Carotenoides Pro-vitamina A em frutos de bananeira.

Os tipos de carotenóides variam muito nas frutas, sendo que aproximadamente 50 carotenóides possuem atividade pró-vitamina A. Dentre esses o β-caroteno é o mais importante e abundante em alimentos, seguido do α-caroteno e β-criptoxantina, os quais possuem a metade da atividade de vitamina A, comparativamente ao primeiro caroteno. Outros carotenóides não pró-vitamina A, porém com efeitos relevantes à saúde humana (e.g., antioxidante, antitumoral e inibidores da degeneração macular), também ocorrem em alimentos (luteína, zeaxantina e licopeno, por exemplo - RODRIGUEZ-AMAYA, 2001) e sua identificação em frutos de bananeira é considerado relevante. A banana destaca-se pelo seu alto potencial como alimento funcional, devido a seu alto consumo, principalmente em países subdesenvolvidos

Espectroscopia de infravermelho médio e quimiometria aplicadas a discriminação de acessos de bananeira.

O Brasil é o quinto produtor mundial de banana, tendo produzido aproximadamente 6,9 milhões de toneladas em 2010, em uma área aproximada de 487 mil hectares (FAO, 2012). Entretanto, há poucos cultivares para exploração comercial com potencial agronômico, tolerantes às pragas e doenças e que apresentem frutos com boas características pós-colheita e organolépticas. Uma das estratégias à solução desse problema é a seleção de novos genótipos, por meio do melhoramento genético, visando o aumento do valor nutricional e funcional (biofortificação), associado às boas características agronômicas

Phenotypic plasticity in sargassum forests may not counteract projected biomass losses along a broad latitudinal gradient

Phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation can adjust individual responses to environmental changes across species' ranges. Studies addressing the implications of such traits have been underrepresented in the marine environment. Sargassum cymosum represents an ideal model to test phenotypic plasticity, as populations along the southwestern Atlantic Ocean display a sharp decrease in abundance toward distributional range limits. We (1) characterized the macroecological environment of S. cymosum across a latitudinal gradient, (2) evaluated potential differences in ecophysiological adjustments (biomass, photosynthetic pigments, phenolic compounds, total soluble sugars and proteins, and carbon-nitrogen-CN-content), and (3) tested for differences in thermal tolerance based on time series analyses produced from the present to contrasting representative concentration pathways scenarios (RCP) of future climate changes. Our results showed distinct macroecological environments, corresponding to tropical and warm temperate conditions, driving biomass and ecophysiological adjustments of S. cymosum. Populations from the two environments displayed contrasting thermal tolerances, with tropical individuals better coping with thermal stress when compared to more temperate ones (lethal temperatures of 33 degrees C vs. 30 degrees C); yet both populations lose biomass in response to increasing thermal stress while increasing secondary metabolites (for example, carotenoids and phenolic compounds) and decrease chlorophyll's content, Fv/Fm, total soluble sugars concentration and CN ratio, owing to oxidative stress. Despite evidence for phenotypic plasticity, significant future losses might occur in both tropical and warm temperate populations, particularly under the no mitigation RCP scenario, also known as the business as usual (that is, 8.5). In this context, broad compliance with the Paris Agreement might counteract projected impacts of climate change, safeguarding Sargassum forests in the years to come.This study was supported by grants from Boticario Foundation, FAPESC-Foundation Support Research and Innovation in the State of Santa Catarina, Capes Higher Education Personnel Improvement Coordination, CNPq-National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Petrobras Ambiental, REBENTOS-Habitat monitoring network coastal Benthic and ProspecMar-Islands Sustainable Prospecting in Ocean Islands: Biodiversity, Chemistry, Ecology and Biotechnology, Rede Coral Vivo, REDEALGAS, a Pew Marine Fellowship, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) of Portugal via SFRH/BSAB/150485/2019, SFRH/BD/144878/2019, UID/Multi/04326/2019, PTDC/BIA-CBI/6515/2020 and the transitional norm DL57/2016/CP1361/CT0035. LPG received a doctorate scholarship (88882.438723/2019-01) from Capes. CFDG thanks CNPq grants PQ-309658/2016-0and306304/2019-8. PAH thanks CAPES-Senior Visitor, CAPESPrInt 310793/2018-01, CNPq-PVE 407365/2013-3, CNPq-Universal 426215/2016-8 and CNPq-PQ308537/2019-0. GK received a master's scholarship from CAPES.info:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersio

Effect of gibberellic acid on germination potential in vitro seed Carica quercifolia (St. Hil.). Hieron. (Caricaceae)

The species Carica quercifolia (St. Hil.). Hieron. (Caricaceae), native to the region west of Santa Catarina has ornamental potential and fruitful, however, its seeds have low germination rates. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the effect of gibberellic acid (GA) on seed germination of C. quercifolia in vitro. Initially, the seeds were subjected to an aseptic treatment with sodium hypochlorite and 70% alcohol, then subjected to five different treatments with gibberellic acid (control, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg.L-1) and subsequently inoculatedinoculated on MS medium. Each treatment had 12 replications and six sub-repetitions. After inoculation, seeds were kept in a germination chamber with a photoperiod of 16 hours (50 mol photons m-² s-¹) and temperature of 26 ± 2 ° C. The onset of germination was observed at day 35 of culture only in treatments with 100 and 200 mg L-1 GA. After 42 days of cultivation, there was low germination rate in both control seeds and seeds treated with GA, and there were no statistically significant differences. The results suggest that the concentrations of GA were used possibly lower, unable to induce the germination C. quercifolia