Detection of not allowed food-coloring additives (copper chlorophyllin; copper-sulphate) in green table olives sold on the Italian market

Table olives are a common and well-known food in the whole Mediterranean area, produced and consumed in great quantities. Many deep-green olives can be found on sale in the South of Italy. Sometimes their unnatural color could be the result of the fraudulent addition of a coloring agent (E141ii, copper chlorophyllins) during the pickling process, in spite of the European Union legislation that does not allow the addition of any colorant to table olives. The objectives of this study were to detect fraudulent color adulteration of table olives with E141ii in Italian market and to confirm the presence on the market of artificially colored table olives. We assessed the presence of compounds with chromatographic and spectral characteristics similar to the ones from the E141ii (Cu chlorin e6, Cu isochlorin e4, Cu pyropheophorbide a) in 8 samples out of 16. These result show that the fraudulent addition of colorant to table olives is a quite common practice. More pressing controls and analysis are required to ensure the complete food safety and the compliance with the current law

Signaling Cross-Talk between Salicylic and Gentisic Acid in the ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma Solani’ Interaction with Sangiovese Vines

“Bois noir” disease associated with ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ seriously compromises the production and survival of grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) in Europe. Understanding the plant response to phytoplasmas should help to improve disease control strategies. Using a combined metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis, this work, therefore, investigated the phytoplasma–grapevine interaction in red cultivar Sangiovese in a vineyard over four seasonal growth stages (from late spring to late summer), comparing leaves from healthy and infected grapevines (symptomatic and symptomless). We found an accumulation of both conjugate and free salicylic acids (SAs) in the leaves of ‘Ca. P. solani’-positive plants from early stages of infection, when plants are still asymptomatic. A strong accumulation of gentisic acid (GA) associated with symptoms progression was found for the first time. A detailed analysis of phenylpropanoids revealed a significant accumulation of hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, flavan 3-ols, and anthocyanin cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, which are extensively studied due to their involvement in the plant response to various pathogens. Metabolomic data corroborated by gene expression analysis indicated that phenylpropanoid biosynthetic and salicylic acid-responsive genes were upregulated in ‘Ca. P. solani-positive plants compared to -negative ones during the observed period

Caratterizzazione di alcuni geni chiave per la produzione di metaboliti secondari in Passiflora incarnata ed Echinacea angustifolia. In Colture artificiali di piante medicinali.

Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL; E.C.4.3.1.5.) is the gateway from primary metabolism into the important secondary phenylpropanoid metabolism in plant. PAL catalyses the non oxidative elimination of ammonia from L-Phe to give trans-cinnamate, a precursor of numerous phenylpropanoid compounds that fulfil various essential functions as mechanical supports (lignins), as protectans against biotic and biotic stresses, as pigment like the anthocyanins. Because of its key role in secondary phenylpropanoid metyabolism and secondary metabolites, PAL is one of the most extensively studied plant enzymes. A PAL gene, designed PaPAL, was isolated from Passiflora incarnata with a full length cDNA of 2384 nucleotides; a partial cDNA of 1987 nucleotides, named EcPAL, was obtained from Echinacea angustifolia roots. The expression analysis of the two genes revealed that the PaPAL gene is expressed in young leaves at the first stage of development, whilst the EcPAL is expressed only in the roots of Echinacea plants cultivated in hydroponic cultivation . These results indicate that the expression of PAL genes is highly regulated by the culture conditions and stage of development

Tuber spp.: a new sustainability resource in southern Italy

L'Orto Botanico dell'Università del Salento da anni attua sul territorio interventi di rinaturazione e restauro ambientale in aree naturali e seminaturali locali dove sempre maggiore è la minaccia di erosione della biodiversità. La presenza di tartufaie naturali nel Salento rappresenta un elemento importante nella realizzazione di corridoi ecologici con specie strutturanti previamente micorrizate, vista la maggior resistenza e vigoria che il rapporto simbiotico offre alle piante e quindi alla riuscita dell'intervento stesso. In fase preliminare è stata studiata la distribuzione e l'ecologia degli ipogei più rappresentativi del territorio, Tuber aestivum Vittad. e Tuber aestivum Vittad.: quest'ultimo, particolarmente diffuso nell'area salentina. I primi risultati hanno confermato che le tartufaie naturali corrispondono sia a formazioni vegetali ben consolidate, quali boschi di leccio (Quercus ilex L.), sia a formazioni di recente costituzione come i rimboschimenti a pino d'Aleppo (Pinus halepensis Miller) ed i boschi misti delle due specie. In particolare, attraverso la caratterizzazione morfologica e molecolare dei corpi fruttiferi, T. borchii è stato identificato in presenza di Q. ilex e P. halepensis rispettivamente nel 31 % e nel 38% dei siti di campionamento, mentre T. aestivum è stato identificato prevalentemente in presenza di Q. ilex (48% dei siti di campionamento); inoltre T. borchii sembra essere più diffuso di T. aestivum (rispettivamente 7% e 3% dei siti) nei boschi misti considerati. Giovani piante di specie vegetali strutturanti propagate in serra per via generativa sono state micorrizate con tartufi salentini: risultati più soddisfacenti sono stati registrati nelle prove di inoculo di Q.ilex con T. aestivum. Questi risultati rivelano che i tartufi, in passato largamente ignorati, sono una componente comune e importante dell'area studiata; la loro distribuzione e gli aspetti floristico-vegetazionali possono dare informazioni utili per la ricostruzione delle aree degradate

The characterization of the spring truffle Tuber borchii growing in Salento area

The relative abundance of Tuber borchii Vittad. in the Salento area (Apulia, Italy) led us to try a genetic characterization of the different strains of such truffle. The aim of the work was to individuate T.borchii strain(s) typical of the Salento area and to compare them with other Italian T. borchii