Bocaiuva (Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd) improved Vitamin A status in rats

Carotenoid bioavailability is influenced by various factors including the food matrix. The release of those molecules from the food matrix is the initial and most important step in the absorption process. The relative bioavailability of bocaiuva pulp beta-carotene in relation to pure beta-carotene was assayed by a hepatic retinol store, in vitamin A deficient Wistar rats. After the depletion period, the vitamin A deficient rats were separated into two groups and fed an AIN-93G modified diet, which contained 14 400 microg of pure beta-carotene (beta-carotene diet) or 13 475 microg of beta-carotene from 275 g of bocaiuva pulp (bocaiuva diet) per 1 kg of the diet as a vitamin A source. Both experimental diets resulted in similar body weight gains. The bioavailability, estimated as Retinol Accumulation Factor, was 7.3 and 3.5 for the beta-carotene and the Bocaiuva group, respectively. These results show that in spite of the matrix of the bocaiuva pulp, the beta-carotene bioavailability from this fruit was higher than the pure beta-carotene.     

Effect of xanthan on flavor release from thickened viscous food model systems

The influence of xanthan concentration (0, 0.02, 0.1, 0.4, and 0.8% w/w) and bulk viscosity on the release of 20 aroma compounds of different chemical classes (5 aldehydes, 4 esters, 5 ketones, 3 alcohols, and 3 terpenes) was evaluated in xanthan-thickened food model systems having different viscosities. Interactions between flavor compounds and xanthan were assessed by measuring air-liquid partition coefficients, K, of aroma compounds in pure water and in the xanthan solutions by static headspace gas chromatography. Mass transfer of aroma compounds was estimated by dynamic headspace gas chromatography. Notably, limonene and some of the esters and aldehydes exhibited decreased K values in the presence of xanthan, indicating that the release of these volatile aroma compounds was reduced due to interaction with the xanthan matrix. The degree of interaction depended on the physicochemical characteristics of the aroma compounds. A similar tendency was observed at nonequilibrium with the decreases in release rates being most pronounced for limonene, followed by the esters and aldehydes, with no effect for ketones and an apparent "salting out" effect for alcohols. The reduction in flavor release by xanthan was thus dependent on the physicochemical properties of the aroma compounds and was apparently a result of the aroma-xanthan interactions and not influenced by the viscosity of the system itself.     

Efficacy of feeding tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes on moon jellyfish with respect to nutritional composition and behavioural traits

Although jellyfish blooms are serious nuisances for fisheries and other industries, the utilization and nutritional value of by‐catch jellyfish has drawn public attention. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of feeding tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes with moon jellyfish Aurelia sp. using 20‐day rearing experiments. Feeding on jellyfish had no positive effect on growth performance, although it significantly reduced neutral lipids and increased proportions of polar lipids, n?3 and n?6 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs), especially arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids, and taurine. Supplemental feeding on jellyfish plus pellets elevated activity and responsiveness in the fish, with no effect on burst swimming speed or prevention of aggressive biting by siblings. The present research suggests that feeding on jellyfish improves body composition and some behaviours in tiger puffers. As cultured fish tend to accumulate excessive amounts of lipids from lipid‐rich pellets that can induce an unhealthy condition, and behavioural deficits of hatchery‐reared fish reduce survival after release in the wild, we propose the use of jellyfish as a supplemental diet in the nursery production of tiger puffer. Moreover, feeding on jellyfish can overcome deficiencies in alternative soy‐material feeds by supplying phospholipid, HUFAs, or taurine.     

Improved phosphorus efficiency of three new wheat genotypes from CIMMYT in comparison with an older Mexican variety

In a field trial in Northwest Mexico, the phosphorus efficiency of three advanced bread wheat lines (Triticum aestivum L.) from CIMMYT were compared with an older Mexican variety Curinda, under irrigation, on an alkaline clay soil (3.7 mg Olsen-P kg^—1 soil) without (P-0) and with P-fertilisation (P-35; 35 kg P ha^—1). Dry matter, P-content, P-uptake of above ground biomass and root growth (root length densities in different soil depths) were measured at different growth stages, and the net P-uptake rates per unit root length calculated. All four genotypes responded positively to P-fertilisation. The three new genotypes showed significantly higher grain yields compared with the old variety Curinda, on the average, 54% and 42% higher at P-0 and P-35, respectively. The higher grain yield was mainly due to a larger number of kernels per ear, higher thousand kernel weight as well as a higher harvest index. The old variety Curinda had the same (P-0) or greater (P-35) number of spikes m^—2 than the new genotypes. In conclusion of this experiment, the three new genotypes could be classified as more P-efficient. The P-uptake at harvest averaged 35% and 24% more than the old variety Curinda at the P-0 and P-35 level, respectively. The improved P-efficiency was mainly due to a more efficient P-uptake. However, there were only small differences in P-utilisation efficiency (kg grain per kg P in shoots) between old and new varieties (8—11%). The differences in the root systems were more decisive in the P-0 treatment than with P-fertilisation. At low P, the improved P-uptake per ha of the advanced lines was due to a higher root length density especially after flowering, while at high P, a higher P-influx rate per unit root length played a more important role than the root length density. The superiority of the new genotypes at both P levels is obviously due to the good adaptation of their root system (root length density, uptake rate per unit root) to variable P availability in soil.     

Improvement of Rice Production under Drought Conditions in West Africa: Application of QTLs in Breeding for Drought Resistance

Rice plays a paramount role in food and nutrition security in many West African countries. Despite the doubling of production during the last decade, rice consumption has grown faster, creating a deficit between the demand and supply. Although the West African sub-region remains the main rice-producing centre on the continent, production is severely hampered by biotic and abiotic stresses. Drought is one of the factors that most severely reduce grain yields of rice. Systems of production need to be established in order to mitigate yield loss as a result of drought. This review discusses the effects of drought on rice production in West Africa and its mitigation with an emphasis on the improvement of tolerance to drought stress. Yield stability can be achieved by developing drought-tolerant varieties through several processes encompassing profiling of known QTLs and identification of new ones, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and extensive multi-locational yield trials. We suggest a comprehensive strategy for breeding drought-tolerant rice varieties in West Africa.