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Malanga, G., Calmanovici, G. and Puntarulo, S. 1997, Oxidative damage to chloroplasts from Chlorella vuigaris exposed to ultraviolet-B radiation. -Physiol. Plant. 101:455-462.Upon UV-B irradiation, Chlorella vuigaris cells and isolated chloroplasts increased in size and starch accumulation. Photosynthetic capacity and chlorophyll content of chloroplasts isolated from irradiated algae decreased by 72 and 66%, as compared to chloroplasts isolated from control cells. Dihydrorhodamine 123 conversion to rhodamine 123 was used as a sensitive method for detection of peroxide (presumably hydrogen peroxide) formation in isolated chloroplasts. The accumulation of rhodamine 123 is higher in irradiated than in nonirradiated chloroplasts and the increased accumulation of rhodamine 123 depended on the UV-B dose. Quantitation of alkyl radical-EPR signals in chloroplasts indicated that UV-B exposure significantly increased radical content in the membranes. The content of an oxidized DNA base (8hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine) in chloroplasts was increased by 72 and 175% after irradiation of the algal culture with 17.3 and 42.6 kJ m~", respectively. The chioropiastic activity of superoxide dismutase decreased by 50% as compared with control values after irradiation with 42.6 kJ m"" and no changes in ascorbate peroxidase activity and ascorbic acid content were detected at the irradiation doses tested. The y5-carotene content in chloroplasts was not affected by the irradiation, but the a-tocopherol content increased approximately 4-fold after UV-B irradiation. The results suggest that oxidative damage related to UV-B exposure is responsible for alterations in chloroplasts function and integrity, and that an antioxidant response is triggered in chloroplasts through an increase in a-tocopherol content.

A methodology for the determination of iron in foods fortified with this element or in nutritional products is important and has to be sensitive and rapid. In developing countries, an inexpensive and reliable methodology is also required. For this purpose, the Gordon's Ferrozine technique was slightly modified and assayed with yogurt, dry powdered milk, and cereal mixtures, all of them fortified with iron, using an internal standard as the reference methodology. The obtained results demonstrate a close correlation between the standard curve interpolation method and the internal standard reference method (correlation coefficient r2 = 0.9950) in a wide range of concentrations. The slope (0.9998+/-0.0040) demonstrates that both procedures measure equal amounts of iron. The conclusion is that the proposed technique is a reliable, practical, and inexpensive methodology for iron determination in different foods fortified with iron.

The aim of the study was to determine the relative bioavailability of zinc gluconate stabilized with glycine in a Petit Suisse cheese from an infant dessert. Weight gain and bone zinc content were the nutritional responses evaluated for the diets of different zinc content: 2 ppm (basal) and 5, 10, and 30 ppm from zinc gluconate stabilized with glycine and zinc sulfate. Nonlinear regression analysis of the fitted curves for weight gain determined a relative zinc bioavailability of 100% for the Ymax ratio and 96% for Ymax/t1/2 ratio for zinc gluconate stabilized with glycine (R2=0.7996 for zinc sulfate and 0.8665 for zinc gluconate stabilized with glycine). The slope ratio analysis from linear regression of femur zinc determined a relative zinc bioavailability of 93% for zinc gluconate stabilized with glycine (R2=0.8693 for zinc sulfate and 0.8307 for zinc gluconate stabilized with glycine). Zinc gluconate stabilized with glycine has similar bioavailability as zinc sulfate in a Petit Suisse cheese nutritional matrix, with the advantage that the stabilized compound does not modify the sensorial characteristics of the fortified cheese.

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