#purple bacteria

[whats-in-a-sentence]

In fact there are remarkable similarities in the way electron flow is coupled to proton translocation in chloroplasts, mitochondria, and purple bacteria (Figure 7.31).

"Plant Physiology and Development" int'l 6e - Taiz, L., Zeiger, E., Møller, I.M., Murphy, A.

[adelicateculturecell]

In Order: Ciliates and purple sulfur bacteria 400x, Euglena 400x, Flagellates from a tide pool 400x, Ciliate 600x, Flaggellates 600x, Diatoms 400x, Crustaceans & grains under polarized light 40x, Closterium 400x

Journey to the Microcosmos: Relax and Enjoy the View

[ygmtwr-atrus]

I SOLVED THE MYSTERY OF PURPLE COCONUTS!

Okay, so it’s no secret I buy as many good young coconuts as I think my budget can get away with, whenever they are actually available. That said, I’m starting to see I might have a problem... not a coconut problem, that’s a whole separate issue, but let me explain this very briefly first. I’ve started to notice that even when something I really enjoy has become a daily habit to me, the moment something interrupts that habit, I seem to forget about it. I mean I seem to compulsively never pick it back up... I’ll get into that more later, but what I’m trying to get at now is that I will even forget my favorite foods exist for years at a time because I forgot to buy some and then something stressful happened. Apparently, I can even forget about my favourite foods being in my fridge if I get too stressed out (like really stressed out because usually good food in my fridge falls firmly into the “ongoing important things” box in my head and I can’t stop thinking about it till it’s gone). Point being, despite loving them so much, I got stressed out and forgot they were there (because they were in the crisper... Damn you crisper!).

By the time I remembered I was worried it had been a month (time seems a lot longer when lots of stressful or eventful things happen) But my friend who was with me when I bought them laughed and said it had only been a week (actually he said “A week ago” in a text, but I could hear him laughing, okay?). So 2-3 weeks is supposed to be their shelf life when you get them home, though I have never come close to testing that. So two of them had turned a pretty shade of violet, and smelled like slightly alcoholic overripe banana. I was pretty confident this is some kind of mold or mildew. I went to look it up to make sure it wasn’t particularly toxic (even though I probably wasn’t going to eat it anyways on account of the likelihood of it being high in amines like putricine from being old and decaying). So that’s when I got multiple eyefuls of how much the internet is a very confused place. Not a confusing place, a confused one. So with my experience of eating a lot of young coconuts, and doing a lot of reading afterward (and the fact that I am not colourblind and have a thing called common sense)... Allow me to clarify a few things, and offer some common-sense help with this issue. 1) Funny purple colour =/= it looks pinkish: Half the time I see people ask about an odd violet colour (which is most notable in the thicker whiter more developed flesh of older coconuts), multiple people starts jumping up saying a Pink/Purple colour is normal for younger, less developed, ones... Stop confusing the issue. I know it is almost an extension of human empathy to want to project what you have experienced on to other people’s experience, and I know some people are either culturally or physically colourblind but PINK and PURPLE are two different colours. In THIS context -in particular- the difference is an IMPORTANT one. PINK (a mild-ish light hue) is normal enough for very underdeveloped coconuts. Very young ones will sometimes even have clearish soft flesh that is just barely starting to grow in, BUT the flesh will also turn goopy and translucent or grey looking as it DECAYS. HOW do you tell the difference then? WELL... a coconut will only have clear flesh naturally at a very young stage of growth, and it will thicken as the meat begins to whiten, this means that if the clearness is from being underdeveloped that it will be less than a millimeter in thickness (almost not worth scraping off the sides). It will also mean that the shell is still firm and fresh with no signs of mold or decay at all. It will ALSO mean that the juice inside doesn’t slosh around (it won’t have absorbed its own juice to grow yet, so if fluid is missing -at this stage of growth- it’s because the shell’s integrity is flawed and thus it may be contaminated). It is also likely to be heavy for it’s size due to internal water and the freshness of the husk. If it is PURPLE at this stage, or smells off, or alcoholic, or reminiscent of overripe fruit, or the water is milky, it is very likely to be contaminated, despite it’s youth. 2) The purple colouration IS in all likelihood a growth (and now that I think of it, maybe even a bacteria), which sometimes also infects adult coconuts, if it was “because it has not developed white flesh yet” then it wouldn’t show up in BRIGHT WHITE decently developed 2-4mm firm flesh, and generally only when stored improperly or kept too long (BTW I’ve notice a lot of coconut products actually just give up and get dyed purple). There are bacteria known for having a purple colouration due to containing the same compounds similarly coloured plants do Like: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_sulfur_bacteria

There a thousands -or millions- of species of mold and mildew, many of which can look purple when growing in a bright white substance. It is not “oxidization” from a metal knife --which would only show over time at the points where the knife touched it, not instantly turn the whole thing purple, like some kind of knife magic--, or because of “antioxidents” that is bullshit touted by sales people and promoters that want you to buy them despite the odd colouration, at the most optimistic it would be a chemical reaction to something else infecting the coconut (like leaching formaldehyde or an anti-fungal agent) OR evidence of a way the flesh can decay if stored incorrectly.

HOWEVER if it was usually particularly toxic, we would have notice people getting sick from eating purple coconuts. THAT SAID, even if THAT mold/bacteria isn’t poison (or at least not deadly like some can be)...

a) That one kind of growth does not have a monopoly on coconuts, other more harmful species can ALSO infect coconuts -especially if you know something has gotten in there- SOME have a smell, others just make the water taste bad, some look grey and smell rancid, there’s a world of possibilities... But given the general danger of unknown mold and growths... I would have to say that if a coconut shows evidence of “shell breach” (like it turned pretty purple, smells bad or the water is brown or weird & milky) that it’s safest not to eat it...

b) Just because that mold/bacteria isn’t toxic... doesn’t mean you can’t be allergic to it, or made sick by the kinds of animes that develop in plants and animals (aka food) as it decays. I have seen no studies on the particular levels of different kinds of amines in coconut as it decays... but if it is growing things it is definitely decaying and has likely lost a lot of it’s health benefits anyway (As it is dead and rotting, mold and mildew or weird chemical reactions are part of rotting). [Someone in a lab please do a study on this PURPLE (like almost neon pastel f***ing violet, not “maybe someone thinks that’s purple-ish in the right light... but no, actually f***ing purple, purple ) colouration of some young coconuts, I’ve been trying to research any specific suspected species, or causes, but the best I can find from remotely reputable sources is “very likely mold, harmfulness unknown” kinds of answers... Though MY best guess at this whole purple coconut business... is this Purple Bacteria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_sulfur_bacteria ... Especially since the inside of a young coconut would be JUST like standing water, and it’s my impression this bacteria is generally anaerobic and can potentially live in the dark (so long as some part of the mold colony is sticking out especially), AND if coconuts aren’t naturally high in sulfur you can be sure most Anti-fungal agents ARE... so if there is already spores in it and a weak spot in the shell (coconuts come with those) and it gets sprayed with a sulfate based fungicide which also leached in... This would explain the purple, and the lack of certainty; mostly due to people -understandably- assuming it must be a mold. I have checked this as thoroughly as possible though, and cannot find any mention of this Bacteria being harmful to humans (nothing talks about the toxicology of any of the species)... so other than being evidence of what I will continue to call a “shell breach” (because I thought of it and it sounds cool)... I can’t see the harm in eating the purple itself. Also most fungicides would not stop bacterial growth... especially the kind that LITERALLY eats them for breakfast.

All this talk of sulfates said though, I can be very sensitive to too much sulfates (it gives me a rash) and what I hear from most people sensitive to them is that any amount leeching into coconuts is not enough to set off their allergies. My experience has not contradicted that. In conclusion please, labs everywhere, one of you, prove me right and end this whole debate.]

3) Coconuts have “eyes” which are weak points in the shell and depend on being kept properly to remain alive enough to resist infection, and to not be subjected to risky conditions. They are a living thing (an active seed already starting it’s path to growing into a plant). They are also high nutrient and high moisture environments with a relatively short shelf life (so whether they are sprayed externally with anti-fungals or wax dipped) once the green & tough-AF husk has been shaved off -or has shed off- they will be susceptible to various kinds of microbial type infection. Period. To pretend otherwise is silly and irresponsible. So -basically- They are a higher risk food than most, and everyone is confused (despite their willingness to be “helpful”). So, if you are colour blind, or can not use common sense or properly access and understand relevant information, or cannot tell the difference between purple and pink (for any reason)... you should probably consider NOT eating young coconuts -as much as I think they are delicious and beneficial- OR finding someone who can help you figure it out reliably (Get a certified & trustworthy adult to help you with that... They also require hitting them with a sharp & hard knife to drink AND eat them in the relatively non-destructive and recommended method. I’ve seen people use machetes, I prefer my biggest kitchen knife). To increase the chance to avoid the WHOLE problem. Try to pick out coconuts that follow the following criteria: 1) JUST appeared in the store as part of a fresh batch, preferably in stores that only orders in 5 or so at a time (or whatever amount will sell out immediately).

2) Do NOT make sloshing sounds when you shake them (they are still young and virginal, they shouldn’t have used up much of their juice themselves until they are much closer to brown adults)

3) Are -less heavy- despite a larger nut size, as this often means they have more matured rich fatty while flesh 2-4 mm thick and it will be easy to tell if they are infected, rather than underdeveloped. [They will also be way more delicious and rich and not spooning out the mildly sweet giggly white flesh is a crime and utter waste]

4) Are packaged properly. I have not personally seen them wax dipped, but that may help a lot to prevent contamination. Usually, I find them lose or wrapped in saran-wrap or cellophane type plastic. Check to make sure the bottom is neither mushy, nor dried to the point of cracking (though if cracking is the only perceived flaw they might be fine, the bottom is where the eyes are though so it might be safest just to pick another). ABSOLUTELY do NOT buy it if there is ANY external indication of mold, or -even- if the surrounding ones have mold, or if they smell musty.

5) Also be wary of any kind of discoloration, darkness or excess moisture caught in the wrapping. In fact they should smell pleasant (or at least like their wax/plastic covering a maybe lightly of fungicide depending on how sensitive your nose is, but MOSTLY almost entirely like just a spry fresh fibrous coconut husk... which is slightly nutty, with maybe almost a light wheaty, slightly sweet,  coconut bouquet)

6) are neither excessively cold or warm. Warmth will spoil them and encourage mold growth. Cold will damage their tissue and kill them, making them halt in developing, begin decaying fast, damage their shell, and make them generally susceptible to infection once they are warm. Videos abound on how to properly inspect and eat them, so go check it out if you want someone to talk you through it, but remember: Just because someone enthusiastic on the internet shared their opinion loudly in a well represented way, doesn’t make it true or reliable. Double check, cross reference to high hell, use common sense above all else, and consider your sources. ALL THAT SAID: I’ve decided I might have found a good career option for me... basically you ask me a question, possibly a difficult and tasking one, like the hypothetical process for something or obscure information, And you either pay me directly for my web-detective (though I may also use a library) work, and/or I post a video explaining the answer and my research on you-tube, and Y’all subscribe to me on Patreon. Sound good to anyone?

[currentsinbiology]

Researchers build bacteria's photosynthetic engine

Found in the bottom of lakes and ponds today, purple bacteria possess simpler photosynthetic organelles—specialized cellular subunits called chromatophores—than plants and algae. For that reason, Klaus Schulten of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC) targeted the chromatophore to study photosynthesis at the atomic level.

As a computational biophysicist, Schulten unites biologists' experimental data with the physical laws that govern the behavior of matter. This combination allows him to simulate biomolecules, atom by atom, using supercomputers. The simulations reveal interactions between molecules that are impossible to observe in the laboratory, providing plausible explanations for how molecules carry out biological functions in nature.

More information:D. Chandler, J. Strümpfer, M. Sener, S. Scheuring, and K. Schulten. "Light Harvesting by Lamellar Chromatophores in Rhodospirillum photometricum." Biophysical Journal 106, no. 11 (2014): 2503–2510. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2014.04.030.                                        

University of Illinois researchers used the Titan supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility to create a model of a complete 100-million-atom photosynthetic chromatophore. The final chromatophore model contained about 16,000 lipids and 101 proteins, including the five major types of proteins that contribute to the clockwork of processes that result in the conversion of light energy to ATP. Credit: Abhi Singharoy and Melih Sener, UIUC