Tracing the ancestry of modern bread wheats

For more than 10,000 years, the selection of plant and animal traits that are better tailored for human use has shaped the development of civilizations. During this period, bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) emerged as one of the world’s most important crops. We use exome sequencing of a worldwide panel of almost 500 genotypes selected from across the geographical range of the wheat species complex to explore how 10,000 years of hybridization, selection, adaptation and plant breeding has shaped the genetic makeup of modern bread wheats. We observe considerable genetic variation at the genic, chromosomal and subgenomic levels, and use this information to decipher the likely origins of modern day wheats, the consequences of range expansion and the allelic variants selected since its domestication. Our data support a reconciled model of wheat evolution and provide novel avenues for future breeding improvement.</p

Screening of the most consumed beverages and spices for their bioactive non-nutrient contents

The present research emphasizes on the bioactive non-nutrient components of the frequently consumed food products daily. The most popular beverages (instant, filter and Turkish coffee, green, black, sage, apple, rosehip, linden and fennel tea infusions) and herbal spices (cinnamon thyme, cumin, mint, sweet pepper, chili pepper, sumac, black pepper and clove) were investigated to evaluate the antioxidant capacities of the samples. Amount of total biophenols (TB) and total flavonoids (TF) were measured by Folin-Ciocalteu and Aluminum chloride colorimetric methods, respectively. CUPRAC (The cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity) assay and DPPH (, -diphenyl--picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging method were applied to determine the antioxidant activity (AA) of the products. Antimicrobial analyses of the samples were also conducted based on in vitro study. Furthermore, the main biophenol of each sample was identified through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The outcome of the present study will be a useful guidance for the researchers looking for the health benefits of these daily consumed food products