Tuberous roots of yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) accumulate about 10%, on a fresh weight basis, of inulin-type fructooligosacharides (FOSs), known as a food ingredient with various healthy benefits. However, we have a great difficulty to ensure these benefits because FOSs with a lower degree of polymerization (DP) decreased remarkably, and fructose increased when the tuberous roots were stored after harvesting even under previously recommended storage conditions of low temperature with high humidity. In the present study, to elucidate the involvement of FOS-metabolizing enzymes in FOS reduction during storage at 90% relative humidity and 8 degrees C, we extracted a crude protein from yacon tuberous roots and measured the activities of invertase (beta-fructofuranosidase, EC 3.2.1.26), sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST, EC 2.4.1.99), fructan:fructan 1-fructosyltransferase (1-FFT, EC 2.4.1.100), and fructan 1-exohydrolase (1-FEH, EC 3.2.1.80). The enzyme activities acting on sucrose, both invertase and 1-SST, were weakened after storage for a month. In addition, the activity of 1-FEH acting on short FOSs such as 1-kestose (GF(2)) and 1-nystose (GF(3)) was higher than that of 1-FFT. These results suggest that the continuous decline in FOSs of low DP during storage was dependent mainly on the 1-FEH activity. On the other hand, FOSs with a DP of >or= 9 only slightly decreased in stored yacon tuberous roots during storage, though distinct 1-FEH activity was observed in vitro toward a high-DP inulin-type substrate, indicating that highly polymerized FOSs content was unlikely to be closely connected with the 1-FEH activity.
When rearing chicks, Leach’s storm‐petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) commute between foraging areas and breeding colonies with heavy food loads. At this time they should maximize the size of energy‐supplying organs in response to increased energy expenditure but minimize total body mass to decrease the energetic cost of flight. Nineteen storm‐petrels were killed to examine the changes in body composition and the masses of energy‐supplying organs in birds that were incubating and rearing chicks. Parents lost a mean of 7.95 g in body mass between the stages of incubation and chick‐rearing mainly via a loss of skin including subcutaneous adipose tissue, and a small fraction of heart and digestive organs, which are considered energy‐supplying organs. This mass loss actually enables them to decrease flight cost by 14.4%. The benefits of decreasing flight costs by reducing total body mass are greater than if the energy‐supplying organs of birds are enlarged only.
Taman Hutan Raya Wan Abdul Rachman (Tahura WAR) is located at Lampung Province, Indonesia. University of Lampung as the state university has mandatory around 1.134 hectare to manage from Tahura WAR as Forest Education. Research has been done in this area. The purpose of the research is identifying biodiversity of fauna in Forest Education of University of Lampung at Tahura WAR. The research has been done from March to May 2018 (dry season) and October to December 2018 (rainy season). Each month collected data was consisted of six days observation. The method of the research is using traps, it is to lay the traps on the surface of soil by plastic bucket, with 72 traps at different location that separated by study site. The research result were found big black ants, small black ants, mosquitoes, millipedes, crickets, spiders, termites, snails, glomerides, small red ants, big red ants, frogs, small scorpion, caterpillar and dung beetle. Diversity Index of Shannon Wienner classified Tahura WAR as moderate which indicate the forest has good maintain as the aspect of ecology and the aspect of sustained of forest.
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