Contrasting phenology and female cone characteristics of the two Macaronesian island endemic cedars (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Juniperus cedrus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">J. brevifolia</Emphasis>)

Phenology and female cone characteristics of the two endemic cedars (Juniperus cedrus and J. brevifolia) from the Macaronesian islands were studied. Despite their closely taxonomic affinity and their evolution under insular conditions, different trends were recorded. Mature J. cedrus female cones were present throughout the year, while those from J. brevifolia were only present in summer and autumn. J. cedrus female cone size was significantly larger than that of J. brevifolia, a trend consistent with the presence of larger vertebrates (lizards and birds) in the Canary Islands. However, water content was four times higher in J. brevifolia female cones, which can be related with the higher rainfall existing in the Azores. J. cedrus has two or three seeds per cone, whereas J. brevifolia frequently had three. Seeds from J. cedrus were clearly larger and heavier, coinciding with the female cone size trend. However, tetrazolium tests revealed higher viability values in J. brevifolia. The relatively low percentage of filled seeds in J. cedrus could be a consequence of the climatic stress and limits to pollination due to fragmented populations as described for other Juniperus species. In summary, our results reveal that some environmental factors such as the harsh conditions, high population fragmentation and the dependence on large dispersers have compromised the fitness of J. cedrus in the Canary Islands.     

Increased Antioxidant Content in Juice Enriched with Dried Extract of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Peel

Antioxidants are compounds responsible for free radical scavenging in the body. They protect the organism from oxidative modification of cells and tissues. These modifications have been associated with degenerative diseases, atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis. Punica granatum displays high antioxidant potential due to the presence of phenolic compounds, which are capable of disease prevention. The present study showed the highest antioxidant activity in pomegranate peel than in seeds and pulp. Based on these results, pomegranate peel was used to produce dried extract that was added to commercial tomato juice and orange juice with strawberries. Analysis to determine the content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity was performed on pomegranate pulp, seeds and peel and in juices enriched with dried extract of pomegranate peel. The dried extract was responsible for a significant increase in antioxidant activity of the juices, proportional to the concentrations added. However, although both flavors of enriched juices displayed high antioxidant levels, the samples with higher dried extract concentrations received the lowest scores from sensory analysis participants due to the characteristic astringent flavor of pomegranate peels. Therefore, to obtain greater acceptance in the consumer market, we concluded that the maximum addition of dried pomegranate peel extract is 0.5% in tomato juice and orange juice with strawberries.     

Trypanocidal Action of (?)-Elatol Involves an Oxidative Stress Triggered by Mitochondria Dysfunction

Natural compounds have shown good potential for the discovery of new chemotherapeutics for the treatment of Chagas’ disease. Recently, our group reported the effective trypanocidal activity of (−)-elatol, extracted from the red macroalgae Laurencia dendroidea present in the Brazilian coast against Trypanosoma cruzi. However, the mechanism of action of this compound has remained unclear. There are only hypotheses concerning its action on mitochondrial function. Here, we further investigated the mechanisms of action of (−)-elatol on trypomastigotes of T. cruzi. For this, we evaluated some biochemical alterations in trypomastigotes treated with (−)-elatol. Our results show that (−)-elatol induced depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, an increase in the formation of mitochondrial superoxide anion and loss of cell membrane and DNA integrity. Additionally, (−)-elatol induced formation of autophagic vacuoles and a decrease in cell volume. All together, these results suggest that the trypanocidal action of (−)-elatol involves multiple events and mitochondria might be the initial target organelle. Our hypothesis is that the mitochondrial dysfunction leads to an increase of ROS production through the electron transport chain, which affects cell membrane and DNA integrity leading to different types of parasite death.     

Dietary L-Carnitine Supplementation Protected Turbot (Scophthalmusmaximus) Against Streptococcus parauberis Infection

The protective effect of dietary L-carnitine supplementation was accessed in turbot (Scophthalmusmaximus) challenged with Streptococcus parauberis. Infected fish fed 240mg L-carnitine showed significantly (P < 0.01) higher survival (78%) than infected fish fed 40mg L-carnitine (11%). When dietary L-carnitine supplementation was suspended, a significant increase in mortality was observed in infected fish. The present report documents that dietary L-carnitine fed on a continuous basis may act as an immunostimulant in turbot.     

Physical and Sensory Properties of Regular and Reduced‐Fat Pound Cakes with Added Amaranth Flour

The sum of wheat flour and corn starch was replaced by 10, 20, or 30% whole amaranth flour in both conventional (C) and reduced fat (RF) pound cakes, and the effects on physical and sensory properties of the cakes were investigated. RF presented 33% fat reduction. The increasing amaranth levels darkened crust and crumb of cakes, which decreased color acceptability. Fresh amaranth‐containing cakes had similar texture characteristics to the controls, evaluated both instrumentally and sensorially. Sensory evaluation revealed that replacement by 30% amaranth flour decreased C cakes overall acceptability scores, due to its lower specific volume and darker color. Amaranth flour levels had no significant effect on overall acceptability of RF cakes. Hence, the sum of wheat flour and corn starch could be successfully replaced by up to 20% amaranth flour in C and up to 30% in RF pound cakes without negatively affecting sensory quality in fresh cakes. Moisture losses for all the cakes were similar, ≈1% per day during storage. After six days of storage, both C and RF amaranth‐containing cakes had higher hardness and chewiness values than control cakes. Further experiments involving sensory evaluation during storage are necessary to determine the exact limit of amaranth flour replacement.     

Release of doxycycline through cellulose acetate symmetric and asymmetric membranes produced from recycled agroindustrial residue: Sugarcane bagasse

Cellulose acetate is one of the components employed in drug controlled-release systems in the form of membranes. The aim of this study was to examine the controlled-release of doxycycline employing cellulose acetate symmetric and asymmetric membranes as matrices. The cellulose triacetate was produced from sugarcane bagasse through a homogeneous acetylation reaction, using acetic acid as the solvent, acetic anhydride as the acetylating agent and sulfuric acid as the catalyst. The viscosity average molecular weight of the cellulose acetate produced was 39,000 g mol⁻¹. The symmetric membranes were produced using a system solvent of dichloromethane/ethanol (9:1, v/v) and the asymmetric membranes were produced from the same solvent system and 10% of water. For the formulation of both, 5% of doxycycline was used. The membranes were characterized by thermal analysis (DSC and TGA) and scanning electron microscopy SEM. The release of doxycycline through cellulose triacetate matrices was examined using spectrophotometric analysis in the ultraviolet-visible region, at 275 nm. The results revealed that asymmetric membranes release 80% of the drug in 100 min, while symmetric membranes release 14% of the drug during the same time interval.     

Foliar application of calcium and kinetin on soybean at reproductive stage

We characterized the pollination and fecundation times in soybean flowers and evaluated the effects of kinetin and calcium applications on physiological and productive traits of soybean plants during the reproductive stage. The anatomical study of flowers of eight soybean cultivars showed that fecundation occurred in closed flowers with visible petals, which presented embryo in the first cell divisions. These results indicate that fertilizers and growth regulation applications should be performed before flower opening, which is different from the current recommendation. Foliar applications of kinetin and calcium between the floral bud and full flowering stages did not affect carbon dioxide (CO₂) assimilation, yield components and final yield. The results obtained in this research showed the lack of viability of foliar application of calcium and kinetin in order to increase pod set and number of seeds per plant in soybean crop.     

Removal of Phenolic Compounds from Aqueous Solutions Using Sludge-Based Activated Carbons Prepared by Conventional Heating and Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis

Sludge-derived activated carbons (ACs) were prepared by conventional heating and microwave pyrolysis. The ACs were characterized using several analytical and functional techniques and used for removal of six phenolic compounds from aqueous solutions. The adsorbents exhibited similar features and possessed hydrophobic surfaces. The ACs were assigned mesoporous materials, with specific surface areas of up to 641 and 540 m² g^?1 for CAC-500 and MAC-980, respectively. The preliminary results indicated that phenol removal onto the ACs increased in the order: m-cresol?<?phenol?<?o-cresol?<?2-chrorophenol?<?2-nitrophenol?<?hydroquinone. Hydroquinone exhibited the highest adsorption capacity and was chosen to continue the remaining part of the experimental work—kinetic and isothermal studies. The adsorption kinetic and isotherm data were well described by the Avrami fractionary order and Redlich–Peterson models, respectively. The maximum amounts (Q _max) of hydroquinone adsorbed at 25 °C were too high, reaching 1218.3 and 1202.1 mg g^?1 for CAC-500 and MAC-980, respectively. The mechanism of adsorption was proposed in this work, and it was suggested that donor–acceptor complex and π–π interactions play major roles in the adsorption process. The adsorbents were also tested on simulated effluents. The two ACs displayed good efficiency for the treatment of industrial simulated effluents.