Ascorbic acid content and senescence in blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) during storage.

Blueberry consumption increases because its health properties linked to antioxidants, easy cultivation and profitability. The ability to preserve fruits in controlled atmosphere (CA) allows extending the marketing calendar. The work evaluates parameters linked to the cellular redox state of blueberry fruits, cv. Brigitta, stored at 0°C at different atmosphere regimes (CA1= 10% CO2, 4% O2 and CA2= 9% CO2, 2% O2, compared to air as control). During storage, quality was assessed by the content of ascorbic acid (AA), antioxidant and index of fruit metabolic status, and of malondialdehyde (MDA), cell membranes oxidative stress and senescence marker; soluble solids content, titratable acidity and dry matter were also determined. Storage in CA increases the blueberries shelf life, particularly at the intermediate times; after 2 months there is a drastic lowering in AA levels and differences among treatments are no longer detectable. Ascorbate is confirmed to be an excellent index of oxidative stress in fruit senescence processes. In control, along with the AA decrease, there is a higher MDA content, in particular up to the intermediate dates. CA2 proves to be the most suitable atmosphere for delaying the senescence process. Titratable acidity and soluble solids remain constant in all samples throughout storage

Benzothiadiazole enhances ascorbate recycling and polyphenols accumulation in blueberry in a cultivar-dependent manner

Benzothiadiazole (BTH) is a functional analogue of salicylic acid able to induce systemic acquired resistance in many horticultural crops. The aim of the work was to investigate how BTH may affect i) fruit quality, ii) ascorbic acid (AsA) oxidation and recycling metabolism and iii) phenolic compounds accumulation, during development and ripening of berries from the two selected cultivars. Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) plants (cv ‘Brigitta’ and ‘Duke’) were treated with 0.118 mM BTH every two weeks during ripening, then all fruits of each plant were harvested and divided in four developmental stages. Results indicated that BTH had no marked effects on fruit quality parameters. During the first developmental stage, BTH negatively affected dry matter in both cv, while soluble solids and AsA content were affected in ‘Duke’. In fully ripe berries, BTH reduced dry matter in ‘Duke’ and enhanced soluble solids content in ‘Brigitta’, while diminishing titratable acidity. AsA content was positively affected by BTH in ‘Duke’, but not in ‘Brigitta’. The effect of BTH on the enzymes involved in AsA recycling was recorded in berries at the third (fruit more than half pigmented) and fourth developmental stages. After treatment, in both cv ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity increased in fully ripe berries, while monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) activity was stimulated at the third ripening stage. Conversely, the activities of dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) and glutathione reductase (GR) were enhanced only in ‘Brigitta’ and in ‘Duke’, respectively. BTH stimulated total polyphenols, flavonoid and anthocyanin accumulation in ‘Brigitta’ and in ‘Duke’ at the third and fourth ripening stages. In fully ripe berries, BTH enhanced the accumulation of delphinidins, cyanidins, petunidins and peonidins in ‘Brigitta’, while in ‘Duke’ it increased all classes of anthocyanidins, including malvidin. On the contrary, the relative proportion of the individual anthocyanins was only slightly affected by BTH treatment, mainly regarding delphinidin and malvidin at the third and fourth stage of ripening of ‘Duke’ and ‘Brigitta’, respectively. These results show that preharvest BTH application can positively impact on fruit bioactive compounds levels, affecting AsA recycling and content and increasing polyphenols accumulation in fruit, but partly depending on cv and ripening stage

Fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento da linguagem: atitudes dos profissionais da saúde e educação

RESUMO Objetivo: verificar as atitudes de profissionais das áreas da saúde e educação frente a crianças com risco para desenvolver alterações de linguagem ou que já apresentam indícios dessas alterações. Método: este estudo foi observacional transversal, ocorrendo em 2015, vinculado ao Departamento de Fonoaudiologia de uma Universidade pública. Foi elaborado um questionário para verificar o conhecimento sobre fatores de risco para alterações de linguagem, bem como as práticas adotadas diante de indícios de alterações de Linguagem. As respostas dos questionários foram tabuladas no Microsoft® Excel®, sendo analisadas de modo descritivo. Resultados: 187 profissionais participaram do estudo, profissionais de saúde e professores do ensino infantil e fundamental. Ao receberem queixas dos pais em relação a linguagem do filho(a), 55,7% dos profissionais encaminham a criança para um fonoaudiólogo. Quanto aos fatores de risco, a pouca estimulação de fala foi o mais citado, identificado por meio de perguntas aos pais (75,4%). Conclusão: os profissionais quando identificam fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento da linguagem, realizaram por meio de perguntas aos pais, encaminhando a fonoaudiologia, mas ocorre que nem todas as localidades possuem especialistas na área, o que pode trazer impacto negativos para o acolhimento dessa clientela. ABSTRACT Objective: To verify the attitudes, instruments or procedures of health and education professionals in relation to children at risk or who already show signs of impairment of language development. Method: this study was transversal observational, occurring in 2015, linked to the Department of Speech-Language and Hearing Patology of a public university. A questionnaire was made to verify the knowledge about risk factors for language alterations, as well as the practices adopted in signs of language alterations. The answers of the questionnaires were tabulated in Microsoft® Excel®, being analyzed in a descriptive way. Results: 187 professionals answered the questionnaire, including speech-language pathologists, teachers of primary and secondary education, nurses, medical doctors, psychologists and community health workers. When receiving a parent complain regarding a child’s language development, 55.7% of the professionals referred the child to a speech-language pathologist. As for the risk factors related to speech and language development, little speech stimulation was the most quoted, identified by questions to parents (75.4%). Conclusion: The professionals when identify risk in language development, they perform through questions to parents and refer these children to a speech-language pathologist, legally qualified professional to evaluate and rehabilitate language acquisition and developmental disorders

A complex interaction between pre-harvest and post-harvest factors determines fresh-cut melon quality and aroma

Melons are prized for their characteristic aroma, however, pre-harvest growth, stage of ripening at harvest, post-harvest processing and storage conditions lead to quality changes in fresh-cut fruit. We considered changes in metabolites and gene expression over 14 days storage to assess underlying mechanisms and identify potential quality markers. Overall, 99 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected and VOC profiles discriminated between two melon seasons, cut-size, storage temperatures and storage time, although season affected their discriminatory power. Abundance of two VOCs fell rapidly and was not associated with cut size, indicating their use as markers for early changes post-processing. Non-acetate to acetate ester ratio differed between the seasons and correlated with changes in alcohol acyl-transferase (CmAAT1) gene expression. Furthermore, CmAAT1 expression clustered with two ester VOCs that may be potential new products of this enzyme. Season also strongly affected post-harvest sugar content, most likely attributable to meteorological differences during growth. Storage temperature and cut size affected expression of transcription factors ERF71, ERF106, and TINY, whose expression generally rose during storage, probably related to increased stress. Thus, although time × temperature of storage are key factors, pre-harvest conditions and fruit processing impact significantly gene expression and aroma loss post-harvest

FAK alters invadopodia and focal adhesion composition and dynamics to regulate breast cancer invasion

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is important for breast cancer progression and invasion and is necessary for the dynamic turnover of focal adhesions. However, it has not been determined whether FAK also regulates the dynamics of invasive adhesions formed in cancer cells known as invadopodia. In this study, we report that endogenous FAK functions upstream of cellular Src (c-Src) as a negative regulator of invadopodia formation and dynamics in breast cancer cells. We show that depletion of FAK induces the formation of active invadopodia but impairs invasive cell migration. FAK-deficient MTLn3 breast cancer cells display enhanced assembly and dynamics of invadopodia that are rescued by expression of wild-type FAK but not by FAK that cannot be phosphorylated at tyrosine 397. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that FAK depletion switches phosphotyrosine-containing proteins from focal adhesions to invadopodia through the temporal and spatial regulation of c-Src activity. Collectively, our findings provide novel insight into the interplay between FAK and Src to promote invasion

La germinazione del seme: relazione tra attivazione delle funzioni di membrana e riattivazione metabolica

Dottorato di ricerca in biologia vegetale e produttivita' della pianta coltivata. 8. ciclo. Docente guida e coordinatore M. CocucciConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7, Rome; Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale - P.za Cavalleggeri, 1, Florence / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

Ascorbic Acid Content in ‘Passe-Crassane’ Winter Pear as Affected by 1-Methylcyclopropene during Cold Storage and Shelf Life

'Passe-Crassane' is a winter pear which requires a cold storage period to produce ethylene and properly ripen. In this study, the effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), an ethylene perception inhibitor, were studied during cold storage (30, 60, 90, and 135 days) and shelf life at 20 °C (30 days) of 'Passe-Crassane' pears. Ethylene accumulation was monitored and quality parameters were measured. Oxidative stress of fruit was estimated by measuring lipid peroxidation. The cell antioxidant status was assayed determining ascorbic acid (AsA) content and the activities of the enzymes ascorbate peroxidase (APX), monodehyroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and glutathione reductase (GR) involved in its oxidation and recycling. AsA content was positively affected by higher temperature (20 °C) and by 1-MCP after 90 days of storage. This effect was more evident after shelf life. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) increased in pears kept at 20 °C and in treated pears, starting from 60 days of cold storage and remained elevated after shelf life. Although during storage 1-MCP enhanced the activities of APX and DHAR only at 90 days, after shelf life the effect on APX, MDHAR, and DHAR activities was more pronounced and enzyme activities were higher in treated pears sampled after 60 and 90 days of storage. The results indicate that 1-MCP has a beneficial effect on the antioxidant potential of winter pears: it maintained high AsA levels throughout storage and shelf life and improved the enzymatic mechanisms of AsA recycling, especially after shelf life. The effect of 1-MCP on pear ripening may not be solely due to its action on ethylene but also to an increase in antioxidant defense. A stress response linked to lipid peroxidation is triggered by the interaction of cold temperatures and treatment as 'Passe-Crassane' pears acquires ripening competence. However, it may be compensated by the high AsA content

Nondestructive Apple Ripening Stage Determination Using the Delta Absorbance Meter at Harvest and after Storage

The delta absorbance (DA) meter is a handheld instrument which noninvasively measures the chlorophyll content in fruits. In the present work, it was used to monitor the ripening process linked to the climacteric phase in apple (Malus ×domestica). The results [index of absorbance difference (IAD)] were correlated to quality attributes at harvest and after commercial scale storage at different conditions. Two cultivars (Red Delicious, Golden Delicious) were analyzed in two different seasons, whereas Morgenduft and Gala were analyzed only in the first and second seasons, respectively. In general, a linear reduction of the IAD values was observed in all apple cultivars along with the progression of ripening and ethylene biosynthesis. When ethylene production was inhibited by 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment, the decrease of IAD values was markedly reduced. IAD threshold values for each cultivar were identified, delineating the central phase of the ethylene climacteric rise. Predictive models were built by correlating IAD index to the soluble solids concentration (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), and firmness measured at harvest and after removal from different storage regimes. The best model was developed for SSC prediction on 'Red Delicious' apple [ratio performance deviation (RPD) = 1.88] and for firmess evaluation in 'Golden Delicious' apple (RPD = 1.84). Moreover, IAD values were consistently associated with the differences in fruit quality as affected by optimal and suboptimal storage conditions. The IAD, due to its acceptable accuracy and speed of assessment, can be a promising tool for assisting in sorting apples before and after storage in warehouses or commercial packing lines. IAD cannot totally replace standard ripening indices, but can effectively supplement data for these parameters

DataSheet_2_Benzothiadiazole enhances ascorbate recycling and polyphenols accumulation in blueberry in a cultivar-dependent manner.pdf

Benzothiadiazole (BTH) is a functional analogue of salicylic acid able to induce systemic acquired resistance in many horticultural crops. The aim of the work was to investigate how BTH may affect i) fruit quality, ii) ascorbic acid (AsA) oxidation and recycling metabolism and iii) phenolic compounds accumulation, during development and ripening of berries from the two selected cultivars. Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) plants (cv ‘Brigitta’ and ‘Duke’) were treated with 0.118 mM BTH every two weeks during ripening, then all fruits of each plant were harvested and divided in four developmental stages. Results indicated that BTH had no marked effects on fruit quality parameters. During the first developmental stage, BTH negatively affected dry matter in both cv, while soluble solids and AsA content were affected in ‘Duke’. In fully ripe berries, BTH reduced dry matter in ‘Duke’ and enhanced soluble solids content in ‘Brigitta’, while diminishing titratable acidity. AsA content was positively affected by BTH in ‘Duke’, but not in ‘Brigitta’. The effect of BTH on the enzymes involved in AsA recycling was recorded in berries at the third (fruit more than half pigmented) and fourth developmental stages. After treatment, in both cv ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity increased in fully ripe berries, while monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) activity was stimulated at the third ripening stage. Conversely, the activities of dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) and glutathione reductase (GR) were enhanced only in ‘Brigitta’ and in ‘Duke’, respectively. BTH stimulated total polyphenols, flavonoid and anthocyanin accumulation in ‘Brigitta’ and in ‘Duke’ at the third and fourth ripening stages. In fully ripe berries, BTH enhanced the accumulation of delphinidins, cyanidins, petunidins and peonidins in ‘Brigitta’, while in ‘Duke’ it increased all classes of anthocyanidins, including malvidin. On the contrary, the relative proportion of the individual anthocyanins was only slightly affected by BTH treatment, mainly regarding delphinidin and malvidin at the third and fourth stage of ripening of ‘Duke’ and ‘Brigitta’, respectively. These results show that preharvest BTH application can positively impact on fruit bioactive compounds levels, affecting AsA recycling and content and increasing polyphenols accumulation in fruit, but partly depending on cv and ripening stage.</p