Conversion of hydroxycinnamic acids by Furfurilactobacillus milii in sorghum fermentations: Impact on profile of phenolic compounds in sorghum and on ecological fitness of Ff. milii.

The conversion of phenolic compounds by lactobacilli in food fermentations contributes to food quality. The metabolism of phenolics by lactobacilli has been elucidated in the past years but information on the contribution of specific enzymes in food fermentations remains scarce. This study aimed to address this gap by disruption of genes coding for the hydroxycimmanic acid reductase Par1, the hydroxycinnamic acid decarboxylase Pad, the hydrocinnamic esterase EstR, and strains with disruption of all three genes in Furfurilactobacillus milii FUA3583. The conversion of phenolics by Ff. milii and its isogenic mutants in sorghum fermentations was studied by LC-UV and LC-UV-MS/MS analyses. Ff. milii FUA3583 converted hydroxycinnamic acids predominantly with Par1. Vinylphenols were detected only in mutants lacking par1. A phenotype for the estR defective mutant was not identified. The formation of pyrano-3-deoxyanthocyanidins was observed only after fermentation with strains expressing Pad. Specifically, formation of these compounds was low with Ff. milii FUA3583, substantially increased in the Par1 mutant and abolished in all mutants with disrupted pad. Competition experiments with Ff. milii FUA3583 and its isogenic mutants demonstrated that expression of one of the two metabolic pathways for hydroxycinnamic acids increases the ecological fitness of the strain. Disruption of EstR in a Δpar1Δpar2Δpad background improved ecological fitness, indirectly demonstrating a phenotype of the esterase in Ff. milii. The documentation of the functionality of genes coding for conversion of hydroxycinnamic acids may support the selection of starter cultures for improved quality of fermented cereal products.

Influence of Grape Cell Wall Polysaccharides on the Extraction of Polyphenols during Fermentation in Microvinifications.

Grape cell wall polysaccharides influence the extraction of phenolic compounds during winemaking and consequently polyphenol concentrations in the final wine. During ripening, both compound groups undergo pronounced structural and compositional changes, resulting in a dynamic change of extractability. Grape cell wall polysaccharides from different ripe grapes were added to fermentations of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot noir grapes. Polyphenol-polysaccharide interactions affected the concentrations of tannins and monomeric flavanols in the wines depending on the maturity of the added polysaccharides. With higher polysaccharide maturity, the effects became more pronounced. Polysaccharides protected monomeric flavanols and tannin in Pinot noir, thereby increasing the concentrations, but they precipitated or masked these compounds in Cabernet Sauvignon. The added polysaccharides affected the concentrations in anthocyanins and polymeric pigments much less compared to the ripening status of the grapes. It was concluded that structural changes of polysaccharides during ripening affect the extraction of tannins and monomeric flavanols the most.

An integrative approach to species discovery in odonates: from character-based DNA barcoding to ecology.

Modern taxonomy requires an analytical approach incorporating all lines of evidence into decision-making. Such an approach can enhance both species identification and species discovery. The character-based DNA barcode method provides a molecular data set that can be incorporated into classical taxonomic data such that the discovery of new species can be made in an analytical framework that includes multiple sources of data. We here illustrate such a corroborative framework in a dragonfly model system that permits the discovery of two new, but visually cryptic species. In the African dragonfly genus Trithemis three distinct genetic clusters can be detected which could not be identified by using classical taxonomic characters. In order to test the hypothesis of two new species, DNA-barcodes from different sequence markers (ND1 and COI) were combined with morphological, ecological and biogeographic data sets. Phylogenetic analyses and incorporation of all data sets into a scheme called taxonomic circle highly supports the hypothesis of two new species. Our case study suggests an analytical approach to modern taxonomy that integrates data sets from different disciplines, thereby increasing the ease and reliability of both species discovery and species assignment.

Red drifters and dark residents: the phylogeny and ecology of a Plio-Pleistocene dragonfly radiation reflects Africa's changing environment (Odonata, Libellulidae, Trithemis).

In the last few million years, tropical Africa has experienced pronounced climatic shifts with progressive aridification. Such changes must have had a great impact on freshwater biota, such as Odonata. With about forty species, Trithemis dominates dragonfly communities across Africa, from rain-pools to streams, deserts to rainforests, and lowlands to highlands. Red-bodied species tend to favor exposed, standing and often temporary waters, have strong dispersal capacities, and some of the largest geographic ranges in the genus. Those in cooler habitats, like forest streams, are generally dark-bodied and more sedentary. We combined molecular analyses of ND1, 16S, and ITS (ITSI, 5.8S, and ITSII) with morphological, ecological, and geographical data for 81% of known Trithemis species, including three Asian and two Madagascan endemics. Using molecular clock analyses, the genus's origin was estimated 6-9Mya, with multiple lineages arising suddenly around 4Mya. Open stagnant habitats were inferred to be ancestral and the rise of Trithemis may have coincided with savannah-expansion in the late Miocene. The adaptation of red species to more ephemeral conditions leads to large ranges and limited radiation within those lineages. By contrast, three clades of dark species radiated in the Plio-Pleistocene, each within distinct ecological confines: (1) lowland streams, (2) highland streams, and (3) swampy habitats on alternating sides of the Congo-Zambezi watershed divide; together giving rise to the majority of species diversity in the genus. During Trithemis evolution, multiple shifts from open to more forested habitats and from standing to running waters occurred. Allopatry by habitat fragmentation may be the dominant force in speciation, but possibly genetic divergence across habitat gradients was also involved. The study demonstrates the importance of combining ecological and phylogenetic data to understand the origin of biological diversity under great environmental change.