Cultivar was more influential than bacterial strain and other experimental factors in recovery of Escherichia coli O157:H7 populations from inoculated live Romaine lettuce plants.

The varied choice of bacterial strain, plant cultivar, and method used to inoculate, retrieve, and enumerate Escherichia coli O157:H7 from live plants could affect comparability among studies evaluating lettuce-enterobacterial interactions. Cultivar, bacterial strain, incubation time, leaf side inoculated, and sample processing method were assessed for their influence in recovering and quantifying E. coli O157:H7 from live Romaine lettuce. Cultivar exerted the strongest effect on E. coli O157:H7 counts, which held up even when cultivar was considered in interactions with other factors. Recovery from the popularly grown green Romaine "Rio Bravo" was higher than from the red variety "Outredgeous." Other modulating variables were incubation time, strain, and leaf side inoculated. Sample processing method was not significant. Incubation for 24 hours post-lettuce inoculation yielded greater counts than 48 hours, but was affected by lettuce cultivar, bacterial strain, and leaf side inoculated. Higher counts obtained for strain EDL933 compared to a lettuce outbreak strain 2705C emphasized the importance of selecting relevant strains for the system being studied. Inoculating the abaxial side of leaves gave higher counts than adaxial surface inoculation, although this factor interacted with strain and incubation period. Our findings highlight the importance of studying interactions between appropriate bacterial strains and plant cultivars for more relevant research results, and of standardizing inoculation and incubation procedures. The strong effect of cultivar exerted on the E. coli O157:H7-lettuce association supports the need to start reporting cultivar information for illness outbreaks to facilitate the identification and study of plant traits that impact food safety risk.IMPORTANCEThe contamination of Romaine lettuce with Escherichia coli O157:H7 has been linked to multiple foodborne disease outbreaks, but variability in the methods used to evaluate E. coli O157:H7 association with live lettuce plants complicates the comparability of different studies. In this study, various experimental variables and sample processing methods for recovering and quantifying E. coli O157:H7 from live Romaine lettuce were assessed. Cultivar was found to exert the strongest influence on E. coli O157:H7 retrieval from lettuce. Other modulating factors were bacterial incubation time on plants, strain, and leaf side inoculated, while sample processing method had no impact. Our findings highlight the importance of selecting relevant cultivars and strains, and of standardizing inoculation and incubation procedures, in these types of assessments. Moreover, results support the need to start reporting cultivars implicated in foodborne illness outbreaks to facilitate the identification and study of plant traits that impact food safety risk.

Vermicompost as an alternative substrate to peat moss for strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) in soilles culture.

BACKGROUND: Consecutive droughts and quantitative and qualitative reduction of surface and underground water resources have caused an increase in greenhouse and hydroponic cultivation for most garden crops, including strawberries, in Iran. On the other hand, most of the inputs of greenhouse crops in Iran are imported. To possibility of replacing vermicompost with peat moss under hydroponic cultivation, an experiment was done in a split plot based on randomized complete blocks design in three replications in Isfahan (Iran) Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center in 2019. The main treatment was substrate at four levels included different levels of vermicompost (30 and 50%) and peat moss (30 and 50%) in combination with perlite and sub-treatment were Selva and Camarosa cultivars. RESULTS: The results showed that Camarosa cultivar and Selva cultivar in (perlite/ peat moss 50:50) and Selva cultivar in (perlite / vermicompost 70:30) had maximum yield. Leaf number and chlorophyll index were maximum in Camarosa cultivar in peat moss substrates. Strawberry cultivars had the highest root fresh weight, the content of vitamin C and total soluble solids (TSS) in substrates containing vermicompost. Camarosa cultivar in (perlite / peat moss50:50) and Selva cultivar in (perlite /vermicompost 50:50) had maximum root dry weight. Also, the highest number of inflorescences was related to substrates containing peat moss and (perlite /vermicompost 70:30). Maximum amount of fresh and dry weight of shoots were observed in (perlite/ peat moss70:30). Selva cultivar had more inflorescences (16.5%) than Camarosa cultivar and Camarosa cultivar produced more fresh and dry weight of shoots (16.5%, 23.01%) than Selva cultivar. CONCLUSION: Expriment results highlighted the importance of considering both main and sub-treatments in agricultural research, as they interacted to influence various growth and yield parameters. 50% vermicompost treatment combined with perlite had a positive impact on plant growth and in quality index such as vitamin C content and TSS was highest. while the choice of cultivar affected different aspects of plant development. Selva cultivar was known to be more tolerant to salinity caused by vermicompost. Vermicompost is local and more economical, also salt resistant cultivars are recommended in a controlled (30%) amount of vermicompost.

[Exploration of cross-cultivar group characteristics of a new cultivar of Prunus mume 'Zhizhang Guhong Chongcui'].

'Zhizhang Guhong Chongcui' is a new cultivar of Prunus mume with cross-cultivar group characteristics. It has typical characteristics of cinnabar purple cultivar group and green calyx cultivar group. It has green calyx, white flower, and light purple xylem, but the mechanism remains unclear. In order to clarify the causes of its cross-cultivar group traits, the color phenotype, anthocyanin content and the expression levels of genes related to anthocyanin synthesis pathway of 'Zhizhang Guhong Chongcui', 'Yuxi Zhusha' and 'Yuxi Bian Lü'e' were determined. It was found that the red degree of petals, sepals and fresh xylem in branches was positively correlated with the total anthocyanin content. MYBɑ1, MYB1, and bHLH3 were the key transcription factor genes that affected the redness of the three cultivars of flowers and xylem. The transcription factors further promoted the high expression of structural genes F3'H, DFR, ANS and UFGT, thereby promoting the production of red traits. Combined with phenotype, anthocyanin content and qRT-PCR results, it was speculated that the white color of petals of 'Zhizhang Guhong Chongcui' were derived from the high expression of FLS, F3'5'H, LAR and ANR genes in other branches of cyanidin synthesis pathway, and the low expression of GST gene. The green color of sepals might be originated from the relatively low expression of F3'H, DFR and ANS genes. The red color of xylem might be derived from the high expression of ANS and UFGT genes. This study made a preliminary explanation for the characteristics of the cross-cultivar group of 'Zhizhang Guhong Chongcui', and provided a reference for molecular breeding of flower color and xylem color of Prunus mume.

Polyphenolic profile and antioxidant properties of Momordica charantia L. 'Enaja' cultivar grown in Romania.

This is the first study describing phenolics of Momordica charantia L. 'Enaja' cultivar (bitter melon) produced in Romania. Total polyphenol content, total tannin content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of bitter melon stems and leaves, young fruits, and ripe fruits grown in Romania were analysed, along with fruits imported from India. The UPLC-DAD analysis led to the identification of (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, luteolin-3',7-di-O-glucoside, luteolin-7-O-glucoside and vanillic acid. (-)-Epicatechin (859 µg/g) and (+)-catechin (1677 µg/g) were the most abundant compounds in stems and leaves, while in the ripe fruits, luteolin-7-O-glucoside (310 µg/g) was the main phenolic. Stems and leaves were the most active for capturing free DPPH radicals (IC50 = 216.9 ± 11.91 µg/ml); the scavenging activity strongly correlated with the flavonoid content (r = 0.8806, r2 = 0.7754). Momordica charantia fruits from Romania, both young and ripe, are a source of polyphenols as valuable as those imported from India.

Exploration of cross-cultivar group characteristics of a new cultivar of Prunus mume 'Zhizhang Guhong Chongcui' / 生物工程学报

'Zhizhang Guhong Chongcui' is a new cultivar of Prunus mume with cross-cultivar group characteristics. It has typical characteristics of cinnabar purple cultivar group and green calyx cultivar group. It has green calyx, white flower, and light purple xylem, but the mechanism remains unclear. In order to clarify the causes of its cross-cultivar group traits, the color phenotype, anthocyanin content and the expression levels of genes related to anthocyanin synthesis pathway of 'Zhizhang Guhong Chongcui', 'Yuxi Zhusha' and 'Yuxi Bian Lü'e' were determined. It was found that the red degree of petals, sepals and fresh xylem in branches was positively correlated with the total anthocyanin content. MYBɑ1, MYB1, and bHLH3 were the key transcription factor genes that affected the redness of the three cultivars of flowers and xylem. The transcription factors further promoted the high expression of structural genes F3'H, DFR, ANS and UFGT, thereby promoting the production of red traits. Combined with phenotype, anthocyanin content and qRT-PCR results, it was speculated that the white color of petals of 'Zhizhang Guhong Chongcui' were derived from the high expression of FLS, F3'5'H, LAR and ANR genes in other branches of cyanidin synthesis pathway, and the low expression of GST gene. The green color of sepals might be originated from the relatively low expression of F3'H, DFR and ANS genes. The red color of xylem might be derived from the high expression of ANS and UFGT genes. This study made a preliminary explanation for the characteristics of the cross-cultivar group of 'Zhizhang Guhong Chongcui', and provided a reference for molecular breeding of flower color and xylem color of Prunus mume.

The Systematics, Reproductive Biology, Biochemistry, and Breeding of Sea Buckthorn-A Review.

Both the fruit flesh and seeds of sea buckthorn have multiple uses for medicinal and culinary purposes, including the valuable market for supplementary health foods. Bioactive compounds, such as essential amino acids, vitamins B, C, and E, carotenoids, polyphenols, ursolic acid, unsaturated fatty acids, and other active substances, are now being analyzed in detail for their medicinal properties. Domestication with commercial orchards and processing plants is undertaken in many countries, but there is a large need for improved plant material with high yield, tolerance to environmental stress, diseases, and pests, suitability for efficient harvesting methods, and high contents of compounds that have medicinal and/or culinary values. Applied breeding is based mainly on directed crosses between different subspecies of Hippophae rhamnoides. DNA markers have been applied to analyses of systematics and population genetics as well as for the discrimination of cultivars, but very few DNA markers have as yet been developed for use in selection and breeding. Several key genes in important metabolic pathways have, however, been identified, and four genomes have recently been sequenced.

Basic Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Activity and Selected Polyphenolic Compounds Profile in Garlic Leaves and Bulbs Collected at Various Stages of Development.

Garlic is commonly used as vegetable or spice and as a herb in folklore as well as traditional medicine in many countries. The current study aimed to compare the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and the content of selected polyphenolic compounds in cloves as well as leaves of winter garlic plants of the Harnas and Ornak cultivars, which are of Polish origin. Garlic was grown from cloves for three years (2018-2020) in the experimental field of the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland. The research material was harvested on three dates: May; June, unripe garlic plants; and in July, the plant at full maturity. The content of vitamin C in the fresh material was determined. The proximate analysis was determined in the freeze-dried plants of garlic, and the total carbohydrate content was calculated. The antioxidant activity and the content of selected polyphenolic compounds were also determined. Garlic cloves showed a higher content of dry matter, and total carbohydrates than the leaves of garlic plants. On the other hand, in the leaves, a significantly higher content of protein, total fat and ash were observed. Additionally, garlic leaves were characterised by a higher content of vitamin C, total polyphenols, and a higher antioxidant activity than garlic cloves. The leaves of young garlic plants from the May harvest were distinguished by a higher content of these compounds. The dominant phenolic compounds were catechin and epicatechin. The leaves of young plants can be a valuable source of bioactive substances, especially in early spring.

Effect of Predry-treatment on the bioactive constituents and quality of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) oil from three cultivars growing in China.

Avocado oil has gained a lot of favor in foods and cosmetics because of its high-quality fatty acid composition and bioactive components. This study aimed to compare the effect of various predry-treatments on the yield and quality of avocado oil from three Chinese avocado (Persea americana Mill.) varieties (Hass, Reed, and Pinkerton). The results showed that drying methods had significant effect on the avocado oil yield and its composition. Among the three drying methods the highest yield was obtained by freeze drying, and Hass showed the highest yield in the three avocado varieties with its oil owning the lowest peroxide and anisidine value. Reed oil owned the highest levels of functional micronutrients (e.g., tocopherols, phenolics, squalene). Vacuum drying resulted in higher concentrations of tocopherols, phytosterols, phenolics, squalene, and thus rendered greater DPPH and ABTS scavenging activity. These results are important to improve the quality of Chinese avocado oil.

Characterization of Health Beneficial Components in Discarded Leaves of Three Escarole (Cichorium endivia L.) Cultivar and Study of Their Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities.

Plants of genus Cichorium (Asteraceae) can be used as vegetables with higher nutritional value and as medicinal plants. This genus has beneficial properties owing to the presence of a number of specialized metabolites such as alkaloids, sesquiterpene lactones, coumarins, unsaturated fatty acids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins. Cichorium endivia L., known as escarole, has achieved a common food status due to its nutritionary value, bitter taste, and the presence of healthy components, and is eaten cooked or raw in salads. Presently, wastes derived from the horticultural crops supply chain are generated in very large amounts. Vegetable waste comprises the discarded leaves of food sources produced during collection, handling, transportation, and processing. The external leaves of Cichorium endivia L. are a horticultural crop that is discarded. In this work, the phytochemical profile, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities of hydroalcoholic extract obtained from discarded leaves of three cultivars of escarole (C. endivia var. crispum 'Capriccio', C. endivia var. latifolium 'Performance' and 'Leonida') typical horticultural crop of the Campania region were investigated. In order to describe a metabolite profile of C. endivia cultivars, the extracts were analysed by HR/ESI/Qexactive/MS/MS and NMR. The careful analysis of the accurate masses, the ESI/MS spectra, and the 1H NMR chemical shifts allowed for the identification of small molecules belonging to phenolic, flavonoid, sesquiterpene, amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acid classes. In addition, the antioxidant potential of the extracts was evaluated using cell-free and cell-based assays, as well as their cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activity. All the extracts showed similar radical-scavenging ability while significant differences between the three investigated cultivars emerged in the cell-based assays. The obtained data were ascribed to the content of polyphenols and sesquiterpenes in the extracts. Accordingly, C. endivia by-products can be deemed an interesting material for healthy product formulations.

Development and authentication of Panax ginseng cv. Sunhong with high yield and multiple tolerance to heat damage, rusty roots and lodging.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng) has been used as a valuable medicinal plant in Asia, and the demand for ginseng production for health functional food is increasing worldwide after the COVID-19 crisis. Although a number of cultivars have been developed to increase ginseng production, none of them were widely cultivated in Korea because they could not resist various environmental stresses while being grown in one place for at least 4 years. To address this, Sunhong was developed as a ginseng cultivar with high yield and multiple stress tolerance by pure line selection. Sunhong showed high yield and heat tolerance comparable to Yunpoong, a representative high-yielding cultivar, and exhibited 1.4 times lower prevalence of rusty roots than Yunpoong, suggesting that Sunhong can keep its high yield and quality during long-term cultivation. In addition, distinct color and lodging resistance were expected to increase the convenience of cultivation. To supply pure seeds to farmers, we also established a reliable high-throughput authentication system for Sunhong and seven ginseng cultivars through genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) analysis. The GBS approach enabled to identify a sufficient number of informative SNPs in ginseng, a heterozygous and polyploid species. These results contribute to the improvement of yield, quality, and homogeneity, and therefore promote the ginseng industry. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13580-023-00526-x.

Influence of cultivar and fertilization treatment on the yield and leaf nutrients content of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.).

Fertilisation strategy can have a big impact on apple (Malus domestica Borkh) yield, with considerable environmental and economic implications. This research paper presents the yield and leaf nutrients content of three apple cultivars fertilised with three treatment regimes over 2 years (2020-202) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The specific apple cultivars investigated were: Jonagold Decosta, Red Idared and Gala Schnitzer®Schniga, each fertilised with three treatments: T1 (control‒without fertilization); T2 (300 kg ha-1 NPK (6:18:36) + 150 kg/ha N (calcium ammonium nitrate‒CAN)) and T3 (foliar nutrition‒mixture organic-mineral fertilizer commercially named "FitoFert Kristal" (0.6%) (10:40:10) + "FitoFert Kristal" (0.6%) (20:20:20) + "FoliFetril Ca" (0.5%) (N:Ca)) in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period of two years (2020-2021). Significant differences of different yield categories (yield per tree, yield per hectare and yield efficiency) were found among cultivar/treatment combinations, cultivars, treatments and years. Yield per tree, yield per hectare and yield efficiency were lowest in cultivar Jonagold DeCosta. Fertilization treatment T1 significantly influenced the lowest yield per tree and yield per hectare with the magnitudes 7.55 kg tree-1 and 27.96 t ha-1, respectively. The highest yield efficiency was found in trees fertilised with treatment T3 with 9.21 55 kg tree-1, 34.11 96 t ha-1 and yield efficiency of 0.25 kg cm-2. Six mineral elements in the apple leaf, such as boron (B), calcium (Ca), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), potassium (K), and zinc (Zn), were presented in known magnitudes. The cultivar Jonagold DeCosta's leaves had the highest K, B, and Zn contents with 8500.8 mg kg-1 FW (i.e. fresh weight of leaves), 33.8 mg kg-1 FW, and 12.2 mg kg-1 FW, respectively, while cultivar Red Idared's leaves had the highest Ca, Fe, and Mg contents. The fertilisation treatment T3 influenced significantly the highest content of Ca (301.37 mg kg-1 FW), Fe (116.5 mg kg-1 FW), B (41.6 mg kg-1 FW), Mn (22.4 mg kg-1 FW), and Zn (14.9 mg kg-1 FW) in leaves, while the highest content of K was found in leaves from trees fertilised with treatment T2 (8130.5 mg kg-1 FW). The experimental outcomes have proven that the cultivar/treatment combinations, cultivars, treatments, and time duration (in years) are the key factors affecting the potassium, calcium, iron, boron, and manganese contents. It was concluded that the foliar application enables easier mobility of elements, which results in a greater number of fruits and larger fruits, which leads to a higher yield. This study is the first of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the findings of this research will pave the way for future research activities involving increasing the number of cultivars and different fertilisation treatments on apple yield and leaf mineral composition.

Comprehensive Microbiome and Metabolome Analyses Reveal the Medicinal Components of Paeonia lactiflora.

Paeonia lactiflora Pall. is not only a traditional ornamental plant, but also an important medicinal plant. Currently, some P. lactiflora cultivars are used for ornamental purposes, but their potential medicinal value is ignored. To explore the medicinal potential of the ornamental varieties, the medicinal cultivar 'Hangbaishao' (HS) and the ornamental cultivar 'Zifengyu' (ZFY) were selected, and microbiome and metabolome analyses were performed to compare the composition of the endophytes and metabolites in the roots. The diversity and abundance of bacteria were not significantly different between HS and ZFY; however, the diversity and abundance of endophytic fungi in the ornamental cultivar ZFY were much higher than those in the medicinal cultivar HS. The flavonoids and phenolic acid contents of the ornamental cultivar ZFY were significantly higher than those of the medicinal cultivar HS, indicating that ZFY has medicinal value. The differences in root endophytes between HS and ZFY may lead to differences in phenolic acids and flavonoids. To explore the relationship between endophytes and the accumulation of phenolic acids and flavonoids, a joint analyses of the microbiome and metabolome were performed. The key bacterium, Ruminococcaceae bacterium GD7, led to the accumulation of phenolic acids and flavonoids in the ZFY. This study contributes to future research on the potential medicinal value of ornamental P. lactiflora and provides a new approach for realizing the 'dual use of medicine and appreciation' of P. lactiflora.

Composition and Biological Properties of Blanched Skin and Blanch Water Belonging to Three Sicilian Almond Cultivars.

The almond industry produces, by bleaching and stripping, two by-products: blanched skin (BS) and blanch water (BW). The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional and polyphenolic profile, as well as the antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, and potential prebiotic effects of BS and BW from three different Sicilian cultivars. The total phenols and flavonoids contents were ≥1.72 and ≥0.56 g gallic acid equivalents and ≥0.52 and ≥0.18 g rutin equivalents/100 g dry extract (DE) in BS and BW, respectively. The antioxidant activity, evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging ability, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, ferric-reducing antioxidant power, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity, was ≥3.07 and ≥0.83 g trolox equivalent/100 g DE in BS and BW, respectively. Isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside was the most abundant flavonoid detected in both by-products. No antimicrobial effect was recorded, whereas BS samples exerted antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus 1 (EC50 160.96 µg/mL). BS also showed high fibre (≥52.67%) and protein (≥10.99) contents and low fat (≤15.35%) and sugars (≤5.55%), making it nutritionally interesting. The present study proved that the cultivar is not a discriminating factor in determining the chemical and biological properties of BS and BW.

Effect of Low Water Availability on Seed Yield and Seed Quality of Basil (Ocimum basilicum).

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an aromatic and medicinal plant with important properties and is used as an alternative crop in many countries of the world because of its medicinal, economic, industrial, and nutritional importance. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of low water availability on seed production and seed quality of five cultivars of basil (Mrs Burns, Cinnamon, Sweet, Red Rubin, and Thai). Irrigation levels and cultivars affected seed yield and thousand seed weight. In addition, plants that were exposed to low water availability produced seeds that germinated in a greater percentage. Additionally, root length was increased as the PEG concentration was increased in the germination solution and was affected by the low water availability of the mother plants. The length of the shoot, the length of the root and the seed vigor could not be used as indicators of low water availability on the mother plants, but these characteristics and especially the seed vigor could be used as indicators of low water availability of the seed. Furthermore, the root length and the seed vigor indicated that there is a possibility of an epigenetic effect of water availability on the seed produced under low water availability, though more work is needed.

Grafting Tomato to Manage Southern Blight, Prevent Yield Loss, and Increase Crop Value.

Southern blight, caused by the soilborne fungus Athelia rolfsii, has increased in frequency and severity in the southern United States since the use of methyl bromide fumigation ceased. The objective of this study was to evaluate three cultivars of sticky nightshade (Solanum sisymbriifolium), previously used as tomato rootstocks because of resistance to root-knot nematode, for resistance to southern blight. Field experiments in infested soil were done in Georgia in 2020 and 2021 and in South Carolina in 2021. Tomato cultivar Roadster was used as the scion. Control treatments included nongrafted 'Roadster' in all experiments and self-grafted 'Roadster' in Georgia. In all three experiments, all rootstocks significantly reduced incidence of southern blight and increased vigor ratings compared to control treatments (P ≤ 0.007). The rootstocks Maxifort, White Star, and SisSyn II, but not Diamond, significantly increased marketable weight (P ≤ 0.02) and crop value (P < 0.05) compared to control treatments. In South Carolina only, because of greater yields than in Georgia, net returns with Maxifort and White Star were significantly greater than net return with nongrafted 'Roadster' (P = 0.004). When the wholesale price for fresh market tomato is ≥$13/box, grafting may be an effective and economical management for southern blight.

Hemp Flour Particle Size Affects the Quality and Nutritional Profile of the Enriched Functional Pasta.

The rheological and chemical quality of pasta samples, which were obtained using the durum wheat semolina fortified with the hemp seed solid residue, after oil extraction, sieved at 530 µm (Hemp 1) or 236 µm (Hemp 2) at different percentages of substitution (5%, 7.5%, and 10%, were evaluated. The total polyphenolic content in hemp flour was quantified in the range of 6.38-6.35 mg GAE/g, and free radical scavenging was included in the range from 3.94-3.75 mmol TEAC/100 g in Hemp 1 and Hemp 2, respectively. The phenolic profiles determined by UHPLC-ESI/QTOF-MS showed that cannabisin C, hydroxycinnamic and protocatechuic acids were the most abundant phenolic compounds in both hemp flours. Among the amino acids, isoleucine, glutamine, tyrosine, proline, and lysine were the most abundant in raw materials and pasta samples. Although the hemp seeds were previously subjected to oil extraction, hemp flours retain about 8% of oil, and the fatty acids present in the largest amount were linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid. Characterization of the minerals showed that the concentration of macro and trace elements increased according to fortification percentage. Sensory evaluation and cooking quality indicated that the best performance in terms of process production and consumer acceptance was obtained using Hemp 2 at 7.5%. Hemp supplementation could be a potential option for producing high-quality, nutritionally rich, low-cost pasta with good color and functionality.

Comparative Investigation on the Phytochemicals and Biological Activities of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) pulp from Five Cultivars.

Jackfruit is one of the major tropical fruits, but information on the phytochemicals and biological benefits of its pulp is limited. In this study, the phytochemicals and biological activities including antioxidant, antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities of five jackfruit pulp cultivars (M1, M2, M3, M7 and T5) were comparatively investigated. A total of 11 compounds were identified in all cultivars of jackfruit pulp, among which 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and tryptophan N-glucoside were reported for the first time in jackfruit. T5 exhibited the highest total phenolic content (7.69 ± 0.73 mg GAE/g DW), antioxidant capacity (109.8, 96.7 and 207 mg VCE/g DW for DPPH, ABTS and FRAP, respectively), antitumor activity (80.31%) and anti-inflammatory activity (78.44%) among five cultivars. These results can provide a reference for growers to choose jackfruit cultivar and offer an insight into the industrial application of jackfruit pulp derived-products.

Metabolic Profiling of Chestnut Shell (Castanea crenata) Cultivars Using UPLC-QTOF-MS and Their Antioxidant Capacity.

The inner shell of the chestnut (Castanea crenata) has long been used in Asia as a medicinal herb for improving digestion and blood circulation, and treating diarrhea. However, most chestnut shells are now treated as waste materials in industrial peeling processes. In this study, we examined the metabolite variation among major cultivars of C. crenata shells using mass spectrometry. Among five representative cultivars, Okkwang, Porotan, and Ishizuuchi had higher levels of bioactive compounds, such as ellagic acid derivatives, ellagitannins, flavonoids, and gallic acid derivatives. Their antioxidant capacity was positively correlated with their chemical composition. The byproducts (whole shells) from the industrial peeling process were re-evaluated in comparison with the inner shell, a rich source of phenolic compounds. The phenolic acids and flavonoid glucoside derivatives were significantly higher in the whole shells, whereas the levels of flavonoids were higher in the inner shells. In addition, the whole shell extracts significantly reduced cellular reactive oxygen species production compared to the inner shell extracts. This study demonstrated the different biochemical benefits of different C. crenata cultivars through metabolic profiling and suggests that the whole shell could be used as a functional ingredient, as it has the highest levels of bioactive products and antioxidant effects.

Vitamin C and fruit quality consensus in breeding elite European strawberry under multiple interactions of environment.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin C is a life saving molecule. Vitamin C based breeding is need of the hour in order to provide humans an immunity boosting supplement in the form of fresh food. METHODS AND RESULTS: Multiple interactions of Anatolian Mediterranean environment were studied with cultivars ('Calinda', 'Rubygem', 'Sabrina', and 'Sahara') and fruit maturity stages. Genetic expression of six vitamin C related genes was estimated showing significantly higher expression in open field. Cultivar 'Calinda' performed better in organic acids but poor in firmness. Cultivar 'Sabrina' showed highest fruit firmness but lower commercially desired fruit quality characters. Cultivar 'Sahara' performed best for vitamin C and fruit redness, and was high in fruit size, weight, and organic acids. Chroma trends indicated simultaneous accumulation of vitamin C and anthocyanins in strawberry fruits. Transition stage of fruits was found most critical for metabolite regulation and sensitive to environmental changes. Fruits of cultivar 'Sahara' at 'Red' maturity stage expressed highest vitamin C levels (138.03 mg/100 g FW) whereas 'Turning' fruits of cultivar 'Sabrina' had lowest vitamin C content (27.80 mg/100 g FW). All studied vitamin C related genes indicate highest genetic expression for cultivar 'Sahara', except for genes FaVTC2 and FaMDHAR which exhibit highest genetic expression for cultivar 'Rubygem.' CONCLUSION: Two-way and three-way interactions between cultivars, environments, and maturity stages were significant for vitamin C and fruit quality regulation under Mediterranean climate. This indicates an absolute requisite of studying combined influences in actual field, rather than single factor, controlled, or lab experiments. Correlation analysis showed that vitamin C content in a fruit is a complex subject and mainly depends on fruit color, size, and firmness. Principal Component Analysis validated that cultivar 'Sahara' is a promising candidate for vitamin C based breeding in strawberry.

Platelet augmentation activity of mature leaf juice of Sri Lankan wild type cultivar of Carica papaya L: Insights into potential cellular mechanisms.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Carica papaya L., a common fruit crop of the family Caricaceae and its leaf juice/extract is a traditionally commended preparation against dengue and other thrombocytopenic diseases by many Asian countries. AIM OF THE STUDY: The present study posits the potential cellular mechanisms of platelet augmentation activity of mature leaf juice of Sri Lankan wild-type Carica papaya. MATERIALS AND METHODS: C. papaya leaf juice prepared from different cultivar types, maturity of the leaf, agro-climatic region, and preparation methods were orally administered to hydroxyurea-induced thrombocytopenic rats at 0.72 ml/100 g BW dosage to investigate the most potent platelet increasing preparation. The papaya juice doses; low dose (LD-0.18 ml/100 g BW), human equivalent dose (HED-0.36 ml/100 g BW), and high dose (HD-0.72 ml/100 g BW), were administered to thrombocytopenic rats (N = 6/group) daily for three consecutive days and post-treatment plasma levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), thrombopoietin (TPO), and platelet-activating factor (PAF) were quantified using specific rat ELISA kits. The mature leaf juice of C. papaya induced IL-6 secretion from bone marrow cell (BMC) cultures was quantified using ELISA. The ability of papaya juice to protect the platelet membrane, from the damage caused by the lytic agent was analyzed in vitro using the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. The effect of the mature leaf juice of C. papaya on secondary hemostasis was investigated using blood coagulation and clot hydrolyzing activity. RESULTS: The comparative analysis revealed that the platelet increasing activity of C. papaya leaf did not significantly differ among different types of cultivar, maturity of the leaf, agro-climatic regions and preparation methods (p > 0.05). Both TPO and PAF levels in thrombocytopenic rats diminished when treated with all three doses of the mature leaf juice of C. papaya (p < 0.05), yet IL-6 plasma level was unaltered (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, ex vivo treatment of the mature leaf juice of C. papaya had significantly enhanced IL-6 levels of rat BMC cultures (p < 0.05). Pre-treatment of platelets with the mature leaf juice of C. papaya at different concentrations significantly inhibited LDH leakage from platelets and may have reduced the membrane damage caused by the lytic agent (p < 0.05). Treatment of mature leaf juice of C. papaya also significantly reduced blood clotting time through the extrinsic pathway of the blood coagulation cascade (p < 0.05). Further, prolonged incubation of the plasma clot with different concentrations of the papaya leaf juice revealed dose-dependent hydrolysis of the blood clot, indicating fibrinolysis activity. CONCLUSIONS: The current study exceeded the traditional medicinal claims, and scientifically affirmed the platelet augmentation activity of mature leaf juice of C. papaya. The mechanistic rationale tested herein explicated that the platelet augmentation activity of the papaya leaf juice can be partially attributed to the stimulation of bone marrow megakaryocytes via modulating thrombopoietic cytokines TPO and IL-6, and by inhibiting the secretion of PAF, while reducing the peripheral platelet destruction by stabilizing the platelet membrane. Further, mature leaf juice of C. papaya imparted both pro-coagulation and fibrinolysis activity of secondary hemostasis endorsing its potential against thrombocytopenia.