2008 APR 28 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to recent research from Toronto, Canada, "Carbonyls generated by autoxidation of carbohydrates or lipid peroxidation have been implicated in advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation in tissues adversely affected by diabetes complications. Tissue AGE and associated pathology have been decreased by vitamin B-1/B-6 in trials involving diabetic animal models."

  "To understand the molecular cytoprotective mechanisms involved, the effects of B-1/B-6 vitamers against cytotoxicity induced by AGE/advanced lipid end product (ALE) carbonyl precursors (glyoxal/acrolein) have been compared to cytotoxicity induced by oxidative stress (hydroperoxide) or mitochondrial toxins (cyanide/copper). Thiamin was found to be best at preventing cell death induced by carbonyl stress and mitochondrial toxins but not oxidative stress cell death suggesting that thiamin pyrophosphate restored pyruvate and a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenases inhibited by rnitochondrial toxicity. However, B-6 vitamers were most effective at preventing oxidative stress or lipid peroxidation cytotoxicity suggesting that pyridoxal or pyridoxal phosphate were antioxidants and/or Fe/Cu chelators," wrote R. Mehta and colleagues, University of Toronto ...read more

  2008 APR 28 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "The formation of acrylamide in potato crisps was fitted by empirical mathematical models. Potato slices were fried under the same experimental conditions for different times," investigators in Netherlands report.

  "Besides the content of precursors in the raw potato slices, acrylamide and water content in the potato crisps were quantified after predetermined times (2-6 min). The temperature developments in the surrounding oil and outer cell layer of the potato slices were monitored, giving more insight in the frying process and making future comparisons between studies possible. The pattern found for the formation of acrylamide, which was similar to earlier studies, was fitted to three empirical models. Statistical methods were used to compare the performance of the models, with the ''Logistic-Exponential'' and ''Empirical'' model performing equally well. The obtained model parameters were in the range of earlier reported studies, although this comparison is not unequivocal as the experimental conditions differed between studies. The precision of parameter estimates was problematic; this should be improved by better experimental design," wrote J.J. Knol and colleagues, Wageningen University ...read more

  2008 APR 28 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to recent research from Lund, Sweden, "Potato is one of the world's most widely grown tuber crop, in which starch is the predominant form of carbohydrates. Potatoes can be prepared in many ways: boiled, fried or roasted."

  "Frying and roasting potatoes at high temperatures result in an appetizing crust, but at the same time acrylamide can form. In this study, the concentrations of the acrylamide precursors, asparagine and sugars, were determined in five different Swedish-grown potato varieties, together with the acrylamide content after typical home-cooking procedures; oven-roasting of potato wedges and pan-frying of cubes of boiled potatoes. Pan-frying of boiled potato cubes resulted in higher levels of acrylamide (530- 1100 mu g/kg) than in the wedges (140-250 mu g/kg). Blanching combined with a shorter roasting time was shown to be an efficient way of reducing the acrylamide content in roasted potato wedges, especially in the experiments performed after long-term storage, where the acrylamide content was reduced from 110-260 to 50-140 mu g/kg," wrote K. Skog and colleagues, Lund University ...read more