Functional Properties of White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) By-Products Protein Recovered by Isoelectric Solubilization/Precipitation

The processing of fish in general entails quantities of by-products, such as exoskeleton and cephalothorax of shrimp, which may reach 70%. Protein recovered from by-products has been investigated in recent years for its ability to offer more nutritious foods and improved functional properties. The objective of the present study was the use of the pH shifting process to recover proteins from solubilization and precipitation that are present in the by-products (heads and shells) of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). The proximal composition of the by-products presented 58.5% protein (d.b). The isoelectric point used to precipitate the protein was defined at pH 4. The protein concentrate presented 73.1% of protein. The yield of the protein concentrate mass resulted in 47.8% (w.b). The greatest solubility found for the protein concentrate was 51.3% at pH 8. The oil and water retention capacity resulted in values of 8.5 and 2.5 mL/g of protein, respectively, and the highest emulsifying capacity was found at pH 8. The by-products and concentrate amino acids profiles confirmed the presence of 16 amino acids. In general, the shrimp protein concentrate obtained showed the potential to be included as an ingredient in food formulations.     

Global consequences of land use

Land use has generally been considered a local environmental issue, but it is becoming a force of global importance. Worldwide changes to forests, farmlands, waterways, and air are being driven by the need to provide food, fiber, water, and shelter to more than six billion people. Global croplands, pastures, plantations, and urban areas have expanded in recent decades, accompanied by large increases in energy, water, and fertilizer consumption, along with considerable losses of biodiversity. Such changes in land use have enabled humans to appropriate an increasing share of the planet's resources, but they also potentially undermine the capacity of ecosystems to sustain food production, maintain freshwater and forest resources, regulate climate and air quality, and ameliorate infectious diseases. We face the challenge of managing trade-offs between immediate human needs and maintaining the capacity of the biosphere to provide goods and services in the long term.     

Importance of river migration to the development of seawater tolerance in Columbia River anadromous salmonids

Gradually increasing levels of gill Na⁺K⁺ ATPase activity were observed in juvenile chinook, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, and coho, Oncorhynchus kisutch, salmon and steelhead trout, Salmo gairdneri, undergoing parr-smolt transformation in artificial rearing facilities on the Columbia River. Portions of the same populations released to migrate seaward, however, generally showed much greater increases in enzyme activity with time and distance from the release point. After migrating 714 km to the Columbia River estuary, spring chinook salmon had a mean gill Na⁺K⁺ ATPase activity 2.5 times greater than fish retained at the hatchery and 1.9 times greater than fish adapted to 28 ppt seawater for 208 days. Similar observations were made on coho salmon.     

Growth of sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in marine net-pens

Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) were reared in 1.6 × 2.0 × 1.2 m deep net-pens for 36 months using low-cost, locally available diets (frozen salmon and herring). Post-capture mortality, wound repair, and adaptability to floating net-pens were investigated. Results showed no mortality directly related to capture and rapid healing of wounds resulting from capture. All fish adapted to captivity without apparent difficulty.For grow-out trials, 36 age 1+ fish were tagged for individual identification. Male and female fish were identified using an immunodiffusion technique. Net-pen adaptability studies tested three diets. Maximum observed mean weight gains were 0.10 kg per fish per month. After 2 years, there was no significant difference in growth (length or weight) between any of the diets. A different weight gain was recorded between male and female fish fed the salmon diet.     

Beyond predictions: biodiversity conservation in a changing climate

Climate change is predicted to become a major threat to biodiversity in the 21st century, but accurate predictions and effective solutions have proved difficult to formulate. Alarming predictions have come from a rather narrow methodological base, but a new, integrated science of climate-change biodiversity assessment is emerging, based on multiple sources and approaches. Drawing on evidence from paleoecological observations, recent phenological and microevolutionary responses, experiments, and computational models, we review the insights that different approaches bring to anticipating and managing the biodiversity consequences of climate change, including the extent of species' natural resilience. We introduce a framework that uses information from different sources to identify vulnerability and to support the design of conservation responses. Although much of the information reviewed is on species, our framework and conclusions are also applicable to ecosystems, habitats, ecological communities, and genetic diversity, whether terrestrial, marine, or fresh water.