Phenolic compositions of grapes and wines from cultivar cabernet sauvignon produced in chile and their relationship to commercial value

The phenolic composition of wine depends on, among other factors, the grapes used to make it. In this sense, knowledge of the chemical composition of grapes and its association with the resulting wines is an important tool to determine if there is a relationship between the phenolic composition of grapes and the price that these wines obtain in the market. For this purpose, grape skins and seeds from the cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon from the central region of Chile, in 2009 and 2010 vintages from two ripening points, were subjected to chemical and phenolic analyses, as were the wines made from these grapes. Grapes and the corresponding wines from three retail price wine categories, U.S. $6-8, U.S. $28-30, and U.S. $150-160, were evaluated. No differences were found across the price categories in the chemical analysis of grapes. Berry skins and wines from the higher price categories presented a higher concentration only of total tannins, and the differences in their concentrations were only among the different fractions of proanthocyanidins in the skins, seeds, and wines; there were no differences in their proportions. A seasonal effect influenced the concentrations of certain compounds in grapes and led to a decrease in the concentration of total phenols, total tannins, and total anthocyanins between sampling dates as harvesting moved toward the common commercial grape harvest in Chilean viticulture.     

Effect of commercial mannoprotein addition on polysaccharide, polyphenolic, and color composition in red wines

Commercially available mannoprotein preparations were tested in Tempranillo winemaking to determine their influence on polysaccharide, polyphenolic, and color composition. No effect was found in the content of grape arabinogalactans, homogalacturonans, and type II rhamnogalacturonans. In contrast, mannoprotein-treated samples showed considerably higher values of high-molecular-weight mannoproteins (bMP) than controls from the beginning of alcoholic fermentation, although these differences diminished as vinification progressed. The bMP decrease observed in the mannoprotein-treated samples coincided with a substantial reduction in their proanthocyanidin content and wine stable color, suggesting a precipitation of the coaggregates mannoprotein-tannin and mannoprotein-pigment. Contrary to what is widely described, these results revealed that at the studied conditions, mannoproteins did not act as stabilizing colloids. Mannoprotein addition did not modify the content and composition of either monomeric anthocyanins or other monomeric phenolics, and it did not affect monomeric anthocyanin color.     

Tagetolone and tagetenolone: two phytotoxic polyketides from Alternaria tagetica

Two new phytotoxic polyketides, tagetolone (1) and tagetenolone (2), in addition to tyrosol and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, have been isolated from the organic crude extract of culture filtrates from the fungal pathogen Alternaria tagetica. Complete characterization of all structures was carried out following a careful analysis of their spectroscopic data (IR, MS, (1)H and (13)C NMR, and 2D NMR experiments).     

Maguey (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Agave salmiana</Emphasis>) infructescence morphology and its relationship to yield components

Agaves are long-lived semelparous plants that produce a high number of seeds, in dehiscent capsules, on the apical section of a stalk, up to 5 m long, after 8–25 years. These and other characteristics such as yield and yield components are scarcely evaluated in the plants of the Agave genus. The objective of this study was to quantify the capsules and seeds yield of A. salmiana Otto ex Salm-Dyck plants simultaneously maturing and growing in the same region. Infructescences of three plants simultaneously growing at San Luis Potosí, Mexico, were harvested. On them we evaluated the number of umbels, capsules and seeds (normal and sterile) and their mass per plant. The study was developed on a completely randomized design with each infructescence as an experimental unit. Also, the type distribution of the number and mass of these yield components along the stalk was evaluated with the Chi square test for goodness of fit, the Shapiro–Wilks for normality tests, asymmetry and kurtosis. Data were analyzed with the ANOVA and multiple comparisons by the Tukey test (p?≤?0.05). The number of umbels per plant (17–25), capsule per umbel (2–179) and per plant (554–1990), normal seed per capsule (0–297), normal seeds per plant (30,610–186,209) and sterile seeds per plant (211,059–619,251) widely and significantly varied among infructescences. Biomass of capsules per plant umbel (3–795 g), biomass of sterile and normal seeds per capsule (0.071–1.449 and 0–3.320 g), per umbel (0.34–97.76 and 0.21–185.26 g) and per plant (182–1052 and 334–2069 g) also varied widely. Seed yield was statistically different between plants simultaneously growing and maturing at the same site.     

Soil P fractions in a volcanic soil chronosequence of Central Mexico and their relationship to foliar P in pine trees

Phosphorus (P) is a major plant nutrient, however, its availability in volcanic ash soils is presumed to be small, due to its specific sorption on short‐range order minerals. We analyzed distinct P fractions in volcanic ash soils of different age (60 to > 100,000 y BP) under pine forests in Central Mexico to investigate their changes along a chronosequence of Regosols, Andosols, and Lixisols, and to evaluate if P availability limits tree growth at any particular stage. Top soil and subsoil samples were first analyzed by the Tiessen and Moir method, which failed to extract exhaustively “organic” and “occluded P”, and “P associated with apatite”. Therefore, we modified the fractionation scheme by including a “recalcitrant organic P” fraction obtained from the difference between P determined in air‐dried subsamples and subsamples burned at 300°C; P adsorbed to short‐range order minerals was assessed in an extraction with NH₄‐oxalate, and P in primary minerals by subtracting the sum of all other fractions from total P contents determined by XRF. This we did after discovering that primary P occurred in the form of fluorapatite included in plagioclase, volcanic glass or olivine. We also measured P contents in pine needles and related these with the “mobile soil P” fractions. The results show that “organic P” reaches maximum contents in 10,000‐y old soil, as does P associated with short‐range order minerals, while P occluded into crystalline oxides increases constantly over time. After 100,000 y, 31% of total P still remains in the form of primary P in A horizons. “Mobile P” was constant > 40 mg kg^?1 in Regosols and Andosols and related positively with foliar P contents, which were within adequate nutritional ranges. Only in Lixisols small “mobile P” concentrations in soil correspond with inadequate P contents in pine needles.     

Influence of two-phase olive mill waste application to soil on terbuthylazine behaviour and persistence under controlled and field conditions

Purpose  

Terbuthylazine is one of the most common herbicides used to control weeds in olive groves. Application of two-phase olive mill waste (OW) to soils may play a fundamental role in the management of leaching losses of pesticides, especially in Mediterranean areas where soils are characterized by low organic matter levels. We evaluated the impact of OW amendments on the sorption–desorption, degradation, leaching, and persistence of the herbicide terbuthylazine in a representative olive grove soil from Portugal.     

The fate of arsenic in soils adjacent to an old mine site (Bustarviejo,Spain): mobility and transfer to native flora

Background, aim, and scope  

The mobility of arsenic in soils and its transfer to other environmental components present significant environmental risks. The management of polluted land is determined by the availability, mobility, and transfer of inorganic pollutants to different ecosystem compartments. In this paper, the fate of arsenic at this mining site has been evaluated to determine future management practises to minimise such risk.     

Chemopreventive activity of polyphenolics from black Jamapa bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) on HeLa and HaCaT cells

The antiproliferative effects of 100% methanol crude extract and of Toyopearl and silica gel fractions from the seed coats of black Jamapa beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were evaluated using HeLa, human adenocarcinoma cells, and HaCaT, human premalignant keratinocytes. The 100% methanol crude extract [172.2 microM equiv of (+)-catechin] increased adhesion of HeLa cells; however, 3- and 5-fold higher concentrations decreased the number of cells attached as a function of the treatment time. The highest concentration tested diminished the cell adhesion until 40% (after 24 h) to almost 80% (after 72 h). The IC50 values showed that the 100% methanol crude extract was the most effective inhibitor of HeLa cell proliferation, even when it was dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) [34.5 microM equiv of (+)-catechin] or in medium [97.7 microM equiv of (+)-catechin]. The Toyopearl 5 (TP5) fraction and silica gel 2 (SG2) fraction inhibited 60% of the HeLa cell proliferation. The IC50 was 154 microM equiv of (+)-catechin of the 100% methanol crude extract on HaCaT cells. Toyopearl fractions TP4 and TP6 significantly inhibited HaCaT cell proliferation, but the silica gel fractions did not have a significant effect. The 100% methanol crude extract (35 microg of dry material/mL) decreased the number of HeLa cells in the G0/G1 phase from 68.9% (for control cells) to 51.4% (for treated cells) and increased apoptosis (2.9 and 21.2% for control and treated cells, respectively). The results indicated that black Jamapa beans could be a source of polyphenolic compounds, which have an inhibitory effect toward HeLa cancer cells but are less aggressive on HaCaT premalignant cells.     

Nutrient Fluxes in Sediment (NH4 + and PO4 -3) in N.W. Coastal Lagoon Mexico Associated with an Agroindustrial Basin

In order to balance the impact of agricultural development on land around coastal lagoons with the protection of aquatic resources, knowledge of the role of the sedimentary phase in the entrapment or availability of nutrients in the water column in areas affected by agroindustrial outlets is important. The Ensenada del Pabellon coastal on the Pacific coast of Mexico was chosen to be analyzed. The input of ammonium and orthophosphate from sediment using semicontrolled benthic chambers near a sugar cane factory outlet was compared to non altered sediment. Phosphate and ammonia loading from agroindustrial outlets has been the primary cause of eutrophication. The inputs of ammonium and orthophosphates from the sediment to the water column depend on their concentration in the agroindustrial outlet's waste water, the local morphology, the tide, and biotic assimilation, in order of importance. Sediment in non-altered revealed maxima of 7.8 mg m^-2 d^-1 of NH⁺ ₄ and 1.4 mg m^-2 d^-1 of PO^-3_₄, whereas in one outlet that greatly transfigures the environment, maxima of 223 mg m^-2 d^-1 of NH⁺ ₄ and 67 mg m^-2 d^-1 of PO^-3_₄ were recorded, which represent an increase greater than 20 times the normal diffusion. These figures varied markedly in space and time. Results from the study indicated that existing levels of nutrient could endanger the future of this ecosystem, including its sustainable fisheries.