Biocontrol of Penicillium nordicum Growth and Ochratoxin A Production by Native Yeasts of Dry Cured Ham

Twelve yeast strains isolated from the surface of Italian typical dry-cured hams, belonging to D. hansenii, D. maramus, C. famata, C. zeylanoides and H. burtonii species, and previously selected for their ability to grow in dry-cured ham-like substrates, were screened for antagonistic activity against a toxigenic strain of P. nordicum and inhibition of ochratoxin A (OTA) biosynthesis. On average, yeast inhibitory activity was lowered by increasing fungal inoculum and enhanced by NaCl presence. In the assay conditions, H. burtonii and C. zeylanoides were the most effective, both in inhibiting P. nordicum growth and OTA production. D. hansenii was the species with the lowest inhibitory activity, especially in the absence of salt. OTA production dropped from the range < LOD − 5000 ppb in P. nordicum control plates to the range < LOD − 200 ppb in yeast-added plates. OTA production increased in the presence of NaCl in P. nordicum control plates, while salt enhanced inhibition against OTA production in yeast-added plates

Microclimatic and Environmental Improvement in a Mediterranean City through the Regeneration of an Area with Nature-Based Solutions: A Case Study

Dense urban areas are facing relevant issues related to their high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and ecosystem health. The study presents a case study of a regeneration project with Nature-based Solutions in the city of Genoa (Italy) and, more specifically, in a neighbourhood characterised by relevant health and well-being issues. The performances of three design scenarios for a city hotspot, including plant species selected with a systemic approach and light pavements, are analysed in terms of improved microclimate by means of the ENVI-met software V4.4.5. The results show different benefits on the microclimate compared to the current state depending on the different scenarios: A UTCI decrease from 4.1 C to 5.4 C, a reduction of mean radiant temperature from 12.3 C to 17.3 C, a relative humidity increase from 3.8% to 5.6%, and a progressive decrease in wind speed are detected in a directly proportional way to the gradual increase in greenery inside the scenarios. In reverse, better results for air temperatures are detected for the scenario with less greening (Dt = 1.8 C). The study relies on the re-parametrisation of plant species characteristics in the ENVI-met database to reach a high level of accuracy

Parametric investigation of Urban Heat Island dynamics through TEB 1D model for a case study: Assessment of adaptation measures

At present, the urban population has to cope with the effects caused from Urban Heat Island (UHI), poor air quality and increased frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather and climate events. The expected increase of these extremes in areas of the planet and the way to adapt to them has emphasized the need to investigate in detail the climate of the cities. Local vulnerability and risk assessments, supported by using regional climate models at very high resolution, are key to support development and implementation of effective local adaptation measures to make well-adapted and climate-resilient cities, i.e. more sustainable ones. This study aims to provide some quantitative information on the effectiveness of main local adaptation measures to reduce the magnitude of UHI, in terms of temperature and energy fluxes. The investigation was conducted by adopting the TEB 1D model for the Toulouse city case-study. Different urban configurations and adaptation measures have been considered in the model set up. The results confirm that different adaptation measures may reduce the temperature on the town elements during the daylight hours; among the different measures, the green roof prevent the radiative cooling, increasing the roof night temperature and contributing to the night UHI.Published662-6734A. Oceanografia e climaJCR Journa

Etude De La Prédominance Des Levures Sélectionnée Dans Une Fermentation De Cave

Au cours d'une fermentation alcoolique, on considère qu'il y a prédominance de la souche de levure inoculée sur les levures indigènes quand le produit obtenu présente les caractéristiques d'un moût fermenté avec la souche pure, c'est-à-dire sans autres levures présentes. Dans la première partie de notre travail, nous avons voulu montrer que l'implantation de la souche inoculée peut être évaluée sur la base de la cohérence entre les résultats attendus et les caractéristiques du produit obtenu. Dans la seconde partie, nous avons évalué le rapport numérique entre les levures correspondant à la souche inoculée et la somme des levures indigènes, rapport qui nous permet d'affirmer la prédominance des premières

Prevalence of the inoculated strain on the native yeast during wine fermentation

International Congress on Yeasts. Yeasts in Sciences and Biotechnology - Prevalence of the inoculated strain on the native yeast during wine fermentatio

MosSkin: A moss-based lightweight building system

A low cost and lightweight moss envelope system for buildings has been developed to address the problem of the lack of greening in densely urbanized areas. Several moss species have been sampled in the wild, selected, based on their ability to tolerate the abiotic stresses of urban environments, cultivated in controlled conditions and tested for their growth capacity on different (building) materials. Five of these showed the most promising results in terms of growth speed and coverage, proving the most suitable for the development of the greening system: Homalothecium sericeum, Barbula unguiculata, Pseudoleskea incurvata, Grimmia pulvinata and Hypnum cupressiforme. An in vitro growing method was also set up for large scale moss cultivation and application. A modular multi-layer panel, with a built-in irrigation system, has been developed, designed and tested. MosSkin is a low-cost low maintenance, versatile and lightweight system, with interesting performances in terms of water management and surface temperature reduction (up to 14 °C)