Exploiting Phenylpropanoid Derivatives to Enhance the Nutraceutical Values of Cereals and Legumes

Phenylpropanoids are a diverse chemical class with immense health benefits that are biosynthesized from the aromatic amino acid L-phenylalanine. This article reviews the progress for accessing variation in phenylpropanoids in germplasm collections, the genetic and molecular basis of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and the development of cultivars dense in seed-phenylpropanoids. Progress is also reviewed on high-throughput assays, factors that influence phenylpropanoids, the site of phenylpropanoids accumulation in seed, Genotype × Environment interactions, and on consumer attitudes for the acceptance of staple foods rich in phenylpropanoids. A paradigm shift was noted in barley, maize, rice, sorghum, soybean, and wheat, wherein cultivars rich in phenylpropanoids are grown in Europe and North and Central America. Studies have highlighted some biological constraints that need to be addressed for development of high-yielding cultivars that are rich in phenylpropanoids. Genomics-assisted breeding is expected to facilitate rapid introgression into improved genetic backgrounds by minimizing linkage drag. More research is needed to systematically characterize germplasm pools for assessing variation to support crop genetic enhancement, and assess consumer attitudes to foods rich in phenylpropanoids

Contribution of strontium to the human diet from querns and millstones: an experiment in digestive strontium isotope uptake

The question of whether rock grit ingested unintentionally from querns, metates or millstones or deliberately through pica or geophagy is bioaccessible in the human gut has not been addressed in archaeological Sr-isotope studies. This study employed the Unified Bioaccessibility Method and determined that ingested rock grit can provide bioaccessible 87Sr/86Sr, but that unintentional consumption is unlikely to constitute more than 1% of the diet (by mass) and will not significantly change, i.e. by > 0.001, human skeletal 87Sr/86Sr. The use of locally or non-locally sourced querns or millstones will not affect the interpretation of archaeological human 87Sr/86Sr values in Britain. Keywords: Strontium, 87Sr/86Sr, bioaccessible, quern, millstone, grinding stone, metates, human diet, Millstone Grit, Pennant sandstone, Eskdale granite