Pickles of fruits and flavored vinegars: new products development in the UIIPS-ESAS vinegar technology project

A aptidão tecnológica do vinagre permite desenvolver múltiplos produtos. Neste projecto (2009 -) criaram-se processos de aromatização múltipla e de conservação ácida de frutos doces em vinagre, incomuns na indústria vinagreira. Articulando ensaios tecnológicos, analíticos e provas sensoriais, desenvolveram-se dois vinagres vínicos com adições (com mirtilo e com mel e especiarias), dois vinagretes aromatizados (de laranja, de physalis) e por tecnologia de piclagem fresh pack (não fermentativa), dez pickles agridoces: pêra-abacaxi, pêra “bêbeda” (cinco variantes), com physalis (simples, com murta ou mirtilo) e de abóbora com pêra e pequenos frutos. Todos os protótipos cumprem os requisitos de estabilidade. Possuem, em comum, inovação e conveniência: novos produtos, com longo tempo de vida de prateleira, são alternativas para a preservação de frutos caros/sazonais/excedentários.Vinegar technological ability enables the development of multiple products. In this project (2009 -) were developed unusual processes in vinegar industry, such as multiple flavoring, and acid preserving of sweet fruits in vinegar. Articulating technological, laboratory and sensory tests, two wine vinegars with additions (with blueberries and with honey and spices) and two flavored vinaigrettes (with orange or physalis) were developed. Ten sweet and sour pickles were also developed by fresh pack pickling technology (without fermentation): pear-pineapple, "drunk" pear (five versions), with physalis (simple and mixed with myrtle or blueberry), and last, pumpkin with pear and berries. The prototypes fulfill the stability requirements and were designed to provide innovation and convenience: new products with long shelf life, aims the preservation of expensive/seasonal/surplus fruit.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Câncer colorretal na população brasileira: taxa de mortalidade no período de 2005-2015

Objetivo: Analisar a taxa de mortalidade por câncer colorretal no Brasil. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, retrospectivo, de série temporal e espacial, realizado no período de janeiro de 2005 a junho de 2015, com base nos dados do Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade. Para avaliar a tendência anual de óbitos por região, foi utilizado o teste de Mann-Kendall, e regressões lineares para avaliar o sentido de crescimento. O nível de significância adotado foi de 5%, sendo empregado o software R Core Team 2015. Resultados: A taxa de mortalidade no Brasil foi 7,98 óbitos/100 mil habitantes para o ano de 2014. Maiores taxas foram observadas nas regiões Sul e Sudeste. Quanto ao número de óbitos por sexo, prevaleceu o feminino em todas as regiões brasileiras, destacando-se a região Sudeste. Conclusão: O estudo do câncer colorretal tem sua importância a nível epidemiológico por demonstrar um aumento crescente nos índices de mortalidade

Propriedades microbianas e do solo em ?reas em restaura??o no vale do jequitinhonha, Minas Gerais

O setor florestal no Alto Vale do Jequitinhonha (MG) tem adotado a cria??o de faixas com vegeta??o nativa entre os seus plantios comerciais, com o objetivo de reduzir os impactos negativos do monocultivo. O m?todo utilizado para cria??o dessas faixas tem sido a restaura??o espont?nea da vegeta??o nativa em ?reas anteriormente cultivadas com eucalipto. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de coberturas vegetais sobre propriedades microbianas do solo, para melhor caracterizar o processo de restaura??o da vegeta??o nativa em solos florestais do Vale do Jequitinhonha, MG. Os tratamentos foram: restaura??o inicial (; 4 anos) com ou sem remanescentes de eucalipto; e os controles: plantio comercial de eucalipto, vegeta??o nativa de Cerrado e de mata. As amostras de solo foram coletadas por tr?s anos consecutivos, nos meses de agosto e fevereiro, representando, respectivamente, o per?odo de estiagem e o de chuvas. As ?reas em restaura??o, independentemente da presen?a de eucalipto remanescentes, n?o diferiram quanto a atividade microbiana, exceto para quociente metab?lico (qCO2) em fevereiro de 2007 - per?odo chuvoso. Nessa ?poca, a atividade microbiana foi maior na restaura??o avan?ada sem eucalipto do que na restaura??o inicial sem eucalipto e restaura??o avan?ada com eucalipto. As ?reas em restaura??o, em geral, tamb?m n?o diferiram dos controles: plantio de eucalipto e Cerrado. Em rela??o ao controle mata, as ?reas em restaura??o apresentaram, em geral, menores teores de C org?nico, C microbiano, respira??o basal (Rbasal) e hidr?lise do diacetato de fluoresce?na (FDA), n?o diferindo quanto ao qCO2 e quociente microbiano (qMIC). Em geral, as restaura??es iniciais e avan?adas apresentaram qualidade do solo semelhante. A maioria das propriedades do solo e microbianas, nos tr?s anos avaliados, indicou que as ?reas em restaura??o mostraram maior semelhan?a com a ?rea de Cerrado. Nas ?reas em restaura??o avan?ada sem eucalipto, a menor Rbasal no ano 3 e a menor FDA e qMIC e maior qCO2 no ano 2, em rela??o ao Cerrado, indicaram que a remo??o do eucalipto remanescente n?o promoveu a restaura??o.Funda??o de Amparo ? Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecu?ria de Minas Gerais (EPAMIG)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico (CNPq)Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES)To mitigate the impacts of eucalypt monoculture, forestry companies in the Upper Jequitinhonha Valley (MG) have adopted the insertion of strips of native vegetation in-between the commercial plantations. The method used for the creation of these corridors is to allow spontaneous regrowth of native vegetation in areas previously under eucalypt. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cover crops on microbial and soil properties for a detailed description of the restoration process of native vegetation in forest soils of the Jequitinhonha Valley. The treatments were represented by an initial restoration stage ( 4 years) with or without remaining eucalypt, plus the three controls: commercial eucalypt plantation, Cerrado vegetation and native forest. Soil samples were collected for three consecutive years in the dry and rainy season (August and February, respectively). The microbial activity, regardless of the presence of remaining eucalypt , did not differ among the restoration areas, except for the metabolic quotient (qCO2) in the rainy season of February 2007. At this time, this microbial activity was higher in the advanced restoration stage without eucalypt than initial restoration without eucalypt and advanced restoration with eucalypt. The restoration areas, in general, did not differ from the control: eucalypt plantation and Cerrado either. Compared to the forest, the levels of organic C, microbial C, basal respiration (Rbasal) and hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate (FDA) in the restoration areas were, in general, lower and did not differ in qCO2 and microbial quotient (qMIC). In general, the soil quality was similar in the initial and advanced restoration stages. Most of the soil and microbial properties in the three years indicated that the restoration areas were most similar to the Cerrado. In the advanced restoration areas without eucalypt compared to Cerrado, the lower Rbasal in the 3rd year and the lower FDA and qMIC and higher qCO2 in the 2nd year indicated that the removal of the remaining eucalypt trees was unfavorable for restoration

The role of transcription factories-mediated interchromosomal contacts in the organization of nuclear architecture

Using numerical simulations, we investigate the underlying physical effects responsible for the overall organization of chromosomal territories in interphase nuclei. In particular, we address the following three questions: (i) why are chromosomal territories with relatively high transcriptional activity on average, closer to the centre of cell's nucleus than those with the lower activity? (ii) Why are actively transcribed genes usually located at the periphery of their chromosomal territories? (iii) Why are pair-wise contacts between active and inactive genes less frequent than those involving only active or only inactive genes? We show that transcription factories-mediated contacts between active genes belonging to different chromosomal territories are instrumental for all these features of nuclear organization to emerge spontaneously due to entropic effects arising when chromatin fibres are highly crowded

Active and poised promoter states drive folding of the extended HoxB locus in mouse embryonic stem cells

Gene expression states influence the three-dimensional conformation of the genome through poorly understood mechanisms. Here, we investigate the conformation of the murine HoxB locus, a gene-dense genomic region containing closely spaced genes with distinct activation states in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. To predict possible folding scenarios, we performed computer simulations of polymer models informed with different chromatin occupancy features, which define promoter activation states or CTCF binding sites. Single cell imaging of the locus folding was performed to test model predictions. While CTCF occupancy alone fails to predict the in vivo folding at genomic length scale of 10 kb, we found that homotypic interactions between active and Polycomb-repressed promoters co-occurring in the same DNA fibre fully explain the HoxB folding patterns imaged in single cells. We identify state-dependent promoter interactions as major drivers of chromatin folding in gene-dense regions

Mapping of the nuclear matrix-bound chromatin hubs by a new M3C experimental procedure

We have developed an experimental procedure to analyze the spatial proximity of nuclear matrix-bound DNA fragments. This protocol, referred to as Matrix 3C (M3C), includes a high salt extraction of nuclei, the removal of distal parts of unfolded DNA loops using restriction enzyme treatment, ligation of the nuclear matrix-bound DNA fragments and a subsequent analysis of ligation frequencies. Using the M3C procedure, we have demonstrated that CpG islands of at least three housekeeping genes that surround the chicken α-globin gene domain are assembled into a complex (presumably, a transcription factory) that is stabilized by the nuclear matrix in both erythroid and non-erythroid cells. In erythroid cells, the regulatory elements of the α-globin genes are attracted to this complex to form a new assembly: an active chromatin hub that is linked to the pre-existing transcription factory. The erythroid-specific part of the assembly is removed by high salt extraction. Based on these observations, we propose that mixed transcription factories that mediate the transcription of both housekeeping and tissue-specific genes are composed of a permanent compartment containing integrated into the nuclear matrix promoters of housekeeping genes and a ‘guest’ compartment where promoters and regulatory elements of tissue-specific genes can be temporarily recruited

Transcription factories in the context of the nuclear and genome organization

In the eukaryotic nucleus, genes are transcribed in transcription factories. In the present review, we re-evaluate the models of transcription factories in the light of recent and older data. Based on this analysis, we propose that transcription factories result from the aggregation of RNA polymerase II-containing pre-initiation complexes assembled next to each other in the nuclear space. Such an aggregation can be triggered by the phosphorylation of the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II molecules and their interaction with various transcription factors. Individual transcription factories would thus incorporate tissue-specific, co-regulated as well as housekeeping genes based only on their initial proximity to each other in the nuclear space. Targeting genes to be transcribed to protein-dense factories that contain all factors necessary for transcription initiation and elongation through chromatin templates clearly favors a more economical utilization and better recycling of the transcription machinery

Characterisation of Innate Fungal Recognition in the Lung

The innate recognition of fungi by leukocytes is mediated by pattern recognition receptors (PRR), such as Dectin-1, and is thought to occur at the cell surface triggering intracellular signalling cascades which lead to the induction of protective host responses. In the lung, this recognition is aided by surfactant which also serves to maintain the balance between inflammation and pulmonary function, although the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here we have explored pulmonary innate recognition of a variety of fungal particles, including zymosan, Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus, and demonstrate that opsonisation with surfactant components can limit inflammation by reducing host-cell fungal interactions. However, we found that this opsonisation does not contribute directly to innate fungal recognition and that this process is mediated through non-opsonic PRRs, including Dectin-1. Moreover, we found that pulmonary inflammatory responses to resting Aspergillus conidia were initiated by these PRRs in acidified phagolysosomes, following the uptake of fungal particles by leukocytes. Our data therefore provides crucial new insights into the mechanisms by which surfactant can maintain pulmonary function in the face of microbial challenge, and defines the phagolysosome as a novel intracellular compartment involved in the innate sensing of extracellular pathogens in the lung

Transcription and Chromatin Organization of a Housekeeping Gene Cluster Containing an Integrated β-Globin Locus Control Region

The activity of locus control regions (LCR) has been correlated with chromatin decondensation, spreading of active chromatin marks, locus repositioning away from its chromosome territory (CT), increased association with transcription factories, and long-range interactions via chromatin looping. To investigate the relative importance of these events in the regulation of gene expression, we targeted the human β-globin LCR in two opposite orientations to a gene-dense region in the mouse genome containing mostly housekeeping genes. We found that each oppositely oriented LCR influenced gene expression on both sides of the integration site and over a maximum distance of 150 kilobases. A subset of genes was transcriptionally enhanced, some of which in an LCR orientation-dependent manner. The locus resides mostly at the edge of its CT and integration of the LCR in either orientation caused a more frequent positioning of the locus away from its CT. Locus association with transcription factories increased moderately, both for loci at the edge and outside of the CT. These results show that nuclear repositioning is not sufficient to increase transcription of any given gene in this region. We identified long-range interactions between the LCR and two upregulated genes and propose that LCR-gene contacts via chromatin looping determine which genes are transcriptionally enhanced