Addition of Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate to Corn and Sorghum Starch Extrudates Enhances the Performance of Pregelatinized Beer Adjuncts

Double mashing for wort production is a time‐consuming process that can be reduced if pregelatinized adjuncts are used. Optimal extruding conditions were determined to obtain brewing adjuncts from corn and sorghum starch. For corn starch extrusion, a Box–Behnken design was devised in which moisture, screw speed, temperature of the barrel, and concentrations of sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL) were varied, and sorghum starch was extruded according to a 2³ model in which the modified variables were moisture, SSL concentration, and temperature. The aim was to maximize starch damage and minimize resistant starch and final viscosity as determined with a Rapid Visco Analyzer. The treatments that satisfied these requirements were mashed, and wort extract yield was determined. Glucose, maltose, and maltotriose concentrations in the resulting worts were determined by HPLC with a refractive index detector. Feedstock tempering and SSL content were the most important factors affecting the response; for corn starch, treatments with lower moisture (20%) and middle levels of SSL (0.5%) or with high levels of both moisture (40%) and SSL (1%) produced the most desirable samples for mashing, whereas for sorghum starch the best treatment was tempering to 20% moisture and containing middle levels of SSL (0.5%). No statistical differences were found between these experimental treatments and the control.     

Dynamic relationships between soil properties and foliar disease as affected by annual additions of organic amendment to a sandy-soil vegetable production system

Additions of organic amendments to agricultural soils can lead to improved soil quality and reduced severity of crop diseases. However, the relationship between disease severity and soil properties as affected by repeated additions of these amendments is poorly understood. The primary objectives of this study were to (i) resolve multivariate relationships between soil properties and foliar disease severity and (ii) identify soil properties that contribute to disease severity in an intensive irrigated vegetable production system receiving annual additions of fresh and composted paper mill residuals (PMR). Foliar diseases caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae on snap bean (bacterial brown spot) and P. s. pv. lachrymans on cucumber (angular leaf spot) are the focus of this report. The experiment consisted of a 3-year crop rotation of potato (1998 and 2001), snap bean (1999 and 2002), and cucumber (2000). Treatments included a non-amended fertilizer control and two rates of fresh PMR, PMR composted alone (PMRC), and PMR composted with bark (PMRB). Soil measures included total soil carbon (TC) and nitrogen (TN), particulate organic matter carbon (POMC) and nitrogen (POMN), volumetric soil moisture (VM) and in situ NO₃-N. Multiple regression (MR) and principal component analyses (PCA) were conducted to identify key soil properties that influenced the amount of disease. On average, the amount of TC in plots amended with PMR composts increased 77-178% from 1999 to 2002 compared to the non-amended soils. In 1999, a year in which compost additions reduced the amount of bacterial brown spot of bean, TC explained 42% of the total variation in disease severity in the best MR model. Midseason TN alone was inversely related to angular leaf spot incidence in 2000, while POMN explained 51% of the variation in the best MR model for that year. In 2002, a year in which PMRC-amended soils exacerbated brown spot symptoms, midseason quantities of TN explained 80% of the variation in disease severity. Unique to 2002, NO₃-N alone positively correlated with disease severity. Overall, the influence of soil carbon on disease severity was displaced by the increasing importance of TN and NO₃-N, indicating a transition from a C-dependent to an N-dependent system.     

Growth Responses,Metal Accumulation and Phytoremoval Capability in Amaranthus Plants Exposed to Nickel Under Hydroponics

Surfactant-enhanced solubilization and subsequent biodegradation of phenanthrene and pyrene from aqueous solutions by Arthrobacter strain Sphe3 was investigated. The results show that growth of Arthrobacter strain Sphe3 was increased upon increase in concentration of Tween 20 and Tween 80. Inhibition of bacterial growth was observed with increasing Triton X-100 concentrations, whereas sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) totally inhibited this bacterial growth. Phenanthrene and pyrene solubilization was enhanced in the presence of surfactants and found to be linearly proportional to their concentrations, above the critical micelle concentration (CMC). In addition, Tween 20 and Tween 80 enhanced the biodegradation of phenanthrene and pyrene. The high correlation coefficient (R ²) values obtained at all the concentrations studied, suggest that biodegradation kinetics of both phenanthrene and pyrene in the presence of Tween 20 and Tween 80 follow first-order kinetic equation model. Experimental results suggest that Tween 20 and Tween 80 may have great potential for applications in bioremediation of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds using Arthrobacter strain Sphe3.     

Strategies and priorities in field collections for ex situ conservation: the case of the Israel Plant Gene Bank

The ex situ collection of the Israel Plant Gene Bank (IGB) aims to encompass the rich local flora and its genetic diversity with an emphasis on crop wild relatives. However, to properly establish a core collection, collection efforts must be prioritized and strategized. We previously classified local plant genetic resources into four priority groups that assisted in strategizing the collection activities. The following years of intensive collection activity yielded over 4200 banked accessions. However, these do not necessarily represent the distribution range of the target species for collection (TSC) and consequently, their genetic diversity. To best cover the latter, the collecting area was divided into botanical districts and the magnitude of the collection was determined according to prioritization group, e.g., a wild relative of an agricultural crop with a vast distribution range should be represented by a larger number of banked accessions than one with a smaller range. Continuous evaluation of specific needs shapes the collection scheme of the IGB to maximize collection efforts, better represent the presumed genetic diversity of TSC, and establish its core collection.     

Copper and Chromium Electrodialytic Migration in CCA-Treated Timber Waste

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated timber waste is hazardous for the environment due to the leakage of copper, chromium as well as arsenic to the soil and the groundwater. The study concentrates on electrodialytic removal of copper and chromium and their migration behavior in the wood chips and sawdust matrix in an applied electric field. The method is based on the movement of the charged particles in the electric field, enhanced by incubation with oxalic acid (2.5% w/w) and various placement of the contaminated waste in the electrodialytic cell area to analyze the distribution of chemicals in the proposed matrix. The method was tested in laboratory scale experiments where the CCA contaminated wood chips and clean sawdust were placed in various places of the cell, i.e., adjacent to the cathode and anode compartments and in the mid-section of the cell. The duration of each experiment was 14 days and the current was kept constant at 40 mA. During the electrodialytic treatment negative copper and chromium compounds were mostly found in the anolyte or accumulated in the anion-exchange membrane. The amount of positive compounds found in the catholyte is negligible. The placement of contaminated chips close to the anode and cathode showed that copper and chromium moved towards the positively charged anode. If placed in the mid section of the cell, significant amount of contaminants remained bound to the wood matrix or slightly migrated towards the anode. To predict the formation of copper and chromium species at certain pH and Eh, the computer-modeling program MTDATA to generate Pourbaix diagrams was used.     

Soil erosion modelling of burned and mulched soils following a Mediterranean forest wildfire

Soil erosion modelling applied to burned forests in different global regions can be unreliable because of a lack of verification data. Here, we evaluated the following three erosion models: (1) Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP), (2) Morgan-Morgan-Finney (MMF) and (3) Universal Soil Loss Equation-Modified (USLE-M). Using field plots that were either untreated or mulched with straw, this study involved observations of soil loss at the event scale at a burned pine forest in Central Eastern Spain. The erosion predictions of the three models were analysed for goodness-of-fit. Optimization of the MMF model with a new procedure to estimate the C-factor resulted in a satisfactory erosion prediction capacity in burned plots with or without the mulching treatment. The WEPP model underestimated erosion in the unburned areas and largely overestimated the soil loss in burned areas. The accuracy of soil loss estimation by the USLE-M model was also poor. Calibration of the curve numbers and C-factors did not improve the USLE-M model estimation. Therefore, we conclude that an optimized MMF model was the most accurate way to estimate soil loss and recommend this approach for in Mediterranean burned forests with or without postfire mulching. This study gives land managers insight about the choice of the most suitable model for erosion predictions in burned forests.     

Effect of nitrogen fertilization on nitrogen dynamics in oilseed rape using 15N‐labeling field experiment

In order to optimize nitrogen (N) fertilization and to reduce the environmental impact of oilseed rape without decreasing yield, a clearer understanding of N dynamics inside the plant is crucial. The present investigation therefore aimed to study the effects of different N‐application rates on the dynamics of N uptake, partitioning, and remobilization. The experiment was conducted on winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. cv. Capitol) under three levels of N input (0, 100, and 200 kg N ha^–1) from stem elongation to maturity using ¹⁵N‐labeling technique to distinguish between N uptake and N retranslocation in the plant. Nitrogen fertilization affected the time‐course of N uptake and also the allocation of N taken up from flowering to maturity. Most pod N came from N remobilization, and leaves accounted for the largest source of remobilized N regardless the N‐application rate. However, the contribution of leaves to the remobilized N pool increased with the N dose whereas the one of taproot decreased. Stems were the main sink for remobilized N from stem elongation to flowering. Leaves remained longer on N200 than on N0 and N100 plants, and N concentration in fallen leaves increased with the N treatment and in N100 plants along an axial gradient from the basal to the upper leaves. Overall, these results show that the timing of N supply is more crucial than the N amount to attain a high N efficiency.     

Inter‐specific variability in organic nitrogen uptake of three temperate grassland species

We tested the inter‐specific variability in the ability of three dominant grasses of temperate grasslands to take up organic nitrogen (N) in the form of amino acids in soils of differing fertility. Amino acid uptake was determined by injecting dual labeled glycine‐2‐¹³C‐¹⁵N into the soil, and then measuring the enrichment of both ¹³C and ¹⁵N in plant tissue after 50 hours. We found enrichment of both ¹³C and ¹⁵N in root and shoot material of all species in both soils, providing first evidence for direct uptake of glycine. We show that there was considerable inter‐specific variability in amino acid uptake in the low fertility soil. Here, direct uptake of amino acid was greater in the grass Agrostis capillaris, which typically dominates low fertility grassland, than Lolium perenne, which inhabits more fertile sites. Direct uptake of amino acid for Holcus lanatus. was intermediate between the above two species. Unlike in the low fertility soil, there was no difference in uptake of either ¹³C or ¹⁵N by grasses in the high fertility soil, where uptake of mineral N is thought to be the major mechanism of N uptake of these grasses. Overall, our findings may contribute to our understanding of differences in competitive interactions between grasses in soils of different fertility status.     

New device to simulate swallowing and in vivo aroma release in the throat from liquid and semiliquid food systems

This paper describes a novel device to simulate in vivo aroma release from liquids. This artificial throat simulates the act of swallowing followed by exhalation and shows aroma release curves that are similar in shape to in vivo release profiles. Liquids are poured down a tube, and a thin liquid film remains at the inner wall of the tube. Subsequently, aroma compounds release from this film into a stream of air flowing through this tube, which is analyzed by MS-Nose analysis. The effects of air flow rate, contact time with glass surface, presence of saliva, and addition of whey protein, as well as volume, concentration, temperature, and viscosity of the liquid have been studied and compared with aroma release measurements in vivo. A high level of agreement was found. These results confirm the importance of swallowing for aroma release of liquids, as mentioned in the literature, and the usefulness of the new mimicking device.