Month: September 2022

Bird dieout. In 1991 in Monterey Bay, CA, dead and dying seabirds displayed unusual symptoms suggesting a neurological toxin. https://lnkd.in/efqksX7 View in LinkedIn

1991 BIRD DIEOUT. "Examination of the contents of the dead bird's stomachs revealed high levels of domoic acid. Furthermore, the birds had been eating anchovies from the bay. In turn, examination of the anchovy gut contents showed that these fish had been consuming the diatom called Pseudo-nitzschia australis." https://lnkd.in/efqksX7 View in LinkedIn

MARINE MAMMAL DEATHS. "Since March 2007, marine mammal and seabird strandings and deaths off the Southern California coast have increased markedly. These incidents have been linked to the recent and dramatic increase of a naturally occurring toxin produced by algae. Most of the animals found dead tested positive for domoic acid." https://lnkd.in/ev23Dgt View in LinkedIn

THIS ENDS this weekend's fragment in nature, a case study of toxic algal blooms, and their impact on humans and wildlife. The pathology of the toxin on the glutamate receptor appears to be a mere coincidence of biochemistry, since the real purpose of domoic acid is for cheating scarce iron for growth, and cheating copper to prevent toxicity, rather than as a defensive poison. View in LinkedIn

FEATHER-MEAL POULTRY FOOD. "Investigations performed by the authors indicate that 10 to 40% of the amino acid content of feather meal produced by means of alkaline hydrolysis undergoes racemisation" to D-amino acids, the 'unnatural' form. https://lnkd.in/eNSAN8h View in LinkedIn

PROCESSED FOOD D-AMINO ACIDS. "On examination of the D-Asp content of a number of commercially available foods Masters and Friedman established very high ratios of this D-amino acid in textured soya protein (9%), bacon (13%) and non-milk fat (17%)." https://lnkd.in/eNSAN8h View in LinkedIn

PROCESSED FOOD D-AMINO ACIDS. "Finley determined substantial quantities of D-Asp in savoury crackers made from wheat flour (9.5%), wheat cake (11.9%), Mexican pancake (11.6%) and corn cake (15.4%)." https://lnkd.in/eNSAN8h View in LinkedIn

D-AMINO OXIDASE (DAO). "D-amino acids can occur in substantial quantities in foods. What is the fate of these unnatural stereoisomers? Since the publication of the pioneering work of Krebs it has been generally known that mammals possess specific enzymes for the purposes of a D-amino acid metabolism." https://lnkd.in/eNSAN8h View in LinkedIn

TOXICITY. "One highly important issue is whether D-amino acids present in foodstuffs are toxic. It may be established from the outset that the various D- and L- amino acids are equally toxic, as verified by their LD50 values. D-proline may be an exception to this, higher lethality in chickens having been ascertained for this enantiomer than for L-proline." https://lnkd.in/eNSAN8h View in LinkedIn

SLEIGHT OF HAND. "We need sugars in our diet, but if we were to eat the mirror image of these sugars, molecules that contain the same atoms but only arranged in the left-handed form, then we would starve, as our bodies can only metabolize the right-handed form." This is the basis for some calorie-free artificial sweeteners. https://lnkd.in/eqzkdcz View in LinkedIn