On the chemical composition and nutritional value of pleurotus taxa growing on umbelliferous plants (apiaceae)

Unpublished data on the chemical composition and nutritional value of Pleurotus mushrooms, growing on Umbelliferous plants (Apiaceae), are here reported. Cultivated basidiomata of four different Pleurotus taxa were analyzed in order to evaluate the composition in lipids, sugars, nitrogen, water, vitamins, ashes, and energetic values. The results showed that Pleurotus mushrooms are suitable in every type of diet thanks to their low caloric content, gastronomic value, vitamins, and mineral salt contents. The presence of a high content of vitamin B(12) and riboflavin in Pleurotus nebrodensis is noteworthy.     

Determination of selenium in nuts by cathodic stripping potentiometry (CSP)

The aim of this work was to determine the selenium content in nut samples by cathodic stripping potentiometry. Dry-powdered nuts were digested by HNO(3) and dissolved with concentrated hydrochloric acid. To avoid the interference of natural oxygen, the potentiometric determination of selenium was carried out in an electrolyte solution consisting of 2 M CaCl(2) and 4 M HCl. The analysis was executed applying an electrolysis potential of -150 mV for 60 s and a constant current of -30 microA. Under these conditions, detection limits lower than 1.0 ng g(-)(1) were obtained for selenium analysis in nuts. The relative standard deviation of these measurements (expressed as rsd %) ranged from 0.44 to 0.88% while recoveries ranged from 90.2 to 95.3%. The results obtained with the proposed method were compared with those obtained via hydride vapor generation atomic absorption spectroscopy, a common method for determining selenium. The results of the two methods agreed within 5% for almond, hazelnut, and pistachio samples. The mean concentrations of selenium determined in Sicilian samples of almond, hazelnut, and pistachio were 531 +/- 1, 865 +/- 1, and 893 +/- 4 microg/kg, respectively.     

Fatty acid pattern, oxidation product development, and antioxidant loss in muscle tissue of rainbow trout and Dicentrarchus labrax during growth

The levels of hydrophilic, lipophilic, and enzymatic antioxidants, the oxidative damage to lipids and proteins, and the fatty acid patterns of triglyceride and phospholipid fractions were assayed in fresh muscle tissue of rainbow trouts (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and sea basses (Dicentrarchus labrax) during aging, to investigate the correlation between oxidative stress and aging processes in fish. The present studies suggests that lipid peroxidation and accumulation of oxidized proteins during in vivo aging are most likely to be linked with an age-dependent decline of lipophilic antioxidants (CoQH(2), CoQ, and vitamin E) and vitamin C contents in muscle tissue, whereas fish aging is not linked to a decline in antioxidant enzymes and reduced glutathione levels. Lipophilic antioxidant and vitamin C levels represent a reliable marker of oxidative stress during aging, and their determination might be useful for the assessment of fish age.     

Simultaneous determination of Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) in citrus essential oils by derivative potentiometric stripping analysis

Citrus essential oils are widely used in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries, so the determination of heavy metals content is of great importance to guarantee their quality. The present work deals with the quantification of Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) in different varieties of citrus essential oils, using derivative potentiometric stripping analysis. Two different metals extraction procedures, involving concentrated hydrochloric acid treatment and acid-alcoholic dissolution, are tested on lemon, mandarin, sweet orange, and bergamot essential oils, and they give very similar results. Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) recovery tests spanned from 95 to 100.50%, providing evidence that metals quantification remained unaffected by the cleanup steps of the two procedures. The repeatability of the hydrochloric acid extraction method, applied on different varieties of essential oils, is >95.00% for Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II), whereas the repeatability of the acid-alcoholic dissolution method is >93.00% for Cu and Cd only in lemon oil. Detection limits obtained for the four analytes, using both procedures, ranged from 0.10 to 0.98 ng g(-)(1) in lemon, mandarin, sweet orange, and bergamot essential oils.     

Extractable iron and organic matter in the suspended insoluble material of fog droplets

In this work the formation and composition of aggregates between metals and organic material is studied in real fog samples. In a preliminary experiment it has been found that concentrated cloud samples form a yellow-brown precipitate in the presence of Fe(III). Standards of humic acids and fulvic acids co-precipitate with Fe(III), forming similar aggregates i.e. iron-humates (Fe-HA) and iron-fulvates (Fe-FA). By comparing the solubility properties of aggregates by extracting organic carbon (OC) in different pH conditions, it has been observed that fog droplet particulate samples are characterised by solubility properties more similar to those of Fe-HA than Fe-FA. Dilute alkaline solutions can also easily extract organic refractory substances that form aggregates with metals. The recoveries of the total extractable organic matter (accounting for 12% of total insoluble carbon and 15% of particulate mass) are similar to those of humic-like substances (HULIS) from particulate samples. The chromatographic behaviour and functional group characteristics measured in the alkali-extract fraction of precipitated aggregates with iron and in the insoluble particulate of fog samples, are those of humic-like material. Thus, soluble HULIS are able to interact with iron to form particulate, but the composition of a large fraction of insoluble organic carbon is still unknown. These findings have implications on the solubility and surface tension properties of fog droplets and can therefore potentially influence droplet formation, as well as cloud chemical and photochemical processes.     

Coriander essential oil composition from two genotypes grown in different environmental conditions

The objective was to study the essential oil composition of coriander fruits in plants growing in environments differing in soil conditions and weediness level. Factorial field experiments were conducted in two locations from the Rolling Pampas, Argentina, and two coriander landraces (European and Argentinean) were tested under two levels of nitrogen fertilization and weediness. Data were evaluated with uni- and multivariate techniques. The variation in the oil composition was related to the relative proportion of the constituents and not to the presence/absence of a particular component. Weather conditions in 1997 favored linalool and camphor in both landraces. Location, fertilization, and weediness also affected the chemical profile. The European landrace showed a more stable concentration of the major components than the Argentinean landrace. These results, which show the relationships between some environmental conditions and the essential oil composition, are useful in the development of innovative strategies aimed to improve oil composition and to manage crop pests.     

Carbon dioxide emissions after application of tillage systems for a dark red latosol in southern Brazil

Soil tillage may influence CO₂ emissions in agricultural systems. Agricultural soils are managed in several ways in Brazil, ranging from no tillage to intensive land preparation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of common soil tillage treatments (disk harrow, reversible disk plow, rotary tiller and chisel plow tillage systems) on the intermediate CO₂ emissions of a dark red latosol, located in southern Brazil. Different tillage systems produced significant differences in the CO₂ emissions, and the results indicate that the chisel plow produced the highest soil carbon loss during the 15 days period after tillage treatments were performed. Emissions to the atmosphere increased as much as 74 g CO₂ m⁻², at the end of a 2-week period, in the plot where the chisel plow treatment was applied, in comparison to the non-disturbed plot. The results indicate that the total increase on the intermediate term soil CO₂ emissions due to tillage treatments in southern Brazil is comparable to that reported for the more humid and cooler regions.     

Determination of some heavy metals and selenium in Sicilian and Calabrian citrus essential oils using derivative stripping chronopotentiometry

This paper aims to bring some novelty about the concentration of some heavy metals and selenium in biological citrus essential oils (CEO) produced in Sicily and Calabria in different crop years. Derivative stripping chronopotentiometry has been used as an accurate, sensitive, and rapid technique for the determination of Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Se in hydrochloric acid extracts of CEO; in the optimized electrochemical conditions, detection limits of <1 microg kg(-1) were obtained for all of the studied metals. In particular, the concentrations of metals were determined in biological bergamot essential oils produced in Calabria in 1999 and 2000 and in biological CEO produced in Sicily in 2003 and 2004. The obtained results provided evidence that Mn was the most abundant metal in all of the studied CEO followed by Zn, Ni, Cu, Pb, and Se; Cd concentrations were always lower than the limit of detection (0.6 microg kg(-1)).     

Flame absorption spectroscopic determination of cadmium, copper, iron, lead, and zinc in mussels

A rapid method is proposed for determination of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn in mussel samples. The elements are extracted with concentrated nitric acid in borosilicate glass tubes at 90 degrees C for 1 h, and determined by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Detection limits for a 300 mg sample corresponded to 0.3 microgram Cd/g, 0.7 microgram Cu/g, 33 microgram Fe/g, 0.7 microgram Pb/g, and 6 micrograms Zn/g. The coefficient of variation for 20 independent analyses was 7% for Cd, 7% for Cu, 6% for Fe, 14% for Pb, and 8% for Zn. Recoveries were 107 +/- 3% for Cd, 90 +/- 3% for Cu, 94 +/- 1% for Fe, 90 +/- 5% for Pb, and 96 +/- 3% for Zn. The accuracy of the method was determined by analyzing NBS Oyster Tissues.     

Influence of mitochondrial deficiency on expression of microtubule-associated proteins in primary cultured hippocampal neurons of neonatal rats

AIM: In order to study the relationship between mitochondrial deficiency and Alzheimer's disease(AD), we used sodium azide, a specific inhibitor of cytochrome C oxidase (COX), to develop a cell model of mitochondrial complex IV deficiency and investigated the impairment of microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins. METHODS: Primary cultured hippocampal neurons of hewborn rats were exposed to sodium azidethen cell viability was measured by MTT method; cell morphology, immunofluorecence-stained cellular microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins were observed by confocal microscopy. RESULTS: Primary cultured hippocampal neurons were exposed to 8-128 mmol/L sodium azide for 3-24 h, MTT absorbance decreased dose-and time-dependently. Exposed to 64 mmol/L sodium azide for 6 h, the processes of cells retracted, synapses disappeared, axons were shortened under contrast microscope. Meanwhile, microtubles were disassembled and became disorderly, the expression of microtubule-associated proteins were also reduced especially in the processes observed by confocal microscopy. CONCLUSION: Sodium azide inhibits the assembly and polymerization of tubulin in microtubules which may be reduced by low expression of microtubule-associated proteins in nerve cells. The damage of axons induced by microtubule collapse further blocks the intercellular signal transduction and intracellular material transportation which are important causes in cell death.