The nutriRECIPE-Index – development and validation of a nutrient-weighted index for the evaluation of recipes

Background Our objective was to develop a nutrient-based index for evaluating and improving menus in public catering. The nutriRECIPE-Index comprises 24 nutrients and nutrient groups. In developing the index, the following steps were included: setting the goals of the index, nutrient selection, target metrics and scaling, weighting, proof of concept and validation of the index. Furthermore, a unique database was created to integrate bioactive plant compounds in the assessment. An assessment of standard recipes and supposedly healthy recipes should show a significant difference in the results of the nutriRECIPE-Index. Finally, the nutriRECIPE-Index should generate similar or more specific results than existing indices such as the Nutri-Score and the Healthy Meal Index. Methods A whole meal cycle (comprising 6 weeks, 106 recipes and including different menu lines, partially with different side dishes) at a university canteen was analysed with the Federal Food Code (BLS) and the nutriRECIPE-Index. The Healthy Meal Index (comprising 3 nutritionally relevant items) and the Nutri-Score algorithm (comprising 7 items) were used to validate the nutrient composition and the results of the nutriRECIPE-Index. Results The resulting scores of the recipes and menu lines showed substantial differences, wherein the meals of a health-promoting menu line usually received higher scores than the standard recipes. A correlation between the nutriRECIPE-Index and the Healthy Meal Index (0.604) and the Nutri-Score (0.591) was observed. The nutriRECIPE-Index was better at identifying the worst menus and could better separate mediocre menus from good menus. Conclusion The nutriRECIPE-Index is a useful and comprehensive tool for evaluating the nutritional value of recipes and is the first to consider bioactive plant compounds. Further adjustments to different target populations, settings, and cultural backgrounds are possible.

A Novel Nitrogen and Carbon Metabolism Regulatory Cascade Is Implicated in Entomopathogenicity of the Fungus Metarhizium robertsii

Penetration of the cuticle, the first physical barrier to pathogenic fungi, is the prerequisite for fungal infection of insects. In the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii , we found that the Fus3–mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the transcription factor regulator of nutrient selection 1 (RNS1) constitute a novel cascade that controls cuticle penetration by regulating degradation of cuticular lipids, proteins, and chitin to obtain nutrients for hyphal growth and entry into the insect hemocoel.

Stocking Rate Has No Confounding Effect on the Use of Internal and Inert Markers to Predict Botanical Composition, Diet Quality, Degradability and Passage Rate Kinetics in Sheep

This study investigated if there is any confounding effect of stocking rate on the use of internal markers to determine and predict the dietary ingredient composition, dry matter intake (DMI) and digestibility of diets consumed by sheep. Fifteen sheep were randomly allocated to stocking rate treatments of one (SR1), two (SR2), four (SR4) and eight (SR8) sheep per pen (space allowance: 31.04 m2, 15.52 m2, 7.76 m2 and 3.88 m2 per sheep, respectively) and fed ad libitum maize stover, sorghum stover and veld hay by supplying 110% of previous day’s intake. Sheep were rotated across the treatments in four periods of 10 days. The proportion of feeds selected and total DMI were similar across all stocking rate treatments. However, diets selected by sheep in SR2 had the highest digestibility compared to other treatments. The prediction of the effective degradability of dry matter using acid detergent fibre content achieved an accuracy of 84.6%. A combination of crude protein and neutral detergent fibre contents achieved 63% accuracy in the prediction of the rate of degradation of feeds. The use of acid insoluble ash (AIA) as an internal marker to predict nutrient intake, digestibility, DMI and dietary ingredient intake accounted for 84.3%, 81.2%, 53.0% and 64.1% of the variation, respectively. The predictions of dietary feed proportions and nutrient quality selected obtained with least squares procedure using a combination of modified acid detergent fibre (MADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL) and AIA accounted for 81.0% and 72.4% of the variation, respectively. In conclusion, regardless of the different stocking rate tested in this study, a combination of MADF, ADL and AIA as internal markers can be used to estimate diet and nutrient selection by sheep using the least squares procedure. Hence, these markers can be used to predict ingredient composition of diet, diet and nutrient selection, nutrient intake and digestibility in free ranging animals.

The nutriRECIPE-Index - Development and Validation of a Nutrient-Weighted Index for the Evaluation of Recipes

Background: Our objective was to develop a nutrient-based index for evaluating and improving menus in public catering. The nutriRECIPE-Index comprises 24 nutrients/nutrient groups, and in developing the index, the following steps were included: setting the goals of the index, nutrient selection, target metrics and scaling, weighing, proof of concept and the validation of the index. Furthermore, a unique database was created to integrate bioactive plant compounds in the assessment. An assessment of standard recipes and supposedly healthy recipes should show a significant difference in the results of the nutriRECIPE-Index. Finally, the nutriRECIPE-Index should prove to generate similar or more specific results than existing indices like the nutriScore and the Healthy Meal Index.Methods : A whole meal cycle (comprising 6 weeks, 106 recipes and including different menu lines, partially with different side dishes) at a university canteen was analysed with the Federal Food Code (BLS) and the nutriRECIPE-Index. The Healthy Meal Index (comprising 3 nutritionally relevant items) and the nutriScore-algorithm (comprising 7 items) were used to validate the nutrient composition and the results of the nutriRECIPE-Index.Results : The resulting scores of the recipes and menu lines show substantial differences, while the meals of a health-promoting menu line usually received higher scores than the standard recipes. A correlation between the scores of the nutriRECIPE-Index and the scores of the Healthy Meal Index (0.604) and the Nutri-Score (0.591) was observed. The nutriRECIPE-Index was better in identifying the worst menus, and in separating mediocre menus from the good ones.Conclusion : The nutriRECIPE index is a useful and comprehensive tool to evaluate the nutritional value of recipes and is the first to consider bioactive plant compounds. Further adjustments to different target populations, settings, and cultural backgrounds are possible.

Pre-Grazing Herbage Mass Affects Grazing Behavior, Herbage Disappearance, and the Residual Nutritive Value of a Pasture during the First Grazing Session

During the first hours after the allocation of a grazing strip (first grazing session, GS), dairy cows eat most of the daily dry matter (DM) available. There are few studies that analyze how the grazing-down process changes the characteristics of the pasture during the first GS. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two pre-grazing herbage masses (HM; medium herbage mass (MHM) and high herbage mass (HHM) on the DM disappearance, grazing behavior of dairy cows, and the residual nutritive value of a pasture during the first GS. Two groups of twelve dairy cows were used to evaluate the grazing-down process, during a period of 62 days. The pre-grazing HM modified the bite rate, bite mass, and dry matter intake during the first GS. The pre-grazing HM affected the process of herbage disappearance of the pasture, especially during the first 60 min of the GS. The nutrient selection differential for acid detergent fiber was greater for HHM compared with MHM (0.93 vs. 0.86). In conclusion, pre-grazing HM affects the structural characteristics and the residual nutritive value of the pasture. The grazing process in the first GS was modified by the HM, affecting the defoliation and the DM disappearance rate of the pasture.

Macro-Nutritional Adaptive Strategies of Moose (Alces alces) Related to Population Density

The distribution area of moose in China has been shrinking back toward the north and northeast because of climate change and human disturbance, and the population number has been declining. Between 2011 and 2015, we studied moose at six sites in the northeast of China during the snowy seasons. We collected fecal samples and plant samples that were used to estimate population densities for moose, as well as their macro-nutrient selection. Out of a total of 257 fecal samples collected at six sites, we identified a total of 120 individual moose (57 females and 63 males). The population density (moose/km2 ± SE) was highest at Hanma with 0.305 ± 0.064 moose/km2 and lowest at Meitian with only 0.028 ± 0.013 moose/km2. Forage availability was different among sites, with the lowest availability at Mohe (58.17 number/20 m2) and highest was Zhanhe (250.44 number/20 m2). Moose at Zhanhe, Hanma, and Nanwenghe had a balanced diet with higher N:C (1:7), while at Meitian, Shuanghe and Mohe the N:C was 1:8. Our results indicate that the southern areas had low forage quality and quantity and this may be the reason for the distribution of the population of moose shrinking northward.

Comparative functional genomic screens of three yeast deletion collections reveal unexpected effects of genotype in response to diverse stress

The Yeast Knockout (YKO) collection has provided a wealth of functional annotations from genome-wide screens. An unintended consequence is that 76% of gene annotations derive from one genotype. The nutritional auxotrophies in the YKO, in particular, have phenotypic consequences. To address this issue, ‘prototrophic’ versions of the YKO collection have been constructed, either by introducing a plasmid carrying wild-type copies of the auxotrophic markers (Plasmid-Borne, PB prot ) or by backcrossing (Backcrossed, BC prot ) to a wild-type strain. To systematically assess the impact of the auxotrophies, genome-wide fitness profiles of prototrophic and auxotrophic collections were compared across diverse drug and environmental conditions in 250 experiments. Our quantitative profiles uncovered broad impacts of genotype on phenotype for three deletion collections, and revealed genotypic and strain-construction-specific phenotypes. The PB prot collection exhibited fitness defects associated with plasmid maintenance, while BC prot fitness profiles were compromised due to strain loss from nutrient selection steps during strain construction. The repaired prototrophic versions of the YKO collection did not restore wild-type behaviour nor did they clarify gaps in gene annotation resulting from the auxotrophic background. To remove marker bias and expand the experimental scope of deletion libraries, construction of a bona fide prototrophic collection from a wild-type strain will be required.

Changes in nutritive characteristics associated with plant height, and nutrient selection by dairy cows grazing four perennial pasture grasses

Previous research has documented nutritive characteristics of perennial ryegrass-based pastures and subsequent nutrient-selection differentials when dairy cows graze such pastures, but there has been little comparable research on alternative pasture grasses. The aim of the present study was to compare the pre-grazing nutritive characteristics of four perennial grasses, how nutrients vary with plant height, and selection differentials achieved by dairy cows grazing these grasses in late winter and late spring. The study utilised an established field experiment, with four replicates of monoculture swards of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) and prairie grass (Bromus willdenowii Kunth.), in western Gippsland, Victoria. Eighty individual tillers per replicate were sampled to ground level immediately pre- and post-grazing in late winter (July–August, vegetative tillers only) and late spring (November–December, vegetative and reproductive tillers sampled separately), dissected into three height categories (0–5 cm, 5–10 cm and 10+ cm) and analysed for nutritive characteristics. For vegetative tillers in both seasons, perennial ryegrass had the highest estimated metabolisable energy concentration and lowest neutral detergent fibre concentration of all species. In spring, reproductive tillers had consistently lower nutritive characteristics than did vegetative tillers. Selection differentials, calculated as the ratio of nutritive characteristics selected by the herd to that available pre-grazing, showed that cows selected herbage with higher crude protein concentration but there was little evidence for selection of higher metabolisable energy concentration. The selection differentials reflected the vertical distribution of nutrients in the tillers. The present results have provided new information to assist in developing grazing guidelines for alternative perennial grasses.