Característiques sensorials de la garnatxa negra de la DOQ Priorat

El tractament estadístic de les dades de tast dels vins de la DOQ Priorat indica els principals trets dels vins de garnatxa negra d'aquesta DOQ, i mostra les aromes afruitades i el postgust com a trets característics. Diferencia clarament els vins segons l'origen varietal i en funció de la zona de producció. També s'observa una diferència anual. Es mostra un efecte sinèrgic entre la garnatxa negra i la carinyena o samsó.El tratamiento estadístico de los datos de cata de los vinos de la DOC Priorat indica los principales rasgos de los vinos de garnacha tinta de esta DOC, mostrando los aromas frutales y el posgusto como rasgos característicos. Diferencia claramen- te los vinos según el origen varietal y en función de la zona de producción. Sin duda también se observa una diferencia anual. También se muestra un efecto sinérgico entre la garnacha tinta y la cariñena o mazuelo.The statistical processing of the wine tasting data from the DOQ Priorat reveals the main features of the Grenache Noir wines of this Qualified Designation of Origin, showing that fruity aromas and aftertaste are their characteristic features. Moreover, it clearly differentiates the wines according to their varietal origin and production area. An annual difference is also observed and a synergic effect is shown to exist between Grenache Noir and Carignan or Samsó

Aplicació de técniques de cromatografia líquida de proteïnes (fplc) a l'estudi de vins blancs.

La concentració de proteïnes dels vins blancs és de l'ordre de miligrams per litre. Aquestes proteïnes presenten en el vi càrrega elèctrica positiva degut a que tenen un punt isoelèctric superior al pH del vi. Aquesta càrrega les fa reaccionar amb les substàncies carregades negativament en el vi, especialment polifenols i alguns clarificants addicionats. Aquestes proteïnes influeixen negativament en la qualitat dels vins degut a la tendència a precipitar i produir enterboliments però confereix al vi propietats positives pel que respecta a la estabilització de l'escuma en els vins escumosos i a la influència sobre la volatilitat de les molècules responsables de la aroma dels vins blancs, augmentant llur permanència. El treball realitzat ha consistit en la posta a punt d'un mètode de separació de les proteïnes dels vins per mitjà de tècniques de cromatografia en columna a baixes pressions, coneguda com FPLC. Aquest mètode te una gran precisió i repetibilitat. Així es poden separar les proteïnes del vi en una proteïna de 60 kDa i un nombre variable en una franja de 20 a 30 kDa, que presenten diferent càrrega elèctrica. La fracció de inferior massa molecular presenta un perfil de separació segons la carrega elèctrica diferent per las cinc varietats viníferes estudiades: chardonnay, pinot noir, macabeu, xarel.lo i parellada. S'observa una disminució de la concentració de proteïna durant el procés de vinificació que afecta a totes les fraccions separades; no obstant aquesta davallada és major a les fraccions de 20 a 30 kDa de més càrrega elèctrica positiva, el que s'explica per una més gran reactivitat en front als compostos amb carrega negativa en el vi. S'ha estudiat la influència del temps de contacte amb els baixos fins de fermentació sobre les diferents fraccions de proteïnes sense observar cap variació significativa pel fraccionament estudiat. Al llarg de la maduració s'ha detectat un increment de la concentració de proteïna a la fracció de baixa massa molecular, mentre que la fracció de 60 kDa es manté en concentracions similars en el període estudiat. D'aquesta fracció de 20 a 30 kDa s'ha constatat un increment més gran de les proteïnes amb menys càrrega elèctrica. Després d'analitzar el fraccionament de la fracció de 20 a 30 kDa per bescanvi catiònic de les cinc varietats viníferes durant dos anys s'han observat perfils característics per cada varietat vinífera que permeten classificar-les en funció de les fraccions obtingudes, el que fa pensar en una possible eina per la caracterització varietal.Proteins are present in white wines in small amounts (a few milligrams per litre). These proteins have a positive electric charge because their isoelectric point is higher than the pH of the wine. This charge makes them react with the negatively-charged substances in the wine, particularly polyphenols or fining agents. These proteins have a negative effect on the wine quality due to their tendency to precipitate and produce cloudiness but they are also positive because they stabilize the foam in sparkling wines and increase the permanence of the molecules responsible for the aroma of white wines.The study consisted of establishing a method for separating proteins from wines using column chromatography techniques at low pressures known as FPLC. This method has high precision and repeatability. Thus the proteins in wine can be separated into a protein of 60 kDa and a variable number of proteins ranging from 20 to 30 kDa, which have different electrical charges. The fraction with the lowest molecular weight has a separation profile which depends on the electrical charge for the five grape varieties studied: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Parellada.The protein concentration decreases during the vinification process in all the separated fractions. However, this decrease is more pronounced in the fractions from 20 to 30 kDa which had larger positive charges because they react more to the negatively-charged compounds in the wine. The effect of the contact time between the low fermentation fines and the different protein fractions was studied but no significant variation in the fractioning studied was observed. Throughout the maturation the protein concentration was seen to increase in the low molecular weight fraction, while the concentration of the 60 kDa fraction hardly changed. In the 20 to 30 kDa fraction there was a greater increase in proteins with less electrical charge. The fractioning of the 20 to 30 kDa fraction by cationic exchange of the five grape varieties was analyzed for two years and characteristic profiles were observed for each variety which enables them to be classified according to the fractions obtained. This suggests that it may be a possible tool for characterizing varieties

Caracterització dels vins escumosos de la varietat trepat

En l?aspecte visual dels vins escumosos s?aprecia la formació d?escuma, que ha de ser blanca i compacta, amb bombolles de grandària petita. Per això han d?aparèixer cordons de bombolles que en arribar a la superfície migrin cap als costats formant una corona que cobreixi tot el disc de líquid. Per a avaluar l?escuma hi ha un aparell anomenat Mosalux, que s?ha emprat per a comparar l?escumabilitat del trepat amb vins d?altres varietats. El trepat té unes propietats escumants comparables a les millors varietats avaluades, i és un vi molt adequat per a l?elaboració d?escumosos.En el aspecto visual de los vinos espumosos se aprecia la formación de espuma, que ha de ser blanca y compacta, con burbujas pequeñas. Para eso han de aparecer cordones de burbujas que al llegar a la superficie se desplacen hacia los lados formando una corona que cubra todo el disco de líquido. Para evaluar la espuma existe un aparato llamado Mosalux, que se ha utilizado para comparar la espumabilidad del trepat con vinos de otras variedades. El trepat tiene unas propiedades espumeantes comparables a las mejores variedades evaluadas, siendo un vino muy adecuado para la elaboración de espumosos

Integrated study of Mediterranean deep canyons: Novel results and future challenges

This volume compiles a number of scientific papers resulting from a sustained multidisciplinary research effort of the deep-sea ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea. This started 20 years ago and peaked over the last few years thanks to a number of Spanish and European projects such as PROMETEO, DOS MARES, REDECO, GRACCIE, HERMES, HERMIONE and PERSEUS, amongst others. The geographic focus of most papers is on the NW Mediterranean Sea including the Western Gulf of Lion and the North Catalan margin, with a special attention to submarine canyons, in particular the Blanes and Cap de Creus canyons. This introductory article to the Progress in Oceanography special issue on "Mediterranean deep canyons" provides background information needed to better understand the individual papers forming the volume, comments previous reference papers related to the main topics here addressed, and finally highlights the existing relationships between atmospheric forcing, oceanographic processes, seafloor physiography, ecosystem response, and litter and chemical pollution. This article also aims at constituting a sort of glue, in terms of existing knowledge and concepts and novel findings, linking together the other twenty papers in the volume, also including some illustrative figures. The main driving ideas behind this special issue, particularly fitting to the study area of the NW Mediterranean Sea, could be summarized as follows: (i) the atmosphere and the deep-sea ecosystem are connected through oceanographic processes originating in the coastal area and the ocean surface, which get activated at the occasion of high-energy events leading to fast transfers of matter and energy to the deep; (ii) shelf indented submarine canyons play a pivotal role in such transfers, which involve dense water, sedimentary particles, organic matter, litter and chemical pollutants; (iii) lateral inputs (advection) from the upper continental margin contributes significantly to the formation of intermediate and deep-water masses, and the associated fluxes of matter and energy are a main driver of deep-sea ecosystems; (iv) deep-sea organisms are highly sensitive to the arrival of external inputs, starting from the lowest food web levels and propagating upwards as time passes, which also relies upon the biology, nutritional needs and life expectancy of each individual species; and (v) innovative knowledge gained through such multidisciplinary research is of the utmost significance for an improved management of deep-sea living resources, such as the highly priced red shrimp Aristeus antennatus, for which a pilot management plan largely based in the findings described here and in related articles has been recently published (BOE, 2013). The researchers involved in such challenging endeavour have learnt tremendously from the results obtained so far and from each other, but are fully aware that there are still many unsolved questions. That is why this introductory article also includes "Future challenges" both in the title and as an individual section at the end, to express that there is still a long way to go

Analysis of the Diversity Presented by Vitis vinifera L. in the Volcanic Island of La Gomera (Canary Archipelago, Spain) Using Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) as Molecular Markers

La Gomera Island is one of the areas of our planet where the phylloxera plague never arrived. To measure the genetic diversity of the vine after more than 500 years (inter- and intravarietal variability) of adaptation to this new environment, a prospection was carried out. For this purpose, 120 samples were collected and genotyped with 20 SSRs. A total of 52 unique profiles were found corresponding to 4 new varieties (Coello blanca, Barrerita negra, Malvasia periquin gomerae, Verdello gomerae), 9 individuals identical to the most widespread profile, and 39 individuals that presented variations (1 corresponding to a mutation of a new variety (Verdello gomerae de Monacal) and 38 corresponding to variations of known varieties, some of which included cases of triallelism or quadriallelism). The population of local vines in La Gomera Island is considered to be the most unique in the Canary Islands to date. It is hypothesised that the grapevine varieties Malvasia periquin gomerae and Verdello gomerae are possibly the most unique and that the Barrerita negra variety may have resulted from an interspecific crossbreeding. The Coello blanco variety (admixed) seems to have a strong Central European influence. Finally, we propose that the prime name for the Albillo forastero variety, which was arbitrarily imposed by the scientific community, be changed to the more widespread and better-known name in La Gomera Island and the Canary Archipelago, which is Forastera gomerae

Intercalative DNA binding of the marine anticancer drug variolin B

Variolin B is a rare marine alkaloid that showed promising anti-cancer activity soon after its isolation. It acts as a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, although the precise mechanism through which it exerts the cytotoxic effects is still unknown. The crystal structure of a variolin B bound to a DNA forming a pseudo-Holliday junction shows that this compound can also contribute, through intercalative binding, to either the formation or stabilization of multi-stranded DNA forms

Role of Dense Shelf Water Cascading in the Transfer of Organochlorine Compounds to Open Marine Waters

9 pages, 4 figures, 2 tablesSettling particles were collected by an array of sediment trap moorings deployed along the Cap de Creus (CCC) and Lacaze-Duthiers (LDC) submarine canyons and on the adjacent southern open slope (SOS) between October 2005 and October 2006. This array collected particles during common settling processes and particles transferred to deep waters by dense shelf water cascading (DSWC). Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), chlorobenzenes (CBzs)—pentachlorobenzene and hexachlorobenzene—and hexachlorocyclohexanes were analyzed in all samples. The results show much higher settling fluxes of these compounds during DSWC than during common sedimentation processes. The area of highest deposition was located between 1000 and 1500 m depth and extended along the canyons and outside them showing their channelling effects but also overflows of dense shelf water from these canyons. Higher fluxes were observed near the bottom (30 m above bottom; mab) than at intermediate waters (500 mab) which is consistent with the formation and sinking of dense water close to the continental shelf and main displacement through the slope by the bottom. DSWC involved the highest settling fluxes of these compounds ever described in marine continental slopes and pelagic areas, e.g., peak values of PCBs (960 ng·m–2·d–1), DDTs (2900 ng·m–2·d–1), CBzs (340 ng·m–2·d–1) and lindane (180 ng·m–2·d–1)We thank all participants and crews of R/V Garcia del Cid and R/V Universitatis for their help and dedication. We are deeply indepted to Nicole Delsaut (CEFREM) for the prepatation of the trap samples for analysis. This research was supported by the HERMES (GOCE-CT-2005-511234-1) and HERMIONE (FP7-ENV-2008-1-226354) research projects. Financial support from the GRACCIE consolider project (CSD2007-00067) is acknowledged. This work was also sponsored by research groups 2009SGR1178 and 2009SGR1305 from Generalitat de CatalunyaPeer reviewe

Commercial bottom trawling: a driver of deep seascape evolution in the Anthropocene?

EGU General Assembly 2013, 7-12 April, 2013, Vienna, AustriaThe offshore displacement of bottom trawling fleets has raised concerns over the impact of this human activity on deep-sea ecosystems and associated living resources, which are characterized by a lower resilience than shallow water correlatives. However, the effects of bottom trawling on sediment remobilization across continental margins and on the alteration of seafloor morphology still remain largely unaddressed. We present a compilation of results from studies conducted during the last decade in the La Fonera (Palamós) submarine canyon (NW Mediterranean Sea), where a bottom trawling fishing fleet is active on a daily basis at depths from 400 to 800 m. Deployments of mooring lines equipped with punctual and profiling current-meters, turbidimeters and sediment traps have documented that trawling gears passing along the canyon flanks generate daily sediment gravity flows, implying a periodic sediment removal from fishing grounds. These sediment-laden flows are able to reach the main canyon axis and progress to a minimum depth of 1200 m. Also, sediment accumulation rates in the lower canyon have increased since the industrialization of the local trawling fleet (1970s), suggesting a human-induced enhancement of along-canyon transfer of sediments from the fishing grounds to greater depths. Sedimentological and 210Pb analysis of interface sediment cores collected from the canyon flanks confirm that widespread erosion and stirring of surface sediments is notable on trawled areas when compared to control (untrawled) sites at similar depths. This chronic reworking and removal of surface sediments from trawling grounds has ultimately led to modifications of the seafloor morphology over large spatial scales, as revealed by high-resolution multibeam bathymetry and Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) data sets. Untrawled canyon flank segments are dominated by a dense network of tributary valleys that progress upslope from the main canyon axis, reaching up to five orders of bifurcation. Such complex morphology is missing in the trawled depth range and slightly below, where the sea floor becomes smoother and only the main branches of the tributary valley networks are preserved. Given the global dimension of commercial bottom trawling, our findings suggest that this human activity may have become a significant driver of sediment dynamics and seascape evolution over substantial parts of the world's upper continental slopesPeer Reviewe

First in situ observations of the deep-sea carnivorous ascidian Dicopia antirrhinum Monniot C., 1972 in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Dicopia antirrhinum C. Monniot, 1972 is a rare species of deep-sea ascidian belonging to the Family Octacnemidae, reported at depths of 1000-2500 m in European Atlantic waters. Adult individuals have never been reported before in the Mediterranean Sea, where only seven juvenile specimens were found in 1975 at 500 m water depth in the Central basin (Malta). The affinities of these specimens with D. antirrhinum were noted, but lack of some typical characters of the species in juveniles prevented a definite taxonomical identification. No other member of the Octacnemidae has ever been found in the Mediterranean. In this study we describe the sampling of an adult specimen of D. antirrhinum at around 1100 m water depth on the flank of the La Fonera (Palamós) canyon, Northwestern Mediterranean, confirming their presence in the Mediterranean Sea. We also observed 5 individuals of this species on their natural habitat with a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Our results highlight the potential occurrence of Octacnemidae, the presence of which has been largely overlooked, in several deep-sea canyon areas within the Western Mediterranean basin. These observations are important because they indicate the need for increased sampling effort with new technologies, such as ROVs, in ecologically relevant habitats such as canyons, in order to obtain a more accurate picture of deep-sea biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea

Resultats de la tècnica dels microsatèl·lits o SSR aplicada al trepat

L?objectiu d?aquest treball és fer la caracterització de la varietat trepat mitjançant la tècnica dels microsatèl·lits (SSR), i a partir del germoplasma de Bodegues Sumarroca, SL. Es tracta, doncs, de fer una exhaustiva revisió de les bases de dades ampelogràfiques, de la bibliografia i de tota la informació en línia, i comparar-la amb els resultats obtinguts a partir de l?estudi del genoma (microsatèl·lits en aquest cas).El objetivo de este trabajo es hacer la caracterización de la variedad trepat mediante la técnica de microsatélites (S. S. R.) y a partir del germoplasma de Bodegas Sumarroca, S. L. Se trata, pues, de hacer una exhaustiva revisión de las bases de datos ampelográficas, de la bibliografía y de toda la información en línea y compararla con los resultados obtenidos a partir del estudio del genoma (microsatélites en este caso)