Characterization of the lentil landrace Santo Stefano di Sessanio from Abruzzo,Italy

In the world lentil is grown on more than 3 million hectares and is one of the most important, low-cost, food source of protein. In Italy lentil has been cultivated since ancient times, but in the last decades its cultivation has been confined to marginal areas, small islands and hilly, mountainous areas of central and southern Italy. Local varieties are still common and are often greatly appreciated for their taste and cooking qualities. Several accessions from the Santo Stefano di Sessanio area, Abruzzo Region, were collected and phenotypically and genotypically characterized in order to look for the existing variability within and between populations. Image analysis of seeds was also used. Populations grown in Santo Stefano di Sessanio and in the neighbouring area basically share most of their characteristics. However, some of the accessions anonymously gathered from the local market were shown to be different from those collected from farmers. The paper reports and discusses how this local product needs be characterized and promoted in order to avoid fraud that could negatively affect the local economy and put valuable, adapted, genetic resources at risk of erosion.     

Changes in the concentration of yeast-derived volatile compounds of red wine during malolactic fermentation with four commercial starter cultures of Oenococcus oeni

The effects of malolactic fermentation (MLF) on the concentration of volatile compounds released by yeasts during the production of red wine were investigated by inoculation with four commercial starters of Oenococcus oeni. Volatile compounds in wine at the end of MLF were extracted, analyzed by GC-MS and GC, and compared with those extracted form a noninoculated reference sample. Several esters known to play a role in the aroma profile of red wine, such as C4-C8 ethyl fatty acid esters and 3-methylbutyl acetate, were found to increase with MLF, and their final concentration was dependent on the bacterial starter employed for the induction of MLF. The overall increase of ethyl fatty acid esters was generally larger than the one observed for acetate esters. Ethyl lactate, 3-hydroxybutanoate, 2-phenylethanol, methionol, and gamma-butyrolactone were also increased by bacterial metabolism. The impact of MLF on other volatiles or red wine, including several higher alcohols, fatty acids, and nitrogen compounds, was generally negligible.     

Morpho-pomological and chemical characterization of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes in Apulia region,Southeastern Italy

A recent increasing demand in Western countries for pomegranate products by consumers is especially supported for the nutritional and medicinal characteristics, due to the antioxidant properties of this fruit. Some studies have been published on the morphological and biochemical characteristics of pomegranate fruits in some Mediterranean countries, but little information is available about the genotypes present in Italy and in particular in Apulia (Southeastern region of Italy). This study (2008–2009) evaluated morpho-pomological and chemical parameters of eight pomegranate genotypes localized in private small orchards. Significant differences were observed among the pomegranate genotypes for many of the parameters investigated. In particular, fruit weight ranged from 168.9 g (SouMol) to 574.9 g (SouOst), °Brix from 14.7 (ComTri) to 18.0 (SouMol), titratable acidity from 5.4 (ComMol) to 25.0 (SouTri) g/L. SouMol showed the highest polyphenols (97.1 mg/L) and vitamin C (236.3 mg/L) contents. Oil content of the seeds was between 5.90% and 10.30%, no differences have been observed for the fatty acid composition with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers as the most abundant fraction (81.23%). Considering all the evaluated parameters, and especially those referring to the organoleptic characteristics and antioxidants content, it must be stated that the best genotypes worthy to be considered from agricultural and industrial points of view were AdeSgi for fresh market and SouOst for the juice industry.     

Discrimination of ‘San Marzano’ accessions: A comparison of minisatellite, CAPS and SSR markers in relation to morphological traits

‘San Marzano’ (SM) is one of the most widely known tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars, and is a classic example of a local variety with a premium value. Unfortunately, the original cultivated form is underrepresented in the Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) area because of the incidence of contaminant and phenotypically similar genotypes. Our aim was to examine the ability of three DNA marker systems (minisatellite, cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) and simple sequence repeat (SSR)) to reveal the genetic diversity of tomato accessions that were, based on a morphological analysis, very similar. The data indicate that both minisatellites and SSRs can be used to genetically distinguish the analysed materials. Furthermore, these two marker systems depict relationships consistent with the hierarchal pattern obtained by the morphological data. As locally cultivated tomato accessions are often characterised by some degree of genetic variability, our results will be valuable in facilitating the purification, management and breeding of tomato germplasms. The differences between the marker systems employed are also discussed in relation to their usefulness in the agro-food chain.     

Multi#ex—CAPS技术及其在番茄遗传鉴定中的应用

 ：应用Multiplex—PCR和CAPS(Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence)原理研究建立了Mutiplex—CAPS技术。该技术包括：(1)在PCR扩增反应体系加入2对、3对或多对核苷酸引物，经30～40个扩增循环后得到每对引物的特异扩增片段；(2)应用同一种限制性内切酶消化这些不同引物经扩增后获得的特异片段；(3)琼脂糖凝胶电泳溴化乙锭染色检测酶切片段长度的多态性。利用该技术对番茄(Lycopersicon es—cdentum)TA517及其近等基因系的分析表明，Multiplex—CAPS能同时检测2个、3个或多个CAPS标记的多态性，其效果等同于每个CAPS标记的多态性的叠加，重复性好，分析效率高，降低成本数倍。     

High tolerance of European plum varieties to plum leptonecrosis

A 13 year comparative study was carried out on the behaviour of four European and two Japanese plum varieties grown in adjacent rows in an area of northern Italy where plum leptonecrosis is epidemic. Within seven years, 100% of the Japanese plum trees became symptomatically infected. Nine years after planting, five trees of each of the European cvs, which were asymptomatic, were top-grafted with healthy buds of the cv Ozark Premier, which is an indicator for plum leptonecrosis. Based on the results of PCR analysis, DAPI staining and on the reaction of the top-grafted Ozark Premier indicators, 50% of the European plum trees, despite their healthy appearance, were shown to be infected with plum leptonecrosis. The detectable presence and graft transmissibility of the plum leptonecrosis phytoplasma in the asymptomatic European plum trees means that the European plum trees are not resistant to the infection but that they are tolerant. The active presence of a still unknown vector/s in the investigated area is stressed as well as the important role of Prunus domestica L. played in the conservation and spread of plum leptonecrosis.     

Effect of antioxidant protection of must on volatile compounds and aroma shelf life of Falanghina (Vitis vinifera L.) wine

Two vinification methods involving different degrees of antioxidant protection of Falanghina must during prefermentative steps, and referred as HAMP (high antioxidant must protection) and LAMP (low antioxidant must protection), were compared in terms of fermentation performances of four different yeast strains, composition of the volatile fraction of wines at the end of alcoholic fermentation, and shelf life of wines during storage. The use of HAMP technology resulted in wines with lower volatile acidity and higher concentrations of medium-chain fatty acid ethyl esters, acetates, and volatile fatty acids. For two of the four strains a lower concentration of isoamyl alcohol was also observed. HAMP wines also revealed increased shelf life because of the higher concentration of odor active esters at the end of storage and better preservation of varietal aromas.     

DNA fingerprinting and quality traits of Corbarino cherry-like tomato landraces

Twenty-five landraces of the cherry-like tomato named Corbarino, a typical niche product grown in the Sarno valley of the Campania region, have been characterized. The landraces used have been compared to eight cultivars widely spread in the same area of cultivation. The genetic diversity within and between landraces was evaluated through the comparison of DNA fingerprints obtained with (GATA)(4) probe hybridized to TaqI digested genomic DNA. Twenty-two of the Corbarino landraces were homogeneous and were unequivocally characterized by their DNA fingerprints. The others are probably "population varieties" in that within each of them polymorphic DNA fragments were identified. According to the characterization of fruit shapes, four groups were identified. One landrace from each group, harvested at the same ripening degree, was further characterized for yield, fruit quality components, antioxidant activities, and carotenoid contents and compared to Faino F(1) and Tomito F(1) hybrids. The Corbarino landraces were all characterized by high yield, a high level of carbohydrates, and high levels of soluble and total solids. Interestingly, the biotype named ISCI 05 was the most suitable for canning. Landraces ISCI 07 and ISCI 05 gave the highest value of antioxidant activities and carotenoid content. These data, together with previously published results, suggested that ISCI 05 should be proposed for the institution of a Label of Origin.     

Synthesis of antioxidants in wheat sprouts

Aqueous and ethanolic extracts from wheat (Triticum aestivum) sprout powder were analyzed to determine its reduction and antioxidant activities. Mean and standard deviation of five independent samples were reported. The results showed that the micromoles of potassium ferricyanide reduced by aqueous and ethanolic extracts corresponding to 1 g of sprout powder (80.6 +/- 11.2 and 9.7 +/- 1.8, respectively) were higher than that reduced by 1 mg of other reducing compounds: ascorbic acid, rutin, quercetin, and reduced gluthatione (4.8 +/- 0.7, 3.8 +/- 1.2, 4.8 +/- 1.7, and 1.6 +/- 0.4, respectively). In addition, the oxygen superoxide scavenging activity performed by sprout extracts (from 1 g of powder) is comparable to that shown by 10 mg of antioxidant pure compounds (rutin and quercetin). Biochemical analysis of the sprout extracts shows that the antioxidant activity is mainly due to reducing glycoside and polyphenolic compounds.