Effects of dietary Tenebrio molitor meal inclusion in free‐range chickens

Insects are currently being considered as a novel protein source for animal feeds, because they contain a large amount of protein. The larvae of Tenebrio molitor (TM) have been shown to be an acceptable protein source for broiler chickens in terms of growth performance, but till now, no data on histological or intestinal morphometric features have been reported. This study has had the aim of evaluating the effects of dietary TM inclusion on the performance, welfare, intestinal morphology and histological features of free‐range chickens. A total of 140 medium‐growing hybrid female chickens were free‐range reared and randomly allotted to two dietary treatments: (i) a control group and (ii) a TM group, in which TM meal was included at 75 g/kg. Each group consisted of five pens as replicates, with 14 chicks per pen. Growth performance, haematological and serum parameters and welfare indicators were evaluated, and the animals were slaughtered at the age of 97 days. Two birds per pen (10 birds/treatment) were submitted to histological (liver, spleen, thymus, bursa of Fabricius, kidney, heart, glandular stomach and gut) and morphometric (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) investigations. The inclusion of TM did not affect the growth performance, haematological or serum parameters. The morphometric and histological features were not significantly affected either, thus suggesting no influence on nutrient metabolization, performance or animal health. Glandular stomach alterations (chronic flogosis with epithelial squamous metaplasia) were considered paraphysiological in relation to free‐range farming. The observed chronic intestinal flogosis, with concomitant activation of the lymphoid tissue, was probably due to previous parasitic infections, which are very frequently detected in free‐range chickens. In conclusion, the findings of this study show that yellow mealworm inclusion does not affect the welfare, productive performances or morphological features of free‐range chickens, thus confirming that TM can be used safely in poultry diets.     

Taenia solium oncosphere antigens induce immunity in pigs against experimental cysticercosis

Immunity to Taenia solium infection was investigated using an experimental intramuscular oncosphere infection assay (IMOA) model in pigs. Three naturally infected pigs with cysticercosis were treated with oxfendazole (OFZ), a drug demonstrated to kill cysts in porcine muscle. These animals were then challenged with oncospheres but did not develop any cysts while three uninfected pigs that were similarly challenged, did develop intramuscular cysts. In another study, two groups of three pigs each were immunized with crude T. solium oncosphere and metacestode antigens, respectively, and tested with the IMOA. Immunization with crude oncosphere antigens (OAs) induced 100% protection, while metacestode antigens provided only partial protection. Immunoblots showed that pigs with complete immune protection to oncosphere intramuscular challenge had antibodies to two OAs at 31.3 and 22.5 kDa, respectively. Antibody to these two antigens was absent in pigs immunized with metacestodes or in uninfected control pigs. This study demonstrated the presence of two antigens that are unique to the oncosphere. Although, antibody to these two antigens is consistently present in pigs that are protected from an oncosphere intramuscular challenge their role in preventing infection by T. solium larval cysts is still hypothetical.     

Effects of deficit irrigation strategies on cluster microclimate for improving fruit composition of Moscatel field-grown grapevines

The grapevine plays a very important role in the economic, social and cultural sectors of many regions; however vineyards are often grown in regions under stressful conditions and thus they are vulnerable to climate change. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of partial root-zone drying (PRD) irrigation on vine water relations, vegetative growth, plant microclimate, berry composition and yield components, compared to conventional deficit irrigation (DI, 50% ETc), full irrigation (FI, 100% of ETc) and non-irrigated vines (NI). The study was undertaken in mature ‘Moscatel’ grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) grown in Pegões, South of Portugal. Compared to the other irrigated treatments, PRD vines showed a better microclimate at the cluster zone with higher incident photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). Within the more open canopies of NI and PRD treatments, berry temperatures were higher than those of denser ones (DI and FI). Compared to the conventional irrigation technique the better microclimate observed in PRD vines was a consequence of a reduction in vine growth, where lower values of leaf layer number, leaf area, canopy wideness, water shoots and shoot weight were observed. In PRD vines we observed a tendency to a development of a deeper root system, while DI and FI showed a more homogeneous root distribution throughout the different soil layers. PRD showed an improvement in berry quality with higher values of flavour precursors, and total phenols concentration without any significant yield reduction compared to DI and FI.     

A new dihydroxysterol from the marine phytoplankton Diacronema sp

Diacronema sp. was cultured and its sterols were separated by column chromatography on silica gel. The new sterol 24-ethyl-4alpha-methyl-cholestane-3,20-diol (1) was characterised by NMR and MS spectrometry, as well as (22E)-24-ethyl-4alpha-methyl-5alpha-cholest-22-en-3beta-ol (2) and beta-sitosterol, the major components of the sterol fractions. Neither the biosynthetic origin of the new dihydroxysterol nor its role in the biochemistry of Diacronema is known.     

A microwave tomographic system for wood characterization in the forest products industry

Abstract

Nondestructive testing and evaluation techniques able to extract information about the internal structure of the samples under test are very important in the wood industry. Microwave imaging systems have been considered for a long time promising apparatuses for this task. In this framework, approaches exploiting the full scattering phenomena for creating images of the distributions of the dielectric properties of the targets have been developed in the last few years. In this paper, a prototype of microwave tomographic system is presented and several experimental validation confirming its suitability for the use in the wood and forest product industry are reported.     

Anthocyanins present in selected tropical fruits: acerola, jambolão, jussara, and guajiru

Many tropical fruits are rich in anthocyanins, though limited information is available about the characterization and quantification of these anthocyanins. The identification and quantification of anthocyanin pigments in four tropical fruits were determined by HPLC-MS/MS. Fruits studied included acerola (Malphigia emarginata), jussara (Euterpe edulis), jambol?o (Syzygium cumini), and guajiru (Chrysobalanus icaco). All four fruits were found to contain anthocyanin pigments. Anthocyanidin backbones included cyanidin, delphinidin, peonidin, pelargonidin, petunidin, and malvidin. Guajiru contained several acylated forms, while acerola, jussara, and jambol?o contained only nonacylated glycosides. These results demonstrate that these tropical fruits are rich in anthocyanins and that the anthocyanins are widely ranging in anthocyanidin backbone, glycosylation, and acylation.     

Assessment of the combination of spinosad and milbemycin oxime in preventing the development of canine Angiostrongylus vasorum infections

Angiostrongylus vasorum is an increasingly reported parasite in Europe that develops in dogs after ingestion of infective third stage larvae (L3) that reside in gastropod molluscs which are needed to complete the parasite's life-cycle. Infection can produce a diversity of clinical signs, determined by involvement of the respiratory, neurological, and/or coagulation system, with a likely fatal outcome in the absence of treatment. Few drugs have been shown to reliably prevent infection, and data on treatment of infections is limited. A controlled, randomized, partially blinded laboratory study was therefore executed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combination tablet of spinosad/milbemycin oxime in dogs inoculated with approximately 250 A. vasorum L3. Sixteen healthy nematode free adult dogs were randomly allocated to two study groups of 8 dogs each. Thirty days post inoculation (dpi) all dogs in the fed state were treated: dogs in group B were treated with spinosad and milbemycin oxime at the dose rates of 45–60 mg/kg and 0.75–1.0 mg/kg bodyweight, respectively, approximately the lower half portion of the expected full unit dose range; dogs in group A were treated with placebo tablets. All dogs were euthanized and necropsied 56–58 dpi. The heart and lungs were examined to determine the presence of A. vasorum. All placebo group dogs were infected at necropsy with counts ranging from 22 to 98 adult worms and a geometric mean worm count of 55.2. In contrast, the geometric mean worm count in the spinosad/milbemycin oxime group was 0.7 with worm numbers ranging from 0 to 8. The results of this study demonstrate that a single treatment with the tablet combination of spinosad and milbemycin oxime administered 30 dpi provided 98.8% preventive efficacy against development of adult A. vasorum infections. Monthly treatments with spinosad and milbemycin oxime have the potential to prevent the establishment of infections with A. vasorum in dogs.     

Successful analysis of gut contents in fungal-feeding oribatid mites by combining body-surface washing and PCR

The feeding habits of soil mesofauna have been a mystery for decades, and depending on the methods used, different degrees of feeding specialisation have been observed. A new way to study the almost unknown feeding habits of soil mesofauna e.g. oribatid mites is to use PCR-based techniques. When applying PCR on these small organisms, the low amount of ingested DNA can cause problems. Even more important is to certify that the amplified DNA does not originate from body-surface contamination. The aim of this study was to analyse if washing of the body surface combined with PCR can be a successful approach when identifying the food ingested by fungivorous mites. The method was developed in a laboratory system where we used the oribatid mite Archegozetes longisetosus as a model organism due to its relatively short life cycle and ease of laboratory culturing. The results demonstrated that surface contamination is a serious problem. Both washing and dissection was needed to remove surface contamination on such small organisms. To get a reliable result the samples also had to contain at least five pooled guts, but preferably ten. This is the first step towards a successful use of PCR-based methods to study natural feeding habits of species most likely contaminated on the body surface. When modified for field conditions, the results obtained by this method have a high potential to answer many questions about the animals feeding habits, and their functional role in the soil.     

Carotenoid, chlorophyll, and chlorophyll-derived compounds in grapes and port wines

Carotenoids and chlorophyll-derived compounds in grapes and Port wines were investigated by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-DAD-MS (ESP+) analysis. A total of 13 carotenoid and chlorophyll-derived compounds are formally reported in grapes, 3 are identified for the first time, pheophytins a and b and (13Z)-beta-carotene, and 3 others remain unknown. In Port wines 19 compounds with carotenoid or chlorophyll-like structures are present, 8 still unidentified. The young wines showed higher total carotenoid content and chlorophyll-like compounds compared to aged Ports, with lutein and beta-carotene as major carotenoids. Among samples analyzed of monovarietal Vitis vinifera L. cultivar wines produced with the five most important Douro varieties, Tinta Roriz contained the highest levels of carotenoids and Touriga Franca the lowest. The forced-aging study indicated that lutein was more sensitive to temperature than beta-carotene. Additionally, aged wines showed higher ratios of beta-carotene/lutein concentrations compared to new Ports. Rates of degradation of chlorophyll derivative compounds were higher than those for carotene and lutein.     

Purification and partial characterization of lipoxygenase from desert truffle (Terfezia claveryi Chatin) ascocarps

A lipoxygenase from Terfezia claveryi Chatin ascocarp, a mycorrhizal hypogeous fungus, is described for the first time. The higher proportion of PUFA in T. claveryi ascocarps makes lipid rancidity the main factor limiting its storage life. Thus, the studies on LOX from T. claveryi are important because this enzyme, among other roles, may be involved in an alteration of lipids leading to consumer rejection. The enzyme has been purified to apparent homogeneity by phase partitioning in the presence of Triton X-114, followed by two steps of cation-exchange chromatography. The purified T. claveryi LOX preparation consisted of a single major band with an apparent molecular mass of 66 kDa after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzymic activity exhibited a strong specificity toward linoleic and linolenic acids as substrates, while only 32% activity was observed using gamma-linolenic acid. The pH optimum of this enzyme was pH 7.0. When the enzyme reacted with linoleic acid, it produced a single peak, which comigrated with standard 13-hydroperoxy-octadecadienoic acid; 13-hydroperoxy-octadecatrienoic acid was produced during the reaction with linolenic acid.