Search results for "beverages"
showing 10 items of 4625 documents
Effect of simulated gastrointestinal digestion on plant sterols and their oxides in enriched beverages
2013
Abstract This study evaluates the bioaccessibility (percentage of soluble compound available for absorption) of plant sterols (PS) and their oxides (phytosterol oxidation products, POPs) after simulated gastrointestinal digestion in fruit (Fb), milk (M) and fruit-based milk beverages with (FbM a ) or without (FbM b ) tangerine juice. In beverages and their bioaccessible fraction (BF), campesterol, campestanol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol and sitostanol were detected. Bioaccessibility of total PS ranged between 2.62 and 6.48%, FbM b yielding the highest value, followed by FbM a > Fb > M. Campesterol/campestanol were the most bioaccessible PS. Only oxides of β-sitosterol were detected in beve…
Putrescine accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana transgenic lines enhances tolerance to dehydration and freezing stress
2011
Polyamines have been globally associated to plant responses to abiotic stress. Particularly, putrescine has been related to a better response to cold and dehydration stresses. It is known that this polyamine is involved in cold tolerance, since Arabidopsis thaliana plants mutated in the key enzyme responsible for putrescine synthesis (arginine decarboxilase, ADC; EC 4.1.1.19) are more sensitive than the wild type to this stress. Although it is speculated that the over-expression of ADC genes may confer tolerance, this is hampered by pleiotropic effects arising from the constitutive expression of enzymes from the polyamine metabolism. Here, we present our work using A. thaliana transgenic pl…
A broader model for C 4 photosynthesis evolution in plants inferred from the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae s.s.)
2012
C 4 photosynthesis is a fascinating example of parallel evolution of a complex trait involving multiple genetic, biochemical and anatomical changes. It is seen as an adaptation to deleteriously high levels of photorespiration. The current scenario for C 4 evolution inferred from grasses is that it originated subsequent to the Oligocene decline in CO 2 levels, is promoted in open habitats, acts as a pre-adaptation to drought resistance, and, once gained, is not subsequently lost. We test the generality of these hypotheses using a dated phylogeny of Amaranthaceae s.l. (including Chenopodiaceae), which includes the largest number of C 4 lineages in eudicots. The oldest chenopod C 4 lineage da…
Quantitative evaluation of the phenolic profile in fruits of six avocado (Persea americana) cultivars by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography…
2016
The phenolic profiles of six varieties of avocado (Persea americana) grown in Sicily were investigated. The ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-heated electrospray-mass spectrometry method was developed to determine qualitative and quantitative changes in fruits at two different ripening stage. Nineteen individual phenolic compounds were detected in avocado pulp extracts. Gallic acid, sinapinic acid, vanillin, p-coumaric acid, and gentisic acid were present only in ripe fruits. On the contrary, epicatechin decreased with fruit ripening, whereas protocatechuic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, and benzoic acid were relatively stable or exhibited erratic changes with fru…
Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation of the cardenolide-producing plant Digitalis minor L.
2003
A repeatable transformation system has been established for Digitalis minor using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Leaf explants from 30-day-old seedlings were inoculated with either EHA105 (carrying the nptII and gusA genes) or AGL1 (with the bar and gusA genes) strains. Among the tested factors influencing T-DNA transfer to plants, the EHA105 strain and the addition of acetosyringone to the co-culture medium increased transformation. The highest transformation efficiency (8.4%) was obtained when freshly isolated explants, soaked in a bacterial suspension with an OD 550 of 0.9, were subcultured on selection medium after a 4-day co-culture with the bacteria. Evidence of stable transgene integrati…
Regeneration of herbicide-tolerant black locust transgenic plants by SAAT
2003
A protocol based on SAAT (sonication-assisted Agrobacterium-mediated transformation) has been developed to obtain herbicide-resistant transgenic black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) plants. Cotyledon explants were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium AGL1 strain carrying the pTAB16 plasmid (bar and gusA genes). The effects of bacterial concentration (OD550 of 0.3, 0.6, 0.8) and method of infection (sonication vs immersion) on bacterial delivery were determined by assaying cotyledons for transient beta-glucuronidase expression 3 days after infection. SAAT increases transient expression efficiency especially at an OD550 of 0.6. After determining bacterial concentration and infection method, oth…
The cypsela (achene) of Echinacea purpurea as a diffusion unit of a community of microorganisms
2021
AbstractEchinacea purpurea is a plant cultivated worldwide for its pharmaceutical properties, mainly related to the stimulation of the immune system in the treatment of respiratory infections. The cypselas (fruits) of E. purpurea were examined in order to investigate the presence, localization and potential function(s) of endophytic microorganisms. Electron and confocal microscopy observations showed that three different components of microorganisms were associated to cypselas of E. purpurea: (i) one endocellular bacterial component in the cotyledons, enclosed within the host membrane; (ii) another more generic bacterial component adhering to the external side of the perianth; and (iii) a f…
A qualitative model of the HIV vital cycle
1992
Qualitative modelling is a recent artificial intelligence approach to physical system modelling. This approach has been successfully applied in several fields. On the basis of an analysis and qualitative modelling of cell growth, we reckon that a qualitative model of the vital cycle of HIV can be proposed, including the phases in which HIV can be attacked. The actions of antiviral drugs can also be qualitatively modelled, provided their action mechanism is known, even only in a broad sense.
Food-grade argan oil supplementation in molasses enhances fermentative performance and antioxidant defenses of active dry wine yeast
2015
The tolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to desiccation is important for the use of this microorganism in the wine industry, since active dry yeast (ADY) is routinely used as starter for must fermentations. Both biomass propagation and dehydration cause cellular oxidative stress, therefore negatively affecting yeast performance. Protective treatments against oxidative damage, such as natural antioxidants, may have important biotechnological implications. In this study we analysed the antioxidant capacity of pure chemical compounds (quercetin, ascorbic acid, caffeic acid, oleic acid, and glutathione) added to molasses during biomass propagation, and we determine several oxidative …
Host-based divergence in populations of the pea aphid: insights from nuclear markers and the prevalence of facultative symbionts.
2003
In North America, the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum encompasses ecologically and genetically distinct host races that offer an ideal biological system for studies on sympatric speciation. In addition to its obligate symbiont Buchnera, pea aphids harbour several facultative and phylogenetically distant symbionts. We explored the relationships between host races of A. pisum and their symbiotic microbiota to gain insights into the historical process of ecological specialization and symbiotic acquisition in this aphid. We used allozyme and microsatellite markers to analyse the extent of genetic differentiation between populations of A. pisum on pea, alfalfa and clover in France. In parallel, we…