The pleistocene clastic deposits of the latium coast—Italy

Close to the present Latium coast, at Rio Torto, in the area between Pomezia and Ardea, about 35 km to the South of Rome, there are vast sandy deposits of continental and marine origin that may be associated with ancient coast lines. The extent and thickness of these deposits vary widely and are used as sources for extracting aggregate materials that are successfully used in preparing cement mortars. Field surveys and laboratory tests have helped identify these products as belonging to a paleogeographic environment and to define both their volume and their geographic location. The results obtained have allowed characterization of the sands from a technical point of view and to define their fields of utilization keeping account of their location and their mining availability.     

Influence of light on food relevant fungi with emphasis on ochratoxin producing species

The influence of light of varying wavelength on growth and ochratoxin A biosynthesis of Aspergillus carbonarius, A. niger, A. steynii and on Penicillium nordicum and P. verrucosum was analysed. For comparison the influence of light on various other food relevant fungi, including citrinin producers, was also tested. Generally the Aspergilli seem to be more resistant to light treatment than the Penicillia. Interestingly wavelengths from both sides of the spectrum, e. g. red (long wavelength, 627 nm) and blue (short wavelength 470-455 nm) had the strongest inhibitory effects on growth and ochratoxin A biosynthesis. Blue light generally had a stronger effect. Light of moderate wavelength, 590 to 530 nm, (yellow to green) had more a positive than a negative influence on growth or ochratoxin A biosynthesis compared to the control (dark incubation). The light effect on growth and ochratoxin A biosynthesis was dependent on the growth medium. In contrast to malt extract medium (MEA), YES medium, as an especially nutrient rich medium, had an attenuating effect on the reactivity against light. However the tendency of the response in both media was the same. Moreover, the light intensity strongly influences how the fungus reacts. Depending on the intensity and the resistance of the species a complete cessation of growth and/or inhibition of ochratoxin A biosynthesis could be achieved. Light irradiation has the opposite effect on ochratoxin A than citrinin, two mycotoxins which can be produced simultaneously in P. verrucosum. Citrinin was produced essentially under light conditions which inhibited ochratoxin A biosynthesis. The same was true for a derivative of ochratoxin, in particular a derivative of ochratoxin β in A. carbonarius. A. carbonarius produced high amounts of the ochratoxin β derivative under blue light when the production of ochratoxin A was ceased at the most inhibiting conditions used (MEA, royal blue light, 455 nm, 1700 lx). Light has a growth stalling but not inactivating effect on aerial mycelia. If a non-growing colony under light is shifted to the dark it immediately grows normally. However on spores blue light has a deactivating effect. After incubation of spores of P. verrucosum for 24 h under blue light up to 97% of the spores were no longer able to germinate. Again the spores of the Aspergilli were much more resistant.     

Evolution of fermenting microbiota in tarhana produced under controlled technological conditions

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the evolution of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts during the fermentation of tarhana produced with some pasteurised ingredients and carried out at 30 and 40 °C. The chemical parameters were those typical for tarhana production. Coliform bacteria were not detected during fermentation, while LAB and yeasts were in the range 10⁷-10⁸ colony forming units (CFU) g⁻¹. Plate counts showed an optimal development of both fermenting microbial groups and the differences in cell concentrations were not significant (P > 0.05). LAB were isolated during fermentation and grouped on the basis of phenotypic and polymorphic characteristics. LAB isolates were identified by a combined genetic approach consisting of 16S/23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (ITS) and partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Pediococcus acidilactici, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis. Hence, the pasteurisation of the vegetable ingredients, excluded wheat flour, enhanced the hygienic conditions of tarhana without influencing the normal evolution of LAB. However, the fermentation at 40 °C favoured pediococci, while the production at 30 °C was mainly characterised by lactobacilli. Yeasts, identified by the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the 5.8S ITS rRNA gene, were mainly represented by the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae in both productions.     

Online Portable Microcantilever Biosensors for Salmonella enterica Serotype Enteritidis Detection

The micro- and nano-technologies coupled with a deep knowledge of organic/inorganic interfaces guarantee an exceptional sensitivity and specificity of the sensor, while the lab-on-a-chip platform reduces assay times and limits sampling and/or sample preparation, providing compact and portable objects. Therefore, the development of innovative biosensors such as antibody-immobilized microcantilevers can overcome the evident limits of nowadays technologies, such as time consuming, expensiveness, difficult automation, low sensitivity, accuracy, and precision for quantitative methods. The present study proposes two device designs for the detection of food pathogens, exploiting an antibody-immobilized microcantilever biosensors, a novel class of mass detectors. For the first one, we integrated the mechanical sensors on a microfluidic platform (lab-on-a-chip) to perform online analysis, directly in liquid environment. We showed that our portable biosensors could easily detect the presence of pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella enterica serotype enteritidis in concentration 10⁵ cfu/mL in just 40 min, without any enrichment and/or sample preparation. To increase the mass sensitivity of our analysis, we also fabricated microstructures optimized for vibrating in vacuum environment. Using a dip-and-dry technique, we showed that, in such configuration, the experimental limit of detection is as low as 10³ cfu/mL. Due to the extremely small volumes needed, our biosensors operating in vacuum have the potentiality of detecting the presence or absence of a single cell.     

Interactions between anthocyanins and organic food molecules in model systems

The interactions between different glucosidic anthocyanins (pelargonin, cyanin, delphinin, malvin and petunin) and some organic compounds (lactic, galacturonic, tannic, phenolic and sinapic acids; pyrogallol, furfural, pectin, cellulose, hydrolitic lignin) which are present in food‐stuffs were investigated at pH 3.0–4.3 and 25 °C. The interactions were monitored by means of u.v.‐VIS spectra and their different behaviours were highlighted by following changes in absorbance over a range of wavelengths (Δλ and ΔA). Significant effects on absorbance were detected and are discussed in terms of the phenomenon of co‐pigmentation.     

A comparison of three multidisciplinarity indices based on the diversity of Scopus subject areas of authors’ documents,their bibliography and their citing papers

Scientometrics - In this paper, we compare the distribution of Elsevier Scopus subject areas of authors’ documents, their bibliographical references and their citing documents. We compute the...     

Automated conceptual model clustering: a relator-centric approach

Software and Systems Modeling - In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of reference conceptual models to capture information about complex and sensitive business domains...