Laser light as a promising approach to improve the nutritional value, antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoid-rich buckwheat sprouts.

Buckwheat sprouts are rich in several nutrients such as antioxidant flavonoids that have a positive impact on human health. Although there are several studies reported the positive impact of laser light on crop plants, no studies have applied laser light to enhance the nutritive values of buckwheat sprouts. Herein, the contents of health-promoting minerals, metabolites and enzymes as well as the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were determined in laser-treated (He-Ne laser, 632 nm, 5 mW) common buckwheat (CBW) and tartarybuckwheat (TBW) sprouts. Out of 49 targeted minerals, vitamins, pigments and antioxidants, more than 35 parameters were significantly increased in CBW and/or TBW sprouts by laser light treatment. Also, laser light boosted the antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory activities through inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2 and lipoxygenase activities, particularly in TBW sprouts. Accordingly, laser light could be recommended as a promising method to improve the nutritional and health-promoting values of buckwheat sprouts.

Effect of a Shading Mesh on the Metabolic, Nutritional, and Defense Profiles of Harvested Greenhouse-Grown Organic Tomato Fruits and Leaves Revealed by NMR Metabolomics.

Controlling the temperature inside a greenhouse during the summer is a problem of increasing importance in the Mediterranean countries, especially in the Spanish southeast. The metabolic profile of greenhouse tomatoes and leaves grown under conventional conditions and within the presence of a shade mesh (∼50% reduction of sunlight radiation) has been monitored. Tomatoes were weekly harvested from May to July 2017 and analyzed by NMR spectroscopy coupled to multivariate data analysis techniques, together with oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays (for antioxidant activity). Fatty acids and carotenoids profiles were unraveled by GC-FID and HPLC-DAD, respectively. To verify whether it would be possible to take advantage of different light growing conditions to potentiate a plant's defense system, leaves of the corresponding plants were collected and their methanolic extracts were analyzed by NMR toward deciphering new biomarkers, which were used to assess their antibacterial and antibiofilm activities. The presence of a shading mesh resulted in a reduction in tomato production and in smaller fruits with lower contents of sugars (glucose and fructose) and carotenoids (lycopene and ß-carotene) and higher contents of organic acids, amino acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and oleic acids) and of phenylpropanoids and flavonoids (which contributed to an increased antioxidant activity). Methanolic extracts of leaves of nonshaded plants showed a higher antibiofilm activity than that from shaded plants. This activity was well-correlated with an increase of phenolic compounds, together with some specific amino acids and organic acids from tomato leaves.

Nutritional Value of electron beam irradiated cottonseed meal in broiler chickens.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of electron beam-irradiated cottonseed meal on performance, carcass characteristics and some blood parameters of broiler chicks. Treatments were cottonseed meal (CSM) at levels of 12% and 24% (raw and irradiated at 30 kGy) and corn-soya bean meal diet (as control, without CSM and without irradiation) that used with five dietary treatments, four replicates and 10 birds of each for 42 days in completely randomized design. Feed intake (FI) and body weight gain (BWG) were recorded weekly. At 42 days of age, two birds per pen were randomly selected for the determination of carcass characteristics and blood parameters. BWG decreased with increasing levels of dietary CSM during the experiment (p < 0.05). In addition, radiation had significant positive effect in broilers fed 12% compared with those fed 24% CSM. FI in chicks fed control and diet containing 24% CSM were increased significantly in starter period. But FI was significantly decreased in broilers consumed CSM compare to the control in grower and during the experiment. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) increased with increasing levels of CSM in the diets. Relative weights of liver, gastrointestinal tract (GI), pancreas, gizzard and abdominal fat were increased by increasing levels of CSM in the diet (p < 0.05). Glucose, cholesterol, HDL, triglyceride and phosphorous concentrations increased, and LDL concentration decreased as the dietary CSM levels increased (p < 0.05). But radiation had not significant effect on blood parameters. Electron irradiation seems to be a good procedure to improve the nutritional quality of CSM, but it seems higher dose of it was needed to improve performance of chickens.

Impact of pre-harvest light spectral properties on health- and sensory-related compounds in broccoli florets.

BACKGROUND: Plants grown at different latitudes experience differences in light spectral composition. Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var italica) plants were grown in climate-controlled chambers under supplemental wavelengths (red, far-red, red + far-red or blue) from light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The light treatments were combined with two cold climate temperatures (12 and 15 °C) during broccoli head formation to investigate the effects on morphology and content of health- and sensory-related compounds: glucosinolates, flavonols, ascorbic acid and soluble sugars. RESULTS: Supplemental far-red and red + far-red light led to elongated plants and the lowest total glucosinolate content in broccoli florets. The content of quercetin was highest with supplemental red light. Vitamin C was not significantly affected by the light treatments, but 12 °C gave a higher content than 15 °C. CONCLUSION: The effects of supplemental red and far-red light suggest an involvement of phytochromes in the regulation of glucosinolates and flavonols. A shift in red:far-red ratio could cause changes in their content besides altering the morphology. The sugar and vitamin C content appears to be unaffected by these light conditions. Supplemental blue light had little effect on plant morphology and content of the health- and sensory related compounds.

Consumption of vitamin D2 enhanced mushrooms is associated with improved bone health.

Mushrooms are the best nonanimal food source of vitamin D2. Pulsed irradiation can enhance vitamin D2 in mushrooms quickly. We investigated the effect of supplementing high vitamin D2Pleurotus ferulae mushrooms in a mouse model of osteoporosis. Thirty-two female C57BL/6JNarl mice were divided into four groups including sham, ovariectomized (OVX), OVX+nonpulsed mushroom (NPM) and OVX+pulsed mushroom (PM). After 23 weeks of treatment, serum samples were analyzed for osteoblast and osteoclast indicators, as well as metabolites using NMR spectroscopy. To examine bone density, femurs were analyzed using micro-computed tomography. The NPM and PM treatment mice showed increased bone density in comparison with OVX mice. In addition, the PM mice showed higher osteoblast and lower osteoclast indicators in comparison with OVX mice. Serum metabolomics analysis indicated several metabolites that were different in PM mice, some of which could be correlated with bone health. Taken together, these results suggest that pulsed irradiated mushrooms are able to increase bone density in osteoporotic mice possibly through enhanced bone metabolism. Further studies in humans are needed to show their efficacy in preventing osteoporosis.

Light influence in the nutritional composition of Brassica oleracea sprouts.

Brassica sprouts are considered a healthy food product, whose nutritional quality can be influenced by several factors. The aim of this work was to monitor the nutritional composition changes promoted by different sprouting conditions of four varieties of Brassica oleracea (red cabbage, broccoli, Galega kale and Penca cabbage). Sprouts were grown under light/darkness cycles and complete darkness. Standard AOAC methods were applied for nutritional value evaluation, while chromatographic methods with UV-VIS and FID detection were used to determine the free amino acids and fatty acids, respectively. Mineral content was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Sprouts composition revealed them as an excellent source of protein and dietary fiber. Selenium content was one of the most distinctive feature of sprouts, being the sprouting conditions determinant for the free amino acid and fatty acids profile. The use of complete darkness was beneficial to the overall nutritional quality of the brassica sprouts studied.

Influence of day length and temperature on the content of health-related compounds in broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica).

Vegetables grown at different latitudes are exposed to various temperatures and day lengths, which can affect the content of health- and sensory-related compounds in broccoli florets. A 2 × 2 factorial experiment was conducted under controlled growth conditions, with contrasting temperatures (15/9 and 21/15 °C) and day lengths (12 and 24 h), to investigate the effect on glucosinolates, vitamin C, flavonols, and soluble sugars. Aliphatic glucosinolates, quercetin, and kaempferol were at their highest levels at high temperatures combined with a 12 h day. Levels of total glucosinolates, d-glucose, and d-fructose were elevated by high temperatures. Conversely, the content of vitamin C was highest with a 12 h day length combined with 15/9 °C. Our results indicate that temperature and day length influence the contents of health-related compounds in broccoli florets in a complex way, suggesting no general superiority of any of the contrasting growth conditions.

Safety assessment of the post-harvest treatment of button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) using ultraviolet light.

Wild mushrooms are an excellent source of vitamin D. The presence of vitamin D in mushrooms is attributed to sunlight exposure, which catalyzes the conversion of fungal ergosterol to vitamin D2 via a series of photochemical/thermal reactions. Mushroom growers now incorporate UV light treatments during processing to produce mushrooms with levels of vitamin D that compare to those in wild mushrooms. Presented herein is a comprehensive review of information relevant to the safety of introducing vitamin D mushrooms, produced using UV light technologies, to the food supply. Historical reference to the use of UV light for production of vitamin D is discussed, and studies evaluating the nutritional value and safety of vitamin D mushrooms are reviewed. Traditional safety evaluation practices for food additives are not applicable to whole foods; therefore, the application of substantial equivalence and history-of-safe-use is presented. It was demonstrated that vitamin D in mushrooms, produced using UV light technologies, are equivalent to vitamin D in mushrooms exposed to sunlight, and that UV light has a long-history of safe use for production of vitamin D in food. Vitamin D mushrooms produced using UV light technologies were therefore considered safe and suitable for introduction to the marketplace.