Phytate degradation by lactic acid bacteria and yeasts during the wholemeal dough fermentation: a 31P NMR study

myo-Inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) is the main source of phosphorus in cereal grains, and therefore, in bakery products. Different microorganisms such as yeasts and lactic acid bacteria have phytase enzymes able to hydrolyze IP6 during the wholemeal breadmaking. In this paper, the phytase activity of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus curvatus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, isolated from southern Italian sourdoughs, is assayed using the (31)P NMR technique. The sourdough technology based on the use of lactic acid bacteria in the breadmaking is finally suggested.     

Synthesis and resistance to in vitro proteolysis of transglutaminase cross-linked phaseolin, the major storage protein from Phaseolus vulgaris

The ability of phaseolin to act as an acyl donor and acceptor substrate of transglutaminase was studied by using an enzyme isolated from Streptoverticillium mobarense. Phaseolin, a trimeric storage protein from Phaseolus vulgaris L., was shown to possess both glutamine and lysine residues reactive for the enzyme. The extent of transglutaminase-catalyzed cross-linking has been studied in function of both incubation time and enzyme concentration. Native- and SDS-PAGE demonstrated that phaseolin is intra- and intermolecularly cross-linked by transglutaminase and gives rise to different polymers as well as to modified forms of the protein having a similar molecular weight but lower Stokes radius if compared to unmodified phaseolin. Cross-linked phaseolin was found to be more resistant to proteolytic cleavage than the unmodified counterpart, as demonstrated by in vitro trypsin and pepsin digestion experiments. This behavior could suggest novel possible uses of the transglutaminase-modified phaseolin.     

Relationship between virgin olive oil phenolic compounds and acrylamide formation in fried crisps

In this paper the relationship between virgin olive oil (VOO) phenol compounds and the formation of acrylamide in potato crisps was investigated. The phenol compositions of 20 VOO samples were screened by LC-MS, and 4 oils, characterized by different phenol compound patterns, were selected for frying experiments. Slices of potatoes were fried at 180 degrees C for 5, 10, and 15 min, and acrylamide content was determined by LC-MS. Results demonstrated that VOO phenolic compounds are not degraded during frying, and crisp color was not significantly different among the four VOOs. Acrylamide concentration in crisps increased during frying time, but the formation was faster in the oil having the lowest concentration of phenolic compounds. Moreover, the VOO having the highest concentration of ortho-diphenolic compounds is able to efficiently inhibit acrylamide formation in crisps from mild to moderate frying conditions. It was concluded that the use of ortho-diphenolic-rich VOOs can be proposed as a reliable mitigation strategy to reduce acrylamide formation in domestic deep-frying.     

Organochlorine and Metal Accumulation in Fish (Phoxinus phoxinus) Along a North-South Transect in the Alps

Southern populations of the European minnow fromremote oligotrophic mountain lakes along an Alpinenorth-south transect accumulated more p,p DDE andPCBs than northern populations. As these semi-volatileorganochlorines predominantly evaporate in warmcountries, higher rates of condensation (deposition)are assumed to occur in the southern slopes of theAlps. The higher accumulation of lead and cadmium insouthern population is rather attributed to geogenicand specific environmental impacts than to atmosphericdeposition. Increasing liver ratios of [glutathionedisulfide]/[glutathione], a potential indicator foroxidative stress, from north to south reflect thegenerally higher toxic load at remote sites at thesouthern edge of the Alps. However, histopathologicalchanges in the liver did not correlate withaccumulated toxicants indicating that deposition doesnot lead to severe lesions but induces specificmechanisms for detoxification.     

Assay of the set of all Sudan azodye (I, II, III, IV, and Para-Red) contaminating agents by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and isotope dilution methodology

A high-throughput mass spectrometric method is presented for the simultaneous detection of Sudan I, II, III, IV, and Para-Red azodyes in foodstuff. The method is based on the use of deuterium-labeled internal standards and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in a triple-quadrupole instrument. The gas-phase breakdown pattern of each labeled and unlabeled analogue displays the naphthoic moiety as a common fragment. The search for the parents of this common species (parent ion scans) allows, by flow injection and in a single run, the evaluation of the presence of each polluting species spiked in typical foodstuffs. A detailed assay of each azodye was performed by LC-APCI and isotope dilution method, through the multiple reaction monitoring approach, using deuterium-labeled internal standards. Sudan dyes can be quantified above the threshold of 10 ppb except for Sudan Para-Red, for which the limit of quantification was 20 ppb, likely due to the different ionization efficiency.     

Genome evolution following host jumps in the Irish potato famine pathogen lineage

Many plant pathogens, including those in the lineage of the Irish potato famine organism Phytophthora infestans, evolve by host jumps followed by specialization. However, how host jumps affect genome evolution remains largely unknown. To determine the patterns of sequence variation in the P. infestans lineage, we resequenced six genomes of four sister species. This revealed uneven evolutionary rates across genomes with genes in repeat-rich regions showing higher rates of structural polymorphisms and positive selection. These loci are enriched in genes induced in planta, implicating host adaptation in genome evolution. Unexpectedly, genes involved in epigenetic processes formed another class of rapidly evolving residents of the gene-sparse regions. These results demonstrate that dynamic repeat-rich genome compartments underpin accelerated gene evolution following host jumps in this pathogen lineage.     

A New Bioassay Platform Design for the Discovery of Small Molecules with Anticancer Immunotherapeutic Activity

Immunotherapy takes advantage of the immune system to prevent, control, and eliminate neoplastic cells. The research in the field has already led to major breakthroughs to treat cancer. In this work, we describe a platform that integrates in vitro bioassays to test the immune response and direct antitumor effects for the preclinical discovery of anticancer candidates. The platform relies on the use of dendritic cells that are professional antigen-presenting cells (APC) able to activate T cells and trigger a primary adaptive immune response. The experimental procedure is based on two phenotypic assays for the selection of chemical leads by both a panel of nine tumor cell lines and growth factor-dependent immature mouse dendritic cells (D1). The positive hits are then validated by a secondary test on human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs). The aim of this approach is the selection of potential immunotherapeutic small molecules from natural extracts or chemical libraries.     

Chromosomal and Plasmid Diversity of Agrobacterium Strains Isolated from Ficus benjamina Tumors

Agrobacteria were previously isolated from tumors developing on branches and aerial and hypogeous roots of weeping fig plants in Italy and in The Netherlands. A representative group of 48 strains was analyzed by PCR–RFLP of 16S and 16S + IGS ribosomal regions, PCR–RFLP of six Ti plasmid (pTi) regions and characterized for plasmid content. Two groups of agrobacteria were separated by cluster analysis of PCR–RFLP profiles of rrs gene: seventeen strains were similar to the new species Agrobacterium larrymoorei, while the remaining strains were included within the agrobacterium biovar 1 group. Sixteen different plasmid profiles from one to five plasmids were observed. In addition, 21 ribotypes and 20 pTi structures were arranged in many different combinations, showing that fig agrobacteria were characterized by a wide heterogeneity. A general lack of correlation between strain ribotypes and plasmid content was observed.     

Influence of characteristics and extension of a forest road network on the supply cost of forest woodchips

A forest road network in northeastern Italy was explored by field investigations to evaluate the cost of covering annual demand of woodchips according to three scenarios. The first scenario (A) considered the current extent of the forest road network (mainly tractor road) and the associated qualitative characteristics; the second scenario (B) evaluated the possibility of increasing the availability of the technical amount of forest biomass by extending the forest road network by three tractor roads (3.9 km); the third scenario (C) considered the impact on woodchip supply of converting 9.3 km of tractor forest road into truck forest road. At a woodchip price of 60 € t⁻¹, the cost–supply curve of scenario C indicated a woodchip amount of 2886 t year⁻¹, which was 561 t year⁻¹ greater than scenario A and 161 t year⁻¹ greater than scenario B.