Effects of wood char and activated carbon on the hydrolysis of cellobiose by β-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger

Biochar amendments to soils have been suggested as a strategy to sequester carbon and therefore mitigate global climate change. The enrichment of soils with charred materials also increases their fertility. This fertilising effect of biochar may be caused by various mechanisms; an acceleration of nutrient cycling has been suggested as one such mechanism. The rate-limiting step in nutrient cycling is thought to be the extracellular enzymatic attack on biological macromolecules. In this study, therefore, the effects of chestnut wood char (specific surface area 2.0 m² g⁻¹) and of activated carbon (specific surface area approximately 900 m² g⁻¹) on an extracellular enzymatic reaction involved in the degradation of cellulose (i.e., hydrolysis of cellobiose by β-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger) were investigated. Cellobiose was not adsorbed by chestnut wood char, whereas activated carbon absorbed more than 97% of it. Both charred materials adsorbed more than 99% of β-glucosidase. For chestnut wood char, adsorption of the enzyme caused a decrease of approximately 30% in the reaction rate, whereas for activated carbon, the nearly complete absorption of both substrate and enzyme entirely inhibited the reaction. These results show that β-glucosidase from A. niger retains most of its activity when adsorbed to chestnut wood char and that the reaction it catalyses in nature is only slightly affected by this charred material. On the other hand, a material characterised by a high specific surface area and high porosity, such as activated carbon, can make even a highly soluble substrate unavailable for soil enzymes and therefore completely inhibit the reaction. Thus, charred materials may affect nutrient cycling mainly by regulating the availability of substrates: the degradation of highly soluble substrates may be accelerated by materials with low specific surface area, which maintain an active and protected enzyme pool, whereas materials with high specific surface and high porosity may slow down the degradation by making substrates unavailable.     

Osmoregulation in juvenile Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii)

The osmoregulation capabilities of juvenile Siberian sturgeon exposed to three experimental osmolalities (22, 250 and 387 mOsmol kg⁻¹) were studied over a 45-day period. Growth performance, haematological parameters, ion concentrations, gill and spiral valve Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase activities, as well as gill and spiral valve histology, were measured. At the end of the period, the plasma osmolality of fish kept in 250 and 387 mOsmol kg⁻¹ was higher than that of fish kept in 22 mOsmol kg⁻¹. Similar trends were observed in electrolyte concentrations. Spiral valve and gill Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase activity varied with exposure time and environmental salinity. Shortly after being transferred to hyperosmotic media, spiral valve Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase activity fell, while gill Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase activity remained constant. At the end of the experiment, gill Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase activities in fish kept in isosmotic and hyperosmotic media had increased in comparison to those of the control fish. Moreover, spiral valve Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase activities recovered and were similar to those recorded in fish kept in hyposmotic environments. Although some of the morpho-physiological mechanisms were operational in juvenile Siberian sturgeon in their adaptation to hyperosmotic media, fish cannot be considered hyperosmotic regulators as they were unable to maintain their plasma osmolality and electrolyte equilibrium in salinities higher than 250 mOsmol kg⁻¹. This suggests that the culture of juvenile Siberian sturgeon in brackish environments is unlikely to be successful. However, our data indicate that in natural environments, juvenile Siberian sturgeon in migratory populations (Ob and Lena Rivers) would be able to migrate successfully into estuarine brackish grounds with a salinity of up to 9%. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

水产食品特定腐败菌与货架期的预测和延长

Fresh fish and lightly preserved fish products are welcome by the global market, however, they are also among the most perishable food products. The research on specific spoilage organisms (SSO) reveals the spoilage process of aquatic product. This paper reviews the current knowledge (past ten years) on SSO of fresh fish and lightly preserved fish products with particular emphasis on characteristics of SSO and how to apply this concept to determine, predict and extend the shelf life of aquatic product. During storage, the microflora changes owing to different abilities of the microorganisms to tolerate the preservation conditions. SSO is defined as special microorganisms which can increase rapidly during preservation and has the ability to produce off- odours and off- flavours associated with spoilage, and spoilage metabolites. Identification of an SSO relies on comparison of the sensory and chemical characteristics of spoiled product with those of isolates from the spoilage microflora. Generally, the SSO of fresh fish may be a single species or genus, but the ones of lightly preserved fish products will be more complex. One exciting area for use of SSO aims to obtain quantitative knowledge about probable behavior of SSO and their function during the progression of spoilage. Thus mathematical models on the growth of SSO are established to evaluate the quality lost degree of product, which provide a sound information for the rational development of devices to monitor loss of products shelf life. Models for the growth of Pseudomonas spp, S. putrefaciens, P. phosphoreum have been established, and validated for shelf life prediction of seafood successfully. Another application field of SSO intends to develop the techniques to prolong the shelf life of food products by inhibiting SSO targetedly. Targeted inhibition of spoilage bacteria during preservation reduces their growth and results in a significant extension of shelf life in despite of the activity of non - spoilage organisms has not been influenced. Such techniques have been applied in perversion field of fresh fish and lightly preserved fish.     

水杨酸诱导对苹果体内防御酶活性的影响

为研究叶面喷施水杨酸(SA)对不同苹果品种防御酶活性的影响,以抗病品种‘北之幸’和感病品种‘礼泉短富’为试验材料,对不同浓度水杨酸处理前后的苹果叶片进行防御酶活性测定。结果表明,经水杨酸处理后,‘北之幸’和‘礼泉短富’的β-1,3-葡聚糖酶、POD、PAL和PPO活性均有提高,且高于对照植株。其中‘北之幸’的β-1,3-葡聚糖酶、POD、PAL和PPO活性分别是对照的2.04倍,6.19倍,2.73倍和2.32倍;‘礼泉短富’的β-1,3-葡聚糖酶和PAL活性分别是对照的1.82倍和1.70倍,POD活性是对照的5.68倍,PPO活性是对照的4.00倍。由此可见,水杨酸处理可以不同程度的提高植株体内抗性相关酶的活性,但不同品种间存在差异。     

大型有毒真菌的资源及其抗虫活性的研究进展

大型有毒真菌是指子实体被食用后对人类或动物产生中毒反应的大型真菌。许多大型有毒真菌具有抗虫活性．在未来新型生物源农药的研制与开发中具有巨大的潜力。文章对具有抗虫活性的大型有毒真菌资源及其抗虫活性的研究现状进行综述，并提出了目前研究中存在的问题和需要重点突破的关键技术。     

典型草原恢复演替过程中土壤微生物及酶活性动态变化研究

选取不同围封年限的生长季围封恢复草地为研究对象,开展典型草原恢复演替过程中土壤微生物及酶活性动态变化的研究,探讨土壤微生物及酶活性与草地植被及土壤养分的相关性。结果表明:与自由放牧草地相比,围封7年、10年、13年和20年的草地,其土壤0~30 cm土层细菌、放线菌和真菌数量显著增加,土壤转化酶、脲酶、蛋白酶和过氧化氢酶活性增强,土壤微生物量碳、氮含量显著增加(P<0.05),且随围封年限的延长呈增加的变化趋势。典型草原恢复演替过程中土壤微生物及酶活性与草地植被及土壤养分呈基本一致的变化规律,三者成密切的正相关关系。     

不同采收季节对叶用芥菜类黄酮物质含量和抗氧化活性的影响

 以10个不同基因型叶用芥菜为试材, 研究了不同采收季节对其总酚含量、类黄酮含量和抗氧化活性的影响。结果表明春季采收的总酚含量、抗氧化活性显著高于冬季采收的。叶用芥菜含有槲皮素和山奈素两种类黄酮化合物, 春季采收的槲皮素和山奈素含量高于冬季采收的。基因型间总酚、槲皮素和山奈素的含量及抗氧化活性均存在较大的差异, 并与生长季节有极显著的互作关系, 表明生长季节对不同基因型叶用芥菜酚类物质积累和抗氧化活性有较大的影响。总酚、槲皮素和山奈素的含量分别与抗氧化活性呈极显著和显著正相关。     

黄鳝不同生长阶段消化器官及其消化酶的变化

选取野生黄鳝的稚鳝12尾（体重22．25－25．95g)，幼鳝9尾（体重64．65－78．89g)，成鳝6尾（体重207.16-224.16g)，对不同生长阶段的黄鳝分别随机分为3个重复，在实验室内饥饿24h，解剖并取出黄鳝的胃，肠和肝脏分别称重，并测量肠的长度，然后分别取一定量胃，肠和肝脏匀浆，制取上清液测定酶活力，结果显示，不同生长阶段黄鳝的胃重／体重基本一致，黄鳝的肠长／体长指数从稚鳝到成鳝有下降的趋势，不同生长阶段的肝脏指数相互之间差异显著（P＜0．05），稚鳝与成鳝肝脏指数相关极显著（P＜0．01），幼鳝胃蛋白酶活力高于其他阶段，但差异不显著（P＞0．05），稚鳝与幼鳝的肠蛋白酶活力基本一致，但与成鳝相比差异显著（P＜0．05），肝脏蛋白酶活力随黄鳝的长大而增加，但相互之间差异不显著（P＞0．05），稚鳝，幼鳝，成鳝的肠道淀粉酶活力相互之间差异显著（P＜0．05），其中稚鳝和成鳝差异极显著（P＜0．01），稚鳝和幼鳝的肠脂肪酶与成鳝相比差异显著（P＜0．05），但稚鳝与幼鳝之间差异不显著（P＞0．05），稚鳝的肝脏淀粉酶活力与幼鳝，成鳝相比差异显著（P＜0．05），但幼鲜与成鲜之间的肝脏淀粉酶活力差异不显著（P＞0．05），3个不同阶段黄鳝的肝脏脂肪酶活力差异也不显著（P＜0．05）。     

豆油对藤仓赤霉菌978菌株产赤霉素GA3发酵的影响

在藤仓赤霉菌（Gibberella fujikuroi）978菌株产赤霉素GA3的发酵前期,研究了发酵初始培养基中添加不同浓度豆油对发酵过程脂肪酶活性的影响,结果表明：添加1．0％（W／V）的豆油,在发酵48～60h仍能对脂肪酶进行诱导,从而维持较高的脂肪酶活性,有利于菌体利用补加的豆油合成赤霉素GA3。在此基础上进一步探讨了补油发酵过程中豆油补加时间和补加浓度对赤霉素GA3合成的影响,试验表明：补油发酵起始培养基中添加豆油1．0％（W／V）、发酵60h补加4．0%（W／V）豆油能显著提高赤霉素GA3产量,与全淀粉发酵培养基发酵相比,在摇瓶发酵水平上赤霉素GA3的产量提高了23％,在10L发酵罐上产量提高了40％。     

火龙果花中多酚类化合物抗氧化活性研究

对火龙果花中多酚类化合物抗氧化活性进行研究。采用抗氧化能力的体外实验方法,研究火龙果花中多酚类化合物的还原能力、清除·OH、O2-、 DPPH·和ABTS·四种自由基的能力,以评价其抗氧化性,并以BHT作为阳性对照。结果表明,火龙果花中多酚类化合物抗氧化能力与浓度(0.4～0.8 mg/mL)呈量效关系。虽总体抗氧化活性较弱于BHT,但总体趋势与BHT相同,在浓度为0.7 mg/mL时,其羟自由基清除活性甚至略高于对比溶液。因此,火龙果花中多酚类化合物具有较好的抗氧化活性,可进一步研究开发为抗氧化功能性食品。