The control of sea lice in Atlantic salmon by selective breeding

Sea lice threaten the welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon and the sustainability of fish farming across the world. Chemical treatments are the major method of control but drug resistance means that alternatives are urgently needed. Selective breeding can be a cheap and effective alternative. Here, we combine experimental trials and diagnostics to provide a practical protocol for quantifying resistance to sea lice. We then combined quantitative genetics with epidemiological modelling to make the first prediction of the response to selection, quantified in terms of reduced need for chemical treatments. We infected over 1400 young fish with Lepeophtheirus salmonis, the most important species in the Northern Hemisphere. Mechanisms of resistance were expressed early in infection. Consequently, the number of lice per fish and the ranking of families were very similar at 7 and 17 days post infection, providing a stable window for assessing susceptibility to infection. The heritability of lice numbers within this time window was moderately high at 0.3, confirming that selective breeding is viable. We combined an epidemiological model of sea lice infection and control on a salmon farm with genetic variation in susceptibility among individuals. We simulated 10 generations of selective breeding and examined the frequency of treatments needed to control infection. Our model predicted that substantially fewer chemical treatments are needed to control lice outbreaks in selected populations and chemical treatment could be unnecessary after 10 generations of selection. Selective breeding for sea lice resistance should reduce the impact of sea lice on fish health and thus substantially improve the sustainability of Atlantic salmon production.     

Multiplex PCR system to track authorized and unauthorized genetically modified soybean events in food and feed

A diverse range of genetic elements has been used to develop genetically modified organisms (GMOs) over the last 18 years. Screening methods that target few elements, such as the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S promoter (P-35S) and Agrobacterium tumefaciens nopaline terminator (T-nos), are not sufficient to screen GMOs. In the present study, a multiplex PCR system for all globally commercialized GM soybean events was developed to easily trace the events. For this purpose, screening elements of 24 GM soybean events were investigated and 9 screening targets were selected and divided into three individual triplex PCR systems: P-35S, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit promoter of Arabidopsis thaliana, T-nos, T-35S, pea E9 terminator, open reading frame 23 terminator of A. tumefaciens, proteinase inhibitor II terminator of potato, acetohydroxy acid synthase large subunit terminator of A. thaliana, and the revealed 3′ flanking sequences of DP-305423-1. The specificity of the assays was confirmed using thirteen GM soybean events as the respective positive/negative controls. The limit of detection of each multiplex set, as determined using certified reference materials of specific GM events, ranged from 0.03 to 0.5%, depending upon target. Furthermore, 26 food samples that contained soybean ingredients, which were purchased from the USA, China, Japan, and Korea, were analyzed, 17 of which contained one or more GM soybean events. These results suggest that the developed screening method can be used to efficiently track and identify 24 GM soybean events in food and feed.     

Inhibition of Spore Germination of Phakopsora Pachyrhizi Using Crude Extracts of Amaranthus Spinosus

The effectiveness of methanolic and n-hexane crude extracts of Amaranthus spinosus to inhibit the spore germination of Phakopsora pachyrhizi, a causal agent of soybean rust disease was studied. Both methanolic and n-hexane crude extracts inhibited spore germination at concentrations of 0.1% to 5.0%. Methanolic extract of the roots at a concentration of 2.5% inhibited 55% of spore germination, and this result was similar when higher concentration at 5% of methanolic and n-hexane extracts of the flowers was used. The presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids in the extract may be responsible for the inhibition. The extract was potential to be utilized as a botanical fungicide.     

Effect of maillard reaction volatile products on lipid oxidation

Maillard reaction volatile compounds (MRV), prepared by heating a glucose-glycine solution, were tested as antioxidants in soybean oil (SBO) thermoxidation. The volatiles were transferred into the oil by stripping with a stream of Nitrogen and substituting the atmosphere above the oil with air containing MRV. Standard accelerated oxidation was performed by heating the SBO. Peroxide value measurement and headspace gas Chromatographic analysis were carried out on all the samples. The MRV antioxidant activity was evaluated by determining the effect of the induction period and the kinetic rate constant of peroxide and oxidation volatiles formation. The MRV showed a significant antioxidant activity. The effectiveness was variable depending on MRV transfer method to the oil, and the Maillard reaction extent was related to the browning level of glucose/glycine solution. It was found that the maximum effect of MRV prolonged about three times the induction period and reduced the kinetic rate constant by half in relation to the control sample. MRV affects oxidative stability of soybean oil by lengthening the induction period as well as by decreasing the rate of oxidation at the propagation state and reducing the formation of hexanal.     

浓缩大豆磷脂制取工艺及设备的研究

对水化油脚采用新工艺和新设备制取浓缩大豆磷脂，并对制取浓缩大豆磷脂的影响因素进行分析和优化，得到了制取浓缩大豆磷脂新工艺和最佳工艺参数。     

关于影响面条食用品质相关因素的探讨

从小麦生产概况、面条发展历史和工艺、国内外对面条食用品质的研究3个方面,分析了我国面条工业发展缓慢的原因,提出了小麦育种-面粉工业-制面工业,3个环节紧密配合,协调发展,才能形成良性循环的新思路。     

Next Generation Cereal Crop Yield Enhancement: From Knowledge of Inflorescence Development to Practical Engineering by Genome Editing

Artificial domestication and improvement of the majority of crops began approximately 10,000 years ago, in different parts of the world, to achieve high productivity, good quality, and widespread adaptability. It was initiated from a phenotype-based selection by local farmers and developed to current biotechnology-based breeding to feed over 7 billion people. For most cereal crops, yield relates to grain production, which could be enhanced by increasing grain number and weight. Grain number is typically determined during inflorescence development. Many mutants and genes for inflorescence development have already been characterized in cereal crops. Therefore, optimization of such genes could fine-tune yield-related traits, such as grain number. With the rapidly advancing genome-editing technologies and understanding of yield-related traits, knowledge-driven breeding by design is becoming a reality. This review introduces knowledge about inflorescence yield-related traits in cereal crops, focusing on rice, maize, and wheat. Next, emerging genome-editing technologies and recent studies that apply this technology to engineer crop yield improvement by targeting inflorescence development are reviewed. These approaches promise to usher in a new era of breeding practice.     

Current Perspectives on the Physiological Activities of Fermented Soybean-Derived Cheonggukjang

Cheonggukjang (CGJ, fermented soybean paste), a traditional Korean fermented dish, has recently emerged as a functional food that improves blood circulation and intestinal regulation. Considering that excessive consumption of refined salt is associated with increased incidence of gastric cancer, high blood pressure, and stroke in Koreans, consuming CGJ may be desirable, as it can be made without salt, unlike other pastes. Soybeans in CGJ are fermented by Bacillus strains (B. subtilis or B. licheniformis), Lactobacillus spp., Leuconostoc spp., and Enterococcus faecium, which weaken the activity of putrefactive bacteria in the intestines, act as antibacterial agents against pathogens, and facilitate the excretion of harmful substances. Studies on CGJ have either focused on improving product quality or evaluating the bioactive substances contained in CGJ. The fermentation process of CGJ results in the production of enzymes and various physiologically active substances that are not found in raw soybeans, including dietary fiber, phospholipids, isoflavones (e.g., genistein and daidzein), phenolic acids, saponins, trypsin inhibitors, and phytic acids. These components prevent atherosclerosis, oxidative stress-mediated heart disease and inflammation, obesity, diabetes, senile dementia, cancer (e.g., breast and lung), and osteoporosis. They have also been shown to have thrombolytic, blood pressure-lowering, lipid-lowering, antimutagenic, immunostimulatory, anti-allergic, antibacterial, anti-atopic dermatitis, anti-androgenetic alopecia, and anti-asthmatic activities, as well as skin improvement properties. In this review, we examined the physiological activities of CGJ and confirmed its potential as a functional food.     

Effect of processing on sphingolipid content in soybean products

Soybeans are believed to be a rich source of sphingolipids, a class of polar lipids that has received attention for their possible cancer-inhibiting activities. The effect of processing on the sphingolipid content of various soybean products has not been determined. Glucosylceramide (GlcCer), the major sphingolipid type in soybeans, was measured in several processed soybean products to illustrate which product(s) GlcCer is partitioned into during processing and where it is lost. Whole soybeans were processed into full-fat flakes, from which crude oil was extracted. Crude oil was refined by conventional methods, and defatted soy flakes were further processed into alcohol-washed and acid-washed soy protein concentrates (SPC) and soy protein isolates (SPI) by laboratory-scale methods that simulated industrial practices. GlcCer was isolated from the samples by solvent extraction, solvent partition, and TLC and was quantified by HPLC. GlcCer remained mostly within the defatted soy flakes (91%) rather than in the oil (9%) after oil extraction. Only 52, 42, and 26% of GlcCer from defatted soy flakes was recovered in the acid-washed SPC, alcohol-washed SPC, and SPI products, respectively. All protein products had a similar GlcCer concentration of about 281 nmol/g (dry wt basis). The minor quantity of GlcCer in the crude oil was almost completely removed by water degumming.     

A novel technique for the preparation of secondary fatty amides

A technique for the synthesis of monosubstituted fatty amides at low temperature and ambient pressure was developed. This method involved the condensation of an amine with a triacylglycerol. The primary amine (ethyl,n-butyl,n-hexyl andn-octyl were tested) acted as reagent and solvent for the fatty substrates. No additional organic solvent or catalyst was added. Tallow, vegetable oils and fish oil all served well as substrates, as did pure tripalmitin. The rate of amidation was dependent upon temperature and the ratio of fat to amine. In a series of experiments conducted with tallow andn-butylamine at a fat:amine molar ratio of 1:16, amidation could be carried out at 20°C, producingn-butyltallowamide in 83% yield in 24 hr. When the fat:amine molar ratio was reduced to 1:8, and the temperature raised to 45°C, the amide yield was 87.6% in 24 hr. When the reaction was carried out at the boiling point ofn-butylamine (78°C) and at a fat:amine ratio of 1:8, the amide yield was 93.2% in 4 hr. The reaction progressed more rapidly with higher molecular weight amines. The identity and purity of the amides was assessed by thin-layer chromatography and confirmed by elemental analyses and infrared and C¹³ nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.