Taking into account the preliminary antagonistic/biodegradation property showed by Pichia membranifaciens and

No abstract

Nove amostras de diferentes sorvetes comercializados na cidade de São José do Rio Preto (SP) Brasil foram submetidas a análises microbiológicas. Os resultados obtidos indicam que todas as amostras analisadas (100%) apresentaram-se em desacordo com um ou mais padrões da legislação brasileira. Constatou-se inclusive a presença de Salmonella em todas as amostras, o que já é suficiente para classificá-Ias como "produtos potencialmente capazes de causar toxinfecção alimentar" e portanto "produtos impróprios para consumo".

Many plant species have evolved special adaptations for acquiring nitrogen in nutrient-poor soils. In Brazilian savannas, the bromeliad Bromelia balansae (Bromeliaceae) is inhabited by mutualistic spiders (Psecas chapoda, Salticidae), which provide nutrients to the plant through their debris (feces, prey carcasses). In this study, we tested if bacteria present on the B. balansae phyllosphere improves plant nutrition and growth by mineralizing complex organic N compounds from spider debris that accumulate on the phyllosphere into simple compounds that may be absorbed easily by leaves. We conducted a greenhouse experiment by manipulating bacteria abundance on the bromeliad phyllosphere using antibiotics. Using isotopic mixed model equations, we demonstrated that debris from spiders contributed 10.7 AE 1.9 percent (mean AE standard error) of the N in bromeliads that had their bacterial abundance reduced. In contrast, spider feces contributed 27.1 AE 4.4 percent of bromeliad N in the presence of the entire bacterial assemblage. These bromeliads accumulated 57 percent more soluble protein and grew 13 percent more than bromeliads that were grown under reduced bacterial density. These results highlight the importance of mineralizing bacteria on phyllosphere as a mechanism of N uptake by bromeliads.Abstract provided in Portuguese is available in the online version of this article.