933 research outputs found
The effect of addition of sucrose and aeration to grape must on growth and metabolic activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Supplementation of grape must with sucrose has an inhibitory effect on yeast growth, but increases the catabolic activity of yeast populations. It is best done after the initial phase of yeast growth (between days 2 and 4), simultaneously to a short period of aeration which stimulates yeast growth and rate of sugar utilisation
Yeast Life Span and its Impact on Food Fermentations
Yeasts are very important microorganisms for food production. The high fermentative capacity, mainly of the species of the genus Saccharomyces, is a key factor for their biotechnological use, particularly to produce alcoholic beverages. As viability and vitality are essential to ensure their correct performance in industry, this review addresses the main aspects related to the cellular aging of these fungi as their senescence impacts their proper functioning. Laboratory strains of S. cerevisiae have proven a very successful model for elucidating the molecular mechanisms that control life span. Those mechanisms are shared by all eukaryotic cells. S. cerevisiae has two models of aging, replicative and chronological. Replicative life span is measured by the number of daughter cells a mother can produce. This kind of aging is relevant when the yeast biomass is reused, as in the case of beer fermentations. Chronological life span is measured by the time cells are viable in the stationary phase, and this is relevant for batch fermentations when cells are most of the time in a non-dividing state, such as wine fermentations. The molecular causes and pathways regulating both types of aging are explained in this review
Nouvelles applications de la chromatographie en phase gazeuse à l'analyse des vins et au contrôle de leur qualité
La méthode décrite dans ce travail, utilisant la chromatographie en phase gazeuse pour le dosage des constituants du vin, après leur transformation en dérivés silylés,. est appelée à remplacer dans un avenir plus ou moins proche certaines méthodes chimiques actuellement en usage, d'autant plus qu'elle permet, en une seule manipulation, de doser plusieurs composés dont les dosages individuels sont plus ou moins complexes avec les méthodes classiques. Mais, les possibilités de cette nouvelle méthode dépassent le cadre de l'analyse traditionelle des vins; en effet on accède ainsi à de nouveaux dosages pour lesquels il n'existe pas actuellement de méthodes satisfaisantes; par conséquent on peut espérer ainsi résoudre de nouveaux problèmes de !'oenologie et avancer vers une connaissance plus approfondie de la composition chimtque des vins et de ses variations, en relation avec leurs caractères organoleptiques
The suitability of visual taphonomic methods for digital photographs: An experimental approach with pig carcasses in a tropical climate
In the context of increased scrutiny of the methods in forensic sciences, it is essential to ensure that the approaches used in forensic taphonomy to measure decomposition and estimate the postmortem interval are underpinned by robust evidence-based data. Digital photographs are an important source of documentation in forensic taphonomic investigations but the suitability of the current approaches for photographs, rather than real-time remains, is poorly studied which can undermine accurate forensic conclusions. The present study aimed to investigate the suitability of 2D colour digital photographs for evaluating decomposition of exposed human analogues (Sus scrofa domesticus) in a tropical savanna environment (Hawaii), using two published scoring methods; Megyesi et al., 2005 and Keough et al., 2017. It was found that there were significant differences between the real-time and photograph decomposition scores when the Megyesi et al. method was used. However, the Keough et al. method applied to photographs reflected real-time decomposition more closely and thus appears more suitable to evaluate pig decomposition from 2D photographs. The findings indicate that the type of scoring method used has a significant impact on the ability to accurately evaluate the decomposition of exposed pig carcasses from photographs. It was further identified that photographic taphonomic analysis can reach high inter-observer reproducibility. These novel findings are of significant importance for the forensic sciences as they highlight the potential for high quality photograph coverage to provide useful complementary information for the forensic taphonomic investigation. New recommendations to develop robust transparent approaches adapted to photographs in forensic taphonomy are suggested based on these findings
Mineral composition through soil-wine system of portuguese vineyards and its potential for wine traceability
The control of geographic origin is one of a highest priority issue regarding traceability and
wine authenticity. The current study aimed to examine whether elemental composition can be used
for the discrimination of wines according to geographical origin, taking into account the effects of
soil, winemaking process, and year of production. The elemental composition of soils, grapes, musts,
and wines from three DO (Designations of Origin) and for two vintage years was determined by using
the ICP-MS semi-quantitative method, followed by multivariate statistical analysis. The elemental
composition of soils varied according to geological formations, and for some elements, the variation
due to soil provenance was also observed in musts and wines. Li, Mn, Sr and rare-earth elements (REE)
allowed wine discrimination according to vineyard. Results evidenced the influence of winemaking
processes and of vintage year on the wine’s elemental composition. The mineral composition pattern
is transferred through the soil-wine system, and differences observed for soils are reflected in grape
musts and wines, but not for all elements. Results suggest that winemaking processes and vintage
year should be taken into account for the use of elemental composition as a tool for wine traceability.
Therefore, understanding the evolution of mineral pattern composition from soil to wine, and how it
is influenced by the climatic year, is indispensable for traceability purposesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Optimization of natural antioxidants extraction from pineapple peel and their stabilization by spray drying
Pineapple peel still contains an important amount of phenolic compounds and vitamins
with valuable antioxidant activity. In this way, the aim of this study was the recovery of the bioactive
compounds from pineapple peel using environmentally friendly and low-cost techniques, envisaging
their application in food products. From the solid-liquid extraction conditions tested, the one delivering
an extract with higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity was a single extraction
step with a solvent-pineapple peel ratio of 1:1 (w/w) for 25 min at ambient temperature, using
ethanol-water (80–20%) as a solvent. The resulting extract revealed a total phenolic content value of
11.10 0.01 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry extract, antioxidant activity of 91.79 1.98 mol
Trolox/g dry extract by the DPPH method, and 174.50 9.98 mol Trolox/g dry extract by the FRAP
method. The antioxidant rich extract was subjected to stabilization by the spray drying process
at 150 C of inlet air temperature using maltodextrin (5% w/w) as an encapsulating agent. The
results showed that the antioxidant capacity of the encapsulated compounds was maintained after
encapsulation. The loaded microparticles obtained, which consist of a bioactive powder, present a
great potential to be incorporated in food products or to produce bioactive packaging systemsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
New evidence of predation on humans by cookiecutter sharks in Kauai, Hawaii
The feeding patterns of species of large sharks on human corpses are well documented in the literature however, that of smaller sharks are less known. This may introduce uncertainty in the medicolegal conclusions. For that reason, accurate identification of patterns of shark predation is very relevant, specifically in areas bordered by the sea. In the case described here, an unidentified lesion was noted on the body of a victim of a scuba diving accident off the island of Kauai, in Hawaii. The aim of this study was to identify the origin of the lesion and investigate its potential to inform on the context of death and/or decomposition. The original outline of the lesion was digitally reconstructed to enable the collection of measurements which were compared with the literature and interpreted with an interdisciplinary approach. This approach permitted to determine that the macroscopic appearance and dimensions of the lesion (major axis = 3.53 cm) were consistent with a bitemark of a cookiecutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis). It was further determined that the bitemark was incomplete and that the specimen involved had a total length of about 24 cm and was likely to be a juvenile. This is the second report in the published literature of cookiecutter bitemarks on humans in the Hawaiian waters. This study brings new evidence-based insights into the interactions between cookiecutter sharks and human remains in marine environments and provides a valuable contribution to the knowledge base on the topic
Extensive unusual lesions on a large number of immersed human victims found to be from cookiecutter sharks (Isistius spp.): an examination of the Yemenia plane crash.
Accurate determination of the origin and timing of trauma is key in medicolegal investigations when the cause and manner of death are unknown. However, distinction between criminal and accidental perimortem trauma and postmortem modifications can be challenging when facing unidentified trauma. Postmortem examination of the immersed victims of the Yemenia airplane crash (Comoros, 2009) demonstrated the challenges in diagnosing extensive unusual circular lesions found on the corpses. The objective of this study was to identify the origin and timing of occurrence (peri- or postmortem) of the lesions.A retrospective multidisciplinary study using autopsy reports (n = 113) and postmortem digital photos (n = 3 579) was conducted. Of the 113 victims recovered from the crash, 62 (54.9 %) presented unusual lesions (n = 560) with a median number of 7 (IQR 3 ∼ 13) and a maximum of 27 per corpse. The majority of lesions were elliptic (58 %) and had an area smaller than 10 cm2 (82.1 %). Some lesions (6.8 %) also showed clear tooth notches on their edges. These findings identified most of the lesions as consistent with postmortem bite marks from cookiecutter sharks (Isistius spp.). It suggests that cookiecutter sharks were important agents in the degradation of the corpses and thus introduced potential cognitive bias in the research of the cause and manner of death. A novel set of evidence-based identification criteria for cookiecutter bite marks on human bodies is developed to facilitate more accurate medicolegal diagnosis of cookiecutter bites.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00414-016-1449-
Comparison of quantification methods for the condensed tannin content of extracts of Pinus pinaster bark
Bark from Pinus Pinaster is an interesting source of polyphenolic natural
compounds, that can be used successful1y as total or partial replacement of
conventional phenolic resins. These compounds, among other applications, are
used as adhesives in the wood agglomerate industry. In this kind of application
some problems remain to be solved in order to obtain a Pine extract of
commercial value. It is necessary to optimise tije extraction procedure and
select a suitable method for the quantification of the tannin content of the bark.
In order to study these problems, the tannin extraction from the Pine bark was
tested with an alkaline solution (NaOH), and with a fractionation procedure
based on a sequence of an organic (ethanol) and aqueous extraction. The
phenolic content of each extract or fraction was evaluated by the FolinCiocalteu
colorimetric assay for total phenols and two procedures using the
Stiasny reaction: the gravimetric Stiasny method and the indirect colorimetric
procedure that uses the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent to evaluate the total phenols
present in the extract solution before and after it condenses with formaldehyde.
The yield value when the alkaline extraction is used is substantially higher
than the values obtained with organic or aqueous solutions. However, the
selectivity of the process is low. In fact, it was found that the alkaline extract
Formaldehyde Condensable Phenolic Material (FCPM) content represents 9596
% of the total phenols content of the extract but this fraction is only ~ 40 %
of the total mass of extract. So, the alkaline extract is relatively poor in
phenolic material, exhibiting a large variety of non-phenolic extractives. On
the other end, ethanol provides a very rich phenolic extract, in which 96 % of
total phenols are condensable with formaldehyde, but exhibits a relatively low
extraction yield. The aqueous extract presents the lowest extraction yield with
low content either in phenolic material as in FCPM, but, as most of the phenolics had already been extracted by the previous organic extraction,
especially the low molecular weight fractions, this result was predictable
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