Maize landrace and post-harvest traits are reflected in the volatile profile and nutritional composition of Italian maize porridge (polenta): a preliminary study

Maize porridge, known as "polenta" in Italy, is a global staple food. This study aims to characterize the quality of four Italian flint maize landraces by investigating physical properties and macronutrients composition. By using SPME GC-MS and PTR-ToF-MS we analyzed the flours volatilome and changes in aroma profile post- cooking. Cooking induced the formation of 5 compounds and the loss of up to 25 compounds, primarily through evaporation. Post-cooking, the concentrations of some sulphur compounds (methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl trisulfide), lipid oxidation compounds (2-pentylfuran and hexanal) and Maillard reaction compounds including some aldehydes (nonanal, benzaldehyde, phenylacetaldheyde), pyridine and furans (furfural and furfuryl alcohol) increased. Differences in volatilome and macronutrients contents among landraces were also observed with Marano samples having on average a significantly higher concentration of proteins (13.67%), while the Nostrano samples had the highest fat content (5.00%). Fatty acid profile differences were mirrored in the volatilome. Spin flours had the highest level of linoleic acid, leading to elevated levels in cooked polenta due to linoleic acid oxidation. The differences in volatilome and macronutrients contents among the samples confirmed that local landraces are not only important for biodiversity and cultural heritage but also lead to unique aroma compounds profile

Drivers of the in-mouth interaction between lupin protein isolate and selected aroma compounds: a proton transfer reaction–mass spectrometry and dynamic time intensity analysis

Plant proteins often carry off-notes, necessitating customized aroma addition. In vitro studies revealed protein-aroma binding, limiting release during consumption. This study employs in vivo nose space proton transfer reaction-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry and dynamic sensory evaluation (time intensity) to explore in-mouth interactions. In a lupin protein-based aqueous system, a sensory evaluation of a trained "green" attribute was conducted simultaneously with aroma release of hexanal, nonanal, and 2-nonanone during consumption. Results demonstrated that enlarging aldehyde chains and relocating the keto group reduced maximum perceived intensity (Imax_R) by 71.92 and 72.25%. Protein addition decreased Imax_R by 30.91, 36.84, and 72.41%, indicating protein-aroma interactions. Sensory findings revealed a perceived intensity that was lower upon protein addition. Aroma lingering correlated with aroma compounds' volatility and hydrophobicity, with nonanal exhibiting the longest persistence. In vitro mucin addition increased aroma binding four to 12-fold. Combining PTR-ToF-MS and time intensity elucidated crucial food behavior, i.e., protein-aroma interactions, that are pivotal for food desig

Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry: a green alternative for food volatilome profiling

Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) has been developed for the direct, high sensitivity and high time resolution monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although PTR-MS development was not guided by greenness goals, most of its features perfectly fit within the green analytical chemistry (GAC) principles, making PTR-MS an intrinsically green analytical technique. Indeed, in its basic implementation, it does not require solvents or non-renewable carrier gases and, in principle, distilled water, used to feed the source where precursors ions are formed, is the only consumable. Food science and technology and agroindustry are amongst the fields where PTR-MS has been successfully exploited. Here we review and discuss, with emphasis on the GAC requirements, the potential of PTR-MS as a tool for both fundamental research and industrial applications in different food-related themes: i) food consumption and sensory, ii) bioprocess monitoring, iii) traceability, iv) quality control, and v) high-throughput food volatilome phenotyping. The outcome of all these related studies indicates PTR-MS both as a complementary tool to gas chromatographic methods and as a valuable technique when reduced analysis time, high sensitivity and/or on-line measurement are require

In vivo aroma release and dynamic sensory perception of composite foods

8openInternationalInternational coauthor/editorCondiments such as spreads, dressings, or sauces are usually consumed together with carrier foods such as breads or vegetables. Dynamic interactions between condiments and carriers occur during consumption, which can influence aroma release and perception. This study investigated in vivo aroma release (PTR-MS) and dynamic sensory perception (time–intensity) of mayonnaises spiked with lemon aroma (limonene, citral). Mayonnaises were assessed without and with carrier foods (bread, potato). When different mayonnaises were consumed and assessed alone, aroma release and intensity perception were positively correlated. Interestingly, when mayonnaises were combined with carriers, aroma release and perception were no longer positively correlated. Addition of carriers increased release of limonene and citral into the nasal cavity during consumption but decreased perceived aroma intensity of condiments. The increase in aroma release induced by the carriers can be explained by differences in oral processing behaviors and by the increased surface area of mayonnaise-carrier combinations. Carrier addition is likely to modulate aroma perception of composite foods by cross-modal texture–aroma interactions. This work demonstrates that not only physicochemical characteristics of foods but also cross-modal interactions play a role in influencing flavor perception of composite foods.openvan Eck, Arianne; Pedrotti, Michele; Brouwer, Rutger; Supapong, Arpavee; Fogliano, Vincenzo; Scholten, Elke; Biasioli, Franco; Stieger, Markusvan Eck, A.; Pedrotti, M.; Brouwer, R.; Supapong, A.; Fogliano, V.; Scholten, E.; Biasioli, F.; Stieger, M

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to sample the blow microbiome of small cetaceans

Recent studies describe the use of UAVs in collecting blow samples from large whales to analyze the microbial and viral community in exhaled air. Unfortunately, attempts to collect blow from small cetaceans have not been successful due to their swimming and diving behavior. In order to overcome these limitations, in this study we investigated the application of a specific sampling tool attached to a UAV to analyze the blow from small cetaceans and their respiratory microbiome. Preliminary trials to set up the sampling tool were conducted on a group of 6 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under human care, housed at Acquario di Genova, with approximately 1 meter distance between the blowing animal and the tool to obtain suitable samples. The same sampling kit, suspended via a 2 meter rope assembled on a waterproof UAV, flying 3 meters above the animals, was used to sample the blows of 5 wild bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Ambracia (Greece) and a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), to investigate whether this experimental assembly also works for large whale sampling. In order to distinguish between blow-associated microbes and seawater microbes, we pooled 5 seawater samples from the same area where blow samples\u2019 collection were carried out. The the respiratory microbiota was assessed by using the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene via Illumina Amplicon Sequencing. The pooled water samples contained more bacterial taxa than the blow samples of both wild animals and the sequenced dolphin maintained under human care. The composition of the bacterial community differed between the water samples and between the blow samples of wild cetaceans and that under human care, but these differences may have been mediated by different microbial communities between seawater and aquarium water. The sperm whale\u2019s respiratory microbiome was more similar to the results obtained from wild bottlenose dolphins. Although the number of samples used in this study was limited and sampling and analyses were impaired by several limitations, the results are rather encouraging, as shown by the evident microbial differences between seawater and blow samples, confirmed also by the meta-analysis carried out comparing our results with those obtained in previous studies. Collecting exhaled air from small cetaceans using drones is a challenging process, both logistically and technically. The success in obtaining samples from small cetacean blow in this study in comparison to previous studies is likely due to the distance the sampling kit is suspended from the drone, which reduced the likelihood that the turbulence of the drone propeller interfered with successfully sampling blow, suggested as a factor leading to poor success in previous studies

Linking monoterpenes and abiotic stress resistance in grapevines

Rising temperatures and ozone levels are among the most striking stressful phenomena of global climate changes, and they threaten plants that are unable to react rapidly and efficiently. Generic responses of plants to stresses include the production of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS). Excessive ROS accumulation can lead to extensive oxidation of important components such as nucleic acids, proteins and lipids which can further exacerbate ROS accumulation leading to programmed cell death. Although most studies on plant antioxidants have focused on non-volatile compounds, volatiles belonging to the isoprenoid family have been implicated in the protection against abiotic stresses, in particular thermal and oxidative stress whose frequency and extent is being exacerbated by ongoing global change and anthropogenic pollution. Historically, research has focused on isoprene, demonstrating that isoprene-emitting plants are more tolerant to ozone exposure and heat stress, reducing ROS accumulation. Yet, evidence is being compiled that shows other volatile isoprenoids may be involved in plant responses against abiotic stresses. Grapevines are not isoprene emitters but some varieties produce other volatile isoprenoids such as monoterpenes. We investigated photosynthesis and emission of volatile organic compounds upon heat stress in two Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Chardonnay’ clones differing only for a mutation in the DXS gene (2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway), regulating volatile isoprenoid biosynthesis. We showed that the mutation led to a strong increase in monoterpene emission upon heat stress. At the same time, maximum photochemical quantum yield (Fv/Fm ratio) of PSII was affected by the stress in the non-emitting clone while the monoterpene emitter showed a significant resilience, thus indicating a possible antioxidant role of monoterpenes in grapevine. Future mechanistic studies should focus on unveiling the actual mechanism responsible for such findings

ViLMA: A Zero-Shot Benchmark for Linguistic and Temporal Grounding in Video-Language Models

With the ever-increasing popularity of pretrained Video-Language Models (VidLMs), there is a pressing need to develop robust evaluation methodologies that delve deeper into their visio-linguistic capabilities. To address this challenge, we present ViLMA (Video Language Model Assessment), a task-agnostic benchmark that places the assessment of fine-grained capabilities of these models on a firm footing. Task-based evaluations, while valuable, fail to capture the complexities and specific temporal aspects of moving images that VidLMs need to process. Through carefully curated counterfactuals, ViLMA offers a controlled evaluation suite that sheds light on the true potential of these models, as well as their performance gaps compared to human-level understanding. ViLMA also includes proficiency tests, which assess basic capabilities deemed essential to solving the main counterfactual tests. We show that current VidLMs' grounding abilities are no better than those of vision-language models which use static images. This is especially striking once the performance on proficiency tests is factored in. Our benchmark serves as a catalyst for future research on VidLMs, helping to highlight areas that still need to be explored.Comment: Preprint. 48 pages, 22 figures, 10 table

The peppermint breath test benchmark for PTR-MS and SIFT-MS

18openInternationalInternational coauthor/editorA major challenge for breath research is the lack of standardization in sampling and analysis. To address this, a test that utilizes a standardized intervention and a defined study protocol has been proposed to explore disparities in breath research across different analytical platforms and to provide benchmark values for comparison. Specifically, the Peppermint Experiment involves the targeted analysis in exhaled breath of volatile constituents of peppermint oil after ingestion of the encapsulated oil. Data from the Peppermint Experiment performed by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) and selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) are presented and discussed herein, including the product ions associated with the key peppermint volatiles, namely limonene, α- and β-pinene, 1,8-cineole, menthol, menthone and menthofuran. The breath washout profiles of these compounds from 65 individuals were collected, comprising datasets from five PTR-MS and two SIFT-MS instruments. The washout profiles of these volatiles were evaluated by comparing the log-fold change over time of the product ion intensities associated with each volatile. Benchmark values were calculated from the lower 95% confidence interval of the linear time-to-washout regression analysis for all datasets combined. Benchmark washout values from PTR-MS analysis were 353 min for the sum of monoterpenes and 1,8-cineole (identical product ions), 173 min for menthol, 330 min for menthofuran, and 218 min for menthone; from SIFT-MS analysis values were 228 min for the sum of monoterpenes, 281 min for the sum of monoterpenes and 1,8-cineole, and 370 min for menthone plus 1,8-cineole. Large inter- and intra-dataset variations were observed, whereby the latter suggests that biological variability plays a key role in how the compounds are absorbed, metabolized and excreted from the body via breath. This variability seems large compared to the influence of sampling and analytical procedures, but further investigations are recommended to clarify the effects of these factors.openHenderson, Ben; Slingers, Gitte; Pedrotti, Michele; Pugliese, Giovanni; Malásková, Michaela; Bryant, Luke; Lomonaco, Tommaso; Ghimenti, Silvia; Moreno, Sergi; Cordell, Rebecca; Harren, Frans J M; Schubert, Jochen; Mayhew, Chris A; Wilde, Michael; Di Francesco, Fabio; Koppen, Gudrun; Beauchamp, Jonathan D; Cristescu, Simona MHenderson, B.; Slingers, G.; Pedrotti, M.; Pugliese, G.; Malásková, M.; Bryant, L.; Lomonaco, T.; Ghimenti, S.; Moreno, S.; Cordell, R.; Harren, F.J.M.; Schubert, J.; Mayhew, C.A.; Wilde, M.; Di Francesco, F.; Koppen, G.; Beauchamp, J.D.; Cristescu, S.M

The ocean sampling day consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

The Ocean Sampling Day Consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits