Extracts from pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) leaves: Influence of extraction process on antioxidant properties and yield of phenolic compounds

Different extraction processes were employed to extract the polyphenolic compounds from pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L) leaves: a one-step process using water, ethanol or supercritical CO(2) as solvents, and a two-step process using supercritical CO(2) followed by either water or ethanol. The total polyphenolic compounds, total flavonoids and antioxidant activity were determined in all the extracts obtained. The process performance was evaluated with respect to three variables: global extraction yield, concentration and yield of both polyphenols and flavonoids in the extracts. For the one-step extraction, the results showed that the extraction yield increased with solvent polarity. For the two-step process, the results suggested that water was more efficient in extracting the phenolic compounds from E. uniflora when the matrix was previously extracted with scCO(2). With respect to the antioxidant activity, the ethanolic extracts obtained from both processes, using either the DPPH radical scavenging method or the beta-carotene bleaching method, presented high antioxidant activities. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Garlic powder and wheat bran as fillers: Their effect on the physicochemical properties of edible biocomposites

Biocomposites with two different fillers, garlic and wheat bran, were studied. They were based on cassava starch and contained glycerol as a plasticizer and potassium sorbate as an antimicrobial agent and were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The mechanical performance at room and lower temperatures was also studied. SEM micrographies of fractured surfaces of the wheat bran composite films showed some ruptured particles of fiber while fibrils of garlic on the order of nanometers were observed when garlic composite films were studied. Mechanical tests, at room temperature, showed that the addition of wheat bran led to an increment in the storage modulus (E`) and hardening and a decrease in Tan delta, while the garlic composite showed a diminishing in the E` and hardening and did not produce significant changes in Tan delta values when compared with systems without fillers (matrix). In the range between -90 degrees C and 20 degrees C. all the materials studied presented two peaks in the Tan delta curve. In the case of the wheat bran composite, both relaxation peaks shifted slightly to higher temperatures, broadened and diminished their intensity when compared with those of the matrix; however garlic composite showed a similar behavior to the matrix. DSC thermograms of aqueous systems showed a slight shift of gelatinization temperature (T(gelatinization)) to higher values when the fillers were present. Thermograms of films showed that both, garlic and wheat bran composites, had a lower melting point than the matrix. IR data indicated that interaction between starch and fillers determined an increase in the availability of hydroxyl groups to be involved in a dynamic exchange with water. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Response surface analysis of extract yield and flavour intensity of Brazilian cherry (Eugenia uniflora L.) obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction

This work evaluated the effect of pressure and temperature on yield and characteristic flavour intensity of Brazilian cherry (Eugenia uniflora L) extracts obtained by supercritical CO(2) using response surface analysis, which is a simple and efficient method for first inquiries. A complete central composite 2(2) factorial experimental design was applied using temperature (ranging from 40 to 60 degrees C) and pressure (from 150 to 250 bar) as independent variables. A second order model proved to be predictive (p <= 0.05) for the extract yield as affected by pressure and temperature, with better results being achieved at the central point (200 bar and 50 degrees C). For the flavour intensity, a first order model proved to be predictive (p <= 0.05) showing the influence of temperature. Greater characteristic flavour intensity in extracts was obtained for relatively high temperature (> 50 degrees C), Therefore, as far as Brazilian cherry is concerned, optimum conditions for achieving higher extract yield do not necessarily coincide to those for obtaining richer flavour intensity. Industrial relevance: Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is an emerging clean technology through which one may obtain extracts free from organic solvents. Extract yields from natural products for applications in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries have been widely disseminated in the literature. Accordingly, two lines of research have industrial relevance, namely, (i) operational optimization studies for high SFE yields and (ii) investigation on important properties extracts are expected to present (so as to define their prospective industrial application). Specifically, this work studied the optimization of SFE process to obtain extracts from a tropical fruit showing high intensity of its characteristic flavour, aiming at promoting its application in natural aroma enrichment of processed foods. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Underutilized Annona Species from the Brazilian Cerrado and Amazon Rainforest: A Study on Fatty Acids Profile and Yield of Seed Oils

Annona (Annonaceae) is an important source of fruits in the Brazilian Cerrado and the Amazon Rainforest. Some Annona species are widely commercialized as fresh fruit or as frozen pulp. Seeds are accustomedly discarded. Our main goal was to analyze fatty acids profile from seeds of A. crassiflora and A. coriacea from Cerrado, A. montana from Amazon Forest, and three cultivars (A. cherimola cv. Madeira, A. cherimola x A. squamosa cv. Pink`s Mammonth and A. cherimola x A. squamosa cv. Gefner). The total oil yield ranged between 20 and 42% by weight of dry mass. The A cherimola x A. squamosa cv. Gefner has significantly higher total lipid yield than all other samples. 100 g of fruit of this species present 6-8 g of seeds. Considering the fruit production of Chile (over 221 ton of fruits/year), more than 1300 ton of seed/year could be obtained, which could provide at least 200 ton of seed oil. Oleic acid was predominant for most samples, but for A. montana linoleic acid was the most abundant FA. Phenotypic variation on FAME profile was observed. These new data are an urgent requirement for supporting conservation programs, mainly for Cerrado areas in Brazil.

Separating the wheat from the chaff: unbiased filtering of background tandem mass spectra improves protein identification

Only a small fraction of spectra acquired in LC-MS/MS runs matches peptides from target proteins upon database searches. The remaining, operationally termed background, spectra originate from a variety of poorly controlled sources and affect the throughput and confidence of database searches. Here, we report an algorithm and its software implementation that rapidly removes background spectra, regardless of their precise origin. The method estimates the dissimilarity distance between screened MS/MS spectra and unannotated spectra from a partially redundant background library compiled from several control and blank runs. Filtering MS/MS queries enhanced the protein identification capacity when searches lacked spectrum to sequence matching specificity. In sequence-similarity searches it reduced by, on average, 30-fold the number of orphan hits, which were not explicitly related to background protein contaminants and required manual validation. Removing high quality background MS/MS spectra, while preserving in the data set the genuine spectra from target proteins, decreased the false positive rate of stringent database searches and improved the identification of low-abundance proteins.

Genomic Analysis of Wild Tomato Introgressions Determining Metabolism- and Yield-Associated Traits

With the aim of determining the genetic basis of metabolic regulation in tomato fruit, we constructed a detailed physical map of genomic regions spanning previously described metabolic quantitative trait loci of a Solanum pennellii introgression line population. Two genomic libraries from S. pennellii were screened with 104 colocated markers from five selected genomic regions, and a total of 614 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)/cosmids were identified as seed clones. Integration of sequence data with the genetic and physical maps of Solanum lycopersicum facilitated the anchoring of 374 of these BAC/cosmid clones. The analysis of this information resulted in a genome-wide map of a nondomesticated plant species and covers 10% of the physical distance of the selected regions corresponding to approximately 1% of the wild tomato genome. Comparative analyses revealed that S. pennellii and domesticated tomato genomes can be considered as largely colinear. A total of 1,238,705 bp from both BAC/cosmid ends and nine large insert clones were sequenced, annotated, and functionally categorized. The sequence data allowed the evaluation of the level of polymorphism between the wild and cultivated tomato species. An exhaustive microsynteny analysis allowed us to estimate the divergence date of S. pennellii and S. lycopersicum at 2.7 million years ago. The combined results serve as a reference for comparative studies both at the macrosyntenic and microsyntenic levels. They also provide a valuable tool for fine-mapping of quantitative trait loci in tomato. Furthermore, they will contribute to a deeper understanding of the regulatory factors underpinning metabolism and hence defining crop chemical composition.

DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES OF LOCAL INFLUENCE IN SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF SOYBEAN YIELD

Modeling of spatial dependence structure, concerning geoestatistics approach, is an indispensable tool for fixing parameters that define this structure, applied on interpolation of values in places that are not sampled, by kriging techniques. However, the estimation of parameters can be greatly affected by the presence of atypical observations on sampled data. Thus, this trial aimed at using diagnostics techniques of local influence in spatial linear Gaussians models, applied at geoestatistics in order to evaluate sensitivity of maximum likelihood estimators and restrict maximum likelihood to small perturbations in these data. So, studies with simulated and experimental data were performed. Those results, obtained from the study of real data, allowed us to conclude that the presence of atypical values among the sampled data can have a strong influence on thematic maps, changing, therefore, the spatial dependence. The application of diagnostics techniques of local influence should be part of any geoestatistic analysis, ensuring that the information from thematic maps has better quality and can be used with greater security by farmers.

Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology

Obesity is heritable and predisposes to many diseases. To understand the genetic basis of obesity better, here we conduct a genome-wide association study and Metabochip meta-analysis of body mass index (BMI), a measure commonly used to define obesity and assess adiposity, in upto 339,224 individuals. This analysis identifies 97 BMI-associated loci (P < 5 x 10(-8)), 56 of which are novel. Five loci demonstrate clear evidence of several independent association signals, and many loci have significant effects on other metabolic phenotypes. The 97 loci account for similar to 2.7% of BMI variation, and genome-wide estimates suggest that common variation accounts for >20% of BMI variation. Pathway analyses provide strong support for a role of the central nervous systemin obesity susceptibility and implicate new genes and pathways, including those related to synaptic function, glutamate signalling, insulin secretion/action, energy metabolism, lipid biology and adipogenesis.

Characterization of the Wheat Grain PKABA1-Interacting Protein TaWD40

Abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated gene expression is a critical component of plant responses to this important hormone, which affects plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stresses. Plant responses to ABA are mediated by a number of factors including PKABA1, an ABA induced protein kinase involved in ABA-suppressed gene expression in cereal grains, and TaWD40, which has previously been shown to physically interact with PKABA1. A full-length 1.9 kb TaWD40 cDNA, CK210682, was sequenced as part of this project. Based on the deduced protein sequence, it is thought that TaWD40 may belong to the family of E3 ubiquitin ligases, possibly targeting PKABA1 for destruction. Construction of expression plasmids for overproduction of the TaWD40 polypeptide in E. coli is currently underway. The TaWD40 cDNA has been successfully amplified from the source plasmid and inserted into an intermediate plasmid, pCR2.1. The TaWD40 cDNA is currently being cloned from the pCR2.1 intermediate plasmid into two different expression vectors, pRSET-A and pMAL-c2x, for future protein production and purification.

The Determinants of Recovery Rates on Defaulted Corporate Securities: Why do Fallen Angels recover more than Original High Yield Issues?

Regression analysis has shown that recovery rates are determined by a variety of conditions at the time of default. These conditions can be broken into five major categories: (1) a security's seniority within the capital structure of the defaulting firm, (2) the type of default event, (3) firm-specific factors, (4) industry-specific factors, and (5) macroeconomic factors. Expectations of these inputs determine the expected recovery rate if default were to occur, thereby determining credit ratings and security prices. Although it is widely understood how recovery rate estimates influence credit rating assignments (the higher the expected recovery rate, the higher the assigned credit rating), no research, to the best of my knowledge, has investigated the reasons why higher rated securities recover more than lower rated securities in the event of default. Specifically, this paper will empirically investigate why securities originally rated investment grade, fallen angels, recover more than securities originally rated high yield in the event of default.

Genética do acamamento em trigo (Triticum aestivum L.) e a identificação do caráter para seleção

O problema do acamamento em trigo tem chamado a atenção dos melhoristas devido à severidade dos danos causados as plantas com reflexo no rendimento e na qualidade dos grãos. É um caráter difícil de ser estudado diretamente, dados a múltiplas interações com o ambiente. Muitos trabalhos foram desenvolvidos procurando identificar métodos para seleção indireta. A estatura de planta foi exaustivamente estudada por ser um caráter de alta herdabilidade e fortemente correlacionado com o acamamento; entretanto, plantas com estatura abaixo de 70 cm são inadequadas para o cultivo devido a sua pouca competitividade com as ervas daninhas e por apresentarem dificuldades para a colheita mecanizada. Neste sentido, no presente trabalho foram testados os vários caracteres relacionados com o acamamento e métodos indiretos que possibilitem maiores ganhos na seleção. Foi identificado o coeficiente de resistência do colmo, método internacionalmente conhecido com cLr, como sendo a metodologia mais eficiente para seleção indireta em populações segregantes. Foi também mensurada a dissimilaridade genética entre dez cultivares de trigo recomendadas para cultivo no Rio Grande do Sul e Santa Catarina, no ano 2000, e mais os genótipos IAC 5 e TB 951. A genética do caráter cLr foi estudada através da Análise de Gerações, metodologia também conhecida como Teste de Escala Conjunta. Foram avaliadas a natureza e a magnitude dos efeitos gênicos envolvidos o que ficou determinado que a aditividade e dominância atuam de maneira similar. Não foram encontrados efeitos epistáticos e a herdabilidade no sentido restrito foi de mediana a alta. O caráter cLr parece ser controlado por dois genes independentes com dois alelos cada, sendo que o genótipo duplamente recessivo (aabb) expressou fenotipicamente os valores mais altos para resistência ao acamamento.

Dividend yield e persistência de retornos anormais das ações : evidência do mercado brasileiro

Analisamos, empiricamente, o comportamento dos preços das ações após o anúncio do pagamento de dividendos. Nossa amostra foi constituída de 163 eventos, incluindo as ações mais negociadas na Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo, no período de 1998 a 2000. Encontramos uma relação direta entre o dividend yield e o retomo anormal acumulado destas ações no período pós-pagamento de dividendos, dividindo a amostra em três subamostras, em função do dividend yield. Obtivemos um retomo anormal acumulado, nos 90 dias após o evento, de 21,97% para as empresas que pagaram dividendos mais altos, 5,16% para as companhias que pagaram dividendos intermediários, e -15,50% para as empresas que pagaram dividendos mais baixos. Isto demonstra a persistência dos retornos anormais das ações no período pós-evento. Esta relação foi confirmada quando analisamos os eventos por tipo de controlador da empresa (fundos, estatais ou fanu1ias) e as companhias privatizadas, e quando pesquisamos o retomo acumulado das ações em função do percentual do lucro líquido distribuído sob a forma de dividendos.

Emerging markets yield curve dynamics

This work extendes Diebold, Li and Yueís (2006) about global yield curve and proposes to extend the study by including emerging countries. The perception of emerging market su§ers ináuence of external factors or global factors, is the main argument of this work. We expect to obtain stylized facts.that obey similar pattern found by those authors. The results indicate the existence of global level and global slope factors. These factors represent an important fraction in the bond yield determination and show a decreasing trend of the global level factor low ináuence of global slope factor in these countries when they are compared with developed countries. Keywords: Kalman Filter, Emerging Markets, Yield Curve, and Bond.

Potencial de produção de grãos brasileiros via fertilização e impactos nas emissões de CO2eq

Para todos os municípios Brasileiros foram coletados dados de área plantada, quantidade produzida, tipos de solos e uso do solo, para o Arroz, Feijão, Trigo, Milho e Soja. Com o auxílio de Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG), mapas foram elaborados, e a partir do cruzamento entre eles, produtividades por tipo de solo em áreas antropizadas foram obtidas. A partir das faixas de produtividades esperadas relativas às faixas de dosagem de adubação por nível de disponibilidade de macronutrientes primários (Nitrogênio, Fósforo e Potássio) no solo, recomendadas pela Embrapa (WebAgritec), considerou-se que cada município, sem nenhuma expansão de área, a partir de seu valor real de produtividade em 2011/12, aumentasse a mesma até o valor máximo esperado e correspondente à recomendação de dosagem de adubação relativa à faixa superior de produtividade. Considerou-se um período de dez anos para a subida de um patamar para outro de produtividade, o que permitiu um horizonte temporal das estimativas de 2011/12 até 2061/62. Projetaram-se os Consumos, Dosagens e Eficiências de Adubação, bem como os Balanços de CO2eq para os macronutrientes primários, necessários e resultantes destas novas condições. O horizonte e os volumes de produção agrícolas resultantes foram comparados com as projeções do MAPA 2021/22 e do Outlook Fiesp 2023. O potencial de volume de produção agrícola via fertilização destas cinco culturas e o impacto no balanço de CO2eq são então mensurados, culminando com a possibilidade de significativas antecipações deste volume em termos de número de safras e com o efeito benéfico no balanço de CO2eq, permitindo em virtude das áreas poupadas, postergação expressiva em termos de emissões de CO2eq

Effects of hot and cold smoking processes on organoleptic properties, yield and composition of matrinxa fillet

Foi avaliado o efeito do processo de defumação a quente (45-90ºC/5 horas) e a frio (27-45ºC/10 horas) nas propriedades organolépticas, no rendimento e na composição dos filés de matrinxã (Brycon cephalus). Não houve diferença significativa no rendimento de filés defumados e não-defumados. As perdas no processo de defumação foram significativamente maiores para defumação a quente (19,37%) em comparação à defumação a frio (17,08%). O processo de defumação reduziu a umidade (in natura = 72,91%; defumado a quente = 58,51%; e defumado a frio = 59,68%) e aumentou os teores de proteína bruta, lipídios e cinzas. Houve diferença significativa somente nos teores de proteína no defumado a quente (28,07%) e defumado a frio (27,14%). O processo a frio resultou em melhor aparência e cor de filé, enquanto o processo a quente melhorou o sabor, o teor de sal e a aparência geral. O aroma e a textura não diferiram significativamente entre os processos. O processo de defumação a quente melhora as propriedades organolépticas e os níveis de proteína do filé de matrinxã.