Changes in volatile compounds of carrots (Daucus carota L.) during refrigerated and frozen storage

Carrots (Daucus carota L.) of cv. Bolero and cv. Carlo were processed into shreds and stored for up to 4 months at -24 degrees C (frozen storage), or the roots were stored for up to 4 months at 1 degrees C (refrigerated storage) followed by processing into shreds. Volatiles from the carrot shreds were collected by dynamic headspace technique and analyzed by GC-FID, GC-MS, GC-MS/MS, and GC-O to determine the volatile composition and aroma active components of carrots stored under different temperature conditions. A total of 52 compounds were quantified, of which mono- and sesquiterpenes accounted for approximately 99% of the total volatile mass. Major volatile compounds were (-)-alpha-pinene, beta-myrcene, (-)-limonene, (+)-limonene, (+)-sabinene, gamma-terpinene, p-cymene, terpinolene, beta-caryophyllene, alpha-humulene, and (E)- and (Z)-gamma-bisabolene. A considerable increase in the concentration of mono- and sesquiterpenes was observed during refrigerated storage, whereas the concentration of terpenoids was around the same level during frozen storage. GC-O revealed that the major volatiles together with (+)-alpha-pinene, (-)-beta-pinene, (+)-beta-pinene, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, (-)-beta-bisabolene, beta-ionone, and myristicin had an odor sensation, which included notes of "carrot top", "terpene-like", "green", "earthy", "fruity", "citrus-like", "spicy", "woody", and "sweet".     

Cadmium soil sorption at low concentrations. IV. Effect of waste leachates on distribution coefficients

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to assess the survival of B.t. var. kurstaki in waters. B.t. var. kurstaki was recovered from rivers and public water distribution systems following aerial application of a commercial B.t. formulation (Thuricide 16B). Laboratory studies indicate that B.t. var. kurstaki can survive for relatively long periods of time in fresh water and the marine environment at 20 °C. The amount of residual Cl normally applied to a standard water purification system does not appear to be sufficient to destroy B.t. var. kurstaki. A total Cl residual of at least 1.5 mg L^?1 and 60 min contact time was needed to inactivate 99% of the B. t. var. kurstaki population in tap water at pH 7.2 and 20 °C.     

Monitoring chemical changes of dry-cured Parma ham during processing by surface autofluorescence spectroscopy

Parma hams at various processing stages were investigated by surface autofluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence "landscapes" of raw meat and salted (3 months), matured (11 and 12 months), and aged (15 and 18 months) Parma hams were obtained, and a three-dimensional data array (sample x emission x excitation) was used to develop a PARAFAC model including five components, which all exhibited characteristics of pure fluorophores regarding both excitation and emission spectra. The relative amount of each component related strongly to the processing stage, and sample age showed good correlation to fluorescence data (R = 0.98), with a relative error of prediction of approximately 1 month. Fluorescence measurements from samples of either semimembranosus or biceps femoris were used to predict chemical or sensory reference data, yielding good correlation for biceps femoris data, thereby enabling moisture content, sensory and instrumental color, and proteolysis value to be fairly well predicted. Overall, surface autofluorescence of Parma hams proved to hold relevant information, relating to major chemical/physical changes during processing. It is concluded that fluorescence spectroscopy has potential as an innovative method of quality control in dry-cured ham.     

Volatilisation of aromatic hydrocarbons from soil: Part II,Fluxes from coal tar contaminated soils residing below the soil surface

The non-steady-state fluxes of aromatic hydrocarbons from coal tar contaminated soil, placed below a 5 cm deep layer of uncontaminated soil, were measured in the laboratory over a period of 53 days. The contaminated soil originated from a former gasworks site and contained concentrations of 11 selected aromatic hydrocarbons between 50 to 840 µg/cm³. Where the microbial activity was inhibited, the fluxes stabilized on a semi-steady-state level for the monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, naphthalene and 1-methylnaphthalene after a period of 10–20 days. Fluxes of acenaphthene and fluorene were only measurable in an experiment that utilized a cover soil with a low organic content. The fluxes were predicted by a numerical model assuming that the compounds acted independently of each other and that local equilibrium between the air, water, and sorbed phases existed. The model overestimated the fluxes for all the detected aromatic hydrocarbons by a factor of 1.3 to 12. When the cover soil was adapted to degrade naphthalene, the fluxes of naphthalene and 1-methylnaphthalene approached the detection limit after 5 to 8 days. Thereafter the fluxes of these two compounds were less than predicted by the model employing half-life values of 0.5 and 1 day for naphthalene and 1-methylnaphthalene respectively.     

Surficial deposits at Gusev Crater along Spirit Rover traverses

The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has traversed a fairly flat, rock-strewn terrain whose surface is shaped primarily by impact events, although some of the landscape has been altered by eolian processes. Impacts ejected basaltic rocks that probably were part of locally formed lava flows from at least 10 meters depth. Some rocks have been textured and/or partially buried by windblown sediments less than 2 millimeters in diameter that concentrate within shallow, partially filled, circular impact depressions referred to as hollows. The terrain traversed during the 90-sol (martian solar day) nominal mission shows no evidence for an ancient lake in Gusev crater.     

Enhanced modern heat transfer to the Arctic by warm Atlantic Water

The Arctic is responding more rapidly to global warming than most other areas on our planet. Northward-flowing Atlantic Water is the major means of heat advection toward the Arctic and strongly affects the sea ice distribution. Records of its natural variability are critical for the understanding of feedback mechanisms and the future of the Arctic climate system, but continuous historical records reach back only ~150 years. Here, we present a multidecadal-scale record of ocean temperature variations during the past 2000 years, derived from marine sediments off Western Svalbard (79°N). We find that early-21st-century temperatures of Atlantic Water entering the Arctic Ocean are unprecedented over the past 2000 years and are presumably linked to the Arctic amplification of global warming.     

Paleo-Eskimo mtDNA genome reveals matrilineal discontinuity in Greenland

The Paleo-Eskimo Saqqaq and Independence I cultures, documented from archaeological remains in Northern Canada and Greenland, represent the earliest human expansion into the New World's northern extremes. However, their origin and genetic relationship to later cultures are unknown. We sequenced a mitochondrial genome from a Paleo-Eskimo human by using 3400-to 4500-year-old frozen hair excavated from an early Greenlandic Saqqaq settlement. The sample is distinct from modern Native Americans and Neo-Eskimos, falling within haplogroup D2a1, a group previously observed among modern Aleuts and Siberian Sireniki Yuit. This result suggests that the earliest migrants into the New World's northern extremes derived from populations in the Bering Sea area and were not directly related to Native Americans or the later Neo-Eskimos that replaced them.