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Food fortification is one strategy for addressing micronutrient deficiencies among the population groups at risk. Non-compliance with fortification standards hinders the success of fortification programs. This is due to a lack of techniques to rapidly check the amounts of the added fortificants. Fourier transform - near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy is a fast and reliable technique that would be used to ensure adherence to requirements. This study aimed to investigate the potential of using FT-NIR spectroscopy to predict the amount of retinol in fortified maize flour. 150 fortified maize flour samples were used in this study. Partial least squares regression (PLS-R) was used to build calibration models based on the retinol reference values obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and fortified maize flour NIR spectra acquired from the FT-NIR spectrophotometer. Two calibration models were developed to predict retinol above and below 1.0 mg/kg. The performance metrics of model one developed to predict retinol < 1.0 mg/kg were: R²c = 0.81, RMSEE = 0.08, RPD = 2.29 and R²v = 0.82, RMSEP = 0.09, RPD = 2.07 for the calibration and validation, respectively. The second model developed to predict retinol ≥ 1.0 mg/kg had the following performance metrics: R²c = 0.93, RMSEE = 0.16, RPD = 3.58 and R²v = 0.81, RMSEP = 0.22, RPD = 2.43 for the calibration and validation, respectively. Overall, the findings demonstrated that FT-NIR spectroscopy can be utilised to reliably predict retinol levels in fortified maize flour samples. FT-NIR spectroscopy, by replacing time-consuming and laborious wet chemistry laboratory procedures, has the potential to be used for rapid regulatory monitoring of fortification compliance for a large number of samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southeastern region of Kenya is prone to aflatoxin outbreaks, yet maternal and infant aflatoxin intake levels remain unclear. We determined dietary aflatoxin exposure of 170 lactating mothers breastfeeding children aged 6 months and below in a descriptive cross‐sectional study involving aflatoxin analysis of maize‐based cooked food samples (n = 48). Their socioeconomic characteristics, food consumption patterns and postharvest handling of maize were determined. Aflatoxins were determined using high‐performance liquid chromatography and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analysis was conducted using Statistical Package Software for Social Sciences (SPSS version 27) and Palisade's @Risk software. About 46% of the mothers were from low‐income households, and 48.2% had not attained the basic level of education. A generally low dietary diversity was reported among 54.1% of lactating mothers. Food consumption pattern was skewed towards starchy staples. Approximately 50% never treated their maize, and at least 20% stored their maize in containers that promote aflatoxin contamination. Aflatoxin was detected in 85.4% of food samples. The mean of total aflatoxin was 97.8 μg/kg (standard deviation [SD], 57.7), while aflatoxin B1 was 9.0 μg/kg (SD, 7.7). The mean dietary intake of total aflatoxin and aflatoxin B1 was 7.6 μg/kg/b.w.t/day (SD, 7.5) and 0.6 (SD, 0.6), respectively. Dietary aflatoxin exposure of lactating mothers was high (margin of exposure < 10,000). Sociodemographic characteristics, food consumption patterns and postharvest handling of maize variably influenced dietary aflatoxin exposure of the mothers. The high prevalence and presence of aflatoxin in foods of lactating mothers are a public health concern and calls for the need to devise easy‐to‐use household food safety and monitoring measures in the study area. Key messages: A high prevalence of aflatoxin (84.4%) and high dietary aflatoxin exposure were reported among lactating mothers in the study.The mean concentration of 90% of maize‐based cooked food samples exceeded the 2 and 10 µg/kg set limits for aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin, respectively.Household size, education, socioeconomic status and limited food consumption patterns were potential determinants of dietary aflatoxin exposure in lactating mothers. Within dietary diversity, the type of food constituting a diverse diet played an important role.Postharvest handling of maize could be one of the factors contributing to dietary aflatoxin exposure in the study area.The reported results call for the need to devise easy‐to‐use household food safety and monitoring measures in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the genetic basis responding to nitrogen (N) fertilization in crop production is a long-standing research topic in plant breeding and genetics. Albeit years of continuous efforts, the genetic architecture parameters, such as heritability, polygenicity, and mode of selection, underlying the N responses in maize remain largely unclear. In this study, about n = 230 maize inbred lines were phenotyped under high N (HN) and low N (LN) conditions for 2 consecutive years to obtain 6 yield-related traits. Heritability analyses suggested that traits highly responsive to N treatments were less heritable. Using publicly available SNP genotypes, the genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to identify n = 237 and n = 130 trait-associated loci under HN and LN conditions, n = 164 for N-responsive (NR) traits, and n = 31 for genotype by N interaction (G × N). Furthermore, genome-wide complex trait Bayesian (GCTB) analysis, a method complementary to GWAS, was performed to estimate genetic parameters, including genetic polygenicity and the mode of selection (S). GCTB results suggested that the NR value of a yield component trait was highly polygenic and that 4 NR traits exhibited negative correlations between SNP effects and their minor allele frequencies (or the S value <0)—a pattern consistent with negative selection to purge deleterious alleles. This study reveals the complex genetic architecture underlying N responses for yield-related traits and provides candidate genetic loci for N resilient maize improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim. The aim of the study was to study the content of polysaccharide fractions depending on the dissolution, qualitative composition and quantitative content of sugars in corn silk, leaves and roots. Materials and methods. To study different fractions of polysaccharides - water-soluble polysaccharides (WSPS), pectin substances (PS), hemicelluloses A (HC A) and B (HM B) used a gravimetric method based on the extraction of polysaccharide fractions with a suitable solvent followed by sedimentation and weighing of the sediment. Determination of the qualitative composition and quantitative content of monosaccharides in corn medicinal plant materials (MPM) was carried out by the method of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Results. Conducted studies of corn silk, leaves and roots carbohydrates using the fractionation method indicate the following trend of BAS accumulation in the studied raw materials: the content of WSPS and PS in corn silk exceeded the content of these compounds in other types of raw materials - 4.07±0.14 % and 7.20±0.29 %, respectively; leaves accumulated the most HC A and HC B compared to the content of these fractions in other samples - 6.81±0.21 % and 21.20±0.84 %, respectively. It was established by the GC/MS method that 4 substances were identified in corn silk in the free state: arabinose, glucose, galactose and fructose. After hydrolysis 5 substances were identified in corm silk - arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose, galactose. Among the free sugars 3 compounds were found in corn leaves - glucose, fructose and sucrose. After hydrolysis, 4 compounds were identified in in corn leaves - arabinose, xylose, glucose and galactose. In corn roots 3 compounds are found in a free form - glucose, fructose and sucrose. After hydrolysis 4 compounds were identified in corn roots - arabinose, xylose, glucose and galactose. Conclusions. The obtained results indicate a significant content of polysaccharides and sugars in the raw materials of corn, which makes it possible to predict the anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, adsorbing, energetic activity of the studied types of corn plant raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic admixture, resulting from the recombination between structural groups, is frequently encountered in breeding populations. In hybrid breeding, crossing admixed lines can generate substantial nonadditive genetic variance and contrasted levels of inbreeding which can impact trait variation. This study aimed at testing recent methodological developments for the modeling of inbreeding and nonadditive effects in order to increase prediction accuracy in admixed populations. Using two maize (Zea mays L.) populations of hybrids admixed between dent and flint heterotic groups, we compared a suite of five genomic prediction models incorporating (or not) parameters accounting for inbreeding and nonadditive effects with the natural and orthogonal interaction approach in single and multienvironment contexts. In both populations, variance decompositions showed the strong impact of inbreeding on plant yield, height, and flowering time which was supported by the superiority of prediction models incorporating this effect (þ0.038 in predictive ability for mean yield). In most cases dominance variance was reduced when inbreeding was accounted for. The model including additivity, dominance, epistasis, and inbreeding effects appeared to be the most robust for prediction across traits and populations (þ0.054 in predictive ability for mean yield). In a multienvironment context, we found that the inclusion of nonadditive and inbreeding effects was advantageous when predicting hybrids not yet observed in any environment. Overall, comparing variance decompositions was helpful to guide model selection for genomic prediction. Finally, we recommend the use of models including inbreeding and nonadditive parameters following the natural and orthogonal interaction approach to increase prediction accuracy in admixed populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is considered as an important annual cereal crop cultivated widely throughout the world. Blue Maize (Zea mays L.) is a blue-colored variety of maize containing high content of anthocyanin and belongs to the family Poaceae. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of soaking, germination, natural fermentation, and roasting on nutritional, anti-nutritional, and bioactive components of blue maize. The changes in chemical composition were studied after 12 and 24 h of soaking and 24, 48, and 72 h of germination treatment. The blue maize grains were subjected to natural fermentation for time intervals of 12, 24, and 36 h, and roasting treatment by heating at 180 °C on a hot plate for 10 s. The results revealed that the phenolic content increased significantly (p≤0.05) from 44.88 to 51.56 mg GAE/100g after 36 h fermentation and from 44.88 to 61.05 mg GAE/100g after 72 h of germination whereas it decreased from 44.88 to 35.73 mg GAE/100g during the roasting process. Further, there was a 44.02 and 20.22% increase in protein content during germination and fermentation processes, respectively, and a slight decrease of 2.16% after roasting treatment. The antioxidant activity increased significantly (p≤0.05) from 10.41 to 18.85% during germination and 10.41 to 14.50% during fermentation, respectively. But it was found to get decreased by 6.53% after the roasting process. The anti-nutrients such as phytic acid and tannins declined significantly (p≤0.05) during the processing treatments. Phytic acid decreased to the extent of 63.57, 55.99, and 27%, and tannin contents as 62.5, 50, and 41.66%, after germination, fermentation, and roasting processes, respectively. There was a significant (p≤0.05) increase in mineral contents after all processing treatments of blue maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn stigma (CS), derived from the stigma and style of gramineous plant Zea mays. The medicinal use of CS can be traced back to Dian Nan Materia Medica. Lingnan Medicinal Plants Compendium records its effectiveness in ameliorating diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia and the consequent chronic complications of kidney, heart, brain and other organs, which pose a significant threat to human health. CS has shown great potential in relieving hyperglycemia associated with diabetes. However, the mechanism of CS in treating diabetes remains unclear. To explore the pathogenesis of diabetes and the mechanism of CS improving hyperglycemia in diabetes. We measured apigenin and luteolin contents in CS by UPLC/MS/MS method. Selecting Wistar rats as normal group, and GK rats as model group. For rats, we detected glucose and lipid metabolism indicators, including GHb, AST, ALT, U-Glu, UA, U-TP, U-ALB, and ACR after treatment. For zebrafish, we utilized alloxan and sucrose to establish the diabetes model. Measuring zebrafish blood glucose is employed to evaluate the hypoglycemic capability of CS. In order to explore the mechanism of CS in treating diabetes, we sequenced the transcriptome of zebrafish, compared differentially expressed genes of normal, diabetic, and CS-treated group, and validated multiple enrichment pathways by PCR. CS can improve blood glucose levels in both GK rats and diabetic zebrafish. For rats, CS partially restored glucose and lipid metabolism indicators. Transcriptome data from zebrafish showed a close correlation with steroid biosynthesis. The RNA-Sequencing was consistent with PCR results, indicating that CS downregulated gene (fdft1, lss, cyp51) expression concerned with steroid biosynthesis pathway in the diabetes model. CS effectively improved blood glucose levels, regulated glucose and lipid metabolism by suppressing gene expression in steroid biosynthesis pathway, and ameliorated hyperglycemia. Our research provides valuable insights for CS in the treatment of diabetes, and proposes a new strategy for selecting clinical medications for diabetes. [Display omitted] • Corn stigma is an affordable, effective and safe Chinese herbal medicine with significant development potential. • Corn stigma can improve metabolic indicators such as blood glucose level in diabetes. • Corn stigma can downregulate steroid biosynthesis pathway in diabetes. • Corn stigma can relieve diabetes by regulating carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complementary feeding of 6‐ to 24‐month‐old infants and young children with adequate, safe and developmentally appropriate food is essential to child health. Inappropriate complementary foods and feeding practices are linked to the high incidences of undernutrition among infant and young children in most developing countries, including Tanzania. Mycotoxin risk is an additional concern, given the documented presence of aflatoxin and fumonisin in food systems of Africa, especially maize and groundnut. In preparation for a trial of mycotoxin mitigation, we conducted focus group discussions and recipe trials to explore complementary foods and feeding practices in Kongwa, a rural district of central Tanzania. Sixty mothers of infants from 6 to 18 months of age in five villages across the district were purposefully sampled. During focus group discussions, mothers reported to mostly feed their children with cereal and groundnut‐based foods as thin or thick porridges. The most common porridge preparations contained cereal (mostly, maize) ranging from 66.7% to 80.0% by weight and groundnuts from 7.7% to 33.3%. The ratio of cereal to groundnut ranged from 3:1 to 4:1. For the recipe trial sessions, mothers chose similar ingredients reported during discussions to prepare complementary foods. The reliance on maize and groundnuts in complementary foods predisposes the children to undernutrition and exposure to aflatoxins and fumonisins. These formative research results suggest multiple intervention points to improve complementary feeding and reduce mycotoxin exposure in this population, including education messages package on feeding practices, mycotoxin control practices and complementary food formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable selection is crucial issue for high dimensional data modeling, where sample size is smaller compared to number of variables. Recently, majority scoring of filter measures in PLS (MS-PLS) is introduced for variable selection in high dimensional data. Filter measures are not greedy for optimal performance, hence we have proposed majority scoring with backward elimination in PLS (MSBE-PLS). In MSBE-PLS we have considered variable importance on projection (VIP) and selectivity ratio (SR). In each iteration of backward elimination in PLS variables are considered influential if they were selected by both filter indicator. The proposed method is implemented for corn's and diesel's content prediction. The corn contents include protein, oil, starch and moisture while diesel contents include boiling point at 50% recovery, cetane number, density, freezing temperature of the fuel, total aromatics, and viscosity. The proposed method outperforms in terms of RMSE when compared with reference methods. In addition to validating the spectrum models, data properties are also examined for explaining prediction behaviors. Moreover, MSBE-PLS select the moderate number of influential variables, hence it presents the parsimonious model for predicting contents based on spectrum data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robust and sensitive analytical method was developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of the levels of 10 benzophenone derivatives (BPs; BP, BP-1, BP-2, BP-3, BP-8, 2-hydroxybenzophenone [2-OHBP], 4-hydroxybenzophenone [4-OHBP], 4-methylbenzophenone [4-MBP], methyl-2-benzoylbenzoate [M2BB], and 4-benzoylbiphenyl [PBZ]) in 54 breakfast cereal samples. A fast pesticide extraction (FaPEx) technique coupled with isotope-labeled internal standards ultraehigh-performance liquid chromatographyetandem mass spectrometry was employed. The developed method exhibited satisfactory linearity (R²> 0.998), high precision (intraday and interday relative standard deviations in the ranges of 1.4%e20.8% and 3.2%e23.9%, respectively), and a limit of detection ranging from 0.001 to 0.122 ng/g. BP and 4-MBP were detected in all samples, BP-3 was detected in >59% of the samples, M2BB was detected in 14% of the samples, and 4-OHBP was detected in 7% of the samples. The mean level (range) of BP was significantly higher in corn flakes [146.9 (25.3e1083.8) ng/g] than in oatmeal [22.8 (14.2e67.5) ng/g], and it contributed the most to the overall levels of the BPs, followed by 4-MBP. When the samples were stratified according to their packaging material, the mean level of BP was significantly higher in corn flake samples with plastic packaging (251.9 ng/g) than in corn flake and oatmeal samples with laminated aluminum foil packaging. Two samples of six-grain muesli contained remarkably high levels of BP (1084 and 1055 ng/g); both were nonorganic samples packaged in a polylactide bag. Future studies must examine the possible risks that these contaminants pose to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphate (Pi) deficiency in soil can have severe impacts on the growth, development, and production of maize worldwide. In this study, a cDNA-sequence-related amplified polymorphism (cDNA-SRAP) transcript profiling technique was used to evaluate the gene expression in leaves and roots of maize under Pi stress for seven days. A total of 2494 differentially expressed fragments (DEFs) were identified in response to Pi starvation with 1202 and 1292 DEFs in leaves and roots, respectively, using a total of 60 primer pairs in the cDNA-SRAP analysis. These DEFs were categorized into 13 differential gene expression patterns. Results of sequencing and functional analysis showed that 63 DEFs (33 in leaves and 30 in roots) were annotated to a total of 54 genes involved in diverse groups of biological pathways, including metabolism, photosynthesis, signal transduction, transcription, transport, cellular processes, genetic information, and organismal system. This study demonstrated that (1) the cDNA-SRAP transcriptomic profiling technique is a powerful method to analyze differential gene expression in maize showing advantageous features among several transcriptomic methods; (2) maize undergoes a complex adaptive process in response to low Pi stress; and (3) a total of seven differentially expressed genes were identified in response to low Pi stress in leaves or roots of maize and could be used in the genetic modification of maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Drying affects quality parameters of the grains. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of drying methods, moisture contents at harvesting time and corn hybrids on mechanical properties (deformation, rupture force, firmness, necessary energy and power and toughness at rupture points) and electrical conductivity of corn kernels. Materials and Methods: The study assessed four corn hybrids (Ns640, Jeta600, Konsur580 and SC704) harvested at various moisture contents (20, 30 and 40%) and dried using two drying methods (sun dried and artificially dried using oven at 85-90 oC). Results: Results revealed that corn variety significantly affected mechanical properties since Ns640 included the maximum and Konsur580 the minimum properties, compared to that other hybrids did. Furthermore, variety affected electrical conductivity. Konsur580 variety exhibited a higher electrical conductivity in both drying methods. Moisture contents at harvesting time significantly affected all mechanical properties, except deformation and firmness, in the two drying methods. Higher values of mechanical properties were achieved at 20% moisture. Moreover, effects of the moisture contents on electrical conductivity were significant and kernels with 40% moisture at harvesting time included higher electrical conductivities. Conclusions: Drying methods of corn significantly affected quality parameters and electrical conductivity. Corn kernels dried in sun included higher levels of properties such as rupture force, necessary energy and power, toughness and lower levels of electrical conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although transposable elements (TEs) comprise a major fraction of many higher eukaryotic genomes, most TEs are silenced by host defense mechanisms. The means by which otherwise active TEs are recognized and silenced remains poorly understood. Here we analyzed two independent cases of spontaneous silencing of the active maize Ac/Ds transposon system. This silencing is initiated by alternative transposition, a type of aberrant transposition event that engages the termini of two nearby separate TEs. Alternative transposition during DNA replication can generate Composite Insertions that contain inverted duplications of the transposon sequences. We show that the inverted duplications of two Composite Insertions are transcribed to produce double-stranded RNAs that trigger the production of two distinct classes of small interfering RNAs: a 24-nt class complementary to the TE terminal inverted repeats and noncoding subterminal regions, and a 21- to 22-nt class corresponding to the TE transcribed regions. Plants containing these small interfering RNA-generating Composite Insertions exhibit decreased levels of Ac transcript and heritable repression of Ac/Ds transposition. Further, we demonstrate that Composite Insertions can heritably silence otherwise active elements in trans. This study documents the first case of transposon silencing induced by alternative transposition and may represent a general initiating mechanism for silencing of DNA transposons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transposable elements (TEs) are a ubiquitous feature of plant genomes. Because of the threat they post to genome integrity, most TEs are epigenetically silenced. However, even closely related plant species often have dramatically different populations of TEs, suggesting periodic rounds of activity and silencing. Here, we show that the process of de novo methylation of an active element in maize involves two distinct pathways, one of which is directly implicated in causing epigenetic silencing and one of which is the result of that silencing. Epigenetic changes involve changes in gene expression that can be heritably transmitted to daughter cells in the absence of changes in DNA sequence. Epigenetics has been implicated in phenomena as diverse as development, stress response, and carcinogenesis. A significant challenge facing those interested in investigating epigenetic phenomena is determining causal relationships between DNA methylation, specific classes of small RNAs, and associated changes in gene expression. Because they are the primary targets of epigenetic silencing in plants and, when active, are often targeted for de novo silencing, TEs represent a valuable source of information about these relationships. We use a naturally occurring system in which a single TE can be heritably silenced by a single derivative of that TE. By using this system it is possible to unravel causal relationships between different size classes of small RNAs, patterns of DNA methylation, and heritable silencing. Here, we show that the long terminal inverted repeats within Zea mays MuDR transposons are targeted by distinct classes of small RNAs during epigenetic silencing that are dependent on distinct silencing pathways, only one of which is associated with transcriptional silencing of the transposon. Further, these small RNAs target distinct regions of the terminal inverted repeats, resulting in different patterns of cytosine methylation with different functional consequences with respect to epigenetic silencing and the heritability of that silencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-cross hybrids have been critical to the improvement of maize (Zea mays L.), but the characterization of their genetic architectures remains challenging. Previous studies of hybrid maize have shown the contribution of within-locus complementation effects (dominance) and their differential importance across functional classes of loci. However, they have generally considered panels of limited genetic diversity, and have shown little benefit from genomic prediction based on dominance or functional enrichments. This study investigates the relevance of dominance and functional classes of variants in genomic models for agronomic traits in diverse populations of hybrid maize. We based our analyses on a diverse panel of inbred lines crossed with two testers representative of the major heterotic groups in the U.S. (1106 hybrids), as well as a collection of 24 biparental populations crossed with a single tester (1640 hybrids). We investigated three agronomic traits: days to silking (DTS), plant height (PH), and grain yield (GY). Our results point to the presence of dominance for all traits, but also among-locus complementation (epistasis) for DTS and genotype-by-environment interactions for GY. Consistently, dominance improved genomic prediction for PH only. In addition, we assessed enrichment of genetic effects in classes defined by genic regions (gene annotation), structural features (recombination rate and chromatin openness), and evolutionary features (minor allele frequency and evolutionary constraint). We found support for enrichment in genic regions and subsequent improvement of genomic prediction for all traits. Our results suggest that dominance and gene annotations improve genomic prediction across diverse populations in hybrid maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to analyze the effect of biogas on the operating characteristics and exhaust gas emissions of a CI diesel engine using a mixture of biogas and diesel. A 5.2 kW Kirloskar made single cylinder, water cooled, direct injection diesel engine is altered for biogas mode operation by connecting a venturi gas mixer at air inlet manifold. Azolla and corn husk feedstocks are employed to produce biogas. Biogas when used in engine reduced the ignition delay which resulted in reduced smoke and hydrocarbon emission, also improved combustion phasing, and increased the peak heat release rate. Around 1.58% increase in brake thermal efficiency was found for Azolla biogas mode operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recombinant inbred lines (RILs) are an important resource for mapping genes controlling complex traits in many species. While RIL populations have been developed for maize, a maize RIL population with multiple teosinte inbred lines as parents has been lacking. Here, we report a teosinte nested association mapping (TeoNAM) population, derived from crossing five teosinte inbreds to the maize inbred line W22. The resulting 1257 BC1S4 RILs were genotyped with 51,544 SNPs, providing a high-density genetic map with a length of 1540 cM. On average, each RIL is 15% homozygous teosinte and 8% heterozygous. We performed joint linkage mapping (JLM) and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for 22 domestication and agronomic traits. A total of 255 QTL from JLM were identified, with many of these mapping near known genes or novel candidate genes. TeoNAM is a useful resource for QTL mapping for the discovery of novel allelic variation from teosinte. TeoNAM provides the first report that PROSTRATE GROWTH1, a rice domestication gene, is also a QTL associated with tillering in teosinte and maize. We detected multiple QTL for flowering time and other traits for which the teosinte allele contributes to a more maize-like phenotype. Such QTL could be valuable in maize improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corn (Zea mays L.) stalk nitrate test (CSNT) is a postharvest plant test that provides feedback on N supply vs. crop needs of a growing season. As such, test results can provide information on the need for adjustments in N management in future years. However, CSNT-N can be variable within fields. The aim of this study was to (i) describe and relate within-field CSNT-N and corn silage yield spatial variability and (ii) to evaluate a yieldbased, targeted, CSNT sampling alternative. In 2013, five corn fields were grid sampled to determine the impact of sampling density on accuracy of CSNT-N classification for the whole field. Close-proximity variability (within a 3-m row) was determined as well. In 2014, the study was expanded to include three additional fields with 2013 and 2014 yield data. Results showed similar means and standard deviation (SD) for close-proximity sampling and whole-field sampling. Thus, time and resources invested in CSNT sampling can be reduced with close-proximity sampling. Current sampling guidelines (composite sample per field using a sampling intensity of 2.5 stalks ha-1) resulted in probabilities of estimating a field's mean CSNT-N of 25, 32, and 72% for coefficients of variation (CV) of ±6.4, ±11, and ±22%, respectively. High-yielding areas had more homogenous CSNTN values than low-yielding areas. The analysis of corn stalks per yield zone resulted in reduced CSNT-N spatial variability. Even intense sampling strategies for whole fields can result in interpretation errors while yield-based CSNT sampling results in more meaningful information for N management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production risk has been ignored in most of the analysis of GM technology, which has mostly focused on its effects on mean yield. We use stochastic dominance to quantify the effect of GM traits on the entire distribution of yields in corn in the USA under a wide range of growing conditions. Although no GM hybrid outperforms conventional hybrids under all growing conditions, we present evidence that most GM hybrids can be considered as improvements of the yield distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging bioeconomy requires vast amounts of biomass that current value chains cannot provide. Novel biomass value chains therefore need to be developed. To date, only few novel value chains emerged and additional research on their development is much needed. This paper presents the results of an exploratory case-study analysis of a corn stover value-chain development process in two regions: Ontario (Canada) and Flanders (Belgium). Applying an integrated analytical framework and comparing the results with literature, we identified a number of barriers for novel value-chain development and state seven concrete actions that value-chain actors can take to overcome these barriers. These recommendations can be used by policy makers wishing to facilitate the development of novel biomass value chains in their region; by farmers and industrial actors working to establish new avenues to valorize currently underutilized biomass sources and create additional revenues; and by researchers seeking to disseminate and implement their knowledge about novel technologies as well as socio-economic insights. • Involve all stakeholders in advisory committee to ensure a value-chain perspective. • Independent and competent intermediary is needed to guide value-chain development. • Decide common objective first, but recognize individual actors' goals and concerns. • Non-disclosure agreements and time contribute to creation of trust in value chain. • Transparency about research results is crucial for novel value-chain development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the course of generating populations of maize with teosinte chromosomal introgressions, an unusual sickly plant phenotype was noted in individuals from crosses with two teosinte accessions collected near Valle de Bravo, Mexico. The plants of these Bravo teosinte accessions appear phenotypically normal themselves and the F1 plants appear similar to typical maize × teosinte F1 s. However, upon backcrossing to maize, the BC1 and subsequent generations display a number of detrimental characteristics including shorter stature, reduced seed set, and abnormal floral structures. This phenomenon is observed in all BC individuals and there is no chromosomal segment linked to the sickly plant phenotype in advanced backcross generations. Once the sickly phenotype appears in a lineage, normal plants are never again recovered by continued backcrossing to the normal maize parent. Whole-genome shotgun sequencing reveals a small number of genomic sequences, some with homology to transposable elements, that have increased in copy number in the backcross populations. Transcriptome analysis of seedlings, which do not have striking phenotypic abnormalities, identified segments of 18 maize genes that exhibit increased expression in sickly plants. A de novo assembly of transcripts present in plants exhibiting the sickly phenotype identified a set of 59 upregulated novel transcripts. These transcripts include some examples with sequence similarity to transposable elements and other sequences present in the recurrent maize parent (W22) genome as well as novel sequences not present in the W22 genome. Genome-wide profiles of gene expression, DNA methylation, and small RNAs are similar between sickly plants and normal controls, although a few upregulated transcripts and transposable elements are associated with altered small RNA or methylation profiles. This study documents hybrid incompatibility and genome instability triggered by the backcrossing of Bravo teosinte with maize. We name this phenomenon "hybrid decay"and present ideas on the mechanism that may underlie it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Aiming at solving the problem of corn straw uneven-distribution of straw retention machine in North China, based on kinematic analysis, the straw spreading process and its straw dynamics model was studied. Then, effects of spreading angle (SA), spreading deflection angle (SDA) and height of guide vane (HGV) on straw spreading distance, width and uniformity were analyzed. Taking SA, SDA and HGV as experimental factors, the straw spreading distance, width and uniformity were used as experimental indicators. Then the optimization experiment of Box-Behnken design corresponding surface was conducted to obtained batter operating parameter of experimental factors. Simultaneously, mathematical regression model of experimental factors and indicators was established. The test results shown that SA, SDA and HGV had extremely significant effects on width, distance and uniformity of straw spreading, respectively; The SA had extremely significant effect on straw spreading uniformity, the SDA and HGV had significant effect on straw spreading uniformity; The interaction between SA and SDA had extremely significant effect on straw spreading distance and significant effect on spreading uniformity. Furthermore, through parameter optimization test, the better combination of parameters of SA, SDA and HGV were 20°, 11.51°, and 1.12m, respectively. By field test under working condition of better parameters combination, the test results shown that width, distance and uniformity of straw spreading was 2.58m, 3.89m and 95.8%, respectively. The error between the test and theoretical prediction value was less than 5%, proved the accuracy of the model. The study can provide theoretical reference for parameters design of straw choppers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to develop generic algorithm for estimating fraction of radiation absorbed by photosynthetically active vegetation not requiring parameterization for C3 and C4 crops, maize and soybean, with contrasting photosynthetic pathways, canopy architectures and leaf structures. The study based on data acquired during eight years, altogether 16 site years of maize (12 irrigated and 4 rainfed, nine hybrids) and for 8 site years of soybean (4 irrigated and 4 rainfed, three cultivars). The red edge normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), green NDVI and wide dynamic range vegetation index (WDRVI) were found to be accurate in estimating fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) absorbed by photosynthetically active green vegetation in maize and soybean with root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.057, 0.067 and 0.069, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigated two possible directions that help to provide new methods of determining activation energy in kinetic analysis during corn stover pyrolysis. Both of them take the general assumption as in most is conventional methods that activation energy E, preexponential factor A and kinetic model function f(α) are independent of different heating rates. The first direction follows Vyazovkin's idea but constructs different target functions for minimization. The other direction produces simple explicit formulas that estimate E directly. The result displays good agreement with some well-known classical methods. It also provides an approximated relationship between heating rates β and the derivative of conversion degree . This relationship will allow us to simulate vs. curve at any desired heating rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Zearalenone (ZEA), a mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium molds, can be found in many cereals and related products. The toxicity of ZEA has been reported for both humans and animals. Therefore, many countries have adopted regulations in foods and feed materials to limit the exposure to this contaminant. In this paper, we propose a multicommutated flow-through optosensor to quantify ZEA in different cereal samples. ZEA was retained and pre-concentrated on C 18 silica gel, and the use of the multicommutated flow manifold allowed the automated retention/desorption of ZEA on the solid microbeads by the use of appropriate carrier/eluting solutions, hence increasing the selectivity and sensitivity of the system. The native fluorescence of ZEA was recorded on the solid phase at λ exc /λ em of 265/465 nm/nm. A QuEChERS procedure was used to carry out the extraction of ZEA from different cereal samples (feedstuff materials). Recovery studies were performed to assess the accuracy of the method, obtaining recovery yields between 93% and 107% in all the analyzed samples. LC-MS was employed as reference method. The quantitation limit of the proposed method was low enough to fulfill the maximum residue levels established by the Commission of the European Communities, thus demonstrating its potential use for the analysis of ZEA in feedstuffs. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • Multicommutated fluorescence method for the quantification of zearalenone. • Zearalenone is quantified in maize and maize-based feed samples. • The method complies with the maximum residue limit of the European Communities. • Satisfactory comparison with an LC-MS reference method. • Alternative method for routine screening of zearalenone in cereals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Manure-borne antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) are of environmental concern due to their potential to be transferred into the food-web via plant-uptake. In this study, Zea mays L. seeds were grown in three different soil conditions: soil without dairy manure, dairy manure-amended soil, and antimicrobial spiked dairy manure-amended soil, to investigate the potential uptake of antimicrobials and ARGs present in manure. The antimicrobial spiked manure consisted of dairy manure fortified with 1 mg/Kg of each individual antimicrobial compounds belonging to the sulfonamide and tetracycline classes. Samples of the Zea mays L. plants were harvested over the course of three weeks to determine potential uptake of antimicrobials from soil to plant shoots, and to compare prevalence of ARGs in manure amended soils and plant tissue. Antimicrobial analysis was performed using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and ARGs (sul1 , tetO , and OXA-1) were analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The study found that both tetracycline and sulfamerazine antimicrobials bioaccumulated in the Zea mays L., reaching concentrations of nearly 3000 ng/g and 1260 ng/g, respectively. Tetracycline residues predominated in the soil, while sulfonamides had mainly bioaccumulated in Zea mays L. tissue. The greatest average uptake factor within the Zea mays L. tissue was 8 for tetracyclines and 110 for sulfonamides indicating larger bioaccumulation of sulfonamides. Additionally, three ARGs (sul1 , tetO , and OXA-1) were detected in the soil, only after manure application. However, ARGs were not detected in any of the plant samples. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Sulfonamides and tetracyclines in manure-ammended soil are taken up by plants, and bioaccumulated in plant shoots. • Plant uptake factors of sulfonamides are over 10-fold higher than tetracyclines. • No antimicrobial resistance genes were detected in Zea mays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thousands of maize landraces are stored in seed banks worldwide. Doubled-haploid libraries (DHL) produced from landraces harness their rich genetic diversity for future breeding. We investigated the prospects of genomic prediction (GP) for line per se performance in DHL from six European landraces and 53 elite flint (EF) lines by comparing four scenarios: GP within a single library (sL); GP between pairs of libraries (LwL); and GP among combined libraries, either including (cLi) or excluding (cLe) lines from the training set (TS) that belong to the same DHL as the prediction set. For scenario sL, with N = 50 lines in the TS, the prediction accuracy (r) among seven agronomic traits varied from 20.53 to 0.57 for the DHL and reached up to 0.74 for the EF lines. For LwL, r was close to zero for all DHL and traits. Whereas scenario cLi showed improved r values compared to sL, r for cLe remained at the low level observed for LwL. Forecasting r with deterministic equations yielded inflated values compared to empirical estimates of r for the DHL, but conserved the ranking. In conclusion, GP is promising within DHL, but large TS sizes (N . 100) are needed to achieve decent prediction accuracy because LD between QTL and markers is the primary source of information that can be exploited by GP. Since production of DHL from landraces is expensive, we recommend GP only for very large DHL produced from a few highly preselected landraces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Zeasesquiterpene A-E (1–5), five new sesquiterpenes with two cyclohexanes, were isolated from the roots of Zea mays. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR spectral data and ECD analysis. A plausible biosynthetic pathway for the compounds (1–6) were hypothesized. All isolated compounds were screened for cytotoxicities against five human cancer cell lines (A549, MDA-MB-231, SK-Hep-1, SNU638 and HCT116) in vitro by MTT assay. Compound 4 showed potential cytotoxic activities against A549 (14.3 μΜ) and SNU638 (9.7 μΜ). By contrast, compound 1 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity to the four human cancer cell lines (A549, SK-Hep-1, SUN638 and HCT116), and the IC 50 values are from 19.5 μΜ to 22.5 μΜ. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Simulation of the latent heat and sensible heat fluxes above two maize fields. • Development a multi-layer neural network trained by Back-Propagation (BP) algorithm. • Sensitivity of LE and S with respect to each input was analyzed over the growth stages. • The impact intensity of each input on LE and S was recognized by trained neural network. Abstract Latent Heat (LE) and Sensible Heat (H) flux are two major components of the energy balance at the earth's surface, which play important roles in the water cycle and global warming. There are various methods for their estimation or measurement. Eddy covariance is a direct and accurate technique for their measurement. Some limitations lead to prevention of the extensive use of the eddy covariance technique. Therefore, simulation approaches can be utilized for their estimation. ANNs are the information processing systems, which can inspect the empirical data and investigate the relations (hidden rules) among them, and then make the network structure. In this study, multi-layer perceptron neural network trained by the steepest descent Back-Propagation (BP) algorithm was tested to simulate LE and H flux above two maize sites (rain-fed & irrigated) near Mead, Nebraska. Network training and testing was fulfilled using on two different subsets of the hourly data which were selected from days of year (DOY) 169 to 222 for 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009. The results showed high correlation between actual and estimated data; the R2 values for LE flux in irrigated and rain-fed sites were 0.9576, and 0.9642; and for H flux 0.8001, and 0.8478, respectively. Furthermore, the RMSE values ranged from 0.0580 to 0.0721 W/m2 for LE flux and from 0.0824 to 0.0863 W/m2 for H flux. In addition, the sensitivity of the fluxes with respect to each input was analyzed over the growth stages so that the most powerful effects among the inputs for LE flux were identified as net radiation, leaf area index, vapor pressure deficit, and wind speed, and for H flux net radiation, wind speed, air temperature, leaf area index and vapor pressure deficit. Furthermore, to achieve the minimal set of input in order to speed up the analysis procedures, the impact intensity of each input on the fluxes was recognized by deactivation of each input vector in network training. This study reveals that artificial neural networks are not only a powerful technique for estimation of LE and H fluxes, but also can identify the effectiveness of each input on the fluxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the food security problems faced worldwide is the occurrence of mycotoxins in grains and their foods. Fumonisins (FBs) are mycotoxins which are prevalent in corn (Zea mays L.) and its based foods. Their intake and exposure have been epidemiologically and inconclusively associated with oesophageal cancer and neural tube defects in humans, and other harmful health effects in animals. The toxic effects of FBs can be acute or chronic and these metabolites bioaccumulate mainly in liver and kidney tissues. Among FBs, fumonisin B1 (FB1) is the most relevant moiety although the ‘hidden’ forms produced after food thermal processes are becoming relevant. Corn is the grain most susceptible to Fusarium and FBs contamination and the mould growth is affected both by abiotic and biotic factors during grain maturation and storage. Mould counts are mainly affected by the grain water activity, the environmental temperature during grain maturation and insect damage. The abiotic factors affected by climatic change patterns have increased their incidence in other regions of the world. Among FBs, the hidden forms are the most difficult to detect and quantify. Single or combined physical, chemical and biological methods are emerging to significantly reduce FBs in processed foods and therefore diminish their toxicological effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn bran, as one of the high‐fructose corn syrup industries' by‐products, is a rich source of functional fibers. The major fraction of corn bran is insoluble arabinoxylan having lower functional properties than the minor soluble function. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to increase the soluble fiber content of corn bran and use it for functional cake production. In this regard, milled corn bran with three different sizes was exposed to one factor enzymatic treatment to select the best sieving size (the criterion for selecting the best product in each stage of assay was production of the highest amount of soluble fiber). Then, milled corn bran with the best particle size was exposed to nine different enzymatic treatments to select the best enzymatic treatment condition. Additionally, the extruder feed (corn bran) moisture was adjusted to three levels to select the best level of feed moisture content and use it for performing nine different extruding experiments. Concerning integrated extrusion‐enzymatic treatment, nine different extruding pretreatments were conducted on corn bran through selecting the optimum moisture level of extruding. Afterward, the product was milled and sieved to the optimum size for enzymatic treatment, and the nine pretreatments were combined with nine different enzymatic treatments. The product containing the highest soluble fiber was selected and used at various levels for functional cake production. Finally, some organoleptic and physicochemical properties (springiness, gumminess, hardness, cohesiveness, Bostwick number, density) of the produced product were analyzed. Using integrated extrusion‐enzymatic treatment method, the soluble dietary fiber content of corn bran was upgraded. Afterward, modified corn bran was added to the cake formulation and reasonable sensory results were attained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon isotope discrimination is used to study CO2 diffusion, substrate availability for photosynthesis, and leaf biochemistry, but the intraspecific drivers of leaf carbon isotope composition (δ13C) in C4 species are not well understood. In this study, the role of photosynthetic enzymes and post-photosynthetic fractionation on δ13C (‰) was explored across diverse maize inbred lines. A significant 1.3‰ difference in δ13C was observed between lines but δ13C did not correlate with in vitro leaf carbonic anhydrase (CA), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), or ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) activity. RNA-sequencing was used to identify potential differences in post-photosynthetic metabolism that would influence δ13C; however, no correlations were identified that would indicate significant differences in post-photosynthetic fractionation between lines. Variation in δ13C has been observed between C4 subtypes, but differential expression of NADP-ME and PEP-CK pathways within these lines did not correlate with δ13C. However, co-expression network analysis provided novel evidence for isoforms of C4 enzymes and putative transporters. Together, these data indicate that diversity in maize δ13C cannot be fully explained by variation in CA, PEPC, or Rubisco activity or gene expression. The findings further emphasise the need for future work exploring the influence of stomatal sensitivity and mesophyll conductance on δ13C in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic compounds in foods have been widely studied due to their health benefits. In cereals, phenolic compounds are extensively linked to cell wall polysaccharides, mainly arabinoxylans, which cross-link with each other and with other cell wall components. In maize, ferulic acid is the phenolic acid present in the highest concentration, forming ferulic acid dehydrodimers, trimers and tetramers. The cross-linking of polysaccharides is important for the cell wall structure and growth, and may protect against pathogen invasion. In addition to the importance for maize physiology, ferulic acid has been recognized as an important chemical structure with a wide range of health benefits when consumed in a diet rich in fibre. This review paper presents the different ways ferulic acid can be present in maize, the importance of ferulic acid derivatives and the methodologies that can be used for their analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-pressure processing (HPP) at 250–700 MPa for 30–45 min affects the colour parameters, phytochemical contents and antioxidant activities of purple waxy corn kernels (p < 0.05). The higher pressure-level, the lower L ∗ , a ∗ , b ∗ , C ∗ and h o (p < 0.05). However, pressure-treated kernels at 700 MPa showed a similar colour profile to steam-treated kernels. HPP caused a loss in the total phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents and antioxidant activities. The pressure-treated kernels had a higher phytochemical content than the steam-treated kernels. The phytochemicals and antioxidant activities decreased as the pressure increased from 250 to 550 MPa, but the levels recovered at 700 MPa. The longer holding-time, the greater loss of the compounds and antioxidant activities (p < 0.05). Pressure treatment at 700 MPa yielded the highest total phenolic and anthocyanin contents (p < 0.05). Water-soluble compounds can leach from food materials due to cell rupture. Nevertheless, HPP is a potential process to preserve the phytochemicals in food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multispectral imaging with object-wise multivariate image analysis was evaluated for its potential to grade whole white maize kernels. The types of defective materials regarded in grading legislation were divided into 13 classes, and were imaged with a multispectral imaging instrument spanning the UV, visible and NIR regions (19 wavelengths ranging from 375 to 970 nm). Object-wise partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were developed and validated with an independent data set. Results demonstrated good performance in distinguishing between sound maize and undesirable materials, with cross-validated coefficients of determination (Q 2 ) and classification accuracies ranging from 0.35 to 0.99 and 83 to 100%, respectively. Wavelengths related to absorbance of green, yellow and orange colour indicated the presence of lycopene and anthocyanin (505, 525, 570 and 590 nm). NIR wavelengths 890, 940 nm (associated with fat) and 970 nm (associated with water) were generally identified as important features throughout the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, pot experiments were performed to investigate the effects of high temperature stress (44 °C) in maize plants colonized with and without arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Various parameters characterizing photosynthetic activity were measured in order to estimate the photosynthetic efficiency in maize plants. It was observed that density of active reaction centers of PSII, quantum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII), linear electron transport, excitation energy trapping, performance index, net photosynthesis rate increased in AMF (+) plants at 44 °C ± 0.2 °C. Efficiency of primary photochemical reaction (represented as F v /F o ) increased in AMF (+) plants as compared to AMF (−) plants. AMF seems to have protected water splitting complex followed by enhanced primary photochemistry of PSII under high temperature. Basic morphological parameters like leaf width, plant height and cob number increased in AMF (+) plants as compared to AMF (−) plants. AMF (+) plants grew faster than AMF (−) plants due to larger root systems. Chl content increased in AMF (+) plants as compared to AMF (−) maize plants. AMF hyphae likely increased Mg uptake which in turn increased the total chlorophyll content in AMF (+) maize plants. This subsequently led to a higher production in photosynthate and biomass. Thus AMF (+) plants have shown better photosynthesis performance as compared to AMF (−) maize plants under high temperature stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast, simple laboratory methods were used to analyze 22 maize samples varying in kernel vitreousness from 50.23% to 76.41%. Samples were analyzed in terms of zein content (53.86–86.37 g/kg endosperm DM), amylose content (190.76–259.77 g/kg endosperm DM), amylose to amylopectin ratio in starch (0.28–0.43), as well as starch granule size (10.95–14.89 μm in equivalent diameter) and starch granule shape (circularity, 0.85–0.94). More vitreous samples had higher zein and amylose content, as well as smaller and less circular starch granules. Nearly all grain traits on their own significantly affected vitreousness, and a multiple regression model to account for their combined effects was able to explain 61.8% of variability in kernel vitreousness. Zein content contributed most to the model, followed by starch granule projected area and circularity. In contrast, the amylose content contributed only 5.1% to the model. These results suggest that starch-protein interactions influence maize kernel vitreousness more strongly than starch molecular properties do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to identify and characterize the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) of atole agrio, a fermented Mexican maize-based beverage and to evaluate whether starters could be obtained to produce it under controlled conditions. Atole agrio fermentation process was variable with an abundant presence of Enterobacteriaceae throughout the fermentation. Based on RAPD-PCR, Weissella (29.2%), Pediococcus (24.0%), Lactococcus (17.8%) and Lactobacillus (16.4%) were the most abundant LAB genera. Out of 88 identified LAB strains, 87.5% produced folates, 71.6% degraded phytates, 38.6% produced exopolysaccharides (EPS) and 12.5% had amylolytic activity. The majority of the strains (81.8%) were resistant to at least two of the screened nine antibiotics and 11.4% to one antibiotic. Six potential starters; L. plantarum IL4l1, L. plantarum A1MM10, Lc. lactis IL5l1, Lc. lactis A1MS3, Leuc. pseudomesenteroides IL5l2 and Ped. pentosaceus S0l10, were selected for further studies. All selected strains were phytase producers, showed antimicrobial activity and had good acidification and growth properties. In addition L. plantarum IL4l1, Ped. pentosaceus S0l10 and Leuc. pseudomesenteroides IL5l2 were EPS producers and had together with Lc. lactis IL5l1 amylolytic activity. L. plantarum IL4l1, L. plantarum A1MM10 and Lc. lactis IL5l1 were folate producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene quantum dots are interesting materials that are currently attracting world-wide scientific and technological interest because of their unique optical properties. In this research, graphene quantum dots were prepared from corn powder and were applied in DSSCs as down conversion materials. These prepared graphene quantum dots convert UV light to 450 and 520 nm light which favorable for DSSCs. Modified solar cell based on graphene quantum dots shows 21% enhancement in J SC compare to the reference cell. EIS, IMPS and IMVS have used to approve that this enhancement is because of down conversion effect of graphene quantum dots. The results of our study offer a novel down conversion material which have many advantages compare to the previous reports. These results could be used in other photovoltaic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nejayote is the wastewater of alkaline cooking process (nixtamalization) and contains high amount of organic agent. Alkaline cooking is a very old process used in processing the corn. This process improves some nutritional and technological properties of corn. However, direct delivery of postprocess occurred nejayote to the receiving environment bears a great deal of environmental risk. In addition, due to bearing the nutritional transport of the compounds found in nejayote, these compounds have the potential to be used for different purposes upon being separated from the nejayote. In this study, treatment of nejayote, pollutant content to be reduced by ecological alkaline cooking practices, and possibilities of alternative applications have been reviewed. Practical applications: Nejayote is a wastewater containing corn components such as germ parts, pericarp, cellulosic structures, proteins, calcium, and endosperm and possesses environment polluting dry matter varying in the range of approximately 1–15%. Throughout alkaline cooking process, considerable amount of nejayote occurs. For this reason, the development of alkaline cooking practices with less polluting nature, the use of nejayote to be purified or to be used in other processes prior to be disposed bears great importance in terms of environmental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn soy blends (CSB), the typical high protein fortified blended food (FBF), has been extensively used to help feed the undernourished people of the developing world. In the present study, CSB binary blends were prepared using pilot-scale single & twin screw extruders. The physicochemical properties and the molecular features of the produced CSB binary blends under different extrusion conditions were investigated and their relationships were explored. Results from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) suggested that over 93% of the starch gelatinized for each of the extruded samples. Samples treated with higher specific mechanical energy (SME) demonstrated higher water solublility index. The water absorption index showed an increasing trend at initial stage while decreasing afterward with the increase of SME. Bostwick flow rate (BF) was affected by both viscosity and gelling properties of the CSB which were reflected by both RVA analysis and dynamic rheological test. BF of extruded CSB was significantly improved (p < .05) compared to non-extruded sample. However, among the extruded samples, BF could only be partially predicted by SME. Results from HPSEC and HPAEC showed an obvious degradation of starch molecules after extrusion; harsher extrusion process resulted in more cleavage of the starch molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In the present study, the aphrodisiac properties of the purple corn (Zea mays) in male rats were analyzed. The aqueous crude extract of purple corn (at 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg) was administered to (a) copulating male rats and (b) anesthetized and spinal cord transected male rats. Behavioral parameters of copulatory behavior and parameters of the genital motor pattern of ejaculation previous to its inhibition, under the influence of the purple corn extract, are described. Administration of the aqueous crude extract of purple corn significantly facilitates the arousal and execution of male rat sexual behavior without significant influences on the ambulatory behavior. In addition, purple corn extract elicit a significant increase in the number of discharges of the ejaculatory motor patterns and in the total number of genital motor patterns evoked in spinal rats. The present findings show that the aqueous crude extract of purple corn possesses aphrodisiac activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to compare the distribution of ANCs in purple and blue corn coproducts from three conventional corn fractionation processes and linking ANC partitioning in different coproducts to corn kernel phenotype. Total monomeric anthocyanin (TA) from purple corn extract was 4933.1 ± 43.4 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalent per kg dry corn, 10 times more than blue corn. In dry milled purple corn, maximum ANCs were present in the pericarp (45.9% of total ANCs) and in wet-milling they were concentrated in steeping water (79.1% of total ANCs). For blue corn, the highest TA was in small grits and gluten slurry in dry-milling and wet-milling coproducts, respectively. HPLC showed the highest concentration of each ANC in steeping water for purple corn coproducts. Micrographs of kernel showed pigments concentrated in pericarp layer of purple but only in aleurone of blue corn. ANCs can concentrate in certain coproducts depending upon physical distribution of pigments in kernel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetics of yield and its contributing traits was studied through generation mean analysis by using ten inbreds, their 45 F1 crosses by following diallel mating design, their corresponding F2, BC1 and BC2 progenies. The scaling test of A, B, C were significant indicating role of epistatic effects. In general, the magnitude of dominance effect was higher than additive effect indicating that yield and its components are largely governed by dominance effect. A breeding procedure which exploit both additive and dominance components, such as family selection with intermating, will be suitable for improvement of yield and its traits. The epistasis was complementary and duplicate type in the crosses for grain yield and its contributing traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and rapid magnetic solid-phase extraction (M-SPE) procedure using multi-walled carbon nanotube-magnetic nanoparticles (MWCNT-MNPs) as sorbents was established for purification of zearalenone (ZEA), α-zearalenol (α-ZOL), β-zearalenol (β-ZOL), zearalanone (ZAN), α-zearalanol (α-ZAL) and β-zearalanol (β-ZAL) in maize. The main parameters affecting the clean-up efficiency were thoroughly investigated, and high purification efficiencies for all analytes were obtained. The resulting MWCNT-MNP-ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was validated for maize samples. The matrix effects were greatly minimized using the M-SPE approach, with signal suppression/enhancement values decreased from 69.9–127.6% to 92.1–103.8%. Consequently, complex matrix-matched calibration curves were not necessary and the calibrations constructed in acetonitrile could be applied for accurate quantification of the targeted mycotoxins in real samples. The average recoveries ranged from 75.8 to 104.1% and the inter- and intra-day precision values expressed as RSDs, were all lower than 14%. Limits of detection and quantification were in the range of 0.03–0.04 and 0.07–0.10 μg/kg, respectively. The analytical performance of the developed method was also successfully evaluated with maize samples, and this method was proved to be a powerful tool for monitoring ZEA and its derivatives in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the incidence of false-positive and false-negative results caused by high or low cross-reactivity (CR%) values of the antibodies for total aflatoxins (AFs, AFB 1 +AFB 2 +AFG 1 +AFG 2 ) detection, a new broad-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) with uniform affinity, named 5H3, was developed. Moreover, magnetic beads (MBs) replaced microplates as immobile phase to improve the sensitivity of the enzymatic immunoassay. Then, a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on MBs (MBs-dcELISA) that could simultaneously detect the total AFs with similar sensitivity was developed. Following optimization of conditions, the half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC 50 ) of the MBs-dcELISA in buffer were 0.05 ng/mL for AFB 1 , 0.04 ng/mL for AFB 2 , 0.05 ng/mL for AFG 1 , 0.06 ng/mL for AFG 2 . The corresponding CR% values were 100%, 125%, 100% and 83.3%, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) of the MBs-dcELISA for the total AFs was 0.21 ng/g with a working range from 0.22 ng/g to 19.8 ng/g, and the recoveries for the total AFs ranged from 74.5% to 96.5% with coefficients of variation (CV) under 12.1% in spiked maize samples. In addition, the MBs-dcELISA was more sensitive than the conventional dcELISA. Finally, the MBs-dcELISA was applied to screen 9 naturally contaminated maize samples and 6 spiked samples and the results indicated a good agreement with that obtain by HPLC-MS/MS method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil pollution by arsenic increases the potential risk of arsenic entrance into the food chain. The usefulness of maleic anhydride- styrene- acrylic acid copolymer on the mobility and phytoavailability of arsenic was evaluated. Treatments were the concentrations of acrylic copolymer (0, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.20% w/ w) and the concentrations of soil total arsenic (0, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 96 mg kg). Sodium arsenate was added in appropriate amounts to subsamples of an uncontaminated soil to give contaminated soils with different levels of arsenic. The contaminated soils were subjected to a greenhouse experiment using corn as the test crop. The results showed that contamination of soil by arsenic increased the concentrations of soil available arsenic, root and aerial parts arsenic. By the use of acrylic copolymer, the concentration of available arsenic in the soil and the accumulation of arsenic in the root and aerial parts of the corn plant decreased but the dry weights of the root and aerial parts increased significantly. When the concentration of soil total arsenic was 96 mg kg, the application of copolymer at the concentration of 0.20% w/ w reduced the concentrations of arsenic in soil, root, and aerial parts by 62.53, 43.65, and 37.00% respectively, indicating that application of acrylic copolymer immobilized arsenic in soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]