FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS AND REGULATORY MEASURES: IMPLICATIONS FOR SELECTED FISH EXPORTING ASIAN COUNTRIES

ABSTRACT

Developing Asian countries continue to record an impressive trade surplus in fish products. However, raising consumer concerns about a range of food safety matters and increasingly stringent regulatory standards related to fish product supply pose on-going challenges to the sustained international market access of many developing country suppliers. This paper provides an overview of emerging trade patterns in fish products and the trade regime in which this is occurring. It then reviews the implementation of various food safety standards on fish and seafood exports in the major fish-exporting countries in Asia, and analyzes the costs and benefits of compliance with these standards and regulations in these countries. Results show that, at the factory level, implementation of the standards has significantly increased the cost of processing, and the cost per unit of fish processed is higher for the smaller plants. These economies of scale could exclude small operators in developing countries. Continued competitiveness of small plants would seem to require government policies and support designed to minimize the cost of compliance with international standards.     

Genetic Variation of Glutelin Acidic Subunit Polypeptides in Bangladesh Rice Genetic Resources

Bangladesh rice genetic resources collected from six distinct regions of the country were examined to obtain the diversity in glutelin acidic subunit polypeptides. Seed glutelins from 576 Bangladesh rice cultivars representing seven ecotypes were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), isoelectric focusing (IEF) electrophoresis and two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE: SDS-PAGE/IEF) analyses. Glutelin acidic subunit was separated into four bands, α-1, α-2, α-3 and α-4, and the variation in each of bands was detected by SDS-PAGE analysis. A higher molecular size component of α-1(α-1′) was identified in the cultivars tested. In case of α-2, α-2H with high molecular mass, α-2L with low molecular mass and α-2H/L were detected. α-3 band variation showed α-3H, α-3L, and α-3H/L, while for α-4, α-4H, α-4L bands were identified. In IEF analysis, a total of 16 bands with independent pI ranging from pI 6.30 to 7.52 were identified for the glutelin acidic subunit among the cultivars. The maximum and minimum numbers of IEF bands found were 13 and 9, respectively. The α-2L less cultivars were also lacking in pI 6.80 polypeptide in IEF. Result of 2-DE showed that pI 6.80 polypeptide was the main component of α-2L band. Transplanted Aman ecotype was the most diverse with respect to glutelin variation. Geographical distribution of glutelin variation in the Transplanted Aman ecotype differed according to the regions. The above results indicate that Bangladesh rice cultivars possess great genetic diversity in glutelin acidic subunit polypeptides. This study of indigenous rice cultivars from Bangladesh provides useful information regarding their breeding potential.     

The effects of biological,chemical, and organic fertilizers application on root growth features and grain yield of Sorghum

Abstract

To investigate the effect of some biological and chemical fertilizers on the root physiological and growth indexes and also Sorghum grain yield, this study was carried out in randomized complete block design with three replicates. The treatments of the study included (1) arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae?+?vermicompost, (2) mycorrhiza fungus?+?Nitroxin, (3) mycorrhiza fungus+ Rhizobium sp., (4) mycorrhiza fungus?+?NPK chemical fertilizer (40-40-20), (5) mycorrhiza fungus, and (6) control treatment. The highest root colonization rate and specific root length were observed in the co-inoculation with mycorrhiza?+?Nitroxin treatment. The other root growth parameters were observed at the mycorrhiza?+?vermicompost treatment. Also the highest rate of Sorghum physiological growth indexes root such as root area index and net assimilation rate were belonged to the co-inoculation of mycorrhiza?+?Nitroxin treatment. The highest root growth rate and root relative growth rate were obtained in the mycorrhiza?+?vermicompost treatment. So it can be concluded that biological fertilizers can be used as an appropriate alternative for chemical fertilizers in sustainable agriculture system.     

Thyroid hormone‐induced swim bladder and eye maturation are transduced by IGF‐1 in zebrafish embryos

Maternally derived thyroid hormones (THs) deposited in yolk promote fish embryogenesis and survival, and understanding early regulatory mechanisms could lead to improved seedstock production. We have tested the hypothesis that some thyroid actions may be mediated by insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐1), another promoter of embryo development. Differentiation and performance were assessed in embryos treated with THs in the presence or absence of an IGF‐1 receptor blocking peptide. Treatment with the TH triiodothyronine (T₃) promoted IGF‐1 gene expression at days 1 and 5, and advanced swim bladder and eye development, but blocking the IGF‐1 receptor eliminated the swim bladder and eye effects. Growth and survival at 1 week of age were impaired by the IGF‐1 receptor blocking peptide alone, but concurrent treatment with T₃ partially restored these indices. Our results confirm interaction of T₃ and IGF‐1 regulatory signalling in zebrafish embryogenesis and transduction by IGF‐1 of thyroid‐driven swim bladder and eye maturation.     

Sesbania aculeata leaf meal as replacer of de‐oiled rice bran in aquaculture feed: Growth,IGF‐1 expression,metabolic and biochemical responses in Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus 1758)

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of inclusion of Sesbania leaf meal in the diet of Cyprinus carpio as a replacer of de‐oiled rice bran (DORB). Bacillus subtilis was used to ferment the Sesbania leaf meal (SLM) to produce FSLM (fermented sesbania leaf meal). Fishes were fed with five isonitrogenous (30% CP) and isocaloric diets for 60 days and treatments were viz., C (30% DORB, 0% SLM), R15 (15% DORB, 15% SLM), R30 (0% DORB, 30% SLM), F15 (15% DORB, 15%FSLM) and F30 (0% DORB, 30% FSLM) by replacing DORB with SLM. A similar growth performance with control was observed in 15% FSLM group while there was a growth reduction in all the raw leaf meal fed groups. Similarly, the expression of insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) was significantly (p < .05) higher in control and 15% FSLM fed groups. Growth and metabolic enzymes such as protease, amylase, ALT and AST activities were significantly higher in the fermented leaf meal fed groups compared to their non‐fermented counterparts. Antioxidant enzymes, serum transaminase enzymes (SGOT, SGPT) and total bilirubin (TBR) were found to be increased by enhanced level of RSLM, however, reduced by inclusion of FSLM. However, 30% inclusion level of FSLM even after fermentation showed detrimental effect on growth and metabolic response at cellular and molecular level. Thus, the results concluded that fermented Sesbania leaf meal (FSLM) using B. subtilis could replace 50% DORB (15% FSLM group) in the diet of C. carpio without affecting the growth and other physiological responses.     

Effect of tree age on the cellulose structure of Nalita wood (Trema orientalis)

The change of crystalline structure of Nalita cellulose with tree age has been studied using X-ray diffraction and FT-IR spectroscopy. The proportion of crystallinity and crystal size were increased with tree age. FT-IR spectroscopy showed that the Nalita cellulose was a monoclinic unit cell structure (I_β). The proportion of crystallinity and crystal size of the 30-month-old Nalita wood was higher as compared to aspen wood. The degree of polymerization (DP) of Nalita cellulose of different ages has also been studied. The DP of cellulose increased with tree age. The DP of Nalita cellulose was lower than that of aspen cellulose. The percentage of glucose in Nalita wood increased with tree age.     

A multianalytical approach for determining the geographical origin of ginseng using strontium isotopes, multielements, and 1H NMR analysis

Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is widely used as an Oriental medicine in the East Asian regions, particularly Korea and China. In the study, the strontium isotope ratios ((87)Sr/(86)Sr), multielements, and metabolite profiles of 35 ginseng samples collected from Korea and China were examined in an attempt to develop a method to distinguish the origin of ginsengs from the two countries. A multivariate statistical approach was performed to analyze the multielements and the (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data. Results of a t-test for Mg, Fe, Al, and Sc showed significant variation between Korean and Chinese ginsengs, indicating potential tracers for discriminating them. Discriminating between the ginsengs from the two countries was generally successful when both the (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios and rare earth element (REE) contents were used together. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) derived from the (1)H NMR data revealed a significant separation between the ginsengs originating from the two countries. The major metabolites responsible for differentiation were sugars such as glucose, xylose, and sucrose. The results suggest that this multiplatform approach offers a comprehensive method to distinguish the origin of ginsengs.     

High potential of agro-industrial by-products of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) as the powerful antifungal and antioxidant substances

Microorganisms such as fungi are one of the most important factors that cause oxidative processes during postharvest stage and consequently deterioration of agriculture products would not be unexpected. On the other hand, high antioxidant properties of industrial by-products of pomegranate propose them as powerful antioxidant and antifungal substances. So to investigate the antioxidant and antifungal properties of pomegranate, two independent factorial experiments based on randomized design with 5 replications were conducted. In the first experiment the effect of 3 different parts of pomegranate (peel, seed and leaf) and 2 different kinds of extracts (aqueous and methanolic) with 4 concentrations (0, 500, 1000 and 1500 ppm) were investigated on 3 postharvest fungi (Penicillium italicum, Rhizopus stolonifer and Botrytis cinerea). In the second experiment antioxidant capacity and phenolic content were measured for two different extracts from different parts. Based on the results the methanolic extract showed the highest inhibitory effects on the mycelia growth (IMG) and spore germination (ISG) with 49.82 and 41.25% respectively. On the other hand, peel and seed extracts had more inhibitory effect (IMG and ISG) than leaf extract. The phenolic content of peel extract were also measured 2.8 fold higher than pomegranate leaf extract and antioxidant capacity of peel, seed and leaf extracts of pomegranate were 55.3%, 35.7% and 16.4% respectively. Therefore, it seems that the high percentage of phenolic content in the peel and seed of pomegranate could cause the high antifungal and antioxidant activity of their extracts.     

Impact of Nitrogen,Phosphorus and Potassium on Brown Planthopper and Tolerance of Its Host Rice Plants

The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), appeared as a devastating pest of rice in Asia. Experiments were conducted to study the effects of three nutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), on BPH and its host rice plants. Biochemical constituents of BPH and rice plants with varying nutrient levels at different growth stages, and changes in relative water content (RWC) of rice plants were determined in the laboratory. Feeding of BPH and the tolerance of rice plants to BPH with different nutrient levels were determined in the nethouse. Concentrations of N and P were found much higher in the BPH body than in its host rice plants, and this elemental mismatch is an inherent constraint on meeting nutritional requirements of BPH. Nitrogen was found as a more limiting element for BPH than other nutrients in rice plants. Application of N fertilizers to the rice plants increased the N concentrations both in rice plants and BPH while application of P and K fertilizers increased their concentrations in plant tissues only but not in BPH. Nitrogen application also increased the level of soluble proteins and decreased silicon content in rice plants, which resulted in increased feeding of BPH with sharp reduction of RWC in rice plants ultimately caused susceptible to the pest. P fertilization increased the concentration of P in rice plant tissues but not changed N, K, Si, free sugar and soluble protein contents, which indicated little importance of P to the feeding of BPH and tolerance of plant against BPH. K fertilization increased K content but reduced N, Si, free sugar and soluble protein contents in the plant tissues which resulted in the minimum reduction of RWC in rice plants after BPH feeding, thereby contributed to higher tolerance of rice plants to brown planthopper.     

Influence of idebenone on ram semen quality stored at 4°C

The current study was designed to investigate the effect of idebenone (Id), an antioxidant on ram semen quality. Semen samples were collected, pooled and diluted in a Tris‐based extender supplemented with 0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 µM idebenone. Computer‐assisted sperm analysis was used to evaluate spermatozoa kinematics. Sperm viability and membrane functionality were assessed respectively, by eosin‐nigrosin staining and HOS test. Biochemical assays were carried out to measure different metabolites in spermatozoa and medium at 0, 24, 48 and 72 hr. Total and forward progressive motility were greater in 1, 2 and 4 µM idebenone treated groups compared to control at 24, 48 and 72 hr time points (p < 0.05). Semen supplementation with Id significantly increased viability and functionality of spermatozoa membrane during storage (p < 0.05). Lower amounts of lipid hydroperoxides in medium and spermatozoa were observed in Id‐treated groups compared to control one at 24 and 48 hr of storage (p < 0.05). Medium and spermatozoa amounts of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide were less in Id 4 µM group compared to the control at 72 hr (p < 0.05). Total antioxidant capacity values and superoxide dismutase activity of spermatozoa and medium were greater in 2 and 4 µM idebenone treated groups in comparison with the control at 72 hr (p < 0.05). Results of the current study indicated that ram semen supplementation with Id at 4 µM level improved quality by ameliorating nitrosative and peroxidative stress, hence could be considered as an antioxidant additive during storage at 4°C.