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Raspberries are important sources of bioactive compounds, whose synthesis is influenced by the fertilization system and the maturity stage. This study evaluated the effect of organic and conventional fertilization systems on raspberries at three maturity stages, pink, ripe, and overripe. Physicochemical characteristics, bioactive compounds (phenolic profile, vitamin C), antioxidant capacity (DPPH, FRAP, TEAC, and ORAC), phenolic-associated enzyme, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), and antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPx, and APX) were evaluated. The physicochemical determination of the fruit did not reveal differences between fertilization systems. Regarding bioactive compounds, higher content of anthocyanins was found in organic raspberries at all maturity stages. Organic fertilization increased the content of ellagic acid and gallic acid at all stages of maturity. Higher content of caffeic, hydroxybenzoic, protocatechuic acid, and vitamin C was observed in organic raspberry at the overripe stage. Raspberries grown with organic fertilization exhibited higher values of antioxidant capacity by the DPPH, FRAP, and TEAC methods at all maturity stages. Raspberries under organic fertilization showed significantly greater activity of CAT, SOD, APX, GPX, and PAL. The present study suggests that organic fertilization induces oxidative stress causing an increase in antioxidant defense mechanisms, enhancing bioactive compound production, and improving antioxidant capacity in raspberries.

European foulbrood is one of the primary diseases in bee larvae ( Apis mellifera ). Its causal agent, Melissococcus plutonius , has been classified into three clonal complexes (CC12, CC3, and CC13), showing phenotypic variations among their virulence. The pathogenic mechanisms of the clonal complexes used to kill larvae are not fully understood. Tyramine, a monoamine used by some bacteria to adapt to stress conditions, could be a potential virulence factor of M. plutonius . Therefore, the ability of M. plutonius to produce tyramine was evaluated in this study using biochemical and genetic tools, in addition to the quantification of tyramine by HPLC in each clonal complex. CC12 showed high tyramine production and better adaptability to acidic environments than CC3 and CC13. Additionally, the toxicity of tyramine in bee larvae was evaluated by determining an LD 50 of 0.172 mg/mL. These results show the influence that tyramine may have in the first steps of the pathogenicity process of M. plutonius , allowing it to better survive in acidic environments.

The incorporation of Arthrospira platensis into dairy products offers health benefits but is limited by its undesirable aroma and flavor. This study evaluated three deodorization strategies—adsorption by activated carbon, extraction with ethanol, and fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae—to improve the sensory profile of A. platensis and enhance its acceptability in yogurt. Deodorized powders were characterized for proximal and volatile composition and used to formulate yogurts at five concentrations (0.5–2.5% w/v). Texture, aroma volatile profile, and sensory attributes were assessed after yogurt production, while shelf-life quality attributes were monitored over 29 days of refrigerated storage. Yogurts containing fermented A. platensis showed higher sensory scores (>8.7/10), the greatest purchase intent (>71.4%), and improved texture, remaining acceptable at an addition level of 2.5%. In contrast, yogurts with untreated or carbon-activated treated A. platensis were only acceptable at low addition levels (≤0.5%) due to off-flavors and textural issues. Ethanol effectively reduced aldehydes and ketones (such as Safranal and β-Ionone), while fermentation eliminated pyrazines and generated desirable alcohols and acids (such as 1-Pentanol and Butanoic acid). These findings highlight fermentation as a promising strategy to deodorize A. platensis and improve its integration into dairy matrices, enabling the development of functional yogurts with enhanced sensory quality and nutritionally relevant microalgae content.

Apples have distinctive quality attributes that may be defined by environmental conditions of the geographical regions where fruits are cultivated, such as temperature, solar radiation, photoperiod, and photothermic units. A three-year study was conducted to compare ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Red Delicious’ apples from two different regions, Washington, USA (WA) and Chihuahua, Mexico (CHIH). Apple samples were harvested weekly from early August to late October (~120-180 days after full bloom - DAFB), and analysed for quality parameters. Geographic environmental data were obtained, and photoperiod, solar radiation, degree-days and photothermal units were calculated. Results show quality differences between CHIH and WA apples. WA shows a ~5-week delay in apple bloom, possibly due to the lower temperatures presented in WA. Apples from both regions required the same photoperiod, ~ 2,222 h, to attain the beginning of the ripening stage, which took more days (three weeks) for CHIH apples, most likely attributed to the higher elevation of CHIH orchards (2,062 vs. 763 masl). The main distinctive quality differences found between WA and CHIH apples were firmness and aroma volatile compounds. CHIH apples presented substantially higher amounts of aroma compounds. WA apples showed greater firmness, probably due to lower photothermal units. Using all firmness data (both varieties, both growing zones) a remarkable correlation was found between firmness and photothermal units (R=0.89), which may suggest firmness could be improved by the manipulation of degree days and photoperiod, that is, temperature and light.

Abstract This study aimed to investigating the possible interference caused by glass test tubes on the quantification of bacterial adhesion to hydrocarbons by the MATH test. The adhesion of four bacteria to hexadecane and to glass test tubes was evaluated employing different suspending polar phases. The role of the ionic strength of the polar phase regarding adhesion to glassware was investigated. Within the conditions studied, Gram-positive bacteria adhered to both the test tube and the hydrocarbon regardless of the polar phase employed; meanwhile, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 did not attach to either one. The capacity of the studied microorganisms to adhere to glassware was associated with their electron-donor properties. The ionic strength of the suspending media altered the patterns of adhesion to glass in a strain-specific manner by defining the magnitude of electrostatic repulsion observed between bacteria and the glass surface. This research demonstrated that glass test tubes may interact with suspended bacterial cells during the MATH test under specific conditions, which may lead to overestimating the percentage of adhesion to hydrocarbons and, thus, to erroneous values of cell surface hydrophobicity. Bacteria adheres to glass test tubes during the MATH test.

AbstractEuropean foulbrood is one of the primary diseases in bee larvae (Apis mellifera). Its causal agent, Melissococcus plutonius, has been classified into three clonal complexes (CC12, CC3, and CC13), showing phenotypic variations among their virulence. The pathogenic mechanisms of the clonal complexes used to kill larvae are not fully understood. Tyramine, a monoamine used by some bacteria to adapt to stress conditions, could be a potential virulence factor of M. plutonius. Therefore, the ability of M. plutonius to produce tyramine was evaluated in this study using biochemical and genetic tools, in addition to the quantification of tyramine by HPLC in each clonal complex. CC12 showed high tyramine production and better adaptability to acidic environments than CC3 and CC13. Additionally, the toxicity of tyramine in bee larvae was evaluated by determining an LD50 of 0.172 mg/mL. These results show the influence that tyramine may have in the first steps of the pathogenicity process of M. plutonius, allowing it to better survive in acidic environments.

Hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in the ocean, where alkanes such as pentadecane and heptadecane can be found even in waters minimally polluted with crude oil. Populations of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, which are responsible for the turnover of these compounds, are also found throughout marine systems, including in unpolluted waters. These observations suggest the existence of an unknown and widespread source of hydrocarbons in the oceans. Here, we report that strains of the two most abundant marine cyanobacteria,ProchlorococcusandSynechococcus, produce and accumulate hydrocarbons, predominantly C15 and C17 alkanes, between 0.022 and 0.368% of dry cell weight. Based on global population sizes and turnover rates, we estimate that these species have the capacity to produce 2–540 pg alkanes per mL per day, which translates into a global ocean yield of ∼308–771million tons of hydrocarbons annually. We also demonstrate that both obligate and facultative marine hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria can consume cyanobacterial alkanes, which likely prevents these hydrocarbons from accumulating in the environment. Our findings implicate cyanobacteria and hydrocarbon degraders as key players in a notable internal hydrocarbon cycle within the upper ocean, where alkanes are continually produced and subsequently consumed within days. Furthermore we show that cyanobacterial alkane production is likely sufficient to sustain populations of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, whose abundances can rapidly expand upon localized release of crude oil from natural seepage and human activities.

Soiling by dry deposition affects the power output of photovoltaic (PV) modules, especially under dry and arid conditions that favor natural atmospheric aerosols (wind-blown dust). In this paper, we report on measurements of the soiling effect on the energy yield of grid-connected crystalline silicon PV modules deployed in five cities across a north-south transect of approximately 1300 km in the Atacama Desert ranging from latitude 18°S to latitude 30°S. Energy losses were assessed by comparing side-by-side outputs of four co-planar PV modules. Two of the PV modules of the array were kept clean as a control, while we allowed the other two to naturally accumulate soiling for 12 months (from January 2017 to January 2018). We found that the combination of high deposition rates and infrequent rainfalls led to annual energy losses that peaked at 39% in the northern coastal part of the desert. In contrast, annual energy losses of 3% or less were measured at relatively high-altitude sites and also at locations in the southern part of the desert. For comparison, soiling-induced annual energy losses of about 7% were measured in Santiago, Chile (33°S), a major city with higher rainfall frequency but where urban pollution plays a significant role.

We introduce and validate a new precision oncology framework for the systematic prioritization of drugs targeting mechanistic tumor dependencies in individual patients. Compounds are prioritized on the basis of their ability to invert the concerted activity of master regulator proteins that mechanistically regulate tumor cell state, as assessed from systematic drug perturbation assays. We validated the approach on a cohort of 212 gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), a rare malignancy originating in the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. The analysis identified several master regulator proteins, including key regulators of neuroendocrine lineage progenitor state and immunoevasion, whose role as critical tumor dependencies was experimentally confirmed. Transcriptome analysis of GEP-NET-derived cells, perturbed with a library of 107 compounds, identified the HDAC class I inhibitor entinostat as a potent inhibitor of master regulator activity for 42% of metastatic GEP-NET patients, abrogating tumor growth in vivo. This approach may thus complement current efforts in precision oncology. This study presents OncoTreat, a framework for the prioritization of compounds targeting mechanistic tumor dependencies in individual patients.