Profiling the ionome of rice and its use in discriminating geographical origins at the regional scale, China

Element profile was investigated for their use to trace the geographical origin of rice （Oryza sativa L.） samples. The concentrations of 13 elements （calcium （Ca）, potassium （K）, magnesium （Mg）, phosphorus （P）, boron （B）, manganese （Mn）, iron （Fe）, nickel （Ni）, copper （Cu）, arsenic （As）, selenium （Se）, molybdenum （Mo）, and cadmium （Cd）） were determined in the rice samples by inductively coupled plasma optical emission and mass spectrometry. Most of the essential elements for human health in rice were within normal ranges except for Mo and Se. Mo concentrations were twice as high as those in rice from Vietnam and Spain. Meanwhile, Se concentrations were three times lower in the whole province compared to the Chinese average level of 0.088 mg/kg. About 12% of the rice samples failed the Chinese national food safety standard of 0.2 mg/kg for Cd. Combined with the multi-elemental profile in rice, the principal component analysis （PCA）, discriminant function analysis （DFA） and Fibonacci index analysis （FIA） were applied to discriminate geographical origins of the samples. Results indicated that the FIA method could achieve a more effective geographical origin classification compared with PCA and DFA, due to its efficiency in making the grouping even when the elemental variability was so high that PCA and DFA showed little discriminatory power. Furthermore, some elements were identified as the most powerful indicators of geographical origin： Ca, Ni, Fe and Cd. This suggests that the newly established methodology of FIA based on the ionome profile can be applied to determine the geographical origin of rice.

Determination of the geographical origin of Chinese teas based on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios

The objective of this study was to investigate the geographical origin of Chinese teas using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio technology.The results showed that inter-provincial dispersion of teas in Guangdong(GD),Guangxi(GX),Hainan(HA),Fujian(FJ),Shandong(SD),Sichuan(SC),Chongqing(CQ),and Henan(HN) provinces was high,while in Zhejiang(ZJ),Hubei(HB),Yunnan(YN),and Anhui(AH) provinces,it was low.Tea samples from GD,GX,HA,and FJ provinces were clustered in one group and separated from those from AH and HB provinces.Thus,carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio technology could discriminate teas from among some provinces of China,but not from among others.Better separation might be obtained with a combination of isotopic ratios and other indexes,such as elemental data and organic components.

Geographical Origin and Level Identification of Frankincense Based on Hyperspectral Image

Background:As the demand for traditional Chinese medicinal materials increases in China and even the world,there is an urgent need for an effective and simple identification technology to identify the origin and quality of the latter and ensure the safety of clinical medication.Mineral element analysis and isotope finger-printing are the two commonly used techniques in traditional origin identification.Both of these techniques require the use of stoichiometric methods in the identification process.Although they have high accuracy and sensitivity,they are expensive and inefficient.In addition,near-infrared spectroscopy is a fast,nondestructive,and widely used identification technique developed in recent years,but its identification results are susceptible to samples’states and environmental conditions,and its sensitivity is low.Hyperspectral imaging combines the advantages of imaging technology and optical technology,which can simultaneously access the image information and spectral information which reflect the external characteristics,internal physical structure,and chemical composition of the samples.Hyperspectral imaging is widely applied to agricultural product inspection,but research into its application in origin and quality identification of TCM materials is rare.Methods:In this study,the algorithm framework discriminative marginalized least squares regression(DMLSR)was used for feature extraction of frankincense hyperspectral data.The DMLSR with intraclass compactness graph and manifold regularization can efficiently learn the projective samples with higher separability and less redundant information than the original samples.Then,the discriminative collaborative representation with Tikhonov regularization(DCRT)was applied for classifying the geographical origin and level of frankincense.DCRT introduces the discriminant regularization term and incorporates SID,which is more sensitive to the spectrum as the measurement method and is more suitable for the frankincense spectral data compared with SVM.Results:For the origin classification task,samples of all levels from each origin were,respectively,selected for three-way classification.We used 10-fold cross-validation to select a model parameter in the experiment.When obtaining the optimal parameters,we randomly selected the training set and testing set,where the training set accounts for 70%and the training set for 30%.After repeating this random process 10 times,we obtained the final average classification accuracy,which is higher than 90%,and the standard deviation fluctuation is usually small.For the level classification task,samples of each level from three origins were separately selected for multiclassification.We randomly selected the training set and testing set from each origin.The level classification results of the three origins are good on D4350 data,and the classification accuracy of each level is basically above 80%.Conclusion:Experiments and analysis show that our algorithm framework has excellent classification performance,which is stable in origin classification and has potential for generalization.In addition,the experiments show that in our algorithm framework,different classification tasks need to combine different data sources to achieve better classification and recognition,as the origin classification task uses frankincense’s D3000 data,and level classification task uses frankincense’s D4350 data.

The phytochemical components of walnuts and their application for geographical origin based on chemical markers

Place of origin has an important influence on walnut quality and commercial value,which results in the requirement of rapid geographical traceability method.Thus,a method for geographical origin identification of walnuts on the basis of nutritional quality of walnuts from China was conducted.The concentrations of 43 phytochemical components were analyzed in walnut samples from five different walnut-producing regions of China.Based on 14 chemical markers selected by the Random Forest method from these phytochemical components,a new discriminant model for geographical origin was built,with the corresponding correct classification rate of 99.3%.In addition,the quantitative quality differences of walnuts from five regions were analyzed,with values of 0.17–1.43.Moreover,the top three chemical markers for the geographical origin discriminant analysis were Mo,V,and stearic acid,with contribution rates of 26.8%,18.9%,and 10.9%,respectively.This study provides a potentially viable method for application in food authentication.

Elemental Assessments in Paddy Soil for Geographical Traceability of Rice from Peninsular Malaysia

This investigation aimed to establish the geographical traceability of Malaysian rice by assessing the elemental composition in paddy soil.Multi-element determination in combination with a chemometric approach was applied to evaluate the elemental concentrations of paddy soil from granaries cultivated with the same rice variety and to assess the relationship between elements in the soil and rice(SAR) system.A total of 29 elements(aluminum,arsenic,barium,bromine,calcium,chlorine,cobalt,chromium,cesium,europium,iron,gallium,hafnium,potassium,lanthanum,lutetium,magnesium,manganese,sodium,rubidium,antimony,scandium,samarium,thorium,titanium,uranium,vanadium,ytterbium and zinc) were successfully determined in paddy soil from Kedah,Selangor and Langkawi by neutron activation analysis.A significant difference(P < 0.05) between 18 elements in the soil samples was obtained.The chemometric approaches of principal component and linear discriminant analyses demonstrated clear discrimination and highly corrected classification(100%) of the soil samples.A high classification(98.1%) was also achieved by assessing 10 elements(aluminum,arsenic,bromine,chlorine,potassium,magnesium,manganese,sodium,rubidium and zinc),which similarly applied to rice geographical origin determination.Similar elements in SAR were also observed for differences in the pattern of correlation and bioaccumulation factor between the granaries.Furthermore,the generalized Procrustes analysis showed a 98% consensus between SAR and clear differences between the studied regions.The canonical correlation analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between the chemical profile of SAR(r~2 = 0.88,P < 0.001).Therefore,the current work model provides a reliable assessment to establish rice provenance.

Geographical authenticity evaluation of Mentha haplocalyx by LIBS coupled with multivariate analyzes

Mentha haplocalyx(mint)is a significant traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)listed in the Catalogue of’Medicinal and Food Homology’,therefore,its geographical origins(GOs)are critical to the medicinal and food value.Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS)is an advanced analytical technique for GOs certification,due to the fast multi-elemental analysis requiring minimal sample pretreatment.In this study,LIBS data of sampled mint from five GOs were investigated by LIBS coupled with multivariate statistical analyzes.The spectral data was analyzed by two chemometric algorithms,i.e.principal component analysis(PCA)and least squares support vector machines(LS-SVM).Specifically,the performance of LS-SVM with least kernel and radial basis function(RBF)kernel was explored in sensitivity and robustness tests.Both LS-SVM algorithms exhibited excellent performance of classification in sensitive test and good performance(a little inferior)in robustness test.Generally,LS-SVM with linear kernel equally outperformed LS-SVM based on RBF kernel.The result indicated the potential for future applications in herbs and food,especially for in situ GOs applications of TCM authenticity rapidly.

Modifications in aroma characteristics of'Merlot'dry red wines aged in American,French and Slovakian oak barrels with different toasting degrees

Aging in oak barrels is widely used in enology which could bring flavor changes and aromatic complexity to wines.In the present study,the aroma compounds were analyzed from the‘Merlot’dry red wines,which were fermented in two types of fermenters(stainless steel tank and rotated oak barrel)and aged in six types of oak barrels(three geographic origins×two toasting degrees)for different time(0,3,6 and 9 months,respectively).Results showed that 30 volatiles were associated with barrels and increased during oak aging.The fermenters could influence the intensities of the toast,leathery,smoky,fruity,floral and caramel aromas.The concentration of whisky lactone,eugenol,cis-isoeugenol,and the intensities of the toast and spicy aromas were highest in the wines aged in American oak and were lowest in the wines aged in French oak barrels.The concentrations of guaiacol,syringol,trans-isoeugenol,furfural alcohol,vanilla,cis-whisky lactone enabled the medium toasting barrels to be distinguished from the light toasting ones.The compounds originating from the barrels could be used to distinguish the types of different barrels,but the other general grape-derived and fermentation-derived volatiles could not.The fermenters,oak species and toasting degrees of the barrels all had significant effects on the aroma profiles of the aged‘Merlot’dry red wines,but the influence of the geographic origin was not obvious.

Geographical classification of Nanfeng mandarin by near infrared spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics methods

Near infrared spectroscopy(NIRS),coupled with principal component analysis and wavelength selection techniques,has been sed to develop a robust and reliable reduced-spectrum classifi-cation model for determining the geographical origins of Nanfeng mandarins.The application of the changeable size moving window principal component analysis(CSMWPCA)provided a notably improved lassification model,with correct classification rates of 92.00%,100.00%,90.00%,100.00%,100.00%,100.00%and 100.00%for Fujian,Guangxi,Hunan,Baishe,Baofeng,Qiawan,Sanxi samples,respectively,as well as,a total dassification rate of 97.52%in the wavelength range from 1007 to 1296 nm.To test and apply the proposed method,the procedure was applied to the analysis of 59 samples in an independent test set.Good identification results(correct rate of 96.61%)were also received.The improvement achieved by the application of CSMWPCA method was particularly remarkable when taking the low complexities of the final model(290 variables)into account.The results of the study showed the great potential of NIRS as a fast,nondestructive and environmentally acceptable method for the rapid and reliable determination for geographical classifcation of Nanfeng mandarins.

Using Sr isotopes to trace the geographic origins of Chinese mitten crabs

Identifying the geographic origins of Chinese mitten crabs is important for food safety and fair market competition.In this study,we used strontium(Sr) isotopes as a tool to trace the geographic origins of Chinese mitten crabs.Chinese mitten crabs,water,and different types of crab feed were collected from four different lakes for Sr isotope analyses.The results showed that the Sr isotope compositions of the different parts from one single crab were consistent within error,indicating that any piece of a crab could be used to represent the Sr isotope characteristics of the whole crab.The Sr isotope compositions of Chinese mitten crabs from the same lake were consistent within the analytical error,and the values were similar to the Sr isotope composition of the water from the same lake.However,the Sr isotope compositions of water and crabs from different lakes are significantly different.Therefore,the Sr isotope compositions of Chinese mitten crabs are mainly controlled by lake water composition,while the impact of feed is limited.This study provides an effective method for tracing the geographic origins of Chinese mitten crabs.

Phylogenetic, evolutionary, and biogeographic origin of the genus Sheathia (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta)

The genus Sheathia consists of over 20 species primarily distributed in Asia,Europe,Oceania,North America,and Africa.However,the origin and evolution of this genus remain unclear.Two gametophyte stage specimens(SAS18052 and SAS18523)and two“Chantransia”stage specimens(YTS19161 and YTS19017)were collected from Shanxi and Henan Provinces in China,respectively.Based on morphological data,isolates YTS19161 and YTS19017 were similar to Audouinella pygmaea,whereas the morphological characteristics of SAS18052 and SAS18523 were in good agreement with the circumscription description of S.longipedicellata.Molecular sequences of rbc L,COI-5P,and psb A were used to investigate the phylogenetic,evolutionary,and biogeographic origin of the genus Sheathia.The three molecular markers supported that the two gametophyte stage specimens belong to S.longipedicellata,while the isolates YTS19161 and YTS19017 were the“Chantransia”of S.longipedicellata.Ancestral area reconstruction and divergence time estimation speculated that Sheathia originated in North America,a portion of the Pangaea at approximately 328.07-184.73 million years ago(Ma).Our relaxed molecular clock analysis suggests that the Florideophyceae diverged approximately 741.04(894.36-631.70)Ma.The major divergences in this class involved the emergence of Nemaliophycidae[ca.662.01(779.83-580.51)Ma],and the split of orders Batrachospermales and Thoreales[ca.456.10(552.80-367.88)Ma].

Variability in Vitamin A Intake of Pregnant Women in Ngaoundere-Cameroon with Geographic Origin, Socio-Professional and Demographic Factors

Variability in vitamin A (VA) intake of pregnant women in Ngaoundere town according to geographic origin, socio-professional and demographic factors was studied. A total of 100 pregnant women attending ante natal visits at the Regional Hospital in Ngaoundere were involved in the survey. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on geographic origin, socio-professional status, birth history, demographic and anthropometric factors. Dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour dietary recall. Meals potentially rich in VA consumed by these women were collected, their carotenoids contents quantified and VA activity determined by conversion. Results indicated that daily VA intake of these women varied significantly (p < 0.05) with geographic origin, level of education and age of pregnancy. VA intake of pregnant women of Northern origin (Adamawa, North and Far North Regions) was significantly (p < 0.05) lower (496 μg/day/woman) than that of women of Southern origin (588 μg/day/woman), although both were below the recommended intake of 800 μg/day/woman. The more educated a woman and the older her pregnancy, the higher her VA intake. VA consumption of pregnant women of Northern origin was significantly influenced by their age, whereas for pregnant women of Southern origin, BMI (Body Mass Index) equally had a significant influence on their VA intake. Socio-professional status, marital status and number of children did not significantly influence the daily VA intake of these women. Thus, a pregnant woman originating from the Northern part of the country and having no formal education, consumed less foods rich in carotenoids and therefore was more at risk for vitamin A deficiency.

Geographical discrimination of Cyclocarya paliurus tea for origin traceability based on multielement analysis by ICP-OES and chemometrics multivariate

Objective: This paper focused on the geographical discrimination of Cyclocarya paliurus tea for origin traceability based on multielement analysis by ICP-OES and chemometrics multivariate.Methods: In this study, eleven trace element concentrations were determined by ICP-OES and processed by multivariate statistical analysis.Results: Based on ANOVA, the mean concentrations of 10 elements except Co differed significantly among six origins. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that 11 pairs of elements have a positive significant correlation and 12 pairs have a negative significant correlation. The geographical origins were effectively differentiated using the eleven elements combined with PCA. And the S-LDA model offered a 100%differentiation rate.Conclusion: The overall results suggested that the combination of multielement analysis by ICP-OES and chemometrics multivariate could trace the geographical origins of tea. And the paper can provide reference for quality control and quality evaluation of C. paliurus in the future.

Study on the Stability of World Diversity of Cultured Species <i>G. hirsutum</i>L. to Salination

The paper presents the results of a study of salt tolerance in some different eco-geographical samples of the cotton germplasm collection of the Institute of Genetics and Experimental Biology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. According to the results obtained, the studied samples were divided into several groups depending on their salt tolerance. Salt tolerant and unstable samples were found in all studied ecological and geographical groups, but differed in the frequency of distribution.

Determining the geographic origin of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, using trace element content

bstract A chemometric study using pattern recognition technology was carried out to characterize the geographic origins of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. The concentrations of 23 trace elements （Mn, Mo, Cd, Ce, V, Th, Cs, Be, T1, Fe, Nd, Pr, Se, Tm, Lu, Eu, Ho, Br, Dy, Gd, U, Sm and Er） in 53 samples from seven regions in southern China were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The data obtained were successively evaluated using a multivariate statistical approach, namely, linear discriminant analysis, which allowed classification and discrimination of the N. lugens samples from Fuqing, Shaoguan, Hepu, Yongfu, Hengnan, Wan-an and Yongkang with high accuracy and a clear separation among the seven regions. The results show that pattern identification on the basis of trace elements in the bodies ofN. lugens is feasible for determining the geographic origins of individuals.

Stigmatization and Scientific Inquiry in the Tracing of the Origin of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in the United States

The United States was hard hit by the great influenza pandemic of 1918.The national policy of putting the war first,the unprecedented scale of military training,and the worldwide troop movements and engagement created the conditions for the spread of the pandemic and at the same time seriously weakened US preparedness.The unprecedented pandemic threw American society into extreme panic and spawned all kinds of hypotheses about the pandemic’s geographic origin.Some of the press turned scientifically“tracing the flu”into a succession of pejorative geopolitical exonyms,stigmatizing it as“Spanish flu,”“Russian flu,”“German poisoning,”“Chinese plague,”etc.The groundless ascription of a geographic origin to the influenza pandemic was questioned at the time by insightful American medical professionals and even by Chinese medical experts.In the aftermath of the pandemic,tracking its source became a professional issue of pure medical science,with the search for the pathogen of the pandemic becoming a priority.The discovery and genetic sequencing of the 1918 influenza virus by scientists in the US and other countries led to landmark advances in the discovery of the pathogen,so the importance of tracing it back to its place of origin has taken a back seat.Although evidence of the geographic origin of the 1918 influenza pandemic is not conclusive,medical science has developed enough to disprove the ridiculous“geographic tracking”in the US during the pandemic.

A global alfalfa diversity panel reveals genomic selection signatures in Chinese varieties and genomic associations with root development

Alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.) is an important forage crop worldwide. However, little is known about the effects of breeding status and different geographical populations on alfalfa improvement. Here, we sequenced 220 alfalfa core germplasms and determined that Chinese alfalfa cultivars form an independent group, as evidenced by comparisons of FSTvalues between different subgroups, suggesting that geographical origin plays an important role in group differentiation. By tracing the influence of geographical regions on the genetic diversity of alfalfa varieties in China, we identified 350 common candidate genetic regions and 548 genes under selection. We also defined 165 loci associated with 24 important traits from genome-wide association studies. Of those, 17 genomic regions closely associated with a given phenotype were under selection, with the underlying haplotypes showing significant differences between subgroups of distinct geographical origins. Based on results from expression analysis and association mapping,we propose that 6-phosphogluconolactonase(MsPGL) and a gene encoding a protein with NHL domains(MsNHL) are critical candidate genes for root growth. In conclusion, our results provide valuable information for alfalfa improvement via molecular breeding.

Geographic expansion of the cabbage butterfly （Pieris rapae） and the evolution of highly UV-reflecting females

Reflection of ultraviolet （UV） light by the wings of the female Eurasian cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae, shows a large geographic variation. The wings of the female of the European subspecies, P. rapae rapae, reflect little UV light, while butterflies of the Asian subspecies, P. rapae crucivora, may reflect it strongly or at only intermediate levels. The geographic region where P. rapae originated remains to be determined, Moreover, it is not clear if females with wings that reflect little UV light are ancestral to females with wings that reflect UV strongly or vice versa. In the present study, we aimed to determine the geographic origin and ancestral UV pattern of cabbage butterflies through mitochondrial DNA （mtDNA） sequence analysis and amplified fragment length polymorphism （AFLP） analysis. The results of these investigations suggest that P. rapae is of European origin and that it has expanded its distribution eastward to Asia. It follows that the ancestral subspecies is the type with UV-absorbing wings. Lower nucleotide diversities and haplotype network patterns ofmtDNA derived from East Asian populations suggest that population expansion from Europe to East Asia probably occurred fairly recently and at a rapid rate.

First Glimpse of Gut Microbiota of Quarantine Insects in China

Quarantine insects are economically important pests that frequently invade new habitats.A rapid and accurate monitoring method to trace the geographical sources of invaders is required for their prevention,detection,and eradication.Current methods based on genetics are typically time-consuming.Here,we developed a novel tracing method based on insect gut microbiota.The source location of the insect gut microbiota can be used to rapidly determine the geographical origin of the insect.We analyzed 179 gut microbiota samples from 591 individuals of 22 quarantine insect species collected from 36 regions in China.The gut microbiota of these insects primarily included Actinobacteria,Bacteroidetes,Cyanobacteria,Firmicutes,Proteobacteria,and Tenericutes.The diversity of the insect gut microbiota was closely associated with geographical and environmental factors.Different insect species could be distinguished based on the composition of gut microbiota at the phylum level.Populations of individual insect species from different regions could be distinguished based on the composition of gut microbiota at the phylum,class,and order levels.A method for determining the geographical origins of invasive insect species has been established;however,its practical application requires further investigations before implementation.