A multiparameter study was performed to evaluate the effect of fondaco, a traditional ripening cellar without any artificial temperature and relative humidity control, on the chemical, ...microbiological, and sensory characteristics of Protected Geographical Indication Canestrato di Moliterno cheese. Ripening in such a nonconventional environment was associated with lower counts of lactococci, lactobacilli, and total viable bacteria, and higher presence of enterococci, in comparison with ripening in a controlled maturation room. Moreover, fondaco cheese underwent accelerated maturation, as demonstrated by faster casein degradation, greater accumulation of free AA, and higher formation of volatile organic compounds. Secondary proteolysis, as assessed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of free AA and low molecular weight peptides, did not show any qualitative difference among cheeses, but fondaco samples evidenced an advanced level of peptidolysis. On the other hand, significant qualitative differences were observed in the free fatty acid profiles and in the sensory characteristics. Principal component analysis showed a clear separation of the fondaco and control cheeses, indicating that ripening in the natural room conferred unique sensory features to the product.
Lagoecia cuminoides L. is a very rare and threatened taxon in Italy, never studied before for its ecology and potential use for human consumption. Furthermore, few data are available on the ...biological activities of its metabolites. A phytosociological study was carried out in the only two Italian sites, and its state of conservation was also evaluated according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) protocol. The collected plant material was used to make two types of extracts: hot water infusion to evaluate the use of this plant as tea and hydroalcoholic extraction to evaluate the use of it in herbal liqueur preparation. The presence of functional compounds in the extracts were investigated by gas and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry techniques. Ten non volatiles compounds were identified in the extracts, most of which derivatives of quercetin. Thirty-five volatiles compounds were also identified in the plant aerial part and extracts belonging to the chemical class of terpenoids, and among them β-farnesene, thymol, γ-terpinene and p-cymene were the most abundant. The species is characterized by compounds known for their health effects and for its potential applications for human consumption, being this species already used as decoction in some countries of Middle East. Thanks to its characteristic behaviour to grow in limiting pedoclimatic conditions this species can be potentially used in organic farms situated in rural marginal areas.
The study focused on the effects of ecology (plant communities and topographical data) on composition of essential oils (EOs) of some officinal wild plant species (Lamiales):
subsp.
,
subsp.
and
, in ...different environments of Apulia (Italy).
and
subsp.
are rare species of conservation interest, while
subsp.
and
, have a wide distribution and are used in traditional medicine or as spices. Results showed that the ecological context (phytosociological and ecological features) may influence the composition of EOs of the studied species. High differences in the compound composition have been found in
subsp.
, whereas minor effects were observed in
,
subsp.
, and
accessions. The understanding of such aspects is necessary for providing optimal conditions to produce EOs rich in compounds known for their biological activities. The results are of great interest also for EOs producers and at the same time to improve our knowledge and valorize wild officinal plants.
•The olive leaves represent a source of bioactive compounds.•A green extraction method of biophenols from leave olives was set-up.•Leaves extracts exhibit a good antioxidant ability.
Olive leaves and ...their extracts are associated with food preservation and health, and are used in folk medicine to treat several diseases, mainly because of their polyphenols. In this investigation polyphenols were extracted from olive leaves using green solvents and evaluated the antioxidant activity of the extracts. Polyphenols were extracted from fresh, freeze-dried, and hot air-dried leaves using either ethanol/water mixtures (70:30, 30:70, v/v) or water alone. Antioxidant activity was assessed in bronchial epithelial NCI-H292 cells by measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS) and in vegetable oil by measuring oxygen consumption. Results showed that extracts with a good antioxidant activity could be obtained when leaves were pre-treated by hot air-drying. The use of water alone as the extraction solvent gave results comparable to those obtained with ethanol/water (30:70, v/v). These extracts were particularly rich in oleuropein, and had anti-ROS effects in NCI-H292 cells and antioxidant activity in vegetable oil.
This study evaluated the effects of ecology (plant community, topography and pedology), as well as of climate, on the composition of essential oils (EOs) from two officinal wild plant species ...(Lamiales) from Apulia, namely Satureja cuneifolia Ten. and Thymus spinulosus Ten. Few scientific data on their chemical composition are available, due to the fact that the first has a limited distribution range and the second is endemic of southern Italy. Results for both species, never officially used in traditional medicine and/or as spices, showed that the ecological context (from a phytosociological and ecological point of view) may influence their EO composition, and hence, yield chemotypes different from those reported in the literature. S. cuneifolia and Th. spinulosus can be considered good sources of phytochemicals as natural agents in organic agriculture due to the presence of thymol and α-pinene. Overall, the obtained trend for EOs suggests a potential use of both species as food, pharmacy, cosmetics and perfumery. Hence, their cultivation and use represent a positive step to reduce the use of synthetic chemicals and to meet the increasing demand for natural and healthier products.
General Aviation (GA) demand forecast plays an important role in aviation management, planning and policy making. The objective of this paper is to develop an airport-level GA demand forecast model. ...The GA demand at an airport is modeled as a function of social-economic and demographic factors, the availability of supply factors, the competition from the commercial aviation, the number of based aircraft, and the presence of a flight school. Our models suggest that the relative fuel price – fuel price compared with personal income – is a significant determinant of airport level GA demand. The elasticity of itinerant and local GA demand with respect to the relative fuel price is −0.43 and −0.52, respectively. Our results are compared with those reported in other studies. Furthermore, we made projections of GA demand for the airports in the Terminal Area Forecast (TAF) using three fuel price scenarios from the Energy Information Administration. Our projections under the “business-as-usual” fuel price scenario are close to those in the TAF. Our models could prove useful, for example, for the Federal Aviation Administration and airport planners to prepare airport-level GA demand forecast.
•We identified the determinants of the airport-level GA demand.•A 10% increase in the relative fuel price causes a 4.3% drop in itinerant demand.•A 10% increase in the relative fuel price causes a 5.2% drop in local demand.•We provided projections of demand for the airports in the Terminal Area Forecast.•GA demand would have a mild recovery under the “business-as-usual” scenario.
The lack of sustainable strategies for combating
(
) highlights the pressing need for novel practical antibacterial tools. In this study,
subsp.
strain ATCC 11454 (
), known for its production of ...nisin A, was
tested against
subsp.
. Preliminary investigations showed that nisin A was involved in a strong antagonistic activity exhibited by
against
. Thus, the efficacy of nisin A was comprehensively assessed through a combination of
and
experiments.
investigations employing viable-quantitative PCR, spot assay, turbidity reduction assay, fluorescence microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated nisin's robust bactericidal effect on
at a minimal lethal concentration of 0.6 mg/mL. Moreover, results from fluorescence and transmission electron microscopies indicated that nisin directly and rapidly interacts with the membranes of
cells, leading to the destruction of bacterial cells in few minutes. In
tests, nisin also demonstrated the ability to tackle
infections within
plants that remained asymptomatic 74 days post inoculation. Furthermore, RPLC-ESI-MS/MS analyses showed that nisin translocated to all parts of the plants and remains intact for up to 9 days. For the first time, this study underscores the nisin-based strategy as a realistic and eco-friendly approach to be further investigated against
infections in the field.
An ultrasound (US) treatment was applied during the vinification of three different red grape cultivars with the aim of assessing the impact on the volatile profile of the wines. A robust solid phase ...micro extraction coupled with gas chromatography mass-spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) method was developed in order to fix the best parameters for optimizing the volatile organic compound (VOC) recovery. A 15% NaCl solution was added to the samples to increase the salting-out effect, the time/temperature were appropriately selected, and the matrix effect was evaluated by comparing synthetic and real matrices. In addition, external calibration curves were used to quantify the single volatile compounds. The analyses of the wine samples at 7 and 14 months of aging revealed that US exerted the highest effect on Aglianico, which had the highest amount of total VOC. US Nero di Troia showed similar results after 14 months of aging, while Primitivo was not affected by the treatment. Nevertheless, from discriminant analysis, a clear separation was observed between the control and ultrasound-treated wines for all three cultivars, with ethyl decanoate, ethyl isopentyl succinate, and butyric acid having the highest discriminant coefficients. In conclusion, the obtained results indicated that the effect of US treatment on the VOC profile of the wine considered in the experimentation is cultivar-dependent.
•Fermented Portulaca oleracea L. resulted in decreased level of oxalic acid.•Fermentation enhanced the levels of GABA and linalool.•Bioconversion of oleraceins might underlie the increased ...antioxidant activity.•PUFAs were likely metabolized to functional derivatives.•Novel functional attitudes of L. kunkeii have been highlighted.
This study aimed to explore common purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) as potential raw substrate to develop novel functional preparations through lactic acid fermentation. Different lactic acid bacteria were used as single starter. P. oleracea fermented with Lactobacillus kunkeii B7 and Lactobacillus plantarum POM1 resulted in decreased levels (ca. 30%) of oxalic acid, which is commonly recognized as an anti-nutritional compound. Lactobacillus brevis POM4 enhanced by ca. 400% the concentration of γ-amino butyric acid, a non-protein amino acid with various physiological functions. Fermentation of P. oleracea led to a marked increase of α-linalool, a monoterpene compounds with various pharmacological properties. Bioconversion of oleraceins by L. kunkeii B7 is likely responsible for the increased antioxidant activity. The decrease of polyunsaturated fatty acids potentially underlined the synthesis of various derivatives with potential health or nutritional effects. Hence lactic acid fermentation of P. oleracea is a powerful tool to achieve standardized functional foods.
Historical airport-level General Aviation (GA) activity plays an important role in airport managerial and operational decision-making processes. We developed a model to estimate historical ...percentages of itinerant GA operations by four aircraft types and two flight rules. The model is formulated as a least-square optimization model and can be applied to both towered and nontowered airports. We applied the model to airports in the Terminal Area Forecast and compared model estimates with the observed statistics. This study provides a method that could be used in the decision-making processes that require detailed historical GA operations.