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In order to assess the quality and performance of bagged broccoli-raab, a recently marketed product, several nutritive parameters were determined in novel hybrid and conventional cultivars at pre- and post-packaging stages in the industrial environment. The characterization of shoots and composing organs at post-cut stage included contents of dietary fibre (DF), glycaemic carbohydrates (GC), antioxidant compounds (ACC) and capacity (AOC), which were determined by chromatographic methods and spectrophotometric assays. ACC and AOC were analysed during shelf life of bagged products. Genotype and storage effects were addressed as variability factors at fixed packaging conditions. Contents of DF and GC (39.64-34.57; 7.56-2.21 g/100 g), glucosinolates (37.47-24.63 mg/g SIN), and ACC (total phenolics: 18.64-14.92 mg GAE/g; flavonoids: 34.74-30.96 mg/g CE; flavonols: 14.62-14.08 mg QE/g), and AOC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity: 354.62-293.25 µmol/g TE; DPPH• scavenging activity: 59.35-46.14) were lower in shoots of the hybrid than marketed cultivar. In both genotypes, AOC was maximal in leaves, followed by florets and stems. The integrated analyses suggested that the hybrid genotype was better suited for fresh consumption and that increased ratio of florets/leaves vs. stem is expected to raise product antioxidant properties. The comparison of unprocessed and bagged products pointed at a value decay of most parameters except for glucosinolates and correlation analyses supported the necessity of performing multiple antioxidant assays to enhance product quality evaluation. As for shelf life, storage time was the major factor affecting antioxidant properties, while genotype and interaction effects were minimal. more...

Contamination from plastics represents one of the most dangerous types of pollution. The plastic particles persist in the environment, where they can undergo fragmentation into smaller pieces reaching sub-micrometer or nanometer sizes. These particles can be absorbed by plants and thus enter the food chain, representing a real problem for the quality of the environment itself and for human and animal health. One of the most widespread polymer is polystyrene (PS) and its particles are commonly found in terrestrial ecosystems. The aim of this work was to analyze the effects of 0.01, 0.1, 1 g/L concentrations of nano- (20 nm) and submicron- (200 nm) fluorescent particles at two exposure times (7 and 14 days) on Cichorium endivia L., considering the following endpoints: a) the germination physiology and seedling development; b) the impact on the content of phytochemical compounds and photosynthetic pigments; c) the absorption and translocation within the seedlings by means of fluorescence microscopy, of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and of attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The results evidenced that the germination percentage was not affected by PS particles of both size at any concentration. Seedlings root and shoot elongation was mainly affected by exposure at highest concentration of nanoPS after 7 days of imbibition while photosynthetic pigments increased in all treatments. The fluorescence of nanoPS was observed in root hair, in root vascular bundles of 7 days seedlings and in the shoot of 14 days seedlings. TEM and ATR-FTIR analysis supported this finding, evidencing nanoPS in analyzed tissues. On the contrary, submicron particles were rarely observed in the roots and in the tissues, as demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy as well as by TEM and ATR-FTIR. These results raise concerns about nanoPS contamination of food via edible plants, this representing a serious risk for human health. more...

Le piante con il loro stile di vita sessile, la loro struttura e fisiologia, entrano direttamente in contatto con le matrici ambientali, suolo, acqua e aria. Proprio per queste prerogative, gli studi di monitoraggio ambientale basati sui sistemi vegetali possono essere molto indicativi del reale stato di salute dell'ambiente. I saggi biologici sulle piante permettono di analizzare gli effetti di contaminanti a dispersione naturale o antropica (metalli pesanti, sostanze organiche earomatiche, nanoparticelle, etc) e sono molto vantaggiosi, economici, ad alta sensibilità e correlabili con risultati ottenuti su sistemi animali. Questi saggi, possono considerare diversi endpoints: parametri fisiologici e morfologici (effetti fitotossici); produzione di enzimi e molecole legate alla risposta a stress; effetti su attività mitotica e ciclo cellulare (effetti citotossici); danni al DNA da attività clastogenica e mutagena (effetti genotossici); danniultrastrutturali. Inoltre questi test permettono di valutare il danno acuto o cronico in seguito ad esposizioni più o meno lunghe ai contaminanti.A conferma dell'efficienza di questo metodo di indagine si riportano studi effettuati nei nostri laboratori su piante modello di interesse agrario (Vicia faba, V. sativa, Allium cepa, Hordeum vulgaree Zea mays) esposte a diversi inquinanti e valutate attraverso un approccio multidisciplinare more...

In addition to the benefits derived from nanotechnology, there is also concernabout the potential risks of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) when released into the environment. Their possible accumulation and effects in agricultural soils and crops are closely linked to food and agriculture safety. Particular attention has been focused on the reuse of biosolids from wastewater treatment plants that are considered a cost-effective practice for the improvement of nutrients and organic matter in agricultural soils and, but also a sink of contaminants such as nanoparticles (NPs). TiO2NPs have a global production of about 10.000 tons/year and it are among the most extensively used ENPs. Moreover, dissimilar or inconclusive results have been reported concerning the impact of TiO2 NPs on the soil-crop system, thus more information regarding their behavior are necessary. This study aimed to evaluate the potential effects of TiO2 NPs (anatase and rutile) and larger particles (bulk) on the availability of soil nutrients and on the nutritional status of Pisum sativum plants, simulating low (80 mg/kg) and high load of TiO2 (800 mg/kg ) in a biosolid-amended soil. Treated soils were analyzed for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, soil microbial community, and plants grown in laboratory for 30d were analyzed for growth, pigments and mineral nutrition. Results showed that the treatment with TiO2 at macro- and nano-scale significantly reduced the availability of Mn, Fe and P in soils, this last more evident for the NPs treatments. Indeed, the soil bacterial diversity was reduced when the mixture of anatase and rutile were spiked in the biosolid-amended soil at high concentration. Moreover, the pea plants from treated soils showed an imbalance in the mineral nutrition, with reduction in the plant tissues of Mn and K and increase of N. This study pose a reflection on the use of biosolid, which could act as a vehicle for the spread and accumulation of ENPs in agro-ecosystems. more...

In female mammal s, dosage compensation for X-linked genes is ensured through random X-chromosome inactivation, which is initiated by mono-allelic up-regulation of Xist . We use mathematical modeling to identify the regulatory principles required to establish the mono-allelic and female-specific Xist expression pattern and test model predictions experimentally. A cis -acting positive feedback, which in mice is mediated by mutual repression of Xist and its antisense transcript Tsix , together with a trans -acting negative feedba ck are sufficient to explain mono-allelic Xist up-regulation. The model can reproduce data from several mutant, aneuploid and polyploid murine cell lines and explain s Xist expression patterns in other mammalian species. Furthermore, it predicts that transient , reversible bi-allelic Xist expression is not restricted to rabbits and humans but can also occur in mice, which we indeed confirm to occur in mouse embryos. Overall, our study provides a conceptual framework of the molecular mechanisms required to initiate random X-chromosome inactivation. more...

Nanotechnologies and nanomaterials are increasingly involved in the production of fillers, opacifiers, catalysts, semiconductors, cosmetics, microelectronic components and drug carriers with improved properties. Nevertheless, the production, use and disposal of nanomaterials, will inevitably lead to their release into the soil, with potential phytotoxicity on plants and negative impacts on economy, society and environment (1). In the last years halloysite nanotubes (HNT) emerged as promising materials with appealing perspective for technological applications. We have recently reported the generation of HNT derivatives carrying octylimidazolium moieties on the external surface (HNT supported ionic liquid-like phase, HNT-SILLP) and employed them as supports for palladium catalyst (HNT-SILLP/Pd) (2, 3). These studies have shown that these materials are good catalysts and encourage their potential application in large-scale industrial processes. The present research aimed to investigate the potential phytotoxicity of HNT, HNT-SILLP and HNT-SILLP/Pd, by considering different endpoints as seed germination physiology and cytogenetic analyses. more...

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are natural nanomaterials that are biocompatible and available in large amounts at low prices. They are emerging nanomaterials with appealing properties for applications like support for metal nanoparticles (NPs). The potential environmental impacts of NPs can be understood in terms of phytotoxicity. Current research has been focusing on HNT applications in cell or animal models, while their use in plants is limited so their ecotoxicological impact is poorly documented. To date there are no studies on the phytotoxic effects of functionalized halloysites (functionalized-HNTs). To develop a quantitative risk assessment model for predicting the potential impact of HNT-supported palladium nanoparticles (HNT-PdNPs) on plant life, an investigation was undertaken to explore their effects on seed germination, seedling development, and mitotic division in root tip cells of 2 lots of Raphanus sativus L. with different vigor. The results showed that exposure to 1500mg/L of HNTs, functionalized-HNTs, and HNT-PdNPs had no significant influence on germination, seedling development, xylem differentiation, or mitotic index in both lots. Cytogenetic analyses revealed that treatments with functionalized-HNT significantly increased the number of aberrations in low-vigor seeds. These results suggest that low-vigor seeds represent a model for a stress test that would be useful to monitor the effects of NPs. Moreover the present study offers scientific evidence for the use of halloysite for environmental purposes, supporting the biological safety of HNT-PdNPs. more...

Preservation of intraspecific diversity in seed banks is a common strategy to frontier the loss of biodi- versity, however long-term storage inevitably results in the loss of a certain percentage of seeds, there- fore causing the genetic erosion of a seed collection. For this reason seed quality monitoring is of out- standing importance to ensure that the regenerated genetic material is representative of the endemic nat- ural diversity once reintroduced in the environment, as well as to preserve the genetic biodiversity of species economically relevant for modern agriculture. Ageing amplification tests, in which seeds under- go osmotic stresses, enable to detect little differences in the vigour of seeds with high germination per- centage (%G) thereby allowing to predict precociously damages induced by long-term storage. In the present research the quality of Brassica villosa subsp. drepanensis seeds stored in a genebank (at - 20°C for sixteen years) was compared to seeds at harvest (control) by combining %G and mean germina- tion time (MGT) measurements, ageing amplification tests and cytogenetic changes in primary roots. Comparison of %G and MGT between control and stored seeds showed no significant differences. Conversely ageing amplification tests where a saline shock (NaCl -0.9 MPa) was given for six hours to control seeds or after storage, evidenced no significant influence on %G of control seeds, but sig- nificantly reduced the % G of stored seeds. The treatment with 1.4 MPa osmotic potential significant- ly reduced %G of control and stored seeds (50 and 4% respectively). Cytogenetic analysis clearly showed significant reductions of the mitotic index, the appearance of c – metaphases, chromosomes laggings and bridges in stored seeds in respect to control seeds germinat- ed in water. While the treatment with -0.9 MPa osmotic potential had no significant effects in both groups, the treatment with -1.4 MPa osmotic potential had inhibitory effects in root apices of control seeds and completely prevented cell division in stored ones. The results presented in this study indicate that despite a comparable germinative response of seeds, long-term storage induces cytogenetical damages and increase susceptibility to salt stress, therefore lowering the seed quality. We suggest the use of the ageing amplification test and cytogenetical parameters as more sensi- tive, reliable and inexpensive methods compared to germination percentage tests, allowing an early prediction of genetic erosion events in germplasm banks and representing a valuable alternative tool for seed producers more...

TiO2nanoparticles (NPs) are among the top five NPs used in consumer products (toothpastes, sunscreens, cosmetics, food products, medicines and pharmaceuticals, agriculture and environmental cleanup products) for their high stability, anticorrosive properties, redox selectivity, low production costs and wide spectrum of applications (1). NPs have been recently included among the emerging contaminants by USEPA (2) since living organisms may be affected by their exposition to NPs released into aquatic, terrestrial and atmosphere environments. The experimental design of the present work was to study the model system Vicia fabaL. var. minorand the potential effects of the same concentration (50 mg/l) of a commercial source of TiO2NPs more...

Nanotechnologies and nanomaterials are increasingly involved in the production of fillers, opacifiers, catalysts, semiconductors, cosmetics, microelectronic components and drug carriers with improved properties. Nevertheless, the production, use and disposal of nanomaterials, will inevitably lead to their release into the soil, with potential phytotoxicity on plants and negative impacts on economy, society and environment (1). In the last years halloysite nanotubes (HNT) emerged as promising materials with appealing perspective for technological applications. We have recently reported the generation of HNT derivatives carrying octylimidazolium moieties on the external surface (HNT supported ionic liquid-like phase, HNT-SILLP) and employed them as supports for palladium catalyst (HNT-SILLP/Pd) (2, 3). These studies have shown that these materials are good catalysts and encourage their potential application in large-scale industrial processes. The present research aimed to investigate the potential phytotoxicity of HNT, HNT-SILLP and HNT-SILLP/Pd, by considering different endpoints as seed germination physiology and cytogenetic analyses (4). Raphanus sativus L. seeds were imbibed in distilled water (control) or in HNT, HNT-SILLP and HNT-SILLP/Pd, incubated at 25°C in the dark, under continuous agitation up to 72 h. Germination percentage and mean germination time, together with fresh and dry weights were evaluated in control and HNTs-treated seeds. To further rule out possible impacts of these nanomaterials on genetic stability, the accumulation of nanotubes during seedling development by means of thermogravimetric analysis, IR spectroscopy and cytogenetical analysis on radical meristems were performed. The preliminary results here presented show that these nanomaterials do not affect the germinative process and the development of the seedling. Thermogravimetric analysis and IR spectroscopy studies additionally showed that exposure to the investigated nanomaterials does not lead to an accumulation into the seedling organs since the plant cell wall might act as a barrier, efficiently preventing entry of these nanoparticles into the cell. more...