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In a previous entry, we've highlighted a research on a novel process to concentrate the protein in standard field barley for use as an alternative to fishmeal as a protein source in commercial fish feeds.

I've received a couple of emails inquiring whether this product is already available in the market. No, I believe they are still far from getting sold off Discount Pet Supplies shops. The researchers have been able to formulate trout feeds with varying levels of barley protein concentrate, and in feeding trials, have replaced both fishmeal and soy protein concentrate, and have applied for a patent on the new production method. However, there is no commercial production in place as of yet.

Austrian researchers reported that supplementation of red clover extract in postmenopausal women reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety by about 80 percent following 90 days of supplements containing 80 milligrams of red clover isoflavones.

The study authors wrote:

"Although clinical data regarding phytoestrogens and mood disorders is still scarce, the present series determined that red clover derived isoflavones were effective in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms among postmenopausal women."

While more clinical and experimental research are still necessary, the researchers agreed on the potential of red clover isoflavones against depression and anxiety.

Daily consumption of 40 grams of dark chocolate significantly changed a person's metabolism and the metabolism of the gut microflora.

Such were the findings of scientists from the Nestlé Research Center (NRC), BASF and Berlin-based Metanomics GmbH.

"The daily consumption of dark chocolate resulted in a significant modification of the metabolism of healthy and free living human volunteers with potential long-term consequences on human health within only 2 weeks treatment.

This was observable through the reduction of levels of stress-associated hormones and normalization of the systemic stress metabolic signatures.

Therefore, subtle changes in dietary habits are likely to modulate the metabolic status of free-living individuals that might be associated with long- term health consequences, in particular via the activity of the symbiotic bacterial partners."

I surely hope this isn't another way of promoting Nestlé products.

Tel Aviv researcher Prof. Michael Gurevitz is looking on ways to use scorpion venom as an alternative to the pain killer morphine.

The novel pain killer out of peptide toxins found in scorpion venom interact with sodium channels in nervous and muscular systems — and some of these sodium channels communicate pain.

According to Prof. Gurevitz:

"The mammalian body has nine different sodium channels of which only a certain subtype delivers pain to our brain. We are trying to understand how toxins in the venom interact with sodium channels at the molecular level and particularly how some of the toxins differentiate among channel subtypes.

If we figure this out, we may be able to slightly modify such toxins, making them more potent and specific for certain pain mediating sodium channels."

If everything works well, pain killers from scorpion toxins would provide novel pain killers of high specificity that have no side effects.