The influence of integral and organic growing systems on sugar content in selected tomato types and cultivars

Interest in production of protected crops has grown significantly over the past decade. Different cultivation systems (conventional, integral, and organic) affect the biological activity, which is ultimately reflected in the high quality of the fruits of different vegetable crops. In accordance with the requirements for health-safe products without residues of harmful substances in fruits, there is an increasing need for the production of tomatoes in integral and organic production systems. One of the most important features of these vegetables is their high quality and health safety, high nutritional and biological value. Agricultural production systems and growing practices are critical factors in determining the nutritional quality of tomato fruits [1]. In tomato, the sugar content is one of the important factors and one of the most significant parameters from the aspect of food quality [1]. Therefore, the aim of this work is to monitor fluctuations in sugars content, as parameters that determine the nutritional value in tomato cultivars, induced by growing under integral and organic conditions. For this purpose, a set of sixteen samples of four types of tomatoes - beef, grapolo, mini and midi plum, and cherry - was analyzed. Each type of tomato included two varieties, grown in two agricultural systems - integral and organic. The sugars profile was obtained using High-Performance Anion Exchange Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection (HPAECPAD). The content of eleven sugar components was determined. Fructose and glucose were the major sugar compounds [2], while the sugar microcomponents were trehalose, arabinose, melibiose, sucrose, isomaltose, gentiobiose, raffinose, maltose, and panose. The results showed differences between samples produced in integral and organic growing systems, primarily in microsugar components. Higher content of trehalose and melibiose was found in samples obtained from organic production. Fig.1. Principal Component Analysis (A)- The difference between integral (I) and organic (O) type of production; score plot (1a) – tomato samples: integral samples (I) 9-14, organic samples (O) 1-8, and loading plot (1b), and results of the Mann-Whitney U test (B) - sugar markers of type of production. Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the Zeleni hit d.o.o. from Belgrade, Serbia, for field trials and support. This work has been supported by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of Republic of Serbia, Contract number: 451-03- 47/2023-01/200168, 451-03-47/2023-01/200288 and 451-03-47/2023-01/ 200045. References: [1] E. Rosa-Martínez, M. D. García-Martínez, A. M. Adalid-Martínez, L. Pereira-Dias, C. Casanova, E. Soler, M. Rosario Figas, M. Dolores Raigon, M. Plazas, S. Soler, J. Prohens, Food Research International, 147 (2021) 110531. [2] C. Agius, S. von Tucher, B. Poppenberger, W. Rozhon, MethodsX, 5 (2018). 537-550

Comparison of nutritional properties and in-vitro antioxidant activity of organically grown garlic and its fermented product

Over the past few years, fermented garlic and its extracts have been increasingly used in cooking and in the daily diet due to their specific taste, nutritional composition and health benefits. The fermentation process is performed by heat treatment of garlic with controlled humidity for a longer period of time. During fermentation, chemical reactions and transformations such as Maillard reactions and caramelization reactions cause the changes in taste, nutritional composition, content of macro- and microelements as well as the content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of garlic. In this paper, samples of garlic and fermented garlic were analyzed and the content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, macro- and microelements as well as nutritional composition were compared. The content of Ca, K, Mg, Na, Mn, Cu, Zn, and W increased, while the content of Fe, Al, Cr, Ni, Mo, Hg and Pb decreased during fermentation. The water content decreased during the fermentation process, while the sugar and carbohydrate content increased significantly as a result of thermal decomposition of the poly- and oligosaccharides (fructan and other complex polysaccharides). Accordingly, the energy value of fermented garlic is higher than that of fresh garlic. The content of total phenolic compounds is higher in the fermented sample compared to fresh one, indicating different chemical transformations of secondary metabolites during the fermentation process. As a measure of antioxidant activity, two assays were performed: DPPH and FIC and both showed higher activity of fermented garlic, which is positively correlated with the higher content of phenolic compounds in the sample.Abstract: [https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5231

The sugars content of parental and new perspective descendant strawberry genotypes potential approach for the future selection process

Besides being one of the most commercially grown berry fruits, strawberries (Fragaria x annanassa Duch.) are known for their nutritional value, richness in polyphenols, and antioxidant capacity. New directions of strawberry breeding and selection are set towards premium fruit quality, high sugars content, and desirable sugars/total acids ratio (sweet index, SI), which represent some of the main prerequisites for selecting new breeding materials [1]. With this intention, a set of 24 strawberry genotypes was cultivated, including 12 parental varieties and 12 of their descendants - perspective candidates obtained by crossing the parental varieties mentioned above. A total of eleven sugars were quantified using High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection (HPAEC-PAD). Results implied that glucose, sorbitol, sucrose, and melibiose content were the most important sugars in separating the fruits of parental varieties and their progeny [2]. Results showed that old, parental varieties had a significantly higher content of glucose and sucrose, while new perspective genotypes had higher sorbitol and melibiose content (Fig.2). PCA analysis confirmed that parental (samples 1-12) and descendant genotypes (samples 13-24), could be discriminated according to sugars profile i.e. that these four sugars have an effect on their differentiation (Fig.1). This was in accordance with Mann-Whitney U test results (Fig.2). Fig.1. Principal Component Analysis - The difference between parental and descendant genotypes; score plot (A) – parental samples (PS) 1-12, descendant (DS) samples 13-24, and loading plot (B) – sugar components. Acknowledgments: This work has been supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Technological Development and Innovation of Republic of Serbia, Contract number: 451-03-47/2023-01/200168 and 451-03-47/2023-01/200288., as well as company “Zeleni hit d.o.o.” from Belgrade, Serbia and “BerryLab” breeding consortium from Italy. References: [1] L. Mazzoni, L. di Vittori, F. Balducci, T.Y. Forbes-Hernandez, F. Giamperi, M. Battino, B. Mezzeti, F. Capocasa, Scientia Horticulturae, 261: 108945 (2019). [2] M. Fotirić Akšić, T. Tosti, M. Sredojević, J. Milivojević, M. Meland, M. Natić, Plants, 8: 205 (2019).Poster: [https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5975

Comparison of nutritional properties and in-vitro antioxidant activity of organically grown garlic and its fermented product

Over the past few years, fermented garlic and its extracts have been increasingly used in cooking and in the daily diet due to their specific taste, nutritional composition and health benefits. The fermentation process is performed by heat treatment of garlic with controlled humidity for a longer period of time. During fermentation, chemical reactions and transformations such as Maillard reactions and caramelization reactions cause the changes in taste, nutritional composition, content of macro- and microelements as well as the content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of garlic. In this paper, samples of garlic and fermented garlic were analyzed and the content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, macro- and microelements as well as nutritional composition were compared. The content of Ca, K, Mg, Na, Mn, Cu, Zn, and W increased, while the content of Fe, Al, Cr, Ni, Mo, Hg and Pb decreased during fermentation. The water content decreased during the fermentation process, while the sugar and carbohydrate content increased significantly as a result of thermal decomposition of the poly- and oligosaccharides (fructan and other complex polysaccharides). Accordingly, the energy value of fermented garlic is higher than that of fresh garlic. The content of total phenolic compounds is higher in the fermented sample compared to fresh one, indicating different chemical transformations of secondary metabolites during the fermentation process. As a measure of antioxidant activity, two assays were performed: DPPH and FIC and both showed higher activity of fermented garlic, which is positively correlated with the higher content of phenolic compounds in the sample.Poster: [https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5246

The sugars content of parental and new perspective descendant strawberry genotypes potential approach for the future selection process

Besides being one of the most commercially grown berry fruits, strawberries (Fragaria x annanassa Duch.) are known for their nutritional value, richness in polyphenols, and antioxidant capacity. New directions of strawberry breeding and selection are set towards premium fruit quality, high sugars content, and desirable sugars/total acids ratio (sweet index, SI), which represent some of the main prerequisites for selecting new breeding materials [1]. With this intention, a set of 24 strawberry genotypes was cultivated, including 12 parental varieties and 12 of their descendants - perspective candidates obtained by crossing the parental varieties mentioned above. A total of eleven sugars were quantified using High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection (HPAEC-PAD). Results implied that glucose, sorbitol, sucrose, and melibiose content were the most important sugars in separating the fruits of parental varieties and their progeny [2]. Results showed that old, parental varieties had a significantly higher content of glucose and sucrose, while new perspective genotypes had higher sorbitol and melibiose content (Fig.2). PCA analysis confirmed that parental (samples 1-12) and descendant genotypes (samples 13-24), could be discriminated according to sugars profile i.e. that these four sugars have an effect on their differentiation (Fig.1). This was in accordance with Mann-Whitney U test results (Fig.2).Fig.1. Principal Component Analysis - The difference between parental and descendant genotypes; score plot (A) – parental samples (PS) 1-12, descendant (DS) samples 13-24, and loading plot (B) – sugar components.Acknowledgments: This work has been supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Technological Development and Innovation of Republic of Serbia, Contract number: 451-03-47/2023-01/200168 and 451-03-47/2023-01/200288., as well as company “Zeleni hit d.o.o.” from Belgrade, Serbia and “BerryLab” breeding consortium from Italy.References:[1] L. Mazzoni, L. di Vittori, F. Balducci, T.Y. Forbes-Hernandez, F. Giamperi, M. Battino, B. Mezzeti, F. Capocasa, Scientia Horticulturae, 261: 108945 (2019).[2] M. Fotirić Akšić, T. Tosti, M. Sredojević, J. Milivojević, M. Meland, M. Natić, Plants, 8: 205 (2019).Abstract: [https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5974

Natural deep eutectic solvent as extraction media for the main phenolic compounds from Rubi idaei leaves

Upper-respiratory-tract infections (URTI) are contagious diseases caused by a variety of bacteria and viruses. Based on European Union reports for Serbia, usage of antibiotics in pediatrics is extremely high compared to other European countries. Thus, there is growing demand for herbal-based products for the prevention of URTI as an alternative for antibiotics. Due to therapeutic properties such as antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory Rubi idaei leaves were used in Serbian folk medicine against URTI. Additionally, commercially available herbal products most often comprise ethanolic extracts. However, high-alcohol content makes such products unsuitable for patients’ intolerant to alcohol, especially children or other sensitive group of patients. Due to mentioned drawbacks, proposed study was focus on the development of novel natural, edible, and safe alternative using NADES (Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent), as a new-generation solvents that resemble the plants’ intracellular environment. Due to the unique, tuneable solvation properties, NADES are getting more attention as solvents in natural product research. This study aimed to present the green approach by using ultrasound assisted extraction and twenty various NADES systems as well as ethanol, methanol, and water as control solvents. The obtained extracts were evaluated in terms of their chemical composition by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), as well as in individual compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry. Chromatographic profiles revealed differences in chemical composition depending on the applied extraction system. Ten phenolic compounds such as chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, isoquercetin, astragalin, isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside, apigetrin, quercetin, kaempferol were quantified in Rubi Idaei leaves. Astragalin, isoquercetin, and rutin were major Consituents, while other compounds were found in minor amount. Kaempferol was found in high amount in almost all extracts, except in systems cholin chloride : glycerol with higher amount of water and cholin chloride : urea. Chemometric evaluation was applied to compare the extraction profile of NADES systems and their quantitative composition. Extraction systems discrimination revealed by principal component analysis confirming specific chemical profiles depending on the solvents used (Figure 1)

Poređenje nutritivnog sastasva i in vitro antioksidativne aktivnosti organski gajenog belog luka i njegovog fermentisanog proizvoda

Proteklih nekoliko godina fermentisani beli luk i njegovi ekstrakti se sve češće koriste u kulinarstvu i u svakodnevnoj ishrani zbog svog specifičnog ukusa, nutritivnog sastava i zdravstvenih benefita. Proces fermentacije vrši se termičkom obradom belog luka uz kontrolisanu vlažnost tokom dužeg vremenskog perioda. Tokom fermentacije, hemijske reakcije i transformacije poput Majlardovih reakcija i reakcija karamelizacije uzrokuju promene ukusa, nutritivnog sastava, sadržaja makro- i mikroelemenata kao i sadržaja fenolnih jedinjenja te i antioksidativnu aktivnost. U ovom radu analizirani su uzorci belog luka i fermentisanog belog luka te je vršeno poređenje sadržaja fenolnih jedinjenja i antioksidativne aktivnosti, makro- i mikroelemenata kao i nutritivnog sastava. Sadržaj Ca, K, Mg, Na, Mn, Cu, Zn i W se povećao, dok se sadržaj Fe, Al, Cr, Ni, Mo, Hg i Pb smanjio tokom fermentacije. Sadržaj vode se smanjio tokom procesa fermentacije, dok se sadržaj šećera i ugljenih hidrata značajno povećao kao rezultat termičke razgradnje poli- i oligosaharida (fruktana i ostalih kompleksnih polisaharida). Shodno svemu navedenom, energetska vrednost fermentisanog belog luka veća je u odnosu na svež beli luk. Sadržaj ukupnih fenolnih jedinjenja veći je u fermentisanog uzorku u poređenju sa svežim, jer se u toku fermentacije događaju različite hemijske transformacije na nivou sekundarnih metabolita. Kao pokazatelji antioksidativne aktivnosti, rađena su dva eseja: DPPH i FIC i oba su pokazala veću aktivnost fermentisanog belog luka, što je u pozitivnoj korelaciji sa većim sadržajem fenolnih jedinjenja u datom uzorku

Microgreens and germs: The gleam of next-generation super foods - manipulations in production technologies and future strategies for maintaining the shelf life and quality of products

Considering the well-being cognizance of masses, microgreens and germs have emerged as potential therapeutic functional foods for improving overall health by dietary supplementation. Microgreens and germs have an exceptional volume of various nutrients accounting for higher nutritive benefits compared to their mature counterparts [1]. These plants are difficult to store in fresh, due to their high surface area to volume ratio, high respiration rate, delicate leaves that easily wilt, rapid post-harvest decay transpiration, leakage of nutrient-rich exudates, tissue damage, and early senescence [1]. Therefore, within this study, the effect of drying on the sugar content of 12 samples of different microgreens and germs was monitored. A comparative study of the content of vitamin C and sugar between samples of microgreens and germs in both dry and fresh states was also done. The content of vitamin C was determined by the HPLC method, while the sugar profile was obtained using HPAEC-PAD. The results showed that there was a difference between samples of microgreens and germs (fig. 1), as well as the contents of vitamin C and sugar in the samples are inversely proportional (fig. 2), which is in line with the fact that part of the sugar is converted into vitamin C during ripening, which then serves as an antioxidant and protects against harmful effects [2]. Analyzes also showed that dry samples have a higher sugar content compared to fresh ones (fig.2.), which could serve as an argument to promote cost-effective production and future strategies for maintaining the shelf life and quality of these products in the sense that they do not lose their nutritional value during the drying process. Fig.1. Principal Component Analysis - The difference between microgreens and germs; score plot (A) – germ samples (G) 1-6, microgreen (MG) samples 7-12, and loading plot (B). Fig.2. Content of vitamin C (A) and sugars (B) in dry and fresh samples of microgreens (MG) and germs (G). Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the Grina - klico kutak corporation for technical support in the procurement of materials used for experiments. This work has been supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia, Contract number: 451-03-47/2023-01/200168 and 451-03-47/2023-01/200288.) References: [1] B. P. K. Naik, G. Sekhar, A. Suryakumari, G. S. G. Rajulu, K. Harshini, L.A.S: Deepika, International Journal of Research in Agronomy, 5(1) 2022; 40-42 [2] S. Kathi, H. Laza, S. Singh, L. Thompson, W. Li, C. Simpson, Scientific reports,12(1) 2022, 13093