Advances in Wine Aging Technologies for Enhancing Wine Quality and Accelerating Wine Aging Process

Wine aging is an important process to produce high-quality wines. Traditionally, wines are aged in oak barrel aging systems. However, due to the disadvantages of the traditional aging technology, such as lengthy time needed, high cost, etc., innovative aging technologies have been developed. These technologies involve aging wines using wood fragments, application of micro-oxygenation, aging on lees, or application of some physical methods. Moreover, wine bottling can be regarded as the second phase of wine aging and is essential for most wines. Each technology can benefit the aging process from different aspects. Traditional oak barrel aging technology is the oldest and widely accepted technology. The application of wood fragments and physical methods are promising in accelerating aging process artificially, while application of micro-oxygenation and lees is reliable to improve wine quality. This paper reviews recent developments of the wine aging technologies. The impacts of operational parameters of each technology on wine quality during aging are analyzed, and comparisons among these aging technologies are made. In addition, several strategies to produce high-quality wines in a short aging period are also proposed.     

Pep19 Has a Positive Effect on Insulin Sensitivity and Ameliorates Both Hepatic and Adipose Tissue Phenotype of Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Peptide DIIADDEPLT (Pep19) has been previously suggested to improve metabolic parameters, without adverse central nervous system effects, in a murine model of diet-induced obesity. Here, we aimed to further evaluate whether Pep19 oral administration has anti-obesogenic effects, in a well-established high-fat diet-induced obesity model. Male Swiss mice, fed either a standard diet (SD) or high-fat diet (HFD), were orally administrated for 30 consecutive days, once a day, with saline vehicle or Pep19 (1 mg/kg). Next, several metabolic, morphological, and behavioral parameters were evaluated. Oral administration of Pep19 attenuated HFD body-weight gain, reduced in approximately 40% the absolute mass of the endocrine pancreas, and improved the relationship between circulating insulin and peripheral insulin sensitivity. Pep19 treatment of HFD-fed mice attenuated liver inflammation, hepatic fat distribution and accumulation, and lowered plasma alanine aminotransferase activity. The inguinal fat depot from the SD group treated with Pep19 showed multilocular brown-fat-like cells and increased mRNA expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), suggesting browning on inguinal white adipose cells. Morphological analysis of brown adipose tissue (BAT) from HFD mice showed the presence of larger white-like unilocular cells, compared to BAT from SD, Pep19-treated SD or HFD mice. Pep19 treatment produced no alterations in mice behavior. Oral administration of Pep19 ameliorates some metabolic traits altered by diet-induced obesity in a Swiss mice model.     

The mitochondrial genome from the thermal dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

We present here the sequence of the mitochondrial DNA of the pathogenic thermodimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, agent of an endemic disease in most South American countries. The sequenced genome has 71 334 bp and is organized as a circular molecule with two gaps of unknown size flanking the middle exon of the nad5 gene. We located genes coding for the three subunits of the ATP synthase (atp6, atp8 and atp9), the apocytochrome b (cob), three subunits of the cytochrome c oxidase enzyme complex (cox1, cox2 and cox3), seven subunits of the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide ubiquinone oxidoreductase (nad1, nad2, nad3, nad4, nad5, nad6 and nad4L) and the large (rnl) and small (rns) subunits of ribosomal RNA. Two maturases and a ribosomal protein (rms5) are located inside introns. Twenty-five tRNAs were identified with acceptors for all 20 amino acids. Seven polypurine/polypyrimidine tracts (140-240 bp) have been found in this genome. All genes are in the same orientation over the genome, while their order is closest to the mitochondrial genomes from Penicillium marneffei and Aspergillus nidulans.     

Application of Fast Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry in Combination with the QuEChERS Method for the Determination of Pesticide Residues in Fruits and Vegetables

A fast gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method has been developed for multiresidue determination of up to 56 pesticides in fruits and vegetables in a chromatographic run time of <10 min, using a single quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in selected ion monitoring mode. The well-known acetate-buffering version of the QuEChERS method has been used for sample preparation. Programmable temperature vaporizer injection of 3 μL allowed reaching limits of detection between 0.15 and 15 μg/kg for most compounds in the sample matrices tested. The applicability of the method has been evaluated in apple, orange, carrot, and tomato. Recoveries at three fortification levels (0.01, 0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg) ranged from 70 to 120 % for most compounds, with relative standard deviations below 20 % in all cases. The developed method has been applied to fruit and vegetable samples from different Spanish provinces.     

High prevalence of antimicrobial‐resistant Escherichia coli from animals at slaughter: a food safety risk

BACKGROUND: There has been concern about the increase of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and protection of animal and public health, along with food safety. In the present study, we evaluate the incidence of antimicrobial resistance among 192 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from faecal samples of healthy food‐producing animals at slaughter in Portugal. RESULTS: Ninety‐seven % of the pig isolates, 74% from sheep and 55% from cattle were resistant to one or more antimicrobial agents, with the resistances to ampicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole the most common phenotype detected. Genes encoding resistance to antimicrobial agents were detected in most of the resistant isolates. Ninety‐three % of the resistant isolates were included in the A or B1 phylogenetic groups, and the virulence gene fimA (alone or in association with papC or aer genes) was detected in 137 of the resistant isolates. Five isolates from pigs belonging to phylogroup B2 and D were resistant to five different antimicrobial agents. CONCLUSION: Our data shows a high percentage of antibiotic resistance in E. coli isolates from food animals, and raises important questions in the potential impact of antibiotic use in animals and the possible transmission of resistant bacteria to humans through the food chain. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Testing of carbon supported Pd-Pt electrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation in direct methanol fuel cells

In the present work, a detailed characterization of the electrochemical behavior of carbon supported Pd-Pt electrocatalysts toward CO and methanol electrooxidation in direct methanol fuel cells is reported. Technical electrodes containing an ionomer in their catalyst layer were prepared for this purpose. CO and methanol electrooxidation reactions were used as test reactions to compare the electrocatalytic behavior of bimetallic supported nanoparticles in acidic liquid electrolyte and in solid polymer electrolyte (real fuel cell operating conditions). Experimental results in both environments are consistent and show that the electrochemical behavior of carbon supported Pd-Pt depends on their composition, giving the best performance in direct methanol single fuel cell with a Pd:Pt atomic ratio of 25:75 in the catalyst.     

Quantification of Se-Methylselenocysteine and Its γ-Glutamyl Derivative from Naturally Se-Enriched Green Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris vulgaris) After HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS and Orbitrap MS n -Based Identification

Orthogonal liquid chromatographic (ion exchange, reversed phase, and ion pairing) and mass spectrometric [electrospray ionization (ESI)-TOF-MS, ESI-Orbitrap MS, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)] methods were addressed to identify and quantify selenium species from a naturally Se-enriched green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris vulgaris) sample after proteolytic digestion. While selenomethionine (10.1 mg/kg as Se) and selenate (9.5 mg/kg as Se) could be quantified in a straightforward way by anion exchange LC-ICP-MS technique, a multistep purification protocol was required to identify Se-methylselenocysteine and γ-glutamyl-Se-methylselenocysteine in an unambiguous way prior to quantification by using either in-source fragmentation (LC-ESI-TOF-MS) or collision-induced dissociation (LC-ESI-Orbitrap MS). Finally, Se-methylselenocysteine (2.6 mg/kg as Se) and γ-glutamyl-Se-methylselenocysteine (1.2 mg/kg as Se) could contribute to the overall selenium recovery of 72 %. This sample is the first of the Faboideae subfamily and Phaseolus ssp. to be speciated to such an extent for selenium including γ-glutamyl-Se-methylselenocysteine, a highly potential selenium species, which makes this bean material an ideal candidate for functional food purposes.     

Improving the functional properties of soy glycinin by enzymatic treatment. Adsorption and foaming characteristics

In this contribution we have determined the effect of limited enzymatic hydrolysis on the interfacial (dynamics of adsorption and surface dilatational properties) and foaming (foam formation and stabilization) characteristics of a soy globulin (glycinin, fraction 11S). The degree of hydrolysis (DH=0%, 2%, and 6%), the pH of the aqueous solution (pH=5 and 7), and the protein concentration in solution (at 0.1, 0.5 and 1 wt%) were the variables studied. The temperature and the ionic strength were maintained constant at 20 °C and 0.05 M, respectively. The rate of adsorption and surface dilatational properties (surface dilatational modulus, E, and loss angle) of glycinin at the air–water interface depend on the pH and DH. The adsorption decreased drastically at pH 5.0, close to the isoelectric point of glycinin, because of the existence of a lag period and a low rate of diffusion. The interfacial characteristics of glycinin are much improved by enzymatic treatment, especially in the case of acidic aqueous solutions. Hydrolysates with a low DH have improved functional properties (mainly foaming capacity and foam stability), especially at pH close to the isoelectric point (pI), because the native protein is more difficult to convert into a film at fluid interfaces at pH≈pI. The foam capacity depends on the rate of diffusion of protein to the interface and is much improved by the enzymatic treatment. Foam stability correlates with surface pressure and, to a minor extent, with surface dilatational modulus at long-term adsorption with few exceptions.