Evaluation of Feed Attractants in Juvenile Senegalese Sole,Solea senegalensis

The Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis, is a flatfish with increasing interest in the European aquaculture. However, one of the main limitations found in this species is related to the scarce attraction to commercial aquafeeds, thus determining low feed intake in fish farms. The aim of this study was to evaluate four ingredients of marine origin (fish meal hydrolysate [FMH], polychaete meal [POM], mussel meal [MUM], and squid meal [SQM]) as potential attractants for juvenile Senegalese sole. Four experimental feeds containing 10% of the potential attractants, plus a control diet without these ingredients, were evaluated. A total of 150 fish were distributed into ten 40‐L tanks (duplicate tanks per feed). A Latin square design was carried out, and hence all the experimental diets were offered to each tank in successive periods of 7 d. Fish were fed twice a day (morning and afternoon), and the feeding behavior of the animals was assessed by direct observations. Behavioral pattern assessed was classified as distant orientation, near orientation, or continuation of intake. The acceptability index for each behavioral phase and experimental feeds used was established for each observation. No behavioral differences could be noticed between the morning and the afternoon feedings. FMH showed the greatest attractant potential than among the ingredients assessed, and consequently this ingredient yielded the higher feed intake rates. On the other hand, POM was not the best attractant for juvenile Senegalese sole.     

The effect of being housed with adult female flock-mates on the age at puberty of autumn-born ewe-lambs

Veterinary Research Communications - Twenty-five ewe-lambs born in November were used to measure the effect of the presence of cyclic or non-cyclic adult ewes on the age at first fertile estrus....     

Effect of water stress conditioning on morphology,physiology and field performance of Pinus halepensis Mill. seedlings

Five-month-old Pinus halepensis Mill. seedlings were subjected to 4 irrigation treatments for 8 weeks. After the treatments, morphological and physiologicalattributes assessed included height, diameter, dry weight, water relations parameters, and determination of N, P, K, soluble carbohydrates, and starch concentrations. The remaining seedlings were field planted. Survival and height growth were recorded forfour growing seasons after planting. The mostsignificant effect of irrigation was onmorphology. Increased irrigation lead toseedlings with significantly higher height,root collar diameter and shoot and rootbiomass. Starch and soluble carbohydrateconcentrations were also affected byirrigation. However, parameters derived frompressure-volume curves were not significantlydifferent among treatments, nor were N, P, andK concentrations. There were no differencesamong treatments for survival in the field,which was highly related to summer rainfall. Incomparison, absolute and relative heightgrowth showed some significant but minordifferences among treatments.     

Relationship between root growth potential and field performance in Aleppo pine

Commercial stocks of Aleppo pine in Spain vary in quality, but there is no accepted standard for evaluating quality. A RGP test was applied to six commercial seedling stocklots at two dates (November, February) and under two test conditions (growth-chamber, greenhouse). The RGP’s predictive ability was evaluated on two contrasting sites. There was a considerable variation in the RGP depending on application date, test conditions and stock factors. The RGP results for November were correlated with each other but they did not explain outplanting performance. The February results in the growth-chamber correlated well with survival at both sites. Regression models explained survival both in the lower (R ² = 97%) and in the higher (R ² = 92%) quality sites. RGP has a valid predictive ability for this species although it is sensitive to the test conditions. In this sense, a shorter and more intensive test performed right before planting may be more reliable.     

Survey of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-furans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mineral components in Italian citrus cold-pressed essential oils

Investigation of PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs, Al, As, Pb, Ba, Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Cd, Ag, Sn, Zn, and Hg contents in 60 samples of cold-pressed essential oils produced in Calabria and Sicily in 2003-2005 was carried out. PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs were analyzed by HRGC-HRMS techniques using U.S. EPA 1613/94 and U.S. EPA 1668/A (1999) analytical methods. Mineral components were determined through GFAAS techniques; Hg content was determined by FI-M/H-AAS. The results of this study showed that essential oil contamination was due to a widespread pollution, typical background of rural areas, with relatively higher concentrations of PCDDs compared to PCDFs and little presence of PeCDF. Congeners OCDD, HpCDF, and OCDF were found at high concentrations. Regarding mineral components, mean values of Cr, Fe, and Ni were in agreement with data reported in the literature. Concentrations of As and Pb were below the maximum limits accepted by the current legislation. Finally, none of the samples analyzed were contaminated with Hg.     

Use of natural and modified cyclodextrins as inhibiting agents of peach juice enzymatic browning

Although cyclodextrins (CDs) have been successfully used as antibrowning agents in different fruit juices, no research has studied the effect of these compounds on enzymatic browning in peach juice. In this paper, the color of fresh peach juice was evaluated in the presence of two types of natural (alpha-CD and beta-CD) and a modified (maltosyl-beta-CD) CD, and the effectiveness of these compounds as browning inhibitors was determined using the color space CIELAB system. Moreover, to clarify the mechanism by which CDs inhibit peach juice enzymatic browning, the process was kinetically modeled in the absence and presence of CDs using a colorimetric method; the apparent complexation constants between the mixtures of diphenols present in peach juice and some types of CD were calculated. The results show that the highest affinity constant was presented by alpha-CD (Kc = 18.31 mM-1) followed by maltosyl-beta-CD (Kc = 11.17 mM-1), whereas beta-CD was incapable of inhibiting peach juice enzymatic browning. Keywords: Cyclodextrin; browning; peach; juice; color; polyphenol oxidase.     

Effectiveness of microsatellite DNA markers in checking the identity of protected designation of origin extra virgin olive oil

Collina di Brindisi is an Italian extra virgin olive oil that obtained the mark of protected designation of origin (PDO) according to EC Regulation 2081/92. The varietal requirements of the official production protocol of this oil foresee that this oil is prepared from cultivar Ogliarola (minimum 70%) and other Olea europaea L. cultivars that are diffused in the production area, accounting for a maximum of 30%. The aim of this work was to verify the effectiveness of microsatellite analysis in verifying the identity of Collina di Brindisi PDO olive oil. A preliminary assessment of product's quality by means of chemical analyses was also carried out. Microsatellite analysis clarified that the generic name Ogliarola, indicated in the technical sheet of this PDO oil, actually corresponded to the Ogliarola salentina cultivar. Furthermore, the obtained results showed that the examination of a limited number of DNA microsatellites enables the identification of the Ogliarola salentina cultivar in this PDO oil.     

D-amino acid formation in sterilized alkali-treated olives

The occurrence of d-amino acids in commercial ripe olives, a well-known sterilized alkali-treated product, was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with precolumn automatic derivatization. Absolute amounts of D-amino acids were in total 18.6-38.2 mg/100 g edible portion. The major D-amino acids were D-aspartic acid, D-glutamic acid, D-serine, and D-leucine. Furthermore, to evaluate the effects of sterilization time and olive pH on amino acid racemization, a simulated processing of green ripe olives was carried out. Serine (both free and bound form) was the most-racemized amino acid after heat treatment. Sterilization (15-35 min at 121 degrees C) increased the racemization values of both free and protein-bound amino acids, although in case of protein-bound phenylalanine the increase was not statistically significant. With an increase of pH from 8 to 10 units, the racemization values of all amino acids increased significantly, except for free forms of aspartic and glutamic acids. In general, the effects of the sterilization time and olive pH on total concentration (L + D enantiomers) of each amino acid were also significant.