Butter from different species: composition and quality parameters of products commercialized in the south of Spain

Butter is an important product for the dairy industry due to its particular sensory attributes and nutritional value, while the variability of the composition of the fatty acids in the milk can alter the nutritional and physical properties of butter and its acceptance by consumers. Butter is highly appreciated for its distinctive flavor and aroma; however, one of its main drawbacks lies in the difficulty in spreading it at low temperatures. Several types of butter that are present in the market were used in this study. We assessed the variability in the composition of the samples regarding their texture, color properties, and volatile organic compound profiles. We analyzed samples commercially produced from sheep’s milk (SB), goat’s milk (GB), and cow’s milk (CB); samples from the latter species with (CSB) and without salt (CB); and the low-fat (CLB) version. All the physicochemical composition parameters were significantly affected by the effect of the type of butter, although only 29 out of the 45 fatty acids examined were identified in the butter samples analyzed. The textural properties of the butters were influenced by both their solid fat content and the fatty acid profile. In addition, the origin of the milk not only affected the texture parameters but also the color of the butters and the compounds associated with traits such as odor and flavor. Through the multivariate data analysis of butter fatty acids and volatile compound percentages, we observed a clear differentiation of the samples based on the species of origin

First RNA-seq approach to study fruit set and parthenocarpy in zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.)

[EN] Background: Zucchini fruit set can be limited due to unfavourable environmental conditions in off-seasons crops that caused ineffective pollination/fertilization. Parthenocarpy, the natural or artificial fruit development without fertilization, has been recognized as an important trait to avoid this problem, and is related to auxin signalling. Nevertheless, differences found in transcriptome analysis during early fruit development of zucchini suggest that other complementary pathways could regulate fruit formation in parthenocarpic cultivars of this species. The development of next-generation sequencing technologies (NGS) as RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) opens a new horizon for mapping and quantifying transcriptome to understand the molecular basis of pathways that could regulate parthenocarpy in this species. The aim of the current study was to analyze fruit transcriptome of two cultivars of zucchini, a non-parthenocarpic cultivar and a parthenocarpic cultivar, in an attempt to identify key genes involved in parthenocarpy. Results: RNA-seq analysis of six libraries (unpollinated, pollinated and auxin treated fruit in a non-parthenocarpic and parthenocarpic cultivar) was performed mapping to a new version of C. pepo transcriptome, with a mean of 92% success rate of mapping. In the non-parthenocarpic cultivar, 6479 and 2186 genes were differentially expressed (DEGs) in pollinated fruit and auxin treated fruit, respectively. In the parthenocarpic cultivar, 10,497 in pollinated fruit and 5718 in auxin treated fruit. A comparison between transcriptome of the unpollinated fruit for each cultivar has been performed determining that 6120 genes were differentially expressed. Annotation analysis of these DEGs revealed that cell cycle, regulation of transcription, carbohydrate metabolism and coordination between auxin, ethylene and gibberellin were enriched biological processes during pollinated and parthenocarpic fruit set. Conclusion: This analysis revealed the important role of hormones during fruit set, establishing the activating role of auxins and gibberellins against the inhibitory role of ethylene and different candidate genes that could be useful as markers for parthenocarpic selection in the current breeding programs of zucchini.Research worked is supported by the project RTA2014-00078 from the Spanish Institute of Agronomy Research INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria) and also PP.AVA.AVA201601.7, FEDER y FSE (Programa Operativo FSE de Andalucia 2007-2013 "Andalucia se mueve con Europa"). TPV is supported by a FPI scholarship from RTA2011-00044-C02-01/02 project of INIA. 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Sources, background and enrichment of lead and other elements: Lower Guadiana River

The lower sector of the Guadiana River Basin, located in southern Portugal and Spain, hosts soils and plants with elevated Pb, Cu and As near former and current mining sites. Two geogenic and two anthropogenic sources of Pb were identified where elevated concentrations are mostly related to the occurrence of sulphide-rich ore deposits, Volcanic Sedimentary formations and mining. These were generally reflected by the multiple regression analysis (MRA) and confirmed by isotope determinations. Nevertheless, caution was needed in interpreting statistical and isotopic results; therefore the combination of both techniques was important. Elements, such as Ca, Na, Cu and As, show enrichment in soil developed on shale, sandstone and conglomerate of Upper Devonian age belonging to the Phyllite-Quartzite Group. Lead exhibits an enrichment in soil developed on felsic volcanic rocks from the Volcanic Sedimentary Complex (VSC) of Upper Devonian-Lower Carboniferous age, which has been identified by the relationship between topsoil median values of different lithologies and grand subsoil median values. In the same soil, Fe, As, Co, Ni and Cr are depleted. Translocation of Pb to the aerial parts of plants is insignificant in all three plant species studied and analysed (Cistus ladanifer L., Thymus vulgaris, Lavandula luisieri). High Pb concentrations in soil, where Cistus ladanifer L. developed, the only representative number of species analysed, do not correspond generally to elevated Pb contents in plants, except near mine sites, where lower pH of soil, increases Pb bioavailability. The different statistical methodologies combined with Pb isotopic studies were successfully applied in the identification of Pb sources in soil and Cistus ladanifer L. plant of the Lower sector of Guadiana River basin. Therefore, rocks, mineralisations, subsoil, topsoil and plant processes were successfully integrated to understand the migration of Pb into the food chai

First TILLING Platform in Cucurbita pepo: A New Mutant Resource for Gene Function and Crop Improvement

Although the availability of genetic and genomic resources for Cucurbita pepo has increased significantly, functional genomic resources are still limited for this crop. In this direction, we have developed a high throughput reverse genetic tool: the first TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes) resource for this species. Additionally, we have used this resource to demonstrate that the previous EMS mutant population we developed has the highest mutation density compared with other cucurbits mutant populations. The overall mutation density in this first C. pepo TILLING platform was estimated to be 1/133 Kb by screening five additional genes. In total, 58 mutations confirmed by sequencing were identified in the five targeted genes, thirteen of which were predicted to have an impact on the function of the protein. The genotype/phenotype correlation was studied in a peroxidase gene, revealing that the phenotype of seedling homozygous for one of the isolated mutant alleles was albino. These results indicate that the TILLING approach in this species was successful at providing new mutations and can address the major challenge of linking sequence information to biological function and also the identification of novel variation for crop breeding.Financial support was provided by the Spanish Project INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Almentaria) RTA2011-00044C02-01, the ANR MELODY (ANR-11-BSV7-0024), the European Research Council (ERCSEXYPARTH), FEDER, and FSE funds. NVD has been awarded a grant by the Andalusian Institute of Agronomy Research IFAPA. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Vicente-Dolera, N.; Troadec, C.; Moya, M.; Río-Celestino, MD.; Pomares-Viciana, T.; Bendahmane, A.; Picó Sirvent, MB.... (2014). First TILLING Platform in Cucurbita pepo: A New Mutant Resource for Gene Function and Crop Improvement. PLoS ONE. 9(11):112743-112743. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0112743S112743112743911Paris, H. S., Yonash, N., Portnoy, V., Mozes-Daube, N., Tzuri, G., & Katzir, N. (2002). Assessment of genetic relationships in Cucurbita pepo (Cucurbitaceae) using DNA markers. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 106(6), 971-978. doi:10.1007/s00122-002-1157-0Parry, M. A. J., Madgwick, P. J., Bayon, C., Tearall, K., Hernandez-Lopez, A., Baudo, M., … Phillips, A. L. (2009). Mutation discovery for crop improvement. Journal of Experimental Botany, 60(10), 2817-2825. doi:10.1093/jxb/erp189Gilchrist, E., & Haughn, G. (2010). Reverse genetics techniques: engineering loss and gain of gene function in plants. Briefings in Functional Genomics, 9(2), 103-110. doi:10.1093/bfgp/elp059McCallum, C. M., Comai, L., Greene, E. A., & Henikoff, S. (2000). Targeting Induced LocalLesions IN Genomes (TILLING) for Plant Functional Genomics. Plant Physiology, 123(2), 439-442. doi:10.1104/pp.123.2.439Colbert, T., Till, B. J., Tompa, R., Reynolds, S., Steine, M. N., Yeung, A. T., … Henikoff, S. (2001). High-Throughput Screening for Induced Point Mutations. Plant Physiology, 126(2), 480-484. doi:10.1104/pp.126.2.480Wang, T. L., Uauy, C., Robson, F., & Till, B. (2012). TILLINGin extremis. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 10(7), 761-772. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7652.2012.00708.xDong, C., Dalton-Morgan, J., Vincent, K., & Sharp, P. (2009). A Modified TILLING Method for Wheat Breeding. The Plant Genome Journal, 2(1), 39. doi:10.3835/plantgenome2008.10.0012Uauy, C., Paraiso, F., Colasuonno, P., Tran, R. K., Tsai, H., Berardi, S., … Dubcovsky, J. (2009). A modified TILLING approach to detect induced mutations in tetraploid and hexaploid wheat. BMC Plant Biology, 9(1), 115. doi:10.1186/1471-2229-9-115Kumar, A. P., Boualem, A., Bhattacharya, A., Parikh, S., Desai, N., Zambelli, A., … Bendahmane, A. (2013). SMART -- Sunflower Mutant population And Reverse genetic Tool for crop improvement. BMC Plant Biology, 13(1), 38. doi:10.1186/1471-2229-13-38Kurowska, M., Daszkowska-Golec, A., Gruszka, D., Marzec, M., Szurman, M., Szarejko, I., & Maluszynski, M. (2011). TILLING - a shortcut in functional genomics. Journal of Applied Genetics, 52(4), 371-390. doi:10.1007/s13353-011-0061-1Rigola, D., van Oeveren, J., Janssen, A., Bonné, A., Schneiders, H., van der Poel, H. J. A., … van Eijk, M. J. T. (2009). High-Throughput Detection of Induced Mutations and Natural Variation Using KeyPoint™ Technology. PLoS ONE, 4(3), e4761. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004761González, M., Xu, M., Esteras, C., Roig, C., Monforte, A. J., Troadec, C., … Picó, B. (2011). Towards a TILLING platform for functional genomics in Piel de Sapo melons. BMC Research Notes, 4(1). doi:10.1186/1756-0500-4-289Elias, R., Till, B. J., Mba, C., & Al-Safadi, B. (2009). Optimizing TILLING and Ecotilling techniques for potato (Solanum tuberosum L). BMC Research Notes, 2(1), 141. doi:10.1186/1756-0500-2-141Dahmani-Mardas, F., Troadec, C., Boualem, A., Lévêque, S., Alsadon, A. A., Aldoss, A. A., … Bendahmane, A. (2010). Engineering Melon Plants with Improved Fruit Shelf Life Using the TILLING Approach. PLoS ONE, 5(12), e15776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015776Boualem, A., Fleurier, S., Troadec, C., Audigier, P., Kumar, A. P. K., Chatterjee, M., … Bendahmane, A. (2014). Development of a Cucumis sativus TILLinG Platform for Forward and Reverse Genetics. PLoS ONE, 9(5), e97963. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0097963Blanca, J., Cañizares, J., Roig, C., Ziarsolo, P., Nuez, F., & Picó, B. (2011). Transcriptome characterization and high throughput SSRs and SNPs discovery in Cucurbita pepo (Cucurbitaceae). BMC Genomics, 12(1). doi:10.1186/1471-2164-12-104Esteras, C., Gomez, P., Monforte, A. J., Blanca, J., Vicente-Dolera, N., Roig, C., … Pico, B. (2012). High-throughput SNP genotyping in Cucurbita pepo for map construction and quantitative trait loci mapping. BMC Genomics, 13(1), 80. doi:10.1186/1471-2164-13-80Vicente-Dólera, N., Pinillos, V., Moya, M., Del Río-Celestino, M., Pomares-Viciana, T., Román, B., & Gómez, P. (2014). An improved method to obtain novel mutants in Cucurbita pepo by pollen viability. Scientia Horticulturae, 169, 14-19. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2014.01.045Martín, B., Ramiro, M., Martínez-Zapater, J. M., & Alonso-Blanco, C. (2009). A high-density collection of EMS-induced mutations for TILLING in Landsberg erecta genetic background of Arabidopsis. BMC Plant Biology, 9(1), 147. doi:10.1186/1471-2229-9-147Wienholds, E. (2003). Efficient Target-Selected Mutagenesis in Zebrafish. Genome Research, 13(12), 2700-2707. doi:10.1101/gr.1725103Dalmais, M., Schmidt, J., Le Signor, C., Moussy, F., Burstin, J., Savois, V., … Bendahmane, A. (2008). UTILLdb, a Pisum sativum in silico forward and reverse genetics tool. Genome Biology, 9(2), R43. doi:10.1186/gb-2008-9-2-r43Triques, K., Sturbois, B., Gallais, S., Dalmais, M., Chauvin, S., Clepet, C., … Bendahmane, A. (2007). Characterization of Arabidopsis thaliana mismatch specific endonucleases: application to mutation discovery by TILLING in pea. The Plant Journal, 51(6), 1116-1125. doi:10.1111/j.1365-313x.2007.03201.xTaylor, N. E. (2003). PARSESNP: a tool for the analysis of nucleotide polymorphisms. Nucleic Acids Research, 31(13), 3808-3811. doi:10.1093/nar/gkg574Ng, P. C. 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Variability in seed storage components (protein, oil and fatty acids) in a Camellia germplasm collection

Trabajo presentado en el International Camellia Congress, celebrado en Pontevedra del 11 al 16 de marzo de 2014The genus Camellia is native to East Asia and includes a very large number (>200) of species. Notable among them are C. japonica, C. sinensis, C. sasanqua, C. reticulata and C. oleifera. The Japanese camellia tree (C. japonica) is native to Southern Japan where it is called Rose of Winter. Camellia sasanqua (Christmas Camellia) is a Camellia species native to China and Japan. Although Camellia is known worldwide for the production of tea, there is a growing industry that uses the oil derived from camellia seeds. Camellia oil, extracted from a number of different species including C. japonica, C. reticulata, C. sinensis and C. oleifera, has long been processed as industrial oil, for the production of medicines, cosmetics, soaps, and recently it is generating interest as a biofuel source (Lin and Fan, 2011). Camellia tea seeds have been utilized in China for more than a thousand years as an oil source. Tea oil is the main cooking oil in China’s southern provinces and Southeast Asia. Camellia oil is considered a high quality cooking oil, with high amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic and linoleic acids. This oil, called the Eastern olive oil by Long and Wang (2008) because it contains abundant oleic acid like olive oil, can be stored at room temperature. In addition to this, camellia oil is reputed to aid cholesterol reduction and resistance to stress (Fu & Zhou, 2003) and to protect against lipid peroxidation by elevating the expression of antioxidant enzymes (Lee et al. 2007). Camellia japonica oil has a long history of use as a cosmetic product to keep skin and hair healthy, with antibacterial activity and with anti-inflammatory properties (Kim et al. 2001, Kim et al. 2012). Also the antioxidant and antimicrobial features of virgin C. oleifera, C. reticulata and C. sasanqua oils have recently been demonstrated (Feas et al. 2013). The high oil content, (>30%) of Camellia seeds can vary depending on genetic and environmental factors (species, cultivars, temperature, rainfall, etc). Furthermore, fruit traits such as seed size and dry weight affect oil production in Camellia species (Li et al., 1992; Yanru and Zhangju, 2010, Huang et al. 2013). Galicia (NW Spain) is one of the most important Camellia producing-regions in Europe. Although camellias in Galicia are produced mainly as houseplants and for gardening purposes, recently interest has arisen in relation to the production of oil as a new market opportunity. The aims of this work were: a) to study the chemical composition of seeds from different Camellia species grown in a live Camellia germplasm collection maintained at the Estacion Fitopatoloxica do Areeiro, in NW Spain, and b) to characterize the fatty acid composition of cold-pressed oil samples from different Camellia species produced at the E.F. do Areeiro.Peer Reviewe

Sustainable Fertilization in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

The nutrient level in the soil is one of the most investigated aspects of agricultural research, also including research into Medicinal and Aromatic plants. The effect of fertilization has been studied in detail for many species, with contrasting results as concerns above all the qualitative aspects of production. Generally speaking, an increased level of nutrients induces an enhancement of plant biomass, but when the goal of cultivation is different from herbage yield, i.e. when a special plant part (seeds, or roots, or flowers) is of interest, or when the quality features are especially important, the outcome of fertilization may be dramatically different. A fine-tuned fertilization practice is therefore necessary, and forms, rates and times of distribution of fertilizers must be accurately planned and managed