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Impact of industrial shelling and blanching on almond kernel integrity and color
Get PDFSpanish almond industry expressed concerns over increasing kernel breakage during processing, particularly
with the new almond cultivars introduced since 2005. This research aimed to (i) evaluate kernel breakage across
different almond cultivars during shelling and blanching in Spanish industrial machines; (ii) identify the main
factors contributing to breakage; and (iii) assess the impact of blanching on kernel color. Shelling breakage was
lower in ‘Belona’ (2%) than ‘Guara’ (7%), potentially attributed to its higher water absorption and round shape.
However, blanching, drastically increased breakage in ‘Belona’ (42%) compared to ‘Guara’ (29%). A large
variability among cultivars (‘Carmel’ 12%, ‘Belona 2’ 32% significantly similar to ‘Guara’ 29%, and ‘Lauranne’
43% significantly similar to ‘Belona’ 42%), was observed, but also between different batches of the same cultivar
(‘Belona’ 42% and ‘Belona 2’ 32%), probably due to different growing conditions. ‘Lauranne’ and ‘Belona’
exhibited a higher tendency to produce halves, whereas ‘Guara’ produced more pieces. Kernel breakage during
blanching was significantly correlated with kernel width (r = 0.57***), protein, (r = − 0.83***), and fat content
(r = 0.67***). Blanching significantly affected kernel color (‘Carmel’, ‘Belona 2’, ‘Guara’, ‘Lauranne’, ‘Belona’;
ΔE = 19, 14, 12, 11, 10, respectively) and was identified as a critical control point for breakage across the
processing lineFunded by European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and “Departament d'Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca i Alimentació, Generalitat de Catalunya” through Operational Group “Operation 16.01.01 of Cooperation for Innovation of the Rural Development Program of Catalonia 2014–2020, QUALINUT project. Author Leontina Lipan has been funded by “Ministerio de Universidades” and the European-Union Next Generation EU within the frame of Grants for the Requalification of the Spanish University System, modality ‘Margarita Salas’. Pilot plant sample managing at IRTA was done by Magdalena Duran, Grant PTA 2022-022594-I funded by “Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades”/“Agencia Estatal de Investigación” (MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and by European Social Fund Plus (ESF+). Authors knowledge “Almendras Martí” for housing the industrial experiments, samples supplying and personnel helping for the management of processing units.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Gonadal miRNomes and transcriptomes in infected fish reveal sexually dimorphic patterns of the immune response
Get PDFFish disease outbreaks caused by bacterial burdens are responsible for decreasing productivity in aquaculture. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms activated in the gonads after infections is pivotal for enhancing husbandry techniques in fish farms, ensuring disease management, and selecting the most resilience phenotype. The present study, with an important commercial species the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), an important commercial species in Europe, examined changes in the miRNome and transcriptome 48 h after an intraperitoneal infection with Vibrio anguillarum. The findings indicate that following infection, testes exhibited more pronounced alterations in both the miRNome and transcriptome. Specifically, males showed approximately 26% more differentially expressed genes in testicular genes compared to females (2,624 vs. 101 DEGs). Additionally, four miRNAs (miR-183-5p, miR-191-3p, miR-451-5p, and miR-724-5p) were significantly expressed post-infection in males, while none were identified in females. Interestingly, upon deep analysis of sexual dimorphic gene modules, a larger number of miRNAs were identified in infected females targeting genes related to the immune system compared to infected males. These results suggest that fish ovaries demonstrate greater resilience in response to infections by suppressing genes related to the immune system through a post-transcriptional mechanism performed by miRNAs. In contrast, testes activate genes related to the immune system and repress genes related to cellular processes to cope with the infection. In particular, the crosstalk between the miRNome and transcriptome in infected males revealed a pivotal gene, namely, insulin-like growth factor binding protein (igfbp), acting as a gene network hub in which miR-192-3p was connected. The current study elucidated the need to comprehend the basic immune regulatory responses associated with miRNAs and gene regulation networks that depend on fish sex. The data reveal the importance of considering sex as a factor in interpreting the immune system in fish to generate efficient protocols to prevent outbreaks in fish farms.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation grants 2PID2020-113781RB-I00 “MicroMet” and by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) grant 02030E004 “Interomics” and Ayudas extraordinarias para la preparación de proyectos del CSIC “AEPP2024” to LR and with funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Nasal microbial diversity is associated with survival in piglets infected by a highly virulent PRRSV‑1 strain
Get PDFBackground
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a major threat to swine industry worldwide, especially virulent variants arising during the last years, such as Spanish PRRSV-1 Rosalia strain. The role of the nasal microbiota in respiratory viral infections is still to be unveiled but may be promisingly related with the health status of the animals and thus, their susceptibility. The goal of this project was to study the nasal microbiota composition of piglets during a highly virulent PRRSV-1 outbreak comparing animals that died due to the infection with animals that survived it. The microbiota composition was inferred by V3–V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. To deepen the analysis, we added samples taken from piglets before the outbreak as well as from the sows giving birth to piglets under study.
Results
Piglets that survived the PRRSV-1 outbreak reported a more diverse and different nasal microbiota at three weeks of age compared to piglets dying, which was highly related with the litter of origin and the sow of the piglets. In addition, a high abundance of classical swine nasal colonizers belonging to genera such as Bergeyella, Glaesserella, Neisseria and Moraxella (among others), was related with good outcome. On the other hand, a dysbiotic community dominated by Escherichia and a different clade of Moraxella was found in piglets with bad outcome. Moreover, samples taken before the outbreak showed similar dynamics prior to virulent PRRSV-1 arrival, suggesting that microbiota-related susceptibility was already occurring in the animals and that the increase in mortality seen was related to the new highly virulent strain.
Conclusion
Our study suggests that the susceptibility to an infection such as PRRSV could be related to the nasal microbiota composition at the moment of infection and may serve as starting point to explore animal resilience. Since the dysbiosis detected as an initial response to infection may be not specific for this virus, further investigations should explore this phenomenon in the context of other viral infections.This project was funded by Project PCI2020-120688 from the Spanish “Agencia Estatal de investigaciónn” and by Project ICRAD ID86-PIGIE of the European Union. POG is supported by FPU (FPU19/02126) fellowship from Spanish Government.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Varietats de blat de moro de cicle llarg per a gra
Get PDFLes varietats que han mostrat un bon comportament productiu a les dues principals zones productores de blat de moro de Catalunya han estat MAXEED, KWS POSEIDO, ZAPOTEK i DKC6351 YG. A les comarques litorals de Girona, P1524, LG31710 YG, PORTBOU YG i P1921 han estat els híbrids que durant els darrers quatre anys han mostrat les majors produccions, tot i que sense diferències significatives amb la resta. Als regadius de Lleida sí que s’han vist diferències en producció entre el DKC6980 i l’híbrid de cicle més curt P0937Y. Les varietats més tardanes i amb una humitat del gra més elevada al moment de la collita han estat LG31710 YG i LG31700. Totes les varietats han mostrat infeccions per Fusarium verticillioides amb més del 50% de les panotxes afectades, essent IXABEL, DKC6980, MAXEED i PORTBOU YG les més susceptibles.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Context matters: German public perceptions of trophy hunting in sub-Saharan Africa
No full textProposed bans on the import of hunting trophies from African countries to Europe continue to spark international political tensions and public debate. Despite heated debates in Germany, Europe's largest and the world's second largest importer, empirical evidence on public perceptions is limited. Using an experimental vignette approach, we administered an online questionnaire to 882 rural and urban German participants and used ordinal regression to assess the acceptability of trophy hunting of African elephants and zebras. Overall acceptability was low, with 59.7–90.8 % of participants rating the hunting scenarios as unacceptable to a certain extent, but varied by context: while hunting a zebra was more acceptable than an elephant, participants showed consistency in whether they prioritised the need of people or that of wildlife, both in the usage of the hunted meat and the allocation of the revenue of the hunt. We did not find evidence for a rural-urban divide, while acceptability between zebra and elephant hunts was more pronounced among rural participants. Acceptability was higher among male participants, those who prioritised the interests of people over the interests of wild animals, and those who identified as hunters. Our findings emphasise the international complexities of public opinion on contentious issues in conservation and illuminate challenges decision-makers face when balancing the interests and perspectives of multiple publics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
La gestión integrada de plagas en cítricos en España
No full textinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Arriba l’inici de la collita de l’oliva!
No full textEn el moment actual el 90% de les varietats de la col·lecció de l’IRTA a Mas Bové ha assolit el color morat i prop del 60% tenen la major part d’olives de l’arbre totalment morades o negresinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Cardiac activity cessation during slaughtering combinations in farmed European seabass
No full textEnsuring fish welfare during stunning and slaughter is essential, as these procedures represent critical points in the production cycle that can significantly impact animal welfare. Cardiac activity serves as a key physiological indicator to assess stress responses and welfare in fish. Prolonged cardiac activity may reflect delayed death, which is relevant for evaluating welfare during the slaughtering process. In the present study, the effects of different slaughtering combinations on cardiac activity and internal temperature were evaluated in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). To continuously monitor heart rate, biologgers were surgically implanted in adult seabass. Fish were subjected to different pre-slaughter treatments (ice slurry immersion or electrical stunning) followed by various slaughter methods (ice slurry, ikejime, or anesthetic overdose). The selected stunning and slaughter combinations represent the most used techniques in commercial aquaculture (ice treatments) and new alternatives that are currently under evaluation (electric stunning) or used as control treatments (ikejime and anesthetic overdose). Results indicated that slaughter in ice slurry resulted in the longest duration of cardiac activity, whereas ikejime and anesthetic overdose led to the fastest cessation, particularly when preceded by stunning. Electrical stunning significantly reduced the time to cardiac activity cessation compared with ice slurry immersion alone. The welfare concerns related to ice slurry slaughter are based on the prolonged cardiac activity observed, which may indicate physiological stress and delayed time to death. Based on cardiac activity and from an ethical and welfare perspective, electrical stunning followed by ikejime appeared to be the most effective method, ensuring rapid cessation of cardiac activity. However, both electrical stunning and ikejime require further neural validation to confirm that they reliably induce immediate and sustained loss of consciousness. While this combined method shows promise, its economic feasibility and practicality in commercial settings must be improved. At present, electrical stunning followed by ice slurry slaughter represents a more viable alternative, although it also requires neural validation. Future research should refine electrical stunning parameters, incorporate neurophysiological and biochemical indicators, and explore innovations to enhance welfare standards in seabass aquaculture.This study is part of the WELLSTUN project: “Improvement of the slaughter process in farmed fish: Welfare indicators and product quality”, funded by the National Aquaculture Plan of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food of the Spanish Government and coordinated by AR. EH-A was supported by a “SOIB-Recerca i Innovació” contract funded by the Govern de les Illes Balears (DOI: 10.13039/501100022397). PA-L was supported by a Ramón y Cajal contract (RYC2020-029629-I) funded by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (DOI: 10.13039/501100011033). M.J.C-A received Portuguese national funds from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through projects UIDB/04326/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/04326/2020) and LA/P/0101/2020. The authors acknowledge the staff of IRTA and ECOAQUA-ULPGC for their support and assistance during the experiments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Bones, reproductive organs and carcass characteristics of entire, early and late immunocastrated male pigs
No full textImmunocastration has been introduced in pig production in order to combine the reduction of undesired characteristics of meat and improvement of animal welfare with achieving the highest possible production results. Although previous research has examined the influence of immunocastration on production parameters, carcass quality and reproductive organs, there is limited information available regarding its impact on bone characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of producing entire male pigs and pigs following two immunocastration protocols on growth performance, sexual organ development, carcass quality, total bone properties and radius characteristics as determined by computed tomography images. Entire males (EM), early immunocastrated animals (EIC, first vaccination-V1 13 weeks before slaughter and second vaccination-V2 8 weeks before slaughter) and late immunocastrated animals (LIC, V1 8 weeks before slaughter and V2 4 weeks before slaughter) did not differ in daily gain and final weight. However, daily feed consumption (after V2 of EIC), feed conversion ratio (after V2 of LIC), fat thickness (after V2 of LIC) and ham fat thickness and area (measured in the carcass) were the highest in EIC animals, the lowest in EM animals, with LIC being in between. Reproductive organs length and weight were significantly decreased by immunocastration, with smaller sizes observed the longer the immunocastration lasted. Yellowness of the testes increased with immunocastration, while redness and lightness seemed to increase at the beginning of the immunocastration and decrease as time went on. Minor differences in bone characteristics in EIC compared to entire males were observed. Only the proportion of high-density (P = 0.092) bones tended to be higher in EIC than EM pigs, while the proportion of very high-density bones (P = 0.035) was significantly higher in EIC than EM pigs. Under the conditions of the present work, overall bone mineral density, radius length and radius cross-sectional area were not influenced by the timing of immunocastration in this study, eliminating the possibility of removing animals from production/fattening due to problems with the skeletal system.This work, carried out using IRTA feed mill and laboratory and IRTA abattoir and CT unit infrastructures, is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101004770. IRTA as the host organisation is acknowledged. This work was partly supported by CERCA from Generalitat de Catalunya and Consolidated Research Groups (2021 SGR 00461).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Recuperación de plantaciones superintensivas de olivar en seto ‘Arbequina’ con baja producción
No full textLa intensificación es una necesidad en los sistemas oleícolas actuales, ya que se obtienen mayores producciones con menores costes, al permitir su mecanización. El modelo de plantación superintensivo o en seto surgió en los años 90, principalmente con la variedad ‘Arbequina’; muy bien adaptada a este sistema durante los primeros
años, pero que en ciertas condiciones edafoclimáticas o de manejo puede presentar una caída de
productividad, por lo que en los últimos años se está sustituyendo por nuevas variedades mejoradas y mejor adaptadas a este sistema.
Se analiza el historial productivo de los tres principales sistemas de producción oleícolas en una parcela experimental de la variedad ‘Arbequina’ durante 18 años (2007-2024): intensivo (277 árboles/ha),alta densidad (416 árboles/ha) y superintensivo (1.250 árboles/ha) y se describen diferentes estrategias de reconversión de plantaciones en seto que ha reducido su producción.
Se presenta también la respuesta a diferentes estrategias de reconversión de varias plantaciones comerciales de ‘Arbequina’ en seto que han sufrido una caída de producción, con el objetivo de recuperar su productividad.Se agradece con la elaboración de las diferentes fincas comerciales de olivar en seto de varias zonas productoras de Cataluña.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio