Use of natural and modified cyclodextrins as inhibiting agents of peach juice enzymatic browning

Although cyclodextrins (CDs) have been successfully used as antibrowning agents in different fruit juices, no research has studied the effect of these compounds on enzymatic browning in peach juice. In this paper, the color of fresh peach juice was evaluated in the presence of two types of natural (alpha-CD and beta-CD) and a modified (maltosyl-beta-CD) CD, and the effectiveness of these compounds as browning inhibitors was determined using the color space CIELAB system. Moreover, to clarify the mechanism by which CDs inhibit peach juice enzymatic browning, the process was kinetically modeled in the absence and presence of CDs using a colorimetric method; the apparent complexation constants between the mixtures of diphenols present in peach juice and some types of CD were calculated. The results show that the highest affinity constant was presented by alpha-CD (Kc = 18.31 mM-1) followed by maltosyl-beta-CD (Kc = 11.17 mM-1), whereas beta-CD was incapable of inhibiting peach juice enzymatic browning. Keywords: Cyclodextrin; browning; peach; juice; color; polyphenol oxidase.     

D-amino acid formation in sterilized alkali-treated olives

The occurrence of d-amino acids in commercial ripe olives, a well-known sterilized alkali-treated product, was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with precolumn automatic derivatization. Absolute amounts of D-amino acids were in total 18.6-38.2 mg/100 g edible portion. The major D-amino acids were D-aspartic acid, D-glutamic acid, D-serine, and D-leucine. Furthermore, to evaluate the effects of sterilization time and olive pH on amino acid racemization, a simulated processing of green ripe olives was carried out. Serine (both free and bound form) was the most-racemized amino acid after heat treatment. Sterilization (15-35 min at 121 degrees C) increased the racemization values of both free and protein-bound amino acids, although in case of protein-bound phenylalanine the increase was not statistically significant. With an increase of pH from 8 to 10 units, the racemization values of all amino acids increased significantly, except for free forms of aspartic and glutamic acids. In general, the effects of the sterilization time and olive pH on total concentration (L + D enantiomers) of each amino acid were also significant.     

Bird-mediated effects of pest control services on crop productivity: a global synthesis

Journal of Pest Science - Birds provide important ecosystem services in many ecosystems, including important pest control effects on productive systems. The typically low bird diversity observed in...     

Litter production and nutrient deposition from native woody species in the Brazilian semi-arid region

Agroforestry Systems - The use of native trees in agroecosystems is a promising way to increase litter deposition and nutrient cycling and foster the recovery of degraded areas, especially in...     

Short-term baths with essential oils of Lippia sidoides,Ocimum gratissimum and Zingiber officinale influence blood parameters and survival of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) after infection with Aeromonas hydrophila

This study evaluated the effect of short-term baths with the essential oils (EOs) of Lippia sidoides, Ocimum gratissimum and Zingiber officinale on the survival, haematological, biochemical and histopathological parameters of native fish tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila. After challenge, the fish infected with A. hydrophila received therapeutic baths of 60 min, for five consecutive days. Treatments were as follows: challenged and not treated; challenged and treated with 10 mg L^?1 of gentamicin; challenged and treated with EO of L. sidoides (2.5 and 5.0 mg L^?1); challenged and treated with EO of O. gratissimum (5.0 and 10.0 mg L^?1); challenged and treated with Z. officinale EO (5.0 and 10.0 mg L^?1). The highest survival rates were 89.5% (fish treated with 5.0 mg L^?1 of O. gratissimum EO) and 75.0% (fish treated with 5.0 mg L^?1 of L. sidoides EO). Reductions in the haematocrit percentage, haemoglobin and erythrocyte number were observed in fish treated with L. sidoides and Z. officinale EOs compared with control fish. Mild to moderate damage to the liver tissue of fish after challenge and EO treatments were observed. It is suggested that baths containing O. gratissimum and L. sidoides EOs consist in a viable treatment to increase survival rates of C. macropomum infected with A. hydrophila.     

Reproductive performance of cultured brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in Chile

Data on reproductive traits in a cultured population of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in southern Chile were collected over three consecutive reproductive seasons: 1999, 2000 and 2001, corresponding to the first (at 3 years), second and third spawnings in females. Data were collected from individual females (n=238, 273 and 169 respectively). The reproductive season lasted mainly from June to August. The peak (July) tended to increase with each season (55.46%, 62.27% and 80.81% of total spawning fish respectively). Female body weight (470.8±102.5, 735.0±150 and 1263.9±263.4 g), total fecundity (1182±344, 1904±595 and 2744±605) and egg diameter (4.64±0.11, 4.67±0.27 and 5.24±0.12 mm) increased significantly (P<0.01) over successive reproductive seasons, particularly between the second and third spawnings. Relative fecundity, on the other hand, decreased significantly with each season (3577±471, 2591±900 and 2181±360). Following analysis of the variables over the three seasons, the correlation pattern of female body weight with total fecundity (r=0.91, n=458; P<0.001) and relative fecundity (r=?034, n=451; P<0.001) proved similar to that described in other salmonid females. Fertilization rate and survival to the eyed egg stage were also positively correlated (r=0.73, n=453; P<0.001). The systematically high values obtained for these latter variables over the seasons evaluated (consistently above 90%) are clearly greater than those we registered in other species of salmonids bred in Chile under similar conditions and suggest highly efficient biological variables that determine the gamete fertilization of this species. The brown trout is, therefore, an interesting potential aquaculture resource in Chile.     

Chemistry and Biology of Bengamides and Bengazoles,Bioactive Natural Products from Jaspis Sponges

Sponges corresponding to the Jaspidae family have proved to be a prolific source of bioactive natural products. Among these, the bengamides and the bengazoles stand out by virtue of their unprecedented molecular architectures and impressive biological profiles, including antitumor, antibiotic and anthelmintic properties. As a consequence, intense research activity has been devoted to these compounds from both chemical and biological standpoints. This review describes in detail the research into these classes of natural products and the benefits they offer in chemistry and biology.     

Chronosequence of Technosols at the Peña Colorada mine in Colima,Mexico: a short-term remediation alternative

Journal of Soils and Sediments - The objective of this study was to examine the pedogenetic evolution occurring in technic hard materials from an iron mine through the characterization of a...     

Comparison of the effects of epidural or intravenous methadone on the minimum alveolar concentration of isoflurane in dogs

The effects of epidural and intravenous (IV) methadone (0.5mg/kg) on the minimum alveolar concentration of isoflurane (ISO(MAC)) were compared in dogs. Six dogs (16.5 ± 2.5 kg bodyweight) received three treatments in random order during isoflurane anaesthesia, with a 7 day washout interval between each study. Methadone was injected via a lumbosacral epidural catheter introduced 10 cm cranially into the epidural canal and the electrical stimulation for ISO(MAC) determination was applied either to the thoracic (EP(T) treatment) or to the pelvic limb (EP(P) treatment) during separate study days. In the IV treatment, ISO(MAC) was determined via electrical stimulation of the pelvic limb. Variables were recorded before (baseline), 2.5 and 5h after drug injection. The ISO(MAC) decreased significantly (P<0.05) from baseline at 2.5 and 5h after methadone in all treatments. At 2.5h, the magnitude of ISO(MAC) reduction did not differ between treatments (mean decreases from baseline: 30-33%). The ISO(MAC) reduction lasted longer following epidural methadone in the thoracic limb (decreases from baseline: 30% at 5h in the EP(T) treatment vs. 19% and 16% in the EP(P) and IV treatments, respectively). Although the isoflurane sparing effect provided by epidural methadone was not significantly greater than IV methadone during the initial stage (2.5h), it was more prolonged than the IV route in specific dermatomes (5h in the thoracic limb) with the epidural technique employed. Methadone may therefore provide a greater isoflurane sparing effect when administered epidurally, compared to IV, when noxious stimulation occurs in specific dermatomes.