Identification of Phenolic Compounds from Seed Coats of Differently Colored European Varieties of Pea (Pisum sativum L.) and Characterization of Their Antioxidant and In Vitro Anticancer Activities.

To date little has been done on identification of major phenolic compounds responsible for anticancer and antioxidant properties of pea (Pisum sativum L.) seed coat extracts. In the present study, phenolic profile of the seed coat extracts from 10 differently colored European varieties has been determined using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-linear trap quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometer technique. Extracts of dark colored varieties with high total phenolic content (up to 46.56 mg GAE/g) exhibited strong antioxidant activities (measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl or DPPH assay, and ferric ion reducing and ferrous ion chelating capacity assays) which could be attributed to presence of gallic acid, epigallocatechin, naringenin, and apigenin. The aqueous extracts of dark colored varieties exert concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects on all tested malignant cell lines (human colon adenocarcinoma LS174, human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-453, human lung carcinoma A594, and myelogenous leukemia K562). Correlation analysis revealed that intensities of cytotoxic activity of the extracts strongly correlated with contents of epigallocatechin and luteolin. Cell cycle analysis on LS174 cells in the presence of caspase-3 inhibitor points out that extracts may activate other cell death modalities besides caspase-3-dependent apoptosis. The study provides evidence that seed coat extracts of dark colored pea varieties might be used as potential cancer-chemopreventive and complementary agents in cancer therapy.

Chemical profile of major taste- and health-related compounds of Oblacinska sour cherry.

BACKGROUND: Oblacinska sour cherry, an autochthonous cultivar, is the most planted cultivar in Serbian commercial orchards. Owing to its long cultivation under different agro-ecological conditions, it is a mixture of different clones. To obtain comprehensive information on Oblacinska sour cherry fruit, the total carbohydrate composition, total phenolic content, total anthocyanin content, antioxidant activity and polyphenolic profiles of 39 clones were investigated. RESULTS: Fructose was found to be the dominant sugar, followed by glucose, sorbitol and sucrose. Rutin and chlorogenic acid were the most abundant polyphenols. Some clones contained pinobanksin, hesperetin and galangin, which, to best knowledge, is the first time these compounds have been reported in sour cherry fruit. CONCLUSION: The data obtained showed huge variation within the germplasm studied, confirming the fact that Oblacinska sour cherry is not a cultivar but a population.

Polyphenolic Profile of Pear Leaves with Different Resistance to Pear Psylla (Cacopsylla pyri).

The European pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyri L. (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is one of the most serious arthropod pests of pear. Since proper control of this pest is essential, better understanding of the complex plant-pest relationship is mandatory. This research deals with constitutive polyphenolic profiles in leaves of 22 pear cultivars of diverse origin (P. communis, P. pyrifolia, and P. pyrifolia × P. communis) and different resistance to psylla. The study was designed to show which differences in the polyphenolic profile of leaves from resistant and susceptible pear cultivars could be utilized as information in subsequent breeding programs. The results demonstrated that the leaves of Oriental pear cultivars contained much higher amounts of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid, aesculin, and naringin, that, together with detected 3-O-(6″-O-p-coumaroyl)-hexoside, apigenin, apigenin 7-O-rutinoside, and hispidulin, indicated a clear difference between the species and might represent phenolics responsible for psylla resistance.

Analysis and characterisation of phytochemicals in mulberry (Morus alba L.) fruits grown in Vojvodina, North Serbia.

In this study, the polyphenolic profile of 11 Morus alba fruits grown in the Vojvodina region was investigated. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with Linear Trap Quadrupole and OrbiTrap mass analyzer, and UHPLC coupled with a diode array detector and a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer were used for the identification and quantification of the polyphenols, respectively. A total of 14 hydroxycinnamic acid esters, 13 flavonol glycosides, and 14 anthocyanins were identified in the extracts with different distributions and contents according to the sampling. The total phenolic content ranged from 43.84 to 326.29 mg GAE/100g frozen fruit. The radical scavenging capacity (50.18-86.79%), metal chelating ability (0.21-8.15%), ferric ion reducing power (0.03-38.45 µM ascorbic acid) and superoxide anion radical scavenging activity (16.53-62.83%) were assessed. The findings indicated that mulberry polyphenolics may act as potent superoxide anion radical scavengers and reducing agents.

Chemical composition of two different extracts of berries harvested in Serbia.

Total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), free and total ellagic acid content, sugars, minerals, and radical-scavenging activity were determined in nine berries harvested in Serbia. More than 30 phenolic compounds were identified; among them, 11 polyphenols and cis,trans-abscisic acid were quantified using UHPLC coupled with an LTQ-Orbitrap XL mass analyzer. For the first time chrysin, naringenin, pinocembrin, and galangin were quantified in some of the investigated berry species. The extraction efficiency of the two extraction systems, methanol and acetone, was investigated. It was found that acetone is a better extracting solvent for TPC, whereas more TAC was extracted by methanol. TPC in acetone extracts ranged from 177.51 to 459.71 mg gallic acid equiv/100 g frozen weight. TAC ranged from 5.39 to 96.94 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/100 g frozen weight in methanol extracts. The amounts of both free and total ellagic acid were found to be higher in the acetone extract in comparison to the methanol extract.

Physicochemical, antioxidant and sensory properties of peach wine made from redhaven cultivar.

Physicochemical, sensory, and health-related characteristics of peach wine produced from Redhaven variety and selected white wines produced from various grape varieties were determined and compared. The alcohol content, titratable acidity, and total extract of peach wine was significantly lower compared with that of white wines, while its pH value was higher. The content of total phenolics (TPC) and flavonoids (TFC) of peach wine (402.53 mg/L GAE and 332.67 mg CAE/L, respectively) have been found significantly higher in comparison with that of white wines (TPC range 243.67-319.00 mg/L GAE, TFC range 129.67-175.17 mg CAE/L). The main phenolic compounds found in peach wine were chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and catechin (3.59, 0.87, and 0.60 mg/L, respectively). Antioxidant capacities were strongly correlated with total phenolics with correlation coefficients over 0.99. The highest antioxidant capacity was ascribed to peach wine. The results of sensory analysis indicated that the peach wine was very well accepted by the regular consumers of wine and can be a very interesting product in the market.