of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), while almonds, hazelnuts (filberts), and pistachios contain high amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids (MFAs). Pignolia (pine nuts) contain PFAs with a good ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. The majority of fat in sesame seeds comes from fairly equal amounts of PFAs and MFAs. Nuts and seeds are the source of many culinary oils, including sunflower seed, flaxseed, walnut, and canola oil, developed through plant breeding. Canola oil contains good amounts of both MFAs and omega-3 PFAs. Canola is an abbreviated name for Canadian oil, low acid.
All is changed – changed utterly
Brendan Curran in A Terrible Beauty is Born, 2020
Other genetic modifications seek to enhance quality. A genetic trick which prevents the production of the enzyme responsible for the softening process associated with ripening fruit and vegetables means that farm produce has a longer shelf life and so less waste. Seed storage proteins have been engineered to contain much higher levels of the essential sulphur-containing amino-acids. These two amino-acids are deficient in many forms of plant protein, leading to nutritional disease in poorer populations largely dependent on them and unable to afford meat or fish (Figure 11.2). Oil seed rape (canola) is currently being genetically manipulated to produce new ranges of useful and essential oils. Other projects are directed to producing food products containing higher levels of naturally occurring vitamins and other health-promoting molecules.
Fat
Geoffrey P. Webb in Nutrition, 2019
Soya oil and sunflower oil are two vegetable oils that are typical of many vegetable oils in that they are low in saturates and high in polyunsaturated fatty acids. In most vegetable oils, the n6 polyunsaturated fatty acids predominate. Olive oil and rapeseed (canola) oil are the most widely eaten examples of fats that are particularly high in monounsaturates and low in saturates. Rapeseed oil also has a relatively high proportion of n3 polyunsaturated acids. The composition of the two tropical oils shown in Table 12.1 (coconut and palm oil) shows that there are exceptions to the general observation that vegetable oils are low in saturates and high in unsaturated fatty acids. On the simple basis of the proportions of the three main types of fatty acids, palm oil is quite similar in its make-up to lard. Coconut oil contains a particularly high proportion (around 78%) of medium-chain saturated fatty acids (less than 16 carbons) that make up only a small proportion of the fatty acids in most fats, and its advocates suggest that this makes its effects on plasma cholesterol less deleterious. Palmitic acid (16:0) is the dominant saturated fatty acid in most types of fat.
Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) and canola (Brassica napus L.) oil impact on the oxidative metabolism of neutrophils in the obese patients*
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2019
Dominika Kanikowska, Alina Kanikowska, Rafał Rutkowski, Małgorzata Włochal, Zofia Orzechowska, Aldona Juchacz, Agnieszka Zawada, Marian Grzymisławski, Magdalena Roszak, Maki Sato, Andrzej Bręborowicz, Janusz Witowski
Our study is the first to document the possible modulation of canola oil on oxidative burst activity in neutrophils in vivo conditions. The present result is in agreement with other studies that found enhanced oxidative burst in healthy young men after 8 weeks of fish oil supplementation (Gorjão et al. 2006; Bartelt et al. 2008). Canola oil is characterized by high levels of PUFAs (Lin et al. 2013). The literature on the effects of dietary supplementation with omega-3 PUFAs on leukocyte functions is not entirely in agreement. Numerous studies have shown that dietary supplementation with omega-3 PUFA results in the reduction of chemotactic migration in neutrophils (Sperling et al. 1993), increased superoxide anion generation (Chen et al. 1994). On the other hand, several experiments have demonstrated the opposite effects on neutrophil function: decreased superoxide anion generation in neutrophils (Poulos et al. 1991). The mechanisms by which PUFAs exert their immune-modulating actions are unknown. The immunosuppressive effect is thought to work through changes in eicosanoid production (Kelley et al. 1999). It has also been suggested that PUFA mediate their effect by changes in gene expression or membrane structure (Szekely et al. 2007).
Production, purification and biochemical characterisation of a novel lipase from a newly identified lipolytic bacterium Staphylococcus caprae NCU S6
Published in Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 2021
Junxin Zhao, Maomao Ma, Zheling Zeng, Ping Yu, Deming Gong, Shuguang Deng
Among the tested natural oils, the canola oil was hydrolysed to a higher degree by SCNL at a high specific activity (220.00 U/mg). The canola oil contains less than 2% erucic acid and less than 30 mM glucosinolates, and has a relatively low level of saturated fat (≤7%) and a high content of polyunsaturated fats, such as linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid (formally called 9,12,15-all-cis-octadecatrienoic acid). α-linolenic acid is an unsaturated omega-3 fatty acid available in many plant oils. The activity of SCNL was strong for natural oils with medium-chain to long-chain fatty acids [C6:0–C16:0]. Among them, both olive oil (184.80 U/mg) and rice bran oil (176.69 U/mg) contain long unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid and linoleic acid. These results were in accordance with a previous report14, indicating its preference to medium-chain fatty acids and long unsaturated fatty acids.
Plant-made vaccines against parasites: bioinspired perspectives to fight against Chagas disease
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2021
Abel Ramos-Vega, Elizabeth Monreal-Escalante, Eric Dumonteil, Bernardo Bañuelos-Hernández, Carlos Angulo
Despite no signs of adverse effects have been observed by consumption of foods derived from transgenic plants, some sectors have still shown rejection for more than 20 years although biotech plant cultivation has increased, reaching around 2 billion ha [80]. Even in Latin America, biotech crops of soybeans, corn, canola, among others are currently planted. Thus, the use of edible plants producing recombinant vaccines could be close. However, the biopharmaceutical field has a big challenge on negative perceptions by some people. For instance, people are rejecting injectable vaccines against Covid-19, such as mRNA and DNA even though the scientific community has demonstrated risks and benefits accurately. Thus, the acceptance factor is key to reach marketed vaccines, especially for those derived from transgenic plants.
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