Effect of chestnut tannin extract (Castanea sativa Miller) on the proliferation of Cladosporium cladosporioides on sheep cheese rind during the ripening

Strains belonging to the genus Cladosporium can cause black spots on the surface of sheep cheese, making it impossible to sell. Two water solutions of chestnut tannin extract (i) 200 g L-1 (CHE200) and (ii) 400 g L-1 (CHE400), and the chestnut tannin extract powder (CHEP) were tested in a cheese making trial in which 60 cheese units were allotted to 5 experimental groups (each of 12 cheeses: C1, control 1 without any treatment; C2, control 2 treated with a silver ion solution; and cheeses LCHE200, LCHE400, and LCHEP, treated with CHE200, CHE400, and CHEP, respectively). The cheeses were ripened in a room polluted with Cladosporium cladosporioides with the aim to create conditions for the proliferation of this fungus on the cheeses. The results indicated that chestnut tannin extract at a concentration of 200 g L-1 is capable of completely inhibiting C. cladosporioides proliferation, avoiding spoilage of the sheep cheese

Effect of a finishing period in sea on the shelf life of Pacific oysters (C. gigas) farmed in lagoon

11 pages, 4 figures, 5 tablesThe aim of this paper was to compare the influence of a five-month finishing period in a sea or in the lagoon site on quality changes during chilled storage of Pacific cupped oysters (C. gigas), farmed in the lagoon. The oysters were analysed for morphological and chemical characteristics, and for parameters useful to monitor changes during shelf life (intervalvar liquid content, colour, volatile organic compound profile, pH and microbiological load) on 1st, 3rd, 7th and 10th days of refrigerated storage at 4 °C. Oysters finished in the lagoon showed a higher incidence of soft part and higher condition indexes, even though oysters finished in the sea had larger biometric dimensions. Lagoon-finished oysters had edible part richer in total lipids (11.82 vs 9.34%) with lower percentages of PUFAn-6 and C20:5n-3, whereas C22:6n-3 percentages were similar. From sensory analysis, sea-finished oysters were judged saltier and more bitter, whereas lagoon-finished oysters kept better during refrigerated storage, presenting more stable pH values, higher retention of intervalvar liquor and a moderate capacity to control bacterial proliferation during 10 days of refrigerated storage. The profile of volatiles was the same in both groups of oysters, but the amounts of each volatile tended to be significantly higher in lagoon-finished oysters. The finishing period in the sea induced a decrease in quality of all market and sensory characteristics and poorer storage performance. The better nutritional status of lagoon-finished oysters at harvest, the better trophic conditions of lagoon finishing and the better adaptation of the molluscs to a wide range of fluctuations in environmental parameters were presumably linked to their greater ability to withstand hypoxia during out-of-water refrigerated storage.This study was financed by ARSIA (Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca Scientifica e l'Innovazione in Agricoltura, Tuscany Region) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant AGL2009-12374- C03-01). The Xunta de Galicia is also gratefully acknowledged for the postdoctoral “Isidro Parga Pondal” contract to M. P.Peer reviewe

The Degradative Capabilities of New Amycolatopsis Isolates on Polylactic Acid

Polylactic acid (PLA), a bioplastic synthesized from lactic acid, has a broad range of applications owing to its excellent proprieties such as a high melting point, good mechanical strength, transparency, and ease of fabrication. However, the safe disposal of PLA is an emerging environmental problem: it resists microbial attack in environmental conditions, and the frequency of PLA-degrading microorganisms in soil is very low. To date, a limited number of PLA-degrading bacteria have been isolated, and most are actinomycetes. In this work, a method for the selection of rare actinomycetes with extracellular proteolytic activity was established, and the technique was used to isolate four mesophilic actinomycetes with the ability to degrade emulsified PLA in agar plates. All four strains—designated SO1.1, SO1.2, SNC, and SST—belong to the genus Amycolatopsis. The PLA-degrading capability of the four strains was investigated by testing their ability to assimilate lactic acid, fragment PLA polymers, and deteriorate PLA films. The strain SNC was the best PLA degrader—it was able to assimilate lactic acid, constitutively cleave PLA, and form a thick and widespread biofilm on PLA film. The activity of this strain extensively eroded the polymer, leading to a weight loss of 36% in one month in mesophilic conditions

Effects of chestnut tannin extract, vescalagin and gallic acid on the dimethyl acetals profile and microbial community composition in rumen liquor : an In Vitro study

Research Areas: MicrobiologyThe addition of polyphenol extracts in ruminant diets is an effective strategy to modulate rumen microflora. The aim of this in vitro trial was to study the effects of chestnut tannin extract (CHT), vescalagin (VES) and gallic acid (GAL) on dietary fibre degradability and on the dimethyl acetals (DMA) profile and microbial community composition of rumen liquor. Four diets (basal diet; basal diet plus CHT; basal diet plus VES; basal diet plus GAL) were fermented for 24 h using ewe rumen liquor. At the end of the fermentation, the microbial communities were characterized by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. The DMA profile was analyzed by gas chromatography. Chestnut tannin extract did not affect fibre degradability, whereas VES and GAL showed a detrimental effect. The presence of CHT, VES and GAL influenced the concentration of several DMA (i.e., 12:0, 13:0, 14:0, 15:0, 18:0 and 18:1 trans-11), whereas the composition of the microbial community was marginally affected. The inclusion of CHT led to the enrichment of the genera Anaerovibrio, Bibersteinia, Escherichia/Shigella, Pseudobutyrivibrio and Streptococcus. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the activity of CHT is due to the synergistic effect of all components rather than the property of a single component.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The In Vitro Impact of the Herbicide Roundup on Human Sperm Motility and Sperm Mitochondria

Toxicants, such as herbicides, have been hypothesized to affect sperm parameters. The most common method of exposure to herbicides is through spraying or diet. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of direct exposure of sperm to 1 mg/L of the herbicide Roundup on sperm motility and mitochondrial integrity. Sperm samples from 66 healthy men who were seeking semen analysis were investigated after written informed consent was taken. Semen analysis was performed according to the World Health Organization guidelines (WHO, 2010). Mitochondrial integrity was assessed through mitochondrial staining using a mitochondria-specific dye, which is exclusively incorporated into functionally active mitochondria. A quantity of 1 mg/L of Roundup was found to exert a deleterious effect on sperm’s progressive motility, after 1 h of incubation (mean difference between treated and control samples = 11.2%) in comparison with the effect after three hours of incubation (mean difference = 6.33%, p < 0.05), while the relative incorporation of the mitochondrial dye in mitochondria of the mid-piece region of Roundup-treated spermatozoa was significantly reduced compared to relative controls at the first hour of incubation, indicating mitochondrial dysfunction by Roundup. Our results indicate that the direct exposure of semen samples to the active constituent of the herbicide Roundup at the relatively low concentration of 1 mg/L has adverse effects on sperm motility, and this may be related to the observed reduction in mitochondrial staining

Experiences with a training DSW knowledge model for early-stage researchers

International audienceBackground : Data management is fast becoming an essential part of scientific practice, driven by open science and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data sharing requirements. Whilst data management plans (DMPs) are clear to data management experts and data stewards, understandings of their purpose and creation are often obscure to the producers of the data, which in academic environments are often PhD students. Methods : Within the RNAct EU Horizon 2020 ITN project, we engaged the 10 RNAct early-stage researchers (ESRs) in a training project aimed at formulating a DMP. To do so, we used the Data Stewardship Wizard (DSW) framework and modified the existing Life Sciences Knowledge Model into a simplified version aimed at training young scientists, with computational or experimental backgrounds, in core data management principles. We collected feedback from the ESRs during this exercise. Results : Here, we introduce our new life-sciences training DMP template for young scientists. We report and discuss our experiences as principal investigators (PIs) and ESRs during this project and address the typical difficulties that are encountered in developing and understanding a DMP. Conclusions : We found that the DS-wizard can also be an appropriate tool for DMP training, to get terminology and concepts across to researchers. A full training in addition requires an upstream step to present basic DMP concepts and a downstream step to publish a dataset in a (public) repository. Overall, the DS-Wizard tool was essential for our DMP training and we hope our efforts can be used in other projects