Variability of the quality and quantity of organic matter in soil affected by multiple wildfires

Purpose

Fire in mountainous areas can lead to increased variability of their soil organic matter (SOM) due to spatial inhomogeneity and pre-fire fuel distribution. Here, we elucidated if this was the case in our study area and how this affected the reliability of solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy applied for the study of the medium-term impact of fire on SOM

Materials and methods

The study occurred in the Sierra de Aznalcóllar, Southern Spain, which experienced their last intense fire 7 years before sampling. In a first approach (method 1), the corners and the center of a randomly chosen square with a side length of 15 m were sampled and analyzed separately. For comparison, composite samples (method 2) were obtained from three soils. We characterized material from unburnt, burnt, and double burnt regions. Data describing the physical and chemical properties of the soils together with the NMR spectroscopic characterization were analyzed using ANOVA.

Results and discussion

Both sampling methods yielded comparable results with comparable standard errors. No major differences between the fire-affected and unburnt soils were observed with respect to physical and chemical properties and C and N contents, but solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy indicated a small but significant elevation of aromaticity in the soils with fire history.

Conclusions

The analysis showed that sampling with reduced replicates (method 1) can still lead to representative NMR data. The more complex sampling of comparing three composite samples (method 2) did not decrease the standard error. Our results also indicate that in the study area typical properties of the soil and its SOM induced by former burnings will not persist beyond a few decades.

     

Variation in primitive landraces of common bean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaseolus vulgaris</Emphasis> L.) from Argentina

The phenotypic variation found in four common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) complex primitive landraces, among a group of accessions collected in Northwestern Argentina in several missions is described, with particular attention to the wide diversity found in some small areas. It is presented a hypothesis about the maintenance of such diversity in bean mixtures or complex primitive landraces that grow close to their wild relative. Wide diversity regarding to seed type and plant characteristics was displayed by the landraces MCM-SV (composed of 11 lines), MCM-292 (14 lines), MCM-298 (5 lines) and VAV-3716 (14 lines). Food uses of dry seed and fresh pod seemed to be more relevant than the aesthetic use although all of them were presumably considered by humans for centuries resulting in the current phenotypes of these complex primitive landraces. Additionally, some weedy types (intermediate between wild and domesticated types) were detected in the landracesMCM-292 and MCM-298. The four complex landraces described consisted of highly diverse mixtures and they could play a role in breeding to enlarge the genetic basis of domesticated bean varieties belonging to the Andean gene pool.     

Multiresidue analysis of pesticides in soil by gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection and gas chromatography mass spectrometry

A rapid multiresidue method for the simultaneous determination of 25 fungicides and insecticides in soil was developed. Soil samples are extracted by sonication with a water-acetonitrile mixture, and the pesticides are partitioned into dichloromethane. Final determination was made by gas chromatography (GC) with nitrogen-phosphorus detection (NPD). Confirmation analysis of pesticides was carried out by GC-MS in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The identification of compounds was based on retention time and on comparison of the primary and secondary ions. The average recovery by the GC-NPD method obtained for these compounds varied from 68.5% to 112.1% with a relative standard deviation between 1.8% and 6.2%. The GC-NPD method presents good linearity over the range assayed 50-2000 microg/L, and the detection limit for the pesticides studied varied from 0.1 to 10.4 microg/kg. The proposed method was used to determine pesticide levels in soil samples from experimental greenhouse pepper cultivation.     

Effect of the type of frying culinary fat on volatile compounds isolated in fried pork loin chops by using SPME-GC-MS

The effect of the type of frying culinary fat (olive oil, sunflower oil, butter, and pig lard) on volatile compounds isolated from fried pork loin chops (m. Longissimus dorsi) was measured by SPME-GC-MS. Frying modified the fatty acid composition of lipids from pork loin chops, which tended to be similar to that of the culinary fat used to fry. Volatile compounds formed from the oxidation of fatty acids increased, such as aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and hydrocarbons. Besides, each culinary fat used modified the volatile profiles in fried meat differently. Sunflower oil-fried pork loin chops presented the highest aldehyde aliphatic content, probably due to their highest content of polyunsaturated acids. Hexanal, the most abundant aldehyde in fried samples, presented the most elevated content in sunflower oil-fried pork loin chops. In addition, these samples presented more heterocyclic compounds from the Maillard reaction than other fried samples. Volatiles detected in olive oil-fried pork loin chops were mainly lipid-derived compounds such as pentan-1-ol, hexanal, hept-2-enal, nonanal, decanal, benzaldehyde, and nonan-2-one. Butter-fried pork loins were abundant in ketones with a high number of carbons (heptan-2-one, nonan-2-one, undecan-2-one, tridecanone, and heptadecan-2-one). Pig lard-fried pork loin chops presented some Strecker aldehydes isolated in only these samples, such as 2-methylbutanal and 3-(methylthio)propanal, and a sulfur compound (dimethyl disulfide) related to Strecker aldehydes.     

Activity and process stability of purified green pepper (Capsicum annuum) pectin methylesterase

Pectin methylesterase (PME) from green bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) was extracted and purified by affinity chromatography on a CNBr-Sepharose-PMEI column. A single protein peak with pectin methylesterase activity was observed. For the pepper PME, a biochemical characterization in terms of molar mass (MM), isoelectric points (pI), and kinetic parameters for activity and thermostability was performed. The optimum pH for PME activity at 22 degrees C was 7.5, and its optimum temperature at neutral pH was between 52.5 and 55.0 degrees C. The purified pepper PME required the presence of 0.13 M NaCl for optimum activity. Isothermal inactivation of purified pepper PME in 20 mM Tris buffer (pH 7.5) could be described by a fractional conversion model for lower temperatures (55-57 degrees C) and a biphasic model for higher temperatures (58-70 degrees C). The enzyme showed a stable behavior toward high-pressure/temperature treatments.     

Effect of germination on the carbohydrate composition of the dietary fiber of peas (Pisum sativum L.)

The effect of different conditions of pea germination on dietary fiber (DF) composition was studied. Insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and soluble dietary fiber (SDF) were subjected to acid hydrolysis, and the resultant neutral sugars, uronic acids, and Klason lignin were quantified. Germinated peas exhibited significantly higher contents of total dietary fiber (TDF) than the raw sample, due to the increases of both DF fractions. Under darkness conditions, germination exhibited the highest contents of IDF and SDF. Decreasing IDF/SDF ratios showed that the carbohydrate changes did not take place to the same extent during germination, the SDF fraction being the most affected. The detailed chemical composition of fiber fractions reveals increases of cellulose in the IDF of germinated samples, whereas SDF exhibits a decrease of pectic polysaccharides and also increases of polysaccharides rich in glucose and mannose. The DF results were corroborated by a comparative examination of the cell wall carbohydrate composition.     

Influence of disaccharide structure on prebiotic selectivity in vitro

To obtain structure-function information of a range of carbohydrates, which are available only in very small quantities, an in vitro fermentation method using 7 mg of carbohydrate, 0.7 mL of basal medium, and 1% (w/v) of fecal bacteria was validated against a pH-controlled batch culture with 150 mL of basal medium and 1.5 g of test carbohydrate. This method was used to determine the influence of different glycosidic linkages and monosaccharide compositions of disaccharides on the selectivity of microbial fermentation. A prebiotic index (PI) was calculated for each disaccharide. Generally, disaccharides with linkages of 1-2, 1-4, and 1-6 generated a high PI score, with kojibiose and sophorose showing the greatest values (21.62 and 18.63, respectively). Apart from 6alpha-mannobiose, mannose-containing disaccharides gave a low PI due to low numbers of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli and an increase in bacteroides. The structure-function information obtained in this study may lead to a predictive understanding of how specific structures are fermented by the human gut microflora.     

Nutritional evaluation of pea (Pisum sativum L.) protein diets after mild hydrothermal treatment and with and without added phytase

The effect of mild hydrothermal treatment and the addition of phytase under optimal conditions (pH 5.5, 37 degrees C) on the nutritive utilization of the protein of pea (Pisum sativum L.) flour was studied in growing rats by examining the chemical and biological balance. Mild hydrothermal treatment produced reductions of 83, 78, and 72%, respectively, in the levels of alpha-galactosides, phytic acid, and trypsin inhibitors and also produced a significant increase in the digestive utilization of protein. The additional fall in the levels of phytic acid caused by the addition of phytase did not lead to a subsequent improvement in the digestive utilization of protein. The mild hydrothermal treatment of pea flour produced a significant increase in the metabolic utilization of protein and carbohydrates, which was reflected in the protein efficiency ratio and food transformation growth indices. These effects were not observed in the phytase-supplemented pea diet.     

2-Furoylmethyl amino acids and hydroxymethylfurfural as indicators of honey quality

Determination of changes in 2-furoylmethyl amino acids and hydroxymethylfurfural during the storage of four honey samples at 25 and 35 degrees C during 12 months was achieved to assess the potential use of both parameters, singly or in combination, as quality indicators. 2-Furoylmethyl amino acids increased during storage at both temperatures, whereas hydroxymethylfurfural only presented slight variations during storage at 25 degrees C but increased noticeably at 35 degrees C. The study of 2-furoylmethyl amino acids in 49 commercial honeys revealed that 2-furoylmethyl lysine (furosine) was present in all samples, whereas 2-furoylmethyl derivatives of arginine, GABA, and proline were only present in seven samples. Hydroxymethylfurfural can be considered as a good indicator of heat treatments applied to honey samples, whereas 2-furoylmethyl amino acids can be used as suitable markers of the storage period. The use of both parameters can be useful to detect adulteration with invert syrups, excessive heat treatments, or prolonged storage of honey samples.     

Organophosphorus pesticide residues in Mexican commercial pasteurized milk

A study was conducted to measure residues of 13 organophosphorus (OP) pesticides, widely used as dairy cattle ectoparasiticides or in crops used for animal feed, in homogenized and pasteurized Mexican milk samples. Four different milk brands with high distribution were collected biweekly during a 12 month period (n = 96) in supermarkets. OP pesticide residues were measured by gas chromatography with a flame photometric detector. Approximately 39.6% of the samples contained detectable levels of OP pesticide residues. Eight samples contained residues exceeding established maximum residue limits (MRL), and the OP pesticides present in these samples were dichlorvos (five samples), phorate, chlorpyrifos, and chlorfenvinphos (one sample, respectively). Average residues of 13 OP pesticides measured were below established MRLs ranging between 0.0051 and 0.0203 ppm.