From farm to fork and beyond! UV enhances Aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated activity of cruciferous vegetables in human intestinal cells upon colonic fermentation.

While the "farm to fork" strategy ticks many boxes in the sustainability agenda, it does not go far enough in addressing how we can improve crop nutraceutical quality. Here, we explored whether supplementary ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure during growth of broccoli and Chinese cabbage can induce bioactive tryptophan- and glucosinolate-specific metabolite accumulation thereby enhancing Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation in human intestinal cells. By combining metabolomics analysis of both plant extracts and in vitro human colonic fermentation extracts with AhR reporter cell assay, we reveal that human colonic fermentation of UVB-exposed Chinese cabbage led to enhanced AhR activation in human intestinal cells by 23% compared to plants grown without supplementary UV. Thus, by exploring aspects beyond "from farm to fork", our study highlights a new strategy to enhance nutraceutical quality of Brassicaceae, while also providing new insights into the effects of cruciferous vegetables on human intestinal health.

Controlled mechanical stimuli reveal novel associations between basil metabolism and sensory quality.

There is an increasing interest in the use of automation in plant production settings. Here, we employed a robotic platform to induce controlled mechanical stimuli (CMS) aiming to improve basil quality. Semi-targeted UHPLC-qToF-MS analysis of organic acids, amino acids, phenolic acids, and phenylpropanoids revealed changes in basil secondary metabolism under CMS, which appear to be associated with changes in taste, as revealed by different means of sensory evaluation (overall liking, check-all-that-apply, and just-about-right analysis). Further network analysis combining metabolomics and sensory data revealed novel links between plant metabolism and sensory quality. Amino acids and organic acids including maleic acid were negatively associated with basil quality, while increased levels of secondary metabolites, particularly linalool glucoside, were associated with improved basil taste. In summary, by combining metabolomics and sensory analysis we reveal the potential of automated CMS on crop production, while also providing new associations between plant metabolism and sensory quality.