Characterization and quantitation of phenolic compounds in new apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) varieties

Thirty-seven apricot varieties, including four new releases (Rojo Pasión, Murciana, Selene, and Dorada) obtained from different crosses between apricot varieties and three traditional Spanish cultivars (Currot, Mauricio, and Búlida), were separated according to flesh color into four groups: white, yellow, light orange, and orange (mean hue angles in flesh were 88.1, 85.0, 77.6, and 72.4, respectively). Four phenolic compound groups, procyanidins, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, flavonols, and anthocyanins, were identified by HPLC-MS/MS and individually quantified using HPLC-DAD. Chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids, procyanidins B1, B2, and B4, and some procyanidin trimers, quercetin 3-rutinoside, kaempferol 3-rhamnosyl-hexoside and quercetin 3-acetyl-hexoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside, and 3-glucoside, were detected and quantified in the skin and flesh of the different cultivars. The total phenolics content, quantified as the addition of the individual compounds quantified by HPLC, ranged between 32.6 and 160.0 mg 100 g(-1) of edible tissue. No correlation between the flesh color and the phenolic content of the different cultivars was observed.     

Methyl linoleate oxidation in the presence of bovine serum albumin

The oxidation of methyl linoleate (LMe) in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied to analyze both the processes involved when lipid oxidation occurs in the presence of proteins and the relative progression of the several reactions implicated. The disappearance of LMe, the formation of primary and secondary lipid oxidation products, the loss of essential amino acids, and the production of oxidized lipid/amino acid reaction products (OLAARPs) were studied as a function of incubation time. During the first steps of lipid oxidation, LMe was converted quantitatively to methyl linoleate hydroperoxides, which were very rapidly degraded to either secondary products of lipid oxidation or OLAARPs. No significant differences were identified in the major lipid oxidation products formed in incubations with or without proteins, indicating that mechanisms for formation of these compounds are similar in both cases. In addition, no significant differences were observed between the time-courses of formation of secondary oxidation products and OLAARPs, suggesting that hydroperoxide decomposition and OLAARP formation occur simultaneously when the lipid oxidation process takes place in the presence of proteins. Furthermore, OLAARP formation seems to be an unavoidable process that should be considered as a last step in the lipid peroxidation process.     

Spatial patterns of diversity and genetic erosion of traditional cassava (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Manihot esculenta</Emphasis> Crantz) in the Peruvian Amazon: An evaluation of socio-economic and environmental indicators

This study evaluates quantitatively the suitability of the use of site-specific socio-economic and environmental data as indicators to rapidly assess patterns of diversity and genetic erosion risk in cassava. Socio-economic data as well as farmers’ estimation of genetic erosion were collected in the study area, the Ucayali region of the Peruvian Amazon, through interviews with 285 cassava farmers in 50 communities, while diversity was assessed based on agromorphological characterization of 295 cassava accessions. Using multivariate regression analyses, 50 and 45% of the variation in respectively diversity and genetic erosion estimation could be explained by a selected set of socio-economic and environmental indicators. In both regression models four out of the total of 38 variables proved to contribute significantly (at p < 0.10 level). Additionally, the study revealed that farmers are a good direct source of information on the diversity present at community level, which can contribute to the development of methodologies to assess diversity more rapidly. The results of this study are valuable for the development of models to rapidly assess diversity dynamics in large areas.     

Antiradical efficiency of Maillard reaction mixtures in a hydrophilic media

The Maillard reaction (MR) has a clear impact in food science, nutrition, and medical research. Free radical scavenging capacities of several MR mixtures made from single combinations of glucose or lactose and amino acids (gly, his, lys, trp, met, and cys) were evaluated by using the N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine radical cation assay. Medium-roasted coffee brew was used as reference of a thermally processed food. A novel approach has been applied in order to get more information about the kinetic behavior of the radical scavenging properties of MR mixtures in a watery environment. Antiradical efficiency (AE) concept has been applied, and it takes into consideration the reaction time, apart from the amount of antioxidant necessary to decrease by 50% the radical initial concentration (EC(50)). Cysteine and histidine reveal as powerful amino acids to exert a high AE in the MR mixtures. No relationship between AE parameter and browning was observed.     

Cholinergic binding capacity of proteolipids from isolated nerve-ending membranes

The capacity for binding dimethyl d-tubocurarine-C(14) was studied in isolated nerve-ending membranes from cerebral cortex and myelin. After treatment of the membrane with organic solvents most of the radioactivity was recovered in the extract. Preliminary evidence indicates that dimethyl d-tubocurarine-C(14) is not bound to lipids or glycolipids. While the proteolipids of myelin have a low binding capacity, the results obtained with the nerve-ending membranes rich in acetylcholinesterase suggest that the cholinergic receptor may be a special type of proteolipid.     

Wind as a long-distance dispersal vehicle in the Southern Hemisphere

Anisotropic (direction-dependent) long-distance dispersal (LDD) by wind has been invoked to explain the strong floristic affinities shared among landmasses in the Southern Hemisphere. Its contribution has not yet been systematically tested because of the previous lack of global data on winds. We used global winds coverage from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration SeaWinds scatterometer to test whether floristic similarities of Southern Hemisphere moss, liverwort, lichen, and pteridophyte floras conform better with (i) the anisotropic LDD hypothesis, which predicts that connection by "wind highways" increases floristic similarities, or (ii) a direction-independent LDD hypothesis, which predicts that floristic similarities among sites increase with geographic proximity. We found a stronger correlation of floristic similarities with wind connectivity than with geographic proximities, which supports the idea that wind is a dispersal vehicle for many organisms in the Southern Hemisphere.     

The forest conversion process: A discussion of the sustainability of predominant land uses associated with frontier expansion in the Amazon

One of the most striking features observed throughout tropical agricultural frontiers is the extreme variability in land-use strategies from one farmer to the next. This article analyzes the forest conversion process and predominant land uses associated with smallholder settlement expansion in the Amazon frontier. The discussion seeks to increase understanding of the micro and macro-level forces that propel land-use decisions in the Amazon and offer insights about how farmers' land-use decisions may be altered to bring about forms of resource use that are consistent with the constraints and opportunities of the frontier environment. Recognizing that no frontier area can be truly representative of the Amazon as a whole, this article also introduces some detailed evidence from another Amazon country (Ecuador) within a topic that has been previously dominated by research mainly in Brazil. The analysis suggests that to be effective, any policy or technology-based effort on the part of governments or researchers to alter colonist land-use systems must begin to look systematically at the production systems of agricultural colonist populations already present in frontier environments. This knowledge is essential to understand the social and economic factors affecting present land use and choice of technology. It is also important for understanding factors influencing farmers' demand for more optimal systems of land use that are consistent with varying agroecological potentials, demographic situations, and the management capacity of the farmer.     

Inactivation of the interoceptive insula disrupts drug craving and malaise induced by lithium

Addiction profoundly alters motivational circuits so that drugs become powerful reinforcers of behavior. The interoceptive system continuously updates homeostatic and emotional information that are important elements in motivational decisions. We tested the idea that interoceptive information is essential in drug craving and in the behavioral signs of malaise. We inactivated the primary interoceptive cortex in amphetamine-experienced rats, which prevented the urge to seek amphetamine in a place preference task. Interoceptive insula inactivation also blunted the signs of malaise induced by acute lithium administration. Drug-seeking and malaise both induced Fos expression, a marker of neuronal activation, in the insula. We conclude that the insular cortex is a key structure in the perception of bodily needs that provides direction to motivated behaviors.