Influence of pH on Structure and Function of Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) Protein Isolates

Structural and functional properties of two amaranth protein isolates as a function of pH were studied. Isolates, A9 and A11, were obtained by alkaline extraction at pH 9 and 11, respectively. Gel filtration chromatograms of A9 and A11 showed similar profiles. The A11 isolate contained mainly albumins and globulins, and a small proportion of globulin‐P aggregates, suggesting the presence of species with a higher degree of denaturation compared to A9. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that A9 was characterized by two thermal transitions (65.8 and 98°C); A11 exhibited only a small endotherm (66.6°C) and a second, less defined one. DSC analysis of A9 at pH 2–4 did not show endotherms, but at pH 5, some protein structures were observed. A11 showed a greater degree of denaturation. FPLC results showed that the proteins in A9 are more folded and their conformation is closer to the native state than those in A11, which are more unfolded due to pH‐mediated denaturation, mainly in acid media. The surface hydrophobicity of the isolates in acid media was lower than in alkaline media. The fluorescence emission spectra of the isolates showed differences in acidic pH conditions. As expected, the highest solubility was at alkaline pH. The water‐holding capacity was similar for both isolates. The water‐imbibing capacity and speed of foaming was higher for A11 than for A9. In summary, intense pH treatment of amaranth isolates generated partial or total protein denaturation and differences in the functional properties.     

Factors affecting taste scores of early season seedless table grape cv. Mystery and Prime.

Table grapes of cv. Mystery and Prime were harvested from 10 farms in two growing areas of Israel over two seasons. The grapes were separated on the basis of sucrose solutions from 12 to 18%; soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), and pH were determined; and taste tests were conducted. SSC gave the best correlation with taste tests, and multiple regression of SSC, TA, and pH improved the correlation. There were both seasonal and regional differences in the measured maturity parameters. Lower TA and higher pH were found in grapes from the Jordan Valley. Volatiles were predominantly C(6) compounds hexanal and 2-hexanal, contributing a fresh aroma to the grapes. It is concluded that Mystery and Prime grapes have good organoleptic quality if harvested at SSC levels of >14%.     

Effects of dexmedetomidine alone or in combination with opioids on intraocular pressure in healthy Beagle dogs

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine alone or in combination with different opioids on intraocular pressure (IOP) in dogs.Study designExperimental, prospective, crossover, randomized, blinded study.AnimalsA total of six Beagle dogs (two males and four females) aged 2 years and weighing 15.9 ± 2.9 kg (mean ± standard deviation).MethodsDogs were distributed randomly into seven treatments (n = 6 per treatment) and were administered dexmedetomidine alone (10 μg kg^–1; Dex) or in combination with butorphanol (0.15 mg kg^–1; DexBut), meperidine (5 mg kg^–1; DexMep), methadone (0.5 mg kg^–1; DexMet), morphine (0.5 mg kg^–1; DexMor), nalbuphine (0.5 mg kg^–1; DexNal) or tramadol (5 mg kg^–1; DexTra). All drugs were administered intramuscularly. IOP was measured before drug injection (time 0, baseline) and every 15 minutes thereafter for 120 minutes (T15–T120).ResultsThere were significant reductions in IOP compared with baseline in treatments Dex and DexMep at times T30–T120, and in treatment DexMet at T15–T90. IOP decreased compared with baseline in treatments DexBut, DexNal and DexTra at all evaluation times. No changes in IOP were seen in treatment DexMor. The mean IOP values in treatment DexMet at T105–T120 were higher than those for other treatments.Conclusions and clinical relevanceDexmedetomidine alone or in combination with butorphanol, meperidine, methadone, nalbuphine or tramadol resulted in decreased IOP for 120 minutes in dogs. The magnitude of the reduction was small and lacked clinical significance.     

甘蔗近缘野生种蔗茅（Erianthus rufipilus）的研究

本研究表明蔗茅（Ｅｒｉａｎｔｈｕｓｒｕｆｉｐｉｌｕｓ）在我国分布于滇、黔、川、藏、桂、陕、甘、鄂８省（区）海拔４８０－２８００米的区域。其体细胞染色体数目为２Ｎ＝２０，不同区域的无性系２Ｎ数目未发现变异，但减数分裂染色体配对构型略有差异．蔗茅茎秆的锤度普遍较高，最高可达２２％，但种群内变异较大，即使同一野生群落内也有明显差异。蔗茅同一个体不同小穗内的花药数目变异较大，总体变化在０—３枚之间。蔗茅的高锤度、花药数目的易变性及染色体数目的稳定性表明：蔗茅在甘蔗起源和进化上具有一定的重要性，在甘蔗育种的基础研究上应给予重视。，达极显著水平。表２列出了１４个蔗茅无性系的花药数目的小穗百分率。总体而言，可按百分率把蔗茅的花药数目变异为４类：（１）以３花药小穗为主，同时出现２花药和单花药的小穗，西藏、四川和陕西都有这类无性系出现，共有６个无性系。（２）以单花药小穗为主，同时出现３花药、２花药和无花药小穗，共有５个无性系，原产于云南和西藏。（３）以２花药小穗为主，同时出现３花药和单花药小穗；共２有个无性系，原产于四川和云南。（４）３花药、２花药、单花药小穗百分率基本相等，只见于陕西的一个无性系中。从地理上看，云南和西藏的?     

甘蔗与蔗茅杂交不同世代的SSR指纹图谱构建

本研究采用12对引物对67份"崖城89/9×昆明蔗茅"杂种不同世代(F1,BC1,BC2)及其亲本材料进行SSR多态性分析,扩增的总条带数为234条,其中多态性带为216条,多态率为92.31%,表明崖城89/9与蔗茅野生种杂交后代材料间存在较大差异;各后代材料与原始亲本"崖城89/9"及"昆明蔗茅"间的平均遗传相似系...     

National soil data in EU countries,where do we stand?

At the European scale, soil characteristics are needed to evaluate soil quality, soil health and soil-based ecosystem services in the context of the European Green Deal. While some soil databases exist at the European scale, a much larger wealth of data is present in individual European countries, allowing a more detailed soil assessment. There is thus an urgent and crucial need to combine these data at the European scale. In the frame of a large European Joint Programme on agricultural soils launched by the European Commission, a survey was conducted in the spring of 2020, in the 24 European participating countries to assess the existing soil data sources, focusing on agricultural soils. The survey will become a contribution to the European Soil Observatory, launched in December 2020, which aims to collect metadata of soil databases related to all kind of land uses, including forest and urban soils. Based upon a comprehensive questionnaire, 170 soil databases were identified at local, regional and national scales. Soil parameters were divided into five groups: (1) main soil parameters according to the Global Soil Map specifications; (2) other soil chemical parameters; (3) other physical parameters; (4) other pedological parameters; and (5) soil biological features. A classification based on the environmental zones of Europe was used to distinguish the climatic zones. This survey shows that while most of the main pedological and chemical parameters are included in more than 70% of the country soil databases, water content, contamination with organic pollutants, and biological parameters are the least frequently reported parameters. Such differences will have consequences when developing an EU policy on soil health as proposed under the EU soil strategy for 2023 and using the data to derive soil health indicators. Many differences in the methods used in collecting, preparing, and analysing the soils were found, thus requiring harmonization procedures and more cooperation among countries and with the EU to use the data at the European scale. In addition, choosing harmonized and useful interpretation and threshold values for EU soil indicators may be challenging due to the different methods used and the wide variety of soil land-use and climate combinations influencing possible thresholds. The temporal scale of the soil databases reported is also extremely wide, starting from the '20s of the 20th century.     

Coupling Rice with Fish for Sustainable Yields and Soil Fertility in China

正About 30 million hectares of rice are cultivated annually in China (FAOSTAT,2019).Because most rice fields are wellirrigated and suitable for fish living ('fish'here refers to various aquatic animals like carps,prawns,crabs,soft shell turtles,etc.)(Fernando,1993),many efforts have been made to determine how well rice farming and aquaculture can be coupled as a rice-fish system (RFS),of which the same land and water produces both rice and aquatic products.With the technological     

Influence of forest cover and mesohabitat types on functional and taxonomic diversity of fish communities in Neotropical lowland streams

Abstract – In this study, we investigated how taxonomic and functional diversity of fish communities is influenced by forest cover and mesohabitat types in Neotropical lowland streams. We sampled fish fauna of 126 five‐metre‐long mesohabitats using an electrofishing unit in forested (n = 3) and deforested (n = 3) streams in the upper Paraná River basin, south‐eastern Brazil. According to velocity and depth, three mesohabitat types have been considered: riffles (shallow and fast‐flowing habitat), pools (deep and slow‐flowing habitat) and runs (intermediate depth and velocity). Seven functional traits and 27 trait categories related to ecological, behavioural and life‐history aspects of fish were considered. Our results indicate that forest cover and mesohabitat type influence fish communities in different ways. Whereas deforestation affects communities primarily through changes in diversity (functional and taxonomic), mesohabitat types determine changes in the functional composition. The increased diversity in deforested mesohabitats is driven by a decrease in species turnover among habitat patches within streams. This can be attributed to new feeding opportunities and microhabitat availabilities in deforested streams so favours the occurrence of species having a particular set of traits, indicating a strong habitat–trait relationship.     

Modeling and Simulation of Food Products in Superchilling Technology

The food superchilling process is of increasing importance because of its benefit in achieving food quality and extending shelf life of food products. The rate of the superchilling process is critical to the products’ quality and to the productivity of the process, and therefore the superchilling dynamics are of extreme importance. The objective of this work was to develop a one-dimensional implicit finite difference numerical model for predicting partial freezing time necessary to achieve an optimal degree of superchilling in foods and to validate the model experimentally. The evaluation of degree of superchilling was determined using finite slab and measured by using a calorimetry method. There is a good level of agreement between numerical simulation and laboratory experimental results.