Characterization of artisanal honeys from Castilla y León (Spain)

La evaluación de la autenticidad de las mieles locales es una necesidad cada vez mayor, con el objetivo de revalorizar los productos de cada region, garantizando su calidad. El propósito de la presente Tesis Doctoral ha sido la caracterización de mieles de diferentes orígenes botánicos producidas en Castilla y León (España), en función de su análisis melisopalinológico, sensorial y de sus parámetros fisicoquímicos, destacando el perfil de azúcares y compuestos fenólicos, diferentes parámetros relacionados con la capacidad antioxidante y la evaluación de la actividad antibacteriana. También se llevó a cabo una revisión exhaustiva de la bibliografía, así como una revisión crítica y una puesta a punto del método de análisis de flavonoides totales, de la capacidad antioxidante equivalente de trolox (TEAC) y de la actividad antibacteriana contra Staphylococcus aureus.To guarantee product quality, assessing the authenticity of local honeys carrying out extensive honey compositional analyses, is a growing necessity for revaluing the products of each region. The purpose of the present PhD Thesis has been to characterize honeys of different botanical origins from Castilla y León (North-Central Spain) on the basis of their mellisopalinology, sensory and physicochemical parameters, including sugars’ and phenolic compounds’ profiles, different antioxidant-related parameters and antimicrobial analysis. A thorough review of the literature, as well as a critical review and set up of total flavonoids, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus were also done

Antioxidant activity and physicochemical parameters for the differentiation of honey using a potentiometric electronic tongue

[EN] BACKGROUND: This work evaluates the capacity of a potentiometric electronic tongue to differentiate between types of honey (orange blossom, rosemary, thyme, sunflower, winter savory and honeydew honey) according to their antioxidant level. The classical procedures used to evaluate the antioxidant potential of honey are inappropriate for in situ monitoring on reception of batches of raw honey in the packaging industry. They are also destructive, time-consuming and very tedious, requiring highly expert analysts and specialised equipment. RESULTS: The electronic tongue system made with Ag, Ni, Co, Cu and Au was able to not only differentiate between types of honey but also to predict their total antioxidant capacity. The discrimination ability of the system was proved by means of a fuzzy ARTMAP type ANN, with 100% classification success. A prediction multiple linear regression model showed that the best correlation coefficientwas for antioxidant activity (0.9666), then for electrical conductivity (0.8959) and to a lesser extent for aw, moisture and colour. CONCLUSION: The proposed measurement system could be a quick, easy option for the honey packaging sector to provide continuous in-line information about a characteristic as important as the antioxidant level. © 2016 Society of Chemical IndustryThe authors thank the Generalitat Valenciana (Spain) and the Spanish Government for funding the projects AICO/2015/104 and (MAT2015-64139-C4-3-R), respectively.Juan Borrás, MDS.; Soto Camino, J.; Gil Sánchez, L.; Pascual-Maté, A.; Escriche Roberto, MI. (2017). Antioxidant activity and physicochemical parameters for the differentiation of honey using a potentiometric electronic tongue. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 97(7):2215-2222. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.8031S2215222297

Sugar composition and sugar-related parameters of honeys from the northern Iberian Plateau

This research was aimed to study the sugar composition of fifty-four representative artisanal honeys from the northern Iberian plateau. Moisture, specific rotation, and crystallization indexes were also determined. Sugars were analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) after Pourtallier´s derivatization procedure. Fourteen carbohydrates were reliably quantified: two monosaccharides, five disaccharides, six trisaccharides and one tetrasaccharide. Honeydew honeys showed the highest disaccharides (6.71%) and trisaccharides (1.81%) averages and the lowest monosaccharides (63.10%) average, in contrast to heather honeys that had the lowest disaccharides (4.93%) and trisaccharides (0.69%) averages and the highest monosaccharides (70.96%). Chestnut honeys possessed low concentrations of monosaccharides, sucrose, trehalose, and trisaccharides. Clover and lavender honeys possessed high monosaccharide and disaccharide percentages. As expected, lavender samples showed the highest sucrose concentrations (0.05–5.18%). Isomaltose contents were particularly high in honeydew (1.17–2.49%) and chestnut (1.34–1.74%) samples, and low in lavender (0.6–1.16%) honeys, the latter also being low in raffinose (0.01‒0.05%). Moisture percentages (14.4–18.6%) indicated optimum honey ripeness. Averages for all groups of samples were levorotatory. In contrast to honeydew and chestnut honeys, lavender samples showed the fastest granulation tendency. In the analyzed honeys, the higher the percentage of isomaltose was, the lower the crystallization tendency the honeys exhibited.Junta de Castilla y León” (Spain) for supporting this research under the project BU007A0

Si l@s estudiantes universitari@s no eligen ingenierías que las ingenierías vayan al colegio

La pandemia provocada por el virus SARS-CoV-2 ha puesto de manifiesto la imperiosa necesidad de construir una sociedad basada en el conocimiento. Otros grandes retos sociales como son revertir el cambio climático y la conservación y/o recuperación del entorno natural hacen énfasis en la necesidad de un desarrollo sostenible e igualitario. En este sentido es necesario concienciar a las nuevas generaciones del papel primordial que deben jugar las ingenieras e ingenieros en el desarrollo futuro como motores de ese cambio necesario. Sin embargo, el número de estudiantes de ingenierías disminuye paulatinamente, siendo además profesiones copadas mayoritariamente por hombres. En el presente proyecto se plantea ir a colegios e institutos de la Comunidad de Madrid a realizar actividades que pongan de manifiesto lo que la ingeniería puede hacer por la sociedad, presentado por los y las estudiantes de ingeniería química de la UCM que servirán de referentes tanto femeninos como masculinos para las generaciones venideras

Lab at home: prácticas de Ingeniería Química en tiempos de confinamiento

En este proyecto de innovación docente se han desarrollado prácticas de laboratorio de dos asignaturas del Grado en Ingeniería Química, Ingeniería Térmica y Operaciones de Separación, para así garantizar la experimentalidad en situaciones de docencia no presencial empleando materiales cotidianos e instalaciones confeccionadas por impresión 3D, que podrán ser empleadas por los estudiantes en situación de confinamiento

A consortium of cyanobacteria and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria for wheat growth improvement in a hydroponic system

Biofertilizers containing living organisms are attractive because of their potential positive impact on plant growth and reduced environmental effect compared to mineral fertilizers. Many studies have reported the potential of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and cyanobacteria, applied singly or in combination. In the present study, the combined effect of PGPR and cyanobacteria on Triticum aestivum L. was examined in a hydroponic growth system. Calothrix sp. and Anabaena cylindrica were used as cyanobacterial strains, and Chryseobacterium balustinum, Pseudomonas simiae and Pseudomonas fluorescens were used as PGPR strains. In addition to growth parameters, total nutrients in each treatment and the ability to produce indole acetic acid (IAA) were measured after 17 days of treatments. The study results indicate that the consortium of the five isolates gave the best performance in terms of growth parameters. It increased by 36% for plant height in the combination of Calothrix sp. and P. simiae, and the dry shoot mass was increased by 80%, 77%, and 76% under the combinations of A. cylindrica with C. balustinum, P. simiae, and P. fluorescens, respectively. The ability to produce IAA was confirmed in the treatments with cyanobacteria, with PGPR strains, and in treatments combining the different microorganisms, using both colorimetric and chromatographic methods. Thus, biofertilizers containing the consortia cyanobacteria and PGPR used in this study are recommended for improved growth of wheat plants.This work was financed by LIFE13 ENV/ES/001251 EU Project. Rajaa Kholssi benefits from a grant of the AECID (Foreign Office of Spanish Government)

Critical assessment of antioxidant-related parameters of honey

[EN] In this study, several antioxidant-related parameters were researched on 56 Spanish honeys, setting up and optimising some assays. Melissopalynology and colour (L*, a*, b*) were determined. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used to obtain honeys’ phenolic extracts. Total phenolics, total flavonoids and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) were determined in both honeys and extracts. It was verified that total flavonoids determination in neutral media must be carried out on extracts instead of on honeys, because of sugars’ interferences; likewise, extracts’ colours must be corrected in this assay. The endpoint for honeys’ trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was researched. Significant linear relationships were found between TEAC values of honeys and honeys’ phenolic extracts, as well as between the results of TEAC measured at different times. Therefore, it would be possible to reliably calculate TEAC at 60 min (endpoint), measuring the absorbance at 6 min, thus saving analysis time and reducing costs.The authors thank all the beekeepers who provided a free sample of honey for this study, as well as the PIRTU program of 'Junta de Castilla y Leon' (Spain) and the European Social Fund for the predoctoral study grant to Ana Pascual-Mate.Sancho, MT.; Pascual-Maté, A.; Rodriguez-Morales, EG.; Oses, SM.; Escriche Roberto, MI.; Periche Santamaría, A.; M.A. Fernández-Muiño (2016). Critical assessment of antioxidant-related parameters of honey. International Journal of Food Science and Technology. 51:30-36. doi:10.1111/ijfs.12988S30365

Si l@s estudiantes universitari@s no eligen ingenierías que las ingenierías vayan al colegio.

La pandemia provocada por el virus SARS-CoV-2 ha puesto de manifiesto la imperiosa necesidad de construir una sociedad basada en el conocimiento. Otros grandes retos sociales como son revertir el cambio climático y la conservación y/o recuperación del entorno natural hacen énfasis en la necesidad de un desarrollo sostenible e igualitario. En este sentido es necesario concienciar a las nuevas generaciones del papel primordial que deben jugar las ingenieras e ingenieros en el desarrollo futuro como motores de ese cambio necesario. Sin embargo, el número de estudiantes de ingenierías disminuye paulatinamente, siendo además profesiones copadas mayoritariamente por hombres. En el presente proyecto se plantea ir a colegios e institutos de la Comunidad de Madrid a realizar actividades que pongan de manifiesto lo que la ingeniería puede hacer por la sociedad, presentado por los y las estudiantes de ingeniería química de la UCM que servirán de referentes tanto femeninos como masculinos para las generaciones venideras.Oficina Universitaria ApS UCMDepto. de Ingeniería Química y de MaterialesFac. de Ciencias QuímicasTRUEsubmitte

Si l@s estudiantes universitari@s no eligen ingenierías que las ingenierías vayan al colegio.

La pandemia provocada por el virus SARS-CoV-2 ha puesto de manifiesto la imperiosa necesidad de construir una sociedad basada en el conocimiento. Otros grandes retos sociales como son revertir el cambio climático y la conservación y/o recuperación del entorno natural hacen énfasis en la necesidad de un desarrollo sostenible e igualitario. En este sentido es necesario concienciar a las nuevas generaciones del papel primordial que deben jugar las ingenieras e ingenieros en el desarrollo futuro como motores de ese cambio necesario. Sin embargo, el número de estudiantes de ingenierías disminuye paulatinamente, siendo además profesiones copadas mayoritariamente por hombres. En el presente proyecto se plantea ir a colegios e institutos de la Comunidad de Madrid a realizar actividades que pongan de manifiesto lo que la ingeniería puede hacer por la sociedad, presentado por los y las estudiantes de ingeniería química de la UCM que servirán de referentes tanto femeninos como masculinos para las generaciones venideras