Starch Pasting and Textural Attributes of Elbow Macaroni as Impacted by Dough Moisture,Dough Mixing Time,and Macaroni Cooking Time

The effects of dough moisture, mixing time, and cooking time on uncooked and cooked elbow macaroni by means of starch pasting and macaroni textural characteristics were investigated. In conventional elbow macaroni production, cooking time was found to have significant contributions to cooked macaroni starch pasting properties, indicating that degree of starch cook dependent on cooking time was the main influence on cooked macaroni starch pasting phenomena. Dough moisture also showed some significant (P < 0.05) relationships with cooked macaroni starch pasting properties; however, mixing time did not show significant effect. Cooked macaroni starch pasting properties showed significantly (P < 0.05) high correlations with cooked macaroni firmness and stickiness. Cooking time was the only major variable contributing to variations in cooked elbow macaroni starch and consequently in pasting and texture characteristics. Cooking time was highly related to firmness and stickiness of cooked elbow macaroni (P < 0.0001, R² = 0.8148; P < 0.0001, R² = 0.6215, respectively). In addition, dough moisture had a slight significant (P < 0.05) effect on cooked elbow macaroni firmness and stickiness. Cooked elbow macaroni firmness and stickiness were found to be highly correlated (P = 0.0001, R² = 0.8459). Increases in firmness increased cooked elbow macaroni stickiness. As a result, when elbow macaroni was cooked for shorter times, firmer and stickier macaroni was obtained.     

Genotoxicity effects of Flusilazole on the somatic cells of Allium cepa

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the fungicide flusilazole on somatic cells of Allium cepa. For evaluation of cytogenetic effects, root meristem cells of A. cepa were treated with 10, 20, 30 and 45 ppm (EC₅₀ concentration) for 24, 48 and 72 h. The mitotic index and different types of chromosomal abnormalities such as bridges, stickiness and laggards were determined in both control and test groups. Acridine orange/Ethidium bromide double staining and fluorescence microscope was used to determine the stability of chromosome structure. Data obtained from staining process indicated that ratio of necrotic cells significantly increased by the flusilazole presoaking. The RAPD-PCR method was used and the higher doses treated-group (45 ppm) was more distant to the control group compare with others.     

Characterization of a glutenin-specific serine proteinase of Sunn bug Eurygaster integricepts Put

Glutenin hydrolyzing proteinases (GHPs) have been purified, by affinity chromatography, from wheat seeds damaged by the Sunn bug Eurygaster integriceps (Hemiptera, Scutelleridae). A 28 kDa protein was partially sequenced by mass spectrometry and Edman degradation which showed homology to serine proteases from various insects. Three full length clones were obtained from cDNA isolated from Sunn bug salivary glands using degenerate PCR based on the sequences obtained. The cleavage site of the protease was determined using recombinant and synthetic peptides and shown to be between the consensus hexapeptide and nonapeptide repeat motifs present in the high molecular weight subunits of wheat glutenin (PGQGQQ∧GYYPTSLQQ). Homology models were generated for the three proteinases identified in this study using the high resolution X-ray structure of a crayfish (Pontastacus leptodactylus) trypsin complexed with a peptide inhibitor as template (PDB accession 2F91). The novel specificity of this protease may find applications in both fundamental and applied studies.     

Chemical and physiological responses of four Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) provenances to cold temperature treatments

Determining the adaptability to abiotic conditions and potential establishment success of tree species needs to be conducted before attempting to use a species in large-scale afforestation programs. In this study, the chemical and physiological performance of four Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) provenances was investigated after exposure to artificial cold temperature treatments to determine their adaptability to cold environment for potential use in afforestation programs. Seeds were sown and raised for 24, 28, and 32 weeks and exposed to decreasing temperatures in an artificial freezer. Relative electrolyte leakage, chlorophyll fluorescence, and carbohydrate concentrations were measured to determine the variability between provenances. Results showed that diameter and height growth did not vary with origin for each of the three growth stages measured. Root electrolyte leakage values differed between provenances, confirming that cold stress was effectively causing physiological damages when plants were exposed to temperature at ?15 °C and below. The variability observed in the relationship between provenances and cold hardiness responses can be attributed to tree-to-tree variability within provenances and microsites conditions. There was generally no significant difference in chlorophyll fluorescence between provenances, also attributed to low genetic variation between provenances. Carbohydrate concentrations were also very variable and varied significantly among growth stages and provenances. High-altitude provenances had higher soluble carbohydrates concentrations in several cases, suggesting a relationship between altitude, soluble sugars, and cold hardiness. However, these trends were not consistent; therefore, we suggest that such hypotheses be confirmed through more comprehensive further studies.     

Effect of Non-Vehicular Sources on Heavy Metal Concentrations of Roadside Soils

Soils along highway environments typically contain high concentrations of heavy metals because of non-point contamination sources, most commonly vehicle exhaust and wear of vehicle parts. Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Sb, Ba and Ra concentrations of soils along roadways with very low traffic volumes in a rural portion of San Patricio County, Texas, have been studied in order to distinguish the effects of a point source (an industrial waste landfill) from the effects of traffic. The highest concentrations of Zn, Cr, Sb, Ba and Ra were detected in soils along the access road to the landfill. The association of high Ba values with high Ra values suggests that the most probable sources of this contamination were oilfield waste from storage tank bottoms, which were disposed of in landfill waste pits and were also spread over roads within the landfill to decrease dust. Outside the landfill along a different roadway, a second contamination area which was characterized by very high Ba but low Sb and Ra concentrations compared to background values, has been detected. Drilling mud spill is the most probable source of this contamination. The contaminations caused by these two point sources differ from typical vehicle-sourced contamination in two ways: their areal extent was limited and contaminants were not typical for highway environments (like Ba and Ra). Like vehicular contamination, however, these areas were confined to the immediate vicinity of the roadways. Another difference is that Pb in most vehicle-contaminated areas is strongly bound to the soil constituents, mostly organic matter, whereas the point source Pb was found to be readily exchangeable and to have no association with organic matter.     

Heavy Metal Contamination in Soils of Urban Highways Comparison Between Runoff and Soil Concentrations at Cincinnati,Ohio

Rainfall runoff from urban roadways oftencontains elevated amounts of heavy metals in both particulate anddissolved forms (Sansalone and Buchberger, 1997). Because metalsdo not degrade naturally, high concentrations of them in runoffcan result in accumulation in the roadside soil at levels thatare toxic to organisms in surrounding environments. This studyinvestigated the accumulation of metals in roadside soils at asite for which extensive runoff data were also available.For this study, 58 soil samples, collected from I-75 nearCincinnati, Ohio, were examined using X-ray fluorescence, C-Sanalyzer, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, atomicabsorption spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. The resultsdemonstrated that heavy metal contamination in the top 15 cm ofthe soil samples is very high compared to local backgroundlevels. The maximum measured amount for Pb is 1980 ppm (at 10–15 cm depth) and for Zn is 1430 ppm (at 0–1 cm depth). Metal content in the soil falls off rapidly with depth, and metalcontent decreases as organic C decreases. The correlation toorganic C is stronger than the correlation to depth. The resultsof sequential soil extraction, however, showed lower amounts ofPb and Zn associated with organic matter than was expected basedon the correlation of metals to % organic C in the whole soil.Measurement of organic C in the residues of the sequentialextraction steps revealed that much of the carbon was not removedand hence is of a more refractory nature than is usual inuncontaminated soils. Cluster analysis of the heavy metal datashowed that Pb, Zn and Cu are closely associated to one another,but that Ni and Cr do not show an association with each other orwith either organic C or depth. ICP spectroscopy of exchanged cations showed that only 4.5%of Pb, 8.3% of Zn, 6.9% of Cu and 3.7% of Cr in the soil isexchangeable. Combined with the small amounts of metals bound tosoluble organic matter, this result shows that it is unlikelythat these contaminants can be remobilized into water. At thissite, clays are not an important agent in holding the metals inplace because of low amounts of swelling clays. Instead, insoluble organic matter is more important. Mass balancecalculations for Pb in soil showed that most of the Pb came fromexhausts of vehicles when leaded gasoline was in use, and thatabout 40% of this Pb is retained in the soil.This study shows that, highway environments being a relativelyconstant source of anthropogenic organic matter as well as heavymetals, heavy metals will continue to remain bound to organicmatter in-situ unless they are re-mobilized mechanically. Removalof these heavy metals as wind-blown dust is the most likelymechanism. Another possibility is surface run-off carrying themetals into surface drainages, bypassing the soil. This studyalso shows that for those countries still using leaded gasoline,important reductions in Pb contamination of soils can be achievedby restricting the use of Pb additives.     

Preparation and Functional Properties of Gluten Hydrolysates with Wheat‐Bug (Eurygaster spp.) Protease

Suni‐bug (Eurygaster spp.) enzyme was partially purified from bug‐damaged wheat and used to prepare gluten hydrolysates at 3% and 5% degree of hydrolysis (DH). Functional properties of gluten and gluten hydrolysates were determined at 0.2% (w/v) protein concentration and pH 2–10. Gluten solubility after enzymatic hydrolysis increased significantly (P < 0.05) up to 89.1, 89.6, and 95.0% at pH 7, 8, and 10, respectively. Emulsion stability (ES) of gluten hydrolysates improved at neutral and alkaline pH (P < 0.05) and emulsifying capacity (EC) increased significantly (P < 0.05) except at pH 10. Foaming capacity (FC) values of gluten hydrolysates were significantly higher (P < 0.05) at pH 6, 7, 8; foam stability (FS) values of gluten hydrolysates were significantly higher (P < 0.05) at pH 6 and 7. Enzymatic modification of gluten by wheat‐bug enzyme resulted in hydrolysates with higher antioxidant activity compared to gluten. Significant correlations (P < 0.001) were found between solubility and EC, ES, FC, and FS values of gluten and its hydrolysates with 3% and 5% DH.     

Analysis of gluten-hydrolyzing proteinase polymorphism in wheat grains damaged by Sunn Pest Eurygaster integriceps Put. and related bugs

The heterogeneity and variability of gluten-hydrolyzing proteinases in accessions of wheat grains from Russia and Turkey damaged by Sunn pest and related bugs have been first estimated using isoelectric focusing (IEF) in combination with a new version of the glutenin replicas method. The variability revealed reflects peculiarities of bug populations and their adaptive reaction to wheat variety. Approaches proposed can be used for diagnostics of damage, studying of interaction of pest with food plant and development of resistant forms of wheat.     

Changes in antioxidant and metabolite profiles during production of tomato paste

Tomato products and especially concentrated tomato paste are important sources of antioxidants in the Mediterranean diet. Tomato fruit contain well-known antioxidants such as vitamin C, carotenoids, flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids. The industrial processing of this fruit into tomato paste involves several treatments that potentially affect the final profile of antioxidants and other metabolites in the commercial product. Here we have used both biochemical and metabolomic techniques to assess the effect of each separate step in the industrial production chain starting from fresh fruit to the final tomato paste. Material was collected from five independent tomato paste production events spread over two successive years. Samples comprised the intact ripe fruits and semifinished products after fruit-breaking, separation of the pulp from skin and seeds, evaporation, and finally after canning and pasteurization. The effect of each processing step was determined by different types of analysis. First, the total antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content were determined by commonly used spectrophotometric methods. Second, individual antioxidants in the extracts were identified and compared using an HPLC with online antioxidant detection. Third, in each sample the levels of the major individual antioxidants present, i.e., vitamin C, phenolic compounds (such as rutin and chlorogenic acid), tocopherols, and carotenoids, were quantified. Fourth, an untargeted metabolomic approach using LC-QTOF-MS was used to identify those production steps that have the largest impact on the overall metabolic profile in the final paste as compared to the original fruits. This multifaceted approach has revealed that each processing step induces specific alterations in the metabolic profile, as determined by the different analysis procedures, and that in particular the fruit-breaking step and the removal of seed and skin significantly affect the levels of antioxidants and many other metabolites present in commercial tomato paste.     

Investigation of the changes in low molecular weight organic acids and other physiological parameters by nitric oxide application in two wheat cultivars exposed to boron stress

Boron (B) is one of the essential nutrients for the growth of plants, but its high concentrations are toxic for plants. Thus, B toxicity is a big challenge in crop cultivation. Nitric oxide (NO) is a small signaling molecule that has cytoprotective roles in plants. We investigated whether exogenous sodium nitroprusside (SNP), which is a NO donor, may succeed to alleviate B-induced toxicity in wheat cultivars. Seedlings were grown for 10 days in a growth chamber at 25°C with 16 hr light–8 hr dark photo cycle. After high B application, the effects of SNP on growth parameters; electrolyte leakage (EL); changes in reactive oxygen species [contents of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), malondialdehyde (MDA), and proline]; the activities of antioxidant enzymes [glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione S-transferase (GST)] and nitrate reductase (NR); and low molecular weight organic acid (LMWOAs) contents and also chlorophyll and total carotenoid contents were investigated in both shoots and roots of two different wheat cultivars. All experiments were carried out in triplicate. 0.2 mM SNP application ameliorated the chlorophyll and total carotenoid contents, and growth parameters such as shoot length, root length, and fresh weight in both wheat cultivars exposed to B stress. SNP reduced the B-induced lipid peroxidation, EL, and proline and H₂O₂ content in wheat cultivars. SNP application also increased the activities of NR and antioxidant enzymes, including GSHPx, GR, and GST in wheat cultivars exposed to B toxicity. All of the tested LMWOAs including succinic, propionic, butyric, oxalic, formic, malic, malonic, and benzoic acids were increased by SNP treatment in the shoots and roots of both wheat cultivars exposed to B toxicity. In conclusion, results obtained from this study have demonstrated that interactive effects of SNP with B considerably reduced the toxic effects of B in wheat cultivars.