The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica [Cactaceae]) in South Africa: Utilization of the naturalized weed,and of the cultivated plants

In spite of successful biological control efforts, vast areas of South Africa remain infested with the spiny prickly pear weed, Opuntia ficus-indica. These remnant populations, which vary from sparse to dense and which are more or less stable, are confined mainly to the eastern Cape. They provide a popular fruit and a limited source of income for certain sectors of the population in these areas. In terms of existing legislation, there are, however, restrictions on the large-scale utilization of these fruit. A novel method for mass-rearing the cochineal insect, Dactylopius coccus, for the commercial production of a red dye (carminic acid) has been developed. The cultivated spineless prickly pear has recently been enjoying renewed attention from researchers and growers alike. Whereas it has traditionally been cultivated mainly as a droughtresistant fodder crop, and is still popular as such, it is now increasingly recognised as a fruit, in its own right, with considerable promise as a commercial crop for local and export markets. There is also a need to encourage the use of very young cladodes (nopalitos) as a highly nutritious vegetable for human consumption in South Africa.     

中国科学家在番茄与黄瓜的驯化及品质形成的分子机理研究中取得突破性进展

经过长期的人工选择和驯化过程, 番茄(Solanum lycopersicum)和黄瓜(Cucumis sativus)已经成为世界范围内广泛栽培且深受人们喜爱的可口蔬菜。最近, 中国科学家在番茄和黄瓜的人工驯化与品质形成的分子机理研究中取得了突破性进展。     

Environmental Impacts of Large-Scale Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) Production in Hellisheidi Geothermal Park Iceland: Life Cycle Assessment

Marine Biotechnology - Spirulina algae (Spirulina platensis) cultivated in geothermally powered photobioreactors is here proposed as a potentially resource efficient, zero-carbon, and nutritious...     

大球盖菇的生物学基础、活性成分及其应用

大球盖菇是联合国粮农组织向发展中国家推荐栽培的食用菌之一,对农作物秸秆及林木枝条、落叶等有较强的降解能力。通过人工种植可培养营养丰富、美味可口的大球盖菇子实体产品,其菌渣还能够改善土壤环境,在生态农林产业及循环经济等方面具有重要作用。本文从大球盖菇的生物学基础、子实体营养、生物活性成分及其在农林生态和环境修复应用等角度进行综述,为大球盖菇的进一步开发利用及其相关产业发展提供参考。     

Aspects in oat breeding: nutrition quality,nakedness and disease resistance,challenges and perspectives

Traditionally, the oat crop (Avena sativa) has been neglected in a number of respects, cultivated in cropping areas not optimal for wheat, barley or maize. In recent years the interest in oats has increased, particularly because of its dietary benefits and therapeutic potential for human health. The uniqueness and advantages of naked oats over other popular cereals, due to its potentially valuable nutritional composition, have been well studied and reported, opening new market “niches” for oats. Despite the well‐documented benefits, the status of the oat crop is still fragile, due to many reasons. The area cultivated for the oat crop is much less compared with other cereals, and therefore commercial efforts in oat breeding are less. Oat groat yield is lower than other cereals such as wheat and the nutritious uniqueness has not been reflected in agreeable market prices. The same price still exists for both naked and conventional/covered oats in the world grain market. The absence of visible market competitiveness, and some of the oat biological drawbacks, including low grain yield, keeps the oat crop as a lower profitability minor crop. This review is intended to analyse and summarise main achievements and challenges in oat genetics, agronomy and phytopathology to find possible ways of oat improvement and future perspectives for oat breeding.     

A specialist root herbivore exploits defensive metabolites to locate nutritious tissues

The most valuable organs of plants are often particularly rich in essential elements, but also very well defended. This creates a dilemma for herbivores that need to maximise energy intake while minimising intoxication. We investigated how the specialist root herbivore Diabrotica virgifera solves this conundrum when feeding on wild and cultivated maize plants. We found that crown roots of maize seedlings were vital for plant development and, in accordance, were rich in nutritious primary metabolites and contained higher amounts of the insecticidal 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA) and the phenolic compound chlorogenic acid. The generalist herbivores Diabrotica balteata and Spodoptera littoralis were deterred from feeding on crown roots, whereas the specialist D. virgifera preferred and grew best on these tissues. Using a 1,4-benzoxazin-3-one-deficient maize mutant, we found that D. virgifera is resistant to DIMBOA and other 1,4-benzoxazin-3-ones and that it even hijacks these compounds to optimally forage for nutritious roots.     

外源赤霉素、6-苄基腺嘌呤及矿物质对水培绿豆芽生长的影响

以‘中绿一号’绿豆为原料用水培法制作豆芽,研究赤霉素、6-苄基腺嘌呤和矿物质对其生长的影响,优化绿豆芽营养液的配方。结果表明,使用由100mg·L-1赤霉素、5mg·L-16-苄基腺嘌呤、0.810g·L-1硝酸钾、0.950g·L-1硝酸钙、0.500g·L-1硫酸镁复配而成的营养液可以缩短豆芽生长周期,且培养出的绿豆芽芽长适宜（4.25cm±0.44cm）、根长较短（1.15cm±0.23cm）、轴径较粗（2.78cm±0.16mm）,芽体洁白而脆嫩。     

一株能降解牛奶中过敏原αs1-酪蛋白的蛋白酶产生菌的筛选、鉴定及免疫学研究

从牛奶场附近土壤中筛选得到1株能降解牛奶过敏原蛋白（αs1-酪蛋白）的菌株ExiguobacteriumBBE201110,能产分子量约为55kDa的蛋白酶,酶活达到346．48U／mL,对该酶降解牛奶过敏原（asl．酪蛋白）效果进行免疫学研究（Westernblot）表明,在牛奶中添加4％的酶溶液进行降解20min,酪蛋白特异性清除显著,过敏原蛋白αs1酪蛋白浓度明显的降低。本实验筛得降解牛奶过敏原蛋白（αs1-酪蛋白）的菌株并成功纯化出蛋白酶,具有一定的食品工业开发价值及商业应用潜力。     

蓝莓的成分与保健功能的研究进展

越橘属蓝莓含有花青苷（花青素或酚配基,与糖的结合体）。紫檀芪、鞣花酸、超氧化物歧化酶、熊果酸、酚酸及不同维生素等生物活性成分。很早就报道蓝莓所含花青苷可加速视紫素的再生而有益于视力及眼部健康。近年的研究显示蓝莓具有抗氧化作用,预防癌症、降血脂、降胆固醇、增强记忆、抗衰老、增强人体免疫、保护视力、抗糖尿病等保健功能。因此蓝莓被认为是最有营养的食物之一。     

Emerging from the murk: threats,challenges and opportunities for the global swim bladder trade

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries - Fish maw, or swim bladder, has long been used as food and medicine in Asia, particularly in southern China. Considering its history as luxury and nutritious...     

内蒙古锡林河流城达乌尔黄鼠身体组成成分的研究

达乌尔黄鼠的身体组成成分,随各发育阶段以及每年的不同季节而有相应的变化。幼鼠脂肪、灰分、磷和镁的百分数与体重增长呈正相关,水分百分数与体重增长呈负相关,蛋白质百分数与体重增长不相关。母鼠授乳期因大量营养成分被消耗,此时母鼠身体的营养成分及能量皆比同时期的雄鼠少。在接近冬眠前,成年雄鼠身体的脂肪含量,热值和钙镁比值等都相应比雌鼠高。     

内蒙古锡林河流域达乌尔黄鼠身体组成成分的研究

达乌尔黄鼠的身体组成成分,随各发育阶段以及每年的不同季节而有相应的变化。幼鼠脂肪、灰分、磷和镁的百分数与体重增长呈正相关,水分百分数与体重增长呈负相关,蛋白质百分数与体重增长不相关。母鼠授乳期目大量营养成分被消耗,此耐母鼠身体的营养成分及能量皆比同时期的雄鼠少。在接近冬眠前,成年雄鼠身体的脂肪含量,热值和钙镁比值等都相应比雌鼠高。
     

野生稻有利基因的发掘和利用

摘要: 野生稻作为栽培稻的野生亲缘种, 具有许多优良的性状和有利基因, 是栽培稻品种进一步改良的天然遗传种质资源库。其中, 野生稻对病虫害的抗性、对各种逆境的耐受性以及胞质雄性不育等, 已广泛应用于现代栽培稻的育种改良。文章综述了野生稻种质资源的有利性状及相应控制基因的发掘, 探讨了其在今后水稻育种中的应用潜力。     

热稳定型α-半乳糖苷酶的应用及基因工程研究进展

α-半乳糖苷酶是一种水解酶,可以将食品、饲料中的不良寡糖等抗营养因子水解,改变其营养成分并被动物吸收利用。该酶广泛存在于植物、动物及微生物中,在饲料、食品等工业以及现代医学中都有应用。目前,开发热稳定的α-半乳糖苷酶并利用基因工程方法进行分子改造和外源表达已成为研究热点。本文对近年来热稳定的α-半乳糖苷酶的应用和基因工程研究进展进行综述。     

Agriculture and nutrition at village level, Underexploited village resources

Developing country villages contain plants, animals and technologies whose extraordinary potentials are poorly appreciated by scientists. Examples of nutritious village crops that are still largely undeveloped and unappreciated outside their traditional villages are the winged bean, amaranths and the tepary bean. Tropical tree legumes, such as leucaena, grow fast and fix nitrogen and--although barely studied by foresters--are promising sources for village firewood and lumber. There are several animals with great promise for use in villages. The water buffalo is a gentle, productive village resource, neglected by the cow used by Indonesian villagers and unknown elsewhere in the tropics. And Papua New Guinea's new village farms for crocodiles and butterflies graphically demonstrate that wildlife husbandry can be valuable for remote rural areas, despite its neglect by animal science. Among exceptionally useful village technologies, an example is the amazingly efficient cooking system used on the small Indonesian islands of Roti and Sumba, which has so far been described only in Captain Cook's journals.     

Nutritional Characteristics of Wild and Cultivated Foods for Chimpanzees (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pan troglodytes</Emphasis>) in Agricultural Landscapes

Primate habitats are being transformed by human activities such as agriculture. Many wild primates include cultivated foods (crops) in their diets, calling for an improved understanding of the costs and benefits of crop feeding. We measured the macronutrient and antifeedant content of 44 wild and 21 crop foods eaten by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in a mosaic habitat at Bulindi, Uganda, to evaluate the common assertion that crops offer high nutritional returns compared to wild forage for primates. In addition, we analyzed 13 crops not eaten at Bulindi but that are consumed by chimpanzees elsewhere to assess whether nutritional aspects explain why chimpanzees in Bulindi ignored them. Our analysis of their wild plant diet (fruit, leaves, and pith) corresponds with previous chemical analyses of primate plant foods. Compared to wild food equivalents, crops eaten by the chimpanzees contained higher levels of digestible carbohydrates (mainly sugars) coupled with lower amounts of insoluble fiber and antifeedants. Cultivated fruits were relatively nutritious throughout the ripening process. Our data support the assumption that eating cultivated foods confers energetic advantages for primates, although crops in our sample were low in protein and lipids compared to some wild foods. We found little evidence that crops ignored by the chimpanzees were less nutritious than those that they did eat. Nonnutritional factors, e.g., similarity to wild foods, probably also influence crop selection. Whether cultivated habitats can support threatened but flexible primates such as chimpanzees in the long term hinges on local people’s willingness to share their landscape and resources with them.     

火龙果果实的功效及保鲜贮存技术研究(综述)

火龙果果实含有丰富的糖、白蛋白、不饱和脂肪酸、膳食纤维、维生素及多种微量元素,在抗氧化、降血脂、美容养颜等方面具有较好的保健功效,开发利用前景广阔。本文综述火龙果果实的营养成分和保健价值以及在保鲜贮存方面的研究进展,以期为火龙果的生产和科研提供参考依据。     

Comparison of metabolites in juice,seed and peel of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. sinensis)

Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Sea buckthorn, a functional food, can provide several nutritious substances useful for human health. As we know, its peels and seeds are removed as...     

Patterns of introduction and diversification of Vanilla planifolia (Orchidaceae) in Reunion Island (Indian Ocean)

The cultivated species Vanilla planifolia is a typical example of a crop introduced from its area of origin (America) to new regions where natural pollinators are absent. Although the Vanilla cultivars are exclusively vegetatively propagated, a high degree of phenotypic variation is observed among the cultivars in their introduction areas such as Reunion Island. To test several hypotheses explaining this variation-different introduction events, somatic mutations and sexual reproduction (through manual pollination)-we used AFLP markers to elucidate the patterns of introduction of V. planifolia. Most of the accessions cultivated in the world were derived from a single accession, possibly the Mexican cultivar Mansa. The patterns of diversification of this cultivated species were also studied and compared with other cultivated (V. tahitensis) and wild (V. pompona and V. bahiana) species. Except for one particular phenotype ('Aiguille'), which may come from sexual reproduction, cultivated accessions exhibit very low levels of genetic diversity. They have evolved by the accumulation of point mutations through vegetative multiplication. The genetic diversity revealed could not explain the phenotypic diversity, which may be related to epigenetics or polyploidy. This new understanding of the basis of genetic diversity of vanilla may assist to improve management of genetic resources.     

Nigella sativa L.: Uses in traditional and contemporary medicines – An overview

There are several wild and cultivated plants that offer excellent opportunities for being used as herbal and therapeutic agents. The identification of medicinal properties of plants and their effectiveness in treating diseases are important components in medicinal plant research and this can pave ways for further improvements in traditional drug use. Climatic conditions and phytogeography in Pakistan are ideal for naturally occurring diverse flora and managed cultivation of hundreds of plants of medicinal significance. Nigella sativa commonly known as the black seed is an important medicinal plant that has been widely used as a multipurpose medicinal agent in different countries since old times. The plant is abundantly cultivated in Pakistan for uses as condiment and medicines. It possesses important classes of bioactive compounds among which thymoquinone has attracted significant attention from the scientific community because of its active role in treating a diverse spectrum of diseases. The black seeds are used for reducing adverse effects of arthritis, asthma, inflammation, liver and gastro disorders besides their potential role in diabetes and cancers. The focus of this review is to highlight the medicinal significance of N. sativa in traditional medicine and opportunities for exploitation in contemporary medicine.