Monitoring the Shelf Life of Refined Vegetable Oils under Market Storage Conditions—A Kinetic Chemofoodmetric Approach

Most physicochemical and sensory properties of edible vegetable oils are not stable over time. One of the main causes of quality depletion of vegetable oils is oxidation, which influences sensory acceptability and nutritional value, and could even lead to toxic compounds. That negative influence affects international refined oil prices and the variety of its culinary applications. Modelling quality depletion of vegetable oils and establishing the shelf life, generally accepted as the time until rancidity becomes evident, already remains a challenge for the industry. Hence, this paper will show a promising chemofoodmetric methodology, as an easy and straightforward tool to estimate the current shelf-life of refined vegetable oils, based on a comprehensive characterisation of quality depletion-related changes over storage time under real market conditions. The methodology for building a multivariate kinetic ageing-based model is described, taking into account all timerelated physicochemical parameters and chemometric processing tools. From a particular ageing state, multiparametric models are able to reliably infer the expected storage time for each vegetable oil so that it remains consistent with acceptability requirements. The results of the study pointed out the accuracy of multivariate shelf-life modelling with regard to univariate modelling. Discrepancies were found in the oxidation rates of oils extracted from different plant seeds.Ministry of Universities for the Training of University Teachers FPU 19/0207

Chromatographic Fingerprinting Enables Effective Discrimination and Identitation of High-Quality Italian Extra-Virgin Olive Oils

The research was supported by Progetto Ager.Fondazioni in rete per la ricerca agroalimentare. Project acronym Violin. Valorization of Italian olive products through innovative analytical tools; years 2016-2021.The challenging process of high-quality food authentication takes advantage of highly informative chromatographic fingerprinting and its identitation potential. In this study, the unique chemical traits of the complex volatile fraction of extra-virgin olive oils from Italian production are captured by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry and explored by pattern recognition algorithms. The consistent realignment of untargeted and targeted features of over 73 samples, including oils obtained by different olive cultivars (n = 24), harvest years (n = 3), and processing technologies, provides a solid foundation for sample identification and discrimination based on production region (n = 6). Through a dedicated multivariate statistics workflow, identitation is achieved by two-level partial least-square (PLS) regression, which highlights region diagnostic patterns accounting between 58 and 82 of untargeted and targeted compounds, while sample classification is performed by sequential application of soft independent modeling for class analogy (SIMCA) models, one for each production region. Samples are correctly classified in five of the six single-class models, and quality parameters [i.e., sensitivity, specificity, precision, efficiency, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)] are equal to 1.00.Progetto Ager.Fondazioni in rete per la ricerca agroalimentar

Multivariate stability monitoring and shelf life models of deterioration of vegetable oils under real time ageing conditions – Extra virgin olive oil as a main case of study

Modelling quality depletion of oils and establishing their shelf life (or ageing rate) remains a challenge for food industry. A persistent issue in the control of lipid oxidation is deciding which oxidation products are the most suitable to be monitored. Several attempts have been done in this regard, however, the number of parameters that can be considered to assess oil shelf life is excessively wide and the proposed univariate models have proven to be extremely dependent on experimental conditions. For this reason, the methodology for carrying out a multivariate kinetic model is presented, combining physico-chemical and sensory parameters from experimental analytical determinations, and chemometric data processing tools. The main objective is to develop a multivariate shelf life model that allow predicting the number of months in which an extra virgin olive oil complies with the requirements of its commercial category when ageing takes place under standard trading conditionsThe European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)Ministry of Science and Technology within the framework of the funding corresponding to ’Retos- Colaboraci´on’ (Challenges-Collaboration Program) call of the State Program for Research, Development and Innovation Focussed to Challenges of Society [RTC-2017-6170-2].Ministry of Universities for the Training of University Teachers (FPU 19/02078).University of Granada / CBUA

Evaluating the whiteness of spectroscopy-based non-destructive analytical methods – Application to food analytical control

Recent advancements in analytical chemistry in the food quality field have emphasized ecofriendly analytical techniques eschewing chemicals and solvents. Various methodologies exist for assessing the sustainability of analytical methods, however none has provided guidance for appraising non-destructive methods, especially predevelopment. Among these, the RGB approach stands out, evaluating method colour via three main criteria: analytical performance, environmental impact, and practical efficiency. This framework offers a comprehensive evaluation, aiming for a "white" colour denoting excellence across all three categories. This article introduces an adapted RGB method for ex-ante evaluation of new non-destructive analytical methods pre-development. It outlines key steps for evaluating method "whiteness". As a guiding example, the approach was applied to three analytical methods focussed on quality and authenticity control of edible vege- table oils utilizing solvent-free spectroscopic techniques. Results underscored a priori feasibility assessment value, aligning evaluative objectives with intended method goals.Project (ref.: CPP2021-008672), funded by MCIN/AEI/501100011033 (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation)European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR"Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBU

A Sensor-Based Methodology to Differentiate Pure and Mixed White Tequilas Based on Fused Infrared Spectra and Multivariate Data Treatment

G.P.-C. acknowledges a research grant from UNAM, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Grants: PIAPI 2042 and PAPIIT IT200918).C.H.P.-B. acknowledges Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa (México) for a PhD scholarship and further support.Mexican Tequila is one of the most demanded import spirits in Europe. Its fast-raising worldwide request makes counterfeiting a profitable activity affecting both consumers and legal distillers. In this paper, a sensor-based methodology based on a combination of infrared measurements (IR) and multivariate data analysis (MVA) is presented. The case study is about differentiating two categories of white Tequila: pure Tequila (or '100% agave') and mixed Tequila (or simply, Tequila). The IR spectra were treated and fused with a low-level approach. Exploratory data analysis was performed using PCA and partial least squares (PLS), whilst the authentication analyses were carried out with PLS-discriminant analysis (DA) and soft independent modeling for class analogy (SIMCA) models. Results demonstrated that data fusion of IR spectra enhanced the outcomes of the authentication models capable of differentiating pure from mixed Tequilas. In fact, PLS-DA presented the best results which correctly classified all fifteen commercial validation samples. The methodology thus presented is fast, cheap, and of simple application in the Tequila industry.Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico PIAPI 2042 PAPIIT IT20091

Genetic Introgression and Morphological Variation in Naked-Back Bats (Chiroptera: Mormoopidae: Pteronotus Species) along Their Contact Zone in Central America

Two sibling bare-backed bat species (Pteronotus fulvus and P. gymnonotus) have been traditionally differentiated by their size. However, intermediate specimens between the two species have been found in sympatric populations along southern Mexico and it has been suggested that they may be the outcome of a hybridization process between the two species. We used one mitochondrial (COI), three nuclear markers (PRKCL, STAT5A and RAG2) and 13 microsatellites to explore the evolutionary relationships between these two species and elucidate whether the intermediate morphotypes correspond to hybrid individuals. These markers have been analyzed in sympatric and allopatric populations of the two species plus the closely related species Pteronotus davyi. We confirmed the species-level differentiation of the three lineages (P. fulvus, P. davyi and P. gymnonotus), but the phylogenetic hypotheses suggested by the nuclear and mitochondrial markers were discordant. We confirm that the discordance between markers is due to genetic introgression through the mitochondrial capture of P. fulvus in P. gymnonotus populations. Such introgression was found in all P. gymnonotus specimens across its sympatric distribution range (Mexico to Costa Rica) and is related to expansion/retraction species distribution pulses associated with changes in forest distribution during the Quaternary climate cycles. Microsatellite analyses showed contemporary genetic contact between the two sympatric species and 3.0% of the samples studied were identified as hybrids. In conclusion, we found a historical and asymmetric genetic introgression (through mitochondrial capture) of P. fulvus into P. gymnonotus in Mexico and Central America and a limited contemporary gene exchange between the two species. However, no relationship was found between hybridization and the intermediate-sized specimens from southern Mexico, which might likely result from a clinal variation with latitude. These results confirm the need for caution when using forearm size to identify these species in the field and when differentiating them in the laboratory based on mitochondrial DNA alone

The Relevance of Monoclonal Antibodies in the Treatment of COVID-19

This study was partially funded by Project FIS: PI-17/00547 (Institute of Health 'Carlos III', Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain), which means that it was also partially supported by European Regional Development Funds (ERDF).Major efforts have been made in the search for effective treatments since the outbreak of the COVID-19 infection in December 2019. Extensive research has been conducted on drugs that are already available and new treatments are also under development. Within this context, therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been the subject of widespread investigation focusing on two target-based groups, i.e., non-SARS-CoV-2 specific mAbs, that target immune system responses, and SARS-CoV-2 specific mAbs, designed to neutralize the virus protein structure. Here we review the latest literature about the use of mAbs in order to describe the state of the art of the clinical trials and the benefits of using these biotherapeutics in the treatment of COVID-19. The clinical trials considered in the present review include both observational and randomized studies. We begin by presenting the studies conducted using non-SARS-CoV-2 specific mAbs for treating different immune disorders that were already on the market. Within this group of mAbs, we focus particularly on anti-IL-6/IL-6R. This is followed by a discussion of the studies on SARS-CoV-2 specific mAbs. Our findings indicate that SARS-CoV-2 specific mAbs are significantly more effective than non-specific ones.Institute of Health 'Carlos III', Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain - European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) FIS: PI-17/0054

Innovative and thorough practice to certify reference materials for sensory defects of olive oil

An important problem in the olive sector is the occasional mismatch of results obtained by different tasting panels when the same olive oil sample is analysed. These discrepancies could be minimised by using reference materials (RM) for taster training. A comprehensive protocol based on the combined use of sensory and instrumental analysis for the certification of olive oil batches as RMs, developed within the framework of the project ’Operational Group INTERPANEL’, is proposed. Similarity indices (R2, cosθ and NEAR) applied on GC–MS fingerprints, allow a successful homogeneity and stability assessment of produced batches. Furthermore, the use of robust statistics combined with a set of instructions developed to remove outliers were applied with excellent results on sensory data set provided by supra-panel composed by more than 100 qualified tasters. This work is the first to provide a comprehensive protocol for certification of real olive oil samples as RM for sensory analysis.European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo SostenibleBiblioteca de la Universidad de Granad

Native grass species in naked soil bordering a highway and their symbiosis with mycorrhizae

La construcción o la reparación de carreteras y de redes viales implica una intervención del paisaje, con el deterioro de los ecosistemas naturales, por lo que se impone tomar acciones para minimizar los impactos negativos, que esto conlleva. En varios países de Latinoamérica, existen programas de conservación de la red vial, que establece las regulaciones para evitar la erosión y la reposición de áreas verdes y céspedes, en las orillas de la carretera (Ministerio de Desarrollo Económico, 2002).Incluye referencias bibliográfica