Quality evaluation of different typical table olive preparations (cv Nocellara del Belice)

Commercially available green table olives of the Nocellara del Belice cultivar were processed in 26 companies. Three different processing conditions were used to obtain olive debittering: natural fermentation, “Castelvetrano” (a typical west Sicilian method) and cracked olives. The green olives packed into 200-500 mL glass jars were analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics that revealed statistical differences among the three debittering methods and a great difference among the samples, reflecting a low level of standardization achieved in these fermented products. The results showed an influence of the treatments on all physico-chemical parameters with the exception of total polyphenol content and lightness (L*) for which no significant differences were found. The average pH in the brine samples was under the hygienic limit of 4.5 with the exception of Castelvetrano olives which showed a higher pH values. The salt concentration of the brine samples appeared lower than the commercial limit according to the table olive trade standards. The brine samples were also analyzed for some microbiological parameters. Not all the samples showed acceptable commercial standards, because <i>Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus</i> and coliform bacteria were detected in a few samples.<br><br>Aceitunas verdes de mesa de la variedad “Nocellara del Belice” disponibles en el mercado fueron procesadas en 26 empresas. Tres condiciones diferentes de procesamiento se utilizaron para obtener aceitunas sin amargor: fermentación natural, Castelvetrano (un típico método del oeste de Sicilia) y aceitunas rajadas. Se analizaron las características fisicoquímicas de las aceitunas verdes en envases de vidrio de 200-500 mL que reveló diferencias significativas entre los tres métodos de eliminación del amargor y una gran diferencia entre las muestras, lo que refleja un bajo nivel de normalización conseguido en estos productos fermentados. Los resultados mostraron una influencia de los tratamientos en todos los parámetros físicoquímicos, con la excepción del contenido de polifenoles totales y de luminosidad (L *) para los que no se encontraron diferencias significativas. El promedio de pH de las muestras de salmuera se encontró por debajo del límite sanitario de 4,5, con la excepción de las aceitunas de Castelvetrano que mostró un valor de pH peligroso. La concentración de sal de las muestras de salmuera fue más baja que el límite comercial de acuerdo a las normas de la tabla del comercio de aceitunas. Algunos de los parámetros microbiológicos se analizaron también en las muestras de salmuera. No todas las muestras mostraron niveles aceptables de los valores comerciales establecidos, debido a que en algunas muestras se detectaron <i>Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus</i> y bacterias coniformes

A wait-and-watch approach to small pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors : Prognosis and survival

Background: Whether all the small (\u3c6 6420mm) non-functional pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNENs) should be routinely resected is unclear. Aim: To assess the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with small pNENs, followed-up with different management options. Material and methods: Between 2007-2014, 51 patients were newly diagnosed with pNEN. 15 patients with pNENs \u3c6 6420 mm underwent an intensive follow-up at 3-month intervals during the first year and then every 6 months (FU pNEN group). They were all at TNM stage I, except for one patient at stage IIA. 21 patients underwent surgical resection (SR pNEN group): 2 patients were at TNM stage I, 9 IIA, one IIIB, 9 IV. 15 patients received systemic therapy (ST pNEN group) due to advanced disease or contraindications to surgery: 5 were at stage IIA, 2 IIB, 8 IV. Results: The median follow-up for the entire cohort was 50 months. Survival was similar in the FU and SR pNEN groups, but significantly worst in the ST pNEN patients (log-rank test P < 0.05). The 4-year survival rate was 100% in the FU pNEN group, 90.5% among the SR pNEN patients, 61% for the ST pNEN ones (p < 0.0001). The disease remained stable in all but one patient in the FU pNEN group, whereas six patients in the SR group and five in the ST group showed disease progression. Conclusions: The "wait-and-watch" approach to early-stage small pNENs appears to be safe although further studies are needed to confirm these results in larger cohorts of patients

A first insight into the Marsili volcanic seamount (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): results from ORION-GEOSTAR3 experiment

The Marsili Seamount is the largest European underwater volcano. It is Plio-Pleistocenic in age, rising up to more than 3000m from the seafloor in the SE Tyrrhenian basin (Central Mediterranean), a back arc basin which began progressively opening 10 Ma ago (Kastens et al., 1988). The seamount lies in a key area for understanding the evolution of the Tyrrhenian region, characterized by high values of heat flow (Della Vedova et al., 2001) and low values of Moho isobaths (Locardi and Nicolich, 1988). In spite of the large dimensions of the Marsili seamount, we still have limited knowledge of its present activity. Ocean exploration is dependent on available technology and infrastructure, which started to develop strongly only after the 1980s. In fact, from its discovery in the 1920s, very little was known of the Marsili Seamount until the late 1990s when new techniques such as multibeam acoustic bathymetry were developed allowed to reveal at least the morphology. Some dedicated expeditions then obtained the first morpho-bathimetric map of the entire Tyrrhenian seafloor, based on multibeam swath-mapping together with seismic, gravimetric and magnetometric data (e.g. Marani and Gamberi, 2004). Although these data have greatly contributed to our understanding, the necessarily short measurement time limits the extent to which they reflect short- to medium-term geophysical processes in the Tyrrhenian basin. New technologies, such as multiparameter seafloor observatories, provide long-term continuous time-series in deep ocean waters, which are the basis for an original approach in ocean exploration. The observation of phenomena variability over time is key to understanding many Earth processes, among which we recall hydrothermal activity, active tectonics, and ecosystem life cycles. The development in Europe of multidisciplinary seafloor observatories has been pioneered under the EC Framework Programmes, specifically in the GEOSTAR projects (Beranzoli et al., 1988, 2000). From 2003 to 2005, long-term geophysical and oceanographic monitoring was conducted within the EC ORION-GEOSTAR3 project with two multiparameter observatories deployed on the seafloor 3320m below sea level (b.s.l.) in the vicinity of the Marsili Seamount. The two observatories were equipped with a set of sensors providing long-term continuous time-series of various physical measurements. The acquired time series are the longest continuous data record of the Marsili Basin available so far. This chaper intends to provide the main information on this experiment and present some results of the processing of the corresponding time-series, adding new valuable information on the still poorly explored activity of the volcano seamount. This chapter is organized as follows: The next section will provide the geological setting to understanding the importance of the Marsili Seamount and its basin; the ORION-GEOSTAR3 experiment is described in Section 24.3; some results from this unprecedented seismic, magnetic and gravimetric data analyses are shown in Section 24.4; and finally, in the last section we present our discussion with the main conclusions.Published623-6413A. Geofisica marina e osservazioni multiparametriche a fondo mar

Multiparametric seafloor exploration: the Marsili Basin and Volcanic Seamount case (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

Exploration of ocean seafloor is of paramount importance for a better understanding of the geodynamic evolution of our Planet. The pilot experiment of ORION-GEOSTAR 3 EC project was the first long-term continuous geophysical and oceanographic experiment of an important seafloor area of Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, the Marsili abyssal plain. The latter hosts the Marsili Seamount which is Europe’s one of the largest underwater volcano of Plio-Pleistocenic age. In spite of its dimensions, it is rather unknown about the present characteristics and activity. For this reason, we deployed a deep-sea observatory network, composed by two bottom observatories, on the seafloor at the base of the seamount at 3320 m b.s.l., in the period December 2003-May 2005. Some of the instruments on board the observatory were: broad-band seismometers, hydrophones, gravity meter, two magnetometers (scalar and vectorial), 3D single-point current meter, ADCP, CTD, automatic pH analyser and off-line water sampler for laboratory analyses. The first successful scientific objective was to obtain long-term continuous recordings under a unique time reference. The data analysis shows that they are generally of good quality and really continuous (only a few gaps). As a first step we performed a classification of seismic waveforms, a first inversion of magnetic variational data, and a first analysis of gravity meter, chemical and oceanographic data. Analysis of individual time series has shown interesting results, i.e. depth of the magnetic Moho under the Marsili, attenuation of recorded seismic body waves and clues of hydrothermal circulation. We show examples of the preliminary data analysis together with first results and comparisons among data coming from different sensors.PublishedCambridge, UK, February 24-26, 20091.8. Osservazioni di geofisica ambientale3.8. Geofisica per l'ambienteope

Multiparametric seafloor exploration: the Marsili Basin and Volcanic Seamount case (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

Exploration of ocean seafloor is of paramount importance for a better understanding of the geodynamic evolution of our Planet. The pilot experiment of ORION-GEOSTAR 3 EC project was the first long-term continuous geophysical and oceanographic experiment of an important seafloor area of Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, the Marsili abyssal plain. The latter hosts the Marsili Seamount which is Europe’s one of the largest underwater volcano of Plio-Pleistocenic age. In spite of its dimensions, it is rather unknown about the present characteristics and activity. For this reason, we deployed a deep-sea observatory network, composed by two bottom observatories, on the seafloor at the base of the seamount at 3320 m b.s.l., in the period December 2003-May 2005. Some of the instruments on board the observatory were: broad-band seismometers, hydrophones, gravity meter, two magnetometers (scalar and vectorial), 3D single-point current meter, ADCP, CTD, automatic pH analyser and off-line water sampler for laboratory analyses. The first successful scientific objective was to obtain long-term continuous recordings under a unique time reference. The data analysis shows that they are generally of good quality and really continuous (only a few gaps). As a first step we performed a classification of seismic waveforms, a first inversion of magnetic variational data, and a first analysis of gravity meter, chemical and oceanographic data. Analysis of individual time series has shown interesting results, i.e. depth of the magnetic Moho under the Marsili, attenuation of recorded seismic body waves and clues of hydrothermal circulation. We show examples of the preliminary data analysis together with first results and comparisons among data coming from different sensors

Proteome Regulation during Olea europaea Fruit Development

Widespread in the Mediterranean basin, Olea europaea trees are gaining worldwide popularity for the nutritional and cancer-protective properties of the oil, mechanically extracted from ripe fruits. Fruit development is a physiological process with remarkable impact on the modulation of the biosynthesis of compounds affecting the quality of the drupes as well as the final composition of the olive oil. Proteomics offers the possibility to dig deeper into the major changes during fruit development, including the important phase of ripening, and to classify temporal patterns of protein accumulation occurring during these complex physiological processes.In this work, we started monitoring the proteome variations associated with olive fruit development by using comparative proteomics coupled to mass spectrometry. Proteins extracted from drupes at three different developmental stages were separated on 2-DE and subjected to image analysis. 247 protein spots were revealed as differentially accumulated. Proteins were identified from a total of 121 spots and discussed in relation to olive drupe metabolic changes occurring during fruit development. In order to evaluate if changes observed at the protein level were consistent with changes of mRNAs, proteomic data produced in the present work were compared with transcriptomic data elaborated during previous studies.This study identifies a number of proteins responsible for quality traits of cv. Coratina, with particular regard to proteins associated to the metabolism of fatty acids, phenolic and aroma compounds. Proteins involved in fruit photosynthesis have been also identified and their pivotal contribution in oleogenesis has been discussed. To date, this study represents the first characterization of the olive fruit proteome during development, providing new insights into fruit metabolism and oil accumulation process