"Aglione della Valdichiana" is listed among the Traditional Agronomic and Edible Products of Italy, as it is a typical product of the Chiana Valley (Tuscany, Italy). It is also known as "elephant ...garlic", due to the dimension of its cloves, and, other than in the Italian Mediterranean area, its presence is also reported in North Africa and Southwest Asia. The current botanical classification identifies it as a leek variety (
L.), although its appearance, except for its larger dimensions, resembles that of garlic. In the present study, the spontaneous volatile emission of whole and cut cloves of "Aglione della Valdichiana" (elephant garlic), garlic, and leek has been profiled by headspace solid phase micro-extraction. The results have been subjected to statistical analyses (analysis of variance, hierarchical cluster, and principal component analysis) to assess whether the chemical profile confirmed the botanical proximity of elephant garlic and leek, rather than garlic. The phytochemical volatiles evaluation indicated a higher proximity of elephant garlic to garlic, rather than leek, at least for the Chiana Valley specimen analyzed in this study.
The chemical composition of the essential oil of flowering aerial parts of
subsp.
cultivated in central Italy, Marche region, was analyzed by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. ...Seventy-eight components, accounting for 98.71% of the whole essential oil composition, were identified and quantified. Neryl acetate showed the largest relative abundance in the composition, accounting for 15.75% of the oil, followed by
-pinene (8.21%); 4,6,9-trimethyl-8-decene-3,5-dione, (Italidione I), (7.34%);
-curcumene and
-selinene (5.37%);
-curcumene (4.83%); nerol (4.75%);
-selinene (4.68%); limonene (4.55%); linalool (4.42%), and 2,4,6,9-tetramethyl-8-decene-3,5-dione (Italidione II), (4.26%). The oil inhibited
collagenase and elastase activities, with IC
values of 36.99 ± 1.52 and 135.43 ± 6.32
g/mL, respectively. Neryl acetate, nerol, and linalool, distinctive compounds of the oil obtained from this plant, tested alone or in mixture, at the same percentages shown in the essential oil, exhibited no activity against the two enzymes. On the contrary,
-pinene and limonene, tested alone and in mixture, showed inhibitory activity on both collagenase and elastase.
As one of the last places where coffee grows spontaneously, the Harenna forest (Ethiopia) is the origin of the coffee analysed in this study. The analysis of the volatile emission of each processing ...phase evaluates the chemical fingerprint of the reactions taking place at each stage, leading to the final aroma. The green beans mainly emit non-terpene esters and alkanes. Once the roasting begins, monoterpenes are the main class until 160 °C: at this point, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine prevails in the headspaces, as main product of the Maillard reactions. This compound, with its sweet and nut-like aroma, is also detected in the brewed coffee. The shed silverskins are rich in methyl chavicol and retain the monoterpenes on the beans: as these compounds are important aroma contributors, the removal of the silverskins prior to roasting seems non-advisable. The grinding of the samples breaks the matrices and leads to drastic changes in the volatile emissions.
The aim of this work was to perform an unprecedented in-depth study on the bioactive phytochemicals of
L. Moench Tunisian landrace (Marsaouia). For this purpose, its nutritional, aroma volatile, and ...phenolic profiles were characterized, and sundry biological activities were assessed
The approximate composition revealed that total dietary fiber as the most abundant macronutrient, mainly insoluble dietary fiber, followed by total carbohydrates and proteins. In addition, okra pods were rich in K, Ca, Mg, organic acids, tocopherols, and chlorophylls. Gas Chromatography-Electron Impact Mass Spectrometry (GC-EIMS) analysis showed that oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, and phenylpropanoids were the predominant essential volatile components in
pods. A total of eight flavonols were detected by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a DAD detector and mass spectrometry by electrospray ionization (HPLC-DAD-MS/ESI); with quercetin-3-
-glucoside being the majority phenolic component, followed by quercetin-
-pentosyl-hexoside and quercetin-dihexoside. This pioneering study, evidences that Tunisian okra display promising antioxidant and cytotoxic actions, in addition to relevant inhibitory effects against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, and interesting analgesic activity.
Chemical composition, antioxidant and anti-Vibrio spp. activities of the essential oil isolated from the aerial parts of Mentha spicata L. (spearmint) are investigated in the present study. The ...effect of the essential oil on Vibrio spp. biofilm inhibition and eradication was tested using the XTT assay. A total of 63 chemical constituents were identified in spearmint oil using GC/MS, constituting 99.9% of the total identified compounds. The main components were carvone (40.8% ± 1.23%) and limonene (20.8% ± 1.12%). The antimicrobial activity against 30 Vibrio spp. strains (16 species) was evaluated by disc diffusion and microdilution assays. All microorganisms were strongly affected, indicating an appreciable antimicrobial potential of the oil. Moreover, the investigated oil exhibited high antioxidant potency, as assessed by four different tests in comparison with BHT. The ability of the oil, belonging to the carvone chemotype, to inhibit or reduce Vibrio spp. biofilm warrants further investigation to explore the use of natural products in antibiofilm adhesion and reinforce the possibility of its use in the pharmaceutical or food industry as a natural antibiotic and seafood preservative against Vibrio contamination.
Main conclusion
Salinity alters VOC profile in emitter sweet basil plants. Airborne signals by emitter plants promote earlier flowering of receivers and increase their reproductive success under ...salinity.
Airborne signals can prime neighboring plants against pathogen and/or herbivore attacks, whilst little is known about the possibility that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by stressed plants alert neighboring plants against abiotic stressors. Salt stress (50 mM NaCl) was imposed on
Ocimum basilicum
L. plants (emitters, namely NaCl), and a putative alerting-priming interaction was tested on neighboring basil plants (receivers, namely NaCl-S). Compared with the receivers, the NaCl plants exhibited reduced biomass, lower photosynthesis, and changes in the VOC profile, which are common early responses of plants to salinity. In contrast, NaCl-S plants had physiological parameters similar to those of nonsalted plants (C), but exhibited a different VOC fingerprint, which overlapped, for most compounds, with that of emitters. NaCl-S plants exposed later to NaCl treatment (namely NaCl-S + NaCl) exhibited changes in the VOC profile, earlier plant senescence, earlier flowering, and higher seed yield than C + NaCl plants. This experiment offers the evidence that (1) NaCl-triggered VOCs promote metabolic changes in NaCl-S plants, which, finally, increase reproductive success and (2) the differences in VOC profiles observed between emitters and receivers subjected to salinity raise the question whether the receivers are able to “propagate” the warning signal triggered by VOCs in neighboring companions.
L. is an annual species cultivated since antiquity for different purposes. While, in the past, hemp inflorescences were considered crop residues, at present, they are regarded as valuable raw ...materials with different applications, among which extraction of the essential oil (EO) has gained increasing interest in many fields. The aim of the present study is the evaluation of the yield and the chemical composition of the EO obtained by hydrodistillation from eleven hemp genotypes, cultivated in the same location for two consecutive growing seasons. The composition of the EOs was analyzed by GC-MS, and then subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. Sesquiterpenes represented the main class of compounds in all the EOs, both in their hydrocarbon and oxygenated forms, with relative abundances ranging from 47.1 to 78.5%; the only exception was the Felina 32 sample collected in 2019, in which cannabinoids predominated. Cannabinoids were the second most abundant class of compounds, of which cannabidiol was the main one, with relative abundances between 11.8 and 51.5%. The statistical distribution of the samples, performed on the complete chemical composition of the EOs, evidenced a partition based on the year of cultivation, rather than on the genotype, with the exception of Uso-31. Regarding the extraction yield, a significant variation was evidenced among both the genotypes and the years of cultivation.
The analysis of the effect of cultivar and olive leaves addition before the extraction on the different analytical values revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in some parameters, mainly in ...peroxide value, phenols and tocopherol contents, and oxidative stability. Aroma profiles were also influenced by the different varieties and the addition of different amounts (0% and 3%) of olive leaves. Twenty-three compounds were characterized, representing 86.1–99.2% of the total volatiles. Chétoui cultivar has the highest amount of (E)-2-hexenal, followed by Chemlali cultivar, whereas (E)-2-hexen-1-ol was the major constituent of Zalmati and crossbreeding Chemlali by Zalmati cultivars. Sensory analysis showed that Chemlali and Chétoui Zarzis possessed a high fruity, bitter, and pungent taste, whereas the Zalmati and crossbreeding Chemlali by Zalmati had a ‘green’ taste among its attributes. Indeed, the taste panel found an improvement of the oil quality when an amount of olive leaves (3%) added to the olives fruits.
Iodine biofortification has been gaining interest in recent years as a sustainable and innovative approach to eradicate iodine deficiency disorders. Studying the impact of iodine biofortification on ...plant phenotype, biochemical and physiological parameters is crucial to leverage the expertise and best practices for the agro-food industry and human health. The aim of this study was to evaluate iodine biofortification on the main quantitative and qualitative traits of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) plants cultivated both in open field and in growth chamber. The impact of KI and KIO3 treatments was evaluated on biomass production, as well as on the synthesis of phenolic compounds, especially rosmarinic acid and other caffeic acid derivatives, and on the essential oil (EO) composition. These compounds are typically accumulated in basil leaves and strongly contribute to the plant nutraceutical value and aroma. In open field, the use of increasing concentrations of both iodine salts gradually enhanced iodine accumulation in leaves, also determining an increase of the antioxidant power, total phenolics, rosmarinic acid and cinnamic acid accumulation. The composition of EO was only slightly affected by the treatments, as all the samples were characterized by a linalool chemotype and a minor alteration in their relative content was observed. A growth chamber experiment was performed to test EO variation in controlled conditions, broadening the range of iodine concentrations. In this case, plant chemotype was significantly affected by the treatments and large EO variability was observed, suggesting that iodine form and concentration can potentially influence the EO composition but that in open field this effect is overcome by environmental factors.
Main conclusion
Volatile emissions were detected for the first time in male flowers of the early-branching angiosperm
Amborella trichopoda
, suggesting a defensive and attractive double role of these ...compounds.
Flower volatile emissions were detected for the first time in male flowers of the early-branching angiosperm
Amborella trichopoda
. A mixture of seven volatile compounds is found in flower buds, with limonene resulting as the most abundant compound (67%). Further five volatiles are found in freshly opened flowers, with limonene contributing to 31.7%, followed by decanal (15.5%) and by ethyl octanoate (10.3%). While monoterpene hydrocarbons dominate in flower buds (73.6%), their emission in freshly opened flowers is reduced to 41.1%, while non-terpene derivatives are the most abundant (47.1%) chemical class. These compounds, emitted in low amounts, are possibly linked to pollen, which is considered the only reward offered for insect-pollination in this species.
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