Ministry of Agriculture

About: Ministry of Agriculture is a government organization based out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Biology & Chemistry. The organization has 1153 authors who have published 1189 publications receiving 14442 citations.

Assessing the greenhouse gas emissions of Brazilian soybean biodiesel production.

Abstract: Soybean biodiesel (B100) has been playing an important role in Brazilian energy matrix towards the national bio-based economy. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is the most widely used indicator for assessing the environmental sustainability of biodiesels and received particular attention among decision makers in business and politics, as well as consumers. Former studies have been mainly focused on the GHG emissions from the soybean cultivation, excluding other stages of the biodiesel production. Here, we present a holistic view of the total GHG emissions in four life cycle stages for soybean biodiesel. The aim of this study was to assess the GHG emissions of Brazilian soybean biodiesel production system with an integrated life cycle approach of four stages: agriculture, extraction, production and distribution. Allocation of mass and energy was applied and special attention was paid to the integrated and non-integrated industrial production chain. The results indicated that the largest source of GHG emissions, among four life cycle stages, is the agricultural stage (42-51%) for B100 produced in integrated systems and the production stage (46-52%) for B100 produced in non-integrated systems. Integration of industrial units resulted in significant reduction in life cycle GHG emissions. Without the consideration of LUC and assuming biogenic CO2 emissions is carbon neutral in our study, the calculated life cycle GHG emissions for domestic soybean biodiesel varied from 23.1 to 25.8 gCO2eq. MJ-1 B100 and those for soybean biodiesel exported to EU ranged from 26.5 to 29.2 gCO2eq. MJ-1 B100, which represent reductions by 65% up to 72% (depending on the delivery route) of GHG emissions compared with the EU benchmark for diesel fuel. Our findings from a life cycle perspective contributed to identify the major GHG sources in Brazilian soybean biodiesel production system and they can be used to guide mitigation priority for policy and decision-making. Projected scenarios in this study would be taken as references for accounting the environmental sustainability of soybean biodiesel within a domestic and global level.

Effect of cooking conditions on the flavour compounds and composition of shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) broth

Abstract: To achieve a shrimp broth with the best flavour, the whole shrimp must be cooked at 85°C for 30 min in a 0.5% NaCl solution in proportions 1 : 2 (w : v). Quantitatively, the main components of the broth were nitrogen substances, the most abundant of these being peptides of molecular weight less than 600 Da. Levels of ATP metabolites were also determined [the more abundant compounds were inosine, guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP) and inosine 5′-monophosphate (IMP)], as were free sugars (glucose, fructose and ribose) and fat content. The free amino acid composition was also determined. A significant correlation (P <0.0001) between cooking temperature and different nitrogen fractions was observed.

Seleção de extratos vegetais para indução de resistência e ativação de respostas de defesa em cacaueiro contra a vassoura-de-bruxa

Abstract: Objetivou-se encontrar novos indutores de resistencia contra a vassoura-de-bruxa (Crinipellis perniciosa) do cacaueiro (Theobroma cacao), com eficacia igual ou superior a aquela conferida pelo indutor de resistencia padrao, acibenzolar-S-metil, e estudar possiveis respostas de defesa ativadas no cacaueiro por esses eliciadores mais eficazes. Foram testados extratos de varias plantas, principalmente, nativas do cerrado mineiro, bem como extratos provenientes de outras especies cultivadas. Verificou-se que extratos aquosos produzidos a partir de ramos de lobeira (Solanum lycocarpum) com sintomas de vassoura-de-bruxa induziram protecao de mudas de cacaueiros contra a mesma doenca em nivel estatisticamente similar a protecao conferida pelo ASM. O extrato aquoso e fervido de lobeira, aqui denominado VLA, nao foi toxico in vitro, pelo contrario, induziu maior crescimento do fungo C. perniciosa em BDA, quando comparado a testemunha (crescimento em BDA puro). Quando se quantificou a atividade de proteinas relacionadas a patogenese (quitinase e b-1,3-glucanase) estimuladas por VLA e ASM (como padrao), observou-se que ambos os tratamentos induziram maiores atividades de peroxidase, quitinase e b-1,3-glucanase em mudas de cacaueiros, comparados as respectivas testemunhas, no periodo de 4 a 18 dias apos a pulverizacao (DAP). Tambem o teor de lignina aumentou em plantas tratadas com VLA ou ASM, principalmente aos 18 DAP.

A multi-residue method for the determination of 90 pesticides in matrices with a high water content by LC-MS/MS without clean-up.

Abstract: A method using QuEChERS extraction and LC-MS/MS in electrospray positive ionisation mode was developed and validated for the analysis of 90 pesticides in a high water content matrix (tomato) in a single chromatographic run. To assess the intra-laboratory reproducibility of the method, validation was conducted on four different days by two different analysts. The validation data was treated using a spreadsheet developed in-house, which sets the most appropriate model for linear fit by determining whether the residuals of the calibration curves are homocedastic or heterocedastic. A statistical test for the significance of regression was also carried out. Calibration was always matrix-matched and the curves were obtained over the range 0.0075-0.10 or 0.020-0.125 mg kg(-1). Identification of analytes was based on retention times and MRM ratios. Recoveries were assessed at four different levels for each analyte and were between 73 and 106%, with relative standard deviations under reproducibility conditions of <20%. The measurement uncertainties of the method for each pesticide analysed were below 50%. Previous validation of the same method, applied to papaya samples and satisfactory results obtained in various proficiency tests with different high water content matrices, demonstrated the applicability of the method to these classes of commodities, without clean-up. The validated method will be applied routinely in the pesticide residues monitoring programme that constitutes the National Residue and Contaminant Control Plan of Brazil.