Swedish coffee (Astragalus boeticus L.), a neglected coffee substitute with a past and a potential future

Swedish coffee (Astragalus boeticus) seeds have been used as a coffee substitute, in particular during the nineteenth century and in times of scarcity. A. boeticus is found in the wild in a wide range of environments in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions and is able to grow in areas with low and irregular rainfall. It is well-adapted to cultivated and disturbed environments, has indehiscent pods and high yield potential, and is therefore pre-adapted to cultivation and domestication. Swedish coffee is an annual that flowers in spring and produces small (3–6 mm × 3–5 mm) kidney-shaped seeds that can be harvested in summer. The genetic diversity of the species has not been studied, but evidence (wide range of environments, insect pollination) suggests that considerable diversity exists in the species. The genetic resources of Swedish coffee conserved in germplasm banks are very limited, with only 49 accessions conserved in six genebanks. Although no cultivated varieties exist at present and no breeding studies are underway, evidence suggests that limited breeding could result in considerable genetic advances. The cultivation of A. boeticus was very important during the nineteenth century in several countries of Europe, in particular in Sweden, where the cultivation was promoted as a coffee substitute by the monarchy. Several reports exist on its cultivation in several countries of Northern, Central and Southern Europe during the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century. However, its cultivation gradually lost importance and was eventually abandoned. Swedish coffee can be grown in different types of soils as a regular winter or spring legume crop, and thanks to symbiosis with rhizobia may be able to perform well with reduced N fertilization. Several historical accounts report an excellent quality of the coffee substitute prepared with roasted Swedish coffee seeds. However, no investigations have been carried out to study the process of roasting and its influence on the final quality. The information presented here indicates that limited efforts in A. boeticus breeding, cultivation, and industrial processing potentially might result in the recovery of this neglected coffee substitute.     

Variability of certain chemotypes in three accessions of German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.)

In 203 analyzed chamomile plants, several compounds appreciated for their medicinal value, were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. α-Bisabolol and its oxides A and B were measured by gas chromatography; matricine as a precursor of chamazulene, was assessed semi-quantitatively by matching visually thin layer chromatography bands with a concentration range of the pure substance and the flavonoids apigenin and apigenin-7-glycoside were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. Mean values of all compounds were compared in the three chamomile accessions ‘Manzana’, ‘Lutea’ and ‘Hungarian 2’. Correlations between different substances over all data were calculated. Moreover, certain groups combining particular properties according to their desired purpose or specificity, were formed. Their incidence in the particular chamomile varieties was determined. ‘Manzana’, a tetraploid cultivar, exhibited the highest share of the valuable bisabolol–matricine-type and the lowest ratio of bisabolol-oxides to bisabolol. To develop ‘high-quality-populations’, defined individuals of this cultivar shall be selected for further breeding.     

Evolutionary formation of new centromeres in macaque

A systematic fluorescence in situ hybridization comparison of macaque and human synteny organization disclosed five additional macaque evolutionary new centromeres (ENCs) for a total of nine ENCs. To understand the dynamics of ENC formation and progression, we compared the ENC of macaque chromosome 4 with the human orthologous region, at 6q24.3, that conserves the ancestral genomic organization. A 250-kilobase segment was extensively duplicated around the macaque centromere. These duplications were strictly intrachromosomal. Our results suggest that novel centromeres may trigger only local duplication activity and that the absence of genes in the seeding region may have been important in ENC maintenance and progression.     

Effect of barley coffee on the adhesive properties of oral streptococci

Some beverages and foods protect tooth surfaces against Streptococcus mutans colonization. Adhesion of S. mutans is a crucial step in the initiation and development of dental caries. In this study, we showed that barley coffee (BC), a beverage made from roasted barley, interferes with S. mutans adsorption to hydroxyapatite (HA), and we identified its antiadhesive components. The effects of sublethal concentrations (sub-MICs) of BC on the adhesion of S. mutans to saliva-coated HA beads were assessed using three experimental approaches: (A) Beads were pretreated with BC before adding bacteria, (B) BC and bacteria were added to the beads simultaneously, and (C) streptococci grown in the presence of sub-MICs of BC were added to the beads. All treatments induced variable but significant inhibition of S. mutans sucrose-dependent and -independent adherence to HA. Similar results were obtained with other oral streptococci. BC components were fractioned by dialysis and gel filtration chromatography; the <1000 Da molecular mass (MM) fraction, which contains polyphenols, zinc, and fluoride ions, and the >1000 kDa MM fraction, which consists of a potent brown antioxidant, melanoidin, both displayed antiadhesive properties. High-MM melanoidin was not detected in unroasted barley, indicating that it forms during the roasting process. Results suggest that BC consumption may influence the colonization of tooth surfaces by cariogenic bacteria.     

Variation in resistance to the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae (Sternorhynca: Aphididae), among diploid wheat genotypes: Multivariate analysis of agronomic data

A collection of 87 ancient wheat genotypes, 67 Triticum monococcum, 13 Triticum boeoticum, seven Triticum urartu and one cultivar of the modern wheat Triticum aestivum (variety ‘Arminda’) were evaluated for resistance to the cereal aphid Sitobion avenae, the main damaging aphid pest on winter wheat in Europe. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r_m), which is regarded as a good estimate of the fitness of an aphid population, was used as an indicator for the level of plant resistance. Differentiation of the 88 plant genotypes into four distinct groups was achieved with a cluster analysis of the r_m values. The modern wheat ‘Arminda’ was more susceptible than any of the ancient wheat genotypes tested (r_m= 0.24, i.e. the aphid population doubled every 2.6 days). A second group of 19 plants ranged from relatively susceptible to moderately resistant (0.17 < r_m < 0.21). Fifty–one plants were allocated to a third group and classified as resistant (0.09 < r_m < 0.16). The last group contained 17 genotypes with a high level of resistance where aphid fitness was greatly reduced (0.02 < r_m < 0.09, i.e. the aphid population doubled every 11.4 days or 7.7 days, respectively). Clustering of the accessions into the different phenetic groups did not follow the geographical origin of the wheat genotypes or the species to which they belong. These results show that ancient diploid wheats, all characterized by the genome A, present considerable interest for plant breeding for resistance to S. avenae in modern wheat. The potential use of these strong and partial sources of resistance for introduction of a stable and durable form of resistance to S. avenae in wheat is discussed.     

Great Recession and club convergence in Europe: A cross-country,cross-region panel analysis (2000–2015)

The paper aims at investigating the impact of the Great Recession on per capita GDP convergence process across European regions and countries. Using the time-varying factor model developed by Phillips and Sul for the period 2000–2015 and two different merging procedures to identify clubs, we provide evidence of the diverging impact of the Great Recession “between” the higher and the lower convergence clubs at both regional and country levels as well as of the strengthening of the convergence process “within” most clubs. In addition, we add further evidence to the common belief of a “multi-speed” Europe by contrasting Eastern European countries' and regions' behavior vis-à-vis original European members' one, and by identifying the factors that affect club membership and resilience to the recent economic downturn. We find that the membership in the higher clubs and resilience to the Great Recession are positively affected by the presence of several local-specific factors and macroeconomic characteristics.