Benzoate ion determination in beverages by using a potentiometric sensor immobilized in a graphite matrix

The characteristics, performance, and application of an electrode, namely. Pt\Hg\Hg-2(Bzt)(2)\graphite, where Bzt stands for benzoate ion. are described. This electrode responds to Bzt with sensitivity of 57.7 +/- 1.0 mV/decade over the range 5 x 10(-4)-1 x 10(-1) mol l(-1) at pH 6.0-8.0 with a detection limit of 1.6 x 10(-4) mol l(-1). The electrode shows easy construction, fast response rime (between 10-30 s), low-cost, acid excellent response stability (lifetime > 6 months, in continuous use), the proposed sensor displayed good selectivity for benzoate in the presence of several carboxylate and inorganic anions. It was used to determine benzoate in various beverages by means of the standard additions method. The results obtained by using this electrode compared very favorably with those given by the official AOAC spectrophotometric method and by a HPLC procedure as well. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Relation between quality and rheological properties of lactic beverages

The physicochemical (pH, fat and total solids content), sensory (appearance, consistency and taste), and rheological characteristics of five different commercial brands of lactic beverages were determined. Rheological measurements were obtained at 5 degreesC and 25 degreesC using a Brookfield rheometer. The experimental data were described by the power law and Herschel-Bulkley models. The ANOVA of the results were conducted using an incomplete block design, and using Tukey test. Samples showed a significant difference (P less than or equal to 0.05%) for fat content and pH. There was a significant difference in total solids content only among Nestle (A), Batavo (C), and Parmalat (D) samples. Sensory evaluation showed more global acceptability for Nestle; however, Nestle and Vigor (E) lactic beverages obtained better results for appearance than for consistency and taste. Batavo obtained the best score for taste. All test samples exhibited non-Newtonian behavior, with thixotropy. Upward curves showed pseudoplastic behavior, while downward curves showed dilatant behavior with the exception of the Nestle sample, at 25 degreesC. Lactic beverages from all brands analyzed showed similar rheological behavior. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temperature and water content influence on thermophysical properties of coffee extract

Specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and density of coffee extract were experimentally determined in the range of 0.49 to 0.90 (wet basis) water content and at temperatures varying from 30 to 82 degreesC. Thermal conductivity and specific heat were measured by means of the same apparatus- a cell constituted of two concentric cylinders - operating at steady and unsteady state, respectively. The thermal diffusivity was measured by the well-known Dickerson's method and density was determined by picnometry. The results obtained were used to derive mathematical models for predicting these properties as a function of concentration and temperature.

Boron translocation in coffee trees

Boron deficiency in coffee trees ( Coffea arabica) is widespread, however, responses to B fertilizer have been erratic, depending on the year, method, and time of application. A better understanding of B uptake, distribution, and remobilization within the plant is important in developing a rational fertilization program. Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted to study B distribution and remobilization in coffee trees. Boron was provided either in the nutrient solution or sprayed on the leaves of trees grown under adequate or transient B deficiency. There was clear evidence for B translocation via symplast ( remobilization) to coffee grains, even in well-nourished plants. When 10 B was present in the nutrient solution during most part of fruit filling, from 33 to 40% of the B found in coffee fruits was absorbed during this period, depending on the timing and duration of the B deficiency treatment. In the field, when B was sprayed once on the leaves, around 4% of the fruit B was derived from the foliar fertilizer. Boron remobilization within coffee trees is limited in well nourished plants, but it can be significant during periods of temporary B deficiency in plants otherwise well nourished with B. The implications of these findings for B fertilization practice, are discussed.

Amperometric differential determination of ascorbic acid in beverages and vitamin C tablets using a flow cell containing an array of gold microelectrodes modified with palladium

A simple and attractive method for quantification of ascorbic acid (AA) in beers, soda, natural juices and commercial vitamin C tablets was achieved by combining Bow injection analysis and amperometric detection. An array of gold microelectrodes electrochemically modified by deposition of palladium was employed as working electrode which was almost unaffected by fouling effects. Ascorbic acid was quantified in beverages and vitamin tablets using amperometric differential measurements. This method is based on three steps involving the flow injection of: 1) the sample plus a standard addition of AA, 2) the pure sample, and 3) the enzymatically-treated sample. The enzymatic treatment was carried out with Cucumis sativus tissue, which is a rich source of ascorbate oxidase, at pH 7. The calibration plots for freshly prepared ascorbic acid standards were very linear in the concentration range of 0.18-1.8 mg L-1 with a relative standard deviation (RSD) < 1%, while for real samples the deviations were between 2.7% to 8.9%.

Evaluation of the genetic diversity of Xylella fastidiosa strains from citrus and coffee hosts by single-nucleotide polymorphism markers

The aim of this study was to obtain information about genetic diversity and make some inferences about the relationship of 27 strains of Xylella fastidiosa from different hosts and distinct geographical areas. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) molecular markers were identified in DNA sequences from 16 distinct regions of the genome of 24 strains of X. fastidiosa from coffee and citrus plants. Among the Brazilian strains, coffee-dependent strains have a greater number of SNPs (10 to 24 SNPs) than the citrus-based strains (2 to 12 SNPs); all the strains were compared with the sequenced strain 9a5c. The identified SNP markers were able to distinguish, for the first time, strains from citrus plants and coffee and showed that strains from coffee present higher genetic diversity than the others. These markers also have proven to be efficient for discriminating strains from the same host obtained from different geographic regions. X. fastidiosa, the causal agent of citrus variegated chlorosis, possesses genetic diversity, and the SNP markers were highly efficient for discriminating genetically close organisms.

Space analysis of water erosion in the red-yellow latosol under conilon coffee cultivation

This work aimed to study the space behavior of the water erosion in a red-yellow latosol. Then a study was developed in an area with colinon coffee cultivation in an Experimental Farm of Bananal do Norte of INCAPER in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim - ES. Soil samples were obtained from 0,0 to 0,20 m depth in an irregular grid with 109 samples. The analyzed variables were granulometric fractions, erodibility (K), natural erosion potential (PNE), soil loss (A) and erosion risk (RE). All the variables showed space dependency with moderate index of space dependency and similar standard of space distribution. The soil loss is related with the space distribution of the granulometric fractions.

An evaluation of the genetic diversity of Xylella fastidiosa isolated from diseased citrus and coffee in São Paulo, Brazil

Strains of Xylella fastidiosa, isolated from sweet orange trees (Citrus sinensis) and coffee trees (Coffea arabica) with symptoms of citrus variegated chlorosis and Requeima do Cafe, respectively, were indistinguish able based on repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR assays. These strains were also indistinguishable with a previously described PCR assay that distinguished the citrus strains from all other strains of Xylella fastidiosa. Because we were not able to document any genomic diversity in our collection of Xylella fastidiosa strains isolated from diseased citrus, the observed gradient of increasing disease severity from southern to northern regions of São Paulo State is unlikely due to the presence of significantly different strains of the pathogen in the different regions. When comparisons were made to reference strains of Xylella fastidiosa isolated from other hosts using these methods, four groups were consistently identified consistent with the hosts and regions from which the strains originated: citrus and coffee, grapevine and almond, mulberry, and elm, plum, and oak. Independent results from random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR assays were also consistent with these results; however, two of the primers tested in RAPD-PCR were able to distinguish the coffee and citrus strains. Sequence comparisons of a PCR product amplified from all strains of Xylella fastidiosa confirmed the presence of a CfoI polymorphism that can be used to distinguish the citrus strains from all others. The ability to distinguish Xylella fastidiosa strains from citrus and coffee with a PCR-based assay will be useful in epidemiological and etiological studies of this pathogen.

Kinetics of zinc uptake and anatomy of roots and leaves of coffee trees as affected by zinc nutrition

Zinc (Zn) uptake kinetics and root and leaf anatomy were studied in coffee trees grown in nutrient solutions with or without Zn. Leaves and roots were sampled and cuts were made in the medium part of the leaves and in root tips and observed under an optical microscope. Plants grown without Zn showed an increase in root and in root stele diameter. There was also an increase in epidermis thickness and in the cross-sectional area of the cortex and stele due to Zn deficiency, but the diameter of xylem vessels was decreased. An increase in root cortex and stele diameter provided for an increased surface for nutrient uptake. Accordingly, C(min) was decreased from 13.8 to 3.4 mu mol L(-1) and V(max) increased from 0.50 to 2.1 mu mol cm(-2) h(-1) .

Coffee leaf scorch caused by a strain of Xylella fastidiosa from citrus

Citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) and coffee leaf scorch (CLS) are two economically important diseases in Brazil caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. Strains of the bacterium isolated from the two plant hosts are very closely related, and the two diseases share sharpshooter insect vectors. In order to determine if citrus strains of X. fastidiosa could infect coffee and induce CLS disease, plant inoculations were performed. Plants of coffee, Coffea arabica 'Mundo Novo', grafted on Coffea canephora var, robusta 'Apuatao 2258' were mechanically inoculated with triply cloned strains of X. fastidiosa isolated from diseased coffee and citrus. Three months postinoculation, 5 of the 10 plants inoculated with CLS-X. fastidiosa and 1 of the 10 plants inoculated with CVC-X. fastidiosa gave positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Eight months postinoculation, another six plants inoculated with CVC-X. fastidiosa gave positive PCR results. The two X. fastidiosa strains were isolated from the inoculated plants and showed the same characteristics as the original clones by microscopy, ELISA, and PCR. None of the plants inoculated with sterile periwinkle wilt (PW) medium as controls gave positive reactions in diagnostic tests, and none developed disease symptoms. Six months postinoculation, seven plants inoculated with CLS-X. fastidiosn and eight inoculated with CVC-X. fastidiosa began to develop characteristic CLS symptoms, including apical and marginal leaf scorch, defoliation, and reductions of internode length, leaf size, and plant height, terminal clusters of small chlorotic and deformed leaves, and lateral shoot dieback. We have demonstrated that X, fastidiosa from citrus plants is pathogenic for coffee plants. This has important consequences for the management of CLS disease and has implications for the origin of citrus variegated chlorosis disease.

Rheological properties and fluid dynamics of coffee extract

The rheological behavior of coffee extract with different water contents (49 to 90%) was studied at a wide range of temperatures (274 to 365 K) using a concentric cylinder rheometer. The flow curves followed different models depending on the concentration and temperature level. Newtonian behavior was observed at high values of water content and temperature, changing to power law as these values were decreased. The Newtonian viscosity as well as the consistency and behavior index could be well correlated by functions simultaneously dependent on temperature and water content. The rheological parameters, together with experimental values of pressure loss in tube flow, were used to calculate friction factors. These showed to be in good agreement with those resulting from classical theoretical and empirical equations, thus confirming the reliability of the rheological measurements.

Citrus and coffee strains of Xylella fastidiosa induce Pierce's disease in grapevine

Xylella fastidiosa causes citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) disease in Brazil and Pierce's disease of grapevines in the United States. Both of these diseases cause significant production problems in the respective industries. The recent establishment of the glassy-winged sharpshooter in California has radically increased the threat posed by Pierces disease to California viticulture. Populations of this insect reach very high levels in citrus groves in California and move from the orchards into the vineyards, where they acquire inoculum and spread Pierce's disease in the vineyards. Here we show that strains of X. fastidiosa isolated from diseased citrus and coffee in Brazil can incite symptoms of Pierce's disease after mechanical inoculation into seven commercial Vitis vinifera varieties grown in Brazil and California. Thus, any future introduction of the CVC strains of X. fastidiosa into the United States would pose a threat to both the sweet orange and grapevine industries. Previous work has clearly shown that the strains of X. fastidiosa isolated from Pierce's disease- and CVC-affected plants are the most distantly related of all strains in the diverse taxon X. fastidiosa. The ability of citrus strains of X. fastidiosa to incite disease in grapevine is therefore surprising and creates an experimental system with which to dissect mechanisms used by X.,fastidiosa in plant colonization and disease development using the full genome sequence data that has recently become available for both the citrus and grapevine strains of this pathogen.