The experiment was carried out in 1999-2001 at the University of Agriculture in Krakow (Poland) to study the capacity of nine crops (red beet, field pumpkin, chicory, bean, barley, white cabbage, maize, alfalfa, and parsnip) to remove cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) from different soil horizons (0-20, 20-40, 40-60 cm). The content of exchangeable Cd, Pb, and Zn decreased along with the de...

Pure nonhydrolyzed inulin was directly converted to ethanol in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process. An inulinase-hyperproducing mutant, Aspergillus niger 817, was grown in a submerged culture at 30 degrees C for 5 days. The inulin-digestive liquid culture (150 ml) was supplemented with 45 g of inulin, 0.45 g of (NH4)2SO4, and 0.15 g of KH2PO4. The medium (pH 5.0) was inocul...

Evaluations of molecular mechanisms of dietary plants with their active molecules are essential for the complete exploration of their nutritive and therapeutic value. In the present study, we investigated the effect of chicory (Cichorium intybus) salad leaves in inhibiting protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), and evaluated their role in modulating the key markers involved in insulin cell si...

We have studied the role of acidic pH as a barrier for the colonization of the plant apoplast by Erwinia chrysanthemi. A minitransposon containing a promoterless reporter gene, gus, was used for random mutagenesis of the bacterial genome. An acid-sensitive mutant, named BT119, was isolated and had the following differential features with respect to the wild-type strain: (i) inability to grow at...

Recent data reported that inulin-type fructans extracted from chicory roots regulate appetite and lipid/glucose metabolism, namely, by promoting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) production in the colon. The Agave genus growing in different regions of Mexico also contains important amounts of original fructans, with interesting nutritional and technological properties, but only few data report th...

Sprouts of chicory (Cichorium intybus), a vegetable grown in the dark, have a slightly bitter taste associated with the presence of guaianolides, eudesmanolides, and germacranolides. The committed step in the biosynthesis of these compounds is catalyzed by a (1)-germacrene A synthase. Formation of the lactone ring is the postulated next step in biosynthesis of the germacrene-derived sesquiterpe...

Inulin-type fructans (ITF) are known for their capacity to modulate gut microbiota, energy metabolism and to improve glycemia in several animal models of obesity, and in humans. The potential contribution of ITF as modulators of sugar digestion by host enzymes has not been evaluated yet. A sucrose challenge has been performed on naive mice fed a standard diet supplemented with or without native...

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of diets with contrasting fermentability in the large intestine on experimental infections with Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, the causative agent of swine dysentery, and the whip worm, Trichuris suis, in pigs. Two diets with organically grown ingredients were composed. Both diets were based on triticale and barley and supplemented with either rape s...

An opto-electronic sensor system for measuring seed spacing uniformity with different types of seeds is described in this paper. It consisted of a rectangular photogate block (124 × 92 mm) with 24 phototransistors (diameter, 3 mm) receiving light beams from 24 light emitting diodes (diameter, 3 mm) opposite them, a digital input/output board in a personal computer, and power supplies. The opto-...