Potential treatments to reduce phorbol esters levels in jatropha seed cake for improving the value added product.

Jatropha seed cake contains high amounts of protein and other nutrients, however it has a drawback due to toxic compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the methods applied to detoxify the main toxin, phorbol esters in jatropha seed cake, to a safe and acceptable level by maintaining the nutritional values. Phorbol esters are tetracyclic diterpenoids-polycyclic compounds that are known as tumor promoters and hence exhibited the toxicity within a broad range of species. Mismanagement of the jatropha waste from jatropha oil industries would lead to contamination of the environment, affecting living organisms and human health through the food chain, so several methods were tested for reducing the toxicity of the seed cake. The results from this investigation showed that heat treatments at either 120°C or 220°C for 1 hour and then mixing with adsorbing bentonite (10%), nanoparticles of zinc oxide (100 µg/g) plus NaHCO3 at 4%, followed by a 4-week incubation period yielded the best final product. The remaining phorbol esters concentration (0.05-0.04 mg/g) from this treatment was less than that reported for the nontoxic jatropha varieties (0.11-0.27 mg/g). Nutritional values of the seed cake after treatment remained at the same levels found in the control group and these values were crude protein (20.47-21.40 + 0.17-0.25%), crude lipid (14.27-14.68 + 0.13-0.14%) and crude fiber (27.33-29.67 + 0.58%). A cytotoxicity test conducted using L929 and normal human dermal fibroblast cell lines confirmed that most of the toxic compounds, especially phorbol esters, were shown as completely eliminated. The results suggested that the detoxification of phorbol esters residues in the jatropha seed cake was possible while it also retained nutritional values. Therefore, the methods to detoxify phorbol esters are necessary to minimize the toxicity of jatropha seed cake. Further, it is essential to reduce the possible environmental impacts that may be generated throughout the jatropha waste-handling process. However additional tests such as digestibility as well as acceptability of the treated jatropha seed cake should be conducted using both in vivo and in vitro studies before recommending the jatropha seed cake as a source of renewable animal feed and other value-added products.

Effect of salinity on adsorption and desorption of paraquat in Pak Phanang river sediment, Thailand.

Batch experiments were conducted to study the effect of salinity (0-30 g L(-1)) on adsorption and desorption of paraquat (1, 1'-dimethyl-4, 4'-dipyridylium dichloride), one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, in sediment of Pak Phanang River Basin, Thailand. Sediments from five locations were used in the studies (two from freshwater sites and three sites under saline environment). The adsorption capacity (K(f)) of the sediments was positively correlated with CEC (r = 0.81**) and clay content (r = 0.70*). Paraquat adsorption by sediment was faster under fresh water (0 g L(-1)) versus saline conditions (10 and 20 g L(-1)). The adsorption coefficient (K(f)) at low salinity (0 g L(-1)) was 17,302 whereas the K(f) at 10 and 20 g L(-1) were 5,344 and 4,263, respectively. Paraquat desorption was greater at higher salinity, which is similar to the salinity of estuarine or seawater. Approximately 12-31 % of sorbed paraquat in fresh water and saline sediment (7.67 and 7.98 mg kg(-1)) were released when leaching with 20 g L(-1) salinity. The amount of paraquat released was in proportion to the amount sorbed. Results show that increases in salinity resulting from salt water intrusion from the lower estuary into the Pak Phanang River Basin would result in release of adsorbed paraquat from sediment into the water column.

Relationship between sediment clay minerals and total mercury.

A group of 262 sediment samples were collected from various lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and bayous of Louisiana. All samples were analyzed for total mercury. Twenty nine of the samples with total mercury content ranging from 11 to 401 ppb (µg/kg) were analyzed for clay minerals and other sediment physical and chemical properties. Clay content in sediments varied from 3 to 72%. Clay minerals were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Identification of clay minerals was determined by MacDiff software and quantification of clay minerals was obtained by Peak Height Percentage (PHP) calculation. The dominant clay mineral was Hydrated Interlayer Vermiculite (HIV), which represented 51-83% of the total clay mineral. Significant linear correlations were observed between Hg and total clay content (r=0.538**). However Smectite was the only individual clay type correlated (r=0.465**) with mercury in sediment. Cation exchange capacity (r=0.404*), organic matter (r=0.577**), and sulfur (r=0.676**) were also correlated significantly with mercury level in sediment.

Characterization of Haplotype Diversity in the BADH2 Aroma Gene and Development of a KASP SNP Assay for Predicting Aroma in U.S. Rice.

BACKGROUND: Aroma is an important grain quality trait in rice, controlled by mutations within the BADH2 gene. The trait is simply inherited, and its importance in variety development makes it a practical target for marker-assisted selection in applied breeding programs. The predominant functional mutation within BADH2, an 8-bp indel, can be reliably detected using a PCR-based assay, but the available assays and associated genotyping platforms are insufficient for large-scale applied molecular breeding applications and are not compatible with outsourcing genotyping services. RESULTS: We first characterized SNP diversity across the BADH2 gene in a collection of 2932 rice varieties to determine the number of gene haplotypes in O. sativa. Using 297 gene-based SNPs, 11 haplotype groups were detected, and subsequently identified a minimal set of nine informative SNPs that uniquely identified the BADH2 haplotypes. These nine SNPs were developed into KASP assays and used to examine a panel of 369 U.S. rice accessions. The panel represented modern breeding germplasm and included all known aroma pedigree sources in U.S. rice. Six haplotypes were detected within the U.S. panel, of which two were found in majority (85%) of varieties. A representative set of 39 varieties from all haplotype groups was evaluated phenotypically to distinguish aromatic from non-aromatic lines. CONCLUSION: One haplotype (Hap 6) was found to be perfectly associated with the aromatic phenotype. A single KASP SNP unique to Hap 6 was demonstrated to reliably differentiate aromatic from non-aromatic rice varieties across U.S. germplasm.

Aroma, Quality, and Consumer Mindsets for Shelf-Stable Rice Thermally Processed by Reciprocal Agitation.

Food engineering, food chemistry, and consumer segmentation were used to evaluate ready-to-eat rice. The aromatic Louisiana Clearfield Jazzman (CJ) and Thai Jasmine (TJ), and a non-aromatic parboiled (PB) rice were hydrated during the first 10 min of processing with reciprocal agitation followed by static retort processing. The aroma compound, 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) was more heat-stable in CJ than TJ rice but decreased 15-fold compared to the rice cooker method. Pareto analysis indicated that rice type and agitation had the main effect on amylose and total starch and chroma and hue. Color differences of rice agitated during hydration and between rice cooker or static retort processed rice, indicated only slight differences for each rice variety. Hydration of dry rice during retort cooking and similar starch, color, and aroma quality were achieved with reciprocal compared to static or rice cooker methods. Survey responses categorized consumers into three, mindsets driven by rice consumption, convenience, or packaging.

Mercury adsorption in the Mississippi River deltaic plain freshwater marsh soil of Louisiana Gulf coastal wetlands.

Mercury adsorption characteristics of Mississippi River deltaic plain (MRDP) freshwater marsh soil in the Louisiana Gulf coast were evaluated under various conditions. Mercury adsorption was well described by pseudo-second order and Langmuir isotherm models with maximum adsorption capacity of 39.8 mg g-1. Additional fitting of intraparticle model showed that mercury in the MRDP freshwater marsh soil was controlled by both external surface adsorption and intraparticle diffusion. The partition of adsorbed mercury (mg g-1) revealed that mercury was primarily adsorbed into organic-bond fraction (12.09) and soluble/exchangeable fraction (10.85), which accounted for 63.5% of the total adsorption, followed by manganese oxide-bound (7.50), easily mobilizable carbonate-bound (4.53), amorphous iron oxide-bound (0.55), crystalline Fe oxide-bound (0.41), and residual fraction (0.16). Mercury adsorption capacity was generally elevated along with increasing solution pH even though dominant species of mercury were non-ionic HgCl2, HgClOH and Hg(OH)2 at between pH 3 and 9. In addition, increasing background NaCl concentration and the presence of humic acid decreased mercury adsorption, whereas the presence of phosphate, sulfate and nitrate enhanced mercury adsorption. Mercury adsorption in the MRDP freshwater marsh soil was reduced by the presence of Pb, Cu, Cd and Zn with Pb showing the greatest competitive adsorption. Overall the adsorption capacity of mercury in the MRDP freshwater marsh soil was found to be significantly influenced by potential environmental changes, and such factors should be considered in order to manage the risks associated with mercury in this MRDP wetland for responding to future climate change scenarios.

Distribution of arsenic and other metals in crayfish tissues (Procambarus clarkii) under different production practices.

Louisiana is one of the world's largest producer of crayfish. Arsenic (As) and other metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) concentrations were determined in crayfish tissues, plant and soil samples collected from Louisiana paddy rice fields, where crayfish/rice rotation farming is a common practice. The samples were collected from November 2013 to April 2014 from three different crayfish farming systems. Concentration of As in rice grain, rice straw, and native vegetation ranged between 0.33 and 0.41, 3.14-4.93, and 3.26-5.89mgkg-1, respectively. The highest As levels in the crayfish external and internal body parts were found in gill (4.04±1.70mgkg-1), followed by hepatopancreas (3.42±1.57mgkg-1), exoskeleton (1.52±0.85mgkg-1), and muscle (1.50±0.69mgkg-1). Positive correlations between As levels in the crayfish muscle and the plant tissue on which they feed were found in all farming systems (r=0.405-0.438). The biomagnification factor (BMF) of As in different tissues varied between 0.29 and 1.08, having gill and hepatopancreas were the highest As accumulation while the lowest biomagnification was observed in crayfish muscle tissues which is a food source for human. The As levels along with other metals in crayfish muscle tissue were in acceptable levels for human consumption under all crayfish/rice rotation practices. Further studies are needed in determining the percentage of organic and inorganic arsenic in crayfish tissue.

Total mercury and methylmercury in freshwater and salt marsh soils of the Mississippi river deltaic plain.

Mercury entering wetland environments can be microbially methylated to methylmercury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the historical rate of mercury accumulation and distribution of total and methylmercury in soil profile of Louisiana coastal marshes. Two sediment cores each were taken from Louisiana freshwater marsh and salt marsh. Vertical accretion was determined using the 137Cs dating technique. Total and methylmercury were determined with depth in the soil profiles. The fresh marsh soil on a dry weight basis contained more total and methylmercury than the salt marsh. Average vertical accretion rates in freshwater marsh and salt marsh were 0.90 and 0.75 cm year(-1), respectively. Average total and methylmercury content (to a depth of 30 cm) was 140 and 4.19 microg kg(-1) and 80 and 1.34 microg kg(-1) for the fresh and salt marsh, respectively. Due to greater sediment input resulting in a higher bulk density the salt marsh contained more total mercury per m2 (to 30 cm depth) than the fresh water marsh (5340 microg m(-2) as compared to 2929 microg m(-2)). The amount of methylmercury per m2 to depth of 30 cm was approximately the same for each marsh.

Total Hg and methyl Hg distribution in sediments of selected Louisiana water bodies.

Sediment samples (543) collected from selected Louisiana streams and lakes were analyzed for total Hg and methyl Hg content. The average total Hg content among 543 samples was 92.3 +/- 95.1 microg kg(-1). The average methyl Hg content in the samples was 0.68 +/- 0.80 microg kg(-1). Methyl Hg accounted for an average of 0.73% of the total Hg in sediment. Linear regression analysis of total Hg versus methyl Hg content of the sediment showed methyl Hg content was significantly correlated to total Hg content of sediment (P > 0.01, n = 537) and sediment organic matter content. (P > 0.01, n = 536) Methyl Hg was also positively correlated to clay (P > 0.01, n = 537) and inversely correlated to sand content of sediment (P > 0.01, n = 537). Total Hg and methyl Hg content in these sediments was within the normal range reported elsewhere indicating no significant industrial or municipal Hg contamination. A comparison of selected water bodies with fishing advisories showed no relationship to total Hg and methyl Hg in sediment.