SUMMARY The isoetid life‐form was originally defined on morphological grounds; subsequent physiological investigations showed that all of the isoetids examined took up a large fraction of the inorganic C fixed in their leaves from the root medium under natural conditions, and that some of them carried out much of their assimilation of inorganic C via a CAM‐like mechanism. Root‐dominated uptake of inorganic C appeared to be unique to, and ubiquitous in, the isoetids. I However, a large capacity for CAM‐like metabolism in submerged vascular plants is not universal in isoetids, nor is it restricted to this life‐form, being also found in Crassulaa aquatica. The work described here shows that submerged specimens of the North American Eriocaulon decangulare have a high fraction of their dry weight in the root system, a trait characteristic of isoetids but uncommon in other submerged vascular plants. E. decangulare has vesicular‐arbuscular mycorrhizas, as do other flowering plant isoetids hut not, generally, submerged Isoetes spp. Under conditions of natural supply of inorganic C, E. decangulare, like other isoetids, takes up most of its inorganic C through its roots. Uptake of inorganic C by both roots and shoots involves CO2 rather than HCO3: photosynthesis at high external pH values does not exceed the rate of uncatalysed HCO3‐ to CO2 conversion in the medium and there is no detectable extracellular carbonic anhydrase activity. Measurements of titratable acidity and of malate content of leaves sampled at dawn and at dusk showed that E. decangulare, growing and tested under either emersed or submersed conditions, did not exhibit CAM‐like behaviour. CAM was also absent from three non‐isoetid aquatic macrophytes (Amphibolic antarctica, Eeklonia radiata and Vallisneria spiralis) which were examined. E. decangulare thus resembles all other isoetids tested in acquiring much of its inorganic C via the root system. E. decangulare also resembles most of the isoetids which are not members of the Isoetaceae (e.g.) E. septangulare, Lobelia dortmanna and Subularia aquatica) but differs from submerged Isoetaceae and Littorella uniflora in lacking CAM. The ecological significance of uptake of CO2 via the roots and, where it occurs, of CAM in isoetids may be related to either inorganic C or, via improved N use efficiency, inorganic C as a limiting resource. The isoetid life‐forms has evolved independently in at last five different families of vascular plants; it probably derived fairly immediately from terrestrial or amphibious ancestors with a similar rosette form. Emergent Isoetaceae with acquisition of CO2 via roots and CAM probably evolved from submerged isoetids.

1. The effects of the chemical composition of fruit juices and fruit on the absorption of iron from a rice (Oryza sativa) meal were measured in 234 parous Indian women, using the erythrocyte utilization of radioactive Fe method.2. The corrected geometric mean Fe absorptions with different juices varied between 0.040 and 0.129, with the variation correlating closely with the ascorbic acid contents of the juices (rs 0.838, P < 0.01).3. Ascorbic acid was not the only organic acid responsible for the promoting effects of citrus fruit juices on Fe absorption. Fe absorption from laboratory ‘orange juice’ (100 ml water, 33 mg ascorbic acid and 750 mg citric acid) was significantly better than that from 100 ml water and 33 mg ascorbic acid alone (0.097 and 0.059 respectively), while Fe absorption from 100 ml orange juice (28 mg ascorbic acid) was better than that from 100 ml water containing the same amount of ascorbic acid (0.139 and 0.098 respectively). Finally, Fe absorption from laboratory ‘lemon juice’ (100 ml orange juice and 4 g citric acid) was significantly better than that from 100 ml orange juice (0.226 and 0,166 respectively).4. The corrected geometric mean Fe absorption from the rice meal was 0.025. Several fruits had little or no effect on Fe absorption from the meal (0.013–0.024). These included grape (Vitis vinifera), peach (Prunuspersica), apple (Malus sylvestris) and avocado pear (Persea americana). Fruit with a mild to moderate enhancing effect on Fe absorption (0.03 1–0.088) included strawberry (Fragaria sp.) (uncorrected values), plum (Prunus domestica), rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum), banana (Musa cavendishii), mango (Mangifera indica), pear (Pyrus cornmunis), cantaloup (Cucumis melo) and pineapple (Ananas comosus) (uncorrected values). Guava (Psidium guajava) and pawpaw (Carica papaya) markedly increased Fe absorption (0.126–0.293).5. There was a close correlation between Fe absorption and the ascorbic acid content of the fruits tested (rs 0.738, P < 0.0001). There was also a weaker but significant correlation with the citric acid content (rs 0.55, P < 0.03). Although this may have reflected a direct effect of citric acid on Fe absorption, it should be noted that fruits containing citric acid also contained ascorbic acid (rs 0.70, P < 0.002). Similarly, the negative correlation (rs –0.62, P < 0,008) between Fe absorption and the malic acid content of fruits may have been due to the fact that fruits with a high malic acid content tended to have low levels of ascorbic acid (rs–0.45, P < 0.06).6. These various results suggested that most fruits have only a limited effect on overall Fe nutrition. However, the presence of citrus fruit, guava or pawpaw would be expected to increase Fe absorption markedly from diets of low Fe availability.

No abstract

Suspensions of myosin, actomyosin and sarcoplasmic protein, isolated from beef semitendinosus muscle, were prepared at several protein concentrations and with various amounts of added sodium chloride up to 1.4M. An aliquot from each suspension was pressed between two pieces of muscle of fixed cross‐sectional area and cooked. Binding strength was estimated from the force required to separate the meat pieces. At salt concentrations up to 1M the binding strength of myosin was superior to that of actomyosin (P = 0.05 – 0.001), and that of sarcoplasmic protein was too low to be measured by the techniques that were used. However in the absence of added sodium chloride, a mixture of sarcoplasmic protein and myosin had greatest (P = 0.05) binding strength.

Pressures of the order of 100 MNm'* applied for 2.5 min or longer to postrigor muscle heated to 40-60"~ improved the tenderness of the meat when subsequently cooked. The magnitude of the effect depended on the intensity and duration of pressurization, and the temperature attained by the meat during pressurization. As judged by taste panel assessment and by shear values of the cooked meat, the properties of pressure-heat treated postrigor muscle approximated those of prerigor pressurized muscle. The process is effective in overcoming toughness associated with contracted muscle. It is suggested that the treatment operates on the myofibrillar component of toughness.