Fermentation Enhancement by Spices: Identification of Active Component

Manganese was identified as a factor in spices responsible for the enhancement of acid production by meat starter bacteria. Stimulatory activity of 0.1N HCI extracts of spices increased with increasing Mn concentration. Extracts of clove, cardamom, ginger, celery seed, cinnamon, and turmeric, all with high Mn contents, were strongly stimulatory. Clove had the highest Mn content and exerted the greatest stimulatory effect. Spice extracts or standard Mn⁺⁺ solutions enhanced acid production by Lactobacillus plantarum more than by Pediococcus acidilactici in a beef extract-sugar medium. Fermented sausages without spices but with added 1 × 10⁻⁵M Mn⁺⁺ and those with spices developed a similar level of acidity.     

EFFECT OF HARVESTING SEASON AND POSTHARVEST TREATMENTS ON STORAGE LIFE OF MEXICAN LIMES (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle)

Changes in susceptibility to chilling of citrus fruits vary with the low temperature applied, storage period, growing area, season, time of harvest and postharvest treatments. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of low temperatures on the quality of Mexican limes coated with wax applied through spraying or dipping, and treated with thiabendazole (TBZ) at 500 ppm and gibberellic acid (GA3) at 250 ppm. Weight loss, % of juice, degrees Brix, titratable acidity, color development and severity of chilling injury were examined weekly during storage. The results, obtained from fruit collected in two harvest periods, demonstrated that limes during the maximum production period of harvest in July, in contrast to those harvested in September, retained 90.6% of their fruit marketability. The conditions under which the best quality was obtained were the following: waxing by dipping + TBZ at 500 ppm + GA₃ at 250 ppm and 10C storage temperature with RH at 85–90%.     

Organogenesis and plant regeneration of <i>Arachis villosa</i> Benth. (Leguminosae) through leaf culture

With the aim of developing an efficient plant regeneration protocol, leaflet explants of three accessions of Arachis villosa Benth. (S2866, S2867 and L97) were cultured on basic Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with different combinations of plant growth regulators: α-naphthalenacetic acid, indole-3-butyric acid, 6-benzylaminopurine, kinetin and thidiazuron. The accession L97 was the only one able to differentiate buds through indirect organogenesis. The most suitable combination for bud regeneration was the basic medium added with 13.62 μM thidiazuron and 4.44 μM 6-benzylaminopurine. These results show the important role of the genotype in morphogenetic responses and the organogenetic effect of thidiazuron in Arachis villosa accession L97. A thidiazuron lacking media (only 0.54 μM α-naphthalenacetic acid, 13.95 μM kinetin and 13.32 μM 6-benzylaminopurine were added) promoted the elongation of the regenerated buds. Adventitious rooting was achieved 90 days after the isolated shoots were transferred to a rooting medium containing 0.54 μM α-naphthalenacetic acid.     

Developing a Color Card for Raw Flesh of Astaxanthin-fed Salmon

Color standards from the Natural Color System (NCS) were selected by a sensory panel to match color of raw flesh of astaxanthin-fed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). The NCS notations, blackness, chromaticity and hue, of the most frequently selected standards are given. A linear relationship between average NCS hue and NCS chromaticity values of each salmon was obtained, the hue being more reddish at high color intensities. NCS chromaticity and hue were both significantly correlated with carotenoid concentration and with instrumentally obtained CIE (1976) a*, b* and hue values. Procedures for the selection of NCS standards and for the practical use of a color card in the evaluation of salmon color, were developed.     

Poly(ADP-ribose), <i>adherens junctions</i>, vinculin and the actin cytoskeleton: Current evidence,future perspectives and implications

Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is a highly negatively charged polymer. PAR is synthesized by poly(ADP-ribose)polymerases (PARPs) and is involved in the assembly and stabilization of macromolecular complexes. Here, the presence and putative roles of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) associated to adherens junctions (AJ) and the actin cytoskeleton in epithelial and Schwann cells, is reviewed. The hypothesis generated by analogy, stating that PAR is associated to AJ in other cell types, is postulated. According to this hypothesis, PAR associated to puncta adherentia in chemical synapses would participate in plasticity, learning and memory. In turn, PAR associated to fascia adherens in cardiomyocytes, would affect heart beating. PARP inhibitors are currently under development and clinical testing. Basic research in different tissues will probably influence their clinical uses.     

Improvement of transfection with reprogramming factors in urinederived cells

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are an accessible source of adult-derived, patient-specific pluripotent stem cells for use in basic research, drug discovery, disease modeling, and stem cell therapy. Improving the accessibility of methods to obtain iPSCs regardless of the cell source can enhance their clinical application. Therefore, our purpose is to report a simple protocol to obtain iPS-like cells from urine-derived renal epithelial cells (RECs) using different extracellular matrices and transfection reagents. In this study, we began by culturing urine-derived cells from healthy donors to establish a primary culture of renal epithelial cells, followed by their characterization. Subsequently, we generated iPS-like cells by transfecting renal epithelial cells (RECs) with vectors expressing Oct4, Sox2, L-Myc, Lin-28, and Klf4, and we compared the efficacy of different extracellular matrices and transfection reagents. The resultant iPS-like cells showed a human embryonic stem cell-like morphology and expressed the specific pluripotency markers Oct3/4, Nanog, Lin28, and Klf4. We concluded that Lipofectamine Stem Cell transfection reagent is more effective than FuGENE in obtaining iPS-like cells under the conditions tested. Moreover, the three matrices are similar in their efficiency of obtaining iPS-like cells. This report provides an experimental protocol for obtaining and generating iPS-like cells from urine samples for further cell therapy research on different human diseases.