Assessment of macro, trace and toxic element intake from rice: differences between cultivars, pigmented and non-pigmented rice.

Pigmented and non-pigmented rice varieties (grown in different areas) were collected in China, Yunnan, to investigate the content of macro-, trace elements and potentially toxic elements (PTEs), and to assess the health risk associated with dietary intake. The order of elemental concentrations in rice was Mn > Zn > Fe > Cu > Se for trace elements, P > K > Mg > Ca > Na for macro elements, and Cr > As > Cd for PTEs. Rice with a high concentration of essential elements also associated with a high content of PTEs. In addition, higher content of Cr, Mn and Na were found in pigmented rice. The health risk assessment showed that the daily intake of all elements was below the tolerable limit (UL). Moreover the intake of Fe, Zn and Se was far from sufficient for the nutrient requirement. The PTEs in rice dominated the health risk. Of concern is that this rice consumption is likely to contribute to carcinogenic risks in the long term and that adults are at higher health risk from pigmented rice compared to non-pigmented rice. This study confirms that the lack of essential micronutrients in rice and the health risk associated with rice diets should remain a concern.

Physicochemical properties of Tunisian pomegranate fruits Punica granatum L. grown at different climatic zones of Yunnan, China.

The artificial cultivation of Mengzi pomegranate has been conducted on a large area for more than 30 years in Yunnan, China. As the quality of pomegranate cultivars have degraded seriously, new cultivars have gradually been introduced to meet market demand. Comparative quality evaluation of different pomegranate varieties is beneficial to guide cultivar improvement and cultural program modification. The present study investigated the differences of physicochemical characteristics of the introduced Tunisian soft-seed pomegranate in different climate zones in Yunnan, China. Meanwhile, the differences between native cultivars (Tian guan yan (TGY) and Tian lv zi (TLZ)) and introduced cultivar were also compared. It was found that the Tunisian soft-seed pomegranate grown in Huize (Tunisian pomegranate in Huize, TH) in the temperate plateau monsoon climate belt had the highest fruit weight, % of seed, TAC, TPC, TSS, amino acids, and Mn, and had the lowest organic acids and Na. While grown in the subtropical monsoon climate area Shiping (Tunisian pomegranate in Shiping, TS), the Tunisian pomegranate fruits had the highest amounts of Cu. Commonly, there were significant correlations between cultivation climate regions and fruit properties. The contents of the TSS, TAC, TPC, flavor amino acids and organic acids varied with planted climate zones. The introduced Tunisian soft-seed pomegranate has comparable levels of physicochemical characteristics with the local main cultivars in the same planted climate region. Tunisian soft-seed pomegranate of higher quality can be obtained in Huize area. Collectively, the climate difference and cultivar shift have a significant effect on pomegranate production in Yunnan, and pomegranate with good quality can be obtained by using proper cultivars in optimized climate zone.

The level variation of Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine is correlated with chlorogenic acids in Arabica L. Coffee beans under different process conditions.

Nε-(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML) is universally used as a marker of the occurrence of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in foods. This study investigated the level changes of CML, chlorogenic acids (CQAs), lysine (Lys), fat and pH in coffee during roasting. The CML level went up slowly in the first 10 mins, then declined sharply during the next 2 mins, and kept increasing constantly in the following baking time, while the lowest CML level was obtained by roasting at 235 °C for 12 mins. The three CQAs isomers had different efficacy in affecting the levels of CML and other factors, indicating the CQAs isomers may play an important role in influencing the CML level. So it might be possible to regulate the formation of CML and gain better coffee quality via adjusting the levels of CQAs in baking process. This study provided important enlightenment on CML control during coffee baking.

Soil-applied selenite increases selenium and reduces cadmium in roots of Moringa oleifera.

Deficiency of selenium (Se) will lead to malnutrition and decreased immune function of the body. There is a common phenomenon of Se deficiency in foods. In this study, different concentrations of sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) were applied to Moringa oleifera grownin soil. The purpose was to explore the feasibility of Se biofortification of M. oleifera root. The effect of exogenous Se on the accumulation of Se and cadmium (Cd) in the roots of M. oleifera was studied by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the mechanism of exogenous Se on the accumulation of Se and Cd in the roots was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with principal component analysis and partial least squares regression analysis. The results showed that Na2SeO3 significantly affected the accumulation of Se and Cd in the roots (p < 0.05). The increase in Se was highest when Na2SeO3 was around 4.0 mg/kg, which increased by 315% compared with the control. The decrease in Cd was the lowest when Na2SeO3 was around 2.0 mg/kg, which decreased by 80% compared with the control. The results of FTIR analysis showed that Na2SeO3 treatment changed the carboxylate, phosphate radical, hemicellulose and protein in roots of M. oleifera, while the increase of Se was related to hemicellulose, protein, polysaccharide and lignin, and the decrease of Cd was related to hemicellulose and protein. The results showed that exogenous Se increased the accumulation of Se and inhibited the absorption of Cd. Therefore, the roots of M. oleifera can be used in Se biofortified products.

Novel 9, 10-dihydrophenanthrene derivatives from Eria bambusifolia with cytotoxicity aganist human cancer cells in vitro.

The present study was designed to identify bioactive compounds similar to those isolated from Dendrobium genus from its relative specie Eria bambusifolia. Compounds 1-10 were isolated and purified using silica gel, MCI CHP-20 gel, Sephadex LH-20, and Lichroprep RP-18 chromatography methods. Their structures were elucidated by means of extensive spectroscopic analyses. The cytotoxicity of these compounds against five human cancer cell lines was tested. Erathrins A and B (1 and 2) were new compounds, and compound 1 represented a novel carbon framework having a phenanthrene-phenylpropane unit with a dioxane moiety. Moreover, compound 1 showed selective cytotoxic activity against HL-60 cells (IC50 = 14.50 µmol·L(-1)). These results provided a basis for future development of these agents as anticancer lead compounds.