No abstract

The Mayten tree (Maytenus boaria Mol.), a native plant of Chile that grows under environmentally limiting conditions, was historically harvested to extract an edible oil, and may represent an opportunity to expand current vegetable oil production. Seeds were collected from Mayten trees in north-central Chile, and seed oil was extracted by solvent extraction. The seed oil showed a reddish coloration, with quality parameters similar to those of other vegetable oils. The fatty acid composition revealed high levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Oleic and linoleic acids, which are relevant to the human diet, were well represented in the extracted Mayten tree seed oil. The oil displayed an antioxidant capacity due to the high contents of antioxidant compounds (polyphenols and carotenoids) and may have potential health benefits for diseases associated with oxidative stress.

Honeybee pollen (HBP) is a mixture of floral pollen collected by honeybees near the hive. It is characterized by a composition rich in phenolic compounds, carotenoids and vitamins that act as free radicals scavengers, conferring antioxidant and antibacterial capacity to the matrix. These bioactive properties are related to the botanical origin of the honeybee pollen. Honeybee pollen samples were collected from different geographical locations in central Chile, and their total carotenoid content, polyphenols profile by HPLC/MS/MS, DPPH radical scavenging capacity, and antimicrobial capacity against S. pyogenes, E. coli, S. aureus, and P. auriginosa strains were evaluated. Our results showed a good carotenoids content and polyphenols composition, while antioxidant capacity presented values between 0 -95 % for the scavenging effect related to the botanical origin of the samples. Inhibition diameter for the different strains presented less variability among the samples, Furthermore, binary mixtures representing the two most abundant species in each HBP were prepared to assess the synergy effect of the floral pollen (FP) present in the samples. Data shows an antagonist effect was observed when assessing the carotenoid content, and a synergy effect often presents for antimicrobial and antioxidant capacity for bee pollen samples. The bioactive capacities of the honeybee pollen and their synergy effect could apply to develop new functional ingredients for the food industry.

Research on the plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPM) is increasing strongly due to the biotechnological potential for the agricultural, forestry, and food industry. The benefits of using PGPM in crop production are well proven; however, their incorporation in agricultural management is still limited. Therefore, we wanted to explore the gaps and challenges for the transfer of biotechnological innovations based on PGPM to the agricultural sector. Our systematic review of the state of the art of PGPM research and knowledge transfer takes Chile as an example. Several transfer limiting aspects are identified and discussed. Our two main conclusions are: neither academia nor industry can meet unfounded expectations during technology transfer, but mutually clarifying their needs, capabilities, and limitations is the starting point for successful collaborations; the generation of a collaborative innovation environment, where academia as well as public and private stakeholders (including the local community) take part, is crucial to enhance the acceptance and integration of PGPM on the way to sustainable agriculture.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a pause in people's activities and a socio-economic crisis worldwide due to confinement. This situation is an unprecedented opportunity to understand how these changes may impact biodiversity and its conservation, as well as to study human-nature interaction. Biodiversity plays an essential role in conservation and economic activities, and in countries with greater inequality and low gross domestic product (GDP), biodiversity could have a low priority. Moreover, how biodiversity is prioritized in a society impacts how the citizens view it, and digital news tends to shape biodiversity narratives. The aim of this work was to determine the main trends in biodiversity-related news categories during the COVID-19 pandemic in countries with terrestrial and marine hotspots and relate them to the socioeconomic and public health context of each country. For this, we searched for news on biodiversity and Covid-19 in the first 6 months of the pandemic and related them to GDP, Gini-index, deaths, and infections by Covid-19. Results showed that conservation, public policies, and use of natural resources stood out as the main news categories across countries, with a positive narrative and mostly related to terrestrial rather than marine environments. On the other hand, the socio-economic and public health characteristics of each country had an influence on which aspect of the biodiversity was reflected in the media. For example, countries with greater inequality were associated with tourism news, additionally, countries with low GDP, high cases, and deaths by Covid-19 were associated with news about cultural diversity. In contrast, countries with high GDP and low inequality were associated with news about zoonosis, research and development, public policies, and alien and invasive species.

Myrtaceae fruits (Myrceugenia obtusa, Luma apiculata and Luma chequen) were used by Chilean indigenous peoples for food and medicinal purposes. This study aimed to evaluate the bioactive properties of these berry-type fruits. The antioxidant capacity by FRAP assay varies between 10.4 -646.9 mmol Fe +2 /g while and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi varies between 0-33 mm and 0-7.33 m, respectively. All extracts were rich in polyphenols and showed low cytotoxicity. Overall, M. obtusa presented dissimilar results when compared to L. apiculta and L. chequen These results encourage the use of these native fruits as food or nutraceutical or pharmacological ingredients.