Glycosyl composition and linkage analysis of cell wall polysaccharides were examined in apical root zones excised from water-stressed and unstressed wheat seedlings (
Triticum durum Desf.) cv. ...Capeiti (“drought-tolerant”) and cv. Creso (“drought sensitive”). Wall polysaccharides were sequentially solubilized to obtain three fractions: CDTA+Na
2CO
3 extract, KOH extract and the insoluble residue (
α-cellulose). A comparison between the two genotypes showed only small variations in the percentages of matrix polysaccharides (CDTA+Na
2CO
3 plus KOH extract) and of the insoluble residues (
α-cellulose) in water-stressed and unstressed conditions. Xylosyl, glucosyl and arabinosyl residues represented more than 90
mol% of the matrix polysaccharides. The linkage analysis of matrix polysaccharides showed high levels of xyloglucans (23–39
mol%), and arabinoxylans (38–48
mol%) and a low amount of pectins and (1→3), (1→4)-
β-
d-glucans. The high level of xyloglucans was supported by the release of the diagnostic disaccharide isoprimeverose after Driselase digestion of KOH-extracted polysaccharides. In the “drought-tolerant” cv. Capeiti the mol% of side chains of rhamnogalacturonan I and II significantly increased in response to water stress, whereas in cv. Creso, this increase did not occur. The results support a role of the pectic side chains during water stress response in a drought-tolerant wheat cultivar.
This investigation reports the variability of antioxidant components and antioxidant activities of six watermelon cultivars (cvs) (four commercial cvs Aramis, Crimson Sweet, Dumara, Giza, and two new ...selections P503 and P403 produced by the National Agricultural Research Institute of Tunisia) as influenced by sampling area. All cvs were simultaneously grown in an open-field and subjected to identical horticultural practices in order to minimize the effects of environmental conditions and maximize those related to genotype. Significant differences were found between watermelon cvs for lycopene, phenolics, flavonoids, ascorbic acid (AsA), dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) and total vitamin C (AsA
+
DHA) contents, as well as in the antioxidant activity of their hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions. P503 cv showed the highest lycopene and flavonoid contents. Crimson Sweet and Giza cvs showed the highest HAA and LAA when TEAC was used as assay method, while the highest HAA and LAA were detected in Giza and Dumara cvs and in P503 cv, respectively, when FRAP assay was used. This study demonstrates that the amount of each specific antioxidant, as well as the HAA and LAA, were both influenced by genotype and sampling area, emphasizing the need to evaluate watermelon biodiversity in order to improve its nutritional value.
Changes in bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities of three commercial selections (Crimson sweet, Dumara and Giza) and two new selections (P503 and P403) of watermelon cultivars were ...investigated at four different fruit ripening stages (white, white-pink, pink and red-ripe). Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant activities (LAA and HAA, respectively) were determined, and their correlations with total vitamin C, phenol, flavonoid, lycopene and β-carotene contents were studied. Ripening stage significantly influenced lycopene and β-carotene contents, as well as the LAA of all investigated watermelon cultivars. Good correlations between LAA and lycopene and β-carotene contents were found using the TEAC assay. At the red-ripe stage of ripeness, P503 cultivar showed the highest amount of lycopene (64.5mgkg−1 fw), whereas Dumara cultivar showed the highest level of β-carotene (2.1mgkg−1 fw). Giza cultivar scored first for total phenol (260.1mgGAEkg−1 fw), flavonoid (260.0mgREkg−1 fw) and total vitamin C (204.0mgkg−1 fw) contents. Although, the HAA of the studied watermelon cultivars was significantly influenced by the ripening stages, it only correlated to the amount of total phenols and flavonoids. These data confirm the important role played by genetic background and ripening stage in determining antioxidant potential of watermelon fruits. They also give valuable insights into the synthesis and accumulation of bioactive compounds in such fruits, and furthermore move us closer to identifying the harvesting period with the highest antioxidant potential.
This study aims to describe and compare the distribution of bioactive compounds, the fatty acids profiles, and the TEAC hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activities in different fruit fractions ...(pulp, peel, and kernel) of two mango cultivars (Tommy Atkins and Keitt). All fractions are sources of health-promoting bioactive compounds. Regardless of cultivars, pulp had the highest content of phytosterols (~150 mg/100 g dw), peels ranked first for pentaciclic triterpenes (from 14.2 to 17.7 mg/100 g dw), tocopherols, carotenoids, and chlorophylls, and kernels for phenolic compounds (from 421.6 to 1464.8 mg/100 g dw), flavonoids, condensed tannins, as well as hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activities. Differences between the two cultivars were evidenced for ascorbic acid, which showed the highest levels in the peels and kernels of Keitt and Tommy Atkins fruits, respectively. Similarly, the concentration of dehydroascorbic acid was higher in the pulp of Tommy Atkins than Keitt. The highest percentage of saturated fatty acids was observed in pulp (~42%) and kernels (~50%), monounsaturated fatty acids in kernels (up to 41%), and polyunsaturated fatty acids in peels (up to 52%). Our results add information to the current knowledge on nutraceuticals' distribution in different fractions of mango fruit, supporting its consumption as a healthy fruit and suggesting the great potential value of peels and kernels as sources of novel ingredients. Indeed, mango by-products generated during agronomic-to-industrial processing not only causes a significant environmental impact, but economic losses too. In this scenario, boosting research on conventional recovery methods offers eco-friendly solutions. However, green, novel biorefinery technologies may offer eco-friendly and profitable solutions, allowing the recovery of several more profitable by-products, sustaining their continuous growth since many bioactive compounds can be recovered from mango by-products that are potentially useful in the design of innovative nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical formulations.
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•An innovative approach to develop Natural-based Solutions for converting Ground Photovoltaic Farm into Agro-Photovoltaic system.•A new vision of Agro-Photovoltaic Farm for ...Biodiversity implementation, Pollination ecosystem services and Ecological Network.•Ecological functions integrated with ground photovoltaic farms process management for increasing business income and landscape value.•Stakeholders’ involvement process for creating knowledge spillover and overcoming the gaps between social, ecological, and economic visions and interests.
Biodiversity and crop productivity are compromised by the ongoing worldwide decline of pollinator insects primarily driven by the narrow specialization of modern agricultural industry, dominated by monocultures and characterized by intensive herbicide and pesticide inputs. This approach has the double drawback of indiscriminately killing both invasive and beneficial insects while pauperizing the landscape limiting the areas of natural vegetation that normally provide habitat for pollinators. Here, an approach to develop green infrastructures (GI) is proposed (Ground Photovoltaic farms, GPv) to synergistically address ecological emergencies and socio-economic needs. Mainly, we focused on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to foster pollination as a priority ecosystem service and medicinal herb production as a co-benefit, creating a shared value in the landscape. The results suggest that the replacement of ruderal herbaceous vegetation with selected autochthonous cultivated species in the area of GPv farms could increase land revenues by simultaneously improving the pollination ecological network and agricultural activities. The economic analysis of the proposed solutions indicates that the annual return rate of the initial investment for GPv farms-to-GI conversion is between 9 and 43%, with potential payback in three years. Hence, GI could become an ecological business model, capable of improving ecosystem services in the landscape, both private and public benefits. However, a transdisciplinary approach is important to share knowledge across the different stakeholders and bridge the information gaps typical of a sectoral perspective, creating a holistic vision of the involved professional skills and experiences. Its proper implementation requires the joint effort of all economic stakeholders together with technical and scientific experts to promote multifunctional land-use in GPv farms.
Phenolic acid intake through the consumption of whole-wheat foods provides important health benefits associated with reduced risks of cardiovascular diseases and colon cancer. The genetic variation ...for phenolic acids was extensively studied in common wheat, but a comprehensive survey in tetraploid wheat is lacking. In this study we evaluated the genetic variability for individual and total phenolic acids concentration existing in a large collection of tetraploid wheat (
Triticum turgidum
L.). A 2-year evaluation was undertaken on the whole-meal flour of 111 genotypes belonging to seven
T. turgidum
subspecies including cultivars, landraces and wild accessions. Durum cultivars
T. turgidum
subsp.
durum
(Desf.) MacKey, had the highest average concentration of total phenolic acids (828.7 μg g
−1
dm in 2012; 834.5 μg g
−1
dm in 2013) with amounts varying from 550.9 μg g
−1
dm to 1701.2 μg g
−1
dm, indicating a variation of greater than threefold fold. The lowest concentration of phenolic acids was found in
T. turgidum
subsp.
dicoccum
(Schrank ex Schübler) Thell. Rivet wheat (
T. turgidum
L. subsp.
turgidum
) had phenolic acid concentrations similar to those in durum, but less variation was noted among the accessions. On the other hand, the accessions of the four remaining subspecies showed lower phenolic acid concentrations and variation among the accessions as compared to durum. A total of six phenolic acids were identified across the wheat genotypes. The effects of genotype, year and year × genotype were estimated by ANOVA and resulted significant for all phenolic acids. The ratio of genotypic variance to total variance suggested the possibility of improving phenolic acid content in elite wheat germplasm through appropriate breeding programs. Moreover, significant correlations between phenolic acids and other quality characteristics of the grain were detected.
Photovoltaic (PV) systems play an important role in the sustainable energy transition, but their impact on food security is ambiguous due to the shift in land use from agriculture to energy ...production. Currently, agrivoltaic is emerging as an alternative sustainable energy source that optimises multifunctional land use by simultaneously supporting electricity generation and agricultural activities. While many studies have extolled the benefits of shade provided by agrivoltaic on crop water balance and evapotranspiration, plant ecological adaptation, such as Shade Avoidance Syndrome (SAS), and its implications for food security remain relatively unexplored. In this context, we have investigated the influence of a panel-generated shadow on chicory crop production in terms of plant biomass yield and its quality for human health under different water irrigation regimes. For each chicory plant, fresh weight and leaf dimensions were measured to estimate edible biomass, while leaf water content, chlorophylls a and b, carotenoids, metabolite profile and antioxidant capacity were evaluated to assess food quality. Our results show that the shading system has a remarkable capacity to increase edible chicory biomass production compared to full sunlight conditions of 69% and 23%, respectively for high water supply and low water supply, and greater capacity to promote pollination ecosystem services. The shade, provided by a well-designed agrivoltaic system, improves SAS and directly increase yield without altering food quality. Thus, agrivoltaic systems can combine renewable energy strategies with food security, while enhancing ecosystem services for human well-being.
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•The agrivoltaic shadow can stimulate the Shade Avoidance Syndrome.•Shade Avoidance Syndrome influence the development of edible biomass.•Agrivoltaic can support food security in the context of global warming.•Agrivoltaic systems can enhance pollination and food production ecosystem services.•Agrivoltaic systems is coherent with Sustainable Development Goals by agenda 2020.
•Bran extracts were produced by ultrasounds and supercritical CO2.•Lyophilized matrix was produced from high lycopene tomato.•Pasta was added of bran aqueous extract, oleoresin, lyophilized ...tomato.•Bran oleoresin increased pasta antioxidant activity.•Bran oleoresin-added pasta was sensory judged similar to control.
A study was carried out to produce functional pasta by adding bran aqueous extract (BW) and bran oleoresin (BO) obtained using ultrasound and supercritical CO2, respectively, or a powdery lyophilized tomato matrix (LT). The bioactive compounds, hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activity (HAA and LAA) in vitro, were evaluated. BW supplementation did not improve antioxidant activity, whilst LT pasta showed unconventional taste and odor. BO pasta had good levels of tocochromanols (2551μg/100g pasta f.w.) and carotenoids (40.2μg/100g pasta f.w.), and the highest HAA and LAA. The oleoresin altered starch swelling and gluten network, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy, therefore BO pasta had structural characteristics poor compared with the control (4.8% vs. 3.2% cooking loss), although this difference did not affect significantly overall sensory judgment (74 vs. 79 for BO and control, respectively). BO supplementation was most effective for increasing antioxidant activity without jeopardizing pasta quality.
Introgression of spontaneous or induced mutations has been used to increase the levels and diversify the profile of antioxidants in many fruits including tomato. The high-pigment (hp) and old-gold ...(og) alleles exemplify this approach as attractive genetic resources suitable to inbred elite high-lycopene (HLY) tomato lines with improved color and nutritional attributes. Although several studies have been published on HLY tomatoes, a systematic analysis of the information on their agronomic performances, processing features, and functional quality is lacking, leaving room for the assumption of their poor competitiveness with conventional tomato cultivars and limiting their agricultural diffusion. Therefore, the aim of this study is to critically review the most important agronomic, horticultural, and functional traits of HLY tomatoes, as well as the advances in some emerging (pre)industrial applications. Field experiments performed in different countries showed that most available HLY lines are productive, vigorous, with excellent foliage cover and with morphologically acceptable fruit. Tomato yield of HLY genotypes ranged from ∼30 to ∼178 t/ha exceeding, in some trials, that of highly productive cultivars. Red-ripe fruits of most HLY lines showed commercially suitable soluble solids and titratable acidity, in addition to increased levels of lycopene (up to 440 mg/kg fw) and other bioactive phytochemicals (mainly flavonoids and vitamin C) compared to their near isogenic conventional counterparts. Innovative (pre)industrial uses of HLY tomato include the following: (1) production of HLY sauces, juices, and powders; (2) supercritical-CO
2
extraction of lycopene containing oleoresins; and (3) preparation of lycopene rich micro- and nano-carriers with improved stability and specific tissue delivery. In turn, the use of these innovative high-quality ingredients in the formulation of lycopene fortified foods, cosmetic products, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals has been proposed as the basis of a novel highly profitable tomato product chain.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) fruit is rich in various nutrients, vitamins and health‐promoting molecules. Fresh tomatoes are an important part of the Mediterranean gastronomy, and their ...consumption is thought to contribute substantially to the reduced incidence of some chronic diseases in the Mediterranean populations in comparison with those of other world areas. Unfortunately, tomato fruit is highly perishable, resulting in important economic losses and posing a challenge to storage, logistic and supply management. This review summarizes the current knowledge on some important health‐promoting and eating quality traits of tomato fruits after harvest and highlights the existence of substantial cultivar‐to‐cultivar variation in the postharvest evolution of the considered traits according to maturity stage at harvest and in response to postharvest manipulations. It also suggests the need for adapting postharvest procedures to the characteristics of each particular genotype to preserve the optimal quality of the fresh product.
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