New Alternatives to Chemical Pesticides: Deciphering the Action Mechanisms of Lipid based Plant Elicitors via Complementary Biophysical and Biological Approaches

An elicitor may be defined as any molecule produced by pathogenic or non-pathogenic microorganisms or by host plants (synthesizing or accumulating the molecule) capable of inducing or promoting the natural resistance of plants to one or more pathogens, which resistance may be local or systemic

Investigating the Effects of Plant Root Exudates on PAHs Bioavailability to Soil Microorganisms in Contaminated Brownfields : Research Methodology.

As a result of heavy industrial past activities, an estimated 6,000 brownfields require remediation in Wallonia. This number rises to over 3.5 million in Europe. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent 17% of treated pollutants in Wallonia (Aldric et al., 2011). Current remediation techniques are rather expensive and technically demanding (Megharaj et al., 2011). Based on the observation that PAHs soil content decreases in the presence of plants (Cheema et al., 2010), the PhD aims at developing alternative PAHs remediation techniques in brownfields. It is articulated around three research axes. The first axis focusses on plant exudates and how they may improve PAHs bioavailability to soil microorganisms and enhance their degradation. This will be investigated by (i) characterizing several contaminated soils (physico-chemical parameters) and PAH content and factors of bioavailability, (ii) selecting a plant model and collecting root exudates, and (iii) evaluating the effects of exudates on PAHs bioavailability. The objective of the second axis is to evaluate the effects of plant exudates on PAHs degrading microorganisms by (i) comparing PAHs biodegradation in the presence/absence of exudates and (ii) assessing the potential toxic effects of exudate compounds on the microbial communities. The aim of the third axis is to study plant-pollutants interactions by (i) establishing the plant tolerance to several contamination levels and (ii) following PAHs bioavailability when facing real exudation rates, on the field

Les huiles essentielles dans les thérapies contre le cancer

European Hub on New Challenges in the Field of Essentials Oils (EOHUB

Lipid And Oxylipin Profiles During Aging And Sprout Development In Potato Tubers (Solanum Tuberosum L.)

peer reviewe

MANUFACTURING OF KIVUGUTO MILK AND STABILITY IN STORAGE UNDER REFRIGERATION

The kivugutomilk was processed in a 20 liters bioreactor with three bacteria previously selected in kivuguto traditional milk. The work aimed to study the association of three bacteria previously selected in traditional kivuguto in order to reproduce it in a controlled fermentation, and thereafter to understand its stability during storage under refrigeration. Postacidification, viability, proteolysis, flavor compounds as well as rheological characteristics were monitored for 36 days. The ph decreases from 4.54 to 4.45 and the titratable acidity grew from 73°d to 79°d. The final biomass after storage was 0.60 108 cfu.g-1 which is far higher than the recommended 106 cells.g-1before consumption. The proteolysis was at a range of 3.0 to 7.0 mg.l-1of lysine equivalent, which is too low so that it can’t produce bitter peptides. The evolution of flavor compounds in storage showed that no change found with 3-methylbutan-1-ol, acetic acid and furan-2(5h)-one, whilst pentan-1-ol and furanmethan-2-ol increased slightly upon 24 days’ storage. The complex viscosity decreased from 4 - 5.3 pas before storage to 2.9 - 4.0 pas corresponding respectively to the ratio g''/g' of about 0.3-0.4 with a very low variation. These data allowed the production and the good preservation of kivuguto milk at 4°c on 36 days

MANUFACTURING OF KIVUGUTO MILK AND STABILITY IN STORAGE UNDER REFRIGERATION

The kivugutomilk was processed in a 20 liters bioreactor with three bacteria previously selected in kivuguto traditional milk. The work aimed to study the association of three bacteria previously selected in traditional kivuguto in order to reproduce it in a controlled fermentation, and thereafter to understand its stability during storage under refrigeration. Postacidification, viability, proteolysis, flavor compounds as well as rheological characteristics were monitored for 36 days. The ph decreases from 4.54 to 4.45 and the titratable acidity grew from 73°d to 79°d. The final biomass after storage was 0.60 108 cfu.g-1 which is far higher than the recommended 106 cells.g-1before consumption. The proteolysis was at a range of 3.0 to 7.0 mg.l-1of lysine equivalent, which is too low so that it can’t produce bitter peptides. The evolution of flavor compounds in storage showed that no change found with 3-methylbutan-1-ol, acetic acid and furan-2(5h)-one, whilst pentan-1-ol and furanmethan-2-ol increased slightly upon 24 days’ storage. The complex viscosity decreased from 4 - 5.3 pas before storage to 2.9 - 4.0 pas corresponding respectively to the ratio g''/g' of about 0.3-0.4 with a very low variation. These data allowed the production and the good preservation of kivuguto milk at 4°c on 36 days

Targeting the right parameters in PAH remediation studies

peer reviewedContaminated land burdens the economy of many countries and must be dealt with. Researchers have published thousands of documents studying and developing soil and sediment remediation treatments. Amongst the targeted pollutants are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), described as a class of persistent organic compounds, potentially harmful to ecosystems and living organisms. The present paper reviews and discusses three scientific trends that are leading current PAH-contaminated soil/sediment remediation studies and management. First, the choice of compounds that are being studied and targeted in the scientific literature is discussed, and we suggest that the classical 16 US-EPA PAH compounds might no longer be sufficient to meet current environmental challenges. Second, we discuss the choice of experimental material in remediation studies. Using bibliometric measures, we show the lack of PAH remediation trials based on co-contaminated or aged-contaminated material. Finally, the systematic use of the recently validated bioavailability measurement protocol (ISO/TS 16751) in remediation trials is discussed, and we suggest it should be implemented as a tool to improve remediation processes and management strategies

Root-emitted volatile organic compounds: can they mediate belowground plant-plant interactions?

Background Aboveground, plants release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that act as chemical signals between neighbouring plants. It is now well documented that VOCs emitted by the roots in the plant rhizosphere also play important ecological roles in the soil ecosystem, notably in plant defence because they are involved in interactions between plants, phytophagous pests and organisms of the third trophic level. The roles played by root-emitted VOCs in between- and within-plant signalling, however, are still poorly documented in the scientific literature. Scope Given that (1) plants release volatile cues mediating plant-plant interactions aboveground, (2) roots can detect the chemical signals originating from their neighbours, and (3) roots release VOCs involved in biotic interactions belowground, the aim of this paper is to discuss the roles of VOCs in between- and within-plant signalling belowground. We also highlight the technical challenges associated with the analysis of root-emitted VOCs and the design of experiments targeting volatile-mediated root-root interactions. Conclusions We conclude that root-root interactions mediated by volatile cues deserve more research attention and that both the analytical tools and methods developed to study the ecological roles played by VOCs in interplant signalling aboveground can be adapted to focus on the roles played by root-emitted VOCs in between- and within-plant signalling