Determination of rotundone, the pepper aroma impact compound, in grapes and wine

Shiraz, also known as Syrah or Hermitage, is one of Australia's most popular red wine varieties both domestically and internationally. Black pepper aroma and flavor are important to some Australian Shiraz red wine styles. Recently, rotundone (a bicyclic sesquiterpene) was identified as the potent aroma compound responsible for pepper aromas in grapes, wine, herbs, and spices, including peppercorns. Here the development, optimization, and validation of the analytical method for the quantitative determination of rotundone in grapes and wine are described and discussed. The method is precise, accurate, robust, and sensitive with a subpart per trillion limit of quantitation. The method uses stable isotope dilution analysis with d(5)-rotundone as internal standard, solid-phase extraction and microextraction, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.     

Approaches to wine aroma: release of aroma compounds from reactions between cysteine and carbonyl compounds in wine

Under conditions close to those of wine, that is, low pH, aqueous medium, and low temperatures, this work examines the role of carbonyl (acetoin and acetol) and dicarbonyl (glyoxal, methylglyoxal, diacetyl, and pentane-2,3-dione) compounds associated with cysteine in the formation of odorous products. In particular, thiazole, 4-methylthiazole, 2-acetylthiazole, and trimethyloxazole and two sulfur and oxygenated heterocyclic compounds, 2-furanmethanethiol and thiophene-2-thiol, are examined. For thiophene-2-thiol, the reactional mechanism is proposed. Attempts were made to detect these compounds in wines from various origins. Certain molecules were identified for the first time in wine.     

Isolation and identification of 2-methoxy-3,5-dimethylpyrazine, a potent musty compound from wine corks

The compound responsible for a "fungal must" taint evident in industry assessments of wine corks was identified as 2-methoxy-3,5-dimethylpyrazine. The identification was made on the basis of gas chromatography/odor analyses, collection of material using micropreparative techniques, determination of chemical properties of collected material, and comparison by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with an authentic sample, synthesized from 2-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylpyrazine. 2-Methoxy-3,5-dimethylpyrazine is an extremely potent compound with an unpleasant, musty, moldy aroma and an aroma threshold in a white wine of 2.1 ng/L. While its contribution to the frequency and intensity of cork taint in bottled wine is yet to be established, it has been assessed by some wine industry personnel as second only to 2,4,6-trichloroanisole as a cause of cork taint in Australian wine.     

3-Mercapto-2-methylpentan-1-ol, a new powerful aroma compound

3-Mercapto-2-methylpentan-1-ol was first detected in a complex thermally processed flavor and finally isolated from raw onions. The chemical structure of this new compound was identified by MS and (1)H NMR measurement and synthesis of the proposed structure. Sensory evaluation at different concentrations indicated that the flavor quality is strongly dependent on concentration. At low concentration (0.5 ppb) a pleasant meat broth, sweaty, onion, and leek-like odor can be perceived. On the basis of some isolation experiments and volatiles occurring in raw onions, a formation pathway is proposed. As one intermediate 3-mercapto-2-methylpentanal, another new strong flavor compound, was suggested. The presence of this compound in raw onions was confirmed by synthesis and comparison of MS and chromatographic data.     

Concurrent phenomena contributing to the formation of the aroma of wine during aging in oak wood: an analytical study

Red wine was stored in different oak barrels or in stainless steel, and samples were taken for two years to determine 79 aroma compounds. Aging in oak affects 41 compounds. The type of wood affects 11 compounds. At least seven different processes seem to take place concurrently in aroma evolution, and five such processes, affecting 37 compounds, are linked to the oak cask. These are extraction from the wood, oxidation of wine alcohols and amino acids, microbiological formation of ethyl phenols, sorption processes, and condensation of acetaldehyde with polyphenols. The wood can release linear gamma- and delta-lactones, beta-damascenone, and ionones. Some compounds are released very fast from wood, which suggests they lie in the external part of the wood. Some extraction profiles are too complex to be explained by physical processes. Finally, the levels of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone and 2-ethyl-5-methyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone increase even in the reference wine, which suggests the presence of a precursor.     

Precursors of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, a potent flavor compound of an aromatic rice variety

The biological formation of a potent flavor compound, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, in the aromatic rice variety (Khao Dawk Mali 105) was studied in seedlings and callus of the rice. Concentrations of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline were determined by GC-MS-SIM using an isotope dilution method. Increases in concentration occurred when proline, ornithine, and glutamate were present in solution, with proline increasing the concentration by more than 3-fold compared to that of the control. Results of tracer experiments using (15)N-proline, (15)N-glycine, and proline-1-(13)C indicated that the nitrogen source of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline was proline, whereas the carbon source of the acetyl group was not the carboxyl group of proline. 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline was formed in the aromatic rice at temperatures below that of thermal generation in bread baking, and formed in the aerial part of aromatic rice from proline as the nitrogen precursor.     

Grape contribution to wine aroma: production of hexyl acetate, octyl acetate, and benzyl acetate during yeast fermentation is dependent upon precursors in the must

Wine is a complex consumer product produced predominately by the action of yeast upon grape juice musts. Model must systems have proven ideal for studies of the effects of fermentation conditions on the production of certain wine volatiles. To identify grape-derived precursors to acetate esters, model fermentation systems were developed by spiking precursors into model must at different concentrations. Solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatgraphy mass spectrometry analysis of the fermented wines showed that a variety of grape-derived aliphatic alcohols and aldehydes are precursors to acetate esters. The C6 compounds hexan-1-ol, hexenal, (E)-2-hexen-1-ol, and (E)-2-hexenal are all precursors to hexyl acetate, and octanol and benzyl alcohol are precursors to octyl acetate and benzyl acetate, respectively. In these cases, the postfermentation concentration of an acetate ester increased proportionally with the prefermentation concentration of the respective precursor in the model must. Determining viticultural or winemaking methods to alter the prefermentation concentration of precursor compounds or change the precursor-to-acetate ester ratio will have implications upon the final flavor and aroma of wines.     

Identification of a powerful aroma compound in munster and camembert cheeses: ethyl 3-mercaptopropionate

With the view to investigate the presence of thiols in cheese, the use of different methods of preparation and extraction with an organomercuric compound ( p-hydroxymercuribenzoate) enabled the isolation of a new compound. The analysis of cheese extracts by gas chromatography coupled with pulse flame photometry, mass spectrometry, and olfactometry detections led to the identification of ethyl 3-mercaptopropionate in Munster and Camembert cheeses. This compound, described at low concentrations as having pleasant, fruity, grapy, rhubarb, and empyreumatic characters, has previously been reported in wine and Concord grape but was never mentioned before in cheese. A possible route for the formation of this compound in relation with the catabolism of sulfur amino acids is proposed.     

Characterization of (E,E,Z)-2,4,6-nonatrienal as a character impact aroma compound of oat flakes

To identify the compounds evoking the characteristic cereal-like, sweet aroma of oat flakes, an aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) was applied to a distillate prepared by solvent extraction/vacuum distillation from commercial oat flakes. Among the nine aroma-active compounds detected by gas chromatography-olfactometry and AEDA in the flavor dilution (FD) factor range of 4-1024, eight odorants, for example, (E)-beta-damascenone, (Z)-3-hexenal, and butanoic acid, showed only low FD factors. However, one odorant eliciting the typical cereal, sweet aroma of the flakes was detected with the highest FD factor of 1024. By mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements followed by a synthesis, (E,E,Z)-2,4,6-nonatrienal, exhibiting an intense oat flake-like odor at the extremely low odor threshold of 0.0002 ng/L in air, was identified as the key odorant of the flakes. By means of a newly developed stable isotope dilution analysis using synthesized, carbon-13-labeled nonatrienal as the internal standard, a concentration of 13 mug of (E,E,Z)-2,4,6-nonatrienal per kilogram of the flakes was measured. Model studies suggested linolenic acid as the precursor of nonatrienal in oats.     

(E)-1-(2,3,6-trimethylphenyl)buta-1,3-diene: a potent grape-derived odorant in wine

(E)-1-(2,3,6-Trimethylphenyl)buta-1,3-diene (TPB) was identified as a potent odorant in acid hydrolysates of crude glycoconjugate fractions isolated from grapes and grape vine leaves. TPB was also identified in a Semillon wine, using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, by co-injection with an authentic sample. TPB had an aroma detection threshold of 40 ng/L in a neutral white wine and the concentration of TPB in four out of five white wines analyzed ranged from 50 to 210 ng/L.     

福建山地土壤的系统分类及其分布规律

不同水土保持措施的效果具有地区差异性,长期实施梯田和生草措施在红壤丘陵区坡地果园的水土保持效应亟需进一步研究。

试验选择典型红壤丘陵区采用不同工程措施（顺坡和梯田）和生物措施（清耕和生草,以百喜草（Paspalum notatum Flugge）为生草品种）的20 a 林龄枇杷（Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl）果园为研究对象,分析不同措施下果园土壤养分含量与迁移特征,以及果实产量的差异,对比不同水土保持措施的综合效应。

①坡地果园土壤养分含量的坡位分布特征因措施不同差异显著,梯田和生草措施均可以有效降低土壤有机质和养分在坡面上的迁移性。②梯田和生草措施均有利于提高土壤有机质、氮和钾的含量。其中,梯田措施下土壤有机质、碱解氮和全磷含量平均增幅分别达23.0%、6.5%和38.6%。生草措施下土壤有机质、碱解氮和速效钾含量的平均增幅分别为41.4%、38.5%和28.5%。采取梯田生草综合措施下的果园土壤pH值、有机质、碱解氮、全磷和全钾含量最高。③生草措施显著提高了枇杷果实产量,并以梯田生草果园的平均产量最高,其产量比顺坡清耕、顺坡生草和梯田清耕果园分别增加了36.0%、6.5%和27.5%。

梯田生草综合措施能够降低坡地果园土壤养分迁移,有利于坡地土壤有机质和养分的保持,是红壤丘陵地区坡地果园最优的水土保持措施。

     

alpha-Naphthoflavone, a potent antiplatelet flavonoid, is mediated through inhibition of phospholipase C activity and stimulation of cyclic GMP formation

The aim of this study was to systematically examine the inhibitory mechanisms of the flavonoid alpha-naphthoflavone (alpha-NF) in platelet activation. In this study, alpha-NF concentration dependently (5-20 microM) inhibited platelet aggregation stimulated by agonists. alpha-NF (5 and 10 microM) inhibited intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization, phosphoinositide breakdown, and thromboxane A(2) formation stimulated by collagen (1 microg/mL) in human platelets. In addition, alpha-NF (5 and 10 microM) markedly increased levels of cyclic GMP and cyclic GMP-induced vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) Ser(157) phosphorylation. Rapid phosphorylation of a platelet protein of Mr 47,000 (P47), a marker of protein kinase C activation, was triggered by phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (60 nM). This phosphorylation was markedly inhibited by alpha-NF (5 and 10 microM). However, alpha-NF (5 and 10 microM) did not reduce the electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensity of hydroxyl radicals in collagen (1 microg/mL)-activated platelets. These results indicate that the antiplatelet activity of alpha-NF may be involved in the following pathways. (1) alpha-NF may inhibit the activation of phospholipase C, followed by inhibition of phosphoinositide breakdown, protein kinase C activation, and thromboxane A(2) formation, thereby leading to inhibition of intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization. (2) alpha-NF also activated the formation of cyclic GMP, resulting in inhibition of platelet aggregation. These results strongly indicate that alpha-NF appears to represent a novel and potent antiplatelet agent for treatment of arterial thromboembolism.     

Influence of ingredients on the self-diffusion of aroma compounds in a model fruit preparation: an nuclear magnetic resonance-diffusion-ordered spectroscopy investigation

Diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY)-pulsed field gradient (PGF) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to measure self-diffusion coefficients of aroma molecules in model fruit preparations. The impact of the sucrose content on aroma diffusion was specifically investigated, and the relationship with viscosity, water activity, and dry matter parameters was evidenced. DOSY-PGF NMR spectroscopy was found to be a relevant and accurate technique to follow self-diffusion of aroma compounds at low concentrations in a complex food matrix and to obtain information on diffusion of the sucrose and of the water molecules. We showed that aroma self-diffusion was strongly decreased in fruit preparation because of the high sucrose content, which induces the formation of a network through hydrogen bonds with water. Self-diffusion coefficients were determined for aroma molecules of different natures, and values are related to the physicochemical properties of the molecule.     

Nutrient solution concentration on pepper grown in a soilless closed system: yield,fruit quality,water and nutrient efficiency

Abstract

The aim of the experiment was to verify how the adoption of a reduced strength nutrient solution in a soilless closed system could influence the production and quality of pepper and improve the use efficiency of water and minerals. Two nutrient solutions characterized by the same ion ratio but macronutrient concentration equal to 100% or 60% were adopted. The total yield did not differ between the treatments; however the lower concentration of nutrients determined a significant reduction of incidence of unmarketable fruits (blossom-end rot) and thus a higher marketable production (+15%). Within the fruit quality characteristics the dry matter content and the titratable acidity were significantly higher adopting the full strength nutrient solution. Important differences were found when the agronomic water use efficiency was considered: the weight of marketable pepper produced per m³ of water input was about 32% higher using the reduced concentration treatment according to the lower volume of water released in the environment due to the lower renewal of recirculated nutrient solution. A similar pattern was observed for the use efficiency of the main nutrients. With reduced strength nutrient solution the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium released per ton of marketable tomatoes were respectively 83%, 80% and 81% lower than the control. The use of a reduced strength nutrient solution in soilless closed system for pepper cultivation did not influence the total yield and improved the use efficiency of water and minerals. Moreover, the environmental impact of the system was drastically reduced.     

从抑病土壤到根际免疫：概念提出与发展思考

作物土传病害已经成为集约化农业可持续发展中的瓶颈,在粮食安全、资源高效和生态健康多目标协同发展的指导思想下,系统的绿色防控理论和技术体系构建是破解该难题的重要前提。作为植物-土壤互作的热点区域,根际栖息着较土体土壤更丰富的微生物群落,是土传病原物入侵作物根系的必经之路。根际微生态系统中的植物、土壤、微生物组和病原物之间的交互作用必然影响着植物健康。笔者将根际微生态系统抵御土传病原物入侵的现象和能力,称之为"根际免疫"。本文重点梳理根际免疫概念形成的4个重要阶段:(1)抑病土壤概念的提出与发展;(2)抑病微生物筛选与作用机制;(3)抑病土壤核心微生物组及互作机制;(4)根际免疫概念的形成与发展思考。最后从关注根际微生态、注重学科交叉和系统揭示根际免疫机制三方面进行展望,以期为提升土壤-植物系统健康和实现农业可持续发展提供理论依据和技术支撑。     

Chocolate is a powerful ex vivo and in vivo antioxidant, an antiatherosclerotic agent in an animal model, and a significant contributor to antioxidants in the European and American Diets

Chocolate today is often viewed as a food or snack with little nutritional value. The high saturated fat content of chocolate has also contributed to the belief that its consumption increases the risk of heart disease. However, recent human studies have proven that chocolate has beneficial effects on some pathogenic mechanisms of heart disease such as endothelial function and blood pressure. Although the antioxidant properties of chocolate have been known for some time, there has been no examination of its place in the U.S. diet as a source of antioxidants. This paper demonstrates that chocolate makes a significant contribution to U.S. per capita dietary antioxidants and by inference the European Community's. In the U.S. diet chocolate is the third highest daily per capita antioxidant source. An ex vivo study shows that epicatechin, a major polyphenol in chocolate and chocolate extracts, is a powerful inhibitor of plasma lipid oxidation due to polyphenols' ability to bind to lower density lipoproteins. Conversely, the fat from chocolate alone is a pro-oxidant in this model. This is also demonstrated in an in vivo human study. After consumption of dark chocolate and cocoa powder, the lower density lipoproteins isolated from plasma were protected from oxidation compared to the lipoproteins isolated after cocoa butter consumption, which were put under oxidative stress. In an animal model of atherosclerosis, cocoa powder at a human dose equivalent of two dark chocolate bars per day significantly inhibited atherosclerosis, lowered cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides, raised high-density lipoprotein, and protected the lower density lipoproteins from oxidation. Chocolate has thus been shown to have potential beneficial effects with respect to heart disease.     

Effects of microbial inoculants on phosphorus and potassium availability,bacterial community composition,and chili pepper growth in a calcareous soil: a greenhouse study

Purpose

Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are two important essential nutrient elements for plant growth and development but their availability is often limited in calcareous soils. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of applying microbial inoculants (MI, containing effective strains of Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus mucilaginous) on the availability of P and K, plant growth, and the bacterial community in calcareous soil.

Materials and methods

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to explore the effects of the addition of MI (control: without MI addition; treatment: with MI addition at the rate of 60 L ha^?1) on the concentrations of P and K in soil and plant, soil bacterial community diversity and composition, and chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) growth.

Results and discussion

The results showed that MI inoculation significantly increased the fruit yields by 28.5% (p?<?0.01), available P and K in the rhizosphere soil by 32.1% and 28.1% (p?<?0.05), and P and K accumulation in the whole plants by 40.9% and 40.2%, respectively (p?<?0.05). Moreover, high-throughput sequencing revealed that Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Gemmatimonadetes were the dominant phyla of soil bacteria. MI application did not significantly impact the diversity and composition of soil bacterial communities, but increased relative abundances of bacterial genera Flavobacterium responsible for promoting root development across growing stages (p?<?0.05), and changed the soil bacterial community structure associated closely with soil properties of available P, K, and pH in soil.

Conclusions

The application of MI improved the bioavailability of P and K and plant growth due to its impact on the soil bacterial community structure.

     

Use of aliette,a basipetally translocated antimicrobial compound,to enhance rhizophere colonization and nodulation by root-nodule bacteria

Summary A method was developed to improve the colonizing ability of inoculated strains of root-nodule bacteria using aliette (aluminum tris-O-ethyl phosphonate), a basipetally translocated fungicide. Aliette applied to seeds of alfalfa inoculated with an aliette-resistant strain of Rhizobium meliloti increased the numbers of R. meliloti in the rhizosphere after 3 but not 37 days, increased the number of nodules, and with some seed treatments, increased the growth of alfalfa. The enhanced colonization by R. meliloti as a result of seed treatment with aliette lasted for at least 31 days for alfalfa, although plant weights did not increase, Colonization by R. meliloti was further enhanced if seeds and foliage were treated with the fungicide. Coating seeds or sparaying the foliage with aliette also increased the number and weight of nodules and nitrogenase activity in soybeans inoculated with an aliette-resistant strain of Bradyrhizobium japonicum. The stimulation of B. japonicum in the rhizosphere and of nodulation was evident with successive plantings of soybeans if the seeds for each planting were treated with the chemical, but aliette did not increase the yield of inoculated soybeans in the subsequent plantings. With only the seeds of the first planting of inoculated soybeans treated with aliette, the numbers of B. japonicum in the rhizosphere of subsequent plantings were only occasionally greater and the numbers of nodules on the later plantings were not increased. We suggest that root colonization, nodulation, and N₂ fixation by Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium may be enhanced by the use of basipetally translocated antimicrobial compounds together with root-nodule bacteria that are resistant to those compounds.     

Chemical and biological assessment of Angelicae Sinensis Radix after processing with wine: an orthogonal array design to reveal the optimized conditions

The roots of Angelica sinensis [Angelica Sinensis Radix (ASR)] have been used as a common health food supplement for women's care for thousands of years in China. According to Asian tradition, ASR could be processed with the treatment of wine, which subsequently promoted the biological functions of ASR. By chemical and biological assessments, an orthogonal array design was employed here to determine the roles of three variable parameters in the processing of ASR, including oven temperature, baking time, and flipping frequency. The results suggested that oven temperature and baking time were two significant factors, while flipping frequency was a subordinate factor. The optimized condition of processing with wine therefore was considered to be heating in an oven at 80 °C for 90 min with flipping twice per hour. Under the optimized processing conditions, the solubilities of ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide from ASR were markedly increased and decreased, respectively. In parallel, the biological functions of processed ASR were enhanced in both anti-platelet aggregation and estrogenic activation; these increased functions could be a result of the altered levels of ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide in wine-processed ASR. Thus, the chemical and biological assessment of the processed ASR was in full accordance with the Chinese old tradition.