The rate of Salmonella spp. infection in zoo animals at Seoul Grand Park, Korea

Salmonellosis is an important zoonotic disease that affects both people and animals. The incidence of reptile-associated salmonellosis has increased in Western countries due to the increasing popularity of reptiles as pets. In Korea, where reptiles are not popular as pets, many zoos offer programs in which people have contact with animals, including reptiles. So, we determined the rate of Salmonella spp. infection in animals by taking anal swabs from 294 animals at Seoul Grand Park. Salmonella spp. were isolated from 14 of 46 reptiles (30.4%), 1 of 15 birds (6.7%) and 2 of 233 mammals (0.9%). These findings indicate that vigilance is required for determining the presence of zoonotic pathogen infections in zoo animals and contamination of animal facilities to prevent human infection with zoonotic diseases from zoo facilities and animal exhibitions. In addition, prevention of human infection requires proper education about personal hygiene.     

Functional and Nutritional Characteristics of Soft Wheat Grown in No‐Till and Conventional Cropping Systems

The effects of no‐till versus conventional farming practices were evaluated on soft wheat functional and nutritional characteristics, including kernel physical properties, whole wheat composition, antioxidant activity, and end‐product quality. Soft white winter wheat cultivar ORCF 102 was evaluated over a two‐year period from three long‐term replicated no‐till versus conventional tillage studies in Oregon. Wheat from the no‐till cropping systems generally had greater test weight, kernel diameter, and kernel weight and had softer kernels compared with wheat from the conventional tillage systems. Compared with the conventional systems, no‐till whole wheat flour had lower protein and SDS sedimentation volume. Ash content as well as most minerals measured (calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, and zinc), except for manganese and phosphorus, were generally slightly lower in no‐till than in conventional wheat. Whole wheat flour from the no‐till cropping systems generally had slightly lower total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity. Milling properties, including flour yield, break flour yield, and mill score, were not affected by tillage systems. Refined flour from no‐till systems had lower protein, SDS sedimentation volume, and lactic acid and sucrose solvent retention capacities compared with flour from conventional tillage. No‐till wheat generally had greater sugar‐snap cookie diameter than conventionally tilled wheat. In conclusion, no‐till soft white winter wheat generally had slightly reduced nutritional properties (protein, ash, most minerals, and total antioxidant content) compared with wheat from conventionally tilled systems, and it had equivalent or sometimes superior functional properties for baking cookie‐type products.     

Inheritance of seedling and adult plant resistance to leaf rust of selected Australian spring and English winter wheat varieties

Genetic studies were conducted to gain an understanding of the inheritance of adult plant resistance (APR) to leaf rust in six common wheat varieties. The Australian varieties ‘Cranbrook’ and ‘Harrier’ each carry two genes for APR to leaf rust. These genes are genetically independent of the seedling resistance genes Lr23 and Lrl7b, carried by the respective varieties. Adult plant resistance in ‘Suneca’ was conferred by at least two genes, in addition to the seedling genes Lr1 and Lrli. It is likely that the APRs in ‘Cranbrook’, ‘Harrier’ and ‘Suneca’ are conferred by uncharacterized gene(s). Tests of allelism confirmed that seedling resistances in the varieties ‘Avocet R’, ‘Hereward’, ‘Moulin’ and ‘Pastiche’ are conferred by Lrli. Adult plant resistance in the variety ‘Hereward’ was inherited monogenically, whereas varieties ‘Moulin’ and ‘Pastiche’ each carried two dominant genes. On the basis of rust specificity and pedigree analysis, it would seem likely that the APR genes in ‘Hereward’, ‘Moulin’ and ‘Pastiche’ are also currently uncharacterized.     

Size Distribution and Properties of Wheat Starch Granules in Relation to Crumb Grain Score of Pup‐Loaf Bread

Twelve hard winter wheat flours with protein contents of 11.8–13.6% (14% mb) were selected to investigate starch properties associated with the crumb grain score of experimentally baked pup‐loaf bread. The 12 flours were classified in four groups depending on the crumb grain scores, which ranged from 1 (questionable‐unsatisfactory) to 4 (satisfactory). Flours in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 produced breads with pup‐loaf volumes of 910–1,035, 1,000–1,005, 950–1,025, and 955–1,010 cm³, respectively. Starches were isolated by a dough handwashing method and purified by washing to give 75–79% combined yield (dry flour basis) of prime (62–71%) and tailing (7–16%) starches. The prime starch was fractionated further into large A‐granules and small B‐granules by repeated sedimentation in aqueous slurry. All starches were assayed for weight percentage of B‐granules, swelling power (92.5°C), amylose content, and granular size distribution by quantitative digital image analysis. A positive linear correlation was found between the crumb grain scores and the A‐granule sizes (r = 0.65, P < 0.05), and a polynomial relationship (R² = 0.45, P < 0.05) occurred between the score and the weight percentage of B‐granule starch. The best crumb grain score was obtained when a flour had a weight percentage of B‐granules of 19.8–22.5%, shown by varietal effects.     

Cloning, characterization, and activity analysis of a flavonol synthase gene FtFLS1 and its association with flavonoid content in tartary buckwheat

Evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies indicates that rutin, the main flavonoid in tartary buckwheat ( Fagopyrum tataricum ), may have high value for medicine and health. This paper reports the finding of a flavonol synthase (FLS) gene, cloned and characterized from F. tataricum and designated FtFLS1, that is involved in rutin biosynthesis. The FtFLS1 gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and the recombinant soluble FtFLS1 protein had a relative molecular mass of 40 kDa. The purified recombinant protein showed, with dihydroquercetin as substrate, total and specific activities of 36.55 × 10(-3) IU and 18.94 × 10(-3) IU/mg, respectively, whereas the total and specific activities were 10.19 × 10(-3) IU and 5.28 × 10(-3) IU/mg, respectively, with dihydrokaempferol. RT-PCR revealed that during F. tataricum florescence there was an organ-specific expression pattern by the FtFLS1 gene, with similar trends in flavonoid content. These observations suggest that FtFLS1 in F. tataricum encodes a functional protein, which might play a key role in rutin biosynthesis.     

茶多酚抗氧化机理研究现状

茶多酚是茶叶中的一种主要活性成份, 有着独特的抗氧化效果。其抗氧化机理表现在6个方面: 作用于自由基有关的酶, 直接作用于自由基, 络合金属离子, 再生体内高效抗氧化剂,与其他成份协同增效和调节机体免疫力。文中对此进行了综述。     

An ecosystem-based assessment of the Korean blue crab trammel net fishery in the Yellow Sea and management implications

Landings in the blue crab, Portunus trituberculatus, fishery in Korean waters of the Yellow Sea have declined substantially from 11,000 t in the 1980s to 2,300 t in 2004. Blue crab habitat quality in the Yellow Sea has been degraded by anthropogenic activities including sand mining, land reclamation, and coastal pollution. Various traditional management measures have been implemented, including closed seasons during spawning and size limits, but these measures alone have been unsuccessful to conserve blue crab stocks. Consequently, a total allowable catch and a stock-rebuilding program using an ecosystem-based management approach were implemented in 2003 and 2006, respectively to rebuild blue crab stocks and restore habitats. This program involved assessment of both blue crab stock status and trammel-net fishery impacts at an ecosystem-level using an ecosystem-based fisheries assessment method ( [Zhang et al., 2009] and [Zhang et al., 2010]), which considered fishery data from catch and effort time-series, crab population biology, and ecosystem characteristics, including habitats and environmental conditions. Recent (2008) management status indices have shown significant positive change compared to conditions in 2000 with respect to sustainability of the stock and fishery and with regards to biodiversity and ecosystem habitat quality.     

Biochemical Properties of Pelagic Fish Proteins as Affected by Isolation Methods and Gel Properties by Heating Methods

The biochemical and gel properties of Pacific sardine and Pacific mackerel were characterized as affected by preparation and cooking methods. Four to eight times more salt soluble proteins were extracted from water-washed paste than fish protein isolate (FPI) paste. Higher total sulfhydryl content was measured in FPI, indicating the exposure of sulfhydryl groups during alkaline extraction. Comparing gel properties based on two cooking methods (slow and fast), the two pelagic fish proteins performed quite differently. Heating rate did not differentiate between surimi and FPI gels from sardine. However, mackerel exhibited higher texture values when using the fast cooking method, indicating the presence of high levels of proteolytic enzymes. Water-washed surimi gels were whiter than FPI for both species. Water retention ability appeared to be higher with mackerel than sardine, regardless of isolation and cooking method. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel eletrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) also supported a difference in processing chemistry and thermal behavior between two methods for protein isolation and cooking, respectively.     

Isolation and characteristics of eight novel polymorphic microsatellite loci from the genome of garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Here we characterized eight novel polymorphic SSR markers, developed from an enriched genomic library of garlic (Allium sativum L.). These SSRs produced a total of 64 alleles across 90 garlic accessions, with an average of 8 alleles per locus. Values for observed (H_O) and expected (H_E) heterozygosity ranged from 0.16 to 0.77 (mean = 0.44) and from 0.22 to 0.86 (mean = 0.65), respectively. Six loci deviated significantly (P < 0.05) from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). The averages of gene diversity and PIC values were 0.65 and 0.62, respectively. The mean genetic similarity coefficient was 0.4380, indicating that among garlic accessions existed wide genetic variation. Based on 64 alleles obtained by 8 SSRs, a phenogram was constructed to understand the relationships among the 90 accessions. These newly developed SSRs should prove very useful tools for genotypes identification, assessment of genetic diversity and population structure in garlic.