Amino acid profile of the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) using near infrared spectroscopy and chemometric techniques

The high content of amino acids of the quinoa, especially essential amino acids (higher than other cereals) makes a food increasingly demanded by consumers. A total of twelve amino acids (arginine, cystine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine and valine) were analyzed in quinoa samples from Chile by near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) with direct application to the samples of a remote fiber-optic reflectance probe. The calibration results using modified partial least squares (MPLS) regression satisfactorily allowed the determination of the concentrations of this amino acid group with high multiple correlation coefficients (RSQ = 0.97–0.71) and low standard prediction errors (SEPC = 0.07–0.20). The prediction capacity (RPD) for the arginine, the cystine, the isoleucine, the lysine, the serine, the threonine, the tryptophan, the tyrosine and the valine ranged between 2.6 and 5.2, for the rest of amino acids were higher to 1.8, indicating that the NIRS equations obtained were applicable to unknown samples. It has confirmed that NIRS technology is a method that may be useful to replace the traditional methods for routine analysis of some amino acids.     

Paths out of poverty: An eclectic and idiosyncratic review of analytical approaches

This paper briefly reviews different debates about approaches for paths out of poverty, considering several views, from the analysis of specific policies to more general or systemic considerations. The contribution of this paper is to present a broad outline of those debates and to serve as an illustration of the complexity of analyzing paths out of poverty. It discusses in sequence, the more microeconomic approach of evaluation of individual policies for poverty alleviation; then it moves to broader issues of growth and development strategies, and macroeconomic policies, and their links to the persistence or reduction of poverty; and finally discusses the topic of institutions, related to how policy decisions are made and enforced in societies at the previous three levels. Finally, the concluding section argues that a successful program to eliminate poverty must integrate all levels of individual policies, macroeconomic programs, development strategies and good institutions. This paper hopes to contribute to that crucial work.     

Association between cellulitis (enlarged sternal bursa) and focal ulcerative dermatitis in Ontario turkeys at the time of processing

We conducted a processing plant survey to determine the prevalence of cellulitis (enlarged sternal bursa) and focal ulcerative dermatitis (FUD) in Ontario turkeys during the summer and to establish whether the two conditions were associated. A total of 11,772 birds from 24 different farms were observed at three processing plants in Ontario between June and August 2001. Each bird was examined for the presence of cellulitis and FUD. The severity and location of lesions were also noted. The overall prevalence of severe cellulitis (requiring either extensive trimming or condemnation of the bird) was 8.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.7, 10.9) and the overall prevalence for FUD was 22.6% (19.3, 25.9). The Pearson correlation coefficient between the prevalences of the two lesions was 0.56 (P = 0.0043), suggesting farms with a high prevalence of FUD in their birds also had a high prevalence of cellulitis. More specifically, birds with FUD were, on average, 10.8 times more likely to have cellulitis than birds without FUD (Mantel-Haenszel summary odds ratio = 10.8; 95% CI = 9.5, 12.3). Our observations suggest FUD may predispose birds to cellulitis, in which case, preventing FUD may reduce the occurrence of cellulitis condemnations in turkeys.     

Sulfated Glucan from the Green Seaweed Caulerpa sertularioides Inhibits Adipogenesis through Suppression of Adipogenic and Lipogenic Key Factors

Sulfated polysaccharides (SPS) from seaweeds have great biochemical and biotechnological potential. This study aimed to investigate the effect of SPS isolated from the seaweed Caulerpa sertularioides on adipogenic differentiation as a possible alternative treatment for obesity. The SPS-rich extract from the seaweed C. sertularioides was fractioned into three SPS-rich fractions (F0.5; F0.9; and F1.8) chemically characterized. Among these four samples, only F0.9 showed a significant inhibitory effect on adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Ten SPS-rich fractions were isolated from F0.9 through ion-exchange chromatography. However, only the fraction (CS0.2) containing a sulfated glucan was able to inhibit adipogenesis. CS0.2 reduces lipid accumulation and inhibits the expression of key adipogenic (PPARγ, C/EBPβ, and C/EBPα) and lipogenic markers (SREBP-1c, Fabp4, and CD36). The data points to the potential of sulfated glucan from C. sertularioides for the development of functional approaches in obesity management.     

Overview of Phlorotannins’ Constituents in Fucales

Fucales are an order within the Phaeophyceae that include most of the common littoral seaweeds in temperate and subtropical coastal regions. Many species of this order have long been a part of human culture with applications as food, feedand remedies in folk medicine. Apart from their high nutritional value, these seaweeds are also a well-known reservoir of multiple bioactive compounds with great industrial interest. Among them, phlorotannins, a unique and diverse class of brown algae-exclusive phenolics, have gathered much attention during the last few years due to their numerous potential health benefits. However, due to their complex structural features, combined with the scarcity of standards, it poses a great challenge to the identification and characterization of these compounds, at least with the technology currently available. Nevertheless, much effort has been taken towards the elucidation of the structural features of phlorotannins, which have resulted in relevant insights into the chemistry of these compounds. In this context, this review addresses the major contributions and technological advances in the field of phlorotannins extraction and characterization, with a particular focus on Fucales.     

Direct determination of paclobutrazol residues in pear samples by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS-MS) method has been developed for the determination of the plant growth regulator paclobutrazol in pear samples. Extraction was performed with methanol by using a high-speed blender Ultra-Turrax, and 10 microL of pear extract was directly injected in the LC-ESI-MS-MS system without any previous sample treatment. The highest sensitivity of the method was achieved under MS-MS conditions obtaining a limit of detection of 0.7 microg/kg and a quantification limit of 5 microg/kg, with a run time of only 5.5 min. Recoveries for paclobutrazol from spiked pear samples at 0.005, 0.05, and 0.5 mg/kg were around 82-102% with relative standard deviations between 2 and 7%. The method was applied to real treated and untreated samples of pears, using quality control samples as a evaluation of the method reliability. Two MS-MS transitions were selected, one for quantification (294 > 70) and the other for confirmation of the analyte (296 > 70). All the experiments were performed in compliance with good laboratory practices.     

Antifungal chalcones and new caffeic acid esters from Zuccagnia punctata acting against soybean infecting fungi

The crude methanolic extract of Zuccagnia punctata was active toward the fungal pathogens of soybean Phomopsis longicolla and Colletotrichum truncatum. Assay guided fractionation led to the isolation of two chalcones, one flavanone and a new caffeoyl ester derivative as the compounds responsible for the antifungal activity. Another new caffeoyl ester derivative was isolated from the antifungal chloroform extract but proved to be inactive against the soybean infecting fungi up to 50 microg/mL     

Determination of pesticides and PCBs in virgin olive oil by multicolumn solid-phase extraction cleanup followed by GC-NPD/ECD and confirmation by ion-trap GC-MS

A multicolumn solid-phase extraction cleanup for the determination of organophosphorus (OP) and organochlorine (OC) pesticides plus PCB congeners in virgin olive oil is presented. The method involves dissolution of the olive oil in hexane, followed by a cleanup system using a diatomaceous earth column (Extrelut-QE) with reversed (C(18)) and normal (alumina) phase SPE columns. Determination of OPs was by GC-NPD, while the OCs and PCBs were analyzed using GC-ECD. Recovery assays for OPs varied from 81.7% to 105.3%, for OCs ranged between 74.3% and 99.4%, while for PCBs were from 60.1% to 119.2%. Quantitation limits ranged from 10 to 25 microg/kg olive oil for OPs, and from 1 to 6 microg/kg olive oil for OCs and PCBs. In the case of positive samples, the confirmation of pesticide identity was performed by ion-trap GC-MS/MS. The applicability of the method was assayed with 19 virgin olive oil samples collected from different olive mills of Aragón (Spain). Only one OP pesticide (acephate) was detected in one sample at a concentration of 10 microg/kg. Organochlorine pesticides were found in 5-47% of samples at very low levels ranging from 1.5 to 5.2 microg/kg. PCBs were found in 20-90% of samples, showing concentrations between 2.3 and 17.3 microg/kg.     

Characterization of volatiles in different dry gins

A HS-SPME method coupled to GC-MS was developed and applied for the qualitative and semiquantitative characterization of distilled gin volatile fraction. Sampling, chromatographic conditions, and method performances were evaluated, and the developed method was applied as a comparative study of some of the most popular commercial London Dry Gins and other gins with geographic denominations. During this study, 70 components of the gins' volatile fraction were isolated, tentatively identified or identified by reference compounds. They were mainly represented by mono- and sesquiterpenic compounds, which were quantitatively determined. The comparative study of London Dry Gins and gins with geographical indication permitted clear differentiation between the gins with geographical indication and one of the London Dry Gins tested.