Inhibitory Effect of Olive Phenolic Compounds Isolated from Olive Oil By-Product on Melanosis of Shrimps.

Melanosis is an unsolved problem of the crustacean industry and the cause of great loss of value. This study investigates the effect of two potent, natural antioxidants isolated from olive waste (hydroxytyrosol, HT and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol, DHPG) and three novel HT-derivatives containing selenium and sulfur (dihydroxytyrosyl diselenide, N-hydroxytyrosyl selenourea, and N-hydroxytyrosyl thiourea) on the prevention of melanosis in Atlantic ditch shrimp (Palaemonetes varians) during refrigerated storage. These results clearly demonstrate the positive inhibitory effect of DHPG and dihydroxytyrosyl diselenide on delaying melanosis in vivo, although this effect was not dose dependent. The effect was associated with a concomitant-inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity in vitro. To our knowledge, so far no studies on the prevention of melanosis have been conducted on this small specie of shrimp which is available in large quantities at any time of the year at low cost. Studies with these promising compounds could then be extended to other more economically important species with a greater guarantee of success.

Strawberry Puree Functionalized with Natural Hydroxytyrosol: Effects on Vitamin C and Antioxidant Activity.

The natural antioxidant hydroxytyrosol (HT) was used to functionalize a strawberry puree. The effect of the antioxidant on the stability of the two bioactive forms of vitamin C (ascorbic acid-AA and dehydroascorbic acid-DHAA) in strawberry puree stored at 4 °C, compared with the effect on a model system of AA in water, was investigated. In the absence of HT, the concentration of vitamin C in strawberry puree decreased but not in the model system. Low concentrations of HT in strawberry puree (0.05 and 0.1 mg HT/g puree) stabilized vitamin C and improved its antioxidant activity. However, at high concentrations of HT (from 0.5 mg HT/g puree), although the antioxidant activity improved, degradation of vitamin C occurred. Therefore, the concentration of HT used to obtain a functionalized strawberry puree it is very important. An adequate concentration increases the antioxidant activity and protects vitamin C from degradation, developing a functional food. However, an inadequate concentration of HT affects the vitamin C content, which is essential for the human diet because it cannot be biosynthetized by the organism.

Strawberry dietary fiber functionalized with phenolic antioxidants from olives. Interactions between polysaccharides and phenolic compounds.

The interaction of strawberry cell wall with hydroxytyrosol (HT) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG), two potent phenolic antioxidants naturally found in olive fruit with important biological properties, was investigated. The interaction occurred with drying and seemed to be more complex, strong and irreversible than a simple association. MALDI TOF-TOF analysis suggested covalent (ester bond) and non-covalent (strong hydrogen-bonding, mostly) interactions. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay confirmed that the phenols maintained partially their antioxidant activity after binding to the soluble dietary fraction. This soluble dietary fiber was obtained following digestion simulated in vitro with gastric and intestinal fluids. Although the antioxidant activity of HT and DHPG was affected by the dietary fiber interaction, this activity was restored when polysaccharide size was reduced by enzymatic treatment, suggesting that a similar process could occur in the colon. Thus, the use of this novel antioxidant-enriched soluble dietary fiber as a functional food ingredient could potentially promote intestinal health.

Physical and functional properties of pectin-fish gelatin films containing the olive phenols hydroxytyrosol and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol.

This study describes the development of a composite edible film based on pectin and fish skin protein capable of protecting food from microbial attack and oxidative degradation. The film was prepared with glycerol as plasticizer and the antioxidant and antimicrobial phenolic compounds hydroxytyrosol (HT) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG), extracted from olive fruit, as active agents. The influence of the concentration of plasticizer and active HT/DHPG on the mechanical and functional properties of the films was investigated, with values of water vapor permeability (WVP) between 0.13-0.22gmm/hm2kPa and oxygen permeability (OP) between 9.91-40.76cm3µm/m2dkPa. The release behavior in water at different pH values was also evaluated. The antimicrobial capacity of the novel food coating was tested on strawberries, a fruit with high perishability. The bioactive edible film containing HT/DHPG preserved the strawberries against mold during storage with a significant delay in visible decay.

The Sinorhizobium (Ensifer) fredii HH103 Type 3 Secretion System Suppresses Early Defense Responses to Effectively Nodulate Soybean.

Plants that interact with pathogenic bacteria in their natural environments have developed barriers to block or contain the infection. Phytopathogenic bacteria have evolved mechanisms to subvert these defenses and promote infection. Thus, the type 3 secretion system (T3SS) delivers bacterial effectors directly into the plant cells to alter host signaling and suppress defenses, providing an appropriate environment for bacterial multiplication. Some rhizobial strains possess a symbiotic T3SS that seems to be involved in the suppression of host defenses to promote nodulation and determine the host range. In this work, we show that the inactivation of the Sinorhizobium (Ensifer) fredii HH103 T3SS negatively affects soybean nodulation in the early stages of the symbiotic process, which is associated with a reduction of the expression of early nodulation genes. This symbiotic phenotype could be the consequence of the bacterial triggering of soybean defense responses associated with the production of salicylic acid (SA) and the impairment of the T3SS mutant to suppress these responses. Interestingly, the early induction of the transcription of GmMPK4, which negatively regulates SA accumulation and defense responses in soybean via WRKY33, could be associated with the differential defense responses induced by the parental and the T3SS mutant strain.

Mitochondrial beta-cyanoalanine synthase is essential for root hair formation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Cyanide is stoichiometrically produced as a coproduct of the ethylene biosynthesis pathway and is detoxified by ß-cyanoalanine synthase enzymes. The molecular and phenotypical analysis of T-DNA insertion mutants of the mitochondrial ß-cyanoalanine synthase CYS-C1 suggests that discrete accumulation of cyanide is not toxic for the plant and does not alter mitochondrial respiration rates but does act as a strong inhibitor of root hair development. The cys-c1 null allele is defective in root hair formation and accumulates cyanide in root tissues. The root hair defect is phenocopied in wild-type plants by the exogenous addition of cyanide to the growth medium and is reversed by the addition of hydroxocobalamin or by genetic complementation with the CYS-C1 gene. Hydroxocobalamin not only recovers the root phenotype of the mutant but also the formation of reactive oxygen species at the initial step of root hair tip growth. Transcriptional profiling of the cys-c1 mutant reveals that cyanide accumulation acts as a repressive signal for several genes encoding enzymes involved in cell wall rebuilding and the formation of the root hair tip as well as genes involved in ethylene signaling and metabolism. Our results demonstrate that mitochondrial ß-cyanoalanine synthase activity is essential to maintain a low level of cyanide for proper root hair development.