Sample records for mezcal bacanora sotol
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Lachenmeier, Dirk W; Sohnius, Eva-Maria; Attig, Rainer; López, Mercedes G
2006-05-31
A large collection (n = 95) of Mexican Agave spirits with protected appellations of origin (Tequila, Mezcal, Sotol, and Bacanora) was analyzed using ion and gas chromatography. Because of their production from oxalate-containing plant material, all Agave spirits contained significant concentrations of oxalate (0.1-9.7 mg/L). The two Tequila categories ("100% Agave" and "mixed") showed differences in the methanol, 2-/3-methyl-1-butanol, and 2-phenylethanol concentrations with lower concentrations in the mixed category. Mezcal showed no significant differences in any of the evaluated parameters that would allow a classification. Sotol showed higher nitrate concentrations and lower 2-/3-methyl-1-butanol concentrations. Bacanora was characterized by exceptionally high acetaldehyde concentrations and a relatively low ethyl lactate content. The methanol content was the most problematic compound regarding the Mexican standards: two Tequilas (4%), five Sotols (31%), and six Bacanoras (46%) had levels above the maximum methanol content of 300 g/hL of alcohol. In conclusion, the composition of Mexican Agave spirits was found to vary over a relatively large range.
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Lachenmeier, Dirk W; Kanteres, Fotis; Kuballa, Thomas; López, Mercedes G; Rehm, Jürgen
2009-01-01
Ethyl carbamate (EC) is a recognized genotoxic carcinogen, with widespread occurrence in fermented foods and beverages. No data on its occurrence in alcoholic beverages from Mexico or Central America is available. Samples of agave spirits including tequila, mezcal, bacanora and sotol (n=110), and of the sugarcane spirit cuxa (n=16) were purchased in Mexico and Guatemala, respectively, and analyzed for EC. The incidence of EC contamination was higher in Mexico than in Guatemala, however, concentrations were below international guideline levels (<0.15 mg/L). Risk assessment found the Margin of Exposure (MOE) in line with that of European spirits. It is therefore unlikely that EC plays a role in high rates of liver cirrhosis reported in Mexico.
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Lachenmeier, Dirk W.; Kanteres, Fotis; Kuballa, Thomas; López, Mercedes G.; Rehm, Jürgen
2009-01-01
Ethyl carbamate (EC) is a recognized genotoxic carcinogen, with widespread occurrence in fermented foods and beverages. No data on its occurrence in alcoholic beverages from Mexico or Central America is available. Samples of agave spirits including tequila, mezcal, bacanora and sotol (n=110), and of the sugarcane spirit cuxa (n=16) were purchased in Mexico and Guatemala, respectively, and analyzed for EC. The incidence of EC contamination was higher in Mexico than in Guatemala, however, concentrations were below international guideline levels (<0.15 mg/L). Risk assessment found the Margin of Exposure (MOE) in line with that of European spirits. It is therefore unlikely that EC plays a role in high rates of liver cirrhosis reported in Mexico. PMID:19440288
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Spectral analysis of bacanora (agave-derived liquor) by using FT-Raman spectroscopy
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ortega Clavero, Valentin; Weber, Andreas; Schröder, Werner; Curticapean, Dan
2016-04-01
The industry of the agave-derived bacanora, in the northern Mexican state of Sonora, has been growing substantially in recent years. However, this higher demand still lies under the influences of a variety of social, legal, cultural, ecological and economic elements. The governmental institutions of the state have tried to encourage a sustainable development and certain levels of standardization in the production of bacanora by applying different economical and legal strategies. However, a large portion of this alcoholic beverage is still produced in a traditional and rudimentary fashion. Beyond the quality of the beverage, the lack of proper control, by using adequate instrumental methods, might represent a health risk, as in several cases traditional-distilled beverages can contain elevated levels of harmful materials. The present article describes the qualitative spectral analysis of samples of the traditional-produced distilled beverage bacanora in the range from 0 cm-1 to 3500 cm-1 by using a Fourier Transform Raman spectrometer. This particular technique has not been previously explored for the analysis of bacanora, as in the case of other beverages, including tequila. The proposed instrumental arrangement for the spectral analysis has been built by combining conventional hardware parts (Michelson interferometer, photo-diodes, visible laser, etc.) and a set of self-developed evaluation algorithms. The resulting spectral information has been compared to those of pure samples of ethanol and to the spectra from different samples of the alcoholic beverage tequila. The proposed instrumental arrangement can be used the analysis of bacanora.
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De León-Rodríguez, Antonio; González-Hernández, Lidia; Barba de la Rosa, Ana P; Escalante-Minakata, Pilar; López, Mercedes G
2006-02-22
Commercial mezcals (white, white with worm, rested, rested with worm, and aged) produced from Agave salmiana were analyzed by solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS). Thirty-seven compounds were identified, and nine of them were classified as major compounds of mezcal (MCM). Saturated alcohols, ethyl acetate, ethyl 2-hydroxypropanoate, and acetic acid form the MCM group. Minor compounds of mezcal group include other alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, large chain ethyl esters, organic acids, furans, terpenes, alkenes, and alkynes. Most of the compounds found in mezcals in this study are similar to those present in tequilas and other alcoholic beverages. However, mezcals contain unique compounds such as limonene and pentyl butanoate, which can be used as markers for the authenticity of mezcal produced from A. salmiana.
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Álvarez-Ainza, M L; Zamora-Quiñonez, K A; Moreno-Ibarra, G M; Acedo-Félix, E
2015-03-01
Bacanora is a spirituous beverage elaborated with Agave angustifolia Haw in an artisanal process. Natural fermentation is mostly performed with native yeasts and bacteria. In this study, 228 strains of yeast like Saccharomyces were isolated from the natural alcoholic fermentation on the production of bacanora. Restriction analysis of the amplified region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 of the ribosomal DNA genes (RFLPr) were used to confirm the genus, and 182 strains were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These strains displayed high genomic variability in their chromosomes profiles by karyotyping. Electrophoretic profiles of the strains evaluated showed a large number of chromosomes the size of which ranged between 225 and 2200 kpb approximately.
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Identification of yeast and bacteria involved in the mezcal fermentation of Agave salmiana.
Escalante-Minakata, P; Blaschek, H P; Barba de la Rosa, A P; Santos, L; De León-Rodríguez, A
2008-06-01
To identify the yeast and bacteria present in the mezcal fermentation from Agave salmiana. The restriction and sequence analysis of the amplified region, between 18S and 28S rDNA and 16S rDNA genes, were used for the identification of yeast and bacteria, respectively. Eleven different micro-organisms were identified in the mezcal fermentation. Three of them were the following yeast: Clavispora lusitaniae, Pichia fermentans and Kluyveromyces marxianus. The bacteria found were Zymomonas mobilis subsp. mobilis and Zymomonas mobilis subsp. pomaceae, Weissella cibaria, Weissella paramesenteroides, Lactobacillus pontis, Lactobacillus kefiri, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus farraginis. The phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA and ITS sequences showed that microbial diversity present in mezcal is dominated by bacteria, mainly lactic acid bacteria species and Zymomonas mobilis. Pichia fermentans and K. marxianus could be micro-organisms with high potential for the production of some volatile compounds in mezcal. We identified the community of bacteria and yeast present in mezcal fermentation from Agave salmiana.
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Quantitation of twelve metals in tequila and mezcal spirits as authenticity parameters.
Ceballos-Magańa, Silvia Guillermina; Jurado, José Marcos; Martín, María Jesús; Pablos, Fernando
2009-02-25
In this paper the differentiation of silver, gold, aged and extra-aged tequila and mezcal has been carried out according to their metal content. Aluminum, barium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, strontium, zinc, and sulfur were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The concentrations found for each element in the samples were used as chemical descriptors for characterization purposes. Principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis and artificial neural networks were applied to differentiate types of tequila and mezcal. Using probabilistic neural networks 100% of success in the classification was obtained for silver, gold, extra-aged tequila and mezcal. In the case of aged tequila 90% of samples were successfully classified. Sodium, potassium, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, iron, strontium, copper and zinc were the most discriminant elements.
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Culture-independent analysis of lactic acid bacteria diversity associated with mezcal fermentation.
Narváez-Zapata, J A; Rojas-Herrera, R A; Rodríguez-Luna, I C; Larralde-Corona, C P
2010-11-01
Mezcal is an alcoholic beverage obtained from the distillation of fermented juices of cooked Agave spp. plant stalks (agave must), and each region in Mexico with denomination of origin uses defined Agave species to prepare mezcal with unique organoleptic characteristics. During fermentation to produce mezcal in the state of Tamaulipas, not only alcohol-producing yeasts are involved, but also a lactic acid bacterial community that has not been characterized yet. In order to address this lack of knowledge on this traditional Mexican beverage, we performed a DGGE-16S rRNA analysis of the lactic acid bacterial diversity and metabolite accumulation during the fermentation of a typical agave must that is rustically produced in San Carlos County (Tamaulipas, Mexico). The analysis of metabolite production indicated a short but important malolactic fermentation stage not previously described for mezcal. The denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of the 16S rRNA genes showed a distinctive lactic acid bacterial community composed mainly of Pediococcus parvulus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus composti, Lactobacillus parabuchneri, and Lactobacillus plantarum. Some atypical genera such as Weissella and Bacillus were also found in the residual must. Our results suggest that the lactic acid bacteria could strongly be implicated in the organoleptic attributes of this traditional Mexican distilled beverage.
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Campos-García, Jesús; Vargas, Alejandra; Farías-Rosales, Lorena; Miranda, Ana L; Meza-Carmen, Víctor; Díaz-Pérez, Alma L
2018-05-02
Mezcal, a traditional beverage that originated in Mexico, is produced from species of the Agavaceae family. The esters associated with the yeasts utilized during fermentation are important for improving the organoleptic properties of the beverage. We improved the ester contents in a mezcal beverage by using the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus, which was engineered with the ATF1 gene. ATF1 expression in the recombinant yeast significantly increased compared with that in the parental yeast, but its fermentative parameters were unchanged. Volatile-organic-compound-content analysis showed that esters had significantly increased in the mezcal produced with the engineered yeast. In a sensory-panel test, 48% of the panelists preferred the mezcal produced from the engineered yeast, 30% preferred the mezcal produced from the wild type, and 15 and 7% preferred the two mezcal types produced following the routine procedure. Correlation analysis showed that the fruitiness/sweetness description of the mezcal produced using the ATF1-engineered K. marxianus yeast correlated with the content of the esters, whose presence improved the organoleptic properties of the craft mezcal beverage.
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Combined treatment of mezcal vinasses by ozonation and activated sludge.
2017-10-18
In Mexico, mezcal production generates huge amounts of vinasses (MV) that cause negative environmental impacts. Thus, MV treatment is necessary before discharge to water bodies. Although there is no information for mezcal vinasses, similar effluents have been treated by biological processes (i.e. anaerobic and aerobic) usually complemented by oxidative chemical pretreatments (ozonation) and physico-chemical methods. In this work MV were first ozonated and followed by batch aerobic biological degradation. In the ozonation stage, organic matter removals were 4.5-11 % as COD, whereas the removal of aromatic compounds and phenols were 16-32 % and 48-83 % respectively. In the aerobic post-treatment, COD depletions up to 85 % were achieved; removals in ozone pre-treated vinasses were higher (80 to 85 %) than that of raw vinasse (69 %). It seems that ozonation preferentially attacked the recalcitrant fraction of organic matter present in the vinasses and increased its aerobic biodegradability.
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Online monitoring of Mezcal fermentation based on redox potential measurements.
Escalante-Minakata, P; Ibarra-Junquera, V; Rosu, H C; De León-Rodríguez, A; González-García, R
2009-01-01
We describe an algorithm for the continuous monitoring of the biomass and ethanol concentrations as well as the growth rate in the Mezcal fermentation process. The algorithm performs its task having available only the online measurements of the redox potential. The procedure combines an artificial neural network (ANN) that relates the redox potential to the ethanol and biomass concentrations with a nonlinear observer-based algorithm that uses the ANN biomass estimations to infer the growth rate of this fermentation process. The results show that the redox potential is a valuable indicator of the metabolic activity of the microorganisms during Mezcal fermentation. In addition, the estimated growth rate can be considered as a direct evidence of the presence of mixed culture growth in the process. Usually, mixtures of microorganisms could be intuitively clear in this kind of processes; however, the total biomass data do not provide definite evidence by themselves. In this paper, the detailed design of the software sensor as well as its experimental application is presented at the laboratory level.
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Arellano-Plaza, Melchor; Gschaedler-Mathis, Anne; Noriega-Cisneros, Ruth; Clemente-Guerrero, Mónica; Manzo-Ávalos, Salvador; González-Hernández, Juan Carlos; Saavedra-Molina, Alfredo
2013-07-01
During the mezcal fermentation process, yeasts are affected by several stresses that can affect their fermentation capability. These stresses, such as thermal shock, ethanol, osmotic and growth inhibitors are common during fermentation. Cells have improved metabolic systems and they express stress response genes in order to decrease the damage caused during the stress, but to the best of our knowledge, there are no published works exploring the effect of oxidants and prooxidants, such as H2O2 and menadione, during growth. In this article, we describe the behavior of Kluyveromyces marxianus isolated from spontaneous mezcal fermentation during oxidative stress, and compared it with that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that were also obtained from mezcal, using the W303-1A strain as a reference. S. cerevisiae strains showed greater viability after oxidative stress compared with K. marxianus strains. However, when the yeast strains were grown in the presence of oxidants in the media, K. marxianus exhibited a greater ability to grow in menadione than it did in H2O2. Moreover, when K. marxianus SLP1 was grown in a minibioreactor, its behavior when exposed to menadione was different from its behavior with H2O2. The yeast maintained the ability to consume dissolved oxygen during the 4 h subsequent to the addition of menadione, and then stopped respiration. When exposed to H2O2, the yeast stopped consuming oxygen for the following 8 h, but began to consume oxygen when stressors were no longer applied. In conclusion, yeast isolated from spontaneous mezcal fermentation was able to resist oxidative stress for a long period of time.
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Treatment of mezcal vinasses: a review.
Robles-González, Vania; Galíndez-Mayer, Juvencio; Rinderknecht-Seijas, Noemí; Poggi-Varaldo, Héctor M
2012-02-20
Mexican distilleries produce near eight million liters of mezcal per year, and generate about 90 million liters of mezcal vinasses (MV). This acidic liquid waste is very aggressive to the environment because of its high content of toxic and recalcitrant organic matter. As a result, treatment is necessary before discharge to water bodies. It is interesting, yet disturbing; verify that there is a significant gap on the treatment of MV. However, there is an abundant body of research on treatment of other recalcitrant toxic effluents that bear some similarity to MV, for example, wine vinasse, vinasses from the sugar industry, olive oil, and industrial pulp and paper wastewaters. The objective of this review is to critically organize the treatment alternatives of MV, assess their relative advantages and disadvantages, and finally detect the trends for future research and development. Experience with treatment of this set of residuals, indicates the following trends: (i) anaerobic digestion, complemented by oxidative chemical treatments (e.g. ozonation) are usually placed as pretreatments, (ii) aerobic treatment alone and combined with ozone which have been directed to remove phenolic compounds and color have been successfully applied, (iii) physico-chemical treatments such as Fenton, electro-oxidation, oxidants and so on., which are now mostly at lab scale stage, have demonstrated a significant removal of recalcitrant organic compounds, (iv) fungal pretreatment with chemical treatment followed by oxidative (O(3)) or anaerobic digestion, this combination seems to give attractive results, (v) vinasses can be co-composted with solid organic wastes, particularly with those from agricultural activities and agro-industies; in addition to soil amenders with fertilizing value to improve soil quality in typical arid lands where agave is cultivated, it seems to be a low cost technology very well suited for rural regions in underdeveloped countries where more sophisticated
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Genome Sequence of Torulaspora delbrueckii NRRL Y-50541, Isolated from Mezcal Fermentation
Gomez-Angulo, Jorge; Vega-Alvarado, Leticia; Escalante-García, Zazil; Grande, Ricardo; Gschaedler-Mathis, Anne; Amaya-Delgado, Lorena
2015-01-01
Torulaspora delbrueckii presents metabolic features interesting for biotechnological applications (in the dairy and wine industries). Recently, the T. delbrueckii CBS 1146 genome, which has been maintained under laboratory conditions since 1970, was published. Thus, a genome of a new mezcal yeast was sequenced and characterized and showed genetic differences and a higher genome assembly quality, offering a better reference genome. PMID:26205871
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Arrizon, Javier; Morel, Sandrine; Gschaedler, Anne; Monsan, Pierre
2012-04-01
Fructanase and fructosyltransferase are interesting for the tequila process and prebiotics production (functional food industry). In this study, one hundred thirty non-Saccharomyces yeasts isolated from "Mezcal de Oaxaca" were screened for fructanase and fructosyltransferase activity. On solid medium, fifty isolates grew on Agave tequilana fructans (ATF), inulin or levan. In liquid media, inulin and ATF induced fructanase activities of between 0.02 and 0.27U/ml depending of yeast isolate. High fructanase activity on sucrose was observed for Kluyveromyces marxianus and Torulaspora delbrueckii, while the highest fructanase activity on inulin and ATF was observed for Issatchenkia orientalis, Cryptococcus albidus, and Candida apicola. Zygosaccharomyces bisporus and Candida boidinii had a high hydrolytic activity on levan. Sixteen yeasts belonging to K. marxianus, T. delbrueckii and C. apicola species were positive for fructosyltransferase activity. Mezcal microbiota proved to showed to be a source for new fructanase and fructosyltransferases with potential application in the tequila and food industry. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Martínez-Aguilar, Juan Fco; Peña-Alvarez, Araceli
2009-03-11
Five agave plants typically used in Mexico for making mezcal in places included in the Denomination of Origin (Mexican federal law that establishes the territory within which mezcal can be produced) of this spirit were analyzed: Agave salmiana ssp. crassispina, A. salmiana var. salmiana, Agave angustifolia, Agave cupreata, and Agave karwinskii. Fatty acid and total simple lipid profiles of the mature heads of each plant were determined by means of a modified Bligh-Dyer extraction and gas chromatography. Sixteen fatty acids were identified, from capric to lignoceric, ranging from 0.40 to 459 microg/g of agave. Identified lipids include free fatty acids, beta-sitosterol, and groups of mono-, di-, and triacylglycerols, their total concentration ranging from 459 to 992 microg/g of agave. Multivariate analyses performed on the fatty acid profiles showed a close similarity between A. cupreata and A. angustifolia. This fact can be ascribed to the taxa themselves or differences in growing conditions, an issue that is still to be explored. These results help to characterize the agaves chemically and can serve to relate the composition of mezcals from various states of Mexico with the corresponding raw material.
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Genome Sequence of Torulaspora delbrueckii NRRL Y-50541, Isolated from Mezcal Fermentation.
Gomez-Angulo, Jorge; Vega-Alvarado, Leticia; Escalante-García, Zazil; Grande, Ricardo; Gschaedler-Mathis, Anne; Amaya-Delgado, Lorena; Arrizon, Javier; Sanchez-Flores, Alejandro
2015-07-23
Torulaspora delbrueckii presents metabolic features interesting for biotechnological applications (in the dairy and wine industries). Recently, the T. delbrueckii CBS 1146 genome, which has been maintained under laboratory conditions since 1970, was published. Thus, a genome of a new mezcal yeast was sequenced and characterized and showed genetic differences and a higher genome assembly quality, offering a better reference genome. Copyright © 2015 Gomez-Angulo et al.
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Oliva Hernández, Amanda A; Taillandier, Patricia; Reséndez Pérez, Diana; Narváez Zapata, José A; Larralde Corona, Claudia Patricia
2013-04-01
Mezcal from Tamaulipas (México) is produced by spontaneous alcoholic fermentation using Agave spp. musts, which are rich in fructose. In this study eight Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolates obtained at the final stage of fermentation from a traditional mezcal winery were analysed in three semi-synthetic media. Medium M1 had a sugar content of 100 g l(-1) and a glucose/fructose (G/F) of 9:1. Medium M2 had a sugar content of 100 g l(-1) and a G/F of 1:9. Medium M3 had a sugar content of 200 g l(-1) and a G/F of 1:1. In the three types of media tested, the highest ethanol yield was obtained from the glucophilic strain LCBG-3Y5, while strain LCBG-3Y8 was highly resistant to ethanol and the most fructophilic of the mezcal strains. Strain LCBG-3Y5 produced more glycerol (4.4 g l(-1)) and acetic acid (1 g l(-1)) in M2 than in M1 (1.7 and 0.5 g l(-1), respectively), and the ethanol yields were higher for all strains in M1 except for LCBG-3Y5, -3Y8 and the Fermichamp strain. In medium M3, only the Fermichamp strain was able to fully consume the 100 g of fructose l(-1) but left a residual 32 g of glucose l(-1). Regarding the hexose transporters, a high number of amino acid polymorphisms were found in the Hxt1p sequences. Strain LCBG-3Y8 exhibited eight unique amino acid changes, followed by the Fermichamp strain with three changes. In Hxt3p, we observed nine amino acid polymorphisms unique for the Fermichamp strain and five unique changes for the mezcal strains.
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Pérez-Flores, J; Rueda-Calderon, H; Kvist, S; Siddall, M E; Oceguera-Figueroa, A
2016-10-01
Invertebrate-derived ingested DNA (iDNA) is quickly proving to be a valuable, non-invasive tool for monitoring vertebrate species of conservation concern. Using the DNA barcoding locus, we successfully identified both the blood-feeding leech Haementeria acuecueyetzin and its blood meal-the latter is shown to be derived from the Caribbean manatee, Trichechus manatus . DNA amplification was successful despite the fact that the specimen was fixed in Mezcal (a beverage distilled from agave). We report the first confirmed case of a leech feeding on a manatee, the first record of H. acuecueyetzin for the State of Chiapas and, to our knowledge, the first case of successful DNA amplification of a biological sample fixed in Mezcal other than the caterpillar "worms" more commonly found in that beverage.
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Flores Berrios, E P; Alba González, J F; Arrizon Gaviño, J P; Romano, P; Capece, A; Gschaedler Mathis, A
2005-01-01
The objectives were to determine the variability and to compare the genetic diversity obtained using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers in analyses of wine, tequila, mezcal, sotol and raicilla yeasts. A molecular characterization of yeasts isolated from Mexican agave musts, has been performed by AFLP marker analysis, using reference wine strains from Italian and South African regions. A direct co-relation between genetic profile, origin and fermentation process of strains was found especially in strains isolated from agave must. In addition, unique molecular markers were obtained for all the strains using six combination primers, confirming the discriminatory power of AFLP markers. This is the first report of molecular characterization between yeasts isolated from different Mexican traditional agave-distilled beverages, which shows high genetic differences with respect to wine strains.
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López-Romero, Julio Cesar; Ayala-Zavala, Jesús Fernando; González-Aguilar, Gustavo Adolfo; Peña-Ramos, Etna Aida; González-Ríos, Humberto
2018-05-01
Agave leaves are considered a by-product of alcoholic beverage production (tequila, mezcal and bacanora) because they are discarded during the production process, despite accounting for approximately 50% of the total plant weight. These by-products constitute a potential source of Agave extracts rich in bioactive compounds, such as saponins, phenolic compounds and terpenes, and possess different biological effects, as demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo tests (e.g. antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, antiparasitic and anticancer activity). Despite their positive results in biological assays, Agave extracts have not been widely evaluated in food systems and pharmaceutical areas, and these fields represent a potential route to improve the usage of Agave plants as food additives and agents for treating medical diseases. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Recycling of ash from mezcal industry: a renewable source of lime.
Chávez-Guerrero, L; Flores, J; Kharissov, B I
2010-10-01
Agave bagasse is a byproduct generated in the mezcal industry. Normally it is burned to reduce its volume, then a byproduct is generated in the form of residual ash, which can contaminate the water in rivers and lakes near the production places called "mezcaleras". This report details measurements of the Agave Salmiana fiber transformation after the burning process. The wasted ash was heated at 950°C, and then hydrolyzed. The compounds were indentified using the X-ray diffraction. The images obtained by scanning electron microscope showed all the morphological transformations of the lime through the whole process. Thermal, elemental and morphological characterization of the agave bagasse were done. Experiments showed that 16% of ash was produced in the burning process of agave bagasse (450°C), and 66% of the ash remains after heating (950°C) in the form of calcium oxide. The results show an important renewable source of calcium compounds, due to the high production of agave based beverages in México. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Michel-Cuello, Christian; Juárez-Flores, Bertha Irene; Aguirre-Rivera, Juan Rogelio; Pinos-Rodríguez, Juan Manuel
2008-07-23
Fructans are the reserve carbohydrates in Agave spp. plants. In mezcal factories, fructans undergoes thermal hydrolysis to release fructose and glucose, which are the basis to produce this spirit. Carbohydrate content determines the yield of the final product, which depends on plant organ, ripeness stage, and thermal hydrolysis. Thus, a qualitative and quantitative characterization of nonstructural carbohydrates was conducted in raw and hydrolyzed juices extracted from Agave salmiana stems and leaves under three ripeness stages. By high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), fructose, glucose, sucrose, xylose, and maltose were identified in agave juice. Only the plant fraction with hydrolysis interaction was found to be significant in the glucose concentration plant. Interactions of the fraction with hydrolysis and ripeness with hydrolysis were statistically significant in fructose concentration. Fructose concentration rose considerably with hydrolysis, but only in juice extracted from ripe agave stems (early mature and castrated). This increase was statistically significant only with acid hydrolysis.
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Yeast communities associated with artisanal mezcal fermentations from Agave salmiana.
Verdugo Valdez, A; Segura Garcia, L; Kirchmayr, M; Ramírez Rodríguez, P; González Esquinca, A; Coria, R; Gschaedler Mathis, A
2011-11-01
The aims of this work were to characterize the fermentation process of mezcal from San Luis Potosi, México and identify the yeasts present in the fermentation using molecular culture-dependent methods (RFLP of the 5.8S-ITS and sequencing of the D1/D2 domain) and also by using a culture-independent method (DGGE). The alcoholic fermentations of two separate musts obtained from Agave salmiana were analyzed. Sugar, ethanol and major volatile compounds concentrations were higher in the first fermentation, which shows the importance of having a quality standard for raw materials, particularly in the concentration of fructans, in order to produce fermented Agave salmiana must with similar characteristics. One hundred ninety-two (192) different yeast colonies were identified, from those present on WL agar plates, by RFLP analysis of the ITS1-5.8S- ITS2 from the rRNA gene, with restriction endonucleases, HhaI, HaeIII and HinfI. The identified yeasts were: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Pichia kluyveri, Zygosaccharomyces bailii, Clavispora lusitaniae, Torulaspora delbrueckii, Candida ethanolica and Saccharomyces exiguus. These identifications were confirmed by sequencing the D1-D2 region of the 26S rRNA gene. With the PCR-DGGE method, bands corresponding to S. cerevisiae, K. marxianus and T. delbrueckii were clearly detected, confirming the results obtained with classic techniques.
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Arrizon, Javier; Morel, Sandrine; Gschaedler, Anne; Monsan, Pierre
2011-02-01
A fructanase, produced by a Kluyveromyces marxianus strain isolated during the fermentation step of the elaboration process of "Mezcal de Guerrero" was purified and biochemically characterized. The active protein was a glycosylated dimer with a molecular weight of approximately 250 kDa. The specific enzymatic activity of the protein was determined for different substrates: sucrose, inulin, Agave tequilana fructan, levan and Actilight® and compared with the activity of Fructozyme®. The hydrolysis profile of the different substrates analyzed by HPAEC-PAD showed that the enzyme has different affinities over the substrates tested with a sucrose/inulin enzymatic activity ratio (S/I) of 125. For the hydrolysis of Agave tequilana fructans, the enzyme also showed a higher enzymatic activity and specificity than Fructozyme®, which is important for its potential application in the tequila industry. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Kinetic study of the thermal hydrolysis of Agave salmiana for mezcal production.
Garcia-Soto, M J; Jimenez-Islas, H; Navarrete-Bolanos, J L; Rico-Martinez, R; Miranda-Lopez, R; Botello-Alvarez, J E
2011-07-13
The kinetics of the thermal hydrolysis of the fructans of Agave salmiana were determined during the cooking step of mezcal production in a pilot autoclave. Thermal hydrolysis was achieved at different temperatures and cooking times, ranging from 96 to 116 °C and from 20 to 80 h. A simple kinetic model of the depolymerization of fructans to monomers and other reducing sugars and of the degradation of reducing sugars to furans [principally 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural, HMF] was developed. From this model, the rate constants of the reactions were calculated, as well as the pre-exponential factors and activation energies of the Arrhenius equation. The model was found to fit the experimental data well. The tradeoff between a maximum fructan hydrolysis and a critical furan concentration in allowing for the best ethanol yield during fermentation was investigated. The results indicated that the thermal hydrolysis of agave was optimal, from the point of view of ethanol yield in the ensuing fermentation, in the temperature range of 106-116 °C and the cooking range time of 6-14 h. The optimal conditions corresponded to a fructan hydrolysis of 80%, producing syrups with furan and reducing sugar concentrations of 1 ± 0.1 and 110 ± 10 g/L, respectively.
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Genetic dissection of grain size and grain number trade-offs in CIMMYT wheat germplasm.
Griffiths, Simon; Wingen, Luzie; Pietragalla, Julian; Garcia, Guillermo; Hasan, Ahmed; Miralles, Daniel; Calderini, Daniel F; Ankleshwaria, Jignaben Bipinchandra; Waite, Michelle Leverington; Simmonds, James; Snape, John; Reynolds, Matthew
2015-01-01
Grain weight (GW) and number per unit area of land (GN) are the primary components of grain yield in wheat. In segregating populations both yield components often show a negative correlation among themselves. Here we use a recombinant doubled haploid population of 105 individuals developed from the CIMMYT varieties Weebill and Bacanora to understand the relative contribution of these components to grain yield and their interaction with each other. Weebill was chosen for its high GW and Bacanora for high GN. The population was phenotyped in Mexico, Argentina, Chile and the UK. Two loci influencing grain yield were indicated on 1B and 7B after QTL analysis. Weebill contributed the increasing alleles. The 1B effect, which is probably caused by to the 1BL.1RS rye introgression in Bacanora, was a result of increased GN, whereas, the 7B QTL controls GW. We concluded that increased in GW from Weebill 7B allele is not accompanied by a significant reduction in grain number. The extent of the GW and GN trade-off is reduced. This makes this locus an attractive target for marker assisted selection to develop high yielding bold grain varieties like Weebill. AMMI analysis was used to show that the 7B Weebill allele appears to contribute to yield stability.
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Genetic Dissection of Grain Size and Grain Number Trade-Offs in CIMMYT Wheat Germplasm
Griffiths, Simon; Wingen, Luzie; Pietragalla, Julian; Garcia, Guillermo; Hasan, Ahmed; Miralles, Daniel; Calderini, Daniel F.; Ankleshwaria, Jignaben Bipinchandra; Waite, Michelle Leverington; Simmonds, James; Snape, John; Reynolds, Matthew
2015-01-01
Grain weight (GW) and number per unit area of land (GN) are the primary components of grain yield in wheat. In segregating populations both yield components often show a negative correlation among themselves. Here we use a recombinant doubled haploid population of 105 individuals developed from the CIMMYT varieties Weebill and Bacanora to understand the relative contribution of these components to grain yield and their interaction with each other. Weebill was chosen for its high GW and Bacanora for high GN. The population was phenotyped in Mexico, Argentina, Chile and the UK. Two loci influencing grain yield were indicated on 1B and 7B after QTL analysis. Weebill contributed the increasing alleles. The 1B effect, which is probably caused by to the 1BL.1RS rye introgression in Bacanora, was a result of increased GN, whereas, the 7B QTL controls GW. We concluded that increased in GW from Weebill 7B allele is not accompanied by a significant reduction in grain number. The extent of the GW and GN trade-off is reduced. This makes this locus an attractive target for marker assisted selection to develop high yielding bold grain varieties like Weebill. AMMI analysis was used to show that the 7B Weebill allele appears to contribute to yield stability. PMID:25775191
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Limitations to photosynthesis under light and heat stress in three high-yielding wheat genotypes.
Monneveux, Philippe; Pastenes, Claudio; Reynolds, Matthew P
2003-06-01
Three high-yielding wheat genotypes (T. aestivum L., c.v. Siete Cerros, Seri and Bacanora, released in 1966, 1982 and 1988, respectively) were grown under irrigation in two high radiation, low relative humidity environments (Tlaltizapan and Ciudad Obregon CIMMYT experimental stations, Mexico). Gas exchange and fluorescence parameters were assessed on the flag leaf during the day. Carbon isotope discrimination (delta) was analysed in flag leaf at anthesis and in grain at maturity. In both environments, gas exchange and fluorescence parameters varied markedly with irradiance and temperature. Analysis of their respective variation indicated the occurrence of photo-respiration and photo-inhibition, particularly in Tlaltizapan, the warmest environment, and in Siete Cerros. In Ciudad Obregon (high-yielding environment) lower Ci (internal CO2 concentration) and delta La (carbon isotope discrimination of the leaf) suggested a higher intrinsic photosynthetic capacity in the variety Bacanora. Higher yield of this genotype was also associated with higher Fv'/Fo' (ratio of photochemical and non photochemical rate constants in the light) and Fm'/Fm (ratio of the non photochemical rate constants in the dark and light adapted state).
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A numerical study of the life time of superficial bubbles in water-alcohol mixtures with surfactants
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Atasi, Omer; Scheid, Benoit; Haut, Benoît; Legendre, Dominique; Zenit, Roberto
2017-11-01
The evaluation of the lifetime of bubbles at the surface of a liquid has been used as an empirical technique in the traditional production of Mezcal (an artisanal distilled agave spirit from Mexico) to determine the desired concentration of alcohol. We investigated this problem in light of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using a level-set method and a scalar transport technique to account for the presence of surfactants. We determined the rupture time of the film at the top of a bubble in function of the various bulk and surface properties. In agreement with experiments, we found that the superficial bubbles exhibit an extended lifetime for an intermediate water-alcohol concentration, corresponding to both a maximum of viscosity and a specific concentration of surfactants. We finally propose a scaling law that should be of practical use for Mezcal production. F.R.S-FNRS.
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Aguilar-Uscanga, Blanca; Arrizon, Javier; Ramirez, Jesús; Solis-Pacheco, Josué
2007-02-01
In this study, a characterization of cell wall polysaccharide composition of three yeasts involved in the production of agave distilled beverages was performed. The three yeast strains were isolated from different media (tequila, mezcal and bakery) and were evaluated for the beta(1,3)-glucanase lytic activity and the beta-glucan/ mannan ratio during the fermentation of Agave tequilana juice and in YPD media (control). Fermentations were performed in shake flasks with 30 g l(-1) sugar concentration of A. tequilana juice and with the control YPD using 30 g l(-1) of glucose. The three yeasts strains showed different levels of beta-glucan and mannan when they were grown in A. tequilana juice in comparison to the YPD media. The maximum rate of cell wall lyses was 50% lower in fermentations with A. tequilana juice for yeasts isolated from tequila and mezcal than compared to the bakery yeast.
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USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
The Agave Snout Weevil (ASW) or Sisal Weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal, is one of the most destructive pests of agave plants, capable of destroying up to 70% of commercial crops, costing millions of dollars in damage to global industries including tequila, mezcal, perfume, henequen, nardo...
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Vargas-Ponce, Ofelia; Zizumbo-Villarreal, Daniel; Martínez-Castillo, Jaime; Coello-Coello, Julián; Colunga-Garcíamarín, Patricia
2009-02-01
Traditional farming communities frequently maintain high levels of agrobiodiversity, so understanding their agricultural practices is a priority for biodiversity conservation. The cultural origin of agave spirits (mezcals) from west-central Mexico is in the southern part of the state of Jalisco where traditional farmers cultivate more than 20 landraces of Agave angustifolia Haw. in agroecosystems that include in situ management of wild populations. These systems, rooted in a 9000-year-old tradition of using agaves as food in Mesoamerica, are endangered by the expansion of commercial monoculture plantations of the blue agave variety (A. tequilana Weber var. Azul), the only agave certified for sale as tequila, the best-known mezcal. Using intersimple sequence repeats and Bayesian estimators of diversity and structure, we found that A. angustifolia traditional landraces had a genetic diversity (H(BT) = 0.442) similar to its wild populations (H(BT) = 0.428) and a higher genetic structure ((B) = 0.405; (B) =0. 212). In contrast, the genetic diversity in the blue agave commercial system (H(B) = 0.118) was 73% lower. Changes to agave spirits certification laws to allow the conservation of current genetic, ecological and cultural diversity can play a key role in the preservation of the traditional agroecosystems.
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Strategy for the extraction of yeast DNA from artisan agave must for quantitative PCR analysis.
Kirchmayr, Manuel Reinhart; Segura-Garcia, Luis Eduardo; Flores-Berrios, Ericka Patricia; Gschaedler, Anne
2011-11-01
An efficient method for the direct extraction of yeast genomic DNA from agave must was developed. The optimized protocol, which was based on silica-adsorption of DNA on microcolumns, included an enzymatic cell wall degradation step followed by prolonged lysis with hot detergent. The resulting extracts were suitable templates for subsequent qPCR assays that quantified mixed yeast populations in artisan Mexican mezcal fermentations. Copyright © 2011 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Long-life of a bubble on the surface of a water-alcohol mixture
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rage, Gibran; Hernandez-Sanchez, J. Federico; Wilhelmus, Monica M.; Zenit, Roberto
2016-11-01
The lifetime of superficial bubbles has been used traditionally to determine the alcohol content in destilled beverages and spirits. With the proper alcohol content, the bubbles, known as pearls, have a particularly long life which is much longer than that in either pure water or pure ethanol. To understand this peculiar behavior, we conducted controlled experiments in water-ethanol mixtures and in samples of mezcal, an artisanal agave spirit. We assess the effect of the changes in viscosity, surface tension and density of the liquids. Also, we analyzed the effects of surfactants and evaporation rate differences, which lead to Marangoni convection in the draining film.
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Kinematics of the symbiotic system R Aqr
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Navarro, S.; Corral, L. J.; Steffen, W.
2014-04-01
We present the results of the kinematical analysis of the symbiotic system R Aqr. We obtained high dispersion spectra with the MES spectrograph at the 2.1 m telescope of San Pedro Mártir (MEZCAL). The used filter were Ha + [NII], (λc = 6575Å, Δλ = 90Å). We analyse the [NII] λλ6583 line. When the observations are compared with previous ones by Solf (1992) we detected an important change in the projected velocities of the observed knots, supporting the idea of a precessing jet. We are working also in a 3-D kinematic model for the object using the measured velocities and the state of the model is presented.
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Agaves as a raw material: recent technologies and applications.
Narváez-Zapata, J A; Sánchez-Teyer, L F
2009-01-01
Agave plants are a valuable source of raw material due to its fibrous and complex sugar content of their leaves and core, and their bagasse waste can be use for several aims. This plant genus belongs to the Agavaceae family and until now more than 200 species have been described. A large number of Agave species are currently used as raw material in several biotechnological processes. This review shows the reported applications and patents on fields like alcoholic brewages with special reference to Tequila and Mezcal, the isolation and use of compounds such as saponins and agave fructans, and their potential biotechnological application on several human demands. The process to obtain fibers and cellulose, stock feeds, and several miscellaneous extractives are also reviewed. Some possibilities and problems of cultivation are discussed.
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Tauer, Andreas; Elss, Sandra; Frischmann, Matthias; Tellez, Patricia; Pischetsrieder, Monika
2004-04-07
The production of alcoholic beverages such as Tequila, Mezcal, whiskey, or beer includes the fermentation of a mash containing Maillard reaction products. Because excessive heating of the mash can lead to complications during the following fermentation step, the impact of Maillard products on the metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. For this purpose, fermentation was carried out in a model system in the presence and absence of Maillard reaction products and formation of ethanol served as a marker for the progression of fermentation. We found that increasing amounts of Maillard products reduced the formation of ethanol up to 80%. This effect was dependent on the pH value during the Maillard reaction, reaction time, as well as the carbohydrate and amino acid component used for the generation of Maillard reaction products. Another important factor is the pH value during fermentation: The inhibitory effect of Maillard products was not detectable at a pH of 4 and increased with higher pH-values. These findings might be of relevance for the production of above-mentioned beverages.
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Utilization of vinasses as soil amendment: consequences and perspectives.
Moran-Salazar, R G; Sanchez-Lizarraga, A L; Rodriguez-Campos, J; Davila-Vazquez, G; Marino-Marmolejo, E N; Dendooven, L; Contreras-Ramos, S M
2016-01-01
Vinasses are a residual liquid generated after the production of beverages, such as mezcal and tequila, from agave (Agave L.), sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) or sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). These effluents have specific characteristics such as an acidic pH (from 3.9 to 5.1), a high chemical oxygen demand (50,000-95,000 mg L(-1)) and biological oxygen demand content (18,900-78,300 mg L(-1)), a high total solids content (79,000 and 37,500 mg L(-1)), high total volatile solids 79,000 and 82,222 mg L(-1), and K(+) (10-345 g L(-1)) content. Vinasses are most commonly discarded onto soil. Irrigation of soil with vinasses, however, may induce physical, chemical and biochemical changes and affect crop yields. Emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, might increase from soils irrigated with vinasses. An estimation of GHG emission from soil irrigated with vinasses is given and discussed in this review.
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Contreras-Hernández, M G; Ochoa-Martínez, L A; Rutiaga-Quiñones, J G; Rocha-Guzmán, N E; Lara-Ceniceros, T E; Contreras-Esquivel, J C; Prado Barragán, L A; Rutiaga-Quiñones, O M
2018-02-01
Approximately 1 million tons of agave plants are processed annually by the Mexican tequila and mezcal industry, generating vast amounts of agroindustrial solid waste. This type of lignocellulosic biomass is considered to be agroindustrial residue, which can be used to produce enzymes, giving it added value. However, the structure of lignocellulosic biomass makes it highly recalcitrant, and results in relatively low yield when used in its native form. The aim of this study was to investigate an effective pre-treatment method for the production of commercially important hydrolytic enzymes. In this work, the physical and chemical modification of Agave durangensis leaves was analysed using ultrasound and high temperature as pre-treatments, and production of enzymes was evaluated. The pre-treatments resulted in modification of the lignocellulosic structure and composition; the ultrasound pre-treatment improved the production of inulinase by 4 U/mg and cellulase by 0.297 U/mg, and thermal pre-treatment improved β-fructofuranosidase by 30 U/mg. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Ibáñez, Clara; Pérez-Torrado, Roberto; Morard, Miguel; Toft, Christina; Barrio, Eladio; Querol, Amparo
2017-09-18
Transcriptome analyses play a central role in unraveling the complexity of gene expression regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This species, one of the most important microorganisms for humans given its industrial applications, shows an astonishing degree of genetic and phenotypic variability among different strains adapted to specific environments. In order to gain novel insights into the Saccharomyces cerevisiae biology of strains adapted to different fermentative environments, we analyzed the whole transcriptome of three strains isolated from wine, flor wine or mezcal fermentations. An RNA-seq transcriptome comparison of the different yeasts in the samples obtained during synthetic must fermentation highlighted the differences observed in the genes that encode mannoproteins, and in those involved in aroma, sugar transport, glycerol and alcohol metabolism, which are important under alcoholic fermentation conditions. These differences were also observed in the physiology of the strains after mannoprotein and aroma determinations. This study offers an essential foundation for understanding how gene expression variations contribute to the fermentation differences of the strains adapted to unequal fermentative environments. Such knowledge is crucial to make improvements in fermentation processes and to define targets for the genetic improvement or selection of wine yeasts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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De la Torre González, Francisco Javier; Gutiérrez Avendaño, Daniel Oswaldo; Gschaedler Mathis, Anne Christine; Kirchmayr, Manuel Reinhart
2018-06-06
Non- Saccharomyces yeasts are widespread microorganisms and some time ago were considered contaminants in the beverage industry. However, nowadays they have gained importance for their ability to produce aromatic compounds, which in alcoholic beverages improves aromatic complexity and therefore the overall quality. Thus, identification and differentiation of the species involved in fermentation processes is vital and can be classified in traditional methods and techniques based on molecular biology. Traditional methods, however, can be expensive, laborious and/or unable to accurately discriminate on strain level. In the present study, a total of 19 strains of Pichia kluyveri isolated from mezcal, tejuino and cacao fermentations were analyzed with rep-PCR fingerprinting and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The comparative analysis between MS spectra and rep-PCR patterns obtained from these strains showed a high similarity between both methods. However, minimal differences between the obtained rep-PCR and MALDI-TOF MS clusters could be observed. The data shown suggests that MALDI-TOF MS is a promising alternative technique for rapid, reliable and cost-effective differentiation of natives yeast strains isolated from different traditional fermented foods and beverages. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Montes, Gabriela; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico; De Colle, Fabio; Strickler, Rachel
2013-11-01
The problem of explaining the X-ray emission properties of the massive, close binary WR 20a is discussed. Located near the cluster core of Westerlund 2, WR 20a is composed of two nearly identical Wolf-Rayet stars of 82 and 83 solar masses orbiting with a period of only 3.7 days. Although Chandra observations were taken during the secondary optical eclipse, the X-ray light curve shows no signs of a flux decrement. In fact, WR 20a appears slightly more X-ray luminous and softer during the optical eclipse, opposite to what has been observed in other binary systems. To aid in our interpretation of the data, we compare with the results of hydrodynamical simulations using the adaptive mesh refinement code Mezcal which includes radiative cooling and a radiative acceleration force term. It is shown that the X-ray emission can be successfully explained in models where the wind-wind collision interface in this system occurs while the outflowing material is still being accelerated. Consequently, WR 20a serves as a critical test-case for how radiatively driven stellar winds are initiated and how they interact. Our models not only procure a robust description of current Chandra data, which cover the orbital phases between 0.3 and 0.6, but also provide detailed predictions over the entire orbit.
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Effect of prebiotics of Agave salmiana fed to healthy Wistar rats.
Jasso-Padilla, Iliana; Juárez-Flores, Bertha; Alvarez-Fuentes, Gregorio; De la Cruz-Martínez, Alejandro; González-Ramírez, José; Moscosa-Santillán, Mario; González-Chávez, Marco; Oros-Ovalle, Cuauhtemoc; Prell, Florian; Czermak, Peter; Martinez-Gutierrez, Fidel
2017-01-01
Inulin and other fructans are synthesized and stored in mezcal agave (Agave salmiana). Fructans provide several health benefits and have excellent technological properties, but only few data report their physiological effect when added in the diet. Here, we studied the physiological effects of fructans obtained from A. salmiana when added in the diet of Wistar rats. Results showed favorable changes on Wistar rats when the fructans was added to their diet, including the decrease of the pH in the feces and the increase of the number of lactic acid bacteria (CFU g -1 ) (Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp.), even these changes were enhanced with the synbiotic diet (fructans plus B. animalis subsp. lactis). Synbiotic diet, developed changes in the reduction of cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations in serum, with statistical differences (P < 0.05). Histological analysis of colon sections showed that synbiotic diet promoted colon cells growth suggesting that fructans from A. salmiana confer beneficial health effects through gut microbiota modulation. Our data underline the advantage of targeting the gut microbiota by colonic nutrients like specific structure of fructans from A. salmiana, with their beneficial effects. More studies are necessary to define the role of fructans to develop more solid therapeutic solutions in humans. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Agave salmiana Plant Communities in Central Mexico as Affected by Commercial Use
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Martínez Salvador, Martin; Mata-González, Ricardo; Morales Nieto, Carlos; Valdez-Cepeda, Ricardo
2012-01-01
Agave salmiana is a native plant species harvested for the commercial production of mezcal ( Agave spirits) in the highlands of central Mexico. The objective of this study was to identify vegetation changes in natural communities where A. salmiana has been differentially harvested for commercial purposes. Three plant community categories were identified in the state of Zacatecas based on their history of A. salmiana utilization: short (less than 10 years of use), moderate (about 25 years), and long (60 or more years). Species cover, composition, and density were evaluated in field surveys by use category. A gradient of vegetation structure of the communities parallels the duration of A. salmiana use. A. salmiana density was greatest (3,125 plants ha-1) in the short-use areas and less (892 plants ha-1) in the moderate-use areas, associated with markedly greater density of shrubs (200%) and Opuntia spp. (50%) in moderate-use areas. The main shrubs were Larrea tridentata, Mimosa biuncifera, Jatropha dioica and Buddleia scordioides while the main Opuntia species were Opuntia leucotricha and Opuntia robusta. A. salmiana density was least (652 plants ha-1) in the long-use areas where shrubs were less abundant but Opuntia spp. density was 25% higher than in moderate-use areas. We suggest that shrubs may increase with moderate use creating an intermediate successional stage that facilitates the establishment of Opuntia spp. Long-term Agave use is generating new plant communities dominated by Opuntia spp. (nopaleras) as a replacement of the original communities dominated by A. salmiana (magueyeras).
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Agave salmiana plant communities in central Mexico as affected by commercial use.
Martínez Salvador, Martin; Mata-González, Ricardo; Morales Nieto, Carlos; Valdez-Cepeda, Ricardo
2012-01-01
Agave salmiana is a native plant species harvested for the commercial production of mezcal (Agave spirits) in the highlands of central Mexico. The objective of this study was to identify vegetation changes in natural communities where A. salmiana has been differentially harvested for commercial purposes. Three plant community categories were identified in the state of Zacatecas based on their history of A. salmiana utilization: short (less than 10 years of use), moderate (about 25 years), and long (60 or more years). Species cover, composition, and density were evaluated in field surveys by use category. A gradient of vegetation structure of the communities parallels the duration of A. salmiana use. A. salmiana density was greatest (3,125 plants ha(-1)) in the short-use areas and less (892 plants ha(-1)) in the moderate-use areas, associated with markedly greater density of shrubs (200%) and Opuntia spp. (50%) in moderate-use areas. The main shrubs were Larrea tridentata, Mimosa biuncifera, Jatropha dioica and Buddleia scordioides while the main Opuntia species were Opuntia leucotricha and Opuntia robusta. A. salmiana density was least (652 plants ha(-1)) in the long-use areas where shrubs were less abundant but Opuntia spp. density was 25% higher than in moderate-use areas. We suggest that shrubs may increase with moderate use creating an intermediate successional stage that facilitates the establishment of Opuntia spp. Long-term Agave use is generating new plant communities dominated by Opuntia spp. (nopaleras) as a replacement of the original communities dominated by A. salmiana (magueyeras).
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Sánchez-Peña, Sergio R.; Chacón-Cardosa, Manuela Citlali; Canales-del-Castillo, Ricardo; Ward, Lauren; Resendez-Pérez, Diana
2017-01-01
Abstract Here we describe a new species of Trachymyrmex, T. pakawa sp. n., from the Gran Sierra Plegada range of the Sierra Madre Oriental, in the states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon, northeastern Mexico. Trachymyrmex pakawa is a large-sized species compared to other North American Trachymyrmex. Its geographic distribution includes the piedmont of the Gran Sierra Plegada at La Estanzuela, Monterrey, as well as peripheral mountains segregated from the Sierra Madre Oriental (Cerro de las Mitras, Sierra de Zapalinamé, Cañon de San Lorenzo, Cerro de las Letras). The preferred habitats of T. pakawa include oak-pine forest at La Estanzuela, xeric oak forest at Zapalinamé and mesic Chihuahuan desert scrub with sotol (Dasylirion) at other sites. All localities are on slopes, on very rocky, shallow lithosols overlaying large boulders. This species nests under and between large boulders and rocks. It has not been observed on alluvial or better developed, deeper soils, and it is absent from sites with human activity (urban, disturbed, and landscaped areas). It is closely related to and morphologically similar to Trachymyrmex smithi. The known distribution ranges of T. pakawa and T. smithi almost overlap in Saltillo, Coahuila state. The main character that distinguishes the new species from T. smithi is longer antennal scapes in T. pakawa; also, different nesting habits (rocky slopes vs. alluvial sites or deep sand in T. smithi), and geographic distribution. Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences from the mitochondrial marker cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the first intron of the F1 copy of the nuclear protein-coding gene Elongation Factor 1- α (EF1-α-F1) confirm a sister-species relationship between T. pakawa and T. smithi. Bayesian coalescent analyses indicate a divergence time of about 8.00 million years before present (95% confidence interval: 4.8–11.5 mya) between T. pakawa and T. smithi. The divergence of the lineages of T. pakawa and T. smithi could have
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
De Colle, Fabio; Granot, Jonathan; López-Cámara, Diego; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico
2012-02-01
We report on the development of Mezcal-SRHD, a new adaptive mesh refinement, special relativistic hydrodynamics (SRHD) code, developed with the aim of studying the highly relativistic flows in gamma-ray burst sources. The SRHD equations are solved using finite-volume conservative solvers, with second-order interpolation in space and time. The correct implementation of the algorithms is verified by one-dimensional (1D) and multi-dimensional tests. The code is then applied to study the propagation of 1D spherical impulsive blast waves expanding in a stratified medium with ρvpropr -k , bridging between the relativistic and Newtonian phases (which are described by the Blandford-McKee and Sedov-Taylor self-similar solutions, respectively), as well as to a two-dimensional (2D) cylindrically symmetric impulsive jet propagating in a constant density medium. It is shown that the deceleration to nonrelativistic speeds in one dimension occurs on scales significantly larger than the Sedov length. This transition is further delayed with respect to the Sedov length as the degree of stratification of the ambient medium is increased. This result, together with the scaling of position, Lorentz factor, and the shock velocity as a function of time and shock radius, is explained here using a simple analytical model based on energy conservation. The method used for calculating the afterglow radiation by post-processing the results of the simulations is described in detail. The light curves computed using the results of 1D numerical simulations during the relativistic stage correctly reproduce those calculated assuming the self-similar Blandford-McKee solution for the evolution of the flow. The jet dynamics from our 2D simulations and the resulting afterglow light curves, including the jet break, are in good agreement with those presented in previous works. Finally, we show how the details of the dynamics critically depend on properly resolving the structure of the relativistic flow.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
De Colle, Fabio; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico; Granot, Jonathan; Lopez-Camara, Diego
2012-05-01
The dynamics of gamma-ray burst (GRB) jets during the afterglow phase is most reliably and accurately modeled using hydrodynamic simulations. All published simulations so far, however, have considered only a uniform external medium, while a stratified external medium is expected around long duration GRB progenitors. Here, we present simulations of the dynamics of GRB jets and the resulting afterglow emission for both uniform and stratified external media with ρextvpropr -k for k = 0, 1, 2. The simulations are performed in two dimensions using the special relativistic version of the Mezcal code. Common to all calculations is the initiation of the GRB jet as a conical wedge of half-opening angle θ0 = 0.2 whose radial profile is taken from the self-similar Blandford-McKee solution. The dynamics for stratified external media (k = 1, 2) are broadly similar to those derived for expansion into a uniform external medium (k = 0). The jet half-opening angle is observed to start increasing logarithmically with time (or radius) once the Lorentz factor Γ drops below θ-1 0. For larger k values, however, the lateral expansion is faster at early times (when Γ > θ-1 0) and slower at late times with the jet expansion becoming Newtonian and slowly approaching spherical symmetry over progressively longer timescales. We find that, contrary to analytic expectations, there is a reasonably sharp jet break in the light curve for k = 2 (a wind-like external medium), although the shape of the break is affected more by the viewing angle (for θobs <= θ0) than by the slope of the external density profile (for 0 <= k <= 2). Steeper density profiles (i.e., increasing k values) are found to produce more gradual jet breaks while larger viewing angles cause smoother and later appearing jet breaks. The counterjet becomes visible as it becomes sub-relativistic, and for k = 0 this results in a clear bump-like feature in the light curve. However, for larger k values the jet decelerates more
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VizieR Online Data Catalog: Spectroscopy and HST imaging in ONC (O'Dell+, 2015)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
O'Dell, C. R.; Ferland, G. J.; Henney, W. J.; Peimbert, M.; Garcia-Diaz, Ma. T.; Rubin, R. H.
2016-02-01
the San Pedro Martir Observatory in 2013 February in the [OIII] 500.7nm line in essentially the same manner as the earlier low-ionization line observations, except that the slit was oriented east-west. The slit center was at 5:35:15.9. Fifteen spectra were obtained in steps of 1.4'' starting at 23'' south of θ1Ori C and proceeding south. Their total exposure time in each slit of 300 or 600s, depending on the source brightness, with the 2.1m telescope's MEZCAL spectrograph gave higher-S/N images than the earlier observations made at the Kitt Peak National Observatory with the 4m telescope's echelle spectrograph by Doi et al. 2004 (cat. J/AJ/127/3456). The [NII] 658.3nm and [OIII] 500.7nm archived spectra had an instrumental FWHM intensity of about 10km/s, and the new [OIII] spectra's FWHM are slightly smaller. The quadratic addition of the instrumental and thermal FWHM values gives an expected observed FWHM of 11.5km/s for [NII] and 11.4km/s for [OIII]. The tangential velocities determined from HST images are presented in Table6. The radial velocities of features not directly associated with the Main Ionization Front (MIF) are presented in Table7, using data from the spectroscopic Atlas. (2 data files).