Fusarium Mycotoxins and Metabolites that Modulate Their Production

The genus Fusarium is a group of fungi producing several types of toxins with toxicological effect in both humans and animals. Such fungi are commonly found in soils so it can contaminate various types of crops, preferably cereals, leading to significant economic losses. Relative humidity, storage temperature and various handling in cereales increase the possibility of contamination by Fusarium toxins. Cereals naturally have secondary metabolites that may help attenuate contamination by these toxins, but it is necessary to know strategies and mechanisms that generate inactivation mycotoxins. This chapter reviews relevant information about cereal mycotoxin contamination, as well as the production of cereal secondary metabolites as a strategy to reduce the possibility of mycotoxin contamination

Effect of Elicitors as Stimulating Substances on Sensory Quality Traits in Color Sweet Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Fascinato and Orangela) Grown under Greenhouse Conditions

The effect of the application of salicylic acid (SA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was evaluated on sensory quality traits of two commercial sweet bell pepper varieties, Fascinato and Orangela, by descriptive sensory evaluation, principal component analysis (PCA), and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). A sensory descriptive lexicon was established for the sweet pepper and an intensity score was assigned for 25 sensory attributes in all the samples. Such intensity score was performed by twelve trained panelists. Among the results it was shown that foliar application of elicitors to pepper crop produced significant differences in sensory traits of the harvested fruits. MANOVA allowed detecting differences in aroma profile among treatments and varieties, showing important changes depending on the combination of elicitors applied on each variety. The principal component analysis (PCA), showed that the PC1 explained 81.02%, while PC2 explained 9.24% of the variance in the results. A strong correlation between varieties and treatments 2 (36 mM H2O2) and 4 (0.1 mM SA and 36 mM H2O2) with PC1 was observed. Treatments 2 and 4 were related to changes in aroma and flavor traits. Fascinato was more susceptible to the effect of elicitor than Orangela. Therefore, elicitor combinations used in this experiment were capable to improve sensory quality of peppers, and not only promote an increase in shelf life as previous studies have shown

Polyphenol Content and Antioxidant Activity of Stevia and Peppermint as a Result of Organic and Conventional Fertilization

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni and Mentha piperita are plants that generate interest mainly due to the presence of bioactive compounds in their leaves, such as phenolics. Studies indicate that phenolics have pharmacological and therapeutic properties, including antioxidant activity. Phenolic compounds may be affected by the type of fertilization. For this reason, organic and chemical fertilization were evaluated along with antioxidant activity. Results showed significant differences for total phenols in organic peppermint (62% higher content). Also, DPPH test displayed differences for peppermint and stevia (572% and 16% greater in organic). Organic fertilization may be alternative for producing high added agricultural and commercial products

Pitahaya Peel: A By-Product with Great Phytochemical Potential, Biological Activity, and Functional Application

Hylocereus spp. present two varieties of commercial interest due to their color, organoleptic characteristics, and nutritional contribution, such as Hylocerous polyrhizus and Selenicerus undatus. The fruit recognized as dragon fruit or Pitahaya is an exotic fruit whose pulp is consumed, while the peel is discarded during the process. Studies indicate that the pulp has vitamin C and betalains, and seeds are rich in essential fatty acids, compounds that can contribute to the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases (cancer, hypertension, and diabetes). In the present study, polyphenolic compounds, biological activity, and fatty acids present in the peel of the two varieties of pitahaya peel were evaluated, showing as a result that the variety S. undatus had higher antioxidant activity with 51% related to the presence of flavonoids 357 mgRE/g sample and fatty acids (hexadecanoic acid and linoleate) with 0.310 and 0.248 mg AG/g sample, respectively. On the other hand, H. polyrhizuun showed a significant difference in the inhibitory activity of amylase and glucosidase enzymes with 68% and 67%, respectively. We conclude that pitahaya peel has potential health effects and demonstrate that methylated fatty acids could be precursors to betalain formation, as well as showing effects against senescence and as a biological control against insects; in the same way, the peel can be reused as a by-product for the extraction of important enzymes in the pharmaceutical and food industry

Characterization of the Key Compounds of Bell Pepper by Spectrophotometry and Gas Chromatography on the Effects of Induced Stress on the Concentration of Secondary Metabolite

Sweet peppers are consumed worldwide, and traditional uses have sparked interest in their applications as dietary antioxidants, which can be enhanced in plants using elicitors. These are endowed with phytochemicals with potential health benefits such as antioxidants, bioavailability, and bioaccessibility. The trend in metabolomics shows us chemical fingerprints linking metabolomics, innovative analytical form, and bioinformatics tools. The objective was to evaluate the impact of multiple stress interactions, elicitor concentrations, and electrical conductivity on the concentration of secondary metabolites to relate their response to metabolic pathways through the foliar application of a cocktail of said elicitors in pepper crops under greenhouse conditions. The extracts were analyzed by spectrophotometry and gas chromatography, and it was shown that the PCA analysis identified phenolic compounds and low molecular weight metabolites, confirming this as a metabolomic fingerprint in the hierarchical analysis. These compounds were also integrated by simultaneous gene and metabolite simulants to obtain effect information on different metabolic pathways. Showing changes in metabolite levels at T6 (36 mM H2O2 and 3.6 dS/m) and T7 (0.1 mM SA and 3.6 dS/m) but showing statistically significant changes at T5 (3.6 dS/m) and T8 (0.1 mM SA, 36 mM H2O2, and 3.6 dS/m) compared to T1 (32 dS/m) or control. Six pathways changed significantly (p < 0.05) in stress-induced treatments: aminoacyl t-RNA and valine-leucine-isoleucine biosynthesis, and alanine-aspartate-glutamate metabolism, glycoxylate-dicarboxylate cycle, arginine-proline, and citrate. This research provided a complete profile for the characterization of metabolomic fingerprint of bell pepper under multiple stress conditions