Changes in the chemical composition of basil caused by different drying procedures

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) leaves were dried using a microwave oven at atmospheric pressure or two traditional methods: air-drying at 50 degrees C and freeze-drying. The microwave-drying was carried out at different powers and times on raw basil leaves, while for air and freeze-drying techniques, both raw and blanched leaves were used. The raw and dried basil was analyzed for selected aroma compounds by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry-selected-ion-monitoring, the chlorophyll a and b by HPLC and the color by a reflected-light colorimeter. For dried samples microwaved for 1 min at 270, 2 min at 440, 1 min at 650, and 1 min at 1100 W, the percentage retentions of the characteristic volatile compounds (eucalyptol, linalool, eugenol, and methyl eugenol) were higher than in the samples dried by traditional methods, with the exception of freeze-dried unblenched basil. Microwave drying allowed a larger retention of chlorophyll pigments than air-drying and freeze-drying (with or without blanching) and preserved the color of the raw basil. Microwave drying requires a much shorter treatment and implied the simultaneous blanching of the material.     

Ecological classification of land and conservation of biodiversity at the national level: The case of Italy

The aims of this study are to describe the ecological classification of land in Italy and to show how the resulting land units can act as reliable frameworks for coarse scale environmental analyses that can be used to implement national conservation strategies. We first collected, homogenised and drew physical thematic maps, which were then linked to biological and human features. We then performed a gap analysis of land heterogeneity compared with Natural Protected Areas and Natura2000 network on the basis of three categories: Total gaps, Partial gaps, and Protected. Moreover, we assessed the conservation status of the land units by summarising the environmental quality using the Index of Landscape Conservation. We identified and mapped 3 Land Regions, 24 Land Systems, and 149 Land Facets. Total gaps account for 28% of the country, Partial gaps for 38% and Protected for 34%. The Natura2000 network is more representative than the system of National Protected Areas of the overall land heterogeneity as regards both the types (18 out of 24) and extent (72%) of the Land Systems. Low conservation status prevails in the Land Facets of the Mediterranean Region located along the coasts and plains on sedimentary deposits, whereas high and very high conservation status is found along the higher belts of the Alpine and Apennine chains. These results highlight the potential use of ecological land classification for biodiversity monitoring and conservation purposes, e.g. when identifying land units that need to be recovered or targeted for enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem services protection.     

Analytical discrimination of poisonous and nonpoisonous chemotypes of giant fennel (Ferula communis L.) through their biologically active and volatile fractions

Giant fennel (Ferula communis L.) from Sardinia is characterized by two chemotypes with different biological activities. One chemotype is poisonous, due to prenylcoumarins, and responsible for ferulosis, which mainly affects sheep and goats, cattle, and horses; the other chemotype is nonpoisonous and contains daucane esters. The two chemotypes cannot be distinguished botanically. High-performance liquid chromatography-diode array-ultraviolet detection-mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-UV-MS) analysis of the composition of the fractions containing the biologically active metabolites and of the volatile fractions, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), of both essential oil and headspace sampled by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) are here shown to be effective in discriminating the poisonous and nonpoisonous chemotypes. HS-SPME with CAR/PDMS/DVB in combination with GC-MS has also been found to be a successful, fully automated one-step method for rapid and unequivocal discrimination of the two chemotypes, using aristolene and allohedycaryol as markers of the poisonous and nonpoisonous chemotypes, respectively.     

Chemical composition of volatiles in Sardinian myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) alcoholic extracts and essential oils

The chemical composition of the volatile fraction of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) alcoholic extracts and essential oils from leaves and berries collected in different places in Sardinia (Italy) was studied. A simple and rapid liquid-liquid extraction method was used to isolate volatile compounds from myrtle alcoholic extracts followed by GC and GC-MS analysis allowing the detection of 24 compounds. The volatile fraction was characterized by the terpenes fraction corresponding to that of the essential oils and by a fatty acid ethyl esters fraction. The variation during extraction of the volatile fraction in alcoholic extracts of berries and leaves was evaluated. Essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation, and the yields were on average 0.52 +/- 0.03% (v/w dried weight) and 0.02 +/- 0.00% for leaves and berries, respectively. The essential oils were analyzed by GC and GC-MS, and a total of 27 components were detected, accounting for 90.6-98.7% of the total essential oil composition. Strong chemical variability depending on the origin of the samples was observed. The major compounds in the essential oils were alpha-pinene (30.0 and 28.5%), 1,8-cineole (28.8 and 15.3%), and limonene (17.5 and 24.1%) in leaves and berries, respectively, and were characterized by the lack of myrtenyl acetate.     

Structural elucidation of phototransformation products of azimsulfuron in water

The photodegradation of the sulfonylurea herbicide azimsulfuron, N-[[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)amino]carbonyl]-1-methyl-4-(2-methyl-2H-tetrazole-5-yl)-1H-pyrazole-5-sulfonamide (AZS), was studied in water at different wavelengths and in the presence of photocatalysts. AZS was rapidly degraded by UV light, affording three photoproducts. The main product, accounting for about 70% of photodegraded herbicide, was identified as 6-amino-5-[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)methylamino]-1,5,6,8-tetrahydro-7-oxa-8lambda(6)-tia-1,2,5,6-tetraza-azulen-4-one (ADTA) by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. With simulated sunlight irradiation, the reaction was slower and 2-amino-4,6-dimethoxypyrimidine (DPA) and 1-methyl-4-(2-methyl-2H-tetrazole-5-yl)-1H-pyrazole-5-sulfonamide (MPS), arising from a photohydrolytic cleavage of the sulfonylurea bridge, were the only byproducts observed. The reactions followed first-order kinetics. The addition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) did not modify significantly the AZS photodegradation rate. The presence of Fe2O3 accelerated more than twice the reaction rate affording two major products, DPA and MPS, together with minor amounts of N-[[(5-hydroxy-4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)amino]carbonyl]-1-methyl-4-(2-methyl-2H-tetrazole-5-yl)-1H-pyrazole-5-sulfonamide (AZS-OH). The greatest degradation rate was detected in the presence of TiO2. Only the photohydroxylation product AZS-OH was observed, which was transformed rapidly into oxalic acid.     

Comparison of the volatile constituents in cold-pressed bergamot oil and a volatile oil isolated by vacuum distillation

The vacuum distillation of bergamot peels furnishes a high-quality essential oil that is totally bergapten-free. This oil was compared with that produced by distillation of cold-pressed oils and those commercially available. The oil obtained by vacuum distillation of the bergamot vegetable matrix shows a composition quite similar to that of the cold-pressed oil. It also displays qualitative characteristics that are superior with respect to those normally observed for essential oils isolated by distillation of cold-pressed oils. Oils isolated by the method presented here can constitute ideal candidates in producing foods, for example, Earl Grey tea, and cosmetic preparations.     

Synthetic pyrazole derivatives as growth inhibitors of some phytopathogenic fungi

The present study was carried out to investigate the antifungal activity of pyrazole/isoxazole-3-carboxamido-4-carboxylic acids, 4-oxo-5-substituted pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-6-thiones, and N-alkyl/aryl-N'-(4-carbethoxy-3-pyrazolyl)thioureas against Pythium ultimum, Botrytis cinerea, and Magnaporthe grisea. The results on growth inhibition showed differences in the sensitivity of the three fungi to the tested substances, and in general P. ultimum was shown to be the most sensitive. On all phytopathogens the best results within the pyrazole/isoxazolecarboxamide series are given by the compounds with the carboxamide and carboxylic groups in positions 3 and 4; the presence of these groups seems to be critical for biological activity in this series of compounds. Among the pyrazolopyrimidines the derivative supplied with the benzylic group was the most active on the three fungi and in particular against P. ultimum. Several compounds belonging to the thiourea series are able to inhibit selectively M. grisea at 50 and 10 microg mL(-1), doses at which the reference commercial compound tricyclazole had low or no effect.     

Differential cell counts in canine cytocentrifuged bronchoalveolar lavage fluid: a study on reliable enumeration of each cell type

Background: Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) allows cell recovery from the lower respiratory tract; differential cell counts of BAL fluid gives important information in the assessment of various bronchial and pulmonary diseases. To the best of our knowledge no study has investigated the relation between the number of cells counted and the reproducibility of BAL fluid differential cell counts. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate using statistical methods how many cells should be counted in cytocentrifuged BAL fluid preparations in order to obtain a reliable enumeration of each cell type. Methods: BAL fluid samples from dogs with suspected bronchopulmonary disease were obtained during fiberoptic bronchoscopy with a standardized protocol. Differential cell counts were performed on May–Grünwald–Giemsa‐stained cytocentrifuged preparations by 2 independent observers. Reproducibility for the enumeration of each cell type was expressed as the intraclass correlation coefficient. We considered a threshold level of ≥0.90 to be high and a threshold level of ≥0.85 to be adequate. Results: Forty BAL fluid samples were included in the study. For neutrophils, alveolar macrophages, and eosinophils high reproducibility was reached by counting 200 cells; adequate reproducibility was reached for lymphocytes and bronchial epithelial cells by counting 500 cells. Conclusions: A 500‐cell differential count is required for all types of cells to be quantified with adequate reproducibility in canine cytocentrifuged BAL fluid samples.