Dehiscence and prolonged storage of 'Kerman' Pistachios: Effects on morphometry and nutraceutical value.

'Kerman' pistachios (KP; Pistacia vera L.) are an important crop for several countries but their commercial value is diminished by their shell dehiscence status and prolonged storage in popular marketplaces. The aim was to evaluate the independent/synergistic effect of prolonged storage (1-4 year) and dehiscence status (split/unsplit) on KP's morphometry and chemical composition. Whole nut's and kernel's length, width, thickness, surface area, and volume were more affected by dehiscence (split > unsplit; p ≤ 0.01) than storage time; Kernel's mass, macronutrient composition and tocopherols (T)/tocotrienols (T3) were not much affected by dehiscence but time-trend correlations were observed with macronutrient composition (split/unsplit; ρ = - 0.57-0.42) and T + T3 (unsplit; ρ = 0.81). Specific/total fatty acids were affected by a complex dehiscence × storage time interaction, and they linearly correlated with certain morphometric characteristics (r ≥ 0.6). Shell dehiscence status more than prolonged storage substantially modifies KP's quality.

Draft genome sequence of Bacillus paralicheniformis TRQ65, a biological control agent and plant growth-promoting bacterium isolated from wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) rhizosphere in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico.

The strain denominated TRQ65 was isolated from wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) commercial fields in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico. Here, we report its draft genome sequence, which presented ~ 4.5 million bp and 45.5% G + C content. Based on the cutoff values on species delimitation established for average nucleotide identity (> 95 to 96%), genome-to-genome distance calculator (> 70%), and the reference sequence alignment-based phylogeny builder method, TRQ65 was strongly affiliated to Bacillus paralicheniformis. The rapid annotation using subsystem technology server revealed that TRQ65 contains genes related to osmotic, and oxidative stress response, as well as auxin biosynthesis (plant growth promotion traits). In addition, antiSMASH and BAGEL revealed the presence of genes involved in lipopeptides and antibiotic biosynthesis. The function of those annotated genes was validated at a metabolic level, observing that strain TRQ65 was able to tolerate saline (91.0%), and water (155.0%) stress conditions, besides producing 28.8 ± 0.9 µg/mL indoles. In addition, strain TRQ65 showed growth inhibition (1.6 ± 0.4 cm inhibition zone) against the causal agent of wheat spot blotch, Bipolaris sorokiniana. Finally, plant-microbe interactions assays confirm the ability of strain TRQ65 to regulate wheat growth, showing a significant increment in shoot height (26%), root length (40%), shoot dry weight (48%), stem diameter (55%), and biovolume index (246%). These findings provide insights for future agricultural studies of this strain.

Chemical Composition and In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Antioxidant Phytochemicals from Selected Edible Nuts.

The ultimate health benefits of peanuts and tree nuts partially depend on the effective gastrointestinal delivery of their phytochemicals. The chemical composition and in vitro bioaccessibility of tocopherols, tocotrienols and phenolic compounds from peanuts and seven tree nuts were evaluated by analytical and chemometric methods. Total fat and dietary fiber (g 100 g-1) ranged from 34.2 (Emory oak acorn) to 72.5 (pink pine nut; PPN) and from 1.2 (PPN) to 22.5 (pistachio). Samples were rich in oleic and linoleic acids (56-87 g 100 g-1 oil). Tocopherols and tocotrienols (mg·kg-1) ranged from 48.1 (peanut) to 156.3 (almond) and 0 (almond, pecan) to 22.1 (PPN) and hydrophilic phenolics from 533 (PPN) to 12,896 (Emory oak acorn); flavonoids and condensed tannins (mg CE.100 g-1) ranged from 142 (white pine nut) to 1833 (Emory oak acorn) and 14 (PPN) to 460 (Emory oak acorn). Three principal components explained 90% of the variance associated with the diversity of antioxidant phytochemicals in samples. In vitro bioaccessibility of tocopherols, tocotrienols, hydrophilic phenolics, flavonoids, and condensed tannins ranged from 11-51%, 16-79%, 25-55%, 0-100%, and 0-94%, respectively. Multiple regression analyses revealed a potential influence of dietary fiber, fats and/or unsaturated fatty acids on phytochemical bioaccessibility, in a structure-specific manner.

Antioxidant and chelating capacity of Maillard reaction products in amino acid-sugar model systems: applications for food processing.

BACKGROUND: Maillard reaction products (MRP) have gained increasing interest owing to their both positive and negative effects on human health. Aqueous amino acid-sugar model systems were studied in order to evaluate the antioxidant and chelating activity of MRP under conditions similar to those of food processing. Amino acids (cysteine, glycine, isoleucine and lysine) combined with different sugars (fructose or glucose) were heated to 100 and 130 °C for 30, 60 and 90 min. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated via ABTS and DPPH free radical scavenging assays, in addition to Fe2+ and Cu2+ ion chelating capacity. RESULTS: In the ABTS assay, the cysteine-fructose model system presented the highest antioxidant activity at 7.05 µmol mL-1 (130 °C, 60 min), expressed in Trolox equivalents. In the DPPH assay, the cysteine-glucose system presented the highest antioxidant activity at 3.79 µmol mL-1 (100 °C, 90 min). The maximum rate of chelation of Fe2+ and Cu2+ was 96.31 and 59.44% respectively in the lysine-fructose and cysteine-glucose systems (100 °C, 30 min). CONCLUSION: The model systems presented antioxidant and chelating activity under the analyzed temperatures and heating times, which are similar to the processing conditions of some foods. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Microencapsulation of sulforaphane from broccoli seed extracts by gelatin/gum arabic and gelatin/pectin complexes.

Sulforaphane is a phytochemical that has received attention in recent years due to its chemopreventive properties. However, the uses and applications of this compound are very limited, because is an unstable molecule that is degraded mainly by changes in temperature and pH. In this research, the use of food grade polymers for microencapsulation of sulforaphane was studied by a complex coacervation method using the interaction of oppositely charged polymers as gelatin/gum arabic and gelatin/pectin. The polymers used were previously characterized in moisture content, ash and nitrogen. The encapsulation yield was over 80%. The gelatin/pectin complex had highest encapsulation efficiency with 17.91%. The presence of sulforaphane in the complexes was confirmed by FTIR and UV/visible spectroscopy. The materials used in this work could be a new and attractive option for the protection of sulforaphane.

Effect of solvents and methods of stirring in extraction of lycopene, oleoresin and fatty acids from over-ripe tomato.

Lycopene and oleoresin extraction from powder of tomato over-ripe by three agitation methods and four solvents have been evaluated. Also, tomato powder and the oleoresins were characterized biochemically. On average, the moisture content of powder was found to be 4.30, ash 8.90, proteins 11.23 and lipids 4.35 g 100 g(-1). The best oleoresin extraction yield was achieved by combining sonication and acetone at 1.43 g 100 g(-1). The greatest amount of lycopene (65.57 ± 0.33 mg 100 g(-1)) was also obtained using the same treatment. The presence of trans-lycopene was positively confirmed by HPLC and FTIR. In oleoresins, linoleic acid (C18:2n6) was the predominant with 50% of total fatty acids, whereas stearic acid (C18:0) is presented in a smaller proportion (5%). A simple and suitable method for extraction of lycopene from over-ripe tomato was optimized. In industrial applications, tomato by-products are a viable source of analytes, such as lycopene and unsaturated fatty acids.

Development of a polymerase chain reaction and capillary gel electrophoresis method for the detection of chicken or turkey meat in heat-treated pork meat mixtures.

A polymerase chain reaction and capillary gel electrophoresis (PCR-CGE) method with ultraviolet (UV) or laser induced fluorescence detection (LIF) was established for the detection of chicken or turkey in heat-treated pork meat mixtures. Mitochondrial DNA samples extracted from heat treated meat were amplified with their corresponding specific primers yielding PCR products between 200 and 300 bp. LIF detection was superior than UV detection in terms of precision and sensitivity for the study of DNA fragments. The CGE-LIF method was highly reproducible and accurate for determining DNA fragment size. The PCR-CGE-LIF was sensitive since a significant fluorescent signal was obtained at the minimum admixture level employed of 1% in meat mixtures. Thus, the PCR-CGE-LIF method established was useful for the detection of chicken or turkey in heat treated meat mixtures and may prove to be useful for the detection of poultry meat in pork processed products.

Review: Authentication and traceability of foods from animal origin by polymerase chain reaction-based capillary electrophoresis.

This work presents an overview of the applicability of PCR-based capillary electrophoresis (CE) in food authentication and traceability of foods from animal origin. Analytical approaches for authenticating and tracing meat and meat products and fish and seafood products are discussed. Particular emphasis will be given to the usefulness of genotyping in food tracing by using CE-based genetic analyzers.

Capillary electrophoresis for the analysis of meat authenticity.

In this overview, different meat authenticity issues are presented, as well as a wide variety of methods available for meat authentication. Unlike chromatographic, traditional gel electrophoretic, or immunological methods, which have been routinely used in analytical laboratories, the application of capillary electrophoresis (CE) is relatively new in solving meat authentication issues. Several unique CE applications based on meat protein fingerprinting are discussed for the analysis of meat species in unheated meat products. For protein data interpretation, pattern recognition is used to account for the natural variability present within the same meat species. While gel DNA-based methods are widely used for determining meat species in heat processed products, few DNA-based methods utilizing CE have been reported. Moreover, the methods reported are qualitative or semiquantitative. Thus, the need for quantitative competitive PCR CE methods in the determination of meat species is addressed. For the determination of meat extenders, CE methods were either protein-based or based on specific markers. Polyphenols are used as specific markers for soy detection and hydroxyproline is used as a specific marker for collagen determination. Finally, the potential of electrophoretically mediated miroanalysis (EMMA) for the detection of meat that may have been previously frozen and retailed as "fresh" is highlighted.