New organic substrates and boron fertilizing for production of yellow passion fruit seedlings

The identification of alternative substrates suitable for seedling production is very important, while boron nutrition is also relevant due to plant requirement and its difficult management. Thus, four experiments were carried out from October 2012 to April 2013 to evaluate the effect of substrates using decomposed buriti (Mauritia vinifera Mart.) stem (DBS) and boron fertilizing for seedling production of yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims). The experimental design was completely randomized in factorial scheme 6 × 2 + 1, referring to the substrates [S1: DBS, S2: soil and sand 1:1 (20%) + DBS (80%), S3: soil and sand 1:1 (40%) + DBS (60%), S4: soil and sand 1:1 (60%) + DBS (40%), S5: soil and sand 1:1 (80%) + DBS (20%), S6: commercial substrate (additional treatment) and S7: soil, sand and manure 1:1:2] with and without boron. The seedling emergence, emergence rate, plant height, stem diameter, root length, root volume and dry mass of roots and shoots were recorded. The substrates S2 (without B fertilizing) and S4 (B fertilized with 0.5 mg dm^?3) produced seedlings with more than 3.0 g of shoot dry mass and at least 30 cm in height, and can be used for production of high-quality yellow passion fruit seedlings.     

Irreversible unfolding of myoglobin in an aqueous solution by supercritical carbon dioxide

The conformational changes in myoglobin, treated by microbubbling of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO(2)), were investigated by measuring the circular dichroism spectra in the ultraviolet range and compared with those in other proteins (ovoalbumin, bovine serum albumin, and beta-lactoglobulin). Irreversible unfoldings were observed after the microbubbling of SC-CO(2) at 35 degrees C and 30 MPa for 30 min. The degree of unfolding depended on the number of intramolecular S-S bonds. alpha-Helix contents of myoglobin decreased with increasing density of SC-CO(2). Unfoldings of myoglobin induced by heating, pH-lowering, and the addition of a denaturant were reversible. The irreversible unfolding of myoglobin was also observed by the bubbling of gaseous CO(2) under atmospheric pressure, but heating was required.     

Inhibitory effect of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors varies according to its origin

The inhibitory effect of alpha-glucosidase (AGH) inhibitors against its origins (baker's yeast and rat, rabbit, and pig small intestines) was investigated. All inhibitors used in this study showed quite different inhibitory activities according to AGH origins. Voglibose, acarbose and glucono-1,5-lactone strongly inhibited mammalian AGHs, whereas no or less inhibition was observed in yeast AGH. On the contrary, (+)-catechin, a good inhibitor against yeast AGH (IC(50) = 1.3 x 10(-)(1) mM) as well as voglibose (IC(50) = 2.6 x 10(-)(2) mM), did not retard the mammalian AGH activity. Subsequent inhibition study with various food components revealed that all of foods except for green (IC(50) = 0.735 mg/mL) and oolong teas (IC(50) = 1.34 mg/mL) showed no inhibitory activity against rat AGH, whereas they inhibited yeast AGH. Consequently, the magnitude of AGH inhibition was greatly affected by its origin, and more attention relating to AGH origin would be needed to evaluate in vitro AGH inhibitory effect.     

Desorption behavior of sorbed flavor compounds from packaging films with ethanol solution

Desorption behavior of sorbed flavor compounds such as ethyl esters, n-aldehydes, and n-alcohols from LDPE and PET films was investigated in 0 to 100% (v/v) ethanol solutions at 20 degrees C, 50 degrees C, and 60 degrees C. In both films, the desorption apparently increased with increasing ethanol concentration and treatment temperature, depending on the compatibility of the flavor compound with the solvent. Namely, the partition coefficient of ethyl esters, n-aldehydes, and n-alcohols in the LDPE film turned out to be approximately zero at >/=60%, >/=80%, and >/=40% (v/v) ethanol, respectively (for PET film, >/=80%, >/=80%, and >/=40% (v/v) ethanol concentrations were required for complete desorption, respectively). As for physical properties (heat of fusion, melting point, and tensile strength and elongation at break) of LDPE and PET films, there were no significant differences between intact film and the treated film with 60% (v/v) ethanol for 30 min at 60 degrees C. These results suggest that it is possible to apply a desorption solvent such as ethanol solution for desorption of sorbed flavor compounds from packaging films with no physical change in the film properties by this desorption treatment.     

Nutrient Concentrations and Leaf Chlorophyll of Yellow Passion Fruit Seedlings as a Function of Substrate Composition and Boron

This study evaluated nutrient accumulation of yellow passion fruit seedlings produced in substrates containing proportions of decomposed buriti (Mauritia vinifera Mart.) stem (DBS) and the boron in this process. Four experiments were conducted in Federal University of Piauí in Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomized in factorial scheme 6 × 2 + 1, referring to the substrates [DBS (100%), soil and sand 1:1 (20%) + DBS (80%), soil and sand 1:1 (40%) + DBS (60%), soil and sand 1:1 (60%) + DBS (40%), soil and sand 1:1 (80%) + DBS (20%), commercial substrate (additional treatment without boron) and soil, sand and manure 1:1:2] with (0.5 mg B.dm^?3) and without boron. The following variables were recorded: total nitrogen, total phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium, boron, absorption efficiency index and chlorophyll. No influence concerning the substrate composition was noticed on nutritional status, but boron influenced on K and Mg of yellow passion fruit seedlings.     

Application of the porapak q column extraction method for tomato flavor volatile analysis

The Porapak Q column method (PQM) was compared to the method of simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE) under reduced pressure for extraction of the volatile compounds produced by tomato cv. Momotaro. The PQM was found to be effective at trapping and isolating many low and high boiling point volatile compounds and at producing the very desirable natural ripe tomato flavor of extracts. The SDE method was less effective in isolating the higher boiling point volatile compounds and caused deterioration of volatile compounds due to the heating process that takes place during extraction, resulting in an unpleasant boiled green tomato flavor of extracts. The advantages of using the PQM are its simplicity and its high efficiency in isolating many volatile compounds from nonvolatile materials at room temperature. A total of 367 volatile compounds were isolated by the PQM. Of these, hexanal, (Z)-3-hexenal, (E)-2-hexenal, 2- and 3-methylbutanol, and 2-phenylethanol were relatively more abundant than other compounds and (Z)-3-hexenal showed the highest relative amount.