Comments on "Screening and identification of novel ochratoxin A-producing fungi from grapes. Toxins 2016,8,833" - in reporting ochratoxin A production from strains of Aspergillus, Penicillium and talaromcyes

Recently a species in the genus Talaromyces, a uniseriate species of Aspergillus section Nigri and an isolate each of two widespread species, Penicillium rubens and P. commune, were reported to produce ochratoxin A. This claim was based on insufficient biological and chemical data. We propose a list of criteria that need to be met before an unexpected mycotoxin producer is reported. There have only been convincing data on ochratoxin A production for Penicillium verrucosum, P. nordicum, P. thymicola, all from Penicillium series Verrucosa, and from species in three sections of Aspergillus: section Circumdati, section Nigri and section Flavi

Influence of Lobesia botrana field control on black aspergilli rot and ochratoxin A contamination in grapes.

The grape berry moth Lobesia botrana is a key pest in vineyards in southern Europe. Damage caused by L. botrana larvae may encourage growth of black aspergilli, leading to ochratoxin A (OTA) accumulation in grapes. Field trials were conducted during three grape growing seasons (2005 through 2007) in Apulia, Italy, to evaluate an insecticide control strategy for L. botrana in the vineyard as an indirect method of reducing OTA contamination by reducing black aspergilli on the grapes. In the 2005 field trials, the insecticide treatment controlled attacks by L. botrana larvae and reduced OTA concentrations by up to 66% in the must samples of Negroamaro and Primitivo grape varieties. Significant differences (P < or = 0.05) also were observed in the incidence of black aspergilli. Environmental conditions in 2006 and 2007 resulted in a natural low level of infestation by L. botrana, low levels of OTA in both treated and untreated samples, and no significant differences between treated and nontreated samples. The results of our field study confirm previous reports that L. botrana is an important risk factor for OTA accumulation and are consistent with the hypothesis that controlling L. botrana in vineyards reduces OTA concentrations in grapes

Software Enginering Technique For Modularity Property In Component-Based Software Architecture

Robots are widely used in surgical rooms of the main hospitals. The most common surgical robot is the Intuitive "Da Vinci" but other new high-tech devices are spreading to help the surgeons in their medical tasks. Such kind of devices are useful to decrees the surgeons physical and psychological stress and increasing the overall safety. The surgical room is a complex environment with a lot of heterogeneous devices made by dierent producers. Currently the devices work independently but in order to increase the functionalities to give to the users is necessary to think how to connect all of them

Anti-Spoilage Activity and Exopolysaccharides Production by Selected Lactic Acid Bacteria

In this study, eight lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, previously isolated from traditional and gluten-free sourdoughs, and selected for their potential in improving the sensory and rheological quality of bakery products, were screened against some common spoilage agents. The anti-mould activity was tested using strains of the species Fusarium graminearum, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium paneum and Aspergillus niger. Regarding the antibacterial activity, it was assessed against four strains of the species Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes. Furthermore, LAB strains were evaluated for their ability to produce exopolysaccharides, which are gaining considerable attention for their functional properties and applicability in different food industrial applications. A strain-specific behaviour against the moulds was observed. In particular, F. graminearum ITEM 5356 was completely inhibited by all the LAB strains. Regarding the antibacterial activity, the strains Leuconostoc citreum UMCC 3011, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum UMCC 2996, and Pediococcus pentosaceus UMCC 3010 showed wide activity against the tested pathogens. Moreover, all the LAB strains were able to produce exopolysaccharides, which were preliminarily characterized. The assessed features of the LAB strains allow us to consider them as promising candidates for single or multiple starter cultures for food fermentation processes

Ontology-based modular architecture for surgical autonomous robots

In this work, we present a workflow for the design and the deployment of an architecture for the ex ecution of a surgical task (i.e. tool positioning on the correct trajectory for needle insertion), where the architect ure’s components skeleton are automatically derived from ontological description. We formalized basic knowledge in a way that is readable and processable by both man and machine

Insights into existing and future fungal and mycotoxin contamination of cured meats

Cured meats are widely consumed in various regions of the world and, as for other foods, consumers are increasingly aware of the need for better quality and safety. Various fungal communities can colonise meat products during their curing with beneficial or detrimental effects depending on the dominant species. Some contribute to flavour, anti-oxidative and protective effects, while others cause spoilage, including undesirable off-flavours/odours and mycotoxin contamination. Recently, increasing research on fungal ecophysiology and mycotoxin occurrence, especially of ochratoxin A (OTA) and aflatoxins, has been shown in these products. This review addresses the existing and new knowledge which is available to provide insights into the reasons why certain fungi colonise cured meats including their ecology, the importance of critical control points and effective use of new monitoring methods for evaluating the risk of mycotoxin contamination of these products

Partecipazione in Toscana

The stories and interpretations of participation that make up this book are the result of research carried out during the drafting of the new law on participation, subsequently approved by the Tuscan Regional Authority (L.R. 69/07). The context is presented in two introductory essays that discuss some of the most relevant issues of participation This is followed by a section consisting of thirty-eight factsheets that critically address several of the Tuscan participatory experiences, broken down into five interpretational 'boxes': governance, decisional democracy, participatory planning, social self-organisation and conflict. Emerging from the cases analysed is a variegated landscape of experiences of interactive planning, with lights and shadows, significant results and difficulties, related primarily to the implementation phase of the projects. The authors seek to recount and valorise certain of the more original and innovative pioneering experiences, and to offer food for thought for the greater spread and enhanced efficacy of participatory practices, interactive planning and social self-organisation

Toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in a climate change scenario: Ecology, genomics, distribution, prediction and prevention of the risk

Toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins are very common in food crops, with noticeable differences in their host specificity in terms of pathogenicity and toxin contamination. In addition, such crops may be infected with mixtures of mycotoxigenic fungi, resulting in multi-mycotoxin contamination. Climate represents the key factor in driving the fungal community structure and mycotoxin contamination levels pre- and post-harvest. Thus, there is significant interest in understanding the impact of interacting climate change-related abiotic factors (especially increased temperature, elevated CO2 and extremes in water availability) on the relative risks of mycotoxin contamination and impacts on food safety and security. We have thus examined the available information from the last decade on relative risks of mycotoxin contamination under future climate change scenarios and identified the gaps in knowledge. This has included the available scientific information on the ecology, genomics, distribution of toxigenic fungi and intervention strategies for mycotoxin control worldwide. In addition, some suggestions for prediction and prevention of mycotoxin risks are summarized together with future perspectives and research needs for a better understanding of the impacts of climate change scenarios