The grain amaranths, Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus have been promoted as grain-bearing plants of possible high productivity in saline or hot arid habitats. To investigate these claims, seeds of both species were germinated at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40°centigrade. Germination percentage for both species was above 90% after four days at 20, 25, 30, and 35°C. Germination was negligible at 10 and 15°C and very low at 40°C. Seeds were germinated in isotonic solutions of PEG and NaCl at 0.0, -0.2, -0.4, -0.5, -0.6, -0.8, and -1.0 MPa osmotic potential at 30°C. Germination percentage was high in the range 0.0 to -0.4 MPa and dropped rapidly to zero in the -0.6 to -1.0 MPa range. Differences due to chemical effects were significant. Species differences were not. Radicles and hypocotyls were measured after six days in the above media. PEG was more inhibitory of seedling growth than was NaCl and generally inhibited A. cruentus more than A. hypochondriacus. This was also true of NaCl. All growth functions were slightly inhibited at 0.0 to -0.4 MPa and very inhibited above -0.6 MPa. PEG radically increased root/shoot ratio in both species.

Orientador: Jaime Amaya-Fárfan / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T02:47:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cazarin_CinthiaBauBetim_M.pdf: 1030538 bytes, checksum: d8954b6c0b70f59c4e0f00d848e80a4b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: Pseudocereal milenar de elevado valor nutricional, o amaranto é considerado um alimento funcional devido as suas ações fisiológicas benéficas à saúde. No presente estudo as farinhas, crua e extrusada, de amaranto brasileiro foram avaliadas quanto a sua composição protéica, aminoacídica e de fibras. As condições de temperatura e umidade utilizadas na extrusão foram baseadas em estudo anterior. O tratamento térmico aplicado à farinha não promoveu perdas nutricionais ao alimento, comprovada após comparação da composição aminoacídica das farinhas, principalmente em relação aos aminoácidos indispensáveis. Não foi observada diferença significativa quanto ao conteúdo de fibras e amido resistente. Sua funcionalidade foi testada em 40 ratos machos Wistar, alimentados com dietas AIN 93-G (12 e 18% de proteína), suplementadas com amaranto brasileiro extrusado (cv. Alegria), de forma que 4.2 e 6.3% da proteína da dieta correspondessem respectivamente ao amaranto. Após 48 dias de consumo das dietas não foram observadas diferenças significativas quanto ao ganho de peso entre os grupos. Porém, quando avaliado os lipídeos séricos, redução significativa foi observada no colesterol total (p=0.0035) e LDL-colesterol (p=0.0005) nos grupos suplementados com amaranto. Para os níveis séricos de HDL-colesterol, VLDLcolesterol, triacilgliceróis, glicemia e insulinemia, não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os grupos. Maior produção de ácidos graxos de cadeia curta, especialmente ácido butírico, foi observado entre os grupos suplementados com amaranto, o que pode estar relacionado com o conteúdo extra de fibras presente nas dietas provenientes do amaranto. Maior excreção fecal de lipídeos foi observada nos grupos suplementados com amaranto, devido à ação das fibras ou dos ácidos graxos de cadeia curta. Em relação ao conteúdo hepático de colesterol não foi observada diferença significativa entre os grupos, demonstrando que a redução sérica de colesterol não foi acompanhada de deposição hepática e conseqüentemente de esteatose. O mecanismo envolvido na ação hipocolesterolemiante do amaranto possivelmente tem relação com os substratos contidos em sua composição, passíveis de fermentação colônica, conforme os resultados obtidos quanto à produção de ácidos graxos de cadeia curta. O consumo do amaranto se mostra eficaz para a profilaxia de dislipidemias, uma vez que sua ação hipocolesterolemiante, já demonstrada na literatura para animais hipercolesterolêmicos, agora se mostra que tem ação também em animais normolipidêmicos / Abstract: Grain amaranth, a pseudocereal of prehistoric origin, has a high nutritional value and hás been considered recently to be a functional food because of its physiological actions beneficial to health. In this study raw and extruded flours of the Brazilian amaranth (cv. BRS Alegria), were evaluated as its proximal composition (protein, fat, fiber and amino acids). Previously determined conditions of temperature and humidity were used to obtain the extruded products. The heat treatment applied to the meal did not promote nutritional losses of the protein, proven by comparison of the amino acid profiles of the meals, especially regarding the essential amino acids. No significant difference was observed on the content of fiber and resistant starch. Its biological functionality was tested in 40 male Wistar rats, fed diets (AIN 93-G, with 12 and 18% protein), supplemented with extruded Brazilian amaranth, so that 4.2 and 6.3% of the protein of the diet were contributed by the amaranth, respectively. After 48 days of consumption of diets, no significant differences were observed on the weight gain between groups. However, when the serum lipids were evaluated, a significant reduction in total cholesterol (p = 0.0035) and LDL-cholesterol (p = 0.0005) in the groups supplemented with amaranth was observed. As for the serum levels of HDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerols, glucose and insulin, no significant differences were observed between the groups. Increased production of short-chain fatty acids, especially butyric acid, was observed between groups supplemented with amaranth, which can be associated to the extra fiber content in the amaranth diets. Increased fecal excretion of lipids was observed in groups supplemented with amaranth, due to the action of the fibers or short-chain fatty acids. On the content of hepatic cholesterol, no significant difference was observed between the groups, demonstrating that the reduction of serum cholesterol was not accompanied by fat deposition and consequently resulting in fatty liver. The mechanism involved in the hypocholesterolemic action of grain amaranth can be related to the substrates contained in its composition, capable of colonic fermentation, as the results on the production of short-chain fatty acids. Consumption of grain amaranth appears to be effective for the prophylaxis of dyslipidemias, since their hypocholesterolemic action, already reported in hypercholesterolemic seems to occur also in normolipidemics animals / Mestrado / Nutrição Experimental e Aplicada à Tecnologia de Alimentos / Mestre em Alimentos e Nutrição

The migration of waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) into northern sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris) growing regions has prompted sugarbeet producers to utilize inter-row cultivation in their weed management program as no currently registered herbicides can control glyphosate-resistant waterhemp postemergence. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate cultivation efficacy on waterhemp and common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) and to evaluate cultivation safety on sugarbeet. Cultivation efficacy experiments demonstrated cultivation removes 65% of waterhemp and has no effect on further waterhemp emergence, but can be deleterious to common lambsquarters control if cultivation is timed before sugarbeet canopy closure. The ideal time to implement inter-row cultivation in sugarbeet is after sugarbeet canopy is closed and can suppress further weed emergence. Cultivation safety experiments demonstrated three cultivations as late as August 16 had no effect on sugarbeet yield and quality. Cultivation is a valuable tool to control glyphosate-resistant weeds with no deleterious effects if used correctly. / Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota

This investigation was conducted in the rural community of Cuambo, located in the northeast of the province of Imbabura, in the Mira river basin of Salinas parish, at 1530 meters above sea level and with an average temperature of 19.5° C. The main objective of this investigation was to analyze the effect of using amaranth (Amaranthus) leaf flour in the creation of feeds for broiler chickens. The field work occurred during 12 months and consisted of two phases: A. Creation of the feed: This proceeded from the cultivation, cutting, and drying of amaranth until the obtaining of the flour and later the feed, with the respective formulation and acquisition of primary materials. B. Broiler chicken production: This occurred in the coop of the community's school, previously prepared for taking in the chicks. The study lasted 8 weeks. A completely random design (CRD) with five treatments and four repetitions per treatment was used, with 10 chickens per experimental unit. ANOVA analysis and Tukey and orthogonal comparisons were applied. The factor under study was the percentage of amaranth leaf flour in a basic diet. The treatments were as follows: T0 = Control diet for broiler chickens T1 = 16.7% amaranth leaf flour T2 = 35% amaranth leaf flour T3 = 54% amaranth leaf flour T4 = 78% amaranth leaf flour Analyzed variables: Weekly weight increase, Weekly food conversion, Accumulated food conversion, Total food consumption, Efficiency index, Yield, Skin pigmentation at the end of the treatments, Organoleptic analysis, Mortality, Economic analysis. From the results obtained, we conclude that the feed from treatment 1 (T1) is the best because it gave the most efficient results in terms of weight increase, food conversion, efficiency index, yield, and production cost. In the organoleptic analysis, T2 received more points regarding appearance, color, and texture; T1 received the best points in odor. The most acceptable treatments are T2 and T1, with the most points. In production cost, T4 was the least expensive, but it is not recommended for use because the chickens had poor results in the studied variables.

In Bolivia we have three very valuable Andean grains: amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus), quinoa (Chenopodium quinua), and canihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule), which combined with cereals and legumes can become a complete and balanced food in order to combat the malnutrition that is so widespread in our region. In this study, various nutritional mixes were formulated, based on amaranth and other Andean crops, and the three best were chosen according to nutrition, palatability, and cost. They were: Andean Baby Food, Mixicereal, and Amaranth Cookie, which have an amino acid complement between 79% and 100% and give satisfactory amounts of protein, energy, and minerals for school-aged children. Afterward, the biological quality of the three foods was determined through biological evaluation studies, determining weight gain to be between 64.26 and 87.28, digestibility between 60% and 78%, and PER between 1.75 and 2.36. The cost of the three final products was less than 0.08 cents of an American dollar for every 100 grams of mix. Finally, sensory analyses were performed on the three products with 90 children, from 5 to 9 years old, from two rural schools in Quillacollo province, Cochabamba, and a preference for Mixicereal was observed. Based on these results, we conclude that the three mixes studied are excellent nutritional complements, with high biological value, sensory acceptability, and within the means of a population with scarce economic resources.

Landfills have served as the major sites for waste disposal in both developed and developing countries. Upon closure of a landfill site, the surface could be converted to a golf course, recreation park, playground, animal refuge, tennis court and industrial site. Even when closed, landfills still have the potential to contaminate the surrounding environment as a result of the migration of leachate from decomposing waste contained in the site. This study focused on assessing the impacts of a closed landfill on soils and plants at Lumberstewart closed landfill site in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Soil samples were collected at three different depths (0-30 cm, 30 - 60 cm and 60-90 cm) at the landfill and a control site. The soil samples were analysed for their texture, pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter content, cation exchange capacity and concentrations of Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Ni and Zn. Samples of jimson weed and pigweed growing at the closed landfill and the control site were collected from the same sites where soil samples were collected, and the concentrations of the same set of heavy metals in these weeds determined. Soil samples were digested using EPA method 3050B: Acid Digestion of Sediments, Sludge and soils whereas nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide was used for digestion of plant samples. Both plant and soil digests were analyzed for heavy metals concentrations using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). Soils from the landfill as well as the control site had a high content of sand with soil pH values which were alkaline. The electrical conductivity values of the soil samples were relatively low ranging from 0.39 to 1.67 dS/m, indicating low levels of salts in soils at the landfill. The concentrations of heavy metals at the closed landfill site were higher than the control site. Heavy metals concentrations in soils at the closed landfill followed the order Fe>Zn>Cu>Cr>Ni>Cd. Results indicated that Fe was exceptionally higher than the other metals with concentration values averaging 45690±17255 mg/kg. Cadmium on the other hand had the least concentration with values of 0.01±0.00 mg/kg. Values of Enrichment Factors of heavy metals around the soil at different depths indicated that the enrichment of heavy metals increased with depth at the landfill up to 30-60 cm after which a decrease was observed. Values for heavy metal Contamination Factor of soils around the landfill ranged from low concentration (CF<1) to very high concentration (CF>6). The Pollution Load Index (PLI) values for the soil at the Lumberstewart landfill indicated that all sites were polluted (PLI>1). Site 6 had significantly higher mean concentration of heavy metals in soils at the landfill whereas site 11 had the least. The concentrations of Cd and Ni in soils at the landfill were below permissible limits of South African National Norms and Standards (NNS) as prescribed by NEMA (2008) in South Africa whereas Cr, Cu and Zn in soils were above the NNS permissible limits. Heavy metal concentrations in soils at the landfill were above World Health (WHO) permissible limits except for Cd which was equal (0.01 mg/kg) to the permissible values of Cd in the soils at sites 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Mean concentrations of heavy metals in jimson weed and pigweed were in the order Fe>Zn>Cu>Cr>Ni>Cd. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn in both plants from all sites at the landfill were significantly higher than the control site. Heavy metal transfer coefficient for both plants indicated that heavy metal uptake was more species dependent than soil heavy metal concentration dependent. The results from this research indicate that though the Lumberstewart Landfill has been closed, it is still affecting the soils in the vicinity of the landfill. Plants and water around the Lumberstewart closed landfill could be at risk from heavy metal contamination. High concentrations of heavy metals observed in the soil could present a health risk to communities should they decide to use the landfill site for arable purposes. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)