Simple Sequence Repeat Markers in Genetic Divergence and Marker-Assisted Selection of Rice Cultivars: A Review

Sequencing of rice genome has facilitated the understanding of rice evolution and has been utilized extensively for mining of DNA markers to facilitate marker-assisted breeding. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers that are tandemly repeated nucleotide sequence motifs flanked by unique sequences are presently the maker of choice in rice improvement due to their abundance, co-dominant inheritance, high levels of allelic diversity, and simple reproducible assay. The current level of genome coverage by SSR markers in rice is sufficient to employ them for genotype identification and marker-assisted selection in breeding for mapping of genes and quantitative trait loci analysis. This review provides comprehensive information on the mapping and applications of SSR markers in investigation of rice cultivars to study their genetic divergence and marker-assisted selection of important agronomic traits.     

A Simple and Effective Mass Spectrometric Approach to Identify the Adulteration of the Mediterranean Diet Component Extra-Virgin Olive Oil with Corn Oil

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) with its nutraceutical characteristics substantially contributes as a major nutrient to the health benefit of the Mediterranean diet. Unfortunately, the adulteration of EVOO with less expensive oils (e.g., peanut and corn oils), has become one of the biggest source of agricultural fraud in the European Union, with important health implications for consumers, mainly due to the introduction of seed oil-derived allergens causing, especially in children, severe food allergy phenomena. In this regard, revealing adulterations of EVOO is of fundamental importance for health care and prevention reasons, especially in children. To this aim, effective analytical methods to assess EVOO purity are necessary. Here, we propose a simple, rapid, robust and very sensitive method for non-specialized mass spectrometric laboratory, based on the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) coupled to unsupervised hierarchical clustering (UHC), principal component (PCA) and Pearson’s correlation analyses, to reveal corn oil (CO) adulterations in EVOO at very low levels (down to 0.5%).     

Oleuropein Inhibits LDL Oxidation Induced by Cooking Oil Frying By-products and Platelet Aggregation Induced by Platelet-Activating Factor

Oleuropein, a polyphenolic glucoside, constituent of olive fruit and oil, has been previously shown to exhibit, in vitro, potent properties as a biological antioxidant. In the present paper, two new properties are demonstrated in vitro as well, concerning its vascular protection activity, against the atheromatic lesion formation and its blood antithrombotic effect. Firstly, it was found that the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), induced by different quantities of total polar materials (TPM), was inhibited by 10 μ M (final concentration) of oleuropein, revealing approx. 50% protection. Secondly, platelet-rich human plasma aggregation, induced by either the platelet-activating factor or adenosine diphospate or arachidonic acid, was inhibited by oleuropein. The 10 μ M (final concentration) of oleuropein was proven to be the most effective among the tested concentrations against LDL oxidation, while an IC₅₀=0.41 mM was calculated for its inhibitory activity against platelet aggregation induced by 0.7 μ M platelet-activating factor.     

Rapid determination of chlorophylls in vegetable oils by laser-based fluorometry

The presence of chlorophylls in vegetable oils is considered undesirable due to their adverse effects on oxidative deterioration, bleachability and hydrogenation. The usual methods for determination of chlorophylls in vegetable oils are absorption spectrophotometry, fluorometry and liquid chromatography using fluorescence detectors. This paper outlines a fluorometric method using a laser as the excitation source. The chlorophylls in crude palm oil, rapeseed oil, soya bean oil and olive oil were determined directly by laser-based fluorometry using (a) a helium-neon laser (632-8 nm, 5 mW) as the excitation source and an optical-multichannel analyser (OMA) with an intensified diode array as the detector, and (b) a helium-neon laser and a photomultiplier tube as the detector. The method is especially suitable for the detection of chlorophylls in crude palm oil since no pre-extraction step is required. The levels of chlorophylls measured in vegetable oils using the laser technique was also compared against values obtained by conventional spectrophotometric methods. The simplicity and rapid quantification of laser based fluorometry suggest that this technique can be readily applied to the detection or a wide variety of fluorescing species in vegetable oils.     

Effect of olive residue benzylation on the thermal and mechanical properties of poly(vinyl chloride)/olive residue composites

The changes in mechanical properties, the thermal stability, and the water absorption capacity of poly (vinyl chloride)/olive residue flour composites were studied as a function of various residue olive flour ratios, i.e., 0, 5, 15, and 25% by weight taking into account the effect of benzylation chemical treatment of the filler. The study showed that composite samples prepared with the untreated filler exhibited higher tensile modulus and hardness compared with the neat resin, whereas elongation and tensile strength were observed to decline. On the other hand, the PVC hardness was found to increase with addition of the untreated olive residue flour (ORF), however the composite samples prepared with the benzylated flour exhibited lower hardness than those prepared with untreated olive residue. Moreover, the amount of absorbed water depends on the amount of filler in the composite. The comparison of the results obtained from the samples of F5, F20, and F30 formulations between the untreated and treated ORF indicated a reduction in absorbed water for the composite samples containing treated ORF with benzyl chloride. As a result, the mechanical properties of the treated composites were improved. Furthermore, the thermal characterization of the different samples carried out by color change test and thermogravimetric analysis revealed an increase in the onset temperatures of decomposition for the treated composites. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

The distribution of anthocyanins in grape skin extracts of port wine cultivars as determined by high performance liquid chromatography

The distribution of anthocyanins in methanolic skin extracts of 16 grape cultivars used for port wine production and grown at five sites in the Douro Valley in Northern Portugal has been assessed by high performance liquid chromatography. Results are confined to the seven most readily separated and identified anthocyanins and are expressed as percentages of their total (88–99% of the total integrated area). Anthocyanins based on malvidin (Mv) predominated. Of these, Mv 3-glucoside was the major pigment (33–60%), being exceeded by Mv 3-p-coumarylglucoside (2–51%) in only two cultivars; Mv 3-acetylglucoside (1–15%) was consistently the lowest. Peonidin 3-glucoside (1–27%) was prominent in four cultivars, but delphinidin 3-glucoside (1–11%), petunidin 3-glucoside (2–11%) and cyanidin 3-glucoside (trace-6%) were of low proportions throughout. The ratio Mv 3-acetylglucoside/total Mv glucosides appeared characteristic of cultivar, independent of site, and a useful aid to identification of grape cultivars. The coloured pulp of some cultivars contained peonidin 3-glucoside as a major component, present in greater proportions than in the skin; the percentage of Mv 3-p-coumarylglucoside was lower in pulp than in skin. The identities of six of the seven anthocyanins were confirmed by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and the structures of the Mv derivatives were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance. The formation of formyl and acetyl anthocyanin artefacts is described.     

Thai Tea Seed Oil and Virgin Olive Oil Similarly Reduce Plasma Lipids: A Pilot Study within a Healthy Adult Male Population

The potential cardiovascular benefit of virgin olive oil (VOO) is widely recognized. However, the use of VOO at very high cooking temperatures makes these oils poorly suited for many Asian dishes. The use of tea seed oil (TSO) is increasing in Thailand, with TSO having a higher smoke point than VOO. The current study examines the effects of daily TSO intake in healthy adults. In a randomized, single-blind crossover design, 12 men consumed for 3 weeks 40 g day⁻¹ of food prepared with either TSO or VOO as a cooking oil. Plasma lipids, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and oxidant defense enzyme activities are measured before and after each 3-week intervention period. Gas chromatography analysis of TSO and VOO demonstrates that both oils are equally high in monounsaturated fatty acid. The dietary incorporation of TSO and VOO for three weeks reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations by 15% and 13%, respectively; with total cholesterol (TC) levels lowered by 10% in both groups. No significant changes in TBARS or antioxidant enzyme activity is observed. These results support the concept that Thai TSO can be utilized as a suitable and healthy alternative oil for high-temperature cooking in many Thai and Asian diets. Practical Applications: Tea seed oil from Camellia oleifera grown in Thailand has been recently reported to favorably lower lipid profiles in hamsters fed a high-fat diet in a manner similar to feeding refined olive oil or grapeseed oil. A pilot crossover trial is conducted to compare the effects of three weeks of daily intake of either TSO or VOO in healthy human adults. Consumption of both oils produced significant reductions in TC and LDL-C. Thai TSO leads to favorable lipid profiles and is a reasonable choice for many Thai and Asian food recipes.     

Determination of tetrachloroethylene—Results of a collaborative study and the standardized method

The development, by collaborative study, of a standardized method for the determination of tetrachloroethylene in olive oils is described. The results of the study, which was carried out in 1989 under the direction of the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), are presented and show that tetrachloroethylene can be readily determined, to an acceptable degree of precision, by gas-liquid chromatography with electron capture detection. A limited number of results obtained for the determination of trichloroethylene and chloroform by the same method indicate that a similar precision could be obtained with the method when determining these solvents also.