Detection of Hazelnut and Almond Adulteration in Olive Oil: An Approach by qPCR.

Virgin olive oil (VOO), characterized by its unique aroma, flavor, and health benefits, is subject to adulteration with the addition of oils obtained from other edible species. The consumption of adulterated olive oil with nut species, such as hazelnut or almond, leads to health and safety issues for consumers, due to their high allergenic potential. To detect almond and hazelnut in olive oil, several amplification systems have been analyzed by qPCR assay with a SYBR Green post-PCR melting curve analysis.

Microencapsulation of a Commercial Food-Grade Protease by Spray Drying in Cross-Linked Chitosan Particles.

In this study, the use of spray-drying technology for encapsulating Flavourzyme (protease-peptidase complex) was evaluated to overcome the limitations (low encapsulation efficiency and no large-scale production) of other encapsulation processes. To the best of our knowledge, spray drying has not been applied previously for the immobilization of this enzyme. Firstly, bovine serum albumin (BSA), as a model protein, was encapsulated by spray drying in chitosan and tripolyphoshate (TPP) cross-linked-chitosan shell matrices.

Rational design of mitochondria targeted thiabendazole-based Ir(III) biscyclometalated complexes for a multimodal photodynamic therapy of cancer.

Despite their outstanding properties as potential photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT), Ir(III) biscyclometalated complexes need both further developments to overcome remaining limitations and in-depth investigations into their mechanisms of action to reach clinic application in the treatment of cancer. This work describes the synthesis of a family of Ir(III) complexes of general formula [Ir(C^N)(N^N')]Cl (N^N' = thiabendazole-based ligands; C^N = ppy (2-phenylpyridinate) (Series A), or dfppy (2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridinate) (Series B)) and their evaluation as potential PDT agents. These complexes are partially soluble in water and exhibit cytotoxic activity in the absence of light irradiation versus several cancer cell lines.

Development and optimization of an efficient qPCR system for olive authentication in edible oils.

The applicability of qPCR in olive-oil authentication depends on the DNA obtained from the oils and the amplification primers. Therefore, four olive-specific amplification systems based on the trnL gene were designed (A-, B-, C- and D-trnL systems). The qPCR conditions, primer concentration and annealing temperature, were optimized.

Novel qPCR systems for olive (Olea europaea L.) authentication in oils and food.

The traceability of olive oil is an unresolved issue that remains a challenge. In this field, DNA-based techniques are very powerful tools for discrimination that are less negatively influenced by environmental conditions than other techniques. More specifically, quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) achieves a high degree of sensitivity, although the DNA that it can directly isolate from these oils presents drawbacks.

Development of a method to recovery and amplification DNA by real-time PCR from commercial vegetable oils.

This study describes the design of a suitable DNA isolation method from commercial vegetable oils for the application of DNA markers for food safety and traceability. Firstly, a comparative study was made of eight methods for the recovery of high quality DNA from olive, sunflower and palm oils, and a CTAB-based method was selected. In order to optimize this method, the effect of the organic compounds and several components in the lysis buffer and the lysis and precipitation time were evaluated.

Pea detection in food and feed samples by a real-time PCR method based on a specific legumin gene that allows diversity analysis.

Real-time polymerase chain reaction is currently being used for the identification and quantification of plant and animal species as well as microorganisms in food or feed samples based on the amplification of specific sequences of low copy genes. We report here the development of a new real-time PCR method for the detection and quantification of the pea (Pisum sativum) based on the amplification of a specific region of the legS gene. The specificity was evaluated in a wide range of plant species (51 varieties of Pisum sp.