Genetic diversity assessment of Georgia peanut cultivars developed during ninety years of breeding
The cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) has experienced severe genetic bottlenecks over the course of its evolution and domestication. Most genetic diversity studies in peanut have focused on global genetic stocks, wild accessions, and related species, but few have focused on elite cultivars. The objective of this project was to assess the genetic diversity of 32 peanut cultivars developed by the University of Georgia breeding program since its inception in 1931. Quantifying genetic similarity (GSIM) among these cultivars will provide a better understanding of their relationships and aid in breeding for cultivar development. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), in concert with the recently published A. hypogaea genome sequence, was used to identify a total of 27,142 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among these cultivars. Coefficients of parentage (CoP) were calculated based on publicly available pedigree information and compared with SNP-based GSIM estimates; the resulting correlations were low, ranging from R2 = 0.212-0.279. Although genetic diversity is generally low in cultivated peanut, our data indicate that the genetic diversity of Georgia cultivars has actually increased since the early days of the breeding program, likely a result of the incorporation of diverse germplasm and breeding lines into the program. The results reported here provide a valuable understanding of genetic variation among elite Georgia peanut cultivars that have had a significant impact on the peanut industry within the United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.20141
Raw walnut kernel: a natural source for dietary proteases and bioactive proteins.
Walnut kernels are health-promoting nuts, which are mainly attributed to polyunsaturated fatty acids, phenolics, and phytosterols. However, the information concerning benefits of walnut proteins are limited. In this study, endopeptidases, aminopeptidases, carboxypeptidases, superoxide dismutases, catalases, and phospholipases with respective relative abundance of 2.730, 1.728, 0.477, 3.148, 0.743, and 0.173‰ were identified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. These endogenous proteases exhibited activity in a broad pH range of 2-6.5, and optimal at pH 4.5 and 50 °C. Aspartic endopeptidases were predominant endopeptidases, followed by cysteine ones. There were two types of aspartic endopeptidases, one (not inhibited by pepstatin A) exerted activity at pH 2-3 and the other (inhibited by pepstatin A) optimal at pH 4.5. Carboxypeptidases were optimal at pH 4.5, and aminopeptidases exerted activity at pH near 6.5. These endogenous proteases assisted the digestion of walnut proteins, and soaking, especially peeling, greatly improved the in vitro digestibility. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130961
A complete workflow for discovering small bioactive peptides in foods by LC-MS/MS: A case study on almonds.
Identification of bioactive peptides is an increasingly important target for food chemists, particularly in consideration of the widespread application of proteolytic enzymes in food processing. Because the characterization of small peptides by LC-MS/MS is challenging, we optimized a dimethyl labeling technique to facilitate small peptide identification, using almond proteins as a model. The method was validated by comparing the MS/MS spectra of standards and almond-derived peptides in their nonderivatized and derivatized forms. Signal enhancement of a1 ions was proved to effectively aid in the full-length sequencing of small peptides. We further validated this method using two industrially-relevant protein-rich extracts from almond flour: 1737 medium-sized peptides (5-39 amino acids) and 843 small peptides (2-4 amino acids) were identified. The use of an online bioactive peptide database, complemented by the existing literature, allowed the discovery of 208 small bioactive peptides, whereas for medium-sized peptides, only one was reported being bioactive. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130834
Dried Figs Quality Improvement and Process Energy Savings by Combinatory Application of Osmotic Pretreatment and Conventional Air Drying.
This study concerns the implementation of osmotic dehydration (OD) as a pre-treatment of air-drying in fig halves, aiming at drying acceleration, energy savings and product quality improvement. The effect of solid/liquid mass ratio, process temperature (25-45 °C) and duration (up to 300 min) on water activity (aw) and transport phenomena during OD, was modelled. The effective diffusion coefficients, drying time and energy consumption, were also calculated during air-drying at 50-70 °C. At optimum OD conditions (90 min, 45 °C), the highest water loss and solid gain ratio were achieved, while the aw (equal to an initial value 0.986) was decreased to 0.929. Air-drying time of OD- and control samples was estimated at 12 and 21 h, at 60 °C, respectively, decreasing the required energy by up to 31.1%. Quality of dried figs was systematically monitored during storage. OD-assisted air-drying led to a product of improved quality and extended shelf-life. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081846
Residue kinetics of neonicotinoids and abamectin in pistachio nuts under field conditions: model selection, effects of multiple sprayings, and risk assessment.
Pistachio is an economically valuable crop, and Iran is among the biggest producers, exporters, and consumers of this product in the world. During the growing season, pistachios are subjected to multiple sprayings with various pesticides, which result in the accumulation of their residues in nuts. These residues have raised concerns regarding consumers' health. In this research, uptake and dissipation kinetics of insecticides imidacloprid (IMI), thiacloprid (THI), thiamethoxam (THX), and abamectin (ABA) were investigated in pistachio nuts. Field experiments were conducted in a pistachio orchard. Pistachio trees were sprayed with the recommended dose of each insecticide formulation and water as the control. Samplings were performed for up to 49 days. Based on the results, pesticides uptake and dissipation kinetics were best fitted to first-order exponential growth (FOEG) and single first-order kinetic (SFOK) models, respectively. Variations in pesticides uptake/dissipation rates were mostly related to their water solubility, pKa, and log Kow. THX showed a higher uptake rate (0.16 ± 0.04) compared to IMI (0.10 ± 0.01) and THI (0.06 ± 0.01). The fastest dissipation rates were observed for IMI (0.04 ± 0.002 day-1) and THX (0.03 ± 0.001 day-1), while the slowest belonged to THI (0.02 ± 0.003 day-1). ABA residues were below the quantification limit (LOQ) throughout the experiment. Based on FOEG and SFOK model predictions, multiple sprayings with THI and THX resulted in final concentrations exceeding the maximum residue limit (MRL). Hazard quotients for all pesticides were <1, indicating no risk to humans via consumption of the pistachio nut. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15822-1
Food irradiation: a promising technology to produce hypoallergenic food with high quality.
The increasing incidence of food allergy cases is a public health problem of global concern. Producing hypoallergenic foods with high quality, low cost, and eco-friendly is a new trend for the food industry in the coming decades. Food irradiation, a non-thermal food processing technology, is a powerful tool to reduce the allergenicity with the above advantages. This review presents a summary of recent studies about food irradiation to reduce the allergenicity of food, including shellfish, soy, peanut, milk, tree nut, egg, wheat and fish. Principles of food irradiation, including mechanisms of allergenicity-reduction, irradiation types and characteristics, are discussed. Specific effects of food irradiation are also evaluated, involving microbial decontamination, improvement or preservation of nutritional value, harmful substances reduction of food products. Furthermore, the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of food irradiation are analyzed. It is concluded that food irradiation is a safety tool to reduce the allergenicity of food effectively, with high nutritional value and long shelf-life, making it a competitive alternative technology to traditional techniques such as heating treatments. Of note, a combination of irradiation with additional processing may be a trend for food irradiation.
Potential of Erythrocyte Membrane Lipid Profile as a Novel Inflammatory Biomarker to Distinguish Metabolically Healthy Obesity in Children.
Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) has been described as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, without metabolic disorders traditionally associated with obesity. Beyond this definition, a standardized criterion, for adults and children, has not been established yet to explain the absence of those metabolic disorders. In this context, biomarkers of inflammation have been proposed as suitable candidates to describe MHO. The use of mature red blood cell fatty acid (RBC FA) profile is here proposed since its membrane lipidome includes biomarkers of pro- and anti-inflammatory conditions with a strict relationship with metabolic and nutritional status. An observational study was carried out in 194 children (76 children with obesity and 118 children with normal weight) between 6 and 16 years old. RBC FAs were analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). An unsupervised hierarchical clustering method was conducted on children with obesity, based on the RBC FA profile, to isolate the MHO cluster. The MHO cluster showed FA levels similar to children with normal weight, characterized by lower values of arachidonic acid, (total ω-6 FA, ω6/ω3 FA ratios and higher values for EPA, DHA, and total ω-3 FA) (for all of them p ≤ 0.01) compared to the rest of the children with obesity (obese cluster). The MHO cluster also presented lipid indexes for higher desaturase enzymatic activity and lower SFA/MUFA ratio compared to the obese cluster. These differences are relevant for the follow-up of patients, also in view of personalized protocols providing tailored nutritional recommendations for the essential fatty acid intakes.
Molecular Differences Based on Erythrocyte Fatty Acid Profile to Personalize Dietary Strategies between Adults and Children with Obesity.
As the obesity epidemic continues to grow inexorably worldwide, the need to develop effective strategies to prevent and control obesity seems crucial. The use of molecular tools can be useful to characterize different obesity phenotypes to provide more precise nutritional recommendations. This study aimed to determine the fatty acid (FA) profile of red blood cell (RBC) membranes, together with the evaluation of their dietary intake and biochemical parameters, of children and adults with obesity. An observational study was carried out on 196 children (113 with normal weight and 83 with obesity) and 91 adults (30 with normal weight and 61 with obesity). Mature RBC membrane phospholipids were analyzed for FA composition by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Dietary habits were evaluated using validated food frequency questionnaires (FFQ). Children with obesity presented higher levels of ω-6 polyunsaturated FAs (mainly linoleic acid, p = 0.01) and lower values of ω-3 FAs (mainly DHA, p < 0.001) compared with adults. Regarding blood biochemical parameters, children with obesity presented lower levels of glucose, LDL cholesterol, and alanine aminotransferase compared with adults with obesity. These lipidomic differences could be considered to provide specific nutritional recommendations for different age groups, based on an adequate fat intake.
ISNFF 2021,13th International Conference and Exhibition on Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods
The International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (ISNFF) is a Disciplinary Interest Group of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST; approved 2008 in Shanghai, China). This year's event will be held in a hybrid format with participants eligible to partake online, or in-person in Nanjing, China.
Brief COVID-19 Update: September 1, 2021
According to Bloomberg, globally, the vaccination rate is about 41 million doses per day, having administered more than 5.26 billion doses across 183 countries. With 80% of its population fully vaccinated, Singapore has the world's highest rate of complete vaccinations. However “Less than 2% of adults are fully vaccinated in most low-income countries compared to almost 50% in high‑income countries”, it was stated during the third meeting of the Multilateral Leaders Taskforce on COVID-19 with the leaders of the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), Africa CDC, Gavi and UNICEF.
The necessity of a COVID-19 booster jab is under debate. Israel is allowing all citizens over the age of 12 and who received the second shot at least five months ago to receive a third dose of the vaccine. The US, with about 52% of the population fully vaccinated, approved the administration of a third dose of the Comirnaty/Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in some immunocompromised people. In the European Union there is not a consensus: Germany is going to offer boosters to immunocompromised patients, the very elderly and nursing home residents from September; Hungary already started giving a third dose to anyone who received full vaccination at least four months ago, while some other Member States are still waiting for recommendations from the EU.
In Australia, Melbourne is extending its four-week lockdown in order to stop the spread of the Delta variant. The government is yet to outline which restrictions will remain in place.
On August 30, the European Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted. In particular, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia and the United States of America were removed from the list. Member states should gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Japan, Jordan, New Zealand, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Ukraine, and China (subject to confirmation of reciprocity). The same day, the US raised the travel risk alert for Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Canada, and other countries.