Adaptation of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) to Australian Environments

Quinoa is being evaluated in cropping systems in many countries outside of its natural range of South America. Very few attempts have been made by farmers or researchers to grow or evaluate quinoa under Australian environments. Given the growing popularity of quinoa with consumers, new commercial opportunities for farmers and international interest in the crop, it was timely to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the potential of quinoa in Australia. Two advanced selections and nine germplasm lines (six of Chilean and three of Bolivian origin) identified in an earlier project were tested in 23 field trials at 14 locations on mainland Australia. Targets included irrigated sites in tropical, Mediterranean, semi-arid and desert climates, and rain-fed sites of south-western Australia with a Mediterranean climate. The field experiments were either a randomised complete block design (RBCD) or a split plot/factorial design with 2–4 replicates, and a linear mixed model was used to compare the treatment lines. Seed yield of quinoa was highest when grown in winter and spring under rain-fed conditions in Geraldton, in spring and summer under irrigation at Bool Lagoon, and summer, autumn and winter under irrigation at Leeton. The highest seed yield achieved was 3 t/ha for a germplasm line from Chile, while the highest yield for a germplasm line from Bolivia was 2.6 t/ha. Advanced selections from Australia yielded well in comparison at most trial sites. Declining seed yield was associated with mean daily temperatures during seed development increasing above 17 °C, mean daily temperatures during flowering declining below 15 °C, and rainfall during seed development under rain-fed conditions falling below 50 mm. Seed produced at Bool Lagoon was the closest in colour to white quinoa imported from Peru; however, it was more than noticeably different. Seed produced at Geraldton and Leeton was significantly larger than from other field sites; however, none were larger than 2 mm in diameter as found in Royal white quinoa from Bolivia. Superior seed colour and seed size were associated with dry conditions at maturity and cool conditions during seed development, respectively. We conclude that quinoa can become a potential crop option for Australian agriculture by exploiting genetic diversity and supplementing with suitable management practices matched to agro-climatic environments. There are reasonable prospects to raise the seed yield potential in areas in all states, especially in the regions where quinoa grew well in our experiments

Glucosinolates, myrosinase hydrolysis products, and flavonols found in rocket (Eruca sativa and Diplotaxis tenuifolia)

Rocket species have been shown to have very high concentrations of glucosinolates and flavonols, which have numerous positive health benefits with regular consumption. In this review we highlight how breeders and processors of rocket species can utilize genomic and phytochemical research to improve varieties and enhance the nutritive benefits to consumers. Plant breeders are increasingly looking to new technologies such as HPLC, UPLC, LC-MS and GC-MS to screen populations for their phytochemical content to inform plant selections. Here we collate the research that has been conducted to-date in rocket, and summarise all glucosinolate and flavonol compounds identified in the species. We emphasize the importance of the broad screening of populations for phytochemicals and myrosinase degradation products, as well as unique traits that may be found in underutilized gene bank resources. We also stress that collaboration with industrial partners is becoming essential for long-term plant breeding goals through research

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Selected traditional foods from Bulgaria in the frame of BaSeFood project

Poster publicado em: BaSeFood Newsletter - Special Issue n.º7, October 2012 - Traditional Food International 2012, p. 17. ISBN: 978-88-902152-6-1Introduction. Bulgaria is located in Southeast Europe, in the northeast part of the Balkan Peninsula. Its location on the transition line between two climate zones influences the climate, soils, vegetation and animal species. Bulgarian cuisine is exceptionally diverse and delicious, consisting of various salads, breadstuffs, stews, and other local foods. Many of the dishes are prepared according to traditional recipes and have been passed from generation to generation over the centuries. This study was carried out within BaSeFood project (Sustainable Exploitation of Bioactive Components Black Sea Area traditional foods) and the aim was to determine the nutritional composition of six traditional foods from Bulgaria. Material and methods. Six traditional foods: baked layers of pastry stuffed with pumpkin, rodopian dried bean, rose jam, halva, mursal tea and millet ale were selected and the nutritional composition was determined. The following components: moisture, ash, total nitrogen (for protein), total fat, individual fatty acids, starch, total sugars and dietary fibre were quantified for each food. Results. Our results show that mursal tea, millet ale and rodopian dried beans were the analysed traditional foods with the lowest energy content due to the high water content (>81%). Total protein content varied between 0.344 0.01 g/100 g and 11.0 0.10 g/100 g for rose jam and halva, respectively. Halva was the selected traditional food with the highest amount of total fat (30.1 ± 0.74 g/100 g), from which the major fatty acids were unsaturated, since it is made with sunflower seeds. All results are given per 100 g of edible portion. Conclusions. New data on nutritional composition of Bulgarian traditional foods will enhance the knowledge base on traditional foods which is necessary for the development of exploitation plans and will be useful for their promotion.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n.º 22711

DIAGNOSI MOLECOLARE DI LINFOGRANULOMA VENEREO SU TAMPONI RETTALI.

Introduzione. Il linfogranuloma venereo (LGV) è una malattia sistemica, a trasmissione sessuale (MTS), sostenuta dai sierotipi L1, L2, L3 di Chlamydia trachomatis (CT). L’infezione, scomparsa nei Paesi industrializzati, sta nuovamente riemergendo negli uomini omo o bi-sessuali (MSM) e tende a manifestarsi con sintomi e segni ano-rettali. Nel presente studio riportiamo 5 casi di LGV, identificati nel periodo compreso tra novembre 2011 e luglio 2012 presso l’ambulatorio MTS del Policlinico Sant’Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna. Metodi. I tamponi rettali sono stati analizzati con il kit Versant CT/GC DNA 1.0 (Siemens). E’ stata successivamente eseguita lagenotipizzazione per CT, con metodica RFLP per il gene omp1. Risultati. I pazienti erano sintomatici, presentando lesioni ulcerative perianali e proctite in 2 casi, ulcerazione perianale isolata in2 casi e proctite isolata nell’ultimo caso. Linfoadenopatia inguinale monolaterale dolente è stata riportata in 2 casi. I pazienti con proctite presentavano tenesmo, dolore anale, stipsi e secrezioni muco-ematiche. Ad esclusione di un paziente, per il quale non sono state rivelate coinfezioni a trasmissione sessuale, sono state riportateall’anamnesi infezioni da HIV (3/5), Treponema pallidum (3/5), gonococco (1/5) e HBV (2/5). Tutti sono giunti alla diagnosi da LGV dopo un percorso diagnostico tortuoso: a seconda dei casi erano stati presi in considerazione recidive da HSV, patologie intestinali di pertinenza specialistica gastroenterologica o esiti di natura traumatica. Tutti i casi sono stati attribuiti al genotipo L2, mediante RFLP. Per tutti si è instaurata una terapia con Doxiciclina 100 mg 2 dosi/die per 21 giorni, proposta anche ai partner fissi. La valutazione clinica e laboratoristica di controllo ha dimostrato completa risoluzione dell’infezione. Conclusioni. Le manifestazioni cliniche dovute a LGV pongono serie problematiche nella diagnosi differenziale. La diagnosi molecolare di infezione da CT e la successiva tipizzazione permettono di giungere alla diagnosi corretta e di instaurare un adeguato trattamento antibiotico

Evaluation of phenolics and cysteine sulfoxides in local onion and shallot germplasm from Italy and Ukraine

Onions (Allium cepa L.) are the most important Allium vegetables whose increasing popu- larity is related to their pungent taste and richness in non-nutrient bioactive compounds. Many diverse local types are present and valued in several areas, although still poorly characterized. In the present study, fresh edible parts from Italian and Ukrainian bulb onion, potato onion, and shallot populations were analyzed for their phenolic and cysteine sulfoxide content and antioxidant capacity. Fifteen phenolic compounds, belonging to flavonols and anthocyanins, and two cysteine sulfoxides, methiin and isoalliin, were quan- tified. Total phenolics and cysteine sulfoxides were in the range 2595\u20139840 and 6777\u201318,916 mg kg-1 d.m., respectively. On average, potato onion phenolic con- tent was 55 and 59 % higher than in bulb onion and shallot accessions, respectively. Bulb and potato onions showed a similar cysteine sulfoxide content, whereas in shallots sulfoxide level was about 17 % lower. Flavonols were related to antioxidant capacity in both low and high anthocyanin types; however anthocyanins gave a prominent contribution to total antioxidant capacity in red onions. Quantitative vari- ations of some components allowed a clear discrimi- nation among the three groups of onions, highlighting the possibility of selection for both low or high content of specific components

Proximate composition of traditional vegetable and fruit based foods from Black Sea Area countries

In the last years, there has been an increased consumers interest and demand for traditional foods, which have an important role in the diets. Traditional foods can also be a valuable contribution to the development and economic sustainability of rural areas and the preservation of biodiversity. The aim of this study was to determine the proximate composition in traditional vegetable and fruit based recipes from Black Sea Area countries, in the frame of the European Project BaSeFood. The determination of the nutritional composition of selected traditional foods from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine is being carried out within the frame of the BaSeFood Project. Six foods from the vegetables group were analysed: Ukrainian borsch; Transcarpathian green borsch; Nettle sour soup; Nettles with walnut sauce; Rodopian dried beans and Kale soup. From the fruits group, five traditional foods were analysed: Uzvar; Plums jam; Churchkhela; Rose jam and Fruit of the evergreen cherry laurel. Water content, ash, total protein, total fat, total sugars and total dietary fibre are being determined at an accredited laboratory by ISO/IEC 17025 or by successful participation in Proficiency testing schemes. Most vegetable based foods have water and ash content higher than fruits. The values for water ranged from 14.2 to 92.4 g/100 g for Rose jam and Nettle sour soup, respectively. With respect to total fat content, generally fruit based foods have lower levels (< 0.15 g/100 g) than vegetables (5.02 g/100 g). For total protein, Nettles with walnut sauce presented the highest content (9.6 g /100 g) and Rose jam the lowest content (0.3 g/100 g). For total dietary fibre, the values varied between 0.3 and 6.44 g/100 g. All analytical values are expressed per 100 g of edible portion. The proximate composition of the selected traditional foods from Black Sea Area Countries is important in order to elucidate their role in the dietary pattern of populations. The analysed samples present a high moisture content and low fat content. Foods with high water content are usually low in calories. Therefore, vegetable and fruit based traditional foods are not energy dense foods, while they are considered rich in other essential nutrients.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n.º 227118

Traditional foods from the Black Sea Area countries: minerals and trace elements content

Minerals and trace elements and are essential for biological processes and play a vital role in normal growth and development. Low intake or reduced bioavailability of minerals may lead to deficiencies, which causes impairment of body functions. Due to the unquestionable importance of minerals in human nutrition, sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), phosphorous (P), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and selenium (Se) are being determined in traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries, in the frame of the European Project BaSeFood (Sustainable Exploitation of Bioactive Components from the Black Sea Area Traditional Foods). The aim of this study was to produce new analytical data of minerals and trace elements content in traditional foods in order to highlight their potential positive health effects. All minerals and trace elements were analysed by inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) except for selenium which was performed by graphite atomic absorption spectroscopy in the selected traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries. The methods used in this study are accredited methods by ISO/IEC/17025 or successful participation in proficiency testing schemes. Na and K were the most abundant minerals in the selected traditional foods. For sodium the highest level was found in wild plum sauce from Georgia (561 mg/100 g) and in herbal dish from Romania (618 mg/100 g). The highest content in K (937 mg/100 g), Mg (346 mg/100 g), Cu (1.24 mg/100 g), P (681 mg/100 g) and Zn (5.47 mg/100 g) was found in roasted sunflower seeds from Ukraine. With respect to Mn, herbal dish was the sample with the highest content (2.09 mg/100 g) from those already analysed. Ca and Fe presented the highest level in nettles with walnut sauce from Georgia (452 mg/100 g sample and 5.2 mg/100 g, respectively). The analytical results are given per 100 g of edible portion. A great variability was found for the analysed traditional foods from Black Sea Area countries. The samples with highest mineral content were nettles with walnut sauce, halva, roasted sunflower seeds, wild plum sauce and cottage cheese with dill and garlic.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n.º 227118