Nitrogen and chlorophyll status determination in durum wheat as influenced by fertilization and soil management: Preliminary results.

Handheld chlorophyll meters as Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) have proven to be useful tools for rapid, no-destructive assessment of chlorophyll and nitrogen status in various crops. This method is used to diagnose the need of nitrogen fertilization to improve the efficiency of the agricultural system and to minimize nitrogen losses and deficiency. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of repeated conservative agriculture practices on the SPAD readings, leaves chlorophyll concentration and Nitrogen Nutrition Index (NNI) relationships in durum wheat under Mediterranean conditions. The experimental site is a part of a long-term-experiment established in 1994 and is still on-going where three tillage managements and three nitrogen fertilizer treatments were repeated in the same plots every year. We observed a linear relationship between the SPAD readings performed in the central and distal portion of the leaf (R2 = 0.96). In fertilized durum wheat, we found all positive exponential relationships between SPAD readings, chlorophyll leaves concentration (R2 = 0.85) and NNI (R2 = 0.89). In the unfertilized treatment, the SPAD has a good attitude to estimate leaves chlorophyll concentration (R2 = 0.74) and NNI (R2 = 0.77) only in crop grow a soil with relative high content of soil organic matter and nitrogen availability, as observed in the no tilled plots. The results show that the SPAD can be used for a correct assessment of chlorophyll and nitrogen status in durum wheat but also to evaluate indirectly the content of soil organic matter and nitrogen availability during different growth stages of the crop cycle

New insight into microbial degradation of mycotoxins during anaerobic digestion

Abstract Anaerobic digestion represents an interesting approach to produce biogas from organic waste materials contaminated by mycotoxins. In this study a shotgun metagenomic analysis of lab-scale bioreactors fed with mycotoxin-contaminated silage has been carried out to characterize the evolution of microbial community under the operating conditions and the key enzymatic activities responsible for mycotoxin degradation. The study was conducted at two different level of contamination for fumonisins and aflatoxin B1. After 15 days biogas production was not influenced by the presence of mycotoxins. Metagenomic analysis revealed that a high contamination rate of mycotoxins interfere with microbial diversity. Degradation of mycotoxins accounted in about 54% for aflatoxin B1 and 60% for fumonisins. The degradation activity of fumonisins resulted in the presence of partially hydrolyzed forms in both tested contamination levels. Accordingly, metagenomic functional analysis revealed the presence of two new carboxylesterase genes belonging to D. bacterium and P. bacterium putatively involved in fumonisin degradation

Modulation of Milk Allergenicity by Baking Milk in Foods: A Proteomic Investigation

Cow’s milk is considered the best wholesome supplement for children since it is highly enriched with micro and macro nutrients. Although the protein fraction is composed of more than 25 proteins, only a few of them are capable of triggering allergic reactions in sensitive consumers. The balance in protein composition plays an important role in the sensitization capacity of cow’s milk, and its modification can increase the immunological response in allergic patients. In particular, the heating treatments in the presence of a food matrix have demonstrated a decrease in the milk allergenicity and this has also proved to play a pivotal role in developing tolerance towards milk. In this paper we investigated the effect of thermal treatment like baking of cow’s milk proteins that were employed as ingredients in the preparation of muffins. A proteomic workflow was applied to the analysis of the protein bands highlighted along the SDS gel followed by western blot analyses with sera of milk allergic children in order to have deeper information on the impact of the heating on the epitopes and consequent IgE recognition. Our results show that incorporating milk in muffins might promote the formation of complex milk–food components and induce a modulation of the immunoreactivity towards milk allergens compared to milk baked in the oven at 180 °C for ten minutes. The interactions between milk proteins and food components during heating proved to play a role in the potential reduction of allergenicity as assessed by in vitro tests. This would help, in perspective, in designing strategies for improving milk tolerance in young patients affected from severe milk allergies

Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Lentil Wastes: Antioxidant Activity Evaluation and Metabolomic Characterization

The recovery of industrial by-products is part of the zero-waste circular economy. Lentil seed coats are generally considered to be a waste by-product. However, this low-value by-product is rich in bioactive compounds and may be considered an eco-friendly source of health-promoting phytochemicals. For the first time, a sustainable microwave-assisted extraction technique was applied, and a solvent screening was carried out to enhance the bioactive compound content and the antioxidant activity of green and red lentil hull extracts. With respect to green lentil hull extracts that were obtained with different solvents, the aqueous extract of the red lentil seed coats showed the highest total phenolic and total flavonoid content (TPC = 28.3 ± 0.1 mg GAE/g dry weight, TFC = 1.89 ± 0.01 mg CE/100 mg dry weight, respectively), as well as the highest antioxidant activity, both in terms of the free radical scavenging activity (ABTS, 39.06 ± 0.73 mg TE/g dry weight; DPPH, IC50 = 0.39 μg/mL) and the protection of the neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y, IC50 = 10.1 ± 0.6 μg/mL), the latter of which has never been investigated so far. Furthermore, a metabolite discovery analysis was for the first time performed on the aqueous extracts of both cultivars using an HPLC separation which was coupled with an Orbitrap-based high-Resolution Mass Spectrometry technique

Effect of thermal/pressure processing and simulated human digestion on the immunoreactivity of extractable peanut allergens

Peanut allergy is one of the most widespread types of food allergies especially affecting developed countries. To reduce the risk of triggering allergic reactions, several technological strategies have been devised to modify or remove allergens from foods. Herein we investigated the combination of high temperature and pressure on the modulation of peanuts immunoreactivity after simulated gastro-duodenal digestion. Extractable proteins of raw and autoclaved peanuts were separated on SDS-PAGE and immunogenicity was assessed by ELISA and Western Blot analyses. Proteins surviving the heat treatment and reacting towards allergic patients' sera were analysed and attributed to Ara h 3 and Ara h 1 proteins by untargeted LC-high resolution-MS/MS. A progressive reduction in the intensity of the major allergen proteins was also highlighted in the protein fraction extracted from autoclaved peanuts, with a total disappearance of the high molecular allergens when samples were preliminary exposed to 2 h hydration although the lower molecular weight fraction was not investigated in the present work. Furthermore, raw and processed peanuts underwent simulated digestion experiments and the IgE binding was assessed by using allergic patients' sera. The persistence of an immunoreactive band was displayed around 20 kDa. In conclusion, the synergistic effects of heat and pressure played a pivotal role in the disappearance of the major peanut allergens also contributing to the significant alteration of the final immunoreactivity. In addition, the surviving of allergenic determinants in peanuts after gastrointestinal breakdown provides more insights on the fate of allergenic proteins after autoclaving treatments

Src Kinases Are Required for a Balanced Production of IL-12/IL-23 in Human Dendritic Cells Activated by Toll-Like Receptor Agonists

BACKGROUND: Pathogen recognition by dendritic cells (DC) is crucial for the initiation of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Activation of Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) by microbial molecular patterns leads to the maturation of DC, which present the antigen and activate T cells in secondary lymphoid tissues. Cytokine production by DC is critical for shaping the adaptive immune response by regulating T helper cell differentiation. It was previously shown by our group that Src kinases play a key role in cytokines production during TLR4 activation in human DC. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this work we investigated the role of Src kinases during different TLRs triggering in human monocyte-derived DC (MoDC). We found that Src family kinases are important for a balanced production of inflammatory cytokines by human MoDC upon stimulation of TLR3 and 8 with their respective agonists. Disruption of this equilibrium through pharmacological inhibition of Src kinases alters the DC maturation pattern. In particular, while expression of IL-12 and other inflammatory cytokines depend on Src kinases, the induction of IL-23 and co-stimulatory molecules do not. Accordingly, DC treated with Src inhibitors are not compromised in their ability to induce CD4 T cell proliferation and to promote the Th17 subset survival but are less efficient in inducing Th1 differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the pharmacological modulation of DC maturation has the potential to shape the quality of the adaptive immune response and could be exploited for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases

Influencer Marketing su Twitter: Analisi empirica nei settori Food, Fashion e Fitness

Oggi Internet e i Social Network sono diventati due aspetti importanti nel modo di comunicare. Il fenomeno del Web 2.0 ha portato ad un cambiamento radicale nel marketing e nella comunicazione delle aziende: la relazione azienda consumatore diventa sempre più interattiva, più partecipativa. Quest’ultimo non è più un soggetto passivo, bensì un individuo autonomo, in grado di informarsi sui prodotti o servizi e di rilasciare opinioni e recensioni in merito alla propria esperienza. Infatti, se in passato il suo primo momento della verità era rappresentato dal contatto con il prodotto, adesso si ha una fase che lo precede, ovverosia quella in cui il consumatore ricerca informazioni online o sui canali social. Le informazioni possono essere veicolate sia tramite il classico passaparola, word of mouth, sia tramite l’electronic word of mouth, ovvero la comunicazione elettronica consumer-to-consumer. Chiunque sia attivo sui social media può creare un influence impression tramite l’e-wom, ma questa influenza è particolarmente potente quando questa persona ha anche molte connessioni, quando è un Influencer. Gli Influencer sono individui che hanno il potere di influenzare le decisioni di acquisto degli altri grazie alla loro autorità e conoscenza. Le dimensioni del network di una persona aumentano la capacità di diffusione del messaggio. È per questo che moltissime aziende adesso utilizzano gli Influencer come intermediari per pubblicizzare brand, prodotti o servizi. Questi sono credibili e affidabili agli occhi degli utenti e riescono a raggiungere una più vasta area di utenti. Questo elaborato indaga come alcuni Influencer del settore Food, Fashion e Fitness, comunicano sul social network Twitter, i loro effetti, positivi o negativi, che hanno nei confronti dei consumatori e il loro impatto sui followers in termini di Re-Tweet. Viene analizzato il tipo di linguaggio che viene utilizzato dagli Influencer, il contenuto del Tweet e la sua struttura. Questo serve a comprendere se gli Influencer preferiscono diffondere contenuti caratterizzati da elevata competenza e sicurezza, o se al contrario, sembrano preferire le cattive notizie e le emozioni negative rispetto alle positive. Il programma NVivo ha permesso di scaricare i dati direttamente dai profili Twitter degli Influencer selezionati. Successivamente è stato analizzato il linguaggio e il contenuto dei Tweet attraverso il programma LIWC (The Linguistic Inquiry e Word Count)