scholarly journals Hydroponic Basil Production: Temperature Influences Volatile Organic Compound Profile, but Not Overall Consumer Preference

Horticulturae ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Kellie J. Walters ◽  
Roberto G. Lopez

Altering the growing temperature during controlled-environment production not only influences crop growth and development, but can also influence volatile organic compound (VOC) production and, subsequently, sensory attributes of culinary herbs. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (1) quantify the influence of mean daily temperature (MDT) and daily light integral (DLI) on key basil phenylpropanoid and terpenoid concentrations, (2) determine if differences in sensory characteristics due to MDT and DLI influence consumer preference, and (3) identify the sweet basil attributes consumers prefer. Thus, 2-week-old sweet basil ‘Nufar’ seedlings were transplanted into deep-flow hydroponic systems in greenhouses with target MDTs of 23, 26, 29, 32, or 35 °C and DLIs of 7, 9, or 12 mol·m−2·d−1. After three weeks, the two most recently mature leaves were harvested for gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and consumer sensory analysis. Panel evaluations were conducted through a sliding door with samples served individually while panelists answered Likert scale and open-ended quality attribute and sensory questions. The DLI did not influence VOC concentrations. Increasing MDT from 23 to 36 °C during production increased 1,8 cineole, eugenol, and methyl chavicol concentrations linearly and did not affect linalool concentration. The increases in phenylpropanoid (eugenol and methyl chavicol) were greater than increases in terpenoid (1,8 cineole) concentrations. However, these increases did not impact overall consumer or flavor preference. The MDT during basil production influenced appearance, texture, and color preference of panelists. Taken together, MDT during production influenced both VOC concentrations and textural and visual attribute preference of basil but did not influence overall consumer preference. Therefore, changing the MDT during production can be used to alter plant growth and development without significantly affecting consumer preference.

Separations ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Ryan Thompson ◽  
John D. Perry ◽  
Stephen P. Stanforth ◽  
John R. Dean

Development of a rapid approach for universal microbial detection is required in the healthcare, food and environmental sectors to aid with medical intervention, food safety and environmental protection. This research investigates the use of enzymatic hydrolysis of a substrate by a microorganism to generate a volatile organic compound (VOC). One such enzyme activity that can be used in this context is nitroreductase as such activity is prevalent across a range of microorganisms. A study was developed to evaluate a panel of 51 microorganisms of clinical interest for their nitroreductase activity. Two enzyme substrates, nitrobenzene and 1-fluoro-2-nitrobenzene, were evaluated for this purpose with evolution, after incubation, of the VOCs aniline and 2-fluoroaniline, respectively. Detection of the VOCs was done using headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) with obtained limits of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.17 and 0.03 µg/mL for aniline and 2-fluoroaniline, respectively. The results indicated that both enzyme substrates were reduced by the same 84.3% of microorganisms producing the corresponding volatile anilines which were detected using HS-SPME-GC-MS. It was found that nitroreductase activity could be detected after 6–8 h of incubation for the selected pathogenic bacteria investigated. This approach shows promise as a rapid universal microbial detection system.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 755
Author(s):  
Rachael Slater ◽  
Alessandra Frau ◽  
Jane Hodgkinson ◽  
Debra Archer ◽  
Chris Probert

Anoplocephala perfoliata is a common equine tapeworm associated with an increased risk of colic (abdominal pain) in horses. Identification of parasite and intestinal microbiota interactions have consequences for understanding the mechanisms behind parasite-associated colic and potential new methods for parasite control. A. perfoliata was diagnosed by counting of worms in the caecum post-mortem. Bacterial DNA was extracted from colonic contents and sequenced targeting of the 16S rRNA gene (V4 region). The volatile organic compound (VOC) metabolome of colonic contents was characterised using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Bacterial diversity (alpha and beta) was similar between tapeworm infected and non-infected controls. Some compositional differences were apparent with down-regulation of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to the symbiotic families of Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae in the tapeworm-infected group. Overall tapeworm burden accounted for 7–8% of variation in the VOC profile (permutational multivariate analysis of variance). Integration of bacterial OTUs and VOCs demonstrated moderate to strong correlations indicating the potential of VOCs as markers for bacterial OTUs in equine colonic contents. This study has shown potential differences in the intestinal microbiome and metabolome of A. perfoliata infected and non-infected horses. This pilot study did not control for extrinsic factors including diet, disease history and stage of infection.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1420326X2093746
Author(s):  
Jun Wag ◽  
Kailiang Huang ◽  
Guohui Feng ◽  
Jiasen Song

The formaldehyde (HCHO) and volatile organic compound (VOCs) pollution characteristics of the residential kitchen in severe cold regions of northeast China were investigated by on-site measurement, questionnaire and correlation analysis. A total of 33 residential kitchens in three cities were selected as samples. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, phenol reagent spectrophotometer and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine were applied. The change of VOC concentration during cooking was tracked by parts per billion ppb RAE detector. Moreover, the CO2 tracer gas method was used to measure air changes when the range hood was open under different window-opening angles. The results demonstrate that though the excess rate of HCHO in the kitchen was only 5.3% before cooking, the average VOC concentration (1.269 mg/m3) exceeded far beyond the standard and was obviously higher than other climate zones. During cooking, the VOC concentration was in a state of seriously exceeding standard. The average concentration of aldehyde and ketone pollutants during cooking was 0.431 mg/m3. Frying produced more VOCs than stewing. The influence factors of HCHO and VOC pollution characteristics were explored. Increasing make-up air and optimizing cooking habits are significant in alleviating kitchen pollution in northeast China.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-259
Author(s):  
Shreedhar Devkota ◽  
◽  
Jin Oh Jo ◽  
Dong Lyong Jang ◽  
Young Jin Hyun ◽  
...  

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