Measurement of acrylamide and its precursors in potato, wheat, and rye model systems

The relationship between acrylamide and its precursors, namely, free asparagine and reducing sugars, was studied in cakes made from potato flake, wholemeal wheat, and wholemeal rye, cooked at 180 degrees C, from 5 to 60 min. Between 5 and 20 min, major losses of asparagine, water, and total reducing sugars were accompanied by large increases in acrylamide, which maximized in all three products between 25 and 30 min, followed by a slow linear reduction. Acrylamide formation did not occur to a large degree until the moisture contents of the cakes fell below 5%. Linear relationships were observed for acrylamide formation with the residual levels of asparagine and reducing sugars for all three food materials.     

Groundwater Pollution by Heavy Metals in Historical Mining Area of Lavrio,Attica, Greece

This article deals with the impacts of past mining activities andinefficient water resources management on groundwater quality inthe Lavrio area. Thirty-three water samples were collectedduring March 1998 and were analyzed for major ions (Ca, Mg, Na,K, HCO₃, Cl, NO₃, SO₄, PO₄), trace elements(Fe, Pb, Ni, Zn, Mn, Cu, Cr, Cd) and water parameters (Temperature,pH, conductivity, hardness and SiO₂). High concentrationsof heavy metals (lead, cadmium, zinc, nickel) are recorded ingroundwater samples in the Lavrio area. The highestconcentrations are recorded in the unconfined aquifer (alluvialdeposits and schists), due to mining activities. Qualitydeterioration of groundwater is also decumented and attributedto seawater intrusion and nitrate pollution of agriculturalorigin. The data were subjected to simple correlation analysisand R-mode factor analysis in order to examine the relationshipsbetween the parameters. There is a relationship between theelements participating in the sulfide (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd) andiron-manganese mineralization and a strong relationship betweenNi–Cr. In the factor analysis a four-factor model is suggested,which can explain 72.5% of the total variance. The contributionof each factor at every site is also computed and maps showingthe geographical distribution are illustrated. The areas withhigh concentrations of heavy metals are defined from these maps.     

Association between physical properties of cervical mucus and ovulation rate in superovulated cows

Possible associations between certain physical properties of cervical mucus (CM) and ovulation rate were studied in 21 superovulated Holstein cows. In CM samples collected at the beginning of estrus (0 h) and in 4 h intervals for the following 24 h, the pH, the spinnbarkeit (spinability), and the crystallization value were measured. Blood samples, collected at the same time points with CM samples, were assessed for progesterone and estradiol concentrations. At 48 h the number of ovulated follicles was counted by transrectal ultrasonography and the animals were allotted into 2 groups according to the occurrence of at least one (group A, n = 16) or no (group B, n = 5) ovulations. The pH was lower (P < 0.05) at 8 h (7.00 + 0.24) in group A compared with group B (7.55 + 0.12). In group A, spinnbarkeit was significantly lower at 0 h and 20 h, and higher at 8 h and 16 h compared with group B (0 h: 2.50 + 0.82 versus 6.95 + 0.41; 20 h: 3.00 + 1.89 versus 5.38 + 0.94; 8 h: 7.00 + 0.87 versus 2.75 + 0.43; 16 h: 7.00 + 1.41 versus 4.30 + 0.71, for groups A versus B, respectively). Crystallization was significantly lower at 4 h (2.00 + 0.63) and 20 h (1.50 + 0.82) in group A compared with group B (3.13 + 0.32 at 4 h and 3.00 + 0.41 at 20 h). Progesterone at all time points, and estradiol at 16 h, 20 h, and 24 h were lower (P < 0.05) in group A than in group B. The pH, crystallization, estradiol, and progesterone differed (P < 0.05) within one group, while sbk differed within both groups.Our results imply that during the periovulatory period, steadily low progesterone concentrations trigger alterations of certain CM characteristics, while extremely high estradiol concentration could prevent the occurrence of these alterations.     

Evaluation of a portable glucose meter for use in cattle and sheep

Background: In farm animal practice, determination of blood glucose concentration under field conditions is often necessary. Objective: As there is no portable glucose meter device developed for use in farm animals, the analytical accuracy of a portable glucometer designed for people was evaluated for its use in cattle and sheep. Methods: Blood samples from 90 cattle and 101 sheep were used in the study. Glucose concentration was determined in whole blood immediately after blood collection from the jugular vein with the One Touch Vita portable glucometer and in serum with an enzymatic colorimetric method. The agreement between methods was assessed by Passing and Bablok regression analysis. The precision and the accuracy of the measurements were determined using the concordance correlation coefficient. Results: There was a strong linear relationship between the glucose values obtained using the portable glucometer and those obtained by the bench method in both cattle and sheep. Precision was 95% for cattle and 88% for sheep, whereas accuracy was 92% and 99%, respectively. The mean glucose values obtained using the portable glucometer were significantly lower by 8.3% in cattle and 3.2% in sheep than those determined by the bench method. Conclusion: The One Touch Vita portable glucometer can be used in clinical practice to determine blood glucose concentrations in cattle and sheep, but reference intervals (RI) must be corrected to allow for negative bias. Based on these equations the RI for blood glucose in cattle and sheep using the portable glucometer were corrected to 1.84–4.17 and 2.41–4.35 mmol/L, respectively.     

Effects of position on canopy and harvest time on fruit physico-chemical and antioxidant properties in different apple cultivars

Fruit from Granny Smith, Fyriki, Fuji Kiku 8, and Imperial Double Red Delicious apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees planted in single or double rows, were harvested from different positions in the canopy, during the last month before commercial harvest. Fruit physico-chemical and antioxidant capacity, using the radical DPPH, were measured, in skin and flesh tissue. Greater total phenol content and total antioxidant capacity per fresh weight and serving portion of skin and flesh tissue, were found in Imperial Double Red Delicious and Fyriki apples, compared to Granny Smith and Fuji Kiku 8. The variation among cultivars in antioxidant contents was greater in peeled, compared with unpeeled fruit, highlighting the importance of eating unpeeled fruit. During the last two weeks before commercial harvest the total phenol content and total antioxidant capacity per fresh weight increased in skin of Granny Smith (by 24% and 42%, respectively) and Fuji Kiku 8 (by 19% and 27%, respectively). Fruit from the more sun—exposed parts of canopy had usually better red coloration and the effect was more pronounced in Fuji Kiku 8 and Fyriki, followed by Imperial Double Red Delicious and a lower effect was found in Granny Smith. Greater total soluble solid content, but not flesh firmness, were also found in fruit from the more sun—exposed parts of canopy, in all cultivars. The skin of fruit from the upper positions in the canopy had greater total phenol content and total antioxidant capacity, in all cultivars, apart from Fyriki. Antioxidant contents in flesh tissue were also greater in the upper positions of canopy in Fuji Kiku 8 and Imperial Double Red Delicious, and to our knowledge this is the first report on plant canopy effects on apple flesh antioxidant compounds.     

An Efficient Approach to Spatiotemporal Analysis and Modeling of Air Pollution Data

A statistically efficient approach is adopted for modeling spatial time-series of large data sets. The estimation of the main diagnostic tool such as the likelihood function in Gaussian spatiotemporal models is a cumbersome task when using extended spatial time-series such as air pollution. Here, using the Innovation Algorithm, we manage to compute it for many spatiotemporal specifications. These specifications refer to the spatial periodic-trend, the spatial autoregressive moving average, the spatial autoregressive integrated and fractionally integrated moving average Gaussian models. Our method is applied to daily pollutants over a large metropolitan area like Athens. In the applied part of our paper, we first diagnose temporal and spatial structures of data using non-likelihood based criteria, such as the empirical autocorrelation and covariance functions. Second, we use likelihood and non-likelihood based criteria to select a spatiotemporal model among various specifications. Finally, using kriging we regionalize the resulting parameter estimates of the best-fitted model in space at any unmonitored location in the Athens region. The results show that a specific autoregressive integrated moving average spatiotemporal model can optimally perform in within and out of spatial sample estimation. Supplemental materials for this article are available from the journal website.     

Resistance levels and chemical control options of sterile oat (Avena sterilis L.) in Northern Greece

Abstract

Whole-plant response experiments in pots and field experiments over two years were conducted to study the resistance levels and chemical control options of sterile oat (Avena sterilis L.) in typical wheat production areas of northern Greece. Data revealed high levels of resistance to the ACCase-inhibiting herbicides clodinafop-propargyl and fenoxaprop-p-ethyl in all sterile oat populations, noticeable levels of resistance of some populations to tralkoxydim and pinoxaden, and high susceptibility of four out of the five populations to the prepackage mixture [mesosulfuron?+?iodosulfuron]. The addition of chlorpyrifos did not improve the efficacy of all herbicides against the resistant populations, implying target-site resistance in the populations tested rather than resistance due to P450-mediated enhanced herbicide metabolism. These results indicated that all populations were at least four times more resistant to clodinafop-propargyl, fenoxaprop-p-ethyl and diclofop-methyl than the susceptible populations, but noticeable levels of resistance of some sterile oat populations to tralkoxydim, pinoxaden and the prepackage mixture [mesosulfuron?+?iodosulfuron] were also recorded. However, viable options for chemical control of this weed still exist.     

Carbon Disulphide (CS<Subscript>2</Subscript>) Promotes Sprouting and Affects the Metabolism of Harvested Minitubers Grown from True Potato Seed

Chemical agents may be used to overcome dormancy in potato tubers so as to permit early planting. In this paper, the effect of carbon disulphide on sprouting and related metabolic processes in potato tubers grown from true potato seed (TPS) was investigated. Carbon disulphide was applied to potato tubers derived from TPS, at a rate of 20 ml m^?3 container volume for 72 h. It accelerated tuber sprouting and increased tuber weight loss. It also caused an increase in the respiration rate, as well as ethylene emission from the tubers during the first 6 days after treatment. The respiration rate of carbon disulphide-treated tubers remained at a higher level than that of untreated controls for 35 days after treatment. In addition, carbon disulphide increased the concentrations of the soluble sugars sucrose and fructose, but not glucose, in the tuber tissues (buds, parenchyma). These findings suggest that carbon disulphide releases potato minitubers from dormancy and that dormancy breakage is associated with changes in tuber metabolism prior to the visible sprouting.     

Acrylamide and pyrazine formation in model systems containing asparagine

The effect of different sugars and glyoxal on the formation of acrylamide in low-moisture starch-based model systems was studied, and kinetic data were obtained. Glucose was more effective than fructose, tagatose, or maltose in acrylamide formation, whereas the importance of glyoxal as a key sugar fragmentation intermediate was confirmed. Glyoxal formation was greater in model systems containing asparagine and glucose rather than fructose. A solid phase microextraction GC-MS method was employed to determine quantitatively the formation of pyrazines in model reaction systems. Substituted pyrazine formation was more evident in model systems containing fructose; however, the unsubstituted homologue, which was the only pyrazine identified in the headspace of glyoxal-asparagine systems, was formed at higher yields when aldoses were used as the reducing sugar. Highly significant correlations were obtained for the relationship between pyrazine and acrylamide formation. The importance of the tautomerization of the asparagine-carbonyl decarboxylated Schiff base in the relative yields of pyrazines and acrylamide is discussed.