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(2021)Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is one of the most important legumes in the world due to its high nutritional content. Its nutritional value is, however, hindered by different anti-nutrients, such as phytic acid (PA), which can lower the bioavailability of minerals and proteins. PA is a nutritionally significant compound found in many plant materials, such as cereals and legumes. PA is myo-inositol-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakis dihydrogen phosphate (IP6) by chemical nomenclature. Measurement of PA is challenging, due to its high charges and its low content, amongst other factors. The primary aim in the thesis was to create an accurate, selective, and sensitive UPLC-QTof-ESI-MS method for quantification of PA from legumes, cereals, and other plant materials. The secondary objective was to determine PA content in raw, fermented and phytase-treated white cowpea flour and investigate the effectiveness of the processing methods on PA hydrolysis. PA content in white cowpea has been previously determined with methods lacking the capability to directly measure only PA content, without also adding in the concentration of smaller inositol phosphates (InsP) or other phosphorus containing compounds. Therefore, the presumption was that the measured PA concentration should be lower when using the selective UPLC-QTof-ESI-MS method. Besides white cowpea flour, the concentration of PA in red cowpea, wheat bran, sorghum, wheat fraction and rapeseed protein concentrate flours was also measured to investigate if the method works for other plant matrices as well. The sample preparation method consisted of two-hour extraction in 0.5 M HCl, a neutralization step, lyophilization, reconstitution with 5% MeOH and addition of adenosine 5′-monophosphate monohydrate (AMP) as internal standard. The samples were then analyzed with UPLC-QTof-ESI-MS, with electrospray ionization on negative ion mode (ESI-). The PA quantification method had excellent precision, selectivity, repeatability, and linearity (R2 = 0.991). Accuracy was good and the recovery of 100% resulted in a high level of trueness. The LoD was determined as 3.22 µg/mL but could be possibly lowered. The PA content in white cowpea flour was 5.91 mg/g dry weight. As was presumed, this result was lower than previously reported in literature. The method was also relatively suitable for the other plant samples. However, wheat fraction, rapeseed protein concentrate, and sorghum flours gave unexpected results. In the fermented sample the PA content was 3.30 mg/g and in the enzyme-treated 0.09 mg/g (or 12.4 µg/mL). However, the fermentation and enzymatic treatments did not reduce the PA concentration under the threshold of <3.3 µg/mL, where iron cation chelation still strongly takes place. The processing method could be improved by increasing the phytase dosage or increasing the reaction times to achieve higher hydrolysis of PA.
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(2014)Finland is the northernmost cultivation area in the world and the selection of forage grass species is mostly limited by long winters and short growing seasons. Forage grasses are usually grown as mixtures of species and produced intensively for silage. The grass species most commonly used in mixtures are timothy (Phleum pratense L.) and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis L.) which are both winter hardy species. As the climate changes in the future, more southern and more productive species like perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and festulolium (Festuca sp. x Lolium sp.) may become more usable. The duration of snow cover has been predicted to shorten to 46 days in southern Finland by year 2050 (compared with 98 days at present). The autumns, when plants develop their tolerance against winter stresses, are also predicted to become warmer in the future. Changes in winter weather may also increase the frequency of problems such as plant exposure to freezing temperatures, associated with decreased snow cover and ice encasement due to fluctuating winter temperatures. This study presents the results of experiments carried out in Helsinki (Finland) between years 2009–2013. The experiments were done to assess the freezing tolerances and vernalisation of forage grasses and cereals hardened under field conditions. The vernalisation of plants was detected in all species as a decrease in days to heading during the vernalisation period. Perennial ryegrass and meadow fescue started flowering after the vernalisation was fulfilled during December-January. Winter cereals had already vernalised already in November. Hardening periods started at their earliest in the beginning of October. However, a deeper freezing tolerance developed during December in 2009–2010 and 2011–2012. During the winters of 2009–2010 and 2011–2012 hardening periods were long and hardening-induced temperature sums were the highest. During these winters the freezing tolerances were better in all species than during the other two winters.
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(2022)African crops are sustainable and healthy alternative ingredients for potential use in various gluten-free products among traditional African foods. In this thesis maise-based, gluten-free crackers with 50% cereal (amaranth, sorghum and teff) and 50% and 75% legume (Bambara groundnut and cowpea) replacements were produced, and their baking performance and technological properties were examined. The effect of sorghum and cowpea flour's bioprocessing and mechanical raw material modifications on cracker technological and sensory properties was studied. The thesis aimed to solve whether maise and African crop flours could be used in gluten-free crackers and how would they affect nutritional values, baking performance and technological and sensory properties in gluten-free crackers. The nutritional calculations indicated that African crop replacement increased fibre content at least by 2.4% and protein by 1.9 E% compared to 100% maise cracker. Crop replacements improved the dough elasticity and bakability and darkened the cracker surface. African crops and higher protein content increased cracker hardness and improved the rising ability. The highest hardness rate was measured with protein fractionated cowpea (31.55 ± 3.17 N, maise 4.02 ± 1.79%) and puffiness with Bambara groundnut 75% (43.57 ± 3.29%, maise 21.93 ± 0.002%). Raw material modifications changed the sensory profile of sorghum and cowpea crackers significantly by decreasing graininess in sorghum and beaniness in cowpea.
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(2015)Chemical composition of oats and its suitability for baking were reviewed in the literature part. The special features of baking without gluten and possibilities to increase the quality of gluten-free bread were also discussed. The aim of the experimental research was to develop high protein gluten-free oat-based bread. The effect of different protein concentration on structural, textural and sensory properties of gluten-free oat bread was studied. Also the effect of processing method on bread quality was studied by using sourdough technology and straight dough technology. Gluten-free oat bread recipe and baking protocol as well as sourdough fermentation conditions were optimized on the basis of preliminary trials. Oat-based breads with varying protein content were baked by using straight dough and sourdough technologies. Reference sample was oat-based bread without added protein. Specific volume, moisture content, texture profile analysis (crumb hardness, chewiness and resilience) and starch retrogradation of gluten-free breads were analysed. For shelf life measurements, breads were stored in plastic bags at room temperature from 1 to 3 days. Sensory profile of bread samples were evaluated on the day of baking by a trained panel. Descriptive analysis method was used. Palatable high protein gluten-free oat-based bread was obtained in this study. Increasing amount of protein improved the crumb structure and shelf life of gluten-free breads. All of the protein supplemented breads had agreeable sensory profile. Sourdough did not further improve the quality of high protein gluten-free bread except for increased aroma intensity. Oats and its fractions can be successfully applied as an ingredient for gluten-free baking to enhance the nutritional quality.
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Development of sustainable practices for using lake sediment as growing medium for grass production (2023)Anthropogenic activities have resulted in huge accumulation of plant nutrients in lake sediments. These nutrients can be recycled back to the overlying water and sustain eutrophication. The release of phosphorus (P) from sediments, i.e. internal P loading, has often been a reason for delay in improvement of lake water quality, after reduced external nutrient loading. By removing the sediment, the internal lake nutrient load can be effectively reduced, and it is widely used in lake water quality restoration. By redirecting the reclaimed nutrients back to primary agricultural production, the need for using mineral fertilizers and virgin materials can be reduced. Currently there is, however, a lack of field-scale experiments and determination of best practices to enable efficient nutrient uptake and minimized nutrient leaching back into the lakes. A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of using P-rich lake sediment in different application methods for growing a mixture of forage grasses. The study focused on soil fertility, plant growth and nutrition, and species composition over a period of four growing seasons in central Estonia. Treatments for reducing nutrient losses included applying the sediment alone (Sed), with surface-incorporated biochar (Sed+BC), and as incorporated with surface-mixed biochar-topsoil mixture (Sed+Soil+BC). A treatment consisting of sandy loam topsoil was set up as control (Soil). The mean dry mass yield in the sediment treatments exceeded the local average grass yields and the N and P uptake rates in above-ground biomass (AGB) exceeded the international estimates for grasses. The sediment had no significant effect on AGB yield in comparison to the control. Similarly, no effect was observed in the yield of weeds, but temporary changes in weed species composition and an increasing trend particularly in nettle abundance on the sediment treatments were recorded. Apart from a transient increase in the amount of soluble potassium, no relevant effects were induced by the incorporated biochar. In conclusion, the sediment performed well and served as a plentiful source of P for grasses for four years. Based on the sufficient concentrations of P, sulphur, calcium and potassium in the plant tissue, yield increase could have been expected but most likely the good fertility of the control topsoil evened out yield differences between growing medium treatments. Based on this study, similar lake sediments can be advised to be used as soil amendments on grass cultivation on an agricultural field. Due to high nutrient concentrations, a lower rate could be applied on a wider field area to control excess in nutrient supply, given that the need of nitrogen fertilization is ensured to match plant-specific requirements.
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(2022)Lactobacilli especially Limosilactobacillus reuteri’s strains inhabit the GI tract of humans with glycerol/diol dehydratase activity metabolizing glycerol and producing a broad-spectrum antimicrobial system called reuterin. It consists of 3-hydroxypropanal (3-HPA), acrolein, and its derivatives. Due to the toxic activity of ubiquitous acrolein, an analytical toolbox to determine acrolein formation by food cultures is needed. We developed assays to estimate microbial formation of acrolein using a colorimetric method based on tryptophan and a fluorescence-based approach with 2-amino-1-methyl benzimidazole (AMBI) as a probe. We compared tryptophan and AMBI-based quantification of reuterin produced by resting cells or during the growth of Lb. reuteri DSM 20016. With 600 mM glycerol, resting cells produced 329 ± 35 mM 3-HPA as quantified by HPLC-RI, and 390 ± 13 mM of 3-HPA/acrolein based on the colorimetric method with 3-HPA as standard. Acrolein (40 ± 11 mM) was detected using an AMBI probe. We also detected 3-HPA and acrolein formation during the exponential growth phase in the presence of 50 mM glycerol in different media. Also, as acrolein induces redox stress, redox potential and sensitivity to reuterin/acrolein of the engineered green fluorescence protein (roGFP2) were determined. Ultimately, the roGFP2 gene was tried to clone in E. coli (JM109) using the pTH1mp constitutive expression vector to establish as a biosensor for acrolein detection. Our results suggest that quantification of acrolein by fluorescence-based approaches and biosensors constitute novel methods to estimate any risk of acrolein formation in presence of glycerol/diol dehydratase-positive microbes and glycerol during food fermentation.
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(2011)Calendula officinalis is grown widely as an ornamental plant across Europe. It belongs to the large. Asteraceae family. In this study, the aim was to explore the possibilities to use Calendula officinalis as a new model organism for flower development and secondary mechanism studies in Asteraceae. Tissue culture of Calendula officinalis was established using nine different cultivars. Murashige & Skoog (MS) medium with four different combinations of plant growth regulators were tested. Of all these combinations, the medium containing 1mg/l BAP, 0.1 mg/l IAA, and 1mg/l Zeatin achieved highest frequency of adventitious shoot regeneration from hypocotyl and cotyledon explants. Virus-induced gene silencing is a recent developed genetic tool for charactering the gene functions in plants, and extends the range of host plants that are not accessible for Agrobacterium transformation. Here, tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-based VIGS technique was tested in calendula (cv. Single Orange). We used TRV carrying Gerbera hybrid phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene fragment to induce PDS silencing in calendula. Vacuum infiltration and syringe infiltration methods both resulted in photo-bleaching phenotypes in leaves, bracts and petals. Loss-of-function phenotypes occurred on calendula 13 days post-infiltration. In conclusion, the data indicates that calendula explants can be regenerated through tissue culture which is a prerequisite for development of stable transformation methods. However, further optimization is still needed to improve the frequency. In addition, VIGS was applied to silence PDS marker gene expression indicating that this method has potential for gene functional studies in future.
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(2020)Selective degeneration and dysregulation of specific neuronal populations is a common hallmark shared by neurodegenerative diseases affecting the aging population. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases with debilitating clinical manifestations that follow a chronic and progressive course. Pathological hallmarks of PD involve gradual and specific loss of DA (DA) neurons and widespread presence of Lewy body (LB) inclusions that consist of aggregated presynaptic protein, α-Synuclein (αSyn). Treatment of PD remains to be at symptomatic management as the underlying mechanisms that trigger neurodegeneration are still not fully elucidated. Over the past two decades, microRNAs (miRNAs) have become a major area of interest within biomedical fields and gained increasing momentum in the context of neurodegenerative diseases. In recent developments, changes in mature miRNA profiles have been reported in aging tissue and many age-related diseases, including PD. More recently, a number of studies have found that the most essential enzyme in the miRNA biogenesis pathway, Dicer, exhibits reduced expression with aging. To these ends, a genetic mouse model based on heterozygous knockout of Dicer (DicerHET) was introduced to simulate Dicer downregulation. Initial investigations identified the DicerHET model as a promising tool for studying the relationship between disrupted miRNA biogenesis and neurodegeneration associated with PD. To facilitate future investigations and speed up screening of potential therapeutic compounds using this genetic model, in the current work, we aimed to produce a DicerHET in vitro model with a practical and convenient genetic engineering approach. The main focus of this work was to validate the model and establish a standardized reproducible approach suitable for research that addresses the role of miRNA biogenesis in PD. The desired DicerHET genotype was generated in vitro by employing traditional Cre/loxP system in conjunction with a virally mediated Cre expression. More specifically, primary cortical cultures, derived from Dicer flox/+ mice embryos, were transduced with Cre expressing lentiviral vectors (lenti-hSYN-T2A-Cre) to delete the “floxed” Dicer allele. To establish optimal parameters for the procedure, we analysed recombination efficiency under different transduction conditions. The most efficient recombination was achieved after 5 days of induction in cultures. However, we observed that DicerHET genotype did not attenuate survival of the cells, as assessed by immunohistochemistry. Further, as a proof of concept, we exposed the DicerHET cultures to pre-formed fibrils (PFFs) - a PD related stressor that causes αSyn aggregation. pSer129-αSyn-positive LB-like aggregates were detected in all the PFF-treated cultures, however, with a greater accumulation in the DicerHET cultures. Interestingly, increased aggregation was not accompanied by increased cell death, suggesting that DicerHET genotype does not increase vulnerability of cortical neurons to pSer129-αSyn aggregation. Based on our earlier studies we presume that DA neurons may bear a specific vulnerability towards the age-related Dicer depletion. More conclusive evidence on this intriguing relationship could be provided in future research using the DicerHET model that can be readily applied to primary DA cultures.
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(2018)Glucuronoyl esterase (GE) is an enzyme produced by plant biomass degrading basidiomycete and ascomycete fungi. GEs have been found to hydrolyse a specific ester bond between lignin alcohols and xylan hemicellulose, which is one of the crosslinks in plant biomass. GEs are the only known enzymes capable of hydrolysing both glycosidically bound and free methyl esters of 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid. In biodegradation of plant biomass, fungal GEs are assumed to cleave the bonds between aromatic lignin alcohols and 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid of hemicellulose. Due to these characteristics, GEs are promising candidates for future industrial applications, such as biofuel production. The genome of white-rot bacidiomycete Dichomitus squalens contains two GE encoding genes. The aim of this work was to express one wild-type GE from D. squalens, DsGE1, and its site-directed mutants as recombinant proteins in the yeast Pichia pastoris. The catalytic activity of the wild-type and mutated recombinant DsGE1 enzymes was examined in optimum conditions with synthetic benzyl glucuronate as a substrate. Recombinant GEs were then exposed to varying of temperature and pH values as well as organic solvents. The aim was to assess whether the mutated DsGE1 enzymes retained a higher GE activity than the wild type enzyme in the tested conditions. Hypothesis of this work was that mutated recombinant DsGE1 enzymes catalyse the hydrolysis of a synthetic benzyl glucuronase. The mutated enzymes were expected to have improved thermal resistance in temperatures higher to the optimum when compared to the wild-type GE. In addition, another hypothesis was that the DsGE1 mutants retain their specific activity better than the wild-type enzyme when pH changes from optimum as well as when the enzymes are exposed to organic solvents. The first research hypothesis was confirmed, while the results of the work disproved the following two hypotheses.
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(2023)Dietamoeba fragilis is a very common human intestinal parasite in the world and also in Finland. D. fragilis causes dientamoebiasis in humans, and symptoms of infection may vary from mild bowel symptoms to prolonged diarrhoea and weight loss. Some of the infected patients are completely asymptomatic. Despite its prevalence, insufficient data exist on the life cycle and host organisms of D. fragilis. Interestingly, D. fragilis has been found in dogs in a few studies. Thus, more research is needed on the role of household pets as part of the parasite’s life cycle and choice of host organism. Comprehensive study on the role of dogs in the life cycle of D. fragilis is warranted. The purpose of this thesis was to design a study on the role of dogs in the D. fragilis parasite life cycle “The presence of Dientamoeba fragilis parasites and multiresistant ESBL-bacteria in dog owners and their pets”, to present research methods and to apply research permit from the ethics committee. The aim of the study is to analyze the prevalence of D. fragilis in dogs in Finland and the role of the dog in the spread of D. fragilis parasite within humans. In addition to D. fragilis, the study combines collection of samples for ESBL bacteria analyses, but this thesis focuses only on the part of study D. fragilis. Two different real-time PCR methods are tested in this project: an in-house method and an Amplidiag® Stool Parasites method, out of which Amplidiag® Stool Parasites method is selected to be used in the study. In the thesis documents for the ethics committee's referral are written and ethical permit to conduct the study from the HUS ethics committee is applied. A favourable opinion will allow a comprehensive study of dogs and humans to be carried out. Ethics permit is need to recruit participants for research on the basis of a laboratory-confirmed D. fragilis -discovery. The committee confirms that the study is ethically acceptable. During the thesis project, the committee gave the study a conditional favourable decision. The implementation of the study will start in the spring of 2023, when the final assent is received.
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(2022)Dietary data is essential in creating dietary guidelines and interventions, but the traditional data collection methods can be biased and costly. Wastewater metagenomes present a potential new way to collect dietary data with the utilization of microbial markers. In this study, potential microbial markers for fiber and meat intake were identified from literature. The abundances of these markers and their associations with the corresponding dietary data were analyzed using a previously published global wastewater metagenome dataset covering 58 countries. Majority of these potential markers were detected in the analysed wastewater metagenomes. Of the identified markers, Prevotella and Prevotella copri showed significant associations with whole grain intake, Alistipes and Alistipes putredinis showed significant associations with processed meat intake, and Faecalibacterium showed significant association with red meat intake. In addition, associations between dietary data and both taxonomic and functional annotations of the metagenomes were determined to identify any additional potential markers. Multiple additional species, genera and gene families showed significant associations with red meat and processed meat intakes. Future research should include finer resolution data to validify these results and further investigate the potential of these taxa and genes as markers. In conclusion, microbial markers present a promising way to collect dietary data from wastewater metagenomes.
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Dietary total antioxidant capacity in relation to overall cancer incidence in a French cohort study (2013)Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming 7.6 million lives a year. Five behavioural factors have been recognised to be responsible for 30 % of the disease burden. Among them is low fruit and vegetable consumption. Fruit and vegetable consumption has been inversely associated with cancer risk but the mechanisms behind this effect are still largely debated. Dietary antioxidants present in large quantities in plant foods have been hypothesised to contribute to this protection. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and overall cancer incidence. This was done applying a new antioxidant measurement that reflects the whole set of direct antioxidant reducers (vitamin C, alpha-tocopherol, carotenoids and flavonoids) present in diet. The average TAC intake levels of the participants were assessed and the main dietary contributors to the TAC scores were examined. Subjects: Study subjects included 67 634 middle aged French women participating in an on-going prospective cohort study called E3N. Their dietary assessment was made between June 1993 and July 1995 using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire able to quantitatively and qualitatively assess the average daily intake of 208 different foods, recipes and beverages. Cancer cases were self-reported and validated against medical records. The follow up of the participants ended in May 2008. Methods: Four different total antioxidant capacity scores were created using two different TAC methods, the ferric reducing ability parameter (FRAP) and the total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP), and including or excluding coffee from the dietary TAC calculation. Coffee exclusion was justified with the fact that it is the largest contributor to the dietary TAC intake, and because of its association with some negative lifestyle behaviours, it can act as a confounder even if adjustments are made. Statistical analyses for cancer risk according to dietary TAC intake were made using Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for energy intake without alcohol, tobacco smoking, alcohol intake, BMI, physical activity level, educational background, region of residence and family history of cancer. Results: When coffee was included in the dietary TAC scores a significant but modest increase in cancer risk was observed towards higher TAC intakes (p for trend < 0.05 for both FRAP and TRAP). On the contrary, when coffee was excluded from the TAC scores a significant although modest decrease in overall cancer risk was observed (p for trend = 0.016 for both FRAP and TRAP without coffee). In the indexes where coffee was included in the score it contributed up to 43 % and 76 % of total FRAP and TRAP scores respectively. After coffee the main contributors to dietary TAC intake were tea, wine, fruits, vegetables, fruit juice and chocolate. The mean daily intake of TAC was 20.5 mmol of FRAP and 20.2 TE of TRAP in the scores including coffee. When coffee was excluded from the scores, the mean intake levels dropped to 9.4 mmol and 4.9 TE. Conclusion: Dietary total antioxidant capacity was associated with a statistically significant but modest decrease in cancer incidence when intake of coffee, the main TAC source, was not taken into account. Coffee seems to be acting as a confounding factor since when it was included in the TAC scores, there was a small but statistically significant positive association with cancer risk. For future studies it would be crucial to standardise the TAC methods so that comparisons between studies could be made. On the other hand in vitro nature of the TAC methods should be kept in mind; a fact that challenges the interpretation of the results from the biological perspective.
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(2016)The EC regulations for organic farming (OF), No. 834/2007 and 889/2008, apply in all EU countries but still, different rules are being implemented. Every country in the EU has its own certification bodies and certification systems, and the interpretation of the EC regulations for organic farming is done nationally. The purpose of this research is to fill a gap in the understanding how rules of organic farming differ between three countries in Europe: Finland, Sweden and Austria. In particular, this study aims to examine the role of the national interpretations of the EC regulations for OF at different stages in the food supply chain. The main interest lies in why these differences in interpretation occur, and what interpretations are made at what stage in the system. The methods chosen for answering the research questions is a literature review, a survey with qualitative interviews for gathering relevant topics from the field and finally a comparison of the EC regulations for OF and the national legislations and guidelines in Finland, Sweden and Austria for these topics. This study shows that there are many topics in OF where the EC regulations for OF leave room for variable interpretations and hence, it is unclear to the implementing authorities in the member states how to interpret these. The most significant result is that some of the differences in interpretation lead to the organic farmers being unequal across the countries. Even for statements with clear reasoning and precise instructions there can be significant differences in interpretation between the countries. Based on the results of this research I can state that the farmers in OF would benefit from a more harmonized landscape of OF rules on EU-level, as this would lower the inequality between farmers in OF in the different countries. One mean of doing this would be to reduce the number of statements of qualitative character.
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(2021)Onion (Allium cepa L.) is an important vegetable, which provides major nutritional benefits. In Finland, basal rot caused by Fusarium fungal species (FBR) has become the most destructive disease of onion in recent years. It causes damping off and stunted growth on onion seedlings and root death and abscission and bulb rot on mature onions. The average onion crop loss caused by basal rot has been up to 10% in conventional farming and as high as 30% in organic farming. In this study, a seedling assay was conducted to test the virulence of different Fusarium isolates on a commercial onion cultivar. The study goals were, primarily, to find out which of the Fusarium isolates, originating from onion and crop rotation plants grown in Finland, are pathogenic, and secondly, to compare the virulence of different isolates. Altogether 115 Fusarium isolates were tested for virulence on onion seedlings in a greenhouse. Fifty-five of the tested isolates of F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum and F. redolens were more or less virulent. 19.4% of F. oxysporum isolates, 35.3% of F. proliferatum isolates and 18.2% of F. redolens isolates showed high virulence. Among the aggressive pathogens isolated from onion samples, F. oxysporum f.sp. cepae is still the dominant onion pathogen, F. proliferatum is a new pathogen on onion in Finland, and relatively more aggressive than F. oxysporum. The F. solani and F. tricinctum isolates tested did not have any detrimental effects on the onion seedling health or growth. In order to control FBR in Finland, avoiding planting onion in the infested soils, growing onions from local seedlings to avoid new contamination and storing onions at cold temperatures are recommended.
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(2018)Highly glycemic index of wheat bread causes rapid increase of blood glucose level which is harmful for people with chronic diseases such as type II diabetes and obesity. Consumption of whole grain bread rather than bread from refined wheat flour is an alternative way to reduce the risk of chronic disease. In Africa, the occurrence of chronic diseases is on the rise and therefore alternative products based on whole grain flour are needed. Furthermore, due to climate change the smart solution would be to utilize flour from cereal grains that are produced locally rather than being imported. Fonio is one of the oldest cereal in West Africa. Gluten-free fonio is always consumed as whole grain flour which is beneficial for digestion and cardiovascular function. Sourdough fermentation is known as a processing that can influence starch and protein digestibility in bread making. Moreover, sourdough is needed to enhance the quality of whole grain fonio bread. Utilization of sourdough fermentation is a potential method to improve the texture, sensory and nutritional qualities of bread. The aim of this thesis work is to evaluate the protein and starch digestibility of wheat bread with 40% whole grain fonio sourdough. In this study, breads were prepared and used for protein and starch digestibility studies. Freeze-dried samples were used for total starch and protein contents analysis. Moisture content of the breads was also analyzed to calculate the weight of samples needed for in vitro starch and protein digestibility. Pancreatic amylase was used to determine the starch in vitro digestibility. Breads with 1g starch were incubated at 37℃ with continuously shaking after which the reducing sugar content was determined. Glycemic index was calculated based on the starch hydrolysis percent. Protein in vitro digestibility was measured by pepsin and pancreatin. Breads were incubated at 37℃ with constantly shaking. The un-digested protein was determined by Dumas method. The protein digestibility was calculated with the total protein content. Phytate content was tested by the phytate content kit from Megazyme. Compared to wheat bread, fonio breads all had lower starch digestibility. This phenomenon was mainly caused by the wholegrain which increases the content of dietary fiber and enzyme inhibitors. For sourdough bread, there was a slight decrease of starch hydrolysis percent compared to control fonio bread. Sourdough enhanced the solubility of dietary fiber which therefore increased viscosity of chyme. Higher viscosity of chyme affects the glucose uptake and enzyme contact which consequently contributed to reduction of starch digestibility. Furthermore, the produced organic acids especially acetic acid may contribute to the lower starch digestibility of sourdough bread. Glycemic index of sourdough fonio bread was the lowest one among all the bread samples. For protein digestibility, fonio breads all had lower protein digestibility compared to wheat bread. However, there was an increase of protein digestibility by sourdough fonio bread. LAB protein metabolism to get enough nitrogen resources may explain this. The lower content of phytate in sourdough fonio bread may also influence the protein digestibility. In conclusion, sourdough fonio bread has lower starch digestibility than wheat bread and can enhance protein digestibility compared to fonio bread without sourdough.
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(2023)Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan digitaalisen myynnin ja ihmisen välistä suhdetta B2B-palveluiden myynnissä. Tutkimus antaa vastauksen siihen, mitä B2B-palveluiden myynnissä on kannattava lähteä digitalisoimaan ja mikä on ihmisen merkitys prosessissa. Teoreettisena viitekehyksenä on liiketoimintapäättäjien ostoprosessi B2B-asiantuntijapalveluiden myynnissä digitaalisella aikakaudella. Tutkimus on toteutettu laadullisena haastattelututkimuksena. Haastattelut pidettiin vuoden 2022 loppupuolella. Tutkimukseen osallistui yhteensä 11 suomalaista liiketoimintapäättäjää. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että B2B-myyntiprosessia ei voida kokonaan digitalisoida asiantuntijapalveluiden myynnissä. Digitaalisella myynnillä ja markkinoinnilla on kuitenkin keskeinen rooli ostoprosessin alkupäässä potentiaalisten asiakkaiden houkuttelemisessa. Ihmiset eivät kuitenkaan ole valmiita ostamaan täysin verkon yli keskustelematta myyntiorganisaation edustajien kanssa. Myyjillä ja ihmisillä nähdäänkin aivan olennainen rooli prosessin loppuun saattamisessa. Asiantuntijapalvelut ovat usein kompleksisia ja räätälöintiä edellyttäviä kokonaisuuksia. Ostajat eivät aina itsekään tiedä mitä palveluita he tarvitsevat tarpeensa tyydyttämiseksi. Myyjien rooli onkin ennen kaikkea rakentaa luottamusta ymmärtämällä asiakasta ja tarjota oikeita ratkaisuita kulloiseenkin asiakastarpeeseen. Ostajien päätöksenteossa pehmeillä arvoilla, kuten tunteilla, ihmisten välisillä henkilökemioilla ja myyjän osoittamalla vaivannäöllä on merkittävä vaikutus lopputulokseen. Näihin vastaaminen on hyvin vaikeaa täysin digitaalisessa prosessissa. Vaikka ihmisten välinen vuorovaikutus nähdäänkin kriittiseksi osaksi ostoprosessia, voidaan digitaalisia palvelualustoja hyödyntämällä ja verkon yli toimimalla luoda arvoa ja päästä ostajien tarpeita tyydyttävään lopputulokseen.
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(2023)The overarching theme of the diploma thesis is the increasing digitalization of farms and the growing importance of technological innovations for the improvement of resource efficiency. The purpose of the study was to analyze and envision 4dBarn Ltd’s Boosted Service, a service that focuses on measuring and improving labor efficiency in robotic milking facilities, from both a customer experience and a business perspective. An adapted survey and thematic interviews were used to gather customer experiences from ten customers who had purchased the Boosted Service. The interviews showed that customers were satisfied with the current Boosted Service and generally found the Service’s existing metrics, such as using time-lapse cameras to track cows’ time budgets and monitoring work routines, useful. The KJ Method was used to elucidate the company’s perspective and implemented during a workshop with the company’s founding members to explore their goals for the Boosted Service. According to the results of the KJ Method, the current Boosted Service was found to be labor-intensive and difficult to expand internationally. The short measurement period was seen as problematic for the reliability of the results. In summary, the Boosted service is an integral part of the company's core business, and the information it provides is used to develop other services offered by the company. Among the various visions for the future, mobile application versions were of particular interest to respondents. However, respondents emphasized the need to invest in usability to ensure system usage. Despite significant technological advances in agriculture, respondents were not ready to completely abandon physical farm visits.
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(2017)Tutkimuksen kohteena on digitaalisten työkalujen sekä sosiaalisen median hyödyntäminen yritysmarkkinoinnissa. Tutkimuksessa käytetään hyödyksi tapausyrityksen ydinosaamista eli verkkokouluttamista. Tavoitteena on vastata seuraaviin kysymyksiin: Vaikuttaako maantieteellinen sijainti verkkokoulutuksesta koettuun hyötyyn ja toimiiko jokin tutkimuksessa esitetyistä arvoväittämistä paremmin kuin toinen. Tutkimuksessa selvitetään, miten digitaalisia työkaluja on mahdollista yritysmarkkinoinnissa hyödyntää sekä miten digitaalista markkinointia mitataan. Tutkimuksessa haetaan vastausta kysymykseen, miksi yritysmarkkinoinnissa on lähdetty kuluttajamarkkinointia hitaammin digitaaliseen ja varsinkin sosiaaliseen mediaan mukaan. Tutkimuksessa katsastetaan myös yritysasiakkaiden ostoprosessiin sekä pyritään tarjoamaan digitaalisia ratkaisuja yritysostopäätösten helpottamiseksi. Lähtökohdat digitaaliselle markkinoinnille esitetään viitekehyksessä. Viitekehys yhdistää digitaaliseen yritysmarkkinoinnin strategiaan myös sosiaalisen median ja esittää sosiaalisen median integroimisen kuuluvan osaksi yritysten muuta markkinointia. Tutkimus osoittaa, minkälainen digitaalisen markkinoinnin strategia on sopiva yritysmarkkinoilla toimiville yrityksille. Tutkimus on toteutettu kvantitatiivisena tutkimuksena käyttäen vertailevaa tutkimusmetodia eri arvoväittämien kesken. Tutkimuksessa ei kuitenkaan vertailla eri työkalujen suhdetta toisiinsa. Verkkokoulutuksesta koetut arvoväittämät toimivat eri tavoin riippuen siitä, millä digitaalisen markkinoinnin työkalulla niitä tarkastellaan. Näin ollen tutkimuksessa ei kerrota jonkin arvoväittämän toimineen paremmin kuin muut, vaan todetaan niiden kaikkien herättäneen kohderyhmässä kiinnostusta.
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Digitalization in Action : ERP Implementation in Financial Management : Case Leppävaaran Laskenta Oy (2019)Accounting firms need to stay along in the development of financial management digitali-zation. An important part of that is to implement new systems and develop a high-level expertise in them, creating a major competitive advantage. That way the growing demands of modern customers can be fulfilled. One part of the development is ERP expertise and implementations as new service products. The purpose of this research is to find out how those service products could be built to be as functioning as possible for different types of customers of an accounting firm and what are the main challenges to be considered. The research was conducted as a case study in a Finnish accounting office. The case was their own implementation project. Challenges occurred in the project were used to build up a suggestion on how to avoid the same ones in future projects. Based on the results of the research it can be said that the main challenges in an ERP im-plementation, for a company operating in Finland, relate to automation and especially monetary transactions and usage of reference numbers and their automatic allocations, foreign consultant’s understanding of the Finnish business environment, understanding the importance of testing and resourcing, process and system reengineering, change manage-ment, motivation and commitment of the employees and management as well as staying in budget and schedule.
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(2017)Introduction: The importance of good nutrition is not always recognized among athletes and their coaches. Young athletes need professional guidance, so they can learn how to execute dietary practices that support their athletic performance and overall well-being. The growing body of scientific evidence on performance enhancing nutrition and its practical applications challenges the Finnish field of competitive sports to invest in professional nutrition coaching among athletes. Aims of the study: The aim of this study was to examine, if eating habits of young endurance athletes can be influenced by a nutrition intervention carried out using a mobile application (MealLoggerTM) with an inbuilt nutrition program. We also examined, whether the motivation towards sports and nutrition and the perceived competence for following a certain diet are related to athletes’ adherence to the nutrition program and to the measured changes in food intake. Materials and methods: 17 young individual endurance athletes followed through a four-week nutrition intervention by keeping a photo food journal and logging their food servings with the smart phone application MealLoggerTM. A common application inbuilt nutrition program with servings goals for different food groups was designed in advance and implemented after a group education session on optimal sports nutrition. During the intervention period, the participants received real-time feedback from the mobile application on their adherence to the nutrition program. In addition, individualized meal photo comments were provided by a nutritionist three times a week. The athletes also received common weekly motivational messages through the application. Food intake was measured at baseline, after the intervention and 8-weeks after the intervention using food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The motivation and perceived competence were assessed with Self-Determination theory (SDT) questionnaires. The adherence to the nutrition program was assessed by comparing the logged food servings to the defined nutrition goals. Results: Twelve participants (71%) completed the post-intervention questionnaires. No statistically significant changes in consumption of food groups included in the nutrition program were detected. The consumption of berries increased 2,36 times per week (SD 4,07 p=0,049). The consumption of skimmed milk decreased 3,00 times per week (SD 4,28, p=0,042) and the consumption of milk/alternatives in total decreased 3,67 times per week (SD 5,82, p=0,034). MealLoggerTM data was retrieved from 15 participants. Most of the participants (n=8) with high adherence (H) achieved at least 3 out of 4 goals on every week. Most participants (n=7) with low adherence (L) failed to achieve any of the nutrition goals on any of the four weeks. No statistically significant differences in motivation or perceived competence were found between the H and L. The overall engagement to the mobile application was lower in L compared to H. The participants in L were mostly female, significantly younger and more likely to be living with a guardian, responsible for the acquisition and preparation of food. Discussion: Despite detecting only small dietary improvements, the application showed good feasibility and acceptability among the high adherence participants. In the future, to provide more effective nutrition coaching an appropriate baseline assessment should be included. The goals of the nutrition program should be adjusted according to the athletes’ individual needs. More democratic coaching styles, with parental involvement should be explored in order to increase engagement and adherence of young athletes.
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