Soil effect on proanthocyanidins composition of red and white wines obtained from Nero d'Avola and Grillo Vitis vinifera L. Cultivars.

In this study, the effects of the main soil chemical-physical parameters (i.e. texture, pH, total carbonates, cation exchange capacity, electric conductivity, organic matter and mineral endowment) on proanthocyanidin composition of Nero d'Avola red wines and Grillo white wines were investigated. Monomer proanthocyanidins (i.e. (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin) and oligomer proanthocyanidins (i.e. B1, B2, B3 and B4 dimers and C1 trimer), as well as proanthocyanidins subunit composition, percentage of galloylation, percentage of prodelphinidins and mean degree of polymerization, were studied for each wine. Results highlighted that the proanthocyanidins composition of both red and white wines is greatly affected by soil. In particular, the proanthocyanidins composition of Nero d'Avola red wines appeared to be affected by the soil physical-chemical parameters related to nutrients dynamics (CEC, EC, pH, organic matter, mineral endowment), whereas the proanthocyanidins composition of Grillo white wines was mainly influenced by the soil texture, that modulates soil water dynamics.

Identifying carotenoids and phenolic compounds in naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lam. var. Puyo hybrid), an Andean fruit.

The naranjilla or lulo (Solanum quitoense Lam.) is a little known fruit that originated in the Andes. Commonly consumed as a fresh drink, it is particularly appreciated for its aroma. Besides its organoleptic qualities, the naranjilla also seems to have good antioxidant properties. We therefore studied the physicochemical characteristics of variety "Puyo hybrid"; determined its juice composition; identified its carotenoids and phenolic compounds, using HPLC-DAD and HPLC/ESI-MS, respectively, in each fruit part; and measured the antioxidant capacities of each part, using the ORAC and DPPH methods. We found the following bioactive compounds: all-trans-beta-carotene, 13-cis-beta-carotene, and 9-cis-beta-carotene and the lutein (carotenoids); chlorogenic acids and their hexosides in the flesh and placental tissues, and flavonol glycosides in the skin (phenolic compounds); and many dihydrocaffeoyl spermidines in all three parts of the fruit. The naranjilla appeared to be a fruit with good nutritional potential that can provide the basis for a new fruit-drink flavor or other fruit derived-products.

Predominant expression of diploid mandarin leaf proteome in two citrus mandarin-derived somatic allotetraploid hybrids.

Fusion of citrus diploid parental protoplasts generates allotetraploid hybrids which do not retain their parental traits with regard to leaf aroma compound biosynthesis. The aim of this study was thus to examine hybrid leaf proteomes in comparison with their parents. Leaf soluble proteins from two citrus allotetraploid hybrids (mandarin + lime and mandarin + kumquat) and their diploid parents (mandarin, lime, and kumquat) were submitted to 2-D gel electrophoresis. Leaf proteome maps of the tetraploid hybrids were compared with those of their parents on the basis of the presence/absence of spots and of their spot relative volumes. The two allotetraploid hybrid maps were found closer to that of their mandarin parent than to those of their nonmandarin parents in terms of the presence/absence of spots as well as at a quantitative level. This approach has to be related to the already observed dominance of mandarin in allotetraploids with regard to volatile compound biosynthesis in leaves.

Including mutations from conceptually translated expressed sequence tags into orthologous proteins improves the preliminary assignment of peptide mass fingerprints on non-model genomes.

In order to improve protein assignment from peptide mass fingerprints (PMF) in species with incompletely sequenced genomes, the genus-specific mutations deduced from Expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences were included in the complete reading frames of orthologous proteins, resulting in a new searchable in silico protein database. Using this method in tests on four plant species, the MOWSE score of at least 20% more proteins was improved compared to conventional approaches on crude, total proteins, for middle-sized EST projects. Larger contigs are assembled in more important EST projects and this improves the conventional assignment of the most abundant proteins. However, contigs from minor transcripts remain shorter and the assignment of less abundant proteins, such as those isolated following subcellular fractionment, is improved by searching orthologue-EST conceptual chimeras with the PMF spectra. This strategy may be utilized as a tool to identify potential PMF matches that can be then verified by other experimental approaches (tandem mass spectrometry) to ensure the EST matched chimera identification is accurate.

Effects of nucleo-cytoplasmic interactions on leaf volatile compounds from citrus somatic diploid hybrids.

Three diploid citrus somatic hybrids (cybrids) were produced by fusions combining nucellar callus-derived protoplasts of Willow Leaf mandarin (Citrus deliciosa Ten.) and Commune clementine (Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.) with, respectively, leaf protoplasts of Eureka lemon [Citrus limon (L.) Burm.] and Marumi kumquat [Fortunella japonica (Thunb.) Swing.] and leaf protoplasts of Marumi kumquat. Ploidy and origins of the nuclear, chloroplastic, and mitochondrial genomes were investigated by flow cytometry and nuclear and cytoplasmic simple sequence repeat analyses. Volatile compounds were extracted from the leaves of the three cybrids by a pentane/ether (1:1) mixture, analyzed by GC-MS, and compared to those of their parents. The cybrids were found to be very close to their nucleus-giving parent, suggesting that the main information for volatile compounds biosynthesis is contained in the nucleus. However, nucleo-cytoplasmic interactions occurred: the (mandarin + lemon) cybrid, possessing nucleus and chloroplasts of lemon and mitochondria from mandarin, synthesizes more monoterpene alcohols and esters than its nucleus-giving parent; the (clementine + kumquat) cybrid, possessing nucleus from kumquat and organelles from mandarin, synthesizes more monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and sesquiterpene alcohols than its nucleus-giving parent.

Leaf volatile compounds of six citrus somatic allotetraploid hybrids originating from various combinations of lime, lemon, citron, sweet orange, and grapefruit.

Volatile compounds were extracted by a pentane/ether (1:1) mixture from the leaves of six citrus somatic allotetraploid hybrids resulting from various combinations of lime, lemon, citron, sweet orange, and grapefruit. Extracts were examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and compared with those of their respective parents. All hybrids having an acid citrus parent exhibit the same relative contents in hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds as the acid citrus, while the (grapefruit + orange) hybrid behaves similarly to its two parents. When volatile compound contents (microg g(-1)) are examined in detail, several behaviors are encountered in hybrids and seem to depend on the presence/absence of the considered parental compound and on the corresponding hybrid combination. Meanwhile, the sesquiterpene hydrocarbons are present in all hybrids at concentrations systematically lower than those of the highest parental producers. Statistical analyses show that hybrids exhibit hardly discriminable aromatic profiles, meaning that no strong dominance of one or the other parent was observed in hybrids with regards to the leaf volatile compound production.

Leaf volatile compounds of seven citrus somatic tetraploid hybrids sharing willow leaf mandarin (Citrus deliciosa Ten.) as their common parent.

Volatile compounds were extracted by a pentane/ether (1:1) mixture from the leaves of seven citrus somatic tetraploid hybrids sharing mandarin as their common parent and having lime, Eurêka lemon, lac lemon, sweet orange, grapefruit, kumquat, or poncirus as the other parent. Extracts were examined by GC-MS and compared with those of their respective parents. All hybrids were like their mandarin parent, and unlike their nonmandarin parents, in being unable to synthesize monoterpene aldehydes and alcohols. The hybrids did retain the ability, although strongly reduced, of their nonmandarin parents to synthesize sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, alcohols, and aldehydes. These results suggest that complex forms of dominance in the mandarin genome determine the biosynthesis pathways of volatile compounds in tetraploid hybrids. A down-regulation of the biosynthesis of methyl N-methylanthranilate, a mandarin-specific compound, originates from the genomes of the nonmandarin parents. Statistical analyses showed that all of the hybrids were similar to their common mandarin parent in the relative composition of their volatile compounds.