Novel method to reduce fishy aftertaste in wine and seafood pairing using alcohol-treated yeast cells

"Fishy aftertaste" is sometimes perceived in wine consumed with seafood. Iron in wine has been reported to be a key compound that produces fishy aftertaste. However, cost-effective methods to remove iron from wine have not been developed. Here, we describe a cost-effective and safe iron adsorbent consisting of alcohol-treated yeast (ATY) cells based on the observation that nonviable cells adsorbed iron after completion of fermentation. Treatment of cells with more than 40% (v/v) ethanol killed them without compromising their ability to adsorb iron. Drying the ATY cells did not reduce iron adsorption. Use of ATY cells together with phytic acid had a synergistic effect on iron removal. We term this means of removing iron the "ATY-PA" method. Sensory analysis indicated that fishy aftertaste in wine-seafood pairings was not perceived if the wine had been pretreated with both ATY cells and phytic acid.     

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for residue analysis of the fungicide azoxystrobin in agricultural products

A direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dc-ELISA) was developed for residue analysis of azoxystrobin in garden crops, for which the maximum residue limits (MRLs) are 0.5-50 mg/kg in Japan. For hapten synthesis, an ethyl carboxyl group was introduced to the 4-position of the 2-cyanophenoxy group in azoxystrobin, and its cyano group was changed to a methyl group. An anti-azoxystrobin monoclonal antibody was prepared from mice immunized with hapten-keyhole limpet hemocyanin conjugate. The dc-ELISA using prepared antibody showed 50-250-fold higher sensitivity compared to the MRLs. The working range of the dc-ELISA was 10-200 ng/mL. The dc-ELISA showed high specificity to azoxystrobin. When methanol extracts from nine kinds of garden crops spiked with azoxystrobin ranging near the MRLs were analyzed, the determined results by the dc-ELISA agreed well with the results of their controls. In addition, azoxystrobin spiked in garden crops homogenates was satisfactorily extracted by methanol solution and easily analyzed. The recovery rate of dc-ELISA was 96-109% and correlated well with the results obtained by HPLC analysis.     

处理竹类植物紫外阻隔纤维的新方法

目前粘胶纤维的生产方法主要用于将竹加工成工业纺织纤维中。然而,粘胶方法中使用了大量的化学制剂,因此这个过程对环境保护不利。这个过程也不能保留竹子固有的独特性能,如紫外线(UV)筛选和抗菌功能。因此,有必要设计一个有效和更环保的生产方法,这也将保留以竹类植物为原料的生产纤维的独特性能。在本研究中,采用了新方法对竹子进行加工,涉及的热机械处理,如超声处理、震动筛磨和连续搅拌沸腾。氢氧化钠,过氧化氢、酶制剂和水在这一过程中分别得到了采用,并对其再纤维加工的产生的影响进行了比较。本研究也对竹子加工前后的形态和紫外线屏蔽能力进行了分析。结果表明,竹子可以只通过水和球磨而不需要使用任何有害化学物质就能被加工纤维。使用轻度酸水解和双氧水下超声波的组合处理是能够有效的分离纤维,并提供更好的纤维外观。     

Development of EST-SSR markers and construction of a linkage map in faba bean (Vicia faba)

To develop a high density linkage map in faba bean, a total of 1,363 FBES (Faba bean expressed sequence tag [EST]-derived simple sequence repeat [SSR]) markers were designed based on 5,090 non-redundant ESTs developed in this study. A total of 109 plants of a ‘Nubaria 2’ × ‘Misr 3’ F₂ mapping population were used for map construction. Because the parents were not pure homozygous lines, the 109 F₂ plants were divided into three subpopulations according to the original F₁ plants. Linkage groups (LGs) generated in each subpopulation were integrated by commonly mapped markers. The integrated ‘Nubaria 2’ × ‘Misr 3’ map consisted of six LGs, representing a total length of 684.7 cM, with 552 loci. Of the mapped loci, 47% were generated from multi-loci diagnostic (MLD) markers. Alignment of homologous sequence pairs along each linkage group revealed obvious syntenic relationships between LGs in faba bean and the genomes of two model legumes, Lotus japonicus and Medicago truncatula. In a polymorphic analysis with ten Egyptian faba bean varieties, 78.9% (384/487) of the FBES markers showed polymorphisms. Along with the EST-SSR markers, the dense map developed in this study is expected to accelerate marker assisted breeding in faba bean.     

Can barber goby Elacatinus figaro control Neobedenia melleni infections on dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus?

The interaction between cultured barber goby Elacatinus figaro (cleaner fish) and the dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus, and the efficiency of the cleaner fish in removing ectoparasites were evaluated. When the interaction between these two species was observed, cleaner fish showed a preference for the largest groupers. In a second trial, treatments: TWC (Control) – two groupers without a cleaner fish, T1C – two groupers with one cleaner fish, T3C – two groupers with three cleaner fish and T6C – two groupers with six cleaner fish were tested in four replicates. After 8 days, monogeneans were removed and identified as Neobenedenia melleni. The highest mean abundance of parasites was found on the groupers in the TWC group (37 parasites per host) and the lowest on those in the T6C group (4.1 parasites per host). By increasing the number of cleaner fish, a higher cleaning efficiency was obtained, as observed in T6C, where almost 90% of the parasites were removed. Possibly, this removal would have been complete if the number of cleaners had not been reduced in the treatments due to the mortalities observed. This study demonstrates the possibility of using gobies to remove monogeneans and in improving grouper health.     

Female preference did not evolve under laboratory conditions in the solanaceous fruit fly Bactrocera latifrons

Sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely used to eradicate target pest species. Its effectiveness depends on the ability of released sterile males to mate with wild females. In pest species with a female choice mating system, there is potential for female preference to evolve in the wild population in view of the resulting zero-fitness in females that mate with sterile males. The evolution of female preference against sterile males can, therefore, reduce the efficiency of the SIT as the likelihood decreases that sterile males will mate with wild females. We examined this experimentally by using the solanaceous fruit fly Bactrocera latifrons, a serious pest of solanaceous crops, by allowing female preference in mass-reared fruit flies to select between fertile and sterile males over 12 generations. However, this did not generate a rapid evolutionary response. Also the remating rate of females did not increase, even when the first mating partner was a sterile male. We discuss the implication of the results for the eradication project by the SIT program.     

麦冬块根提取物对稻瘟病菌丝及苗期稻瘟病发生的抑制效果

采用不同浓度来自70%甲醇溶液的麦冬块根提取物对2种产自日本的稻瘟病菌生理小种菌株MAFF305480和MAFF101002的菌丝生长及其接种诱发水稻幼苗稻瘟病发生的抑制效果进行评价。试验表明：含有麦冬块根提取物的原液1/10,1/20,1/40以及1/80浓度都能明显抑制稻瘟病菌小种菌株(MAFF305480和MAFF101002)菌丝生长, 抑制率均56.4%以上, 对接种诱发稻瘟病的水稻幼苗处理发现, 幼苗植株发病级数为明显下降, 抑制率均38.4%以上, 并且都随着处理浓度提高抑制效果明显提高。本研究结果表明,麦冬块根提取物中含有抑制稻瘟病菌生长的化学物质, 并且能直接抑制稻瘟病菌发生和生长。     

Patterns and factors in early-stage vegetation recovery at abandoned plantation clearcut sites in Oita, Japan: possible indicators for evaluating vegetation status

The abandonment of sites after clearcutting plantations is increasing rapidly in Japan. Although a few stand-level studies have been conducted, a broad-scale study is needed to understand the general tendency of vegetation recovery and to obtain information for the management of such extensively distributed abandoned clearcut sites. This study is a province-level study that aims to interpret the patterns and factors in early-stage vegetation recovery at abandoned plantation clearcut sites. We also discuss the potential indicators that may determine whether a certain site recovers towards evergreen broad-leaved forest consisting of Castanopsis cuspidata and Quercus glauca or towards deciduous broad-leaved forest comprising Q. serrata and Q. acutissima. A cluster analysis revealed that five types of vegetation (evergreen trees, evergreen trees–deciduous pioneer shrubs, pioneer species, deciduous trees, and deciduous shrubs) were observed from an early stage of succession. The first two vegetation types were considered to recover successfully to the target vegetation of evergreen broad-leaved forest, but the remaining three vegetation types did not show any tendency to recover to the target vegetations. According to the results of the detrended correspondence analysis, a smaller size of the abandoned site with adjacent evergreen broad-leaved forest and a longer time after clearcutting were identified as factors that enhance the invasion of evergreen tree species; these factors are also useful to predict the future successional tendency. In conjunction with these factors, the existence of regeneration sources (i.e., stumps) that allow sprouting appeared to be an important indicator for predicting the early-stage vegetation recovery.     

Naringenin and hesperetin induce growth arrest, apoptosis, and cytoplasmic fat deposit in human preadipocytes

Citrus flavonoids are reported to be promising bioactive compounds against hyperlipidemia and lipid biosynthesis. However, the mechanism of the lipid lowering effect by flavonoids remains unknown. The present study examines the effect of some flavanones on the adipocytic conversion of the human preadipocyte cell line, AML-I. Among four structure-related flavanones including naringenin, naringenin-7-rhamnoglucoside (naringin), hesperetin, and hesperetin-7-rhamnoglucoside (hesperidin), the aglycones such as naringenin and hesperetin exhibited the growth arrest of AML-I cells. When the cells were examined by Annexin V-FITC staining method, it was noticed that growth arrest was induced by apoptotic cell death. In the study of apoptosis-related protein in the naringenin-treated cells, anti-apoptotic proteins such as p-Akt, NF-kappaB, and Bcl-2 were decreased, and pro-apoptotic protein Bad was accumulated by Western blot analysis. Interestingly, exposure of AML-I cells to naringenin or hesperetin during short-term cultures increased cytoplasmic lipid droplets by Sudan Black B staining. Furthermore, expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma was enhanced in naringenin-treated cells. These data suggest that apoptosis by flavanones does not inhibit the adipocytic conversion of AML-I preadipocytes. The result also indicates that adipocyte may not be a direct target for the lipid-lowering activity of the flavanones.     

Evaluation of fungal epiphytes isolated from banana fruit surfaces for biocontrol of banana crown rot disease

Fungi isolated from the surface of banana fruits were evaluated for in vitro antagonism towards Lasiodiplodia theobromae. Thirteen fungi exhibiting pronounced growth inhibition of test pathogens were further tested for antibiosis against Thielaviopsis paradoxa, Colletotrichum musae, and Fusarium verticillioides. Clonostachys byssicola, Curvularia pallescens, Penicillium oxalicum, and Trichoderma harzianum were antagonistic to all test pathogens. Inhibition by C. pallescens and P. oxalicum to pathogens was at a distance, while C. byssicola and T. harzianum directly parasitized and killed the pathogens. The metabolites of C. byssicola, C. pallescens, and T. harzianum significantly affected the mycelial growth and conidial germination of the pathogens. In the artificial inoculation study, the antagonists survived and colonized banana fruits after 3 d. Interfungal parasitic relationship was observed between the antagonist and pathogen on artificial media and natural substrate. Postharvest application in the packing house showed that the incidence of crown rot in antagonist-treated banana was significantly lower when compared to fungicide and untreated control fruits.