Modified atmosphere packaging and dark/light refrigerated storage in green leafy vegetables have impact on nutritional value

The consumption of zeaxanthin (Z) through a vegetable-rich diet is recommended to reduce the progression of age-related macular degeneration. Due to Z’s intrinsic dynamic character that results from its participation in the photoprotective xanthophyll cycle involving the carotenoids violaxanthin, antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin (VAZ), post-harvest handling practices and storage usually retain low amounts of this bioactive compound (compared to the rest of phytochemicals that are, in general, more stable). Thus, the aim of this work was to investigate in important consumed leafy vegetables the effects of different storage conditions on carotenoids (mainly Z) including i) packaging under three modified atmospheres (MAs), ii) light refrigerated supermarket storage and iii) dark refrigerated domestic storage. The results showed that an MA with low O2 and high CO2 enhanced the Z content under light. Moreover, both light and dark refrigerated storage showed dynamic and circadian pigment changes that enhanced the total VAZ pool. These results can contribute to generating practical recommendations for industries, supermarkets, and consumers when high Z content is a nutritional target.RE received a Juan de la Cierva-incorporación grant IJCI-2014-21452. JB is a holder of a PhD fellowship from the Public University of Navarre. This research was supported by research BFU 2010-15021 and CTM2014- 53902-C2-2-P from the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain and the ERDF (FEDER) and research project UPV/EHU IT-1018-16. Technical and human support by Eroski supermarkets and “Fundación Tecnova” is gratefully acknowledged

Diversity of winter photoinhibitory responses: a case study in co-occurring lichens, mosses, herbs and woody plants from subalpine environments

Winter evergreens living in mountainous areas have to withstand a harsh combination of high light levels and low temperatures in wintertime. In response, evergreens can activate a photoprotective process that consists of the downregulation of photosynthetic efficiency, referred to as winter photoinhibition (WPI). WPI has been studied mainly in woody evergreens and crops even when, in many instances, other functional groups such as lichens or bryophytes dominate in alpine and boreal habitats. Thus, we aimed to (1) assess the occurrence of WPI within overwintering evergreens comprising woody species, herbs, mosses and lichens, (2) compare the recovery kinetics among those groups and (3) clarify the role of thylakoid proteins and pigments in both processes: WPI and recovery. With this aim, WPI was analyzed in 50 species in the field and recovery kineticcs were studied in one model species from each functional group. Results showed that high levels of WPI are much more frequent among woody plants than in any other group, but are also present in some herbs, lichens and mosses. Winter conditions almost always led to the de‐epoxidation of the xanthophyll cycle. Nevertheless, changes in the de‐epoxidation level were not associated with the activation/deactivation of WPI in the field and did not match changes in photochemical efficiency during recovery treatments. Seasonal changes in thylakoid proteins [mainly D1 (photosystem II core complex protein) and PsbS (essential protein for thermal dissipation)] were dependent on the functional group. The results highlight the diversity of physiological solutions and suggest a physical–mechanical reason for the more conservative strategy of woody species compared with other groups.Marie Curie IEF grant (328370 MELISSA) from the Euro- pean FP7-PEOPLE and a ‘Juan de la Cierva Incorporación’ grant (IJCI-2014-22489) from the Spanish Ministry of Econ- omy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the European Regional Development Fund ERDF (FEDER). The work was also supported by the project BFU 2010 – 15021 and CTM2014-53902-C2-2-P from the MINECO and the ERDF (FEDER), and by the Basque Government (UPV/EHU-GV IT-624–13 and UPV/EHU-GV IT-1018-16

Effectiveness And Ecotoxicity Of Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles During Rhizoremediation Of Soil Contaminated With Zn, Cu, Cd And Diesel

The remediation of soils simultaneously contaminated with organic and inorganic compounds is still a challenging task. The application of metallic nanoparticles, such as zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI), for soil remediation is highly promising, but their effectiveness and potential ecotoxicity must be further investigated. In addition, the performance of nZVI when combined with other remediation strategies is a topic of great interest. Here, we present data on soil chemical (pseudo-total and CaCl2-extractable metal concentrations; petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations) and biological properties (microbial properties and phytotoxicity) after the application of nZVI to soil simultaneously contaminated with Zn, Cu, Cd and diesel, in the absence and presence of other remediation treatments such as the application of an organic amendment and the growth of Brassica napus plants. Soils were artificially contaminated with the abovementioned contaminants. Then, after an aging period of one month, nZVI were applied to the soil and, subsequently, B. napus seeds were sown. Plants were left to grow for one month. Soil samples were collected immediately after artificially contaminating the soil (T1), at sowing (T2) and at harvesting (T3). Overall, the application of nZVI had no effect on contaminant removal, nor on soil microbial parameters. In contrast, it did cause an indirect toxic effect on plant root elongation due to the interaction of nZVI with soil organic matter. These data are useful for researchers and companies interested in the effectiveness and ecotoxicity of zero-valent iron nanoparticles during the remediation of soil contaminated with metals and hydrocarbons, especially when combined with Gentle Remediation Options

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles and organic amendment assisted rhizoremediation of mixed contaminated soil using Brassica napus

Soil is one of our most important natural resources. Regrettably, the expansion of human activities has resulted in the degradation of the soil resource due to contamination with a myriad of organic and inorganic compounds. The remediation of mixed contaminated soils, i.e. soils contaminated with both organic compounds and metals, is challenging as it requires actions to simultaneously decrease metal-induced risks and organic contaminant concentrations. Here, we evaluated the effect of the addition of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nanoremediation) and organic amendments (biostimulation) on the rhizoremediation, using Brassica napus plants, of soil simultaneously contaminated with zinc (2500 mg kg(-1)) and lindane (100 mg kg(-1)). We used a factorial design with three factors (amendment, nZVI, plant) to evaluate the impact of the applied remediation actions on lindane and extractable Zn concentrations, as well as on soil health recovery as manifested by the values of different soil microbial indicators. The studied microbial indicators were not negatively affected by nZVI application. The application of nZVI was the most effective factor regarding the targeted reduction in lindane concentration (51% average reduction in nZVI treated soils). The highest reduction in extractable Zn was achieved in the presence of B. napus, nZVI and organic amendments (99 and 95% reduction in horse manure-amended and sewage sludge-amended soils, respectively). The combination of the three factors led to the highest values of soil microbial indicators (although a significant triple interaction was not observed for all parameters), especially when combined with horse manure amendment: in this case, prokaryotic richness increased by 64%, respiration by 376%, eukaryotic abundance by 333%, and prokaryotic abundance by 437%, compared to untreated soils. The combination of remediation approaches (rhizoremediation with B. napus, nanoremediation with nZVI, biostimulation with organic amendments) can help overcome the limitations of each individual strategy.This work was supported by the European Union through Interreg SUDOE Program (Project Phy2SUDOE SOE4/P5/E1021), the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness through NANORRIZORREM-2 (AGL2016-76592-R) and PRADA projects (PID2019-110055RB-C21 and PID2019-110055RB-789 C22), MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE, and Consolidated Research Group of the Basque Government (GV ITO18-16). JH is the recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. We sincerely thank Dr. Fernando Blanco for technical assistance

Recent Trends in Sustainable Remediation of Pb-Contaminated Shooting Range Soils: Rethinking Waste Management within a Circular Economy

Soil metal contamination in recreational shooting ranges represents a widespread environmental problem. Lead (Pb) is the primary component of traditional ammunition, followed by metalloids such as antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As). Lead-based bullets and pellets deposited on the soil surface are subject to steady weathering; hence, metal(loid)s are released and accumulated in the underlying soil, with potential adverse consequences for ecosystem function and human health. Amongst the currently available environmentally-safe technologies for the remediation of metal-contaminated soils, chemical immobilization is recognized as the most practical and cost-effective one. This technology often uses inorganic and organic amendments to reduce metal mobility, bioavailability and toxicity (environmental benefits). Likewise, amendments may also promote and speed up the re-establishment of vegetation on metal-affected soils, thus facilitating the conversion of abandoned shooting ranges into public green spaces (social benefit). In line with this, the circular economy paradigm calls for a more sustainable waste management, for instance, by recycling and reusing by-products and wastes in an attempt to reduce the demand for raw materials (economic benefit). The objective of this manuscript is to present a state-of-the-art review of the different industrial and agro-food by-products and wastes used for the remediation of metal-contaminated shooting range soils.This work was financially supported by PRADA project (PID2019-110055RB-C21 and PID2019-110055RB-C22) from MINECO, Phy2SUDOE project (SOE4/P5/E1021) funded by the Interreg Sudoe Programme through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Consolidated Research Group of the Basque Government (GV ITO18-16) and, finally, OTRI project 2020.0670

Side-Effects of Domestication: Cultivated Legume Seeds Contain Similar Tocopherols and Fatty Acids but Less Carotenoids than Their Wild Counterparts

BACKGROUND: Lipophilic antioxidants play dual key roles in edible seeds (i) as preservatives of cell integrity and seed viability by preventing the oxidation of fats, and (ii) as essential nutrients for human and animal life stock. It has been well documented that plant domestication and post-domestication evolution frequently resulted in increased seed size and palatability, and reduced seed dormancy. Nevertheless, and surprisingly, it is poorly understood how agricultural selection and cultivation affected the physiological fitness and the nutritional quality of seeds. Fabaceae have the greatest number of crop species of all plant families, and most of them are cultivated for their highly nutritious edible seeds. Here, we evaluate whether evolution of plants under cultivation has altered the integrated system formed by membranes (fatty acids) and lipophilic antioxidants (carotenoids and tocopherols), in the ten most economically important grain legumes and their closest wild relatives, i.e.: Arachis (peanut), Cicer (chickpea), Glycine (soybean), Lathyrus(vetch), Lens (lentil), Lupinus (lupin), Phaseolus (bean), Pisum (pea), Vicia (faba bean) and Vigna (cowpea). RESULTS: Unexpectedly, we found that following domestication, the contents of carotenoids, including lutein and zeaxanthin, decreased in all ten species (total carotenoid content decreased 48% in average). Furthermore, the composition of carotenoids changed, whereby some carotenoids were lost in most of the crops. An undirected change in the contents of tocopherols and fatty acids was found, with contents increasing in some species and decreasing in others, independently of the changes in carotenoids. In some species, polyunsaturated fatty acids (linolenic acid especially), alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol decreased following domestication. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in carotenoids, tocopherols and fatty acids are likely side-effects of the selection for other desired traits such as the loss of seed dormancy and dispersal mechanisms, and selection for seed storability and taste. This work may serve as baseline to broaden our knowledge on the integrated changes on crop fitness and nutritional quality following domestication.BFM received two postdoctoral fellowships from the Research Vice-Rectorate of the UPV/EHU and a Marie Curie IEF grant (328370 MELISSA) from the European FP7-PEOPLE. This work was also funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science [BFU 2010–15021], the Basque Government [UPV/EHU-GV IT-299-07], the Madrid Regional Government (grant REMEDINAL-2) and the MINECO-Spain (grants AGL2010-10935-E, CGL2011-28778, FPI fellowship to NMR)

Carotenoids and their derivatives: A “Swiss Army knife-like” multifunctional tool for fine-tuning plant-environment interactions

Plants have to cope with different biotic and abiotic stresses, such as the attacks of pathogens and herbivores, high irradiance, droughts, salt stress or nutrient deficiencies throughout their lifetime. These environmental perturbations lead to the regulation of the “primary” and “secondary” carotenoid network. The formers are produced and stored in plastids and they are necessary for photosynthesis and related functions. Otherwise, secondary carotenoids are derivatives of primary carotenoids. They perform other important functions not related to the photosynthetic process but essential for plant survival as regulators of growth and development or as signal molecules at all levels of plant organization. This review provides a complete revision of the status of all these carotenoids, highlighting their newly discovered functions involved in plant-environment interaction. Concurrently, this review covers recent information on how carotenoids perform critical functions for the survival of animals (including humans) and the way they are suitable diagnostic tools for assessing the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.This work was supported in part by the grant UPV/EHU-GV IT-1648–22 (from the Basque Government, Spain), Phy2SUDOE SOE4/P5/E1021 project supported by the European Union through Interreg SUDOE Program and the projects PID2020–113244GA-C22 (funded by MCIN/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033), PID2019–110055RB-C22 (funded by MCIN/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033), PGC2018–093824-B-C44 (funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”). Open Access funding was provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Elsevier

Seed Carotenoid and Tocochromanol Composition of Wild Fabaceae Species Is Shaped by Phylogeny and Ecological Factors

Carotenoids distribution and function in seeds have been very scarcely studied, notwithstanding their pivotal roles in plants that include photosynthesis and phytohormone synthesis, pigmentation, membrane stabilization and antioxidant activity. Their relationship with tocochromanols, whose critical role in maintaining seed viability has already been evidenced, and with chlorophylls, whose retention in mature seed is thought to have negative effects on storability, remain also unexplored. Here, we aimed at elucidating seed carotenoids relationship with tocochromanols and chlorophylls with regard to phylogenetic and ecological traits and at understanding their changes during germination. The composition and distribution of carotenoids were investigated in seeds of a wide range of wild species across the Fabaceae (the second-most economically important family after the Poaceae). Photosynthetic pigments and tocochromanols were analyzed by HPLC in mature dry seeds of 50 species representative of 5 subfamilies within the Fabaceae (including taxa that represent all continents, biomes and life forms within the family) and at key timepoints during seedling establishment in three species representative of distinct clades. Total-carotenoids content positively correlated with tocopherols in the basal subfamilies Detarioideae, Cercidoideae, and Dialioideae, and with chlorophylls in the Papilionoideae. Papilionoideae lacked tocotrienols and had the highest total-carotenoids, chlorophyll and gamma-tocopherol contents. Interestingly, lutein epoxide was present in 72% of the species including several herbs from different subfamilies. Overall, species original from temperate biomes presented higher carotenoids and lower tocochromanols levels than those from tropical biomes. Also shrub species showed higher carotenoids content than herbs and trees. During germination, total content of photosynthetic pigments increased in parallel to changes in relative abundance of carotenoids: zeaxanthin and anteraxanthin decreased and beta-carotene augmented. Notably, the highest contents of nutritionally valuable carotenoids were found in Papilionoideae subfamily to which all pulses of socio-economic importance belong. The major differences in carotenoids and tocochromanols composition across the Fabaceae are apparently related to phylogeny in conjunction with ecological traits such as biome and growth form.This work was supported by the Basque Government [UPV/EHU-GV IT-1018-16], and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the European Research and Development Foundation (FEDER) through (i) [CTM2014-53902-C2-2-P] national grant and (ii) a "Juan de la Cierva-Incorporacion" postdoctoral grant [IJCI-2014-22489] to BF-M. BF-M, FM, and LM-F received a postdoctoral fellowship from the Research Vice Rectorate (UPV/EHU). The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, received grant-in-aid from DEFRA

Mycorrhizal-assisted phytoremediation and intercropping strategies improved the health of contaminated soil in a peri-urban area

[EN] Soils of abandoned and vacant lands in the periphery of cities are frequently subjected to illegal dumping and can undergo degradation processes such as depletion of organic matter and nutrients, reduced biodiversity, and the presence of contaminants, which may exert an intense abiotic stress on biological communities. Mycorrhizalassisted phytoremediation and intercropping strategies are highly suitable options for remediation of these sites. A two-year field experiment was conducted at a periurban site contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls, to assess the effects of plant growth (spontaneous plant species, Medicago sativa, and Populus canadensis, alone vs. intercropped) and inoculation of a commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal inoculum. Contaminant degradation, plant performance, and biodiversity, as well as a variety of microbial indicators of soil health (microbial biomass, activity, and diversity parameters) were determined. The rhizosphere bacterial and fungal microbiomes were assessed by measuring the structural diversity and composition via amplicon sequencing. Establishment of spontaneous vegetation led to greater plant and soil microbial diversity. Intercropping enhanced the activity of soil enzymes involved in nutrient cycling. The mycorrhizal treatment was a key contributor to the establishment of intercropping with poplar and alfalfa. Inoculated and poplar-alfalfa intercropped soils had a higher microbial abundance than soils colonized by spontaneous vegetation. Our study provided evidence of the potential of mycorrhizal-assisted phytoremediation and intercropping strategies to improve soil health in degraded peri-urban areas.This study was supported by the PhytoSUDOE (SOE1/P5/E0189) and Phy2SUDOE (SOE4/P5/E1021) projects funded by the Interreg Sudoe Programme through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), PRADA project (PID2019- 110055RB-C21 and PID2019-110055RB-C22) from MINECO, and the Consolidated Research Group of the Basque Government (GV ITO18-16)

Aldibereko teknika biologikoen bitartezko lurzoru kutsatuen erremediazioa

Anthropogenic activities led to the proliferation of polluted sites or potentially polluted sites around the world; including Basque Country. Technologies to remediate or clean these soils, mainly polluted by heavy metals or organic pollutants are diverse and of different nature. On the one hand, classic physicochemical remediation techniques can be found; with high yields and short application times; but, high costs and high ecological impacts. On the other hand, biological techniques could be found. These technologies are cheaper and more environmental-friendly; but, they require long application times. Among most used bioremediation technologies plant-based phytoremediation, worm based vermiremediation, and mibrobia based bioremediation (or bioaugmentation) can be found. This paper deals with the main features of these techniques and their applicability; both as single remediadion techniques or combined.; Gaur egun ugariak dira mundu mailan zein Euskal Herrian jarduera antropikoek kutsatuta dauden edo kutsatuta egon daitezkeen lurrak. Metal astun edo elementu organikoekin kutsatuta dauden lurzoru horiek erremediatzeko teknikak anitzak eta izaera ezberdinekoak dira. Alde batetik, erremediazio-teknika fisiko-kimiko klasikoak daude, errendimendu altu eta aplikazio-denbora laburrak dituztenak, baina, kontrara, kostu altu eta inpaktu ekologiko handiak dituztenak. Bestetik, teknika biologikoak daude, merkeagoak eta ingurumenarekiko adeitsuagoak, baina, aplikazio-denbora luzeak behar dituztenak. Horien artean daude landareekin gauzatzen den fitoerremediazioa, zizareekin gauzatzen den bermierremediazioa zein mikrobioekin gauzatzen den bioerremediazioa. Lan honetan, teknika horien ezaugarri nagusiak eta aplikagarritasuna jorratzen dira, bakarkako erremediazio-teknika zein teknika konbinatu gisa