Interannual climate variability in the Miocene: High resolution trace element and stable isotope ratios in giant clams

High resolution stable isotope and trace elemental ratios of a recent Tridacna squamosa from Vietnam and a Middle to Late Miocene (10–13 Ma) Tridacna gigas from Indonesia are presented. The seasonal pattern of modern sea surface temperature (SST) variability offshore Vietnam is faithfully recorded in the δ18O of the T. squamosa shell carbonate, confirming the potential of Tridacna shells as sub-annual resolution climate archives. Cultivation of the T. squamosa specimen in controlled conditions after recovery from the natural environment facilitated a quantitative calibration of the δ18O signal to ambient water temperatures. An age model for the Miocene T. gigas shell from Indonesia was therefore constructed on the basis of its δ18O profile, assuming a single-peak annual SST cycle. The magnitude of these oscillations was 5–7 °C. Mg/Ca and the growth-banding pattern in the Miocene T. gigas correlates well with shell δ18O during the later part of the organism's lifespan. Ba/Ca is negatively correlated to Mg/Ca, with a lag of several months, suggesting a different phasing of the annual primary productivity cycle from that of SST. Furthermore, δ18O and Mg/Ca show prominent deviations to warmer conditions with a periodicity of ~ 3 years. These shifts demonstrate the existence of substantial interannual sea surface temperature variability in the Miocene, a period with elevated global temperatures compared to the present day

Characterization and Modulation of the Bitterness of Polymethoxyflavones Using Sensory and Receptor-Based Methods

An obstacle in the application of many “health ingredients” is their alleged off-flavor. We used a combination of chemical, sensory, and biological analyses to identify the bitter components in citrus peel-derived polymethoxyflavone preparations, claimed to be functional in the lowering of cholesterol. Nobiletin (56–81%) and tangeretin (10–33%) were found to be the main bitter components. Using in vitro receptor assays, hTAS2R14 was shown to be the main bitter receptor involved in their perception, with EC₅₀ values of 14 and 63 μM, respectively. Our analysis provided several routes for off-flavor reduction. Purification is an option because a purified, single PMF species proved to be considerably less bitter upon application in emulsified foods, due to limited solubility in the aqueous phase. A second route, also demonstrated in vivo, is C5-specific demethoxylation, in line with the finding that 5-desmethylnobiletin does not activate hTAS2R14. A third route could be the use of TAS2R14 antagonists. As a proof of principle, several antagonists, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 10 to 50 μM, were identified