The rise of the technobionts: toward a new ontology to understand current planetary crisis

Inhere we expand the concept of Holobiont to incorporate niche construction theory in order to increase our understanding of the current planetary crisis. By this, we propose a new ontology, the Ecobiont, as the basic evolutionary unit of analysis. We make the case of Homo Sapiens organized around modern cities (technobionts) as a different Ecobiont from classical Homo Sapiens (i.e. Hunter- gatherers Homo Sapiens). We consider that Ecobiont ontology helps to make visible the coupling of Homo Sapiens with other biological entities under processes of natural and cultural evolution. Not to see this coupling hidden systemic risks and enhance the probability of catastrophic events. So Ecobiont ontology is necessary to understand and respond to the current planetary crisis

Wine-making with Protection of Must against Oxidation in a Warm, Semi-arid Terroir

To protect varietal aromas from oxidation before alcoholic fermentation, two grape must samples were preparedfrom white grapes potentially low in copper, pre-cooled and supplemented with ascorbic acid and solid CO2 (trialACO2) or SO2 (trial BSO2). The wines prepared from musts protected from oxidation had aroma descriptors thatincluded “passion fruit” and “grapefruit skin”. The lower concentrations of flavanols in the ACO2 trial demonstratedthat the use of solid CO2 as an oxidation preventative instead of SO2 reduced the extraction of these polyphenolsfrom the grape solids. The higher concentration of hydroxycinnamoyl tartaric acids of the wine from the A CO2 trialwith respect to BSO2 was ascribed to the lower grape polyphenoloxidase activity induced by the lower oxygen levelin the A CO2 trial, or to the combination of caftaric acid quinone with the SO2 in B SO2. Although the grapes were veryripe (alcohol in wines ~ 14.5% vol), the wines made with musts prepared by the two techniques were characterisedby aroma descriptors like “passion fruit” and “grapefruit skin”, and these aromas were not detected in the winesprepared from unprotected musts

Drying kinetics and physico-chemical quality of mango slices

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is an important tropical fruit consumed worldwide and grown in Italy only in Sicily, where the areas of the Tyrrhenian coast have proved to be suitable to produce valuable fruits. Mango fruit has a pleasant aroma and taste, which are important qualities for consumer’s sensorial acceptance. However, they are highly perishable, prone to progressive undesired changes if stored untreated, resulting in around 25% postharvest losses, which is further increased during storage and transportation. An alternative for reducing the above-mentioned undesired changes is the dehydration of the cut fruit, which reduce the fruit water activity, thereby avoiding the deteriorative process and extending the shelf-life. This study investigates the effect of dehydration at different temperatures (50, 60 and 70°C) on drying kinetics and volatile compounds of two cultivars (Keitt and Osteen) of mango fruits cultivated in Sicily. Significant losses of volatile constituents of fresh mango occurred at higher temperature, especially for the Osteen cultivar. A diffusion model including the effect of shrinkage is also proposed, which may be used to describe drying behaviour of fruits and to define the optimal drying conditions.. Experimental data of the moisture ratio during drying were well predicted by the model

Use of potassium polyaspartate for the tartaric stabilization of Sicilian white wines

Cold stabilization is a common method used to avoid tartaric acid crystals from forming in bottled wine, but this technique shows some inconveniences on the sensory characteristics and energy cost. In the present research, the tartaric stabilization in Sicilian white wines, with a recently permissible molecule in oenology, was studied: the potassium polyaspartate (PAK). The PAK has a negative charge at wine pH and allows to sequester the K+ cations; consequently it inhibits the formation and the growth of potassium bitartrate crystals. PAK is a relatively small polymer; perfectly microfiltrated and does not allow the filling phenomena in filtration membranes. The adding of PAK allowed to reduce almost all the tartaric precipitations on very unstable wines, regardless of the chemical-physical characteristics of the treated white wines. The stability of PAK, after thermal stress of the wine added to this polymer, was confirmed evaluating different analytical parameters such as pH, total acidity and buffer power, while variations in the conductivity of wines seemed to indicate a residual tartaric instability. In conclusion, the use of PAK makes possible to improve the sensory characteristics of wines, considering lower losses of tartaric acid and potassium, which are important for acid perception and acid persistence (buffer power), as well as reducing production costs and low environmental impact

Wine-making with Protection of Must against Oxidation in a Warm, Semi-arid Terroir

To protect varietal aromas from oxidation before alcoholic fermentation, two grape must samples were prepared from white grapes potentially low in copper, pre-cooled and supplemented with ascorbic acid and solid CO2 (trial ACO2) or SO2 (trial BSO2). The wines prepared from musts protected from oxidation had aroma descriptors that included "passion fruit" and "grapefruit skin". The lower concentrations of flavanols in the ACO2 trial demonstrated that the use of solid CO2 as an oxidation preventative instead of SO2 reduced the extraction of these polyphenols from the grape solids. The higher concentration of hydroxycinnamoyl tartaric acids of the wine from the A CO2 trial with respect to BSO2 was ascribed to the lower grape polyphenoloxidase activity induced by the lower oxygen level in the A CO2 trial, or to the combination of caftaric acid quinone with the SO2 in B SO2. Although the grapes were very ripe (alcohol in wines ~ 14.5% vol), the wines made with musts prepared by the two techniques were characterised by aroma descriptors like "passion fruit" and "grapefruit skin", and these aromas were not detected in the wines prepared from unprotected musts

Historical roots and the evolving science of forest management under a systemic perspective

In recent history, both a growing awareness of how scientific and societal uncertainty impacts management decisions and of the intrinsic value of nature have suggested new approaches to forest management, with a growing debate in forest science over the need for a paradigmatic shift from the classic conventional world view, based on determinism, predictability, and output-oriented management, towards a world view that has roots in complex adaptive systems theory and is consistent with a nature-based ethic. A conceptual framework under this context is provided by systemic silviculture. In this discussion, we analyze how this approach can be linked to three fundamental moments of the history of forestry and forest science: the Dauerwald theory, Gurnaud's control method, and the origins of environmental ethics. Relationships with the recent history of forest management science and current research perspectives are also highlighted.4n

Characterisation of Vernaccia Nera (Vitis vinifera L.) grapes and wine

Vernaccia Nera (VN) is a minor Italian red grape cultivar whose oenological properties have not been investigated yet. Traditional winemaking procedures with VN can include grape drying and even triple sequential fermentations, but a rational vinification approach should be based on the grape composition. Since a comprehensive characterisation of the VN grape is still missing, the ripening of VN grapes was monitored by evaluating flavour compounds, proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins. The grapes were used to produce red wine whose chemical composition and sensory properties were assessed. Ripe VN grapes contained high amounts of extractable anthocyanins (0.88 g/kg). The most abundant anthocyanin was malvidin (56.6%), and high relative amounts of cumarate forms (11.3%) were also found. The grape skin showed a high concentration of proanthocyanidins (2 g/kg), whose degree of polymerisation was low (10.3). Epigallocatechin accounted for up to 39% of the flavan-3-ol units in the skin. Flavour compounds in the grapes included glycosylated norisoprenoids (mainly 3-oxo-alpha-ionol and vomifoliolo) and benzenoids. The VN red wine showed a high concentration of anthocyanins, but the level of proanthocyanidins (0.93 g/L) was lower than expected. The spicy flavours were the notes mostly recognised in the sensory evaluation. Our data highlight the VN grape as suitable for the production of ready-to-drink or shortly aged red wine due to its high acidity and low astringency