Effect of long-term deficit irrigation on tomato and goji berry quality: from fruit composition to in vitro bioaccessibility of carotenoids

Drought is a persistent challenge for horticulture, affecting various aspects of fruit development and ultimately fruit quality, but the effect on nutritional value has been under-investigated. Here, fruit quality was studied on six tomato genotypes and one goji cultivar under deficit irrigation (DI), from fruit composition to in vitro bioaccessibility of carotenoids. For both species, DI concentrated most health-related metabolites in fresh fruit. On a dry mass basis, DI increased total phenolic and sugar concentration, but had a negative or insignificant impact on fruit ascorbic acid, organic acid, and alcohol-insoluble matter contents. DI also reduced total carotenoids content in tomato (−18.7% on average), especially β-carotene (−32%), but not in goji berry DW (+15.5% and +19.6%, respectively). DI reduced the overall in vitro bioaccessibility of carotenoids to varying degrees depending on the compound and plant species. Consequently, mixed micelles produced by digestion of fruits subjected to DI contained either the same or lesser quantities of carotenoids, even though fresh fruits could contain similar or higher quantities. Thus, DI effects on fruit composition were species and genotype dependent, but an increase in the metabolite concentration did not necessarily translate into greater bioaccessibility potentially due to interactions with the fruit matri

Impact des interactions génotype-pratique sur la teneur et la séquestration des caroténoïdes dans les matrices végétales et sur les effets santé associés : Cas d'étude sur deux espèces de Solanacées : la tomate (Solanum lycopersicum) et la baie de goji (Lycium barbarum)

The health benefits of fruit and vegetables are partly due to their richness in phytochemicals such as carotenoids. The aim of this thesis was to combine several disciplines to analyze the relationship between growing conditions, carotenoid sequestration and the health value of fruit. The health value of fruit is assessed at various levels: I) the micronutrient composition of mature fruit; II) the bioaccessibility of carotenoids in an in vitro digestion model; III) the metabolic phenotype of C57BL/6JRj mice supplemented with fruit powder for 12 weeks in a model of induced obesity; IV) the vascular function of hyperglycemic Wistar rats fed with high antioxidant capacity fruits. Two types of fruit described as carotenoid rich matrix, namely six tomato genotypes (Solanum lycopersicum, 'industrial tomato' type genotypes: H1311, M82, IL2-5, IL54, IL6-2 and IL12-4) and a lycium genotype more commonly known as 'goji' (Lycium barbarum, cultivar FPW07), were grown in a controlled environment with two water regimes. A 'Control Irrigation' (CI) regime with complete restoration of evapotranspiration, and a stressed 'Deficit Irrigation' (DI) regime, in which irrigation volumes were halved from anthesis to harvest compared with the CI treatment. We hypothesized that water deficit and/or post-harvest treatments (steaming, drying, etc.) may modulate the health value of the fruits by affecting their micronutrient composition and the bioaccessibility of carotenoids. The results of this work showed that in an in vitro digestion model, DI globally decreases carotenoid bioaccessibility. In vivo, the results suggested that tomato or goji berry consumption may be associated with positive health effects in a metabolic and vascular context, with effects largely dependent on genotype and post-harvest treatment studied, but not necessarily water treatment. Thus, this work suggests that genotype and/or post-harvest treatment are major levers to improving the health value of fruit throughout the production chain.Les effets-santé des fruits et légumes sont en partie dus à leur richesse en phytomicroconstituants comme les caroténoïdes. L'objectif de la thèse a été d’analyser au travers d’une approche interdisciplinaire, la relation « conditions de culture - séquestration des caroténoïdes – valeur santé des fruits ». La valeur santé des fruits a été évaluée à différents niveaux : I) la composition en microconstituants des fruits matures ; II) la bioaccessibilité des caroténoïdes dans un modèle de digestion in vitro ; III) le phénotypemétabolique sur un modèle d’obésité induite chez la souris mâle C57BL/6JRj supplémentée en poudre de fruit pendant 12 semaines ; IV) la fonction vasculaire de rats mâles Wistar hyperglycémiés et préalablement gavés en fruits présentant des capacités antioxydantes élevées. Pour ce faire, deux fruits décrits pour accumuler massivement des caroténoïdes ont été cultivés : la tomate (Solanum lycopersicum, six génotypes type « tomate d'industrie », H1311, M82, IL2-5, IL54, IL6-2 et IL12-4) et la baie de goji (Lycium barbarum, le cultivar FPW07). Les fruits ont été produits en environnement contrôlé sous serre sous deux régimes hydriques : un régime hydrique témoin « Control Irrigation » (CI) avec une restauration complète de l'évapotranspiration, et un régime hydrique stressé « Deficit Irrigation» (DI), pour lequel nous avons divisé par deux les volumes d’irrigation de l’anthèse jusqu’à la récolte par rapport au régime CI. Nous avons fait l’hypothèse que le déficit hydrique et/ou les traitements postrécolte (vapeur, séchage…) peuvent moduler la valeur santé des fruits en agissant sur leur composition en macro et microconstituants, les propriétés cellulaires des matrices et la bioaccessibilité des caroténoïdes. Les résultats de ces travaux montrent que dans un modèle de digestion in vitro, le DI diminue globalement la bioaccessibilité des caroténoïdes. In vivo, les résultats suggèrent que la consommation de tomate ou de baie de goji peut être associée à des effets-santé positifs dans un contexte métabolique et vasculaire avec des effets largement dépendants du génotype et du traitement postrécolte, mais peu du déficit hydrique. Ainsi, ces travaux suggèrent que le génotype et/ou le traitement post-récolte sont des leviers majeurs pour améliorer la valeur santé des fruits tout au long de la chaîne de production

Impact of genotype by cultural practices interactions on the content and sequestration of carotenoids in fruit matrix and related health effect : Case study on two Solanaceae species

Les effets-santé des fruits et légumes sont en partie dus à leur richesse en phytomicroconstituants comme les caroténoïdes. L'objectif de la thèse a été d’analyser au travers d’une approche interdisciplinaire, la relation « conditions de culture - séquestration des caroténoïdes – valeur santé des fruits ». La valeur santé des fruits a été évaluée à différents niveaux : I) la composition en microconstituants des fruits matures ; II) la bioaccessibilité des caroténoïdes dans un modèle de digestion in vitro ; III) le phénotypemétabolique sur un modèle d’obésité induite chez la souris mâle C57BL/6JRj supplémentée en poudre de fruit pendant 12 semaines ; IV) la fonction vasculaire de rats mâles Wistar hyperglycémiés et préalablement gavés en fruits présentant des capacités antioxydantes élevées. Pour ce faire, deux fruits décrits pour accumuler massivement des caroténoïdes ont été cultivés : la tomate (Solanum lycopersicum, six génotypes type « tomate d'industrie », H1311, M82, IL2-5, IL54, IL6-2 et IL12-4) et la baie de goji (Lycium barbarum, le cultivar FPW07). Les fruits ont été produits en environnement contrôlé sous serre sous deux régimes hydriques : un régime hydrique témoin « Control Irrigation » (CI) avec une restauration complète de l'évapotranspiration, et un régime hydrique stressé « Deficit Irrigation» (DI), pour lequel nous avons divisé par deux les volumes d’irrigation de l’anthèse jusqu’à la récolte par rapport au régime CI. Nous avons fait l’hypothèse que le déficit hydrique et/ou les traitements postrécolte (vapeur, séchage…) peuvent moduler la valeur santé des fruits en agissant sur leur composition en macro et microconstituants, les propriétés cellulaires des matrices et la bioaccessibilité des caroténoïdes. Les résultats de ces travaux montrent que dans un modèle de digestion in vitro, le DI diminue globalement la bioaccessibilité des caroténoïdes. In vivo, les résultats suggèrent que la consommation de tomate ou de baie de goji peut être associée à des effets-santé positifs dans un contexte métabolique et vasculaire avec des effets largement dépendants du génotype et du traitement postrécolte, mais peu du déficit hydrique. Ainsi, ces travaux suggèrent que le génotype et/ou le traitement post-récolte sont des leviers majeurs pour améliorer la valeur santé des fruits tout au long de la chaîne de production.The health benefits of fruit and vegetables are partly due to their richness in phytochemicals such as carotenoids. The aim of this thesis was to combine several disciplines to analyze the relationship between growing conditions, carotenoid sequestration and the health value of fruit. The health value of fruit is assessed at various levels: I) the micronutrient composition of mature fruit; II) the bioaccessibility of carotenoids in an in vitro digestion model; III) the metabolic phenotype of C57BL/6JRj mice supplemented with fruit powder for 12 weeks in a model of induced obesity; IV) the vascular function of hyperglycemic Wistar rats fed with high antioxidant capacity fruits. Two types of fruit described as carotenoid rich matrix, namely six tomato genotypes (Solanum lycopersicum, 'industrial tomato' type genotypes: H1311, M82, IL2-5, IL54, IL6-2 and IL12-4) and a lycium genotype more commonly known as 'goji' (Lycium barbarum, cultivar FPW07), were grown in a controlled environment with two water regimes. A 'Control Irrigation' (CI) regime with complete restoration of evapotranspiration, and a stressed 'Deficit Irrigation' (DI) regime, in which irrigation volumes were halved from anthesis to harvest compared with the CI treatment. We hypothesized that water deficit and/or post-harvest treatments (steaming, drying, etc.) may modulate the health value of the fruits by affecting their micronutrient composition and the bioaccessibility of carotenoids. The results of this work showed that in an in vitro digestion model, DI globally decreases carotenoid bioaccessibility. In vivo, the results suggested that tomato or goji berry consumption may be associated with positive health effects in a metabolic and vascular context, with effects largely dependent on genotype and post-harvest treatment studied, but not necessarily water treatment. Thus, this work suggests that genotype and/or post-harvest treatment are major levers to improving the health value of fruit throughout the production chain

An ecophysiological model of plant-nematodes interactions

National audienceLes nématodes à galles du genre Meloidogyne sont extrêmement polyphages et s’attaquent aux ra-cines de plantes en formant des protubérances racinaires appelées “galles”. Les galles entraînent uneréduction progressive de la fonctionnalité de l’appareil racinaire, réduisant la croissance et le rendementdes plantes, pouvant aller jusqu’à sa mort.Afin de mieux comprendre les mécanismes mis en jeu dans le cas d’une infection parMeloidogyne, nous avons proposé première approche de modélisation qui repose sur la description du partage de ressources entre plante et nématodes.. Nous nous sommesconcentrés sur deux effets visibles et mesurés au niveau des galles : le détournement du carbone racinaire et la résistanceamplifié du flux hydrique du sol vers les racines. N’ayant pas de données sur ces effets, nous avonschoisi de les écrire comme étant linéairement corrélés avec le nombre de nématodes. Les limites et perspectives de ce travail sont discutés

An ecophysiological model of plant-nematodes interactions

International audienceLes nématodes à galles du genre Meloidogyne sont extrêmement polyphages et s’attaquent aux ra-cines de plantes en formant des protubérances racinaires appelées “galles”. Les galles entraînent uneréduction progressive de la fonctionnalité de l’appareil racinaire, réduisant la croissance et le rendementdes plantes, pouvant aller jusqu’à sa mort.Afin de mieux comprendre les mécanismes mis en jeu dans le cas d’une infection parMeloidogyne, nous avons proposé première approche de modélisation qui repose sur la description du partage de ressources entre plante et nématodes.. Nous nous sommesconcentrés sur deux effets visibles et mesurés au niveau des galles : le détournement du carbone racinaire et la résistanceamplifié du flux hydrique du sol vers les racines. N’ayant pas de données sur ces effets, nous avonschoisi de les écrire comme étant linéairement corrélés avec le nombre de nématodes. Les limites et perspectives de ce travail sont discutés

HOW DO DEVELOPMENTAL AND DROUGHT FACTORS AFFECT POLYPHENOLS OF GOJI (LYCIUM BARBARUM) LEAVES AND BERRIES ?

International audienceGoji berries (Lycium barbarum, L. chinense and L. ruthenicum, perennial species from theSolanaceae family) are traditionally eaten in Asia for their high nutritional value [1]. Althoughgoji consumption is increasingly growing in Europe, there is no significant field production orresearch program on this plant. Thus, the ecophysiological and genetic determinisms of theorganoleptic and nutritional quality of goji berries remain unexplored. Moreover, it is unclearhow yield components and berry quality traits may be affected by agricultural practices orabiotic stresses, yet Lycium is reputed to be drought-tolerant.To gain further knowledge on the mechanisms underlying goji nutritional value and droughttolerance, both untargeted and targeted metabolite analyses were performed by UPLC-ESIQTOFor UPLC-DAD-ESI-TQ on leaves and berries of Lycium barbarum accessions growingunder well-watered (soil water potential of -0.1 MPa) or water stress conditions (soil waterpotential of - 0.5 MPa).The dataset included 46 phenolic compounds, half of which were identified with a level 1confidence [2] by comparing their retention time, absorbance spectra and MS/MS data withauthentic standards. The water deficit applied during the reproductive period affected plantgrowth and carbon allocation. A significant reduction of leaf fresh and dry biomass wasreported for all accessions. In addition, the plants under water deficit decreased fruitproduction. Interestingly, the soil water deficit modified the fruit dry matter's composition. Thefruits from ‘FPW07’ concentrated more glucose with the declining of the soil water potential. Inaddition, the soil water deficit decreased quercetin and phenolic acids in Lycium accessions.We have collected a reference dataset for key physiological traits that were not previouslydocumented in Lycium, and characterized their response to drought. These data help to gainknowledge on Lycium physiology and development.[1] Amagase H. & Farnsworth N.R., Food Res. Int., 44, 1702-1717, 2011.[2] Schymanski E.L., Jeon J., Gulde R., Fenner K., Ruff M., Singer H. P. & Hollender J., Environ. Sci.Technol., 48, 2097-2098, 2014

Improving crop sustainability and fresh and processed fruit quality through integrated analyses along the food chain

International audienceWhile million people lack access to food or some nutrients, up to one-third of food is never consumed, especially fruit and vegetables, naturally rich in phytonutrients. Fruit and vegetables waste and loss arise at all steps of the food chain from production to consumption. The access to phytonutrients is also threatened with climate changes that impact both yields and the composition of harvested organs. Finding trade-offs between yield and quality along the food chain appears necessary to improve crop sustainability and to limit losses. Processing tomato is a good target to address these challenges: it is a major crop and an important source of phytonutrients notably phenolic compounds and carotenoids, and it represents an intensive production in terms of water use. Two examples of integrated analyses will be given. First, we will focus on pre-postharvest relationships and the ability of tomatoes to be processed into purees. We investigated fruit quality in response to water supply, genotypes and ripening stage, and we assessed their impact on puree obtained from hot break and cold break processes. We found that fruit growth and quality were weakly impacted by moderate water insufficiency during growth. A reduction of water supply from 100% to 60% of the evapotranspiration strongly impacted plant growth but had little impact on fresh fruit yield and increased the water use efficiency by 20%. Second, we address the accumulation of carotenoids in ripe tomato in response to water insufficiency in two genotypes. A medium water deficit (-0.5 MPa soil water potential while permanent wilting point is estimated at-1,5 MPa) at the beginning of fruit development impacted the fruit composition at maturity. The dry matter contents increased up to 23% while an interaction between genotype and water regime was found for carotenoid contents which may affect tomato health value

Effect of tomato, tomato-derived products and lycopene on metabolic inflammation: from epidemiological data to molecular mechanisms

International audienceThe goal of this narrative review is to summarise the current knowledge and limitations related to the anti-inflammatory effects of tomato, tomato-derived products and lycopene in the context of metabolic inflammation associated to cardiometabolic diseases. The potential of tomato and tomato-derived product supplementation is supported by animal and in vitro studies. In addition, intervention studies provide arguments in favour of a limitation of metabolic inflammation. This is also the case for observational studies depicting inverse association between plasma lycopene levels and inflammation. Nevertheless, current data of intervention studies are mixed concerning the anti-inflammatory effect of tomato and tomato-derived products and are not in favour of an anti-inflammatory effect of pure lycopene in humans. From epidemiological to mechanistic studies, this review aims to identify limitations of the current knowledge and gaps that remain to be filled to improve our comprehension in contrasted anti-inflammatory effects of tomato, tomato-derived products and pure lycopene

Aging alone or combined with obesity increases white adipose tissue inflammatory status in male mice

Abstract White adipose tissue (WAT) has been recognized as a fundamental and crucial organ of interest in research focusing on inflammation during obesity or aging. WAT is also proposed as a significant component of cholecalciferol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) storage, which participates in the decrease of 25(OH)D plasma levels reported during aging and obesity. In the present study, we evaluated WAT and plasma cholecalciferol and 25(OH)D content together with inflammatory status to highlight the putative relationship between vitamin D status and inflammatory process during aging alone or combined with obesity. Circulating cholecalciferol and 25(OH)D and the stored quantity of cholecalciferol and 25(OH)D in WAT were quantified in young and old mice fed a control or obesogenic diet. The inflammation was assessed by measuring plasma inflammatory cytokines, mRNA, and microRNAs inflammatory-associated in WAT. The combination of aging and obesity decreased 25(OH)D plasma levels but did not modify circulating inflammatory markers. A cumulative effect of aging and obesity was observed in WAT, with rising mRNA inflammatory cytokines, notably Ccl5 and Tnf. Interestingly, aging and obesity-associated were also characterized by increased inflammatory microRNA expression. The inflammatory parameters in WAT were negatively correlated with the plasma 25(OH)D but positively correlated with the quantity of cholecalciferol and 25(OH)D in WAT. These results support the cumulative effect of obesity and aging in aggravation of WAT inflammation and suggest that accumulation of cholecalciferol and 25(OH)D in WAT could constitute a mechanism to counteract WAT inflammation during aging and obesity