Daily Archives: December 27, 2017

Kroger frozen chopped broccoli-

I like the convenience of frozen food. I am willing to admit that I don’t buy organic (too many questions about the rules, allowances and processes for what makes something organic dont add up) and I am not sure that the issue i am about to explain would be covered there anyway. I do get tired of poor quality control.  I am not able to judge the amount of pesticide residue left in frozen foods by lazy and inadequate preparation techniques…. that bothers me, but it is not something i can taste or “see” or “not chew”. What I dont like is having inedible pieces of brocolli stem in my food.

I get tired of having to call Kroger and tell them that they need to change something only to hear the “we are sorry for any inconvenience” shpieel, and have them fake-plakate me by sending a coupon.  I would really like them to be attentive and to make changes where appropriate.

Today’s issue has gone on for months and months. I logged in a call about the chopped broccoli (see picture) many many months ago and gave the UPC  code along with the number of packages of frozen broccoli I had purchased with pieces of very tough stem throughout the bag. The problem is with the vendor…. they are chopping up broccoli, yes, but so far down the stem of the broccoli that there are pieces in with the chopped broccoli that are totally inedible.  Inedible, tough, and that chew like wood.

Trimming off a little more of the stem obviously will cut into their supplier’s profit, but that would pale in comparison to individuals avoiding the product altogether. That is not a big change to make…  but here it is six months later and i am still finding yellow-white broccoli woody stems in my broccoli.  Check out your own bags of Kroger frozen chopped broccoli and see if i am right. Then call them and complain.

What element brings together intermediate filaments, mitochondria and desmosomes?

What element brings together intermediate filaments, mitochondria and desmosomes? I think it would be nice to know which of these organelles is responsible for initiating the association of the three to create the desmosomal mitochondria tether which is connected via intermediate filaments. Which?
1) Intermediate filaments can “tug” on mitochondrial shape (morphology). This is clearly evident in countless micrographs.
2) Intermediate filaments bind with the desmoplakin protein (part of the desmosome) and the latter bonds with the dense portion of the desmosome (plakophilin, plakoglobin) just adjacent to the plasmalemma (on the intracellular side) and the intracellular ends of desmocolin and desmoglein (the main proteins in the intercellular space).
3) Mitochondria as calcium buffers may have be important in regulating the calcium dependent adhesion molecules, desmocolin and desmoglein, in particular formation and reduction of desmosomes. This is a function seen in other intermediate filament mitochondria tethers as well.
4) Mitochondria provide energy as ATP.
5) Also, the flattened part of the mitochondrial membrane which is adjacent to the desmosomal – mitochondrial tether area with intermediate filaments would probably include mitochondrial membrane anchoring receptors.
6) If what is reported is true (longer mitochondria produce more energy) then those long three or four thered areas on a single mitochondria would be “really active” in terms of energy production). Arrowheads = des – mit tethers; tj = tight junction; bar = 100nm; RER along the top right of the image. Syrian hamster hepatocyte.
A LIST OF VARIOUS accepted functions for membrane-mitochondria-filament associations
a- apoptosis
b- lipid transport
c- autophagy
d- mitochondrial morphology
e- intercellular junctions
So this is a obviously going to be the short list…. thee will be many more functions to come.