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World’s fastest man Usain Bolt tests positive for coronavirus
World’s fastest man Usain Bolt tests positive for coronavirus
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All About Balsamic Vinegar: Benefits & Uses
What is Balsamic Vinegar? Most likely known as the standard staple nestled in the back of your pantry reserved for the occasional tomato basil salad, balsamic vinegar is a unique piece of Italy’s history. The ancient Romans believed that cooked grape mash, or must (the main component of balsamic vinegar) was more than a dressing for foods: it was also a healing elixir. Even the name “balsamic” refers to the original medicinal purpose of this alleged restorative “balm,” indicating its place in ancient society as a tonic.
Much like champagne, the most authentic balsamic vinegar comes solely from the Reggio Emilia and Modena regions of Italy. The two areas have been perfecting the art of this dressing and condiment since the year 1100, when Balsamic Vinegar was a popular gift for visiting royalty and nobility. 1
People tend to use less of a high-quality balsamic vinegar compared to lower quality variety to achieve a similar flavor intensity.
How to Choose the Best Balsamic Vinegar
There’s no shortage of balsamic vinegar options in your neighborhood grocery store, and with a plethora of culinary uses, choosing the best balsamic vinegar is no easy task. When searching for your pick, here’s what to keep an eye out for:
- PGI Certification. PGI (or, “Protected Geographic Origin”) Certification is set by the European Union to validate a product’s adherence to local heritage. To earn a PGI ( or, in Italian, IGP) certification, at least one or more steps of the preparation process must occur in the region, and the ingredients used must be closely connected to the area. A PGI Certification maintains the integrity and authenticity of the product.
- Ingredient Quality. When it comes to Italian-inspired cooking, authenticity and quality of ingredients are key. Organic or Non-GMO Project Verified ingredients will let the natural flavor of the product shine through.
- Area of Origin. Similar to the PGI Certification, true Balsamic Vinegar will be from or somehow connected to Modena or Emilio Reggia, Italy. 2https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-balsamic-vinegar-balsamic-vs-other-vinegars-and-how-to-use-balsamic-vinegar#2-types-of-balsamic-vinegar3
- Taste. Depending on the variation of vinegar you select, tastes will vary. Traditional balsamic vinegar will have a certain smoky quality, due to it’s extended aging process, while Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is more tangy and sweet.
How Is Balsamic Vinegar Made?
Traditional balsamic vinegar is made in the Emilio Reggia or Modena regions of Italy, and begins by cooking grape mash (must). It is then brought through a series of fermentations and aged in a wooden barrel. 4https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S10434526095800475
Aged Balsamic Vinegar
The aging process differs depending on the type of balsamic. For traditional balsamic vinegars, at least 12 years aging is required, with many being aged for over 25 years. Talk about patience! Balsamic vinegar of Modena, one of the most versatile variants, is only aged for two months. As you might expect, the aging process affects the taste and texture. 6https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-balsamic-vinegar-balsamic-vs-other-vinegars-and-how-to-use-balsamic-vinegar#2-types-of-balsamic-vinegar7
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: Why It Matters
A type of balsamic vinegar you might already be using or have seen stocked in market shelves, is Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Balsamic Vinegar of Modena refers to not only the origin of its creation, but also the origin of the ingredients used to make it. More widely available, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena typically contains a high level of antioxidant activity, and has a wide range of culinary uses. Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is slow-cooked, for a distinct flavor profile of sweet and sour, with a thicker, syrup-like consistency.
Primal Kitchen®’s recently launched Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is PGI Certified and made with Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified ingredients, for a high-quality, flavor-forward take that maintains Italian authenticity.
Balsamic Vinegar Uses
- Dressing for salads
- Marinade for meats
- Glaze for roasted vegetables
- Reduction, to bring out the sweetness and change the texture
- Personalized homemade vinaigrette
How to Make Easy Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette
Who doesn’t love a vinaigrette to dress up salads and charcuterie? A good rule of thumb to follow is a oil and vinegar dressing ratio of 3 to 1.
Here’s a basic balsamic vinaigrette recipe:
- 1/4 cup Primal Kitchen® balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup Primal Kitchen® extra virgin olive oil or PK avocado oil
- 1 tbsp Primal Kitchen® dijon
- Salt and pepper to taste
From there, make it your own! Add a clove of garlic, a drizzle of honey, a pinch of herbs, a squeeze of lemon etc.
The only sure way that you know your dressing will be on point every time? Skip the mixing and use Primal Kitchen® Balsamic Vinaigrette & Marinade.
References
- https://www.italiaregina.it/balsamic-vinegar/[ref]
This storied history attached to balsamic vinegar makes it an exciting addition to Italian-inspired recipes and dishes, as does its versatility. From balsamic reductions, to glazes, even as a sweet and sour drizzle on vanilla ice cream, there’s no limit to the culinary uses of balsamic vinegar. Dressed up or dressed down, this condiment has serious kitchen staying power. Despite its ubiquity in most chef’s pantries, most folks don’t know the secret benefits and advantages of adding this condiment/dressing hybrid into your meal routine.
Is Balsamic Vinegar Good for You?
The Ancient Romans may have been on to something. Many cultures cite natural vinegars and vinegar products as a source for various therapeutic properties. While you won’t find doctors writing prescriptions for balsamic vinegar anytime soon, some studies show that consuming certain vinegars in their recommended amounts could have some benefits. [ref]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27979138/[ref]
The Benefits of Balsamic Vinegar
There’s not a lot of research behind the health effects of balsamic vinegar, but the handful of studies available show that when broken down, the bioactive components found in balsamic vinegar can be linked to a myriad of health benefits.
- Depending on processing, natural vinegar products may contain some combination of acetic acid, gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid, which have been linked to having possible antimicrobial, antitumor, antiobesity, antihypertensive, and cholesterol-lowering effects. [ref]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24811350/[ref]
- A study found that fruit vinegars, again, depending on processing, may contain high levels of antioxidants, with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena producing some of the highest activity levels of antioxidant activity. [ref]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30934715/[ref]
- Antioxidants could help your body block the negative effects of oxidative stress, and research has shown their effects against cancer and aging. In addition, antioxidants may provide preventative protection against cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and other diseases. [ref]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26633317/[ref] As far as how much antioxidant content is in your vinegar once it’s been processed, it’s hard to say.
- Fruit vinegars may contain high levels of polyphenols, [ref]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30934715/[ref] another type of antioxidant which experts say may lower the risk of diseases. Some studies show that polyphenols may encourage immune system as well. [ref]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29495598/[ref]
- The aging process of balsamic vinegar, when done properly, may increase the antioxidant properties, which have also been thought to protect the gastrointestinal tract. [ref]https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1745-4514.2009.00271.x[ref]
Balsamic Vinegar: Calories and Carbs?
Quality over quantity. When it comes to balsamic vinegar, many authentic versions might tend to have higher carb or calories count due to a richer product with a deeper flavor profile. Quality of ingredients and authenticity of production are paramount when it comes to choosing a Balsamic Vinegar, especially with a serving size suggestion of just one tablespoon. Generally speaking, most balsamic vinegars range between 10-30 calories and about 7-8g of carbohydrates per serving.[ref]https://www.primalkitchen.com/collections/avocado-oil/products/organic-balsamic-vinegar-of-modena
The post All About Balsamic Vinegar: Benefits & Uses appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
The World Health Organization Declares Africa Polio-Free
Nobody will ever know the identity of the thousands of African children who were not killed or paralyzed by polio this year. They would have been hard to keep track of no matter what because in ordinary times, they would have followed thousands last year and thousands the year before and on back in a generations-long trail of suffering and death.
Instead, no African children were claimed by polio this year or last year or the year before. It was in 2016 that the last case of wild, circulating polio was reported in Nigeria—the final country on the 54-nation African continent where the disease was endemic. And with a required multi-year waiting period now having passed with no more cases, the World Health Organization today officially declared the entirety of Africa polio-free. A disease that as recently as the late 1980s was endemic in 125 countries, claiming 350,000 children per year, has now been run to ground in just two remaining places, Pakistan and Afghanistan, where there have been a collective 102 cases so far in 2020. That’s 102 too many, but there is no denying the scope of the WHO announcement.
“Today’s victory over the wild poliovirus in the African region is a testament to what can happen when partners from a variety of sectors join forces to accomplish a major global health goal,” says John Hewko, general secretary and CEO of Rotary International. “[It is] something the world can and should aspire to during these turbulent times.”
It was Rotary, an international nonprofit service organization, that kicked off the polio endgame in 1988 with the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). That program aimed to leverage the power of Rotary’s 35,000 clubs and 1.22 million members in 200 countries and territories worldwide to make polio only the second human disease—after smallpox—to be pushed over the brink of extinction. The job was made easier by the partners Rotary immediately attracted: the WHO, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation joined in 2007, followed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, just last year. The 32-year initiative has depended on volunteer workers and charitable donations, which together have produced an army of 20 million field workers administering vaccines to over 2.5 billion children at a cost of $17 billion.
Some countries were a lighter lift than others. In the U.S. the disease was eradicated in 1979, well before the GPEI even began its work. Other nations followed: In 1994 the Americas were declared polio-free. Europe as a whole got a clean bill of health in 2002, when all 53 countries in the WHO’s designated European region were declared free of the virus. Massive vaccination efforts began in India in 1997, which eradicated the virus in 2014.
How Polio Was Eradicated from the African Continent
But Africa, with its vast sprawl of village populations, long distances to urban hospitals, spotty infrastructure like adequate roads and reliable “cold chains”—refrigerated transport networks to keep vaccines viable—was always going to present special challenges. In 1996, when the case count on the continent regularly reached 75,000 victims every year, South African President Nelson Mandela partnered with Rotary to launch the “Kick Polio Out of Africa” Campaign, and the group scrambled fast—or as fast as was possible with so many children to vaccinate on so vast a land mass. In 2000, the first synchronized campaigns began in 17 countries, with 76 million children being vaccinated by tens of thousands of volunteers. The work fanned out across the continent from there, including an especially heavy push from 2008 to 2010, when an outbreak in 24 countries in western and central Africa was met by a large-scale, multi-national vaccination of 85 million children.
Finally, Nigeria stood alone as the only African nation where the disease was still endemic, in part because of resistance by religious leaders in the northern part of the country who objected western interference in local affairs and claimed that the vaccine was unsafe. That opposition broke down, partly thanks to Muhammad Sanusi II, the Emir of the city of Kano—a hereditary leader descended from a ruling family—who appeared at a public ceremony before the kick off of a seasonal vaccination campaign in 2016, called for a vial of polio vaccine to be brought to the stage, and with the audience watching, broke its seal and drank down its entire contents. That year, the country recorded its last case of polio, and this year, Nigeria’s WHO certification is the reward for its efforts.
“The polio eradication program in Nigeria has gone through some difficult times, but I never once doubted that this day would come,” says Dr. Tunji Funsho, a former cardiologist who is the chair of Rotary International’s Polio-Plus Committee in Nigeria. “Any time that we’ve experienced a setback, Rotary and our partners have been able to find solutions and develop new strategies for reaching vulnerable children.”
The Next Steps Towards Global Eradication
Other challenges remain. For one thing there are still the stubborn polio redoubts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but Funsho is cautiously optimistic. “Afghanistan and Pakistan have their own set of challenges in the fight against the wild poliovirus, but so did the African region and Nigeria,” he says. “I cannot put a time stamp on when wild polio will be eradicated in the two remaining countries. The lessons we’ve learned in Nigeria and the African region show that eradication can only be achieved through global commitment.”
What’s more, wild polio is not the only kind that causes disease. The oral vaccine contains a live but weakened virus, which in rare cases can mutate and lead to the very disease it’s designed to prevent. There have been 302 cases of vaccine-derived polio in both endemic and non-endemic countries so far this year—all localized and not widespread like wild polio can be. Again, that case count is small by earlier standards, but again too many by the standards of the children and the families who are its victims.
Stopping those infections means eventually supplementing the oral, live-virus vaccine with the injectable variety that uses a killed virus that can never cause the disease. The downside of the killed vaccine: it requires trained health care workers to administer the shots, as opposed to volunteers who can easily learn to place drops in a child’s mouth. That final round of vaccinations will be thus more expensive and labor-intensive than earlier rounds, but only after the handful of vaccine-derived cases are eliminated too, will the scourge of polio at last pass into history. Funsho and others are convinced that will happen.
“One thing I know for certain,” he says, “is if Nigeria could eliminate the wild poliovirus, any country can eliminate it.”
University of Alabama reports more than 500 confirmed COVID-19 cases
University of Alabama reports more than 500 confirmed COVID-19 cases
https://ift.tt/3grFdR6 August 25, 2020 at 07:03PM https://ift.tt/1R552o9
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New discovery: Antibody that may protect against Covid-19 infection identified
New discovery: Antibody that may protect against Covid-19 infection identified The researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) in the US discovered and characterised a cross-reactive human monoclonal antibody (MAB) to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins which blocks ACE2 receptor binding on the mucosal tissue of the respiratory tract. https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
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