Polyphenol content and total antioxidant activity of vini novelli (young red wines)

Eight commercial Italian vini novelli (red wines prepared by carbonic maceration and supposed to be consumed within three months from their wine-making) were evaluated for their total antioxidant activity. The wines had an average total phenol content (1605.4 +/- 337.4 mg/L gallic acid equivalents) lower than that of wines prepared by traditional maceration and consumable after aging (2057. 3 +/- 524.0 mg/L gallic acid equivalents). The average flavanol content (424.7 +/- 121.3 mg/L catechin equivalents) and the total antioxidant activity (16.8 +/- 3.8 mmol/L Trolox equivalents) of vini novelli were higher than the corresponding values (382.7 +/- 174.5 mg/L catechin equivalents and 12.3 +/- 3.3 mmol/L Trolox equivalents) found for aged wines. Three couples of experimental wines were prepared from the same grapes by traditional or carbonic maceration. These wines showed a different phenolic pattern, anthocyanins being more abundant in vini novelli. However, the average total antioxidant activities of the wines were similar, suggesting that aging (and not the wine-making technique) is the main factor influencing the antioxidant activity of red wines.     

Antioxidant characterization of some Sicilian edible wild greens

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that many antioxidants and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the diet may protect against cancers and cardiovascular disease. Common fruits and vegetables are good sources of antioxidants, although in some Mediterranean areas traditional wild greens are responsible for a significant percentage of total dietary antioxidant intake. In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort of Ragusa (Sicily), a high number of subjects were found to frequently eat wild greens, including Sinapis incana and Sinapis nigra, Diplotaxis erucoides, Cichorium intybus, Asparagus acutifolius, and Borrago officinalis. On the basis of these observations, detailed characterization of single antioxidant components (i.e., polyphenols, carotenoids, chlorophylls, and ascorbic acid) and the TAC of these edible wild traditional plants was performed. The wild plants examined were found to be very rich in antioxidants, such as flavonoids and carotenoids, with high TAC values, suggesting that the importance of these vegetables, not only in the traditional but even in the contemporary diet, needs to be emphasized.     

Propolis extract combined with oregano essential oil applied to lima bean seeds against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

European Journal of Plant Pathology - In this study, propolis extract (EPE) and oregano essential oil (OEO), both natural products with different bioactive compounds, were evaluated in vitro and in...     

Histological development of the sunflower fruit pericarp as affected by pre- and early post-anthesis canopy shading

The dynamics of pericarp development compared to that of the embryo, as well as the effect of pre-anthesis and post-anthesis shading on pericarp histogenesis and dry weight dynamics of fruits from two sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) hybrid cultivars along three capitulum positions, peripheral, mid and central were studied. During fruit formation, the cell division phase of the carpel takes place before anthesis. Eight days after anthesis the pericarp reached its final size, while its cell wall's sclerification was almost complete 13 days after anthesis. Pre-anthesis shading affected the carpel cell division period reducing (17–33%) the number of pericarp middle layer strata and increased the thickenings of the cell wall of the mid (19%) and central (33–63%) fruits. In central fruits, the dry weight accumulation period was reduced. In contrast, post-anthesis shading reduced both the cell wall thickness (16–64%) and the number (38–58%) of pericarp middle layer sclerified strata of fruits in the three positions of the capitulum. In the mid and central fruits, the dry weight accumulation period extended 11–16 and 3–4 days, respectively, over those of the control. Both shading treatments produced thinner and lighter pericarps, but with different anatomical features that were associated with differences in the efficiency of use of the fruit for industrial oil extraction.     

Can roads be used as transects for primate population surveys?

Line transect distance sampling (LTDS) can be applied to either trails or roads. However, it is likely that sampling along roads might result in biased density estimates. In this paper, we compared the results obtained with LTDS applied on trails and roads for two primate species (Callithrix penicillata and Callicebus nigrifrons) to clarify whether roads are appropriate transects to estimate densities. We performed standard LTDS surveys in two nature reserves in south-eastern Brazil. Effective strip width and population density were different between trails and roads for C. penicillata, but not for C. nigrifrons. The results suggest that roads are not appropriate for use as transects in primate surveys, at least for some species. Further work is required to fully understand this issue, but in the meantime we recommend that researchers avoid using roads as transects or treat roads and trails as covariates when sampling on roads is unavoidable.     

Soil properties and plant community relationship in a saltmarsh of the Grado and Marano lagoon (northern Italy)

Purpose

The relationship between soil properties and plant communities was investigated in a saltmarsh of the Grado and Marano lagoon (northern Italy), where hydrology and micromorphology strongly influence the features of the ecosystem. A multidisciplinary approach was used to assess the change of soil properties and plant communities in relation to the submergence of soil.

Materials and methods

The plant community and soil profile surveys were both carried out along a transect in six sampling sites of the Gran Chiusa saltmarsh (Grado and Marano lagoon). The morphological and physicochemical parameters of soil profiles were investigated, and soils were classified according to Soil Taxonomy. The concentration of macronutrients in both soils and plants was analysed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Cluster and linear discriminant analysis were used to assist the interpretation of the data of plant communities and soil properties, respectively. The bioconcentration factor explored the macronutrient relationship between plant community and soil.

Results and discussion

A high, middle and low zone were identified by clustering the different plant communities along the studied transect. Discriminant analysis showed how the increase in soil submergence supported the accumulation of S and Ca content and depletion of Fe and Na. The development of different plant communities was linked to both soil water saturation and to the capacity of halophytes to tolerate anoxic conditions or salinity, by extrusion or bioconcentration strategies.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that tide level plays an important role in the pedological development and chemical transformations along a soil hydrosequence. The micromosaic vegetation pattern may therefore represent a useful index of the hydrological and nutritional status of the underlying soils and could be used to predict changes in coastal ecosystems.

     

Effects of different cooking methods on antioxidant profile, antioxidant capacity, and physical characteristics of artichoke

In this study, the effects of three common cooking practices (i.e., boiling, steaming, and frying) on the artichoke phenolic compounds pattern were evaluated by LC-MS/MS analysis. The variation of carotenoids, antioxidant capacity, and artichoke physical properties after cooking was also investigated. The major phenolic compounds present in the raw sample were 5- O-caffeoylquinic and 1,5-di- O-caffeoylquinic acids; after cooking treatments, an increase of the overall caffeoylquinic acids concentration due to the formation of different dicaffeoylquinic acid isomers was observed. Steamed and fried samples showed similar patterns of dicaffeoylquinic concentrations, which were higher with respect to the boiled samples. On the other hand, all cooking practices, particularly frying, decreased flavonoid concentration. The antioxidant capacity of cooked artichokes, measured by three different assays, enormously increased after cooking, particularly after steaming (up to 15-fold) and boiling (up to 8-fold). The observed cooking effect on the artichoke antioxidant profile is probably due to matrix softening and increased extractability of compounds, but the increase of antioxidant capacity is much higher than the increase of antioxidant concentration. These results suggest that some common cooking treatments can be used to enhance the nutritional value of vegetables, increasing bioaccessibility of health-promoting constituents.     

Contribution a l'etude chimique du Rissoella verruculosa (Bertolini) J. Agardh

Résumé Le matériel végétal marin n'a pas encore fait l'objet d'études approfondies en ce qui concerne ses possibilités d'apport à l'alimentation animale, particulièrement du point de vue protéique.L'algue étudiée:Rissoella verruculosa (Bertolini)J. Agardh, présente sous cet aspect une composition en acides aminés intéressante.Les taux de lysine et de méthionine, relativement élevés pour un végétal, permettent d'envirsager favoralement l'extension des recherches dans ce domaine pour l'utilisation de nouvelles ressources alimentaires.

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Summary Seaweeds have not yet been studied extensively with regard to their possibilities in the field of animal nutrition, especially to the proteic determination. Rissoella verruculosa (Bertolini)J. Agardh, the studied seaweed, has a very interesting amino acid composition.Lysin and methionin rates are quite high for a plant, and allow to foresee the extension of researches in that field for the use of new food sources.

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Zusammenfassung Meeresalgen sind bisher noch nicht Gegenstand eingehender Untersuchungen gewesen, um Möglichkeiten für die Tierernährung, insbesondere für die Eiweißversorgung, zu erschließen. Einen interessanten Aspekt in dieser Hinsicht gibt die untersuchte Alge,Risoella verruculosa (Bertolini)J. Agardh, durch ihre Aminosäuren-Zusammensetzung. Die Gehalte an Lysin und Methionin — für ein pflanzliches Erzeugnis relativ hoch — eröffnen Möglichkeiten der Ausnutzung neuer Nahrungsquellen.