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Grape Berries (grape + berry)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Chemistry	68%
Life Sciences	31%

Selected Abstracts

Incidence, Aggressiveness and In Planta Interactions of Botrytis cinerea and other Filamentous Fungi Quiescent in Grape Berries and Dormant Buds in Central Washington State

JOURNAL OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 7 2002
F. M. Dugan
Abstract Recovery of quiescent filamentous fungi from non-symptomatic grape berries and dormant buds demonstrated dominance of Alternaria, Aureobasidium, Cladosporium, Ulocladium and other dematiaceous hyphomycetes. Up to 78% of berries contained fungi prior to harvest. Botrytis cinerea was recovered from 0.2 to 0.5% of surface-disinfested berries just subsequent to fruit set, and 1.6,4.8% of surface-disinfested, over-wintered dormant buds. In laboratory inoculations of mature grape berries with strains of Alternaria, Aureobasidium, Cladosporium, Ulocladium and Botrytis, only the latter was aggressive in rotting berry fruits. Inoculations with B. cinerea alone and in combination with strains of Alternaria, Aureobasidium, Cladosporium and Ulocladium recovered from grape demonstrated that prior occupation of wound sites by the latter fungi resulted in reduced lesion size compared to inoculation with B. cinerea alone. [source]

Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the synthesis of the wine-related antioxidant resveratrol

FEMS YEAST RESEARCH, Issue 1 2003
John V.W. Becker
Abstract The stilbene resveratrol is a stress metabolite produced by Vitis vinifera grapevines during fungal infection, wounding or UV radiation. Resveratrol is synthesised particularly in the skins of grape berries and only trace amounts are present in the fruit flesh. Red wine contains a much higher resveratrol concentration than white wine, due to skin contact during fermentation. Apart from its antifungal characteristics, resveratrol has also been shown to have cancer chemopreventive activity and to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. It acts as an antioxidant and anti-mutagen and has the ability to induce specific enzymes that metabolise carcinogenic substances. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate the feasibility of developing wine yeasts with the ability to produce resveratrol during fermentation in both red and white wines, thereby increasing the wholesomeness of the product. To achieve this goal, the phenylpropanoid pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae would have to be introduced to produce p -coumaroyl-CoA, one of the substrates required for resveratrol synthesis. The other substrate for resveratrol synthase, malonyl-CoA, is already found in yeast and is involved in de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis. We hypothesised that production of p -coumaroyl-CoA and resveratrol can be achieved by co-expressing the coenzyme-A ligase-encoding gene (4CL216) from a hybrid poplar and the grapevine resveratrol synthase gene (vst1) in laboratory strains of S. cerevisiae. This yeast has the ability to metabolise p -coumaric acid, a substance already present in grape must. This compound was therefore added to the synthetic media used for the growth of laboratory cultures. Transformants expressing both the 4CL216 and vst1 genes were obtained and tested for production of resveratrol. Following ,-glucosidase treatment of organic extracts for removal of glucose moieties that are typically bound to resveratrol, the results showed that the yeast transformants had produced the resveratrol ,-glucoside, piceid. This is the first report of the reconstruction of a biochemical pathway in a heterologous host to produce resveratrol. [source]

Simultaneous HPLC-DAD-MS (ESI+) determination of structural and geometrical isomers of carotenoids in mature grapes,

JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 9 2010
Pasquale Crupi
Abstract Carotenoids are uniquely functional polyene pigments ubiquitous in nature; aside from being responsible for the color of a wide variety of vegetables, interest is being focused on food carotenoids due to their likely health benefits. From analytical point of view, it is important to unequivocally identify individual carotenoid compounds in many food stuffs. Therefore, isolation of standards from natural sources must be encouraged for accurate identifications. Like many fruits, mature grape berries contain numerous carotenoid compounds, mostly found in the skin at levels two to three times higher than in the pulp. Carotenoid compounds in a typical wine grape variety (Negroamaro) grown in Apulian region were investigated by reversed-phase C30 (RP-30) HPLC-DAD-MS (ESI+) analysis. As a consequence of an unusual ionization process of carotenoids, their mass spectra registered in the positive ion mode comprised both protonated molecules and molecular ion radicals with little fragmentation. Additionally, selective collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments, together with fine structures of the UV,vis spectra, were used to differentiate structural and geometrical isomers. This technique allowed the simultaneous determination of regio- and cis -isomers of lutein (zeaxanthin, 9Z and 9,Z -lutein) and a cis -isomer of ,-carotene (9Z - ,-carotene), 5,6-epoxy xanthophylls (violaxanthin, (9,Z)-neoxanthin, lutein-5,6-epoxide) and 5,8-epoxy xanthophylls diasteroisomers (neochrome, auroxanthin, luteoxanthin, flavoxanthin, chrysanthemaxanthin). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Incidence, Aggressiveness and In Planta Interactions of Botrytis cinerea and other Filamentous Fungi Quiescent in Grape Berries and Dormant Buds in Central Washington State

Nested PCR-RFLP is a high-speed method to detect fungicide-resistant Botrytis cinerea at an early growth stage of grapes

PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 2 2009
Seiya Saito
Abstract BACKGROUND: Grey mould caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr. is one of the major diseases in grapes. The use of fungicides is a simple strategy to protect grapes against B. cinerea disease. However, phenotypes exhibiting resistance to fungicides have been detected in B. cinerea populations. The variation of fungicide-resistant B. cinerea isolates renders B. cinerea disease control difficult in grapevine fields. RESULTS: The authors have developed a nested polymerase chain reaction,restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method to detect fungicide-resistant B. cinerea isolates at an early growth stage of grapes in grapevine fields. The nested PCR-RFLP method was carried out to detect benzimidazole-, phenylcarbamate- and/or dicarboximide-resistant B. cinerea isolates from grape berries and leaves at Eichorn,Lorenz growth stage 25 to 29. This method successfully detected fungicide-resistant B. cinerea isolates at an early growth stage of grapes. In addition, only 8 h was required from tissue sampling to phenotyping of fungicide resistance of the isolates. CONCLUSION: It is proposed that the early diagnosis of fungicide-resistant B. cinerea isolates would contribute to further improvement of integrated pest management against B. cinerea in grapevine fields, and that the nested PCR-RFLP method is a high-speed, sensitive and reliable tool for this purpose. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source]

Exogenous ethylene stimulates the long-term expression of genes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis in grape berries

PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, Issue 2 2003
Ashraf El-Kereamy
The treatment of grape berries (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon) with the ethylene-releasing compound, 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid (2-CEPA), at veraison is a method known to enhance grape skin colour. We observed that it produced a 6-fold increase, up to 30 pmol g,1 FW, of the cluster internal ethylene compared to untreated controls within the 24 h following treatment. This ethylene upsurge was associated with increased levels of chalcone synthase (CHS) and flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) transcripts, which persisted over the following 20 days. Transcript levels of leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase (LDOX) and UDP glucose-flavonoid 3- O -glucosyl transferase (UFGT) were similarly enhanced by 2-CEPA, although to a lesser extent. The effect on UFGT was confirmed at the protein level by an immunoblot analysis. The transcript accumulation of dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) was unaffected by 2-CEPA treatment. Examination of the levels of CHS, F3H and UFGT mRNAs in berries during bunch exposure to ethylene, revealed elevated levels of each transcript within the first 6 h of treatment when compared to nonethylene-treated controls. HPLC analyses of berry skin extracts showed that levels of each of the anthocyanins analysed (delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, peonidin and malvidin) increased over the 10 days following the ethylene burst, and decreased thereafter. However, anthocyanin levels at harvest were still higher in ethylene treated grapes than in controls. This data is the first evidence that ethylene triggers gene expression related to anthocyanin synthesis in grapes, and in addition, our results also confirm the existence of other regulatory modes in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway. [source]

Fractionation of grape tannins and analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry

PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 4 2003
Camille Perret
Abstract Polymeric tannins, extracted from grape berries (Gamay variety), were fractionated according to their mean degree of polymerisation (mDP) on a styrene,divinylbenzene phase eluted with a gradient of methanol:chloroform. Increasing the percentage of methanol led to the solubilisation of higher molecular weight tannins. The mean mDP of each collected fraction was determined by acid-catalysed degradation in the presence of a nucleophilic reagent. The fractionation method produced a linear gradient of mDP varying between 1.84 and 19.34. The fractions were partially characterised by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). The spectra showed a complex mixture of proanthocyanidins and galloylated proanthocyanidins up to 4000,amu. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Review: Condensed tannin and grape cell wall interactions and their impact on tannin extractability into wine

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010
R.L. HANLIN
Abstract It has been suggested that tannin extraction from grape berries into wine is limited by tannin binding to cell walls. Here we review the current state of knowledge and identify gaps in research that would enable characterisation of these interactions. Such characterisation could improve tannin extraction management in winemaking. The work identified in this review supports the hypothesis that tannin,cell wall interactions are formed by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions with the binding capacity of the cell walls influenced by tannin and polysaccharide structure and composition. Cell wall changes during berry development may increase the tannin-binding capacity of cell walls, while tannin structure may also influence its affinity for cell wall material. This review also identifies the need to investigate cultural and environmental factors that affect tannin and polysaccharide composition, to characterise the tannin-binding capacity of cell walls and to develop methods for assessing tannin-binding capacity of fruit prior to harvest. It is envisaged that a detailed understanding of tannin interactions with other components in the grape would lead to a predictive model for extractability of condensed tannins into wine. [source]

Organic and inorganic anions in Shiraz and Chardonnay grape berries and wine as affected by rootstock under saline conditions

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010
H. GONG
Abstract Background and Aims:, Rootstocks influence the inorganic ion and organic acid composition of grapes of the scion variety. The aim was to investigate the impact of rootstocks on the inter-relationship of inorganic ions and organic acid anions in the skin and pulp of grapes and in resultant wine. Methods and Results:, Vines were irrigated with water having electrical conductivities in the range 1.6,2.1 dS/m. Chloride, sodium, potassium, malic and tartaric acid concentrations were higher in almost all cases in skin than in pulp. Significant positive correlations existed between chloride and sodium concentrations in both pulp and skin. A significant negative linear regression existed between malic acid and both chloride and sodium concentrations in skin of Chardonnay berries. There were positive linear regressions in chloride concentration between berry (pulp and skin) and resultant wine chloride in both Chardonnay and Shiraz. Conclusion:, The higher malic acid and lower chloride concentrations in skin of most grafted Chardonnay and Shiraz vines, and vice versa for own rooted vines, may indicate competition for similar transporter proteins involved in loading into skins. Alternatively, higher salt concentrations in skins may be associated with accelerated malic acid catabolism. Significance of the Study:, Chloride-excluding rootstocks demonstrated advantages through reduced chloride (but not sodium) in pulp and skin of grape berries and in resultant wines. Where rootstocks reduced chloride concentrations in skin of grape berries, there is potential for higher malic acid in skin and in the resultant red wines. [source]

Comparison of enzymes involved in sugar metabolism from Shang-24 (Vinifera quinguangularis) and Cabernet Sauvignon (Vinifera vinifera) at veraison

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 1 2009
Q.-H. PAN
Abstract Background and Aims:, Sugar is a main contributor to the quality of grape berries, but little is known about the characteristics of sugar metabolism in Chinese wild grapes. Here, enzymes related to sugar metabolism were investigated in berries of both Shang-24 (Vitis quinguangularis Rehd), a wild grape native to China, and Cabernet Sauvignon (V. vinifera L.). Methods and Results:, Analyses using high performance liquid chromatography and spectrophotometer showed that Shang-24 contained lower levels of glucose and fructose, compared with Cabernet Sauvignon, but had higher activities of enzymes related to sugar hydrolysis, particularly soluble acid invertase (SAI) and ,-amylase. Analyses of enzyme kinetics, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot revealed that SAI and ,-amylase in Shang-24 had low Km values and that high levels of both enzymes were present. Furthermore, a novel peptide of SAI of 105 kDa was detected in Shang-24 along with a peptide of 60 kDa that also was present in Cabernet Sauvignon. Conclusions:, It is thus suggested that biochemical characteristics of SAI and ,-amylase in Shang-24 differ from those in Cabernet Sauvignon, and the novel peptide may be related to high activity of SAI in Shang-24. Significance of the Study:, These data provide an essential basis for further study of the genetic regulation of sugar and its metabolism in grape berries. [source]

Conjugated polyamines and hydroxycinnamic acids in grape berries during Botrytis cinerea disease development: differences between ,noble rot' and ,grey mould'

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 2 2003
L. GENY
Abstract Data are provided on contrasting levels of different categories of polyamines and hydroxycinnamic acids during the course of disease development due to Botrytis cinerea on ripe grape berries that led to either noble rot or to grey mould. Noble rot development was mainly characterised by a greater accumulation of wall-bound polyamines at the beginning of infection, whereas the disease process that led to grey mould was marked by an increase of conjugated polyamines. During grey mould infection, coumaric acid was the predominant hydroxycinnamic acid present in both healthy and infected grape berries regardless of infection stage, whereas ferulic acid was present at lower concentrations than the other hydroxycinnamic acids identified. Moreover, changes in the relative proportions of each of the three hydroxycinnamic acids considered showed contrasting patterns according to the sort of rot which developed. The different roles of these compounds (hydroxycinnamic acids and polyamines) and their involvement in the interaction between Botrytis cinerea and grapevines is discussed. During development of grey mould, coumaric acid was the predominant hydroxycinnamic acid at the beginning and the end of infection, whereas caffeic acid predominated during mid stage. [source]

Relationships between endogenous polyamines, cellular structure and arrested growth of grape berries

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 2 2002
LYDIA COLIN
Abstract The condition known as ,millerandage' occurs when the growth of grape berries is interrupted early in their development. By harvest, berries in the same bunch will be different sizes, and some will be particularly small. Anatomical studies have revealed that interrupted growth can occur at different stages of berry development, and hormonal factors might be involved. Polyamines are one class of hormones that play an important role in plant morphogenesis, but analysis of polyamine content and composition indicated that berries of bunches with millerandage had the same polyamine composition as those at different stages of development. However, there were differences in relationships between wall-bound polyamine, especially wall-bound DAP, and arrested growth of berries. One key cytological difference was the negative PAS staining of cell walls in very small and in mid-size berries. In biochemical terms, wall-bound polyamine (and in particular wall-bound DAP content), was higher in berries from bunches with millerandage than in normal berries during their development. The present study therefore clearly demonstrates a positive correlation between wall-bound polyamine, especially wall-bound DAP, and arrested growth of berries in bunches with millerandage. [source]

Molecular biology of grape berry ripening

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 2 2000
SIMON P. ROBINSON
Abstract Grapevines produce non-climacteric fruit that exhibit a double sigmoidal pattern of growth. Ripening occurs during the second growth phase when grapes change colour, start to soften, accumulate reducing sugars, metabolise organic acids and synthesise flavour compounds. Unlike many other fruit, grapes ripen while the berries are still expanding, and as with most non-climacteric fruit, ripening does not appear to be controlled by ethylene. Sugars and amino acids that accumulate in grapes during ripening are imported via the phloem, while many secondary metabolites are synthesised within the berry itself. Grapes import sucrose but accumulate hexoses. Conversion of sucrose to hexoses is most likely catalysed by invertase. cDNAs encoding vacuolar invertases have been isolated from grape berries. Expression of these genes and an increase in invertase activity occur before veraison, so it seems unlikely that synthesis of this enzyme is a controlling factor for sugar accumulation during ripening. Proteins that transport sugars into the berry vacuole may regulate sugar accumulation, and cDNAs encoding both sucrose and hexose transporters have been isolated from ripening grape berries. Determination of the role of these transporters may reveal the pathway of sugar accumulation in grapes. Anthocyanins are only synthesised in the skin of red grapes after veraison. Analysis of the patterns of expression of genes in the flavonoid pathway has shown that there is a dramatic increase in expression of many of these genes in skin cells at veraison. Expression of the gene encoding a glycosyl transferase involved in the lasts steps of anthocyanin synthesis was absolutely correlated with anthocyanin synthesis and may explain the lack of anthocyanin synthesis in white grapes and in the flesh of most red grapes. We infer that the synthesis of anthocyanins is regulated at the transcription level and is likely to be controlled by regulatory genes. Softening of fruit generally results from changes in the properties of cell walls. Analysis of the cell walls of grapes during ripening suggests that there are no dramatic changes in polysaccharide composition but modification of specific components may contribute to softening. A number of proteins are newly synthesised in grapes during ripening and several of these proteins have now been identified. The most abundant are pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins, including chitinases and thaumatin-like proteins. Expression of genes encoding a number of PR proteins increased dramatically in grapes during ripening. It is not clear what role the PR proteins play during ripening but they may provide resistance to pathogens. Differential screening of a post-veraison grape berry cDNA library has also identified ripening-related genes, some of which encode proline-rich cell wall proteins. Other grape ripening-related genes have homologues that are induced by stress in other plants. These studies indicate that a dramatic change in gene expression occurs in grape berries at veraison and suggest that ripening involves a coordinated increase in transcription of a number of different genes. [source]

Abscisic acid activates acid invertases in developing grape berry

PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, Issue 2 2005
Qiu-Hong Pan
Acid invertases play a key role in sugar metabolism, and the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) enhances sugar accumulation in crop sink organs, but information about the relationship between ABA and acid invertases has been limited. The present experiments were done with both in vivo pre-incubation of the grape (Vitis vinifera × V. labrusca L.) berry tissues in ABA-containing medium and in vivo infiltration of ABA into the intact berries. The results show that ABA activates both the soluble and cell wall-bound acid invertases during fruit development by enhancing their activities and amounts as assessed by immunoblotting or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This activation was pH, time course and ABA dose dependent. The serine/threonine protein kinase inhibitors K252a, staurosporine and H7 and acid phosphatase increased the activation of ABA-induced acid invertase, but the tyrosine protein kinase inhibitor quercetin strongly suppressed the ABA-induced effects, suggesting that a complex reversible protein phosphorylation is involved in the ABA-induced activation of acid invertases. The effects of the protein kinase inhibitors were dependent on the in vivo state of the tissues but independent of the expression of acid invertases. Two ABA analogues, (,)-ABA and trans-ABA, had no effect on acid invertases, showing that the ABA-induced activation of acid invertases is specific to the physiologically active form of ABA. These data suggest that ABA may be involved in fruit development by activating acid invertases. [source]

Quantifying the dynamics of sugar concentration in berries of Vitis vinifera cv. Shiraz: a novel approach based on allometric analysis

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 2 2007
VICTOR O. SADRAS
Abstract Concentrations of key compounds (e.g. sugar) in berries are the net result of relative changes in the amount of compound per berry and berry size. The complex nature of concentrations is widely recognised, but the widespread use of chronological scales for comparisons implies that ontogenetic drift or size-dependent effects are often overlooked. This paper presents an allometric analysis of sugar concentration in berries of cv. Shiraz as a way to formally account for ontogenetic drift. Our starting point is the double-sigmoid growth pattern of a grape berry where we distinguish Phase 1, from flowering to veraison; Phase 2, from veraison to peak berry fresh mass, and Phase 3, after peak fresh mass. Phase 3 explicitly accounts for the late season shrinkage typical of Shiraz berries. We advance an allometric model of sugar per berry with berry fresh mass, rather than time, as descriptor. The condition for an increase in sugar concentration in Phase 2 is that the relative rate of sugar accumulation per berry (RSB) exceeds the relative rate of berry net accumulation of fresh mass (RFM). This is equivalent to an allometric coefficient, calculated as the slope of the regression between amount of sugar per berry and berry mass in a log-log scale, being greater than 1. For Phase 3, the condition for increase of sugar concentration is that a large reduction in berry mass offsets any putative change of sugar per berry, yielding an allometric coefficient < 1. Such an allometric model was tested against measured data from sixteen contrasting crops resulting from the combination of eight water regimes and two seasons. Berry mass peaked between 96 and 105 days after anthesis, and these dates were used to separate Phases 2 and 3. In Phase 2, the relative rate of increase in sugar per berry varied from 0.01 to 0.02 d -1 in comparison to the relative rate of increase in berry fresh mass that varied from 0.0038 to 0.0066 d -1. Sugar per berry thus increased 2.4,3.3 times faster than berry mass, with allometric coefficients between 1.98 and 2.91 accounting for 78% of the variation in the relative rate of change of sugar concentration. In Phase 3, the relative rate of change in sugar per berry was not different from zero (P 0.05) in most cases, whereas the rate of change in berry size ranged from ,0.0013 to ,0.0035 d -1 and was significant (P < 0.05) in 14 out 16 cases. The small changes in sugar per berry and the net loss of berry material yielded allometric coefficients between 0.17 and 1.11, which accounted for 72% of the variation in the relative rate of change in sugar concentration. We conclude that a model, which pivots around peak berry mass, with allometric coefficients above 1 in Phase 2 and below 1 in Phase 3, is suitable to quantitatively account for ontogenetic drift in the dynamics of sugar concentration in berries of Shiraz. This allometric approach demonstrated that sugar per berry during the stage of berry shrinkage is a plastic trait under significant environmental influence. For the same genotype, environmental conditions could determine either, a putative backflow of water accounting for net loss of berry fresh mass (RFM < 0) that could also carry some sugar from berries back to the parent vine (RSB < 0) or a small gain of sugar (RSB 0) closely coupled with a net loss of berry fresh mass (P= 0.003). [source]