Chemical and Thermal Properties of Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) Meat

Chemical compositions and thermal properties of cultured freshwater prawn meat (FPM) were studied. FPM contained 83.2% protein (dry basis), 62.7% of which was myofibrillar protein. Pepsin-soluble collagen (PSC) and insoluble collagen (ISC) contents were 0.63 and 0.32%, respectively. Both collagens were similar to type V collagen from porcine placenta. Glutamic acid/glutamine, arginine, aspartic acid/?asparagine, and lysine were abundant amino acids in FPM. Glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, and aspartic acid/?asparagine were predominant in both collagens. FPM exhibited thermal transition temperatures (T_max) of 48.3 and 64.7°C, whereas T_max of PSC and ISC were 43.0 and 46.0°C, respectively. Textural changes in FPM during post-mortem storage on ice are plausibly dependent upon its compositional and thermal properties.     

Differences in oxygen and carbon stable isotope ratios between hatchery and wild pink salmon fry

We examined differences in otolith oxygen (δ¹⁸O_otolith) and carbon (δ¹³C_otolith) stable isotope ratios between hatchery and wild pink salmon fry. The δ¹⁸O_otolith values of hatchery and wild fry were ?7.7 ± 0.2 ‰ and ?8.3 ± 0.3 ‰ (1σ), respectively. This difference reflected differences in temperature conditions experienced by each fry. The δ¹³C_otolith values of hatchery and wild fry were ?19.2 ± 0.3 ‰ and ?11.1 ± 1.8 ‰ (1σ), respectively. The lower δ¹³C_otolith values of hatchery fry were probably related to their intake of artificial diets. Discriminant analysis of δ¹⁸O_otolith and δ¹³C_otolith values demonstrated a highly significant difference between hatchery and wild fry with 95.8 % classification accuracy. Therefore, analysis of δ¹⁸O_otolith and δ¹³C_otolith precipitated in the fry stage may be useful for discriminating the origin of returning adult pink salmon. The discrimination method for returning adult fish would provide important information for evaluating the effect of hatchery release and their impact on the wild population.     

Effect of a cytochrome P450 inhibitor on abscisic acid biosynthesis and stomatal regulation in citrus trees in water-stressed conditions

The effect of diniconazole, an inhibitor of cytochrome P450, on drought tolerance was examined in ‘Shiranui’ [(Citrus unshiu Marc. × Citrus unshiu Osbeck) × Citrus reticulate Blanco] trees. Diniconazole treatment increased abscisic acid (ABA) concentration in leaves compared with untreated controls in water-stressed conditions after 20 days of water-stress treatment. Diniconazole significantly decreased the stomatal aperture at 9 h after application compared with untreated controls in water-stressed conditions. The photosynthetic rate decreased in water-stressed conditions; however, regardless of the earlier stomatal closure induced by diniconazole application, the decrease of photosynthetic rate was delayed by the application.     

Influence of light intensity on feeding, growth, and early survival of leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) larvae under mass-scale rearing conditions

This study investigated the effect of different light intensities on feeding, growth and survival of early stage leopard coral grouper Plectropomus leopardus larvae. Four different light intensities (0, 500, 1000 and 3000 lx) were used and larvae were kept under constant light conditions from 0 day after hatching (DAH) to 5 DAH. The larvae were fed a small S-type of Thai strain rotifers at a density of 20 individuals/mL from 2 DAH. The number of rotifers in larval digestive organ and total length of larvae were examined at 3 h intervals between 04:00 and 22:00 h on 3 DAH, and thereafter at 6 h intervals until the end of the experiment (5 DAH). Four experimental trials of the larval rearing were repeated using by 60 kL mass-scale rearing tanks. The results indicate that coral grouper larvae are visual feeders and their food intake increases with increasing light intensity. Food intake of larvae reared at 3000 lx was significantly higher than those reared at 0–1000 lx on 3 DAH despite being the first-feeding day (P < 0.01). On 4 DAH, total length of larvae reared at 3000 lx was significantly larger than those reared at the lower light intensities (0, 500 and 1000 lx), and thereafter light intensity significantly influenced larval feeding and growth until the end of the experiment. Survival on 5 DAH did not show a significant difference between light intensities, but survival rate at 3000 lx and 1000 lx had a tendency to be higher than those reared at the lower light intensities (0 and 500 lx). In contrast, larvae reared at 0 lx exhibited stagnant and/or negative growth. These results indicate that light intensity is significantly the factor affecting larval feeding, growth, and survival in coral grouper larvae under the rearing conditions.     

Sporadic endemicity of zoonotic Paragonimus in raccoon dogs and Japanese badgers from Miyazaki Prefecture,Japan

Paragonimiasis is a zoonotic trematode infection caused by Paragonimus spp. To determine the recent status of Paragonimus infections in wild animals, this study investigated Paragonimus spp. in 39 raccoon dogs and 54 Japanese badgers from March 2019 to January 2021 in Miyazaki Prefecture, and examined metacercariae in freshwater crabs. Triploid P. westermani was found in one raccoon dog (2.6%), and metacercariae were recovered from Eriocheir japonica captured near the infected animal collected. One Japanese badger (1.9%) harbored P. skrjabini miyazakii; this prevalence was lower than the approximately 30% that was reported in the 1970s. Results indicated that zoonotic Paragonimus was sporadically prevalent in wild animals. Further investigation in various animals is awaited to elucidate current wildlife reservoirs for those Paragonimus.     

Post-release movement and diel activity patterns of hatchery-reared and wild black-spot tuskfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Choerodon schoenleinii</Emphasis> determined by ultrasonic telemetry

ABSTRACT:   Post-release movement and diel activity patterns of hatchery-reared and wild black-spot tuskfish were examined using ultrasonic telemetry. Five hatchery-reared and four wild fish were released in the sandy bottom of Urasoko Bay, Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, and monitored using automated monitoring receivers from November 2005 to February 2006. Both hatchery-reared and wild fish tended to stay near the release site for over two weeks, before leaving the release site. Both hatchery-reared and wild tuskfish showed diurnal rhythm intermittently; signals were recorded more frequently in the daytime and less frequently in the nighttime, suggesting that the fish of both origins were active during the day and inactive during the night. These findings indicate that the one-year-old hatchery-reared tuskfish have some consistent behavioral characteristics with those of the wild.     

Coexistence of anadromous and lacustrine life histories of the shirauo, Salangichthys microdon

The environmental history of the shirauo, Salangichthys microdon, was examined in terms of strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) uptake in the otolith, by means of wavelength dispersive X‐ray spectrometry on an electron microprobe. Anadromous and lacustrine type of the shirauo were found to occur sympatric. Otolith Sr concentration or Sr : Ca ratios of anadromous shirauo fluctuated strongly along the life‐history transect in accordance with the migration (habitat) pattern from sea to freshwater. In contrast, the Sr concentration or the Sr : Ca ratios of lacustrine shirauo remained at consistently low levels throughout the otolith. The higher ratios in anadromous shirauo, in the otolith region from the core to 90–230 μm, corresponded to the initial sea‐going period, probably reflecting the ambient salinity or the seawater–freshwater gradient in Sr concentration. The findings clearly indicated that otolith Sr : Ca ratios reflected individual life histories, enabling these anadromous shirauo to be distinguished from lacustrine shirauo.     

Mung bean trypsin inhibitor is effective in suppressing the degradation of myofibrillar proteins in the skeletal muscle of blue scad (Decapterus maruadsi)

Mung bean trypsin inhibitor (MBTI) of the Bowman-Birk family was purified to homogeneity with a molecular mass of approximately 9 kDa on tricine-sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and 8887.25 Da as determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-quadrupole ion trap-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-QIT-TOF MS). Using blue scad myofibrillar proteins as targets, it was found that, in the absence of MBTI, proteolysis of myofibrillar proteins, especially myosin heavy chain (MHC), could be identified after incubation at 55 °C for 2 h, while in the presence of MBTI, with a final concentration of 25 ng/mL, proteolysis of these proteins was greatly suppressed even after incubation for 3 h. Although cysteine proteinase inhibitor E-64 was also effective in preventing protein degradation, inhibitors for metallo- and asparatic proteinases did not reveal obvious inhibitory effects. Our present results strongly suggested that the naturally occurring legume bean seed protein MBTI can be used as an effective additive in preventing marine fish blue scad surimi gel softening, which is quite possibly caused by myofibril-bound serine proteinase (MBSP).     

Non-ideal Behavior During Complete Dissolution of Organic Immiscible Liquid: 2. Ideal Porous Media

Column experiments were conducted using ideal natural sands and stainless-steel beads to examine the complete dissolution behavior of an organic immiscible liquid. Trichloroethene was used as the representative organic liquid. The elution curves exhibited multi-step behavior, with multiple extended periods of relatively constant contaminant flux. These secondary steady-state stages occurred at concentrations several orders-of-magnitude below aqueous solubility for the well-sorted sands. In contrast, the secondary steady-state stages occurred within 1 log of aqueous solubility for the poorly sorted sand. The non-ideal behavior is hypothesized to result from constraints to hydraulic accessibility of the organic liquid to flowing water, which may be expected to be mediated by the pore-scale configuration of the flow field and the fluid phases.