Notes and News

Spring 2004

Rosemary Emerges as Antioxidant

http://www.petproductnews.com/ppn/detail.aspx?aid=7962&cid
=3624&category=

The herb rosemary has antioxidant properties with pet food applications, according to both Roudybush Inc. of Woodland, Calif., and Kemin Nutrisurance Inc. of Des Moines, Iowa.

Roudybush has begun using a combination of rosemary, d-tocopherol (similar to vitamin E), and citric acid as a preservative in several of its bird foods. The formula replaces ethoxyquin as a preservative in Roudybush's Low-fat Maintenance, Maintenance, Breeder and High-energy Breeder pellets.

The formula is comparable to ethoxyquin in terms of safety and efficacy, according to Roudybush.

Both rosemary and d-tocopherol have antioxidant properties. D-tocopherol has a low (compared to vitamin E) level of biological activity, and therefore reduced risk of toxicity. Citric acid binds to certain minerals, preventing them from starting oxidation reactions, according to Roudybush.

Cherries

Cherries contain several natural substances that seem to fight cancer. One such compound, perillyl alcohol, binds to protein molecules to inhibit the growth signals that stimulate tumor development. In laboratory studies, this phytochemical has caused pancreatic tumors to regress. It has also shown the potential to help prevent cancers of the breast, lung, liver and skin.

Also found in cherries are anthocyanins, a class of compounds which act as potent antioxidants. These substances isolate certain destructive by-products of metabolism and usher them safely from the body.

Cherries also are a significant source of dietary fiber and potassium.

Hemp Foods

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4224875/

Hemp, its advocates point out, is a cheap and healthy source of protein, fiber and the omega-3 fatty acids of which nutritionists have become so fond in recent years. Its seeds and oil can be turned into a range of products, anything from nutrition bars to shampoo.

With a court decision last week allowing the sale of foods made with hemp, makers of the natural food products are poised for big growth in a nascent industry.

But late last week a federal appeals court ruled that the Drug Enforcement Administration cannot prevent sales of hemp foods, dismissing the government's argument that it has the right to regulate food that contains traces of tetrahydrocannibinol (THC). THC is the compound that gives marijuana its psychoactive effects and is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, thus illegal for consumption.

The court said hemp seeds and oil used in food were naturally occurring and weren't considered marijuana, and as such fell outside the definition of a Schedule I drug.

Mendocino County, California Bans the planting of Biotech Crops

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=594&e=3&u=/nm
/20040303/hl_nm/food_biotech_vote_dc

Opponents of genetically modified foods celebrated a historic victory on Wednesday after voters approved a measure Tuesday night to make Mendocino County, California, the first in the United States to ban genetically modified crops and animals.

Biotech crop critics say the government is putting corporate interests ahead of the public interest. They say the technology has not been fully tested to determine if it will cause health problems or irreversible harm to the environment. They also say it does little to address world hunger and health problems and offers only minimal benefits to some farmers, while contaminating conventional and organic crops.

Blind Owl Sees Again with Lens Replacement Surgery

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4249436

MADISON, Wis. - A great horned owl found starving in the wild because it had gone blind could be released this spring after having new lenses implanted in its eyes.

The owl, named Minerva by medical personnel, underwent two hours of eye surgery, and Dr. Chris Murphy said she was in good condition during a follow-up exam.

Murphy had a pair of lenses on hand that had been custom-made six years ago for another great horned owl that proved to be an unfit candidate for the surgery. The lenses were designed by Murphy and Dr. Chuck Stuhr, and were made for free by Storz Ophthalmics, a company that has been bought by Bausch & Lomb.

The Theyses, who operate Wildlife of Wisconsin wildlife rehabilitation, paid for $300 of the $1,800 procedure, with the veterinary school donating the rest.

Global Warming May Cause Songbirds to Avoid Certain Foods

http://www.newswise.com/p/articles/view/502936/

In another example of the far-reaching impact of global warming, a University of Rhode Island student found evidence that suggests some songbirds may avoid eating insects that consume leaves exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide.

"When plants are grown in conditions of higher carbon dioxide, they produce increased levels of several secondary compounds -- tannins and phenolics -- that they use to defend against herbivory," said the 23-year-old wildlife conservation and biology major. "Those secondary compounds are absorbed by gypsy moth caterpillars that feed on the plant’s leaves, which other researchers have found reduces the caterpillar’s growth rates. We wan! ted to see if the chickadees can detect the secondary compounds in the caterpillars and if they have preferences for caterpillars that fed on different types of leaves."

Using chickadees captured in Kingston and acclimated for three days, Müller and McWilliams fed the birds a choice of caterpillars that were high in tannins or phenolics and other caterpillars low in those compounds.

While the birds showed a distinct preference for caterpillars low in tannins and phenolics, they also showed a preference for foods they had eaten previously. "Previous experience does affect their preferences," Müller said.

According to McWilliams, "These results provide a much more complete and realistic picture of how elevated atmospheric CO2 might affect ecological systems."

Since increased carbon dioxide leads to elevated levels of secondary compounds in plant leaves and decreased growth rates of caterpillars that eat those leaves, McWilliams said "birds that primarily eat herbivorous insects like caterpillars may find themselves without enough to eat as atmospheric CO2 levels increase. In short, chemicals in the caterpillar’s food influences the likelihood of predation by birds."

In addition, he said that if birds avoid feeding on gypsy moth caterpillars, for instance, an uncontrolled population of the caterpillars could result in more severe forest defoliation.