Evaluation of chemical and technological characteristics of new lines of Triticum turgidum ssp dicoccum.

Triticum durum ssp dicoccum also called farro in Italy is gaining more and more interest from farmer due to its commercial potentiality. In this paper, thirty lines F6 of farro obtained by crossing the cvs. Triticum turgidum ssp durum Ofanto and Simeto and T. turgidum ssp dicoccum Molise population were studied. They were evaluated with special reference to chemical composition and technological characteristics in order to select genotypes suitable for the production of food commodities. The storage protein composition (High Molecular Weight and Low Molecular Weight Glutenin) was also considered by different electrophoretic techniques.

Characterization of mucilage aggregates in Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Sea: structure similarities between mucilage samples and the insoluble fractions of marine humic substance.

The appearance of gelatinous aggregates called mucilages causes serious damages to tourism and fishery industries of the Adriatic Sea. So, many studies have been planned and some of them are still in progress to clarify the origin and causes of the phenomenon. The scientific research has showed that mucilages are produced by several marine organisms when peculiar climatic and trophic conditions occur. Moreover, as far as the mucilage composition is concerned, although it is well known that polysaccharides give a high contribution, knowledge of the structural characteristics of mucilages and their relationship with the natural organic matter of the marine environment has not been clarified yet. In this paper a study on the characterization of the marine mucilage samples collected in the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas is described. The study was performed by spectroscopic (infrared and colorimetric) techniques, and elemental analysis. The results showed that mucilage samples have chemical and structural similarities with the insoluble fraction of the marine humic substance (humin). According to experimental evidences it is possible to establish the relationship between mucilages and the dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the marine environment in order to identify the most likely pathways of mucilage formation.

Computer assisted determination of ATP in environmental and food samples by bioluminescent assay: comparison of algorithms.

When the bioluminescent assay (BLA) for the determination of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in environmental and food samples is performed by conventional photometers, a computing procedure is necessary to exclude the mixing time of reagents from the global time of the reaction because it produces a poor analytical precision [M. Mecozzi, A. Amici, G. Visco, Fres. J. Anal. Chem. 357 (1997) 747-751]. In this paper three automated procedures for correcting this interference were tested and compared with illustrate their advantages and drawbacks. The three techniques were the robust exponential regression and the outliers detection method (RER), the smoothing technique of Savitzky-Golay (SSG) and the smoothing technique of Kalman Filter (SKF). RER and SSG were found to be more effective than SKF in minimizing the effect of noise produced by the mixing of reagents. In addition, the application of computing procedures such as RER and SSG allow to improve the detection limit in the BLA performed by conventional photometers.

Ultrasound-assisted analysis of total carbohydrates in environmental and food samples.

Analytical methods to determine total carbohydrates in environmental and food samples usually require a preliminary chemical hydrolytic procedure to convert polysaccharides into monosaccharides prior to detection by colorimetric or chromatographic techniques. In this paper, an alternative hydrolytic procedure is presented. The method for hydrolysis of polysaccharides is based on the application of ultrasound at room temperature. The advantages of the method proposed here are reduced time required for analysis (4-5 h) and the improvement of the analytical accuracy due to the absence of the most common reactions of oxidation. The proposed method was applied to the determination of total carbohydrates in several environmental samples (seawater and marine mucilage) and starchy food samples. Results for total carbohydrate obtained using the ultrasound procedure for hydrolysis of samples agreed with those found when applying other published procedures.

Italian buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) starch: physico-chemical and functional characterization and in vitro digestibility.

A study on the physico-chemical properties and structure together with the evaluation of starch digestibility was carried out on starch isolated from buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) cultivated in different Italian areas. Results showed that buckwheat samples analysed were different among them and from wheat starch used as reference. Buckwheat granules were polygonal in shape and had a smaller diameter than the wheat starch granule. The starch obtained from buckwheat had a higher swelling power than the wheat one, probably as a consequence of the wheaker but more extensive bonding forces in the granule. During cooling, buckwheat samples showed a good paste stability.