Serpa PDO cheese: towards identification of chemical markers involved in organoleptic attributes

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Serpa PDO cheese: towards identification of chemical markers involved in organoleptic attributes

Serpa is a PDO cheese manufactured using raw ovine milk and extracts of C. cardunculus L. as rennet, without addition of starter cultures and followed by a minimum (but safe) ripening period. Both the processing technology and ingredients used result in a high microbial biodiversity that allows the development of a unique flavor. Variations in the manufacture process and distinct milk composition among producers result in a considerably heterogeneous cheese. The present study aimed at screening some groups of sensorial related compounds during two consecutive months of production, towards the identification of chemical markers involved in the specificity of Serpa cheese. The results suggested a high diversity and heterogenous chemical composition according to the producer and month. The free amino acids (FAAs) profile suggested the presence of almost all amino acids in the analyzed cheeses, being glutamic acid, alanine, leucine, valine and phenylalanine the most prevalent ones. Regarding the organic acid profile, lactic and acetic acids were the dominant groups. The volatile analysis suggested a high diversity and variability of volatile composition between cheeses, including several chemical groups, namely, ethyl esters, aldehydes and alcohols. The identification of sensorial chemical markers will be crucial to guide the selection and development of an autochthonous starter culture to improve Serpa’s quality and safety..info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evidences of organic acids exudation in aluminium stress responses of two Madeiran wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landraces

Two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Madeiran landraces were subjected to 100 μM and 200 μM of aluminium (Al) in hydroponic culture, assessing the organic acid exudation role in plant’s responses to this metal. Samples of initial landrace populations (F0), F3 and haplodiploid lines (DH) were evaluated using standard tests: eriochrome cyanine R staining, root elongation and callose accumulation in roots. Root exudates were obtained to determine if the accumulation of malic and citric acids in hydroponic medium was a response to Al exposure. Additionally, the presence of ALMT1 gene was determined using five microsatellite markers. Standard tests confirmed that ISOP 76 was Al tolerant and ISOP 239, Al susceptible. ISOP 76, in the presence of 100 μM Al, exuded substantially more malic acid (12.87 to 43.33 mg/L), than ISOP 239 (3.65 to 7.72 mg/L). The levels of both organic acid exudation were substantially lower in ISOP 239 than in the ISOP 76. In the presence of 200 μM Al, ISOP 76 F0 shows a higher root elongation ratio (better tolerates Al), but the DH line was the one that exuded higher content of malic acid. Different gene alleles and promoters were detected in both landraces. Molecular differences could explain the observed dissimilarity in organic acid exudation response to Al stress.The authors are grateful to the Madeiran farmers providing samples of wheat landraces, and to all staff of CGR ISOPlexis Gene bank and of the Department of Biological Sciences of Alberta University for support and access to laboratory facilities. This work got the funding support from the programs INTERREG III-B, contract 05/MAC/4.1/C15 and Madeira PO 14-20, contract CASBio, refª. M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000011.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cereal landraces genetic resources in worldwide GeneBanks. A review

Since the dawn of agriculture, cereal landraces have been the staples for food production worldwide, but their use dramatically declined in the 2nd half of the last century, replaced by modern cultivars. In most parts of the world, landraces are one of the most threatened components of agrobiodiversity, facing the risk of genetic erosion and extinction. Since landraces have a tremendous potential in the development of new cultivars adapted to changing environmental conditions, GeneBanks holding their genetic resources potentially play an important role in supporting sustainable agriculture. This work reviews the current knowledge on cereal landraces maintained in GeneBanks and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of existing information about their taxonomy, origin, structure, threats, sampling methodologies and conservation and GeneBanks’ documentation and management. An overview of major collections of cereal landraces is presented, using the information available in global metadatabase systems. This review on winter cereal landrace conservation focuses on: (1) traditional role of GeneBanks is evolving beyond their original purpose to conserve plant materials for breeding programmes. Today’s GeneBank users are interested in landraces’ history, agro-ecology and traditional knowledge associated with their use, in addition to germplasm traits. (2) GeneBanks therefore need to actively share their germplasm collections’ information using different channels, to promote unlimited and effective use of these materials for the further development of sustainable agriculture. (3) Access to information on the 7.4 million accessions conserved in GeneBanks worldwide, of which cereal accessions account for nearly 45 %, particularly information on cereal landraces (24 % of wheat, 23 % of barley, 14 % of oats and 29 % of rye accessions), is often not easily available to potential users, mainly due to the lack of consistent or compatible documentation systems, their structure and registration. (4) Enhancing the sustainable use of landraces maintained in germplasm collections through the effective application of recent advances in landrace knowledge (origin, structure and traits) and documentation using the internet tools and data providing networks, including the use of molecular and biotechnological tools for the material screening and detection of agronomic traits. (5) Cereal landraces cannot be exclusively conserved as seed samples maintained under ex situ conditions in GeneBanks. The enormous contribution of farmers in maintaining the crop and landraces diversity is recognised. Sharing of benefits and raising awareness of the value of cereal landraces are the most effective ways to promote their conservation and to ensure their continued availability and sustainable use. (6) Evaluation of costs and economic benefits attributed to sustainable use of cereal landraces conserved in the GeneBanks requires comprehensive studies conducted on a case-by-case basis, that take into consideration species/crop resources, conservation conditions and quality and GeneBank location and functions.This work was support by the European Community, through the INTERREG IIIB and MAC programmes, research projects Germobanco Agrícola da Macaronesia and AGRICOMAC. This paper was edited by Olga Spellman (Bioversity International)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Phenotyping the ideotypes of two maize landraces from Madeira archipelago using morpho-agronomic traits and zein pattern

Madeira Archipelago holds specific maize genetic resources whose populations, representing field diversity, were previously classified into four main landrace groups. The ISOPs 0061 and 0070, with common names of “Milho Sequeiro” and “Milho Branco” yellow and white maize, respectively, represent the ideotypes of two of these landraces. These ideotypes have now been analyzed using morpho-agronomic and biochemical traits, to phenotype these landraces. The variation of nine of the ten morpho-agronomic traits was used to separate the landraces ideotypes. However, the seven traits of seed biochemical composition did not allow to segregate the landraces ideotypes. This is not the case of zein pattern, which polymorphism shows to be specific for each ideotype. The original ideotypes populations were regenerated twice under low input conditions. Zein patterns of the original and regenerated accessions were compared, using two electrophoresis techniques. The lab-on-a-chip electrophoresis showed that the standard SDS-PAGE zein pattern with six fractions could be separated into eighteen (ISOP 0061) and twenty (ISOP 0070) protein bands. In contrast, no significant changes were detected in the zein pattern structure of the initial and regenerated accessions of both landraces ideotypes. The chip electrophoresis showed to be a suitable technique to screen and characterize a large number of individuals and accessions of the germplasm collections, due to its reproducibility. In particular, the zein patterns can be used to phenotype ideotypes and establish a formula representing their structure, allowing to detect changes in landrace structure, occurring as a result of gene bank management actions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genetic variability of high molecular weight glutenin subunits in bread wheat from continental Portugal, Madeira and Canary Islands

The genetic variability of high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMWGS) composition at the Glu-1 loci in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was studied electrophoretically using the SDS–PAGE in 3,470 individuals representing 159 populations originated from the Canary Islands (Spain), the Archipelago of Madeira (Portugal) and the continental Portugal. A total of 25 alleles were detected, resulting in 69 different allele combinations. The geographical distribution of the high molecular weight glutenin alleles confirms historical data regarding circulation of wheat germplasm between the Iberian Peninsula and Madeira and between Madeira and the Canary Islands and vice versa.This research was supported by the European Community through the project AGRICOMAC and GERMOBANCO INTERREG III-B. We thank to Bank of Germplasm INIA (CRF, Alcala´ de Henares, Spain), to Maria Teresa Carvalho e Vasconcelos from Instituto Superior de Agronomia (Lisbon) and the National Small Grain Collection (Aberdeen, USA) for supplying the wheat accessions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identification of aluminum resistant genotypes among Madeiran regional wheats

Forty-eight genotypes representing wheat diversity from the Island of Madeira were screened for resistance to aluminum (Al) in nutrient solution. Seeds of wheat used in the experiments were obtained from local farmers. The soil pH and content of ionic Al of plots cultivated with wheat were analyzed. The pH of topsoils varied between 3.83 and 6.59. The amount of ionic Al in soil samples varied between 0.38 and 1.36 cmol Al3 + per kg of soil and was positively correlated with the altitude of a plot. Eriochrome cyanine staining was used to evaluate the effect of Al ions on the root elongation. Seventy-two hour exposure of 3-day-old seedlings to 100 and 200 mM Al in nutrient solution revealed a high number of Al resistant genotypes among wheat germplasm. After withdrawal of Al stress, survival and root regrowth was observed in 28 and 23 genotypes screened at 100 and 200 mM Al in nutrient solution, respectively. Enhanced resistance to Al among Madeiran genotypes was associated with the amount of ionic Al in the soils. Complexity and various patterns of responses of tested cultivars to Al stress may suggest that Madeiran germplasm could be a valuable source of genes controlling Al resistance for conventional breeding programs and for studies of molecular bases of mechanisms of Al resistance.Portuguese Foundation for the Science and Technology (FCT, Fundac¸o para a Cieˆncia e Tecnologia) has sponsored this work, through the Centre of Biological and Geological Sciences (C.C.B.G.) and the project POCTI/no. 33005/AGR/1999. The authors are also grateful to the Madeiran Centre of Science and Technology (CITMA) for financial support. Acknowledgements are due to Mr. Roge´rio Correia and Juan Silva for the technical assistance in conducting the laboratory and fieldwork and to Dr. Andrzej Aniol for valuable advice during preparation of this manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the maize (Zea mays L.) diversity on the Archipelago of Madeira

The variability of 43 open-pollinated populations of maize (Zea mays L.), representing a wide range of ecological conditions on the Archipelago of Madeira, was evaluated based on the morphological and reproductive traits. Individual data of 41 traits related to earliness, plant and tassel structure and the shape of the ear and grain were analysed using multivariate analysis. The populations belonging to two major maize varieties were grouped into four groups by their degree of dissimilarity, based on discriminant analysis. The dissimilarity of these groups was confirmed by the values of the Tukey test. The racial rank of these groups was proposed and a brief description of the maize landraces was presented. This work represents the first morphological characterization and analysis of diversity of maize germplasm for the Archipelago of Madeira where the traditional agricultural practices are still keeping this Portuguese region free from corn hybrids. The description of the Madeiran corn landraces allows us to preserve the existing corn biodiversity and could be used for their registration as conservation landraces or for conservation and breeding proposes worldwide.Portuguese Foundation for the Science and Technology (FCT, Fundac¸a˜o para a Cieˆncia e Tecnologia) has sponsored this work, through the Centre of Macaronesian Studies (CEM) and the project POCTI no35003/AGR/2001. The Authors are grateful to the Madeiran farmers who assisted with collection of maize samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Self-assembled polymeric nanoparticles as new, smart contrast agents for cancer early detection using magnetic resonance imaging

Early cancer detection is a major factor in the reduction of mortality and cancer management cost. Here we developed a smart and targeted micelle-based contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), able to turn on its imaging capability in the presence of acidic cancer tissues. This smart contrast agent consists of pH-sensitive polymeric micelles formed by self-assembly of a diblock copolymer (poly(ethyleneglycol-b-trimethylsilyl methacrylate)), loaded with a gadolinium hydrophobic complex ((t)BuBipyGd) and exploits the acidic pH in cancer tissues. In vitro MRI experiments showed that (t)BuBipyGd-loaded micelles were pH-sensitive, as they turned on their imaging capability only in an acidic microenvironment. The micelle-targeting ability toward cancer cells was enhanced by conjugation with an antibody against the MUC1 protein. The ability of our antibody-decorated micelles to be switched on in acidic microenvironments and to target cancer cells expressing specific antigens, together with its high Gd(III) content and its small size (35-40 nm) reveals their potential use for early cancer detection by MRI