Identification of an allele attributable to formation of cucumber-like flavor in wild tomato species (Solanum pennellii) that was inactivated during domestication

Carbon 6 (C6)-aldehydes formed by fatty acid 13-hydroperoxide lyase (13HPL) specific to fatty acid 13-hydroperoxides (13-HPO) are important flavor constituents in fresh tomato fruits. C9-aldehydes are usually formed by 9/13HPL showing dual specificity to 9- and 13-HPOs and are scarcely found in tomato fruits. Mature red fruits of one of the introgression lines, IL1-4, generated by hybridization of a cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicon) to its wild relative Solanum pennellii, form high amounts of C9-aldehydes upon homogenization. The IL1-4 fruits showed high 9/13HPL activity. One of the genes isolated from IL1-4 showed a high similarity to plant 9/13HPLs. Recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli showed 9/13HPL activity. Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence analyses indicated that the gene was specific to IL1-4 and S. pennellii. S. lycopersicon had a gene having high similarity to the S. pennellii gene. It was absent in IL1-4. Among the differences of amino acid residues found between the two genes, a Cys to Ser exchange may be responsible for the inactivation of resultant protein product of S. lycopersicon gene because the Cys is an essential amino acid residue for HPL activity. From these observations, it could be assumed that a tomato gene corresponding to S. pennellii 9/13HPL gene had been inactivated through domestication of tomatoes.     

Seasonal parasitism of native egg parasitoids of brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) in Japan

Journal of Pest Science - The invasive, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a severe economic insect pest native to East Asia. A strong effort has been made to identify natural egg...     

Prediction of bending stiffness and moment carrying capacity of sugi cross-laminated timber

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels consist of several layers of lumber stacked crosswise and glued together on their faces. Prototype sugi CLT floor panels were manufactured and bending tests were carried out under the different parameters of lumber modulus of elasticity (MOE), number of layers, thickness of lumber and thickness of CLT panels. On the basis of above tests, bending stiffness and moment carrying capacity were predicted by Monte Carlo method. MOE of lumber was measured by using grading machine and tensile strength of lumber was assumed to be 60 % of bending strength based on the obtained bending test. Bending stiffness EI of CLT panels could be estimated by adopting composite theory and equivalent section area. Experimental moment carrying capacity showed 12 % higher value than the calculated moment carrying capacity by average lumber failure method, and also showed 45 % higher value than the calculated moment carrying capacity by minimum lumber failure method due to the reinforcement of the outer layer by the neighboring cross layer.     

Effect of shrimp head protein hydrolysates on the state of water and denaturation of fish myofibrils during dehydration

ABSTRACT:   To utilize fisheries waste products as food materials with functional properties, shrimp head protein hydrolysates (SHPH) from three species of shrimp, that is, Northern pink shrimp ( Pandalus eous ), Endeavour shrimp ( Metapenaeus endeavouri ) and Black tiger shrimp ( Penaeus monodon ), were produced by enzymatic hydrolysis using endopeptidase derived from Bacillus subtilis and exopeptidase derived from Aspergillus oryzae at a level of 0.1% (w/w). SHPH were rich in protein (90–91%) and amino acids (71–84%) but little fat (0.01–0.02%). The average molecular weight of SHPH was 300–1400. The effect of 5% SHPH (dry basis) addition on the state of water and denaturation of lizard fish myofibrils (Mf) during the dehydration process was evaluated by the desorption isotherm and the Ca-ATPase activity, and compared with the effect of sodium glutamate (Na-Glu). SHPH decreased the water activity and the Ca-ATPase inactivation, and increased monolayer sorbed water and multilayer sorbed water of Mf, although these effects of SHPH were smaller than those of Na-Glu. These findings suggest that the SHPH suppressed dehydration-induced denaturation of myofibrillar protein by stabilizing the hydrated water surrounding myofibrils.