Aportaciones al conocimiento cariológico de la tribu Loteae (Fabaceae)

Se estudian 40 poblaciones correspondientes a 21 táxones integrantes de la tribu Loteae y pertenecientes a los géneros Lotus. Dorycnium, Anthyllis y Tetragonolobus40 populations of 21 tan of the tibe Loteae and bclonging to [he genus Lotus. Dorycnium. An¡hyllis aud Tetragonolobus. has lave been studie

Production of an extensive sunflower protein hydrolysate by sequential hydrolysis with endo- and exo-proteases

Se ha obtenido un aislado proteico de alta calidad a partir de harina desengrasada de girasol, mediante extracción alcalina y precipitación isoeléctrica. Se incrementó el contenido proteico desde un 31.2 % en la harina desengrasada hasta un 97 % en el aislado proteico. Los porcentajes de fibra, azúcares solubles, polifenoles y lípidos residuales se redujeron en más del 90 % en el aislado proteico respecto a la harina desengrasada. Se usó el aislado proteico como material de partida para la producción de un hidrolizado enzimático proteico extenso. La hidrólisis se realizó en un reactor usando secuencialmente una endo-proteasa (Alcalasa) y una exo-proteasa (Flavorzima). El hidrolizado proteico, con un grado de hidrólisis del 50.7 %, era blanco y no presentaba amargor

Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of the essential oils from Thymbra capitata and Thymus Species grown in Portugal

The antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of the essential oils from Thymbra capitata and Thymus species grown in Portugal were evaluated. Thymbra and Thymus essential oils were grouped into two clusters: Cluster I in which carvacrol, thymol, p-cymene, alpha-terpineol, and gamma-terpinene dominated and Cluster II in which thymol and carvacrol were absent and the main constituent was linalool. The ability for scavenging ABTS(center dot+) and peroxyl free radicals as well as for preventing the growth of THP-1 leukemia cells was better in essential oils with the highest contents of thymol and carvacrol. These results show the importance of these two terpene-phenolic compounds as antioxidants and cytotoxic agents against THP-1 cells.Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) [Pest-OE/EQB/LA0023/2011

Obtención y caracterización de aislados proteicos de colza

Se ha diseñado un proceso de obtención de aislados proteicos a partir de harina de colza desengrasada. El método incluye la extracción básica de las proteínas solubles seguido de una precipitación acida en el punto isoeléctrico. El precipitado es lavado con agua (pH 4.5), etanol y acetona, obteniéndose un aislado proteico con un 86% de proteína y reduciéndose el contenido en polifenoles y azúcares solubles en más de un 90% respecto a la harina desengrasada. El aislado final presenta unas características físico-químicas que lo hacen atractivo para su uso en alimentación y obtención de hidrolizados proteicos

Aportaciones al conocimiento cariológico del género Coincya (Brassicaceae) en la península Ibérica

[ES] Se estudian cariológicamente los distintos taxones del género Coincya en la Península Ibérica. Se indica por primera vez el número cromosómico de C. transtagana (n=12, 2n=24). El nivel tetraploide es nuevo para los siguientes taxones: C. longirostra (n=24), C. rupestris subsp. leptocarpa (n=24) y C. monensis subsp. cheiranthos var. setigera (n=24).[EN] A karyological study of Coincya from the Iberian Peninsula has been made. The chromosome number of C. transtagana (n=12, 2n=24) are reported for the first time. For the following taxa the tetraploid level is new: C. longirostra (n=24), C. rupestris subsp. leptocarpa (n=24) and C. monensis subsp. cheiranthos var. setigera (n=24)

Purification of free arginine from chickpea (Cicer arietinum) seeds

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Chickpea is a grain legume widely consumed in the Mediterranean region and other parts of the world. Chickpea seeds are rich in proteins but they also contain a substantial amount of free amino acids, especially arginine. Hence chickpea may represent a useful source of free amino acids for nutritional or pharmaceutical purposes. Arginine is receiving great attention in recent years because it is the substrate for the synthesis of nitric oxide, an important signaling molecule involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes in mammals. In this work we describe a simple procedure for the purification of arginine from chickpea seeds, using nanofiltration technology and an ion-exchange resin, Amberlite IR-120. Arginine was finally purified by precipitation or crystallization, yielding preparations with purities of 91% and 100%, respectively. Chickpea may represent an affordable green source of arginine, and a useful alternative to production by fermentation or protein hydrolysis.This work was carried out with the financial support of Junta de Andalucía (Spain) to the Laboratory of Bioactive and Functional Components of Plant Products (Instituto de la Grasa, C.S.I.C.). Cristina Megias is recipient of a JAE-Doc (C.S.I.C.) contract from the “Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios” program (cofinanced by the European Social Fund). Isabel Cortés-Giraldo is recipient of a JAE-Pre (C.S.I.C) fellowship from the “Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios” program (cofinanced by the European Social Fund). Thanks are due to María Dolores García-Contreras for technical assistance and to Jose Julian Rios for HPLC-MS analyses of purified arginine.Peer Reviewe

Polyphenol composition and in vitro antiproliferative effect of corm, tepal and leaf from Crocus sativus L. on human colon adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2)

25 Páginas, 3 Figuras, 3 TablasSaffron is cultivated for production of the saffron spice. Nevertheless, a huge amount of saffron by-products including corms, tepals and leaves with little or no commercial value are generated during the processing of the spice. This biomass contains bioactive compounds whose exploitation can increase the profitability and sustainability of this traditional crop. A significant amount of polyphenols, mainly glycosides of kaempferol, luteolin and quercetin, have been determined in tepals and leaves of saffron. Proliferation of Caco-2 cells was greatly inhibited by the tepal and leaf extracts (ED50 0.42 mg/ml), while the corm extract caused some signs of toxicity and completely abolished proliferation (ED50 0.05 mg/ml). To our knowledge, these are the first data reporting the inhibition of the proliferation of Caco-2 cells by extracts from tepals and leaves of saffron, and polyphenols could be responsible for this effect.This work has been supported by the grant RTA2013-00005-00-00 (INIA, Spain) and is part of a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) carried out in the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) and supported by the grant COST ActionFA1101 (http://www.saffronomics.org). We are grateful to the European Social Fund, Fundación Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Castilla-La Mancha and Junta de Andalucía for additional financing.Peer reviewe

Nutritional Characteristics of the Seed Protein in 23 Mediterranean Legumes

The search for new sources of plant protein for food and animal feed is driven by an increasing demand in developing countries and the interest in healthy alternatives to animal protein. Seeds from 23 different wild legumes belonging to tribes Gallegeae, Trifolieae, and Loteae were collected in southern Spain and their total amino acid composition was analyzed, by reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), in order to explore their nutritional value. Protein content in the seeds ranged from 15.5% in Tripodium tetraphyllum to 37.9% and 41.3% in Medicago minima and Medicago polymorpha, respectively. Species belonging to tribe Trifolieae, such as Melilotus elegans and Trifolium spp., showed the most equilibrated amino acid composition and the best theoretical nutritional values, although all species were deficient in sulfur amino acids. The amino acid composition of the seeds from some of these legumes was characterized by high levels of the anticancer non-proteic amino acid canavanine This amino acid was found free in the seeds from some of the species belonging to each of the three tribes included in the present work. Astragalus pelecinus in tribe Gallegea, Trifolium angustifolium in tribe Trifolieae, and Anthyllis vulneraria in tribe Loteae have 3.2%, 3.7%, and 7.2% canavanine, respectively. Seeds from Anthyllis vulneraria, Hymenocarpus lotoides, and Hymenocarpos cornicina have the highest contents in canavanine overall. In conclusion, the seeds from some of these legumes could be used for human consumption and for feeding animals because they contain protein of good nutritional quality. These plants could be useful in domestication and breeding programs for production of new varieties with improved nutritional and functional properties. In addition, some of these species may be of interest as a source of the bioactive compound canavanineinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A comprehensive approach to antioxidant activity in the seeds of wild legume species of tribe fabeae

The benefits of polyphenols have been widely demonstrated in recent decades. In order to find new species with a high biological functionality, the antioxidant activity of the polyphenol extracts from seeds of 50 taxa of tribe Fabeae (Lathyrus, Lens, Pisum, and Vicia) fromSpain has been studied. Considering the average concentration obtained fromthe data in the four genera of the Fabeae tribe, Pisum and Lathyrus show the highest average polyphenol concentration. The highest specific antioxidant activity as well as the antioxidant activity coefficient was observed in Pisum and Vicia. However, with respect to the total antioxidant activity, the highest average value was observed in Lathyrus and Pisum.The results obtained reveal that many of the wild taxa examined could be potential source of antioxidant

Mejora de la extracción proteica de la harina de girasol mediante hidrólisis con alcalasa

Extraction of proteins from defatted sunflower meal has been improved by addition of the protease alcalase during alkaline extraction. This method offers several additional advantages as compared to the traditional alkaline extraction without alcalase, which is usually carried out after a sedimentation/flotation step to remove the lignocellulosic fraction. As compared to extraction without alcalase, addition of 0.1% (v/v) alcalase improved the yield of protein extraction from 57.5% to 87.4%, providing an extract that is 22% hydrolyzed. In addition, an increment of up to 4.5 times in protein solubility at low pH values is achieved, which correlates with the degree of hydrolysis. The extracts that were obtained in the presence of alcalase had a higher proline and glycine content, suggesting that the protease improves extraction of proline-rich and glycine-rich cell wall proteins that are part of the lignocellulosic fraction. These protein extracts can be directly dried without generation of wastewater, and the resulting fiber-rich material could be used for animal feeding.Se ha mejorado la extracción proteica de la harina desengrasa de girasol mediante la adición de la proteasa alcalasa durante la extracción alcalina. Este método ofrece varias ventajas adicionales en comparación con la extracción alcalina tradicional sin alcalasa, que se desarrolla normalmente mediante un proceso de flotación/sedimentación para retirar la fracción lignocelulósica. En comparación a la extracción sin alcalasa, la adicción de 0.1% (v/v) de alcalasa mejora los rendimientos de extracción proteica desde un 57.5% a un 87.4%, dando un extracto con un 22% de grado de hidrólisis. Además se obtiene un incremento de hasta 4.5 veces de la solubilidad proteica a bajos pHs, que se correlaciona con el grado de hidrólisis. Los extractos obtenidos con alcalasa tenían un mayor contenido de prolina y glicina, sugiriendo que la proteasa mejora la extracción de las proteínas ricas en prolina y glicina de la pared celular que forma parte de la fracción lignocelulósica. Este extracto proteico puede ser secado directamente sin generación de aguas residuales, y el material resultante rico en fibra podría ser usado para alimentación animal.This work was supported by grant AGL 2001-0526.Peer reviewe