Development, optimization, and comparison of different sample pre-treatments for simultaneous determination of vitamin e and vitamin K in vegetables

The absence of vitamin E from the diet can lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer, cataracts, and premature aging. Vitamin K deficiency can lead to bleeding disorders. These fat-soluble vitamins are important nutritional factors that can be determined in different methods in vegetables. In this work, the simultaneous determination of α-tocopherol, α-tocopheryl acetate, phylloquinone, and menaquinone-4 by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been optimized using both direct injection and solid phase microextraction (SPME). Three different sample pre-treatment approaches based on: (A) solid-liquid-liquid-liquid extraction (SLE-LLE), (B) SLE, and (C) SPME were then applied to extract the target analytes from vegetables samples using menaquinone as internal standard. All the procedures allowed the determination of the target analytes in onion, carrot, celery, and curly kale samples. Similar results were obtained with the three different approaches, even if the one based on SPME offers the best performance, together with a reduced use of solvent, time consumption, and experimental complexity, which makes it the preferable option for industrial applications

Root morphology and seed and leaf ionomic traits in a Brassica napus L. diversity panel show wide phenotypic variation and are characteristic of crop habit

Background: Mineral nutrient uptake and utilisation by plants are controlled by many traits relating to root morphology, ion transport, sequestration and translocation. The aims of this study were to determine the phenotypic diversity in root morphology and leaf and seed mineral composition of a polyploid crop species, Brassica napus L., and how these traits relate to crop habit. Traits were quantified in a diversity panel of up to 387 genotypes: 163 winter, 127 spring, and seven semiwinter oilseed rape (OSR) habits, 35 swede, 15 winter fodder, and 40 exotic/unspecified habits. Root traits of 14 d old seedlings were measured in a ‘pouch and wick’ system (n = ~24 replicates per genotype). The mineral composition of 3–6 rosette-stage leaves, and mature seeds, was determined on compost-grown plants from a designed experiment (n = 5) by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results: Seed size explained a large proportion of the variation in root length. Winter OSR and fodder habits had longer primary and lateral roots than spring OSR habits, with generally lower mineral concentrations. A comparison of the ratios of elements in leaf and seed parts revealed differences in translocation processes between crop habits, including those likely to be associated with crop-selection for OSR seeds with lower sulphur-containing glucosinolates. Combining root, leaf and seed traits in a discriminant analysis provided the most accurate characterisation of crop habit, illustrating the interdependence of plant tissues. Conclusions: High-throughput morphological and composition phenotyping reveals complex interrelationships between mineral acquisition and accumulation linked to genetic control within and between crop types (habits) in B. napus. Despite its recent genetic ancestry (<10 ky), root morphology, and leaf and seed composition traits could potentially be used in crop improvement, if suitable markers can be identified and if these correspond with suitable agronomy and quality traits

Expression pattern of the glucosinolate side chain biosynthetic genes MAM1 and MAM3 of Arabidopsis thaliana in different organs and developmental stages

Aliphatic glucosinolates, secondary metabolites known to be involved in plant defence, make up the majority of the glucosinolate content of Arabidopsis thaliana, and their structural diversity arises in part from chain elongations of methionine before the formation of the glucosinolate core structure. The key enzymatic step in determining the length of the chain is the condensation of acetyl-coenzyme A with a series of ω-methylthio-2-oxoalkanoic acids, catalyzed by methylthioalkylmalate (MAM) synthases. The existence of two MAM synthases has been previously reported in A. thaliana, ecotype Columbia-0. MAM1 catalyses the condensation step of the first three elongation cycles while MAM3 catalyzes the condensation step of all six elongation cycles. We studied the expression patterns of MAM1 and MAM3 genes in different organs and developmental stages using promoter-GUS fusion lines and qRT-PCR. The promoter-GUS lines revealed MAM1 and MAM3 expression in varying degrees in all organs, but this was generally restricted to the phloem, except in wounded tissue where expression was general. No difference was found between the two genes. The qRT-PCR measurements showed that expression was generally highest in seedlings and vegetative parts at the reproductive phase, but low in flowers and fruits. Since high amounts of glucosinolates accumulate in flowers and fruits, these data indicate possible transport from vegetative to reproductive organs. The expression of MAM1 was different than that of MAM3 with MAM3 having relative more expression in seedlings and roots than MAM1

Effect of drying conditions on indole glucosinolate level in broccoli

Broccoli is interesting as raw vegetable for domestic use and as well as dehydrated powder due to content of numerous biologically active compounds — phytochemicals. We examined the influence of blanching and drying air temperature and velocity on glucosinolate composition and content under conditions which are usually applied in industrial processing of broccoli. Broccoli blanching prior to drying caused a significant decrease in the glucosinolate content, which additionally decreased during the drying process. Drying at 50 °C and 60 °C with air velocity of 2.25 m s−1 was the most favourable in most of the cases

Phyllostachys Pubescens: From Traditional to Functional Food: Phyllostachys pubescens as functional food

9siBamboo shoot (Phyllostachys pubescens) is mainly cultivated in China and Japan. It represents a reservoir of micro and macronutrients and contains a high amount of proteins, essential amino acids, phenolic acids, sterols, and fibers. Thank to these compounds, several beneficial health effects have been attributed to the bamboo shoot. This review is aimed at discussing a collection of research papers on Bamboo shoot in pharmaceutical and food fields. A particular focus is addressed to the chemical profile, the different biological activities, the different uses, the traditional recipes, the methods of conservation and the treatments of the shoot. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a comprehensive review that is focused exclusively on the applications of the shoot of bamboo Phyllostachys pubescens in different fields.nonenoneCurci F.; Cavalluzzi M.M.; Milani G.; Clodoveo M.L.; Radojcic Redovnikovic I.; Cellamare S.; Franchini C.; Mandracchia D.; Corbo F.Curci, F.; Cavalluzzi, M. M.; Milani, G.; Clodoveo, M. L.; Radojcic Redovnikovic, I.; Cellamare, S.; Franchini, C.; Mandracchia, D.; Corbo, F