Plant Biomarker Pattern, Screening Programme for Phytochemical Differences in Plants Exposed to Stress

A screening programme is developed to investigate phytochemical differences in plants xposed to stress compared with non-exposed plants. The screening programme, in its resent form or in a more simplified form, can be utilized in several different areas as a preliminary broad screening. The screening programme covers the most general groups of compounds found in plants. The following groups of phytochemical compounds are included in the programme: Unspecific compounds, organic acids, lipids, phenolic compounds, carbohydrates, terpenoids and N-, S- and P-containing compounds

A New Phytochemical Screening Programme used for Crops grown with Organic and Conventional Methods

A broad screening programme, covering the most general phytochemical groups of compounds, was developed on the basis of Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). A total of 46 TLC systems, comprising 26 derivatization reagents, 3 stationary phases, and 4 mobile phases, were included. The TLC systems were classified according to the groups of phytochemical compounds detected: Alcohols and phenolic compounds; Carbohydrates; N-containing compounds; Organic acids and lipids; P-containing compounds; S-containing compounds, and Terpenoids. Furthermore, one group of TLC systems detected compounds from several of the mentioned groups. The screening programme was applied in the screening of potatoes (S. tuberosum L.), peas (P. sativum L.), kale (B. oleracea L.), carrots (D. carota L.), and apples (M. domestica Borkh.), cultivated with combinations of organic and conventional methods for plant protection and nutrient supply, for phytochemical differences (biomarkers). Distinctive phytochemical differences were found between the differently cultivated samples of these crops. In peas and carrots only one biomarker was found. In peas the biomarker was related to the soil conditions, while the biomarker in carrots was related to the use of pesticides. In potato, two biomarkers related to the use of pesticides were found. Three biomarkers were found in kale. Two of these could be related to the use of pesticide, while the last was related to either fertiliser or soil conditions. Several biomarkers were found apples, but a relation to the cultivation methods was not clear. Three of the biomarkers in apples could be related to either the use of pesticides or fertiliser, while no conclusions could be drawn from the other biomarkers found. The results of the screening programme form the basis for a potential development of a kit to detect whether crops are organically- or conventionally cultivated. Furthermore, the results from this part and other parts of the project "Organic food and health – a multigenerational animal experiment" provide basis for the selection of which secondary compounds to quantify by specific chemical analysis, isolate, and/or structure elucidation

Plant Biomarker Pattern, Apples grown with various availability of organic nitrogen and with or witout the use of pesticides

In the recent years there has been an increasing focus on the quality and health value of organic plant products compared with conventional products. The use of pesticides and concentrated fertilisers in conventional agriculture implies a risk of effects on plant composition, which may affect health of the consumer (Brandt & Mølgaard, 2001). To determine if organically grown plant food could provide more or less benefits to health than conventional food, a first step is to investigate the differences in the composition and relative concentration of natural compounds in the plant products. In this project apples were grown with two levels of nitrogen availability and with or without the use of pesticides. The apples were screened for changes in the phytochemical composition and concentration. The work is affiliated to the project "Organic food and health" supported by the Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming (DARCOF). Biomarkers and biomarker patterns were presented in plants cultivated with low and high N and with pesticides. One biomarker was related to: • the type of N with and without pesticides • pesticides at high N and type of N without pesticides • pesticides at low and high N One biomarker pattern was related to: • the type of N • the type of N without pesticides • pesticides at low N and type of N without pesticides • pesticides at high N and type of N with pesticide

Correlates of Product Quality of Soumbala, a West African Non-timber Forest Product

Knowledge of the correlates of product quality is a prerequisite for further commercialisation of soumbala, a food product extracted from the leguminous tree Parkia biglobosa. In this study qualitative and quantitative data derived from interviews of producers and expert users are used to estimate the influence of Parkia biglobosa management practises, soumbala product processing practises, and nutritional composition of soumbala on perceived soumbala quality. Several variables on management practises correlated with high quality soumbala as revealed by binary logistic regression, with quality as the dependent variable and six management related variables as independent variables. Variables relating to product processing were examined using qualitative data from group sessions, gathering all the producers in a given village. Finally the relationship between nutritional compositions and soumbala quality was determined. The results show that local knowledge, management practises, and product processing practises are correlated with soumbala quality, whilst nutritional composition is a poor predictor of soumbala quality