Quality improvement of rice-based gluten-free bread using different dietary fibre fractions of rice bran

Gluten-free (GF) breads are often characterised by low nutritional quality as they are mainly starch based and contain low amounts of vitamins, minerals and in particular dietary fibre. The objective of this study was to improve the physical, nutritional and sensory quality and shelf life of rice-based GF bread by adding different fractions of rice bran, containing different amounts of protein, fat, dietary fibre (DF) and different ratios of insoluble (IDF) to soluble (SDF) DF.     

Occurrence and distribution of ectoparasites in guinea pigs (Cavia spp.) in Peru,South America

Studies on the prevalence and distribution of ectoparasites in Peru were carried out during a period of 2 1/2 years. The survey included 17,421 domesticated guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus) from 14 departments in all bioregions and altitude levels and 143 wild guinea pigs (Cavia aperea) from three areas (El Paramo, Junin and La Raya) in the Andes and the Cordillera. The guinea pig is an important source of food, especially for the rural population, the infestation with ectoparasites, such as fleas, lice or mites greatly contributes to a decrease in production and low performance. Ectoparasites can be vectors for a variety of pathogens, which is particularly problematic due to the close association of this animal with humans. Twenty one ectoparasite species have been recovered. New knowledge about host associations and distributions could be obtained. The results of the studies are presented under faunistic and ecological aspects.     

High-resolution Greenland ice core data show abrupt climate change happens in few years

The last two abrupt warmings at the onset of our present warm interglacial period, interrupted by the Younger Dryas cooling event, were investigated at high temporal resolution from the North Greenland Ice Core Project ice core. The deuterium excess, a proxy of Greenland precipitation moisture source, switched mode within 1 to 3 years over these transitions and initiated a more gradual change (over 50 years) of the Greenland air temperature, as recorded by stable water isotopes. The onsets of both abrupt Greenland warmings were slightly preceded by decreasing Greenland dust deposition, reflecting the wetting of Asian deserts. A northern shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone could be the trigger of these abrupt shifts of Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation, resulting in changes of 2 to 4 kelvin in Greenland moisture source temperature from one year to the next.     

Denaturation of beta-lactoglobulin in pressure-treated skim milk

The kinetics of beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG) denaturation in pressure-treated reconstituted skim milk samples over a wide pressurization range (100-600 MPa) and at various temperatures (10-40 degrees C) was studied. Denaturation was extremely dependent on the pressure and duration of treatment. At 100 MPa, no denaturation was observed regardless of the temperature or the holding time. At higher pressures, the level of denaturation increased with an increasing holding time at a constant pressure or with increasing pressure at a constant holding time. At 200 MPa, there was only a small effect of changing the temperature at pressurization. However, at higher pressures, increasing the temperature from 10 to 40 degrees C markedly increased the rate of denaturation. The two major genetic variants of beta-LG (A and B) behaved similarly to pressure treatment, although the B variant appeared to denature slightly faster than the A variant at low pressures (< or =400 MPa). The denaturation could be described as a second-order process for both beta-LG variants. There was a marked change in pressure dependence at about 300 MPa, which resulted in markedly different activation volumes in the two pressure ranges. Evaluation of the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters suggested that there may have been a transition from an aggregation-limited reaction to an unfolding-limited reaction as the pressure was increased.     

Evaluation of serological tests for detecting tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) antibodies in animals

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in animals is not well understood yet. TBE virus (TBEV) serology in several host species could be valuable for epidemiological analyses in the field as well as for the detection of clinical cases. However, performance and suitability of the available test systems are not well assessed. Therefore, we evaluated two commercial TBEV-ELISA kits in a pilot study and compared them for their suitability in veterinary applications. For this purpose, we tested 163 field collected goat sera and evaluated the results by serum neutralization test (SNT) as "gold standard". Twenty-eight SNT positive sera (17.2%) were detected. The best suited ELISA kit was used for determination of a species-specific cutoff for horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, mice, dogs, rabbits and monkeys with defined sera from animals without known or with improbable contact to TBEV. The level of non-specific ELISA results does not only differ between animal species but may also be influenced by the age of the tested animals. The number of sera which tested false positive by ELISA was higher in older than in young sheep. In order to obtain defined polyclonal sera as references, two dogs, cattle, goats, sheep, rabbits and pigs each, as well as one horse and 90 mice were immunized four times with a commercially available TBEV vaccine. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that commercial TBEV-ELISA kits are suitable for application in veterinary medicine for both, verification of clinical TBE cases and epidemiological screening. However, positive ELISA results should be verified by SNT. Only a very low number of false negative ELISA-results were found.     

Synthesis and Biological Activity of Allosamidin and Allosamidin Analogues

The chitinase inhibitor/insect ecdysis inhibitor allosamidin and eight allosamidin analogues have been synthesised from simple carbohydrate starting materials. Allosamidin was assayed against Tineola bisselliella (Hummel) larvae and all nine compounds were examined for their effects on the development of larvae of Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann). High larval mortality compared to controls resulted when T. bisselliella and L. cuprina larva were exposed to allosami-din. The (1→3) linked regioisomer, the dimeric analogue and the gluco-configurated dimeric analogue of allosamidin all showed high activity against L. cuprina larvae. The regioisomer, the (1→3) linked isomer and its dimeric analogue, as well as the monomer allosamizoline and its regioisomer, were inactive. These new in-vivo results are consistent with known in-vitro insect chitinase inhibition data, in that greatest larval mortality was exhibited by the best inhibitors. © 1997 SCI     

Trials to grow certified seed potatoes in the Golan Heights

Summary A trial to grow seed potatoes in summer 1968 in the Golan Heights indicated that hardly any aphid transmission of potato virus Y (PVY) could be noticed. Normal plant growth and tuber formation were observed. The incidence of seed borne virus diseases in fields grown from local seed produced in the Golan Heights in 1970 was: PVY 0.1–0.3% in 2 out of 33 inspected fields, potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) 0.3–2% in 19 fields. In 1972 30 fields were inspected, PVY was observed in 3 fields at a level of 0.1–0.2% PLRV at a level of 1–4% in 28 fields. Alfalfa mosaic visus (AMV) and Stolbur were not observed. The result of post-harvest control in field plots planted with seed potatoes produced in the Golan Heights in 1969, 1970 and 1971 were: PVY very low infection, 0.2–0.7%, for the three years; PLRV, low percentage, 0.3–0.7%, in 1970 and 1971, while it increased in 1972 to 1.3–6%. AMV and Stolbur were not observed.

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Zusammenfassung Die Felder auf den Golan-H?hen liegen 900 m ü. M. Die Temperatur ist tiefer als in den Ostgalil?ischen Bergen w?hrend des Sommers. Am 20. Mai 1968 wurden irische Pflanzkartoffeln der SorteUp-to-Date (anerkannt in Klasse A) in Merom Golan ausgepflanzt. In den Jahren 1969–1971 wurden im Mai Basispflanzen und Pflanzgut der Klasse A der SorteUp-to-Date an zwei verschiedenen Orten, Meron Golan und Ein Zivan, angebaut (Tabelle 2). In den Ergebnissen der Feldbesichtigungen, die 1969–71 2–3 mal in Juni/Juli durchge führt wurden, widerspiegelte sich ein offensichtliches Fehlen der Virus-Vektoren. Es wurde kaum eine Uebertragung des Kartoffelvirus Y (PVY) durch Blattl?use festgestellt mit einer Ausn?hme, n?mlich im September 1970, als eine verbreitete PVY-Infektion beobachtet wurde. Diese Parzellen unterstanden dem Seed Inspection Service, und der Ertrag wurde als zertifiziertes Pflanzgut verwendet. In den Jahren 1971–1972 wurden Muster von 100–200 Knollen in Pflanzgutgr?sse (40–100 g) zu verschiedenen Erntedaten entnommen und zu Untersuchungszwecken in einem insektensicheren Glashaus ausgepflanzt. Der durchschnittliche Virusbefall betrug 1971: PVY 1,3–2,6%, Kartoffel-Blattrollvirus (PLRV) 1,5–5,3%, Luzerne-Mosaikvirus (AMV) 6–12%, Stolbur 0–2% (Tabelle 2); 1972: PVY 1,3–2,5%. PLRV 0,5–4,6%, Stolbur war nicht vorhanden, AMV 2,5–4% (Tabelle 3). Pflanzgutmuster von den Golan-H?hen wurden 1970–72 in Versuchsparzellen angebaut. Der Virusbefall war wie folgt: PVY 0–0,7%, PLRV 0,3–6%, AMV 0–1% und Stolbur 0–0,5% (Tabelle 1). Vom Ertrag im Jahre 1970 wurden die Knollen in Pflanzgutgr?sse 1971 auf verschiedenen Feldern angebaut. Gem?ss dem Seed Inspection Service betrugen die Viruskheiten im Mittel: PVY 0,1–0,3% nur in 2 von 33 besichtigten Feldern; PLRV 0,3–2% in 19 Feldern, w?hrend das Virus in den andern 14 besichtigten Feldern nicht festgestellt wurde. 1972 wurden 30 Felder besichtigt, deren Pflanzgut im Sommer 1971 auf den Golan-H?hen erzeugt wurde. Befall mit Viruskrankheiten: PVY 0,1–0,2% in drei Feldern und keine Spur von PVY in den andern Feldern; PLRV 1–4% in 28 Feldern, und nur in 2 Feldern wurde kein sekund?res PLRV entdeckt. Die PLRV-Infektion ist also zunehmend h?ufiger aufgetreten und der Prozentsatz war h?her. Gelbscheckigkeit oder Calico infolge AMV oder Stolbur wurden in diesen 1971–1972 besichtigten Feldern nicht beobachtet. Die Ursache für diesen bedeutend geringeren Virusbefall auf den Feldern und den Kontrollparzellen, verglichen mit den Laboruntersuchungen, liegt in der Tatsache, dass eine betr?chtliche Zahl der AMV-infizierten Knollen nicht keimten oder unter Feldbedingungen nicht aufgingen. Pflanzen von PVY-infizierten Knollen neigen dazu, so früh aufzulaufen wie Pflanzen von gesunden Knollen; sie werden von ihren kr?ftigeren Nachbarn gedeckt und k?nnen daher den Augen des Anerkennungsexperten entgehen. Beurteilung von Pflanzkartoffeln von den Golan-H?hen. Im Frühling 1971 wurden Pflanzkartoffeln der SorteUp-to-Date von den Golan-H?hen im Vergleich met irischenUp-to-Date an neun verschiedenen Orten angebaut. An einem Ort war der Ertrag gleich, an vier Orten war er geringer und an den andern vier Orten h?her (Tabelle 6); w?hrend 1972 der Ertrag des Pflanzgutes von den Golan-H?hen gr?sser war mit dem gleichen Prozentsatz von grossen Knollen (über 60 g) (Tabelle 5). Die Pflanzkartoffeln von den Golan-H?hen verhalten sich wie Pflanzgut jüngerer Anbaustufen in bezug auf Auflaufen, Stengelzahl (Tabelle 4), Blühen und Knollenbildung.

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Résumé Les hauteurs de Golan se trouvent à 900 m audessus du niveau de la mer. Durant l'été la température y est plus basse que dans les montagnes de l'est de la Galilée. Le 20 mai 1968, on a planté à Meron Golan des plants irlandais certifiés A de la variétéUp-to-Date. Au cours des années 1969–1971, on a planté en mai des plants de base et des plants de classe AUp-to-Date dans deux localités différentes: Meron Golan et Ein Zivan (tableau 2). L'absence saisonnière apparente de vecteurs se reflète dans les résultats d'inspection des champs, exécutées 2–3 fois en juin-juillet 1969–71, ce qui explique qu'on n'a pu obsevver réellement aucune transmission par aphides de virus Y (PVY) sauf une fois où l'on observé, en septembre 1970, une infection réalisée en cours de saison. Les parcelles étaient soumises au contr?le du Service d'inspection des plants, et la production utilisée comme plants de pomme de terre certifiés. Au cours des années 1971–72, on a planté, en vue de tests, des échantillons de 100–200 tubercules de calibre ‘plants” (40–100 g), dans un abri toilé à l'abri des pucerons, et récoltés à différentes dates. En 1971, on a observé les viroses suivantes: PVY 1,3–2,6%, enroulement (PLRV) 1,5–5,3%, alfalfa (AMV) 6–12%, stolbur 0–2% (tableau 2). En 1972, les manifestations de viroses ont été les suivantes: PVY 1,3–2,5%, PLRV 0,5–4,6%, le stolbur étant absent, AMV 2,5–4% (tableau 3). On a planté des échantillons de plants provenant des hauteurs de Golan dans des parcelles expérimentales au cours des années 1970 et 1971. On a noté les viroses suivantes: PVY 0–0,7%, PLRV 0,3–6%, AMV 0–1% et stolbur 0–0,5% (tableau 1). En 1971, on a planté dans différents champs des tubercules de calibre ‘plants’ provenant de la production totale de 1970, les moyennes des maladies virologiques, selon le service d'inspection des plants, furent les suivantes: PVY 0,1–0,3% dans deux champs seulement des 33 champs inspectés, PLRV 0,3–2% dans 19 champs tandis qu'on a identifié aucune virose dans les 14 champs restants. En 1972, on a inspecté trente champs plantés avec des plants produits sur les hauteurs de Golan au cours de l'été 1971. Les manifestations virologiques ont été les suivantes: PVY 0,1–2% dans trois champs et aucune trace de PVY dans les autres; PLRV 1–4% dans vingt-huit champs et aucune manifestation de PLRV issu des plants dans deux champs seulement. L'infection de PLRV est donc devenue plus fréquente et le pourcentage d'infections plus élevé. On n'a pas observé de ‘Yellow mosa?c’ ou ‘Calico’ d? au AMV, ni de stolbur dans ces champs inspectés en 1971–1972. La raison de l'incidence remarquablement basse de virus dans les champs et parcelles de contr?le, comparativement aux tests de laboratoire, tient au fait qu'un nombre considérable de tubercules infectés de AMV ne germent pas ou ne lèvent pas dans les conditions des champs. Les plantes provenant de tubercules infectés de PVY ont tendance à lever aussi t?t que les plantes saines mais sont recouvertes par les plantes voisines vigoureuses. Elles peuvent par conséquent échapper aux yeux des contr?leurs. Appréciation des plants de pomme de terre des hauteurs de Golan. Au printemps 1971, on a planté, dans neuf localités différentes, des plants provenant des hauteurs de Golan, en comparaison avec des plantsUp-to-Date de provenance irlandaise. Dans une localité, la production fut identique, dans quatre localités elle était inférieur et elle fut supérieure dans les quatre autres (tableau 6); par contre en 1972 la production des plants des hauteurs de Golan était plus élevée avec le même pourcentage de gros tubercules supérieurs à 60 g (tableau 5). Les plants des hauteurs de Golan se comportent comme des plants plus jeunes eu égard à la levée, le nombre de tiges (tableau 4), la floraison et la tubérisation.

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Part of this paper was read at a session of the Virology Section at the 5th Triennial Conference of the EAPR (Norwich, September 1972).     

Epiphytic Occurrence of Pseudomonas syringae pv. papulans (Rose) in France, Where Blister Spot has Never Been Seen

Pseudomonas syringae pv. papulans (PSP) the causal agent of blister spot, on the apple cultivar Mutsu in the USA, Canada and Italy, has not been described in France. A study on epiphytic populations of P. syringae isolated from French apple orchards revealed two isolates called KA54 and E121, whose biochemical characterisation showed high similarities with PSP strains. Identical symptoms were obtained with KA54, E121 and PSP strains, after vacuum inoculation of detached immature fruits of the cultivar Fuji, and young leaves of the cultivars Fuji, Mutsu, Gala and Golden Delicious. Koch's postulate was verified. These results indicate the presence of PSP in France. Differential characterisation criteria including serological, molecular and pathogenicity tests are proposed.