Sunflower oil is naturally rich in both unsaturated fatty acids and numerous minor components, with high levels of α-tocopherol and phytosterols that could play an important role in plant protection. ...These micronutriments, tocopherols and phytosterols, also exhibit health benefits for humans including reducing both cardiovascular diseases and aging disorders. α−Tocopherol represents more than 95% of total sunflower tocopherol and has the greatest vitaminic activity. Furthermore, this oil contains high amounts of β-sitosterol which is a promising health beneficial phytosterol. The objective of this study was to compare the content and composition of fatty acids, tocopherols and phytosterols in sunflower oil between different cultivars and locations in a three-year experiment, and to estimate the relationships between these minor components, fatty acids and climatic conditions. Results revealed that content and composition of these molecules are mainly determined by plant genotype. Nevertheless, the environmental conditions seemed to strongly influence the tocopherol content. The results suggest possible improvement in sunflower breeding for minor components.
In sunflower, conventional breeding is widely used for the modification of traits such as the fatty acid composition, disease resistance, and mainly for obtaining commercial oil with high oleic acid ...content. There is a growing interest on tocopherols and phytosterols present in sunflower, due to their human health benefits. This emphasizes the need of studies on breeding programs for these bioactive components. A hundred of isogenic pairs of classic and its oleic version of hybrids and parental lines were cultivated in different locations in France between 2003 and 2006. The results indicated that sunflower oil is rich in α-tocopherol and β-sitosterol. However, there was little correlation between traditional linoleic and oleic sunflower oils for the total tocopherol content, and no correlation for the total phytosterol content. Additionally, there was little or no effect of the oleic conversion for the tocopherol and phytosterol contents. Nevertheless, tocopherol content was significantly lower in the oleic sunflower than in the classic genotypes, but it was function of the year.
Minor compounds in vegetable oils are of health interest due to their powerful biological antioxidant properties. In order to extend the shelf life of sunflower oil, it is generally subjected to a ...refining process that can affect these desirable compounds. The main purpose of this study was to determine the effect of this chemical/physical refining process on selected minor components of sunflower oil in order to establish the nutritional quality and health properties of the oil. The oxidative stability, contents of fatty acids, tocopherols, phytosterols, reducing capacity, β-carotene, chlorophyll, and squalene were studied during six refining steps. Quantitative data showed the evolution of oil quality according to its degree of refinement. The results showed a significant decrease for all of the minor compounds analyzed, with losses in carotenoids of 98.6%, 8.5% in tocopherols, 19.5% in phytosterols and 45.0% in squalene. The highest reductions were recorded for the compounds that alter the most the visual aspects of the oil (waxes, carotenoids and chlorophylls) whereas reduction was limited for the compounds with no impact on the organoleptic quality. The losses in the compounds of health interest should be minimized by improving the refining processes and/or having a greater content of those molecules in crude oil by breeding new performing varieties.
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In this study, a comparison was made of the chemical makeup of different extracts obtained from
, a type of red seaweed that was gathered from the Nador lagoon situated in the northern part of ...Morocco. Additionally, their anti-diabetic and antioxidant properties were investigated. The application of GC-MS technology to analyze the fatty acid content of the samples revealed that linoleic acid and eicosenoic acid were the most abundant unsaturated fatty acids across all samples, with palmitic acid and oleic acid following in frequency. The HPLC analysis indicated that ascorbic and kojic acids were the most prevalent phenolic compounds, while apigenin was the most common flavonoid molecule. The aqueous extract exhibited significant levels of polyphenols and flavonoids, registering values of 381.31 ± 0.33 mg GAE/g and 201.80 ± 0.21 mg QE/g, respectively. Furthermore, this particular extract demonstrated a remarkable ability to scavenge DPPH radicals, as evidenced by its IC
value of 0.17 ± 0.67 mg/mL. In addition, the methanolic extract was found to possess antioxidant properties, as evidenced by its ability to prevent β-carotene discoloration, with an IC
ranging from 0.062 ± 0.02 mg/mL to 0.070 ± 0.06 mg/mL. In vitro study showed that all extracts significantly inhibited the enzymatic activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Finally, molecular docking models were applied to assess the interaction between the primary phytochemicals identified in
extracts and the human pancreatic α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. The findings suggest that these extracts contain bioactive substances capable of reducing enzyme activity more effectively than the commercially available drug acarbose.
Sunflower oil is well known because of its diversity of fatty acids profiles which allow different uses (food: dressing salads, margarines; nonfood: agrofuel, lubricants). Besides, crude oil contains ...high amounts of desirable minor components (tocopherols, phytosterols, polyphenols, phospholipids...) that present important nutritional features with a positive impact on human health. The different steps of the refining process have as main objective to remove contaminants and other compounds that could hamper the continuity of the process or alter oil during storage. An indirect consequence of this treatment used to preserve food safety is that micronutriments of interest are also partially eliminated reducing the nutritional quality of the oil. This review describes in the first part the chemical composition of sunflower oil focusing on desirable and undesirable components. In the second part the refining process is detailed following the losses of micronutriments at each step of the process and the elimination of unwanted compounds. L’huile de tournesol est bien connue pour la diversité de ses profils d’acides gras qui permettent des usages variés (alimentaires – huile de table et margarines – ou non alimentaires – agrocarburants et lubrifiants). En outre, l’huile brute contient aussi de grandes quantités de composés mineurs souhaitables (tocophérols, phytostérols, polyphénols, phospholipides...) aux caractéristiques nutritionnelles importantes et à impact positif sur la santé humaine. Les différentes étapes du raffinage ont pour principal objectif d’éliminer les contaminants et les composants susceptibles d’entraver la suite du process ou de provoquer une altération de l’huile au stockage. La conséquence indirecte de ce traitement destiné à préserver la sécurité alimentaire est que les micronutriments d’intérêt sont partiellement éliminés réduisant ainsi la qualité nutritionnelle de l’huile. Dans une première partie, cette revue décrit la composition chimique de l’huile de tournesol en distinguant les composés recherchés et indésirables. La seconde partie examine le procédé de raffinage en suivant les pertes de micronutriments à chaque étape du procès ainsi que l’élimination des produits indésirables.
In this research, the chemical compositions of various extracts obtained from Ulva lactuca, a type of green seaweed collected from the Nador lagoon in the northern region of Morocco, were compared. ...Their antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties were also studied. Using GC–MS technology, the fatty acid content of the samples was analyzed, revealing that palmitic acid, eicosenoic acid, and linoleic acid were the most abundant unsaturated fatty acids present in all samples. The HPLC analysis indicated that sinapic acid, naringin, rutin, quercetin, cinnamic acid, salicylic acid, apigenin, flavone, and flavanone were the most prevalent phenolic compounds. The aqueous extract obtained by maceration showed high levels of polyphenols and flavonoids, with values of 379.67 ± 0.09 mg GAE/g and 212.11 ± 0.11 mg QE/g, respectively. This extract also exhibited an impressive ability to scavenge DPPH radicals, as indicated by its IC50 value of 0.095 ± 0.12 mg/mL. Additionally, the methanolic extract obtained using the Soxhlet method demonstrated antioxidant properties by preventing β-carotene discoloration, with an IC50 of 0.087 ± 0.14 mg/mL. Results from in-vitro studies showed that extracts from U. lactuca were able to significantly inhibit the enzymatic activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Among the various extracts, methanolic extract (S) has been identified as the most potent inhibitor, exhibiting a statistically similar effect to that of acarbose. Furthermore, molecular docking models were used to evaluate the interaction between the primary phytochemicals found in these extracts and the human pancreatic α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. These findings suggest that U. lactuca extracts contain bioactive substances that are capable of reducing enzyme activity more effectively than the commercially available drug, acarbose.
We report the synthesis of two novel halogenated nitro-arylhimachalene derivatives: 2-bromo-3,5,5,9-tetramethyl-1-nitro-6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-5H-benzo7annulene (bromo-nitro-arylhimachalene) and ...2-chloro-3,5,5,9-tetramethyl-1,4-dinitro-6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-5H-benzo7annulene (chloro-dinitro-arylhimachalene). These compounds were derived from arylhimachalene, an important sesquiterpene component of Atlas cedar essential oil, via a two-step halogenation and nitration process. Characterization was performed using 1H and 13C NMR spectrometry, complemented by X-ray structural analysis. Quantum chemical calculations employing density functional theory (DFT) with the Becke3-Lee-Yang-parr (B3LYP) functional and a 6-31++G(d,p) basis set were conducted. The optimized geometries of the synthesized compounds were consistent with X-ray structure data. Frontier molecular orbitals and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) profiles were identified and discussed. DFT reactivity indices provided insights into the compounds’ behaviors. Moreover, Hirshfeld surface and 2D fingerprint analyses revealed significant intermolecular interactions within the crystal structures, predominantly H–H and H–O contacts. Molecular docking studies demonstrate strong binding affinities of the synthesized compounds to the active site of protein 7B2W, suggesting potential therapeutic applications against various isolated smooth muscles and neurotransmitters.
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In Europe, there is an increasing interest in pulses both for their beneficial effects in cropping systems and for human health. However, despite these advantages, the acreage dedicated to pulses has ...been declining and their diversity has reduced, particularly in European temperate regions, due to several social and economic factors. This decline has stimulated a political debate in the EU on the development of plant proteins. By contrast, in Southern countries, a large panel of minor pulses is still cropped in regional patterns of production and consumption. The aim of this paper is to investigate the potential for cultivation of minor pulses in European temperate regions as a complement to common pulses. Our assumption is that some of these crops could adapt to different pedoclimatic conditions, given their physiological adaptation capacity, and that these pulses might be of interest for the development of innovative local food chains in an EU policy context targeting protein autonomy. The research is based on a systematic review of 269 papers retrieved in the Scopus database (1974–2019), which allowed us to identify 41 pulses as candidate species with protein content higher than 20% that are already consumed as food. For each species, the main agronomic (e.g., temperature or water requirements) and nutritional characteristics (e.g., proteins or antinutritional contents) were identified in their growing regions. Following their agronomic characteristics, the candidate crops were confronted with variability in the annual growing conditions for spring crops in Western European temperate areas to determine the earliest potential sowing and latest harvest dates. Subsequently, the potential sum of temperatures was calculated with the Agri4cast database to establish the potential climatic suitability. For the first time, 21 minor pulses were selected to be grown in these temperate areas and appear worthy of investigation in terms of yield potential, nutritional characteristics or best management practices.
Remote sensing using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for weed detection is a valuable asset in agriculture and is vastly used for site-specific weed control. Alongside site-specific methods, ...time-specific weed control is another critical aspect of precision weed control where, by using different models, it is possible to determine the time of weed species emergence. This study combined site-specific and time-specific weed control methods to explore their collective benefits for precision weed control. Using the AlertInf model, a weed emergence prediction model, the cumulative emergence of Sorghum halepense was calculated, following the selection of the best date for the UAV survey when the emergence was predicted to be at 96%. The survey was executed using a UAV with visible range sensors, resulting in an orthophoto with a resolution of 3 cm, allowing for good weed detection. The orthophoto was post-processed using two separate methods: an artificial neural network (ANN) and the visible atmospherically resistant index (VARI) to discriminate between the weeds, the crop, and the soil. Finally, a model was applied for the creation of prescription maps with different cell sizes (0.25 m2, 2 m2, and 3 m2) and with three different decision-making thresholds based on pixels identified as weeds (>1%, >5%, and >10%). Additionally, the potential savings in herbicide use were assessed using two herbicides (Equip and Titus Mais Extra) as examples. The results show that both classification methods have a high overall accuracy of 98.6% for ANN and 98.1% for VARI, with the ANN having much better results concerning user/producer accuracy and Cohen’s Kappa value (k=83.7 ANN and k=72 VARI). The reduction percentage of the area to be sprayed ranged from 65.29% to 93.35% using VARI and from 42.43% to 87.82% using ANN. The potential reduction in herbicide use was found to be dependent on the area. For the Equip herbicide, this reduction ranged from 1.32 L/ha to 0.28 L/ha for the ANN; with VARI the reduction in the amounts used ranged from 0.80 L/ha to 0.15 L/ha. Meanwhile, for Titus Mais Extra herbicide, the reduction ranged from 46.06 g/ha to 8.19 g/ha in amounts used with the ANN; with VARI the amount reduction ranged from 27.77 g/ha to 5.32 g/ha. These preliminary results indicate that combining site-specific and timespecific weed control might significantly reduce herbicide use with direct benefits for the environment and on-farm variable costs. Further field studies are needed for the validation of these results.
Highlights - Efficacy of UAVs and emergence predictive models for weed control have been confirmed. - Combination of time-specific and site-specific weed control provides optimal results. - Use of timely prescription maps can substantially reduce herbicide use.
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