Postharvest induction modeling method using UV irradiation pulses for obtaining resveratrol-enriched table grapes: a new "functional" fruit?

A modeling method for the induction of resveratrol synthesis by UV irradiation pulses in Napoleon table grapes is proposed. The method is based on the combination of four main parameters: irradiation power (IW), irradiation time (IT), irradiation distance (ID), and number of elapsed days to achieve the highest resveratrol accumulation (D(m)). Maximum resveratrol content (11-fold higher than untreated grapes) was achieved using the combination: IW = 510 W, IT = 30 s, ID = 40 cm, and D(m) = 3 days. Sensory characteristics and main features of irradiated grapes (color, weight, firmness, flavor, size, ripening index and vitamin C content) remained unaltered after 1 week of storage. UV induction signal migrated to the hidden side of the grape skin with a delay of 3 days as compared to the directly irradiated side. Phenolic compounds were not detected in Napoleon grape flesh. Resveratrol content per standard serving (200 g) of irradiated grape was about 3 mg, an amount more than 10-fold higher than that of untreated Napoleon grapes. This means that a serving of irradiated grape (unpeeled) could supply the resveratrol content equivalent to 3 glasses of a red wine with high resveratrol content ( approximately 1 mg/glass). Therefore, controlled UV irradiation pulses are useful as a simple postharvest treatment (and alternative to genetic engineering) to obtain possible "functional" grapes (with enhanced health-promoting properties) as a dietary source of high resveratrol content.     

Phytoextraction of Cd and Pb and physiological effects in potato plants (Solanum tuberosum var. Spunta): importance of root temperature.

Three consecutive years of field experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of different root-zone temperatures, induced by the application of mulches, on the concentration and accumulation of Cd and Pb and on bioindicators (chlorophylls, catalase, peroxidase and cell wall fractions) in different organs of potato plants (roots, tubers, stems, and leaflets). Four different plastic covers were employed (T1, transparent polyethylene; T2, white polyethylene; T3, white and black coextruded polyethylene, and T4, black polyethylene), using uncovered plants as the control (T0). The different treatments had a significant effect on the mean root-zone temperatures (T0 = 16 degrees C, T1 = 20 degrees C, T2 = 23 degrees C, T3 = 27 degrees C, and T4 = 30 degrees C) and induced significantly different responses in the Cd and Pb concentrations and phytoaccumulation, with T2 (23 degrees C) and T3 (27 degrees C) giving high concentrations of Cd in the roots and low concentrations in other organs. In relation to Pb, T2 and T3 reached higher levels in the tubers and lower levels in the roots, stems, and leaves. In terms of phytoaccumulation, the roots and tubers were the most effective organs for Cd and Pb. On the other hand, the highest values of peroxidase and catalase activities were obtained for T3. In addition, most of the carbohydrate fractions in both the roots and the tubers were highest for T3. Meanwhile, the lowest pigment values were registered for T1 (20 degrees C). For phytoremediation, it is necessary to ascertain the relevance and control of the thermal regime of the soil to optimize the phytoextraction of pollutant elements (Cd and Pb).     

Release of lipids during yeast autolysis in a model wine system

The release of lipids during the aging of sparkling wines in contact with yeast can influence wine sensory attributes and, especially, foam characteristics. Model systems allow study of the autolysis process in a reasonable period of time compared to natural conditions, at which it can last several months. In this paper, the release of the different classes of lipids during the autolysis of three commercial yeast strains in a model wine medium has been monitored. Due to the absence of accurate quantitative methods, an HPLC method for separating and quantifying the different neutral and polar yeast lipid classes was developed. Lipids were eluted through a YMC PVA-Sil column with a complex solvent mixture. Detection was carried out with a light-scattering detector. The yeasts were suspended in the model wine buffer and incubated at 30 degrees C for up to 12 days. A release of triacylglycerols, 1,3-diacylglycerols, 2-monoacylglycerols, free fatty acids, sterol esters, and sterols was observed over the first 2 days, a period that corresponded to the maximum loss of yeast viability. A decrease in most of these lipids was observed from day 2, possibly indicative of the release of yeast hydrolytic enzymes due to the breakdown of the cell wall. Phospholipids were not detected in any of the autolysates. The mean lipid content in the autolysates as a percentage of the total lipid content in the yeasts was 8.6% for sterol esters, 3.8% for sterols, 2% for triacylglycerols, and <2% for 1,3-diacylglycerols and free fatty acids.     

Oxidation of salsolinol by banana pulp polyphenol oxidase and its kinetic synergism with dopamine

Salsolinol, a tethrahydroisoquinoline present in banana and biosynthesized from dopamine, was oxidized by banana pulp polyphenol oxidase to its corresponding salsolinol-o-quinone. This oxidation was pH-dependent and showed a maximum at acidic pH values. At physiological pH of 5.0, the values obtained for the kinetic parameter (V(m) and K(m)) were 62.5 microM/min and 1.7 mM, respectively. When dopamine was added to the reaction medium to imitate physiological conditions, salsolinol was co-oxidized by dopamine-quinone. When this phenomenon was studied oxygraphically, an unexpected activation of dopamine oxidation was found in the presence of salsolinol. This activation was related with the enzyme's kinetic mechanism and was named "kinetic synergism", because a bad substrate activated a good one. A possible physiological role is discussed.     

Microbial biomass and metabolic activity in four acid soils

The fumigation method was used to estimate microbial biomass C in four Haplumbrepts developed over different kinds of rock. In order to investigate the relationship between metabolic activity and microbial biomass and population density, CO₂ release from the glucose-enriched and unenriched soils was measured during 28 days of incubation.

Biomass C levels lay between 36 and 112 mg 100 g⁻¹ of dry soil, and made up only a small proportion of total soil C (0.77–1.38%). Only a small fraction of this biomass was detected by counting viables, but the microbial population was nevertheless significantly correlated with the biomass determined by fumigation. Among the physico-chemical properties of the soils, microbial biomass and population size were both chiefly affected (favourably) by humidity, total C and N and Al gel content. Metabolic activity was slight, either because part of the micro-organisms are inactive or because of a limited supply of substrate (the organic matter present may be unsuitable as a substrate or protected from microbial attack). Percentage C mineralization was inversely related to organic matter, silt and Al gel contents, and likewise failed to exhibit positive correlation with respiration, the biomass determined by fumigation or the counted population. The metabolic activity of the biomass appeared to depend upon the quality and nature of soil organic matter rather than its quantity, which nevertheless controlled microbial population size.

Neither microbial biomass estimates nor viable population counts faithfully reflected metabolic activity in the soils.     

Cyclodextrins as activator and inhibitor of latent banana pulp polyphenol oxidase

The effect of cyclodextrins (CDs) on o-diphenol oxidation catalyzed by banana polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was studied. The oxidation of dopamine, the natural substrate of banana, in the presence of cyclodextrins was unaffected, because this hydrophilic phenol does not form inclusion complexes with CDs. However, when a hydrophobic phenol such as tert-butylcatechol (TBC) was used, a marked inhibition was observed with beta-, hydroxypropyl-beta-, and maltosyl-beta- CDs. This inhibition was due to the complexation of TBC in the CD core, demonstrating that banana pulp PPO worked only toward free substrate and not toward the complex TBC-CDs. In addition, the effect of some inhibitors in the presence of CDs and dopamine as substrate was studied. Increasing concentrations of CDs, in the presence of two inhibitors (4-iodophenol and cinnamic acid) were able to activate the inhibited enzyme to reach the noninhibited level by complexing the inhibitors in the hydrophobic core of the CDs. This dual effect of CDs as activator and inhibitor was tested in crude banana pulp extracts, with surprising activation effects never before described being observed.     

Usefulness of amino acid composition to discriminate between honeydew and floral honeys. Application to honeys from a small geographic area

With the aim of finding methods that could constitute a solid alternative to melissopalynological and physicochemical analyses to determine the botanical origin (floral or honeydew) of honeys, the free amino acid content of 46 honey samples has been determined. The honeys were collected in a small geographic area of approximately 2000 km(2) in central Spain. Twenty-seven honey samples were classified as floral and 19 as honeydew according to their palynological and physicochemical analyses. The resulting data have been subjected to different multivariant analysis techniques. One hundred percent of honey samples have been correctly classified into either the floral or the honeydew groups, according to their content in glutamic acid and tryptophan. It is concluded that free amino acids are good indicators of the botanical origin of honeys, saving time compared with more tedious analyses.     

Preparation and characterization of inclusion complex of norflurazon and beta-cyclodextrin to improve herbicide formulations

The formulation of inclusion complexes of the herbicide norflurazon as guest and beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) as host has been studied as a first step in the use of cyclodextrins to obtain improved formulations of this herbicide. The interaction of norflurazon with beta-CD produced the formation of an inclusion complex in solution and in solid state. The inclusion of norflurazon in beta-CD in solution was studied by phase solubility, and an apparent stability constant of 360 M(-)(1), a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio for the complex, and up to 5-fold increase in norflurazon solubility were determined. Three processing methods (kneading, spray drying and vacuum evaporation) were used to prepare norflurazon-beta-CD solid inclusion complexes. X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to study the solid complexes. From the different solid systems, an increase of norflurazon aqueous dissolution rate was obtained in comparison to the uncomplexed herbicide. This finding is a first step to obtain controlled release and/or protective formulations of norflurazon, which allow a more rational application of norflurazon, diminishing the use of organic solvents and increasing its efficacy.     

Acute and chronic disability among U.S. farmers and pesticide applicators: the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a multipurpose household survey of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population conducted annually since 1957. From 1986 to 1994, over 450,000 U.S. workers, age 18 years and older, participated in a probability sampling of the entire non-institutionalized U.S. population; variables collected included a range of measures of acute and chronic disability. The objective of the present study was to assess predictors of health status, and acute and chronic disability for farmers and pesticide applicators (pesticide-exposed workers) compared to all other U.S. workers using the 1986-1994 NHIS. After adjustment for sample weights and design effects using SUDAAN, several measures of acute and chronic disability and health status were modeled with multiple logistic regression. Farmers (n = 9576) were significantly older compared to all other U.S. workers (n = 453,219) and pesticide applicators (n = 180). Farmers and pesticide applicators had a higher proportion of males, whites, and Hispanics and were less educated. After adjusting for age, gender, race-ethnicity, and education, compared to all other workers, farmers were significantly less likely to report acute and chronic disability and health conditions, while pesticide applicators were more likely to report chronic disability, health conditions, and poor health. Given the cross-sectional nature of the data and the significant job demands of farming, both leading to a relative healthy worker effect, the present results indicate that at any point in time, farmers report less acute and chronic disability, compared to other U.S. workers, whereas pesticide applicators report similar or poorer health.