An approach towards rapid optical measurements of antioxidant activity in blueberry cultivars

Blueberries are well known for their high antioxidant levels. Compared to bilberries (V. myrtillus) with higher antioxidant activity and more intensive blue colour throughout the whole berry, highbush blueberries have the blue pigments concentrated in the skin. Highbush blueberry skin is found to contain a very high content of phenolic compounds. To measure the total antioxidant activity in blueberries, several methods, mostly destructive, including the FRAP assay, have been used. This work is an initial approach towards a simple and rapid method, combining optical and antioxidant activity measurements. Highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum) cultivars ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Hardyblue’, ‘Patriot’, and lowbush cultivars ‘Putte’ (a hybrid originated from V. angustifolium) and ‘Aron’ (V. corymbosum x V. uliginosum) were grown at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (59º 40’N). Berries were harvested at commercial blue-ripe stage of maturity. Fresh berries were cut horizontally and placed on a scanner in order to examine berry size and skin thickness. Berries were weighed, and analysed for antioxidant activity using the FRAP (Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma) assay. The FRAP assay is a non-specific method based on absorption changes following a reduction of a ferric- to a ferrous-complex in the presence of antioxidants.Own previous results have shown that antioxidant activity and berry weight varied between cultivars (REMBERG et al., 2003). Small berries had higher antioxidant activity compared to larger berries. In this follow-up project, skin thickness and berry diameter were measured by using an image- processing program. Berry and skin cross-section areas were correlated with the antioxidant activity

Exploring Chromophore-Binding Pocket: High-Resolution Solid-State 1H–13C Interfacial Correlation NMR Spectra with Windowed PMLG Scheme

High-resolution two-dimensional (2D) 1H–13C heteronuclear correlation spectra are recorded for selective observation of interfacial 3–5.5 Å contacts of the uniformly 13C-labeled phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore with its unlabeled binding pocket. The experiment is based on a medium- and long-distance heteronuclear correlation (MELODI–HETCOR) method. For improving 1H spectral resolution, a windowed phase-modulated Lee–Goldburg (wPMLG) decoupling scheme is applied during the t1 evolution period. Our approach allows for identification of chromophore–protein interactions, in particular for elucidation of the hydrogen-bonding networks and charge distributions within the chromophore-binding pocket. The resulting pulse sequence is tested on the cyanobacterial (Cph1) phytochrome sensory module (residues 1–514, Cph1Δ2) containing uniformly 13C- and 15N-labeled PCB chromophore (u-[13C,15N]-PCB-Cph1Δ2) at 17.6 T

Inhaltsanalyse des Rebstocksekretes (Rebtränen) mittels GC-FTIR-MS

Research NoteAnalysis of grapevine seretion 8grapevine tears) using GC-FTIR-MSThe aqueous secretion of grapevine (cutting secretion) is valued in folk medicine since ancient time as a haemostatic, astringent medicine as well as a disinfectant and bactericide in the case of diseases concerning the eye or ear region (WOLLFORT 1982). But there are no reports on constituents responsible for these effects so far. Therefore it was the aim of this investigation to get more knowledge about this folk medicine

Heterologe Expression und spektroskopische Charakterisierung rekombinanter Phytochrome aus Avena sativa und Synechocystis

Available from TIB Hannover: RN 9087(107) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Phenology, flowering and fruit-set performance of six recent pear cultivars of Nordic origin

Flowering performance and phenology of six new pear cultivars of Nordic origin were examined during a 12 year period. The seasonal timing of shoot growth and flower initiation were monitored in three years. The morphological floral stages of the flower bud formation process were examined for the cultivar ‘Celina’. Seven floral stages were identified and described. The date of full bloom varied between years as a function of the currently accumulated heat sum in early spring. Still, the earliness ranking of the cultivars was consistent across years for both flower initiation and blooming. The cultivars ‘Anna’ and ‘Ingeborg’ consistently initiated floral primordia 2–3 weeks earlier than ‘Celina’, ‘Clara Frijs’, ‘Fritjof’ and ‘Kristina’, and this was accompanied with 4–5 days earlier blooming in the following spring. The early flower initiation cultivars ‘Anna’ and ‘Ingeborg’ also had richer flowering than the late-blooming cultivars. ‘Fritjof’ was identified as a suitable pollinator for ‘Celina’ in the Nordic climate. Comparison of the flowering phenology of pear and apple cultivars showed that while the pears, on average, flowered a week ahead of the apples, they initiated flower primordia almost two weeks later, thus rendering the intervening period approximately three weeks longer in pear than in apple

Flowering phenology and the interrelations between phenological stages in apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh.) as influenced by the Nordic climate

In order to assess to what degree the ongoing global warming has affected flowering time of apple trees in the Nordic climate, we studied flowering phenology of trees in an orchard in Southern Norway. Correlation analysis of a 70-year (1946–2016) data series for flowering time of the cultivar ‘Gravenstein’ revealed a close relationship of the flowering phenophase with April–May heat accumulation (r = −0.98). Over the last 50-year period, flowering was advanced by 16 days in response to the temperature rises. Similarly, on average for 12 cultivars of varying earliness, flowering was advanced by 9 days over the latest 30-year period (1986–2016). Furthermore, the interrelationship between various phenological stages and floral morphogenesis of the same cultivars in the years 2013 and 2014 was studied, and related to flower-bud formation. The different stages of floral morphogenesis were identified, presented and used as a basis for assessment of flower-bud development in serial dissections. Floral initiation in spurs of actively growing trees took place in late July, approx. 8 weeks after full bloom, whereas in extension shoots, initiation took place after growth cessation in August, approximately 2 weeks later. Decreasing temperatures in mid-August coincided with the cessation of growth and floral initiation in extension shoots, suggesting that the processes may be causally related. The results show that, in the Nordic climate, the period between blooming and initiation of new floral primordia is considerably shorter than in warmer climates, suggesting that the period is only marginally long for completion of shoot growth, and hence, timely floral initiation. This may be an important reason for the irregular flowering and frequent incidences of alternate bearing in apple trees in the cool Nordic climate. The presented information can be useful for determination of the correct timing of flower and fruit thinning to counterbalance biennial bearing

Eur. J. Biochem.

Two ORFs, cphA and cphB , encoding proteins CphA and CphB with strong similarities to plant phytochromes and to the cyanobacterial phytochrome Cph1 of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 have been identified in the filamentous cyanobacterium Calothrix sp. PCC7601. While CphA carries a cysteine within a highly conserved amino-acid sequence motif, to which the chromophore phytochromobilin is covalently bound in plant phytochromes, in CphB this position is changed into a leucine. Both ORFs are followed by rcpA and rcpB genes encoding response regulator proteins similar to those known from the bacterial two-component signal transduction. In Calothrix , all four genes are expressed under white light irradiation conditions, albeit in low amounts. For heterologous expression and convenient purification, the cloned genes were furnished with His-tag encoding sequences at their 3' end and expressed in Escherichia coli . The two recombinant apoproteins CphA and CphB bound the chromophore phycocyanobilin (PCB) in a covalent and a noncovalent manner, respectively, and underwent photochromic absorption changes reminiscent of the P-r and P-fr forms (red and far-red absorbing forms, respectively) of the plant phytochromes and Cph1. A red shift in the absorption maxima of the CphB/PCB complex (lambda(max) = 685 and 735 nm for P-r and P-fr , respectively) is indicative for a noncovalent incorporation of the chromophore (lambda(max) of P- r , P-fr of CphA: 663, 700 nm). A CphB mutant generated at the chromophore-binding position (Leu246-->Cys) bound the chromophore covalently and showed absorption spectra very similar to its paralog CphA, indicating the noncovalent binding to be the only cause for the unexpected absorption properties of CphB. The kinetics of the light-induced P-fr formation of the CphA-PCB chromoprotein, though similar to that of its ortholog from Synechocystis , showed differences in the kinetics of the P-fr formation. The kinetics were not influenced by ATP (probing for autophosphorylation) or by the response regulator. In contrast, the light-induced kinetics of the CphB-PCB complex was markedly different, clearly due to the noncovalently bound chromophore

Solar Aluminum Recycling in a Directly Heated Rotary Kiln

South Africa currently is experiencing an electricity constraint due to economic growth and lack of investment in generation capacity, resulting in power blackouts in 2008. With increased electricity prices, the economic sustainability of energy intensive industries is threatened. The aluminum smelting industry is a significant consumer of electricity. The consumption of electricity and the amount of emissions in the process of aluminum recycling can be reduced by the application of solar thermal technologies. A process concept for the solar thermal recycling of aluminum waste material was developed. The process takes place in a rotary kiln heated by concentrated solar radiation. A directly absorbing rotary kiln receiver-reactor was tested on a lab-scale in the DLR high flux solar furnace. In this paper the design of the rotary kiln in the solar furnace is presented. A concept for a pilot-scale rotary kiln operated on a solar tower is shown