Reliable identification of grapevine rootstock varieties using RAPD PCR on woody samples

Since grapevine ( Vitis spp .) rootstock material is being traded increasingly as disbudded woody material a lack of distinctive morphological features on such material necessitates an alternative and reliable means of identification. Methods described here were developed for rapid and efficient extraction of DNA from woody samples rich in phenolic compounds and polysaccharides, and for subsequent identification of varieties by RAPD PCR. Using these methods, and with the application of only one selected RAPD primer, we were able to differentiate sixteen rootstock varieties, including the seven varieties most commonly used in Germany. Problems commonly encountered with reproducibility of RAPD patterns were avoided by choosing primers with a dinucleotide sequence and a high G/C content that allowed a rather high annealing temperature of 45°C. Methods described here should also be useful for other horticultural crops, especially those with woody tissues rich in phenolic compounds and polysaccharides.     

An internet compendium of analytical methods and spectroscopic information for monomers and additives used in food packaging plastics

An internet website (http://cpf.jrc.it/smt/) has been produced as a means of dissemination of methods of analysis and supporting spectroscopic information on monomers and additives used for food contact materials (principally packaging). The site which is aimed primarily at assisting food control laboratories in the European Union contains analytical information on monomers, starting substances and additives used in the manufacture of plastics materials. A searchable index is provided giving PM and CAS numbers for each of 255 substances. For each substance a data sheet gives regulatory information, chemical structures, physico-chemical information and background information on the use of the substance in particular plastics, and the food packaging applications. For monomers and starting substances (155 compounds) the infra-red and mass spectra are provided, and for additives (100 compounds); additionally proton NMR are available for about 50% of the entries. Where analytical methods have been developed for determining these substances as residual amounts in plastics or as trace amounts in food simulants these methods are also on the website. All information is provided in portable document file (PDF) format which means that high quality copies can be readily printed, using freely available Adobe Acrobat Reader software. The website will in future be maintained and up-dated by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) as new substances are authorized for use by the European Commission (DG-ENTR formerly DGIII). Where analytical laboratories (food control or other) require reference substances these can be obtained free-ofcharge from a reference collection housed at the JRC and maintained in conjunction with this website compendium.     

Aroma characterization of various apricot varieties using headspace–solid phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and gas chromatography–olfactometry

The characterization of the aromatic profile of several apricot cultivars with molecular tracers in order to obtain objective data concerning the aromatic quality of this fruit was undertaken using headspace–solid phase microextraction (HS–SPME). Six apricot cultivars were selected according to their organoleptic characteristics: Iranien, Orangered, Goldrich, Hargrand, Rouge du Roussillon and A4025. The aromatic intensity of these varieties measured by HS–SPME–Olfactometry were defined and classified according to the presence and the intensity of grassy, fruity and apricot like notes. In the six varieties, 23 common volatile compounds were identified by HS–SPME–GC–MS. Finally, 10 compounds, ethyl acetate, hexyl acetate, limonene, β-cyclocitral, γ-decalactone, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, linalool, β-ionone, menthone and (E)-hexen-2-al were recognized by HS–SPME–GC–O as responsible of the aromatic notes involved in apricot aroma and considered as molecular tracers of apricot aromatic quality which could be utilized to discriminate apricot varieties.     

Tests of potential functional barriers for laminated multilayer food packages. Part I: Low molecular weight permeants

The advent of the functional barrier concept in food packaging has brought with it a requirement for fast tests of permeation through potential barrier materials. In such tests it would be convenient for both foodstuffs and materials below the functional barrier (sub-barrier materials) to be represented by standard simulants. By means of inverse gas chromatography, liquid paraffin spiked with appropriate permeants was considered as a potential simulant of sub-barrier materials based on polypropylene (PP) or similar polyolefins. Experiments were performed to characterize the kinetics of the permeation of low molecular weight model permeants (octene, toluene and isopropanol) from liquid paraffin, through a surrogate potential functional barrier (25 μm-thick oriented PP) into the food simulants olive oil and 3% (w/v) acetic acid. These permeation results were interpreted in terms of three permeation kinetic models regarding the solubility of a particular model permeant in the post-barrier medium (i.e. the food simulant). The results obtained justify the development and evaluation of liquid sub-barrier simulants that would allow flexible yet rigorous testing of new laminated multilayer packaging materials.     

Textural Properties of Cold-set Gels Induced from Heat-denatured Whey Protein Isolates

A 9% whey protein (WP) isolate solution at pH 7.0 was heat-denatured at 80°C for 30 min. Size-exclusion HPLC showed that native WP formed soluble aggregates after heat-treatment. Additions of CaCl2 (10–40 mM), NaCl (50–400 mM) or glucono-delta-lactone (GDL, 0.4–2.0%, w/v) or hydrolysis by a protease from Bacillus licheniformis caused gelation of the denatured solution at 45°C. Textural parameters, hardness, adhesiveness, and cohesiveness of the gels so formed changed markedly with concentration of added salts or pH by added GDL. Maximum gel hardness occurred at 200 mM NaCl or pH 4.7. Increasing CaCl2 concentration continuously increased gel hardness. Generally, GDL-induced gels were harder than salt-induced gels, and much harder than the protease-induced gel.     

Occurrence of bisphenol-F-diglycidyl ether (BFDGE) in fish canned in oil

The levels of bisphenol-F-diglycidyl ether (BFDGE) were quantified as part of a European survey on the migration of residues of epoxy resins into oil from canned fish. The contents of BFDGE in cans, lids and fish collected from all 15 Member States of the European Union and Switzerland were analysed in 382 samples. Cans and lids were separately extracted with acetonitrile. The extraction from fish was carried out with hexane followed by re-extraction with acetonitrile. The analysis was performed by reverse phase HPL C with fluorescence detection. BFDGE could be detected in 12% of the fish, 24% of the cans and 18% of the lids. Only 3% of the fish contained BFDGE in concentrations considerably above 1mg/kg. In addition to the presented data, a comparison was made with the levels of BADGE (bisphenol-A-diglycidyl ether)analysed in the same products in the context of a previous study.     

Analysis of benzo[a]pyrene in spiked fatty foods by second derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetry after microwave-assisted treatment of samples

A simple, rapid and inexpensive method has been developed for the determination of benzo[a     

The development of reference materials for paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins in lyophilized mussel. II: Certification study

This paper describes the second part of a project undertaken to develop certified mussel reference materials for paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins. In the first part two interlaboratory studies were undertaken to investigate the performance of the analytical methodology for several PSP toxins, in particular saxitoxin and decarbamoyl-saxitoxin in lyophilized mussels, and to set criteria for the acceptance of results to be applied during the certification exercise. Fifteen laboratories participated in this certification study and were asked to measure saxitoxin and decarbamoyl-saxitoxin in rehydrated lyophilized mussel material and in a saxitoxin-enriched mussel material. The participants were allowed to use a method of their choice but with an extraction procedure to be strictly followed. The study included extra experiments to verify the detection limits for both saxitoxin and decarbamoyl-saxitoxin. Most participants (13 of 15) were able to meet all the criteria set for the certification study. Results for saxitoxin.2HCl yielded a certified mass fraction of <0.07 mg/kg in the rehydrated lyophilized mussels. Results obtained for decarbamoyl-saxitoxin.2HCl yielded a certified mass fraction of 1.59+/-0.20 mg/kg. The results for saxitoxin.2HCl in enriched blank mussel yielded a certified mass fraction of 0.48 +/- 0.06 mg/kg. These certified reference materials for paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins in lyophilized mussel material are the first available for laboratories to test their method for accuracy and performance.     

Contribution of European research to risk analysis

The European Commission's, Quality of Life Research Programme, Key Action 1—Health, Food & Nutrition is mission-oriented and aims, amongst other things, at providing a healthy, safe and high-quality food supply leading to reinforced consumer confidence in the safety of European food. Its objectives also include the enhancing of the competitiveness of the European food supply. Key Action 1 is currently supporting a number of different types of European collaborative projects in the area of risk analysis. The objectives of these projects range from the development and validation of prevention strategies including the reduction of consumers risks; development and validation of new modelling approaches; harmonization of risk assessment principles, methodologies, and terminology; standardization of methods and systems used for the safety evaluation of transgenic food; providing of tools for the evaluation of human viral contamination of shellfish and quality control; new methodologies for assessing the potential of unintended effects of genetically modified (genetically modified) foods; development of a risk assessment model for Cryptosporidium parvum related to the food and water industries; to the development of a communication platform for genetically modified organism, producers, retailers, regulatory authorities and consumer groups to improve safety assessment procedures, risk management strategies and risk communication; development and validation of new methods for safety testing of transgenic food; evaluation of the safety and efficacy of iron supplementation in pregnant women; evaluation of the potential cancer-preventing activity of pro- and pre-biotic ('synbiotic') combinations in human volunteers. An overview of these projects is presented here.     

Detection of adulteration of locust bean gum with guar gum by capillary electrophoresis and polarized light microscopy

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) and polarized light microscopy (PLM) were utilized in the detection of the adulteration of locust bean gum with guar gum. For CE analyses, standards of locust bean and guar gums were extracted with 30% CH₃CN, removing the residual proteins from the gum matrix. A 8.75 mM NaH₂PO₄-20.6 mM Na₂B₄O₇ buffer, pH 9, was used to separate these proteins and to identify marker proteins that were present in the guar gum. These markers did not co-migrate with components in the extracts of mechanically processed locust bean gum, and are used as indicators of adulteration. Using PLM with toluidine blue and iodine staining techniques, unadulterated locust bean gum samples were distinguished from mixed samples through the differential staining of components in locust bean versus guar and tara gums. These experiments in the use of CE and PLM provide orthogonal and complementary methods for the verification of 'true' positives and the elimination of 'false' positives.     

Announcing a new international peer-reviewed journal:Food Science and Human Wellness now accepting manuscript submission in English

<正>We are pleased to announce the launch of a new international peer-reviewed journal-Food Science and Human Wellness,ISSN 2213-4530,which is an open access journal,produced and hosted by Elsevier B.V.on behalf of Beijing Academy of Food Sciences.Food Science and Human Wellness is an international peer-reviewed English journal that provides a forum for the dissemination of the     

Chinese CTP Market

According to Printing and Printing Equipment Industries Association of China（PEIAC）＇s statistics to the plate manufucturer in China, in 2013, the actual offset plate production has reached 346 million square meters in China. Among them, the CTP production volume was 245 million square meters, up by 11% than that of last year; the total sales of the CTP plate was 239 million square meters, up by 13%.     

Preparatory Work of Print China 2015 is Going Smoothly

正Held at Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Center,Print China 2015 will cover 7exhibition halls,besides the original Hall No.3,4,5,6,7,the newly built F zone of Hall 3 will be used too.The total area will be140,000 square meters.Hall 3:Offset and large printing equipment,package printing equipment,post press     

INFOPRINT 2014 was Successfully Held in Dongguan

Sponsored by Printing and Printing Equipment Industries Association of China （PEIAC） and organized by Print China magazine, the Seventeenth Beijing International Printing Information Conference （INFOPRINT 2014） was successfully held on 11th Dec. 2014 at Dongguan Exhibition International Hotel.     

Two Bag Manufacturers in China Invested by OJI Group Officially Put into Operation

正In September 2013,OJI(Qingdao)Bag Manufacture Co.Ltd.and Wuhan South OJI Packing Co.Ltd.invested by OJI Group in China have put into operation in succession,and the opening ceremony was held on September 4th and 5th respectively.     

Qingshan Paper Intended to Increase Raised Fund RMB 1.3 Billion to Build Dissolving Wood Pulp Production Base

On April 25th, 2014, Guangdong Guanhao High -Tech Co., Ltd. held the trial production ceremony of the specialty paper and coated paper industry base project （first phase） at the base paper production plant of Donghai Island m     

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Published "Directory of Process,Technology and Equipment for Industrial Water Saving Encouraged by the State(First Edition)"(Draft)

On December 25th, 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published ＂Directory of Process Technology and Equipment for Industrial Water Saving Encouraged by the State （First Edition）＂ （Draft） on its website.     

10—THE WRINKLING BEHAVIOUR OF WOOL FABRICS: THE EFFECT OF ANNEALING AND CROSS-LINKING

An investigation is described in which various polyfunctional compounds were applied to wool in attempts to stabilize the temporary improvements in wrinkle-recovery brought about by ‘annealing’. Several reactive systems involving formaldehyde were found to produce the desired permanently improved wrinkle-recovery.     

Wiedereinbürgerung baumbrütender Wanderfalken(Falco peregrinus) in Mitteleuropa

Zusammenfassung Der Wanderfalke war als Baumbrüter mit über 1000 Brutpaaren über das europäische Tiefland von Deutschland bis Russland verbreitet. In Nord - und Ostdeutschland existierte eine ca. 500 Brutpaare starke reine Baumbrüterpopulation, in der nur ganz wenige Fels- und Gebäudebruten vorkamen und die an den Folgen chemischer Schädlingsbekämpfungsmittel in der Nahrungskette nach 1972 vollständig ausstarb wie im gesamten Baumbrütergebiet. Die Gewohnheit auf Bäumen zu nisten beruht beim Wanderfalken offensichtlich auf Prägung und Traditionsbildung. Unter dieser Voraussetzung wurde 1990 ein Wiederansiedlungsprogramm mit Prägung gezüchteter Jungvögel auf Baumbruthabitat während ihrer Auswilderung begonnen, und es wird bis zum Erreichen von 20 Baumbrutansiedlungen im deutschen Baumbrüterareal forgesetzt. Bisher wurden 201 Falken erfolgreich ausgewildert; zusätzliche 29 flogen von 3 Wildparren aus, die seit 1996 in Kiefernalthölzern angesiedelt gefunden wurden. Alle Vögel der seit 1981 neu entstandenen ostdeutschen Wanderfalkenpopulation sind durch Ringkombinationen individuell gekennzeichnet nach ihrer Herkunft aus Baum-, Fels- oder Gebäudebruten sowie aus Auswilderungen oder Wildbruten. Auch Jahrgang und Herkunftsrevier lassen sich fernoptisch bei den angesiedelten Brutpaaren ablesen. Zur Erfolgskontrolle wurde eine Überlebenstafel berechnet (Tabelle), die für das Jahr 2000 insgesamt 22 brutreife Wanderfalken aus der Auswilderung und aus den Wildbruten zusammen erwarten ließ. 9 Falken an den drei bisher gefundenen Baumbrutansiedlungen stammen alle aus dem Projekt, womit die Wirksamkeit der Prägung erwiesen ist. Weitere 11 Individuen aus dem Projekt wurden als Partner von Gebäude-und Felsbruten gefunden. Das entspricht ca. 50 % Rückkehr zur angeborenen Nistweise, aber bisher gab es keinen einzigen Wechsel von Gebäude- oder Felsbrütern zur Baumbrut. Der Austausch zwischen den Bruttypen entspricht also einer Einbahnstraße mit Sperrrichtung zur Baumbrut. Nach diesem neuen Befund kann sich eine Baumbrüterpopulation nur dort entwickeln und behaupten, wo Nistmöglichkeiten an Felsen oder Gebäuden nicht oder sehr spärlich vorhanden sind. Deshalb keine Nisthilfen an Gebäuden im Baumbrüterareal anbringen! Der erreichte Anfangserfolg ist erst dann gesichert, wenn im Baumbrüterareal mehr auf Baumbrut geprägte Wanderfalken ausfliegen als aus Gebäudebruten. Rechtzeitiger Schutz vor Artenschwund sollte in jedem Fall Vorrang vor aufwendiger und nicht immer durchführbarer Wiedereinbürgerung haben.