Identification and functional deciphering suggested the regulatory roles of long intergenic ncRNAs (lincRNAs) in increasing grafting pepper resistance to Phytophthora capsici

Background As a popular and valuable technique, grafting is widely used to protect against soil-borne diseases and nematodes in vegetable production. Growing evidences have revealed that long intergenic ncRNAs (lincRNAs) are strictly regulated and play essential roles in plants development and stress responses. Nevertheless, genome-wide identification and function deciphering of pepper lincRNAs, especially for their roles in improving grafting pepper resistance to Phytophthora capsici is largely unknown. Results In this study, RNA-seq data of grafting and control pepper plants with or without P. capsici inoculation were used to identify lincRNAs. In total, 2,388 reliable lincRNAs were identified. They were relatively longer and contained few exons than protein-coding genes. Similar to coding genes, lincRNAs had higher densities in euchromatin regions; and longer chromosome transcribed more lincRNAs. Expression pattern profiling suggested that lincRNAs commonly had lower expression than mRNAs. Totally, 607 differentially expressed lincRNAs (DE-lincRANs) were identified, of which 172 were found between P. capsici resistance grafting pepper sample GR and susceptible sample LDS. The neighboring genes of DE-lincRNAs and miRNAs competitively sponged by DE-lincRNAs were identified. Subsequently, the expression level of DE-lincRNAs was further confirmed by qRT-PCR and regulation patterns between DE-lincRNAs and neighboring mRNAs were also validated. Function annotation revealed that DE-lincRNAs increased the resistance of grafting prepper to P. capsici by modulating the expression of disease-defense related genes through cis-regulating and/or lincRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction networks. Conclusions This study identified pepper lincRNAs and suggested their potential roles in increasing the resistance level of grafting pepper to P. capsici.

517 Late-Breaking: Influence of Pre-heat Treatment on the Formation of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines in Grilled Pork

Pork steaks (m. Longissimus dorsi) with a thickness of 15±5 mm were prepared for the experiment. Ready-made mixtures intended for catering were used during the preparation of samples for marinating steaks: - marinade containing a mixture of vegetable oils, salt, paprika, garlic, onion and black pepper (sample 1); - marinade, which contains water, salt, paprika, black pepper, red pepper, garlic, coriander and mustard (sample 2); and mixtures for dry marinating:- mixture with red pepper (salt, red pepper) (sample 3);- mixture with paprika (salt, paprika) (sample 4). Salting and pickling were carried out at a temperature of 4±2°C for 24 hours. Thereafter, the steaks were grilled at 230°C for 10 minutes using electric grill, and the steaks were turned over once during the cooking process. Steaks that were not pickled and salted were taken as a control sample. Samples were tested for the presence of MeIQx and PhIP. The analysis was performed using an Agilent 1200 HPLC system (USA) with an Agilent 6410B three quadrupole mass spectrometer (Fragmentor voltage 130 V, Dissociation energy 30 V, molecular ions 214.6 and 225.6 m/z, daughter ions 199.5 and 210.5 m/z for MeIQx and PhIP respectively). The studies were carried out in two selections with 3 parallel measurements in each. The arithmetic mean of three parallels in the first selection was taken as the final result, provided that the Student’s t-distribution of two samples for each analyte to be determined in each sample did not exceed the tabular value at n=3 and the confidence level p=0.95, i.e., the differences between the samples are not statistically significant. Studies have shown that long-term preliminary processing of meat by marinating and salting led to both a decrease and an increase in the content of HAA in fried steaks. The results of studies of HAA content in the control and experimental samples are shown in the Table.

Assessment of contamination of Salmonella spp. in imported black pepper and sesame seed and salmonella inactivation by gamma irradiation

This study shows the frequency of seeds samples contaminated by Salmonella spp. collected randomly from local markets; on 30 black pepper sample no contaminated sample was found while Salmonella spp. was detected in 3 of 36 (8.3%) analyzed sesame samples; three different serotypes were identified: S. Montevideo, S. Stanleyville e S. Tilene. The efficacy of gamma irradiation to inactivate Salmonella Montevideo in black pepper and sesame irradiated between 1 and 5 kGy was evaluated. 3 kGy is sufficient to reduce of 3-4 log CFU/g; whereas 5 kGy have been need to reduce 5.5-6 log CFU/g for samples of black pepper and sesame. No statistically significant differences were found between black pepper and sesame.

Health Risk Assessment for Carcinogenic and Non-carcinogenic Heavy Metal Exposures from Pepper Fruits Cultivated In Katsina State, North West Nigeria

This study was conducted to determine the heavy metals concentration in pepper fruits cultivated in Katsina state Nigeria. The objectives were mainly to detect the presence of heavy metals in the cultivated pepper fruits in the study area, compare the concentration of heavy metals in samples in relation to the permissible limits specified by WHO/FAO/USEPA Standards. Samples of the pepper fruits were collected in the year 2017 from the selected area. Analysis for the concentration of these heavy metals; Cr, Cd, Fe, Ni, Mn, Pb and Zn was conducted by the use of AAS (by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry) method. The health risks to the local inhabitants from the consumption of the samples were evaluated based on the Target Hazard Quotient. The possibility of cancer risks in the samples through intake of carcinogenic heavy metals was estimated using the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk. Results from this study has shown that with the exception of the mean values for the heavy metal Pb (1.200-1.333 mg/kg), the mean concentration range (mg/kg) values of Fe (0.901-0.967), Zn (0.899-0.911), Mn (0.250-0.287), Cd (0.053-0.0556) in the samples were generally lower than the USEPA, WHO/FAO maximum permissive limits. With the heavy metals Cr and Ni being below detection level (BDL) The results have indicated that the estimated daily intake (EDI) of the heavy metals were lower than the tolerable daily intake limit set by the USEPA in all the samples. Risk level of Target Hazard Quotient (THQ < 1) was observed for all the evaluated heavy metals for both adults and children. The THQ for the samples were in the decreasing order Mn>Zn>Pb>Fe>Cd, for all the pepper fruits respectively. The sequence of risk was the same for both adults and children although the children had higher THQ values in all cases. ILCR for Cd violated the threshold risk limit (>10−4) and ILCR for Pb reached the moderate risk limit (>10−3) in all the studied samples in adults, While in children ILCR for both Pb and Cd violated the risk. The sampling area trend of risk for developing cancer as a result of consuming the studied samples showed in decreasing order: Funtua senatorial zone > Daura senatorial zone> Katsina senatorial zone for both adult and children. The Cumulative cancer risk (∑ILCR) of all the studied pepper fruits reached the moderate risk limit (>10−3) in adults, while in children it is above the moderate risk limit (>10−2). Among all the studied samples, pepper sample from Funtua senatorial zone has the highest chances of cancer risks (ILCR 6.863273 × 10−3 in adults; ILCR 1.715815 × 10−2 in children) and pepper sample from Katsina senatorial zone has the lowest chances of cancer risk (ILCR 6.260100 × 10−3 in adults; ILCR 1.565025 × 10−2 in children). The study suggests that consumption of the studied pepper fruits in Katsina state is of public health concern as they may contribute to the population cancer burden.

Extraction of Capsinoid and its Analogs From Pepper Waste of Different Genotypes

Pepper, a member of the Capsicum genus of the Solanaceae family, is an annual, cultivated plant that grows in temperate climates. The main analogs of capsinoids, which are the secondary metabolites of peppers, are capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. During process, calyxes and peduncles are considered to be waste. Levels of capsinoids in these tissues in not well known. An optimized method was used to extract bioactive materials from the waste products from C. annum L. genotypes. Calyxes and peduncles were collected and dried in the shade. Extractions were in MeOH solutions and the extracts were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to quantify the total amount of capsinoid, capsaicin, and dihydrocapsaicin contents. Capsinoid, and its analogs, were identified in all genotypes at varying concentrations, and their capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin contents evidenced with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In conclusion, the highest amount of capsinoids was found in chili Samandağ peppers, whereas the lowest amount of capsinoids was found in the red sweet pepper sample. All pepper genotypes, the capsaicin amount was higher comparison to dihydrocapsaicin. Capsanoids and anologues obtained from waste pepper can be used as raw materials in production of value added products.

PENENTUAN KADAR VITAMIN C BEBERAPA JENIS CABAI (Capsicum sp.) DENGAN SPEKTROFOTOMETRI UV-VIS

Vitamin C is one of the nutrients that act as antioxidants and effectively overcome free radicals that can damage cells or tissues, including protecting the lens from oxidative damage caused by radiation. Vitamin C is widely found in fruits, and vegetables, one of them in chili. Vitamin C in chili has a function as a good antioxidant for the body (able to increase the immune system absorbed by calcium in the body. This study aims to determine the levels of vitamin C contained in some types of chili using UV-Vis spectrophotometry method and conduct a preliminary test. The highest levels of vitamin C obtained by using spectrophotometric method at 200 nm wavelength were on red curly pepper (50 g/100 g) and followed by chili jablay orange-red (38 g/100 g), green cayenne (29 g/100 g), red pepper large (22 g/100 g), and large green chili (9 g/100 g). While based on preliminary test it was found that all chilies contain saponins, as well as only large red pepper (sample 1) and red curly pepper (sample 4) containing flavonoids Keywords: capsicum, chilly, spectrophotometry

Effect of environment and vibration on quality change of bell pepper (Capsicum annum L.)

Discoloration and dehydration are crucial problems associated with quality of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). Color and weight loss of the bell pepper were measured at different vibration levels, storage environments and storage periods. Vibration tests were carried out at different ‘g’ levels from normal to the worst-case for 180 sec on the initial day. The effect of two different storage environments (10°C, 90 % RH and 18°C, 40 % RH) for four time periods (1, 4, 7 and 10 days) were observed. At 18°C, 40 % RH storage environment, more weight loss and duller color were observed. In the 10°C, 90 % RH storage environment, the group of bell pepper sample having 12 g level vibration had significantly much more weight loss compared to other groups. In this storage environment, most of bell pepper samples maintained vivid color. Storage life and fruit quality of bell pepper were affected by storage temperatures, humidity and duration. The results showed that high g level vibration, high temperature, and low humidity environment during harvesting and storage process of the bell pepper should be avoided.

Salmonella Prevalence and Total Microbial and Spore Populations in Spices Imported to Japan

A total of 259 samples of 40 types of spices were tested for Salmonella prevalence and total microbial and spore populations. Salmonella enterica serotypes Weltevreden and Senftenberg were isolated from a black- and red-pepper sample, respectively. Because Salmonella was not detected by the most-probable-number method, it indicated that at least one cell of the microorganism was present in 25 g of sample. The mean aerobic bacterial count was greater than 5.39 log CFU/g in turmeric, garam masala, curry powder, and paprika. The mean bacterial spore counts were greater than 4.33 log CFU/g in turmeric and curry powder. The mean aerobic bacterial count in the two Salmonella-isolated samples was 6.93 log CFU/g. These results indicate that spices can be a source of contamination in the products where they are used as ingredients, and methods to reduce the microbial load in spices should be used.

Microbiological Criteria of Random Samples of Spices and Herbs Retailed on the Austrian Market

A total of 160 samples of 55 different spices and herbs originating from six different suppliers and retailed at outlets in Vienna were screened for their microbiological quality, based on plate count and selective identification techniques. Although maximum values of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria of &gt;107/g could be observed with some spices such as black pepper, chillies and China spice, more than 50% of the sample material contained between 104 and 106 CFU/g. Bacilli were found in nearly all samples, showing counts &gt;105 CFU/g in almost 40% of the products. Enterobacteria, pseudomonades and aeromonades as well as lactobacilli and enterococci were present mainly at levels of &lt;102 CFU/g. Anaerobic sporeformers could be detected only in three products. One black pepper sample contained Salmonella arizonae. Although several samples gave colonies indicating the presence of coagulase-positive staphylococci, representative isolates were not identified as Staphylococcus aureus. Some samples, especially ginger and curry, had Bacillus cereus counts as high as 105 CFU/g, many others contained relatively low numbers of this species. On the contrary, Clostridium perfringens was detected in one caraway sample.

Collaborative Study of a New Method for the Extraction of Light Filth from Black and White Ground Pepper

In the method described, the black or white ground pepper sample is slurried with water and wet sieved. The pepper residue is defatted during the sieving step. Flotation extraction of the sieved material utilizes a combination of n-heptane-mineral oil as the oil layer over 40% isopropanol. Collaborative studies resulted in reproducible recoveries and light-to-medium laden filter papers. It is recommended that the method be adopted as official first action to replace 40.109(b).