Geographical origin discrimination of lentils (Lens culinaris Medik.) using H NMR fingerprinting and multivariate statistical analyses.

Lentil samples coming from two different countries, i.e. Italy and Canada, were analysed using untargeted H NMR fingerprinting in combination with chemometrics in order to build models able to classify them according to their geographical origin.

Rose Bengal-photosensitized oxidation of 4-thiothymidine in aqueous medium: evidence for the reaction of the nucleoside with singlet state oxygen.

The photoreactivity of 4-thiothymidine (S(4)TdR) under visible light in the presence of Rose Bengal (RB), acting as a photosensitizer, was investigated in aqueous solutions at pH 7 and 12, using UV-vis, FTIR-ATR and (1)H-NMR spectroscopic techniques, time resolved absorption spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Evidence for the generation of thymidine (TdR) as the main product, after one hour of irradiation, was obtained from UV-Vis data, that suggested 4-thiothymidine photodegradation to be faster at basic pH, and confirmed by FTIR-ATR and (1)H-NMR data. Clues for the presence of a further product, likely corresponding to a dimeric form of S(4)TdR, were obtained from the latter techniques.

The effect of in-amphorae aging on oenological parameters, phenolic profile and volatile composition of Minutolo white wine.

A wine was obtained from cryomacerated Minutolo grapes under reductive conditions and aged for 12months in glass container and in 3 types of amphorae. After aging, wines in glass containers showed the highest alcohol content, volatile acidity, dissolved oxygen, concentrations of aromatics, alcohols, and esters and by the lowest contents of enols and terpenes. They also showed the highest decrease of flavonoids, hydroxycinnamoyl tartaric acids, and procyanidins.

Photosystem II based multilayers obtained by electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly on quartz substrates.

Photosystem II (PSII) proteins from spinach leaves were immobilized onto quartz substrates according to the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) procedure, alternating protein to polyethylenimine (PEI) layers by exploiting electrostatic interactions. The effects of several factors, such as storage conditions, ageing of the PSII-modified substrates, as well as PSII concentration in buffer, on the quality of the prepared multilayers, were investigated by UV-vis Absorption Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). A number of 13 layers was found to be optimal to guarantee intense PSII optical signals with homogeneous morphological distributions of proteins.

Effects of different vinification technologies on physical and chemical characteristics of Sauvignon blanc wines.

In order to investigate the effects of cryomaceration and reductive vinification on chemical and physical indices and on antioxidant compounds of Sauvignon blanc wines, four wine-making procedures were applied: traditional white vinification, skin cryomaceration, vinification in a reductive environment, and a combination of the last two procedures. Significant differences were highlighted by both conventional analyses and NMR spectroscopy. The strongest changes were for organic acid concentrations (tartaric, in particular) and phenolic content.

Biomaterials based on photosynthetic membranes as potential sensors for herbicides.

In this study, ultrathin film multilayers of Photosystem II-enriched photosynthetic membranes (BBY) were prepared and immobilized on quartz substrates by means of a Layer by Layer procedure exploiting electrostatic interactions with poly(ethylenimine) as polyelectrolyte. The biomaterials thus obtained were characterized by means of optical techniques and Atomic Force Microscopy, highlighting the fact that the Layer by Layer approach allowed the BBYs to be immobilized with satisfactory results. The activity of these hybrid materials was evaluated by means of optical assays based on the Hill Reaction, indicating that the biosamples, which preserved about 65% of their original activity even ten weeks after preparation, were both stable and active.

Herbicides affect fluorescence and electron transfer activity of spinach chloroplasts, thylakoid membranes and isolated Photosystem II.

In this work, studies on the effects produced by atrazine, terbutryn or diuron onto spinach photosynthetic materials were performed by observing changes in fluorescence emission and in electron transfer activities of the bio-samples in the presence of such herbicides; chloroplasts, thylakoids, Photosystem II-enriched thylakoids (BBYs) and isolated Photosystem II (PSII) were employed. This approach evidenced differences in the herbicide-photosynthetic material interactions going up-down from chloroplasts to proteins. Rapid emission increments were detected for chloroplasts and thylakoids, in particular in the presence of terbutryn; no remarkable emission increment was recorded when BBYs or PSII were used for this assay.

Interactions between heavy metals and photosynthetic materials studied by optical techniques.

In this work studies on rapid inhibitory interactions between heavy metals and photosynthetic materials at different organization levels were carried out by optical assay techniques, investigating the possibility of applications in the heavy metal detection field. Spinach chloroplasts, thylakoids and Photosystem II proteins were employed as biotools in combination with colorimetric assays based on dichlorophenol indophenole (DCIP) photoreduction and on fluorescence emission techniques. It was found that copper and mercury demonstrated a strong and rapid photosynthetic activity inhibition, that varied from proteins to membranes, while other metals like nickel, cobalt and manganese produced only slight inhibition effects on all tested photosynthetic materials.

Use of vitrified MSWI bottom ashes for concrete production.

Bottom ashes from a north Italian municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) were vitrified at 1450 degrees C without adding any vitrifying agent, then ground and sieved to different granulometry (ranging from 50 microm to 20mm), and used as filler, sand, or aggregate for concrete. Samples were characterized via slump tests (UNI 9418), alkali-silica reactivity (UNI 8520/22 and ASTM C 298), and compression strength tests (UNI 6132, 6132/72, 6686/72), and compared to reference samples obtained without vitrified bottom ashes (VBA). Our results show that vitrified bottom ashes are unsuitable as a sand substitute; however, concrete containing up to 20 wt.

Cardiolipin increases in chromatophores isolated from Rhodobacter sphaeroides after osmotic stress: structural and functional roles.

Chromatophores isolated from cells of Rhodobacter sphaeroides exposed to hypertonic solutions were enriched in cardiolipin (CL). Because CL levels are raised by increasing the incubation time of R. sphaeroides in hypertonic solutions, it was possible to isolate chromatophores containing different CL amounts by starting from cells incubated in hypertonic solutions for different times.