Mexican grasshopper (Sphenarium purpurascens) as source of high protein flour: Techno-functional characterization, and in silico and in vitro biological potential.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the techno-functional properties of Mexican grasshopper flour with different thermal pretreatments, as well as to assess the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of their protein hydrolysates. Insect flour was thermally treated at 70, 80, 90, and 121 °C. Insect flour protein solubility (184.3 - 278.5 mg/g) was higher at pH 7.0 - 11.0. Thermally processed flour at 70, 80 and 90 °C showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in water/oil holding capacity, emulsion properties and gel minimum concentration. Protein hydrolysates presented antioxidant potential for DPPH (IC50: 0.78 mg/mL), ABTS (IC50: 0.63 mg/mL) and nitric oxide (IC50: 2.21 mg/mL). Protein hydrolysates showed inhibition potential against enzymes COX-2 (IC50: 0.52 mg/mL) and iNOS (IC50: 0.51 mg/mL) in biochemical trials. Molecular docking showed that from the 37 identified peptide sequences, GPPGPAGV (-9.5 kcal/mol) and KPTVGVVTY (-10.4 kcal/mol) have the lower binding energies for COX-2 and iNOS, respectively. S. purpurascens flour and protein hydrolysates could be used as a functional ingredient.

Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Activity, and Antinutritional Content of Legumes: A Comparison between Four Phaseolus Species.

Beans (Phaseolus spp.) are one of the most important legumes for their nutritional value and health benefits in many world regions. In addition to Phaseolus vulgaris, there are four additional species that are cultivated in many regions of the world and are a source of food for human consumption: P. lunatus, P. coccineus, P. polyanthus, and P. acutifolius. In this work, phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and anti-nutritional compounds of 18 bean accessions, corresponding to four different species of the genus Phaseolus, were analyzed. In addition, their physical characteristics, proximate composition, and amino acid content were determined in order to compare their phytochemical composition and nutritional value. The species closest to each other in terms of essential amino acid content were P. polyanthus with P. vulgaris and P. lunatus with P. coccineus. Furthermore, there was a strong positive correlation between antioxidant activity and flavonoids, anthocyanins, and lectins with all the accessions collected. Significant differences in the content of phenolic compounds were found among the bean species studied. Therefore, in addition to P. vulgaris, other species such as P. coccineus and P. lunatus have high biological and antioxidant potential that could be beneficial to human health when consumed as nutraceutical foods.

Complete Genome Sequence of Xanthomonas vesicatoria Bacteriophage ΦXaF18, a Contribution to the Biocontrol of Bacterial Spot of Pepper in Mexico.

Bacteriophage ΦXaF18 infects Xanthomonas vesicatoria, which is the causal agent of bacterial spot in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). In this announcement, we present the complete genome of X. vesicatoria bacteriophage ΦXaF18, a 47,407-bp genome with 67 protein-coding genes.

Bactericidal In-Vitro Effect of Zinc Ferrite Nanoparticles and the Orange Wax Extracts on Three Phytopathogen Microorganisms.

Phytopathogenic bacteria affect a wide variety of crops, causing significant economic losses. Natural biocides are the alternative to chemical methods of phytopathogens control. The goal of the present study is the evaluation of the biocidal activity of the following: 1) the extract of orange wax (EOW); 2) zinc ferrite nanoparticles (ZF-NPs); 3) the EOW adsorbed on the ZF-NPs; and 4) the EOW/ZF-NPs washed with 40% ethanol. For the biocidal activity, three phytopathogenic bacteria were used, namely, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Vesicatoria (Xav) Erwinia amylovora (Ew), and Pseudomonas syringae pv. Phaseolicola (Psph). For the ZF-NPs, an inhibitory effect higher than 50% ( ) was observed for Xav respect to the antibiotic used as positive control. On the other hand, the ZF-NPs did not show inhibitory effects on both Ew and Psph. In addition, the EOW in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at 100% caused growth inhibition on Xav, bacteriostatic activity on Ew, and had not biological activity on Psph. To the best of our knowledge, the control of Xav by zinc ferrites and orange wax, and the bacteriostatic effect produced by orange wax extract on Ew have not been reported elsewhere. Orange wax and zinc ferrite nanoparticles show potential in control of phytopathogenic bacteria. However, the bactericidal effect depends on the bacterium, the concentration of treatments, and the method of preparation.

Diversity and genetic population structure of fungal pathogens infecting white grub larvae in agricultural soils.

White grub larvae are important soil-dwelling pests in many regions of Mexico as they attack many important crops such as maize. The use of synthetic chemicals is currently the main control strategy, but they are not always effective; thus, other alternatives are needed. Microbial control using entomopathogenic fungi represents an important alternative strategy, and species within the genera Beauveria and Metarhizium are considered amongst the most promising candidates. Seventeen Beauveria spp. and two Metarhizium spp. isolates were obtained in surveys of white grub larvae from different regions of Guanajuato, Mexico. All isolates were capable of infecting healthy larvae of the white grub Phyllophaga polyphilla in laboratory assays, but mortality never exceeded 50 %. Isolates were identified using morphological and molecular methods. Based on elongation factor1-α and ITS partial gene sequence data, all Beauveria isolates were identified as Beauveria pseudobassiana. Elongation factor1-α and ß-tubulin sequence data identified the Metarhizium isolates to be Metarhizium pingshaense. In contrast, three additional Metarhizium isolates obtained the previous year in the same region were identified as M. pingshaense, Metarhizium anisopliae and Metarhizium robertsii. Microsatellite genotyping showed that all B. pseudobassiana isolates were the same haplotype. Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus fingerprinting information confirmed no significant variation amongst the B. pseudobassiana isolates. The ecological role of these isolates and their impact on white grub larvae populations are discussed.