Use of innovative analytical methodologies to better assess the quality of virgin olive oil

An experimental investigation was carried out to test the use of non-conventional analyses for determining the quality level of virgin olive oils. For this purpose five extra-virgin olive oils were produced from single cultivars in a laboratory-scale plant and were examined both immediately after production and 12 months later, considering this period as the normal commercial shelf-life of an oil. After DNA extraction from the oils, microsatellite markers were analysed to assess the cultivar profile, while regarding the assessment of the actual level of oxidative and hydrolytic degradation the high performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) of polar compounds was carried out. The obtained results showed that microsatellite analysis enabled distinguishing the five monovarietal oils while HPSEC analysis was able to separate and quantify the main classes of oxidation and hydrolysis substances giving an effective measurement of quality

Transport of ¹⁸FS and [U-¹⁴C]suc in wild-type and <i>sut1</i> mutant leaves.

<p>A: Photo of leaves collected from two wild-type (WT) and two <i>sut1</i> mutant plants. B: ^<b>18</b>F phosphor image of leaves exposed for one hour to a solution of 200 μCi ^<b>18</b>FS and 125 μCi [^<b>14</b>C]suc. C: ^<b>14</b>C phosphor image obtained after five days exposure.</p

Radiosynthesis of 6’-Deoxy-6’[¹⁸F]Fluorosucrose via Automated Synthesis and Its Utility to Study <i>In Vivo</i> Sucrose Transport in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i>) Leaves

<div><p>Sugars produced from photosynthesis in leaves are transported through the phloem tissues within veins and delivered to non-photosynthetic organs, such as roots, stems, flowers, and seeds, to support their growth and/or storage of carbohydrates. However, because the phloem is located internally within the veins, it is difficult to access and to study the dynamics of sugar transport. Radioactive tracers have been extensively used to study vascular transport in plants and have provided great insights into transport dynamics. To better study sucrose partitioning <i>in vivo</i>, a novel radioactive analog of sucrose was synthesized through a completely chemical synthesis route by substituting fluorine-18 (half-life 110 min) at the 6’ position to generate 6’-deoxy-6’[¹⁸F]fluorosucrose (¹⁸FS). This radiotracer was then used to compare sucrose transport between wild-type maize plants and mutant plants lacking the <i>Sucrose transporter1</i> (<i>Sut1</i>) gene, which has been shown to function in sucrose phloem loading. Our results demonstrate that ¹⁸FS is transported <i>in vivo</i>, with the wild-type plants showing a greater rate of transport down the leaf blade than the <i>sut1</i> mutant plants. A similar transport pattern was also observed for universally labeled [U-¹⁴C]sucrose ([U-¹⁴C]suc). Our findings support the proposed sucrose phloem loading function of the <i>Sut1</i> gene in maize, and additionally demonstrate that the ¹⁸FS analog is a valuable, new tool that offers imaging advantages over [U-¹⁴C]suc for studying phloem transport in plants.</p></div

Transport of ¹⁸F as fluoride in wild-type leaves.

<p>150 μCi of free ^<b>18</b>F was applied to wild-type leaves and allowed to transport for two hours before a one hour image was obtained. Levels close to background were observed in the leaves with very low levels of transport.</p