Friday 28 December 2018

International Journal of Molecular Science. Special Issue "Host-Guest Complexes"


A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue entitled "Host-guest Complex" belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics". International Journal of Molecular Sciences is published by MPDI, and is indexed in Journal Citation Report with 3.687 in Multidisciplinar chemistry and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology categories. Since 2000 is an Open Access publication. In order to provide free access to readers, and to cover the costs of peer review, copyediting, typesetting, long-term archiving, and journal management, an article processing charge (APC)



Host–guest complexes, also known as inclusion complexes, are supramolecular structures composed of two or more molecules or ions that are maintained through noncovalent interactions.

In this Special Issue, we hope to address both the structural aspects of the formation and stability of these inclusion complexes as well as the energetic aspects associated with them, together with the different instrumental techniques used to characterize them, addressing the aspects related to molecular recognition and conformational switching. Of course, we must also take into account the aspects related to the technological applications of these compounds. In fact, they show important potentialities in topics such as superconductivity phenomena, the design of sensors, and food chemistry, agricultural chemistry, or their applications in matters of the environment.



Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access bimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

host-guest complexes conformation and structure
inclusion complexes formation and stability
cooperativity
sensing
cyclodextrins
calixarenes
cucurbiturils
porphyrins
crown ethers
zeolites
carcelands

Thursday 29 November 2018

Jesus Simal-Gándara, HCR 2018




Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) recolle aos investigadores situados entre o 1% dos máis citados en cada campo e en cada ano en Web of Science, e baseada nos traballos publicados e citados durante a última década. Na lista están catro científicos galegos: Jesús Simal e Maurizio Battino (UVigo), Juan José Nieto (USC), e Luis Liz Marzán (Ikerbasque).

Os nosos parabéns para o nosso compañeiro.

Wednesday 28 November 2018

Actas AQUA CIBUS Volumen 1



El libro de actas de la Red Aqua Cibus correspondiente al año 2018 ya está disponible. Puedes descargar de forma gratuita el libro "Actas Aqua Cibus, volumen 1" en la plataforma CYTED

Contenidos:

  • J. Simal-Gándara, Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo. 
  • J. C. Mejuto, Fortaleciendo la Acuicultura en Iberoamérica: Calidad, Competitividad y Sostenibilidad. 
  • P. Martínez, Red Inmunogenom: Control de Patologías Relacionadas con la Acuicultura.
  • M. Quiroga-Berdeal, Anatomía Patológica Veterinaria: una Herramienta de Gestión Sanitaria en Acuicultura. 
  • E. Orche-García, Parionaccocha: una Piscigranja a 4.500 m de Altitud. 
  • J. Diogene-Fadini, Detección de Toxinas Marinas Emergentes. 
  • B. Paz-Pino, Análisis de Biotoxinas Marinas Reguladas. 
  • M. Rey-Méndez, Las Herramientas Moleculares en el Cultivo del Pulpo, Erizos de Mar y Valoración del Berberecho. 
  •  A. Gago, Estrategias para la Determinación y Confirmación de Biotoxinas Marinas.
  • J. Lago, Avances en LC/MS/MS para dar Respuesta a los Desafíos en Acuicultura. 
  • J. Lliberia, Nuevas Tecnologías: Rompiendo Barreras y Abriendo Nuevos Horizontes en HR LC-MS/MS. 
  • T. Dagnac, Estudio de la Fotodegradación de Diferentes Contaminantes Orgánicos en el Medio Acuático.
  • J. Lliberia, Nuevas Tecnologías: Rompiendo Barreras y Abriendo Nuevos Horizontes en TQ LC-MS/MS. 
  • M. Ferreira-Novio, Aspectos Tecnológicos de la Producción de Microalgas.
  • M.J. Chapela-Garrido, Obtención de Copuestos de Alto Valor a Partir de Microalgas.
  • G. Álvarez-Vergara, Biotoxinas de Origen Fitoplanctónico y su Impacto en la Acuicultura y Explotación de Moluscos en el Norte de Chile.
  • M.M. Araya-Castillo, Investigaciones en Macro- y Micro-algas.
  • C. Lodeiros, Investigando sobre la Biología y el Cultivo de Moluscos.
  • A. Gómez-Zavaglia, Criotecnología de Alimentos y Acuicultura. 
  • D. F. Ardila-Jaime, OCEAN FARMS S.A., una Granja Off-shore a 9 Millas de la Costa de Ecuador. 
  • P. Baltazar-Guerrero, Desarrollo de una Acuicultura Sostenible en Perú. 
  • M. Lolo, Avances en LC/MS-MS Aplicados a la Acuicultura. 
  • L.I.L. Carbral, C. Dias, R.B. Leite, M.L.S. Cristiano, Desarrollo de Análogos de Artemisinina para el Control de Perkinsosis en Bivalvos. 
  • R. Rial, El Grupo UVigo-AA1: Un Referente en el Campo Agroambiental y Alimentario. 
  • I. Guimaraes,  A.P. Muñez-Ramírez, J.C. Durán-Izquierdo, Sistemas de Agro-Acuicultura Integrada para Producción Sostenible de Alimentos en Comunidades Indígenas Arhuaca (Colombia).



Tuesday 21 August 2018

Future challenges on the use of blockchain for food traceability analysis

Trends in Analytical Chemistry
DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2018.08.011



The steady increase in food falsification, which has caused large economic losses and eroded consumers’ trust, has become a pressing issue for producers, researchers, governments, consumers and other stakeholders. Tracking and authenticating the food supply chain to understand provenance is critical with a view to identifying and addressing sources of contamination in the food supply chain worldwide. One way of solving traceability issues and ensuring transparency is by using blockchain technology to store data from chemical analysis in chronological order so that they are impossible to manipulate afterwards. This review examines the potential of blockchain technology for assuring traceability and authenticity in the food supply chain. It can be considered a true innovation and relevant approach to assure the quality of the third step of the analytical processes: data acquisition and management.

Saturday 14 July 2018

Modelling and Optimization of Biogenic Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles from Leaf Extract of Swertia chirata Using Artificial Neural Network

 J Clust Sci 29, 1151–1159 (2018)



Swertia chirata is a medicinal plant studied for its ability to synthesize polyshaped gold nanoparticles (AuNP). The process of AuNP biosynthesis was studied using artificial neural networks (ANN) with different activation function on output node (logistic or linear) and different training algorithm (back propagation or Levenberg–Marquardt). The maximum biosynthesis was checked under the optimized condition of 17.24% leaf extract, pH 4.61, gold chloride concentration 4 mM and temperature 53.61 °C. A significant improvement in the model efficiency for predicting AuNP biosynthesis around 37.60%, in terms of root mean square error was obtained with the developed ANN-linear2 model, compared to the traditional response surface methodology.


Modelling and Optimization of Biogenic Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles from Leaf Extract of Swertia chirata Using Artificial Neural Network

Journal of Cluster Science (2018) 29:1151–1159


Swertia chirata is a medicinal plant studied for its ability to synthesize polyshaped gold nanoparticles (AuNP). The process of AuNP biosynthesis was studied using artificial neural networks (ANN) with different activation function on output node (logistic or linear) and different training algorithm (back propagation or Levenberg–Marquardt). The maximum biosyn- thesis was checked under the optimized condition of 17.24% leaf extract, pH 4.61, gold chloride concentration 4 mM and temperature 53.61 °C. A significant improvement in the model efficiency for predicting AuNP biosynthesis around 37.60%, in terms of root mean square error was obtained with the developed ANN-linear2 model, compared to the traditional response surface methodology.

Sunday 1 July 2018

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil Organic Horizons Depending on the Soil Burn Severity and Type of Ecosystem

Land Degradation & Development


Because forest fires are a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the influence of burnt conditions is of paramount importance and has not been thoroughly studied yet. In this study, two types of forest stands (Pinus nigra and Pinus pinaster) and two shrubland systems (Erica arborea and Ulex europaeus), differing in litter properties (composition and flammability), were considered. Changes in PAH levels were analysed in unburnt and charred litter, and they were related to different levels of soil burn severity and the organic matter composition of the charred litter, including charcoal and/or ashes. For monitoring PAH levels, an analytical method to determine them in unburnt and burnt woodland samples by pressure liquid extraction using a solid phase extraction cleanup was optimized. The highest levels of PAHs were found in the charred litter of P. pinaster (especially at soil burn severity = 200–400 °C), followed by U. europaeus, which presented similar concentration than Erica arborea and, finally, P. nigra. An association between the low molecular weight PAHs and 50% burn‐off temperature differential scanning calorimetry supports the idea of fire smoke as the main source of low molecular weight PAHs in charred biomass generated at temperatures of 200–400 °C. Instead, the fraction of high molecular weight PAHs is related to hydrogen‐to‐carbon and oxygen‐to‐carbon ash‐free dry weight, with charring depending on their organic matter content in the burnt material. PAH mobility will depend on the solubility of the organic matter, which is higher at higher pHs. The higher risk is the transport downstream to rivers or wet systems.

Thursday 7 June 2018

A review on the application of chromatographic methods, coupled to chemometrics, for food authentication

Food Control, 93, 165-182, 2018


The increase of food adulteration, inducing losing a large amount of money as well as of the confidence of consumers, has become an urgent issue for producers, researchers, governments and consumers. Chromatographic methods, in combination with chemometrics, are usually developed and applied throughout the food chain to verify the nature or origin of food, with both targeted (metabolomics) and non-targeted (profiling) approaches. Their operation, together with their advantages and drawbacks, will be discussed in this review to show strategies to solve food authentication issues.

Friday 1 June 2018

II RISEGAL MEETING



II RISEGAL meeting

1st June 2018
10:00 a.m.
Welcome
Arrival to IIM-CSIC, tea and coffee
10:30 a.m.
Dr. Marta López Cabo
Senior Scientist IIM-CSIC. Coordinator of RISEGAL
Galician Net for the Identification of Emerging Risks in Food Safety (RISEGAL)
10:40 a.m.
Dr. Santiago Pascual del Hierro
Senior Scientist IIM-CSIC
Risk assessment of parasites in fishery products
11:00 a.m.
Dr. Jesús L. Romalde
Professor of Microbiology. University of Santiago de Compostela
Enteric viruses as emerging risks in food safety
11:20 a.m.
Dr. Jesús Simal Gándara
Head of the Department of Analytical Chemistry and Food Science. University of Vigo
The Agro-Environmental and Food Research Group: research lines and a case for residual reference values in food
11:40 a.m.
Dra. Caroline Merten
Member of the Scientific Committee & Emerging Risks Unit (SCER), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
EFSA Emerging Risks Activities
12:40 p.m.
Questions and discussion
13:30 p.m.
Close

Conference venue: Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC). Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208, Vigo (Spain)

Wednesday 30 May 2018

Avances en LC/MS/MS para dar Respuesta a los Desafíos en Acuicultura





Propuestas
·       Puesta en valor de una tecnología sólida y ampliamente probada.
·       Presentación de los últimos avances tecnológicos en acoplamientos LC/MS, en baja y alta resolución. 
·       Capacidad de análisis, tanto cualitativos como cuantitativos de gran calidad, simultáneamente. 
·       Solución total integrada, con el software completo de tratamiento de datos.

Agenda 

10:00-10:15. Recepción y entrega de documentación

10:30-11:00. Estrategias para la determinación y confirmación de biotoxinas
  • Dra. Ana Gago-Martínez, Directora del Laboratorio de Referencia de la Unión Europea para Biotoxinas Marinas




11:30-12:00. Pausa / Café
12:00-12:30Photodegradation study of different classes of organic contaminants in the aquatic environment: non-target by-product identification by on-line SPE-LC-(QTOF)-HRMS
  • Dr. Thierry DagnacAgronomic and Agrarian Research Centre (INGACAL-CIAM)

12:30-13:00. Determinación de residuos en Acuicultura 
  • Dr. Manuel Lolo, AMS LAB

13:00-13:30. Nuevas tecnologías: Rompiendo barreras y abriendo horizontes en HR-MS LC-MS/MS
  • Dr. Josep Lluis Lliberia, SCIEX


13:30-14:00. Preguntas y comentarios

Monday 21 May 2018

Nitric oxide release from a cucurbituril encapsulated NO-donor

Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry



Controlling S-nitrosothiols decomposition, with the consequent release of nitric oxide, is a topic of great research effort. Nitrosomercaptopyridine (SNO+) incorporation into cucurbit[7]uril cavity results in a large increase of its nitrosation equilibrium constant. This effect being a consequence of the stabilization of organic cations by formation of host:guest complexes with CB7 resulting in a drastic reduction of the SNO+ denitrosation rate constant. Moreover SNO+ encapsulation also prevents its decomposition yielding disulfide and nitric oxide. Expulsion of SNO+ from the cucurbirutil cavity by using a competitive guest results nitric oxide release as was confirmed by using a NO selective electrode.

Sunday 20 May 2018

Use of spectroscopic methods in combination with linear discriminant analysis for authentication of food products

Food Control, 2018, 91, 100-112


Spectroscopic methods are efficient tools for food authentication due to the advantages of high sensitivity, rapidness, simplicity and their convenience. The combined used of spectroscopic methods and linear discriminant analysis has provided powerful tools for detecting food fraud. This review discusses their operational details, advantages and disadvantages.

Saturday 5 May 2018

Encapsulation of Essential Oils by Cyclodextrins: Characterization and Evaluation

Cyclodextrin: A Versatile Ingredient


The essential oils normally had low physicochemical stability and low solubility in water. These facts limit their industrial applications in general and in food formulations particu- larly. This chapter characterizes the physicochemical properties and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of three encapsulated essential oils – guava leaf, yarrow and black pepper essential oils – in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD).



Monday 9 April 2018

Meat quality in relation to swine well-being after transport and during lairage at the slaughterhouse

Meat Science, 2018, 142, 38-43
DOI:10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.04.005


Cortisol and corticosterone in saliva were evaluated as pig stress biomarkers, using pig genotype (Duroc, L62 or Pietrain) and lairage time in the slaughterhouse (0, 2.0, 4.0 or 6.0 h) as controlled variables. Although some pigs were found to be carriers of stress susceptibility, all were healthy heterozygous individuals. Pre-slaughter transport increased cortisol levels in saliva above 3.0 μg/L (medium stress), and 4.0 h of lairage in the slaughterhouse raised them above 6.0 μg/L, whereas corticosterone concentrations exceeded 4 μg/L, which are suggestive of high stress. The highest cortisol levels were detected in the Duroc genotype. Other factors such as food deprivation, background noise, the presence of a large number of animals waiting to be slaughtered, mixing with unfamiliar animals or recent mixing of genders may also influence stress. Corticosterone proved a reliable indicator of high stress only. Meat quality from the pig breeds studied was not affected by lairage in the slaughterhouse for up to 6.0 h.

Saturday 24 March 2018

Modelling the isothermal degradation kinetics of metrafenone and mepanipyrim in a grape juice analog

Food Research International, 108, 339-346, 2018


Five photodegradation products of metrafenone (MTF) and six of mepanipyrim (MEP) were identified in synthetic grape juice at 25 °C and the structures of the main reaction products established. The degradation of MTF and MEP was modelled by using three different strategies involving monitoring (a) the disappearance of the parent compound, (b) the conversion of the parent compound into its main structurally related reaction products and (c) the degradation of the parent compound to all intermediates and degradation end-products. The kinetic coefficients of degradation for these fungicides were determined and the corresponding half-lives found to be 20.8 h for MFT and 10.1 h for MEP. The proposed models afford reasonably accurate interpretation of the experimental data. Based on the results, modelling the kinetics of disappearance of the parent compound by itself does not ensure the best fit of the degradation behaviour of the fungicides.

Wednesday 21 March 2018

Nutraceutical Potential of Phenolics from ′Brava′ and ′Mansa′ Extra-Virgin Olive Oils on the Inhibition of Enzymes Associated to Neurodegenerative Disorders in Comparison with Those of ′Picual′ and ′Cornicabra′

Molecules, 23, 722, 2018


The increasing interest in the Mediterranean diet is based on the protective effects against several diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. Polyphenol-rich functional foods have been proposed to be unique supplementary and nutraceutical treatments for these disorders. Extra-virgin olive oils (EVOOs) obtained from ′Brava′ and ′Mansa′, varieties recently identified from Galicia (northwestern Spain), were selected for in vitro screening to evaluate their capacity to inhibit key enzymes involved in Alzheimer′s disease (AD) (acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX)), major depressive disorder (MDD) and Parkinson′s disease (PD) (monoamine oxidases: hMAO-A and hMAO-B respectively). ′Brava′ oil exhibited the best inhibitory activity against all enzymes, when they are compared to ′Mansa′ oil: BuChE (IC50 = 245 ± 5 and 591 ± 23 mg·mL−1), 5-LOX (IC50 = 45 ± 7 and 106 ± 14 mg·mL−1), hMAO-A (IC50 = 30 ± 1 and 72 ± 10 mg·mL−1) and hMAO-B (IC50 = 191 ± 8 and 208 ± 14 mg·mL−1), respectively. The inhibitory capacity of the phenolic extracts could be associated with the content of secoiridoids, lignans and phenolic acids.

Friday 9 March 2018

Aldehydes as Additives in AOT-based Microemulsions: Influence on the Electrical Percolation

Tenside Surfactants Detergents, 55 (2), 2018, 110-115.


The influence of alkyl-aldehydes upon electric percolation of AOT-based microemulsions has been studied. The number of carbons in the hydrocarbon chain was varied between 0 and 5 atoms (chain length between 0 and 7.33 Å). Two different behaviors were found, while the presence in the microemulsion of short chains aldehydes implies a decrease in the percolation temperature, aldehydes with 4 or 5 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain increase the percolation threshold. This opposite behavior has been justified in terms of aldehyde location in the microheterogeneous system.


Monday 5 March 2018

Geochemical signatures of the groundwaters from Ourense thermal springs, Galicia, Spain

Sustainable Water Resources Management



Different hot springs and boreholes in the city of Ourense, Galicia, Spain, have been studied to determine the mineral equilibrium conditions of the discharged groundwaters and the reservoir temperatures predicted by the equilibrium conditions. Ourense is located in the Miño River’s valley. The area is characterized by two fault systems, which determine groundwater circulation. A NW trending fault system is the permeable system that transfers groundwater and heat to springs in the Miño River valley as it is evident from the location of the springs in the region. Groundwaters traveling and discharging from granitic and schistose rocks are mainly bicarbonate waters. In comparison, groundwaters traveling and discharging from granodiorite rocks can be bicarbonate, sulfate or chloride waters. Different equilibrium activity diagrams for the dominant cations in groundwater (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) have been constructed to correlate water equilibrium conditions with the mineral assemblage, K-feldspar, clinochlore, muscovite, quartz, and calcite. Granites and schists are the rocks within which groundwater circulation approaches mineral equilibrium with equilibrium temperatures around 140–160 °C. Groundwaters circulating throughout granodiorite seem a little bit high in Mg2+ to reach equilibrium conditions. Miño River’s tectonic valley presents strong morphological contrasts in terms of faulting and rock types to the north of the river that allow increased longitude and depth of groundwater circulation. These conditions allow close achievement of water–mineral equilibrium conditions. More research is needed to know the extension of this energy resource and optimize its use.

Thursday 1 February 2018

A critical review on the use of artificial neural networks in olive oil production, characterization and authentication

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 


Artificial neural networks (ANN) are computationally based mathematical tools inspired by the fundamental cell of the nervous system, the neuron. ANN constitute a simplified artificial replica of the human brain consisting of parallel processing neural elements similar to neurons in living beings. ANN is able to store large amounts of experimental information to be used for generalization with the aid of an appropriate prediction model. ANN has proved useful for a variety of biological, medical, economic and meteorological purposes, and in agro-food science and technology.

The olive oil industry has a substantial weight in Mediterranean's economy. The different steps of the olive oil production process, which include olive tree and fruit care, fruit harvest, mechanical and chemical processing, and oil packaging have been examined in depth with a view to their optimization, and so have the authenticity, sensory properties and other quality-related properties of olive oil. This paper reviews existing literature on the use of bioinformatics predictive methods based on ANN in connection with the production, processing and characterization of olive oil. It examines the state of the art in bioinformatics tools for optimizing or predicting its quality with a view to identifying potential deficiencies or aspects for improvement.

Wednesday 31 January 2018

Fungicide residues affect the sensory properties and flavonoid composition of red wine

Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 66 (2018) 185-192


The influence of four fungicide treatments [viz., metrafenone, boscalid + kresoxim-methyl, fenhexamid and mepanipyrim, which are typically used to control downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) and grey mould (Botrytis cinerea)] on the composition of Tempranillo red wines was assessed by examining changes in phenolic composition, colour and aroma profile in wines from pesticide-treated grapes in relation to control wines made from untreated grapes. The results were also compared with those for wine of a previous vintage in order to ascertain whether fungicide-related changes were comparable to vintage-related changes. Only the boscalid + kresoxim-methyl treatment led to significant differences in wine of the 2013 vintage; thus, it increased the contents in monomeric anthocyanins (58%) and flavan-3-ols (36%), and also colour lightness (20%), but decreased the contribution of the ripe (42%) and fresh fruits (59%) odorant series. These results seemingly confirm that the presence of boscalid + kresoxim-methyl residues in must impairs the sensory quality of the resulting wine by diminishing its brightness and aroma. Differences varied markedly between years, which suggests that the course of the fermentation process is influenced not only by the composition of the grapes but also by the presence of the fungicide.

Evaluation of the neuroprotective and antidiabetic potential of phenol-rich extracts from virgin olive oils by in vitro assays

Food Research International, 106, 558-567, 2018


In this work, phenol-rich extracts from ‘Cornicabra’ and ‘Picual’ virgin-olive oils (EVOOs) were examined, for the first time, to establish their capacity to inhibit key enzymes involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) (acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and 5-lipoxygenase (LOX)), major depressive disorder (MDD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) (monoamine oxidases: hMAO-A and hMAO-B respectively), and diabetes mellitus (DM) (α-glucosidase and α-amylase). ‘Cornicabra’ displayed the best inhibitory activity against all enzymes, when compared to ‘Picual’: BuChE (IC50 = 156 ± 4 and 308 ± 33 mg mL−1), LOX (IC50 = 26 ± 0.5 and 37 ± 3 mg mL−1), hMAO-A (IC50 = 20 ± 2 and 37 ± 0.2 mg mL−1), hMAO-B (IC50 = 131 ± 7 and 215 ± 13 mg mL−1) and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 154 ± 17 and 251 ± 31 mg mL−1), respectively. The behaviour observed can be associated with the higher content of secoiridoids, lignans and phenolic acids in ‘Cornicabra’ EVOO.

Monday 8 January 2018

Genotypic and phenotypic identi cation of olive cultivars from north-western Spain and characterization of their extra virgin olive oils in terms of fatty acid composition and minor compounds

Scientia Horticulturae, 2018


Galicia (NW Spain) is emerging as a new olive-growing region. Galician oil producers are currently striving to recover old autochthonous cultivars with a view to obtaining high quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). In this work, a total of 32 trees were studied in order to established their identity and genetic relationships to the main cultivated material in the Iberian Peninsula. The analysis of 11 morphological features of the endocarp and 14 microsatellite markers allowed three different cultivars to be identi ed among the sampled trees. Compar- ison with the morphological and molecular pro les available in the World Olive Germplasm Bank of Cordoba (WOGBC) revealed that 24 trees (75%) were of the ‘Brava’ cultivar and 7 (22%) of the ‘Mansa’ cultivar. The other tree, labelled as Picuda, matched no speci c cultivar in WOGBC. Characterizing the oils obtained from the studied cultivars revealed a high potential for producing high-quality EVOOs of speci c origin.

Thursday 4 January 2018

Bioaccessibility and potential bioavailability of phenolic compounds from achenes as a new target for strawberry breeding programs

Food Chemistry 248 (2018) 155-165


Strawberry is a major natural source of bioactive compounds. Botanically, strawberry is an aggregate fruit consisting of a fleshy floral receptacle that bears a cluster of real dry fruits (achenes). Existing knowledge on the phenolic composition of achenes and its contribution to that of the whole fruit is limited. Also, the gastric and intestinal bioavailability of phenols is poorly known. In this work, a combination of spectrophotometric and HPLC–DAD methods was used to analyse the phenolic composition of whole fruits and achenes before and after in vitro digestion. Five different phenol families were identified. Also, achenes were found to contribute a sizeable fraction of phenolic acids and hydrolysable tannins in the whole fruit. Because the mere presence of phenolic compounds in a food matrix does not ensure their ready absorption and bioavailability, polyphenol potential bioavailability could be an effective selection criterion for strawberry breeding programs aimed at improving dietary healthiness.


Wednesday 3 January 2018

Aldehydes as additives in AOT-based microemulsions: influence upon electrical percolation

Tenside, Surfactants & Detergents, 2018



The influence of alkyl-aldehydes upon electric percolation of AOT-based microemulsions has been studied. The number of carbons in the hydrocarbon chain was varied between 0 and 5 atoms (chain length between 0 and 7.33Å). Two different behaviors were found, while the presence in the microemulsion of short chains aldehydes implies a decrease in the percolation temperature, aldehydes with 4 or 5 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain increase the percolation threshold. These opposite behavior has ben justified in terms of aldehyde location in the microheterogeneous system.

Tuesday 2 January 2018

Screening of organic pollutants in pet hair samples and the significance of environmental factors

Science of The Total Environment, 625 (2018) 311–319


Organic pollutants (OPs) represent a wide range of chemicals that are potentially harmful for human and wildlife health. Many of these pollutants have been identified as endocrine disruptors that can alter hormonal balance producing adverse biological effects such as neurotoxicity, reproductive disorders, carcinogenicity and hepatotoxicity. For years, hair has been selected as a non-invasive source to assess levels of animal contamination. In the present study, a multiclass screening method for determining about 60 organic pollutants in pet hair was designed and validated for qualitative and quantitative purposes. Concentrations from different classes of organochlorine, and organophosphate pesticides (OCPs, and OPPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs and DL-PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) were identified in the selected pet hair samples from Ourense (NW, Spain). We detected most of these pollutants in the selected hair pets. The mean concentrations found ranged from 89 to 6556 ng/g for OPEs, from 8.6 to 1031 ng/g for PAHs, from 8.6 to 256 ng/g for PBDEs, from 29 to 184 ng/g for OPPs, from 0.29 to 139 for OCPs, from 0.30 to 59 ng/g for NDL-PCBs and from 1.2 to 14 ng/g for DL-PCBs. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document the presence of OPs in pets from North-West Spain and it could provide baseline information for future monitoring of OPs in the area.

Monday 1 January 2018

Changes of the shelf life of candelilla wax/tarbush bioactive based-nanocoated apples at industrial level conditions

Scientia Horticulturae  231 (2018) 43-48


The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the candelilla wax-based nanocoating for increase the shelf life of apples at industrial level. Phytomolecules of tarbush were obtained and were added in the nanocoating for morphological characterization and quantification of nanoparticles. Phytomolecules of tarbush promoted a high amount of nanoparticles and a surface uniform and free from heterogeneity in the nanocoating. Apples fruit dipped for 10 s in nanocoating with phytomolecules of tarbush and without phytomolecules then were stored on marketing conditions at 22 ± 2 °C and refrigeration at 5 ± 2 °C, 90% RH at industrial level, while the uncoated fruit served as controls. Physicochemical changes were monitored during 8 weeks. A sensory evaluation of preference in taste and appearance was performed in the apples. Candelilla wax-based nanocoating with phytomolecules of tarbush was able to reduce significantly (P ˂ 0.05) the physicochemical changes in the apples. The results of the overall preference indicated that control apples were the most preferred in taste and appearance. Apples coated with nanocoating with phytomolecules of tarbush were the least preferred in appearance and taste. According to the results, phytomolecules of tarbush incorporated into the candelilla wax-based nanocoating is an alternative for increase shelf life of Golden delicious apples in marketing conditions and refrigeration at industrial level.