Fructosyltransferase Sources, Production, and Applications for Prebiotics Production

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are considered prebiotic compounds and are found in different vegetables and fruits but at low concentrations. FOS are produced by enzymatic transformation of sucrose using fructosyltransferase (FTase). Development of new production methods and search for FTase with high activity and stability for FOS production Is an actual research topic. In this article is discussed the most recent advances on FTase and its applications. Different microorganisms have been tested under various fermentation systems in order to identify and characterize new genes codifying for FTase. Some of these genes have been isolated from bacteria, fungi, and plants, with a wide range of percentages of identity but retaining the eight highly conserved motifs of the hydrolase family 32 glycoside. Therefore, this article presents an overview of the most recent advances on FTase and its applications

Fucoidan-degrading fungal strains: screening, morphometric evaluation, and influence of medium composition

Ten different fungal strains from the genus Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Mucor were screened for fucoidan hydrolyzing ability aiming to find microorganisms able to produce sulfated fucan-degrading enzymes. Screening was carried out by measuring the strains kinetic and morphometric behavior over plate assays using Laminaria japonica fucoidan as only carbon source, testing three nitrogen sources (urea, peptone, and sodium nitrate). The selected fungal strains were subsequently used in submerged fermentations, which were performed for (1) selection of the strains able to growth over fucoidan medium and (2) media selection, testing the synergy of fucoidan with other sugars for inducing high enzyme titles. Radial expansion and hyphae parameters were observed for Aspergillus niger PSH, Mucor sp. 3P, and Penicillium purpurogenum GH2 grown only over fucoidan-urea medium. A. niger PSH showed the maximum enzymatic activity values, which were significantly different (p<0.05) from those achieved by the other selected fungi. Sucrose addition to fucoidan media proportioned the highest fucoidanase activity values for this fungal strain. This research allowed establishing optimal conditions for metabolites synthesis by fungal stains able to act toward fucoidan ramified matrix.Mexican Science and Technology Council (CONACYT

Tomato Responses to Bioregulators Grown under Greenhouse Conditions

Aims:&nbsp;Greenhouse contemporaneous horticulture demands a permanent use of new technologies directed to improve yield and fruit quality. Although, the use of bioregulators has made an important contribution to agriculture by increasing yield in vegetable and fruit crops grown under open field conditions; little is known on their effects on tomato grown in greenhouse. It would be useful to study how they may influence the behaviour of that crop. This approach could be an alternative for improving yield and fruit quality; in particular the one related to increase the antioxidant content. Prohexadione calcium (P-Ca) is a growth retardant which reduces vegetative growth and increases antioxidants content in deciduous fruit species; whereas gibberellins GA4/7&nbsp;and 6-benzyl amino purine (6-BAP) stimulate flowering or fruit growth on temperate fruit crops. The effect of these hormones in tomato crop grown in greenhouse is not clear. Therefore, the aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of P-Ca, GA4/7&nbsp;and 6-BAP on the growth, yield and fruit quality in saladette tomato hybrid "Raptor-F1". Study Design:&nbsp;A completely randomized statistical design was used with ten replicates per treatment. The results obtained were analyzed with the statistical program R version 2.14.2, for Windows version 8, and for the analysis of variance and comparison of means, the LSD (P≤0.05) test was applied. &nbsp;&nbsp; Place and Duration of Study:&nbsp;The experiment was conducted at the Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Saltillo, Coahuila, México, during the period April - August 2015. Methodology:&nbsp;When plants showed&nbsp; floral primordia, a first foliar spray of treatments: control (H2O), P-Ca (50 mg L-1), GA4/7&nbsp;(50 mg L-1), GA4/7&nbsp;(100 mg L-1), 6-BAP (50 mg L-1), 6-BAP (100 mg &nbsp;L-1), GA4/7&nbsp;(50 mg L-1) + 6-BAP (50 mg L-1) and GA4/7&nbsp;(100 mg L-1) + 6-BAP (100 mg L-1) was applied to run-off using a hand sprayer. A second application of same dosages was performed 15 days later. Results:&nbsp;P-Ca inhibited the synthesis of gibberellins A1, A4&nbsp;and A7&nbsp;at the apex; significantly reduced plant height and increased stem diameter, number of flowers, leaves, fruits, and ratio. GA4/7&nbsp;at 100 mg L-1promoted firmness and sugar content in fruits; whereas, when combined with 6-BAP at 100 mg L-1increased the content of vitamin C and lycopene in ripen fruits. Although, the yield was not increased by bioregulators, improvement in fruit quality compensated this since the benefit : cost (B:C) ratio in these fruits had a value of 1.9, 1.9, 1.84 and 1.74 for P-Ca, GA4/7, 6-BAP and GA4/7, + 6-BAP respectively against 0.86 in control fruits as a result of a&nbsp; higher market price. Conclusion:&nbsp;The bioregulators P-Ca, GA4/7&nbsp;and 6-BAP provoke positive effects on growth, yield and fruit quality in saladette tomato hybrid “Raptor-F1” growing under greenhouse conditions

Beetle (Ulomoides dermestoides) fat improves diabetes: effect on liver and pancreatic architecture and on PPARγ expression

Ulomoides dermestoides is a beetle traditionally consumed to treat diabetes. In this study, we performed a composition analysis of U. dermestoides to obtain the principal fractions, which were used to assess the effect on glycemia, liver and pancreatic architecture, and PPARγ and GLUT4 expression. Normal mice and alloxan-induced diabetic mice were administered fractions of chitin, protein or fat, and the acute hypoglycemic effect was evaluated. A subacute study involving daily administration of these fractions to diabetic mice was also performed over 30 days, after which the liver and pancreas were processed by conventional histological techniques and stained with hematoxylin and eosin to evaluate morphological changes. The most active fraction, the fat fraction, was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and PPARγ and GLUT4 mRNA expressions were determined in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The protein and fat fractions exhibited hypoglycemic effects in the acute as well as in the 30-day study. Only the fat fraction led to elevated insulin levels and reduced glycemia, as well as lower intake of water and food. In the liver, we observed recovery of close hepatic cords in the central lobule vein following treatment with the fat fraction, while in the pancreas there was an increased density and percentage of islets and number of cells per islet, suggesting cellular regeneration. The GC-MS analysis of fat revealed three fatty acids as the major components. Finally, increased expression of PPARγ and GLUT4 was observed in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, indicating an antidiabetic effect

Morphometric variants of the paranasal sinuses in a Mexican population: expected changes according to age and gender

Background: There are developmental variations in the paranasal sinuses. Our objective is to determine their dimensions and volume stratified by age and sex and define the expected growth pattern. Materials and methods: A retrospective, observational study was performed including computed tomography (CT) of patients between 1 and 20 years of age. The volumes of the frontal, sphenoid, and maxillary sinuses were obtained. Results: A total of 210 CT were included with a mean age of 10±6.1 years, 106(50.5%) were female. Groups were categorized in ranges of 5 years. Spearman correlation coefficients between the right and left sides were 0.843, 0.711, 0.916 for the frontal, sphenoid and maxillary sinuses. Post-hoc for the categorical age groups demonstrated statistically significant differences with values of p &lt; 0.01, except between age groups 11-15 against ≥ 16 years of age (p = 0.8). Gender-related differences were evident with a higher air volume in girls in the 5-10-year-old group, while boys predominated in the rest of the groups. Conclusions: CT is ideal for pre-surgical sinus assessment. The maximum volume of paranasal sinuses is reached at age 15. There is a clear volumetric difference between age and gender groups. There is a direct relationship between a volume and its contralateral counterpart