Electrophoretic techniques for species identification of fishery products

Summary At the present time species identification of fishery products is mainly performed by electrophoresis; in most cases isoelectric focusing (IEF) is given preference over other electrophoretic techniques. In this review the possibilities of application of IEF and other electrophoretic methods for analysis of raw, dried, salted, smoked, ripened, cooked or canned fish are discussed. It is shown that the protein patterns may be influenced by the type of muscle (light or dark), the freshness of fish or fillet, and by the conditions of frozen storage. Reference samples must often be used to obtain unequivocal results. A protein dry powder is introduced, which has been prepared from the sarcoplasmic fraction of many fish species yielding species-specific protein patterns. The powder is stable at room temperature and can be shipped without cooling.

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Elektrophoretische Methoden zur Bestimmung der Tierart in Fischereiprodukten

Zusammenfassung Zur Zeit erfolgt die Bestimmung der Tierart in Fischereiprodukten nahezu ausschließlich mit elektrophoretischen Methoden, vorzugsweise durch die isoelektrische Focussierung (IEF). In der vorliegenden Übersichtsarbeit werden die Anwendungsmöglichkeiten der IEF und anderer Elektrophoreseverfahren zur Analyse roher, getrockneter, gesalzener, geräucherter, gereifter, gegarter oder sterilisierter Fischereiprodukte diskutiert. Es wird aufgezeigt, in welchem Ausmaß die Proteinmuster durch die Art der Muskulatur (hell oder dunkel), den Frischegrad der Fische bzw. Filets und durch die Gefrierlagerbedingungen der Produkte beeinflußt werden. In vielen Fällen kann auf Referenzproben nicht verzichtet werden; es wird ein Proteinpräparat vorgestellt, das aus der sarkoplasmatischen Fraktion zahlreicher Fischarten isoliert wurde und Spezies-spezifische Proteinmuster lieferte. Das Präparat ist bei Raumtemperatur stabil und kann daher ohne Aufwand verschickt werden.

     

Synthesis and X-ray crystal structure of a bis-cyclometalated phosphorescent red-emitting iridium(III) complex

The synthesis of the bis-cyclometalated complex [{Ir(μ-Cl)(ccpz)₂}₂] (1, cppz = 1-chloro-4-(4-chlorophenyl)-phthalazine) from hydrated iridium(III) chloride and the ligand ccpz in refluxing ethoxyethanol is described. Compound 1 was characterized by spectroscopic means and the crystal structure was determined by X-ray crystallography. The absorption and emission spectra exhibit the new compound as a red-emitting phosphorescent complex.     

Die nutzung gentechnischer methoden zur produktion wertvoller proteine in mikroorganismen

The genetic make-up of living systems especially of isolated cells can be altered by a variety of methods including chemical or light-induced mutation. More modern procedures are the in vitro recombination of nucleic acids and the cell-cell fusion. The new methods are especially useful to reprogram microorganisms to produce valuable proteins or other natural products in excess quantties. In the following we will elucidate the importance of the new techniques by describing the bacterial production of glucose dehydrogenase, of the proteinase inhibitor stefin A and by outlining the methods and promisses of substractive cloning. Although the economic value of genetic engineering techniques still awaits justification, the importance of the methodology for basic biological research is well documented.     

Rheology and colloidal structure of silver nanoparticles dispersed in diethylene glycol

Rheological behavior of agglomerated silver nanoparticles (~ 40 nm) suspended in diethylene glycol over a wide range of volumetric solids concentrations (? = 0.11–4.38%) was studied. The nanoparticle suspensions generally exhibited a yield pseudoplastic behavior. Bingham plastic, Herschel–Bulkley and Casson models were used to evaluate the shear stress-shear rate dependency. Analyzing the effect of silver concentrations on the yield stress and viscosity of the suspensions followed an exponential form, revealing an increase in the degree of interparticle interactions with increasing solid concentrations. Fractal dimension (D_f) was estimated from the suspension yield stress and ? dependence, and was determined as D_f = 1.51–1.62 for the flocculated nanoparticle suspensions. This suggested that the suspension structure was probably dominated by the diffusion-limited cluster–cluster aggregation (DLCA) due mostly to the strong attractions involved in the interparticle potentials. Maximum solids concentration of the suspensions was determined to be ?_m = 11%.     

Diamondoid Phosphines – Selective Phosphorylation of Nanodiamonds[1]

The diamondoids (nanodiamonds) diamantane and triamantane were selectively converted into diorganophosphinic acid chlorides by reacting them with phosphorus trichloride under Friedel–Crafts‐like conditions. The di‐diamondoid phosphinic acid chlorides were subsequently reduced with trichlorosilane to give the hitherto unknown corresponding di‐diamondoid phosphines. These diamondoid phosphinic acid chlorides and phosphines are of great utility as starting materials in organo‐element and coordination chemistry due to their extraordinary rigidity and steric bulk.     

Presynchronization with Double-Ovsynch improves fertility at first postpartum artificial insemination in lactating dairy cows

The objective of this study was to compare circulating progesterone (P4) profiles and pregnancies per AI (P/AI) in lactating dairy cows bred by timed artificial insemination (TAI) following Ovsynch-56 after 2 different presynchronization protocols: Double-Ovsynch (DO) or Presynch-Ovsynch (PS). Our main hypothesis was that DO would increase fertility in primiparous cows, but not in multiparous cows. Within each herd (n = 3), lactating dairy cows (n = 1,687; 778 primiparous, 909 multiparous) were randomly assigned to DO [n = 837; GnRH-7d-PGF_2α-3d-GnRH-7d-Ovsynch-56 (GnRH-7d-PGF_2α-56h-GnRH-16hTAI)] or PS (n = 850; PGF_2α-14d-PGF_2α-12d-Ovsynch-56). In 1 herd, concentrations of P4 were determined at the first GnRH (GnRH1) of Ovsynch-56 and at d 11 after TAI (n = 739). In all herds, pregnancy was diagnosed by palpation per rectum at 39 d. In 1 herd, the incidence of late embryo loss was determined at 74 d, and data were available on P/AI at the subsequent second service. Presynchronization with DO reduced the percentage of animals with low P4 concentrations (<0.50 ng/mL) at GnRH1 of Ovsynch-56 (5.4 vs. 25.3%, DO vs. PS). A lesser percentage of both primiparous and multiparous cows treated with DO had low P4 concentrations at GnRH1 of Ovsynch-56 (3.3 vs. 19.7%, DO vs. PS primiparous; and 8.8 vs. 31.9%, DO vs. PS multiparous). Presynchronization with DO improved P/AI at the first postpartum service (46.3 vs. 38.2%, DO vs. PS). Statistically, a fertility improvement could be detected for primiparous cows treated with DO (52.5 vs. 42.3%, DO vs. PS, primiparous), but only a tendency could be detected in multiparous cows (40.3 vs. 34.3%, DO vs. PS, multiparous), consistent with our original hypothesis. Presynchronization treatment had no effect on the incidence of late embryo loss after first service (8.5 vs. 5.5%, DO vs. PS). A lower body condition score increased the percentage of cows with low P4 at GnRH1 of Ovsynch-56 and reduced fertility to the TAI. In addition, P4 concentration at d 11 after TAI was reduced by DO. The method of presynchronization at first service had no effect on P/AI at the subsequent second service (34.7 vs. 36.5%, DO vs. PS). Thus, presynchronization with DO induced cyclicity in most anovular cows and improved fertility compared with PS, suggesting that DO could be a useful reproductive management protocol for synchronizing first service in commercial dairy herds.