Rice biofortification with zinc and selenium: a transcriptomic approach to understand mineral accumulation in flag leaves

Original ResearchHuman malnutrition due to micronutrient deficiencies, particularly with regards to Zinc (Zn) and Selenium (Se), affects millions of people around the world, and the enrichment of staple foods through biofortification has been successfully used to fight hidden hunger. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the staple foods most consumed in countries with high levels of malnutrition. However, it is poor in micronutrients, which are often removed during grain processing. In this study, we have analyzed the transcriptome of rice flag leaves biofortified with Zn (900 g ha1), Se (500 g ha1), and Zn-Se. Flag leaves play an important role in plant photosynthesis and provide sources of metal remobilization for developing grains. A total of 3170 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The expression patterns and gene ontology of DEGs varied among the three sets of biofortified plants and were limited to specific metabolic pathways related to micronutrient mobilization and to the specific functions of Zn (i.e., its enzymatic co-factor/coenzyme function in the biosynthesis of nitrogenous compounds, carboxylic acids, organic acids, and amino acids) and Se (vitamin biosynthesis and ion homeostasis). The success of this approach should be followed in future studies to understand how landraces and other cultivars respond to biofortificationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

INFLUÊNCIA DO PROCESSAMENTO NAS CARACTERÍSTICAS SENSORIAIS DA ÁGUA-DE-COCO

O presente estudo teve por objetivo efetuar análise descritiva quantitativa de águas-de-coco e comparar o efeito de diferentes processamentos nas características sensoriais dos produtos. Foram utilizadas duas amostras de água-de-coco congeladas, uma pasteurizada por processo convencional e outra em microondas. Os resultados mostraram que a amostra pasteurizada em microondas apresentou (significativamente) os menores valores para as características típicas da água-de-coco verde, ao contrário das amostras congeladas. A amostra processada por pasteurização convencional apresentou maior intensidade dos atributos aroma e sabor de passado e aroma de ranço. INFLUENCE OF PROCESSING IN THE SENSORIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COCONUT WATER Abstract The present study had as objective to realize quantitative descriptive analysis of coconut waters and to compare the effect of different processing types in the sensorial characteristics of the products. Two samples of frozen coconut water were utilized, one pasteurized by conventional process and other by microwave. The results demonstrated that the sample pasteurized by microwave showed (significantly) the lower values for typical characteristics of green coconut water, in contrary of the frozen samples. The sample processed by conventional pasteurization presented higher intensity of the attributes aroma and over-pass and rancid flavor

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved