Spice and Herb Frauds: Types, Incidence, and Detection: The State of the Art.

There is a necessity to protect the quality and authenticity of herbs and spices because of the increase in the fraud and adulteration incidence during the last 30 years. There are several aspects that make herbs and spices quite vulnerable to fraud and adulteration, including their positive and desirable sensorial and health-related properties, the form in which they are sold, which is mostly powdered, and their economic relevance around the world, even in developing countries. For these reasons, sensitive, rapid, and reliable techniques are needed to verify the authenticity of these agri-food products and implement effective adulteration prevention measures.

Exploring Consumer Perceptions and Changing Consumption Patterns for Smoked Paprika: Implications for Traditional Food Products in Spain.

Changes in the level of income of the population and a reduction in time availability are shifting food consumption from traditional to more convenient food products. The production of traditional food has a significantly positive impact on the territory, as it contributes to preserving cultural traditions and identity and supports rural development and resilience, thus becoming essential for the survival of rural areas. Within traditional food products, spices are among the most usual ingredients in traditional cuisine, extensively used to add flavour and colour to dishes.

Mast Cell Diseases in Practice and Research: Issues and Perspectives Raised by Patients and Their Recommendations to the Scientific Community and Beyond.

Background: Since 2010, patients and physicians have collaborated to understand unmet needs of patients with mast cell diseases, incorporating mastocytosis and mast cell activation disorders, which include mast cell activation syndromes.

Objective: This Open Innovation in Science project aims to expand understanding of the needs of patients affected by mast cell diseases, and encourage global communication among patient advocacy groups, physicians, researchers, industry, and government. A major aim is to support the scientific community's efforts to improve diagnosis, management, therapy, and patients' quality of life by addressing unmet needs.

Non-destructive prediction of total soluble solids in strawberry using near infrared spectroscopy.

Background: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is considered to be a fast and reliable non-destructive technique for fruit analysis. Considering that consumers are looking for strawberries with good sweetness, texture, and appearance, producers need to effectively measure the ripeness stage of strawberries to guarantee their final quality. Therefore, the use of this technique can contribute to decreasing the high level of waste and delivering good ripe strawberries to consumers.

Genome Features of a New Double-Stranded RNA Helper Virus (LBCbarr) from Wine Killer Strains.

The killer phenotype of (Td) and (Sc) is encoded in the genome of medium-size dsRNA viruses (V-M). Killer strains also contain a helper large size (4.6 kb) dsRNA virus (V-LA) which is required for maintenance and replication of V-M.

Genome Organization of a New Double-Stranded RNA LA Helper Virus From Wine Killer Yeast as Compared With Its Counterparts.

Wine killer yeasts such as killer strains of and contain helper large-size (4.6 kb) dsRNA viruses (V-LA) required for the stable maintenance and replication of killer medium-size dsRNA viruses (V-M) which bear the genes that encode for the killer toxin. The genome of the new V-LA dsRNA from the Kbarr1 killer yeast (TdV-LAbarr1) was characterized by high-throughput sequencing (HTS).

Genetic Improvement of for Wine Fermentation: Eliminating Recessive Growth-Retarding Alleles and Obtaining New Mutants Resistant to SO, Ethanol, and High CO Pressure.

The use of has been repeatedly proposed to improve a wine's organoleptic quality. This yeast has lower efficiency in completing wine fermentation than since it has less fermentation capability and greater sensitivity to SO, ethanol, and CO pressure. Therefore, the completion of fermentation is not guaranteed when must or wine is single-inoculated with .

Analysing the vineyard soil as a natural reservoir for wine yeasts.

The cultivable microorganisms isolated from grapes and soils of two contiguous vineyards were analysed. Two types of management system were tested in each vineyard: conventional tillage (CT), and no-tillage with natural green cover vegetation (NV), both under semi-arid rainfed conditions. The main objective was to gather evidence as to whether the yeasts present in ripe grapes before harvest and those found in spontaneous wine fermentations came from the vineyard soil which could then be regarded as a natural reservoir for these yeasts.

Using Torulaspora delbrueckii killer yeasts in the elaboration of base wine and traditional sparkling wine.

For still wines, killer strains of Torulaspora delbrueckii can be used instead of non-killer strains to improve this species' domination during must fermentation, with an ensured, reliable impact on the final wine quality. The present work analysed the usefulness of these killer yeasts for sparkling-wine making. After the first fermentation, the foaming capacity of T.

Effect of plant density and harvesting type on yield and quality of fresh and dried peppers and paprika.

Background: Traditionally, peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) of Jaranda variety used for the production of smoked paprika are harvested manually in the north of Extremadura (Spain). Mechanical harvesting is necessary to improve the profitability of this crop.

New Insights into the Genome Organization of Yeast Killer Viruses Based on "Atypical" Killer Strains Characterized by High-Throughput Sequencing.

Viral M-dsRNAs encoding yeast killer toxins share similar genomic organization, but no overall sequence identity. The dsRNA full-length sequences of several known M-viruses either have yet to be completed, or they were shorter than estimated by agarose gel electrophoresis. High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze some M-dsRNAs previously sequenced by traditional techniques, and new dsRNAs from atypical killer strains of and .

Impact of volatile composition on the sensorial attributes of dried paprikas.

Here we characterised the aroma of smoked, oven-dried, and sun-dried paprikas by sensorial evaluation and analysis of their volatile profiles. The sensorial panel defined smoked paprikas as having an intense, persistent, smoked odour and flavour and the highest acceptability. The oven-dried paprikas had a fruity odour and flavour related with aroma notes to fresh peppers.

Influence of the dominance of must fermentation by Torulaspora delbrueckii on the malolactic fermentation and organoleptic quality of red table wine.

Torulaspora delbrueckii can improve wine aroma complexity, but its impact on wine quality is still far from being satisfactory at the winery level, mainly because it is easily replaced by S. cerevisiae yeasts during must fermentation. New T.

Using mixed inocula of Saccharomyces cerevisiae killer strains to improve the quality of traditional sparkling-wine.

The quality of traditional sparkling-wine depends on the aging process in the presence of dead yeast cells. These cells undergo a slow autolysis process thereby releasing some compounds, mostly colloidal polymers such as polysaccharides and mannoproteins, which influence the wine's foam properties and mouthfeel. Saccharomyces cerevisiae killer yeasts were tested to increase cell death and autolysis during mixed-yeast-inoculated second fermentation and aging.

Effects of new Torulaspora delbrueckii killer yeasts on the must fermentation kinetics and aroma compounds of white table wine.

Torulaspora delbrueckii is becoming widely recommended for improving some specific characteristics of wines. However, its impact on wine quality is still far from satisfactory at the winery level, mostly because it is easily replaced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae-like yeasts during must fermentation. New T.

A new wine Torulaspora delbrueckii killer strain with broad antifungal activity and its toxin-encoding double-stranded RNA virus.

Wine Torulaspora delbrueckii strains producing a new killer toxin (Kbarr-1) were isolated and selected for wine making. They killed all the previously known Saccharomyces cerevisiae killer strains, in addition to other non-Saccharomyces yeasts. The Kbarr-1 phenotype is encoded by a medium-size 1.

[Determination of 25(OH)D serum levels in children with systemic lupus erythematosus and juvenile idiopathic arthritis].

Background: It is well recognized that vitamin D has a direct effect in bone and muscle and has been associated as well with some rheumatologic diseases. Reports in children are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the concentration level of 25(OH)D in a group of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and compare them with healthy controls.

Standard YPD, even supplemented with extra nutrients, does not always compensate growth defects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae auxotrophic strains.

Conventional complex media are routinely used to grow auxotrophic strains under the assumption that they can compensate the latter's nutritional deficiencies. We here demonstrate that this is not always true. This study compares the growth parameters of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S288C) and its derived auxotrophic strains FY1679-14C and BY4741 in synthetic minimal medium (SD), standard YPD medium from two of the most commonly used suppliers, or modified YPD medium.