Giancarlo Bounous

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers in Castanea sativa (Mill.)

Thirty-three simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were isolated andcharacterized in Castanea sativa (Mill.) from the cultivarGarrone Nero. For the identification of SSR loci, primers were designed on eachside flanking the repeat region and they were initially tested on 5 chestnutsamples using chemiluminescence detection. Twenty four loci where shown to bepolymorphic and the number of alleles detected per locus varied from 2 to 7.Fourteen loci were chosen for the analysis of 20 cultivars grown in North Italyusing the semi-automatic system ABI PRISM 377. These 14 markers showed a highlevel of genetic polymorphism with a total of 90 alleles; the number of allelesranged from 4 to 10 per locus, with an average level of 6.4. The mean expectedand observed heterozygosity were 0.724 (range: 0.649–0.835) and 0.793(range: 0.350–0.950) respectively. The estimated frequency of nullallelesshowed a positive value for 3 loci, but except for 1 locus, the values wereverylow. The total value for the probability of identity was 7.04 ×10−11. Paternity exclusion probability was very high (0.999),sufficiently high to study pollen flow.

A review of studies applying environmental impact assessment methods on fruit production systems.

Although many aspects of environmental accounting methodologies in food production have already been investigated, the application of environmental indicators in the fruit sector is still rare and no consensus can be found on the preferred method. On the contrary, widely diverging approaches have been taken to several aspects of the analyses, such as data collection, handling of scaling issues, and goal and scope definition. This paper reviews studies assessing the sustainability or environmental impacts of fruit production under different conditions and identifies aspects of fruit production that are of environmental importance. Four environmental assessment methods which may be applied to assess fruit production systems are evaluated, namely Life Cycle Assessment, Ecological Footprint Analysis, Emergy Analysis and Energy Balance. In the 22 peer-reviewed journal articles and two conference articles applying one of these methods in the fruit sector that were included in this review, a total of 26 applications of environmental impact assessment methods are described. These applications differ concerning e.g. overall objective, set of environmental issues considered, definition of system boundaries and calculation algorithms. Due to the relatively high variability in study cases and approaches, it was not possible to identify any one method as being better than the others. However, remarks on methodologies and suggestions for standardisation are given and the environmental burdens of fruit systems are highlighted.

Currants and strawberries as bioactive compounds source: determination of antioxidant profile with HPLC-DAD/MS system

*summary Among plant foods, berry fruit shows a high antioxidant capacity. Medical research has pointed out the medicinal properties of certain pigmented polyphenols, such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins and other phytochemicals, which are mainly found in the skin and seeds of the berries. The aim of this work was to contribute to the study of the nutraceutical features of some berry fruit (currants, gooseberries and strawberries). The different antioxidant compound contents of the fresh fruit of different cultivars and selections of Ribes spp. and Fragaria x ananassa Duch have been analyzed. The fruit of 29 cultivars from 3 different species of Ribes spp. and 5 strawberry cultivars have been analysed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a UV/Vis detector and a mass detector (MS) to identify and quantify the main antioxidant compounds. As far as the Ribes spp. cultivars are concerned, the presence of a high content of phenolic compounds has been confirmed, and they represent therefore an important source of antioxidant compounds. Moreover, the results have shown that the considered cultivars and selections of strawberries are good sources of bioactive compounds, especially phenolic substances. The results of this study could contribute to offer new insights into the nutraceutical aspects of the considered berry fruit species.

Genetic and morphological characterization of chestnut ( Castanea sativa Mill.) germplasm in Piedmont (north-western Italy)

Castanea sativa Mill. is an important multipurpose tree species for north-western Italy, and specially for Piedmont Region. The preservation of its germplasm from the genetic erosion due to the changes in socio-economic structure of rural areas and specific pathogen attacks is critical. The principal aims of this work were to characterize the chestnut germplasm grown in Piedmont and investigate its genetic structure. Sixty-eight grafted chestnut trees were evaluated using 10 SSRs (simple sequence repeats) loci and 20 morphological descriptors. Thirty-six different genotypes were identified; the analysis of the genetic structure of this germplasm revealed that four gene pools contributed to the formation of the population sampled. In general, cultivars tended to group into a main gene pool on the basis of their prevalent use and growing area. These results are substantially in agreement with those of the cluster analysis that was carried out to estimate the genetic relationships among the cultivars. Morphological analyses showed large variation of traits among the individuals, related with the market destination of the nuts and useful for cultivar and clonal selection. Discriminant analysis was applied to find a correlation between genetic and morphological data: nut and leaf shape, nut hairiness and male flower type resulted to be the most discriminant traits associated with the genetic structure. In the end, this work clarified the genetic structure of the cultivated germplasm in Piedmont describing the main cultivars of the region, giving useful information for conservation and breeding purposes.

Improving the nutritional value of kiwifruit with the application of agroindustry waste extracts

*Summary The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the application of an agro-industrial waste extract (AWE) on the quality of kiwifruit. The AWE was obtained by extraction from apple seeds, rapeseed and rice husks and then boron (0.6 %) and zinc (1.4 %) were added. The effect of AWE as a fertilizer/biostimulant on several parameters of kiwifruit quality (weight, total soluble solids, firmness, dry matter percentage, pH, titratable acidity, antioxidant capacity, ascorbic acid) was then evaluated. The application was carried out on two cultivars of Actinidia deliciosa, cv. Hayward and cv. Green Light, and also in two different cultivation environments. AWE increased the fruit weight in cv. Green Light and in cv. Hayward fruits grown in Piedmont but no increase was observed in dry matter percentage for fruits of both cultivars. The most relevant effect of AWE was the significant increase of the ascorbic acid (AA) content in the fruits of cv. Hayward of all the tested orchards. Fertilization with biostimulants shows a promising future in functional plant nutrition linked to an increase in food quality parameters.

Castanea spp. buds as a phytochemical source for herbal preparations: botanical fingerprint for nutraceutical identification and functional food standardisation

BACKGROUND Many plant species may be used for the production of herbal preparations containing phytochemicals with significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities and health benefits: Castanea spp. is among the most commonly used herbal medicines. The aim of this research was to perform an analytical study of chestnut bud preparations, in order to identify and quantify the main bioactive compounds, and to obtain a specific chemical fingerprint to evaluate the single class contribution to the herbal preparation phytocomplex. The analyses were performed using a high-performance liquid chromatograph coupled to a diode array detector. RESULTS Castanea spp. was identified as a rich source of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds: the observed analytical fingerprint demonstrated that these bud preparations represent a rich source of bioactive compounds (104.77 ± 1.14 g kg(-1) FW) in relation to different genotypes, specific sampling sites and several phenological stages. CONCLUSION This study showed that the observed analytical fingerprint can be considered an important tool for assessing the chemical composition and bioactivities of the chestnut-derived products, considering the Castanea genus as a new source of natural health-promoting compounds. This study allowed the development of an effective tool for quality control by fingerprinting the bud preparation in order to develop a new generation of standardised preparations.

Botanicals in Ribes nigrum bud-preparations: An analytical fingerprinting to evaluate the bioactive contribution to total phytocomplex

Abstract Context. Ribes nigrum L. (Grossulariaceae) is among the most commonly used herbal medicines and it is popularized for its alleged tonic effect and curative and restorative properties. The current practice of identifying herbal extracts is by measuring the concentration of the main botanicals. Their concentrations are used to characterize the herbal preparations and fingerprinting is recommended by the main Pharmacopeias as a potential and reliable strategy for the quality control of complex mixtures. Objective: The aim of this research was to perform an analytical study of R. nigrum bud-preparations, in order to identify and quantify the main bioactive compounds, obtaining a specific chemical fingerprint to evaluate the single class contribution to herbal preparation phytocomplex. Materials and methods: The same analyses were performed using a high-performance liquid chromatograph-diode array detector both on University lab preparations and on commercial preparations from different Italian locations. Different chromatographic methods were used to analyse the macerated samples, two for polyphenols and one for terpenic compounds. Results. Ribes nigrum was identified as a rich source of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. The observed analytical firgerprint demonstrated that these bud-preparations represent a rich source of terpenic and polyphenolic compounds, especially catechins and phenolic acids. Discussion and conclusion: Analytical fingerprinting could be an important tool to study the assessment of chemical composition and bioactivities of plant-derived products, helping to find new sources of natural health-promoting compounds: this study allowed the development of an effective tool for quality control through botanical fingerprinting of bud preparations.

Genetic diversity in ancient apple germplasm from northwest Italy

Summary Thirty-six apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) cultivars belonging to local germplasm collected in the Piedmont Region (northwest Italy), together with eight commercial cultivars, were analysed using nine microsatellite [simple sequence repeat (SSR)] markers, chosen from a set of previously described SSRs isolated in Malus. The aims of the research were to determine genetic identities, to estimate genetic diversity, and to identify genetic relationships between the 44 accessions. A high level of variation was detected, with a mean of 10.9 alleles per locus. The mean observed heterozygosity was 0.82 (range = 0.43 – 0.98). Of the 44 cultivars studied, 17 were triploid. Triploidy was particularly common in the ‘Renetta’ group. The selected loci showed 36 genetic profiles, suggesting the existence of possible synonyms. Two cases of homonymy were also found, and the genetic relationships between cultivars are discussed considering historical records regarding their origins.

Assessing Environmental Sustainability of Different Apple Supply Chains in Northern Italy

The application of environmental assessment methods in the fruit sector is conventionally divided into a field phase and a retail phase. Although there are important differences in the environmental impacts in field phase, a major part of the impacts is related to the management of the fruit and the distribution chain in the retail phase. In this paper, the environmental impact of fruit production is quantified in the production and retail phase of apple production in Piedmont in Northern Italy. Three main scenarios have been identified: (I) direct selling, (II) distribution to local markets and (III) distribution to national markets. A complete life cycle assessment (LCA) has been performed on the three apple supply chains. Results show the importance of retailing strategies for the environmental sustainability of such food item.

Bud Extracts as New Phytochemical Source for Herbal Preparations — Quality Control and Standardization by Analytical Fingerprint

The use of buds for therapeutic purposes dates back many centuries. Ancient Indian medicine (Ayurveda) used, and still uses, plant buds for therapeutic purposes. In Western Europe, Galen (second century A.D.) prepared Acopon, one of the most renowned vulnerary balsams of that time, by soaking poplar buds in olive oil for three months. Nicolas De Myrepse, a medieval Greek physician, revived this idea and formulated the famous “Unguentum Populeum.”