To Örebro University

Natural ecosystems near agricultural landscapes may provide rich environments for growing crops. However, the effect of a natural ecosystem on crop health and fruit quality is poorly understood. In the present study, it was investigated whether the presence of a natural ecosystem surrounding a crop area influences banana plant health and fruit postharvest behavior. Plants from two conventional banana crop areas with identical planting time and cultural practices were used; the only difference between banana crop areas is that one area was surrounded by a natural forest (Atlantic forest) fragment (Near-NF), while the other area was inserted at the center of a conventional banana crop (Distant-NF). Results showed that bananas harvested from Near-NF showed higher greenlife and a more homogeneous profile during ripening compared to fruits harvested from Distant-NF. Differences in quality parameters including greenlife, carbohydrate profile, and pulp firmness between fruits harvested from Near-NF and Distant-NF are explained, at least partly, by differences in the balance of plant growth regulators (indole-3-acetic acid and abscisic acid) in bananas during ripening. Furthermore, plants from Near-NF showed a lower severity index of black leaf streak disease (BLSD) and higher levels of phenolic compounds in leaves compared to plants from Distant-NF. Together, the results provide additional evidence on how the maintenance of natural ecosystems near conventional crop areas could be a promising tool to improve plant health and fruit quality.

In order to prevent the spread of banana diseases in Brazil, the government is expecting to replace the cultivation of sensitive varieties for other pest-resistant cultivars. But if the sensory properties are not taken into account, the breeding program may not succeed. The aim of this work was to compare the volatile compounds profile of Fhia 02 (AAAB group), resistant to black leaf streak disease, with its non resistant female genitor, Prata Ana (AAB group), one of the most commonly consumed cultivars in Brazil. Volatile compounds were isolated from the headspace by solid-phase microextraction and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Fhia 02 presented a richer volatile profile, with high amount of esters with desirable ‘fruity’, ‘banana’, ‘herbal’ and ‘sweet’ odor notes, indicating high flavor quality with great potential for consumer acceptance.

Despite the important role of total soluble phenoliccompounds (TSPC) in plant and human health, a large numberof studies that have evaluated the TSPC in food matrices didnot consider possible interfering compounds such as solublesugars, ascorbic acid (AA), and other reducing compounds inthe Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) quantification method. Thus, thepresent study describes steps for the optimization of a meth-odology to extract the TSPC using banana leaves as an exam-ple. In addition, the method was tested using ascorbate oxi-dase (AOX) as a tool to determine and emphasize the impor-tance of the evaluation of AA interference in food productsusing orange juice as an example. The results showed that twoextraction cycles with 80 % acetone and a posterior hexaneextraction cycle to remove the excess of chlorophylls wereable to obtain a good TSPC extraction yield from bananaleaves without extracting compounds that may interfere withthe F-C method. The methodology has proven to be accurate,precise, simple, rapid, and inexpensive. Additionally, an over-estimation of the TSPC levels in AA-rich matrices was provenusing orange juice as an example. Finally, it was demonstratedthat the use of AOX could be a useful and simple tool to verifyand reduce the AA interference. This work proves and em-phasizes the importance of evaluating the yield of the extrac-tion and interferences in the quantification of the TSPC invegetal-derived foods, which are complex matrices thatshould be cautiously evaluated.

Non-digestible polysaccharides from edible mush-rooms may have immunomodulatory properties. Therefore,the availability of mushroom polysaccharides is relevant for research or industrial purposes, as polysaccharides may be used as functional food ingredients. Recently, a method using successive extractions to obtain mushroom polysaccharides was developed, but it is time-consuming. As a way to enablea fast and efficient extraction, a set of improvements was proposed, allowing for obtaining water-soluble polysaccha-rides in half the time of the original method. Similar yield, composition, molecular weight, homogeneity and conforma-tion of polysaccharides obtained demonstrated that the optimised method could be explored as a fast and efficient way to obtain water-soluble non-digestible polysaccharides from mushrooms.

Musa (AAB group) Thap Maeo is very productive and resistant to various banana diseases. However, quality attributes of this fruit were poorly investigated so far. The aim of this work was to establish a parallel between the sensory and volatile compound profile of this cultivar. A Quantitative Descriptive Analysis technique was used for sensory evaluation and the headspace volatile profile was analyzed by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Judges have described Thap Maeo with a moderate intensity of ripe banana aroma and flavor, which was confirmed by obtaining a poor volatile profile, with 14 compounds. 3-methybutyl butanoate and 3-methylbutanoate were the major compounds detected in the headspace, which could explain the perception of significant fruity flavors by the judges in the sensory tests.

Capsicum chinense var. Biquinho presents a strong aroma without the burning pepper sensation. Headspace volatile compounds were isolated by SPME and analyzed by GC-FID, GC-MS, and GC-O. The major compounds profile showed similarity to the profile of spicier peppers, but several minor compounds presented high importance to Biquinho’s characteristic flavor. Aromagram showed 72 compounds; where α-cardinol, heptylisopentanoate, p-xylene, isohexanol, hexyl butanoate, and (Z)-3-hexenyl pentanoate may be potential markers for the sweet and mild pepper flavor of Biquinho. In future, genetic materials of other chili peppers may have crosses with this pepper, which will improve their sensory characteristics.

Polysaccharides from a number of mushroom species are recognized as functional food ingredients with potential health benefits, including immunomodulatory effects. In this study, polysaccharides extracted from the basidiome with cold water (BaCW), hot water (BaHW), and hot alkali (BaHA) solution, and exo-(MyEX) and endopolysaccharides (MyEN) from the submerged culture of Pleurotus albidus, a promising species for farming and biomass production, were analyzed for their chemical composition and structure and immunomodulatory effects on macrophages. Compositional (HPAEC-PAD and HPSEC-RID/MWD) and structural (FT-IR, 1D- and 2D-NMR) analyses identified BaCW and MyEX as beta-(1,6)-branched beta-(1,3)-glucans, BaHW and MyEN as alpha-(1,3)-(1,2)-branched alpha-(1,6)-glucans, and BaHA as a mixture of alpha-(1,6) and beta-(1,3)-glucans. BaCW and MyEX stimulated the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitric oxide (NO), but not interleukin-6 (IL-6), and decreased phagocytosis of zymosan particles. In contrast, BaHW and MyEN induced TNF-alpha, NO and IL-6 production, and increased zymosan phagocytosis, while BaHA displayed intermediary effects in comparison the other polysaccharides. In conclusion, the basidiome and the submerged culture of P. albidus are sources of easily extractable alpha- and beta-glucans with potential immunomodulatory effects.

Using dill (Anethum graveolens L.) as a model herb, we revealnovel associations between metabolite profile and sensory quality, by integrating non-target metabolomics with sensory data. Low night temperatures and exposure to UV-enriched light was used to modulate plant metabolism, thereby improving sensory quality. Plant age is a crucial factor associated with accumulation of dill ether and α-phellandrene, volatile compounds associated with dill flavour. However, sensory analysis showed that neither of these compounds has any strong association with dill taste. Rather, amino acids alanine, phenylalanine, glutamic acid, valine, and leucine increased in samples exposed to eustress and were positively associated with dill and sour taste. Increases in amino acids and organic acids changed the taste from lemon/grass to a more bitter/pungent dill-related taste. Our approach reveals a novel approach to establish links between effects of eustressors on sensory quality, and may be applicable to a broad range of crops.

Greenhouse horticulture is in its broad definition the production of plant products within, under or sheltered by structures that provide protection against biotic and/or abiotic stress. In greenhouses, horticultural crops can grow protected from infectious agents and adverse weather conditions, allowing off-season, year-round production. However, greenhouse production often comes with a trade-off, which is a skewed light environment with a lack of UV light. 

In some instances, the blockage of UV by greenhouse glass and plastic covers is beneficial from a commercial perspective, especially on tropical latitudes where plants can often encounter higher UV levels, which may impair plant growth and nutrient absorption (Krause et al. 1999; Verdaguer et al. 2017). On the other hand, reduced UV inside greenhouses may reduce the synthesis of metabolites associated with crop protection against biotic and abiotic stress, such as flavonoids, terpenoids and alkaloids (Yang et al. 2018). This reduction in the amount of protective compounds may not be seen as an important limitation in a protected environment, but these metabolic changes caused by reduced UV exposure may in fact negatively impact on product quality. For example, it is possible to improve of the aroma and taste of greenhouse tomato by exposing plants to low levels of supplementary UV light (Dzakovich et al. 2016).

The contribution of dietary fiber to decrease the risk of atherosclerosis may occur through other mechanisms besides the increased excretion of cholesterol. Although macrophages are crucial for lipid clearance, the excessive uptake of cholesterol crystals (CC) by these cells induce NLRP3 inflammasome and foam cell formation. Thus, we investigated whether the water-soluble DF from chayote (WSP) regulate CC-pretreated macrophage-like THP-1 cells. Linkage analysis indicated that WSP is composed mainly of pectic homogalacturonan and highly branched type I rhamnogalacturonan as well as hemicellulosic material including glucomannan, xyloglucan, and glucurono(arabino)xylan. WSP reduced interleukin (IL)-1β and chemokine release in CC-pretreated macrophages. Notably, WSP also reduced lipid accumulation in cells previously exposed to CC. Furthermore, WSP upregulated liver X receptor alpha expression, which may account for increased lipid efflux, and reduced matrix metallopeptidase 9 expression. WSP also reduced active caspase-1 protein levels, and downregulated NLRP3 and IL-1β gene expression in CC-pretreated cells, suggesting that this polysaccharide fraction regulates the priming signals required for NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Thus, WSP regulate lipid efflux and suppress inflammasome priming in macrophages, suggesting that the health benefits of this dietary fiber could go beyond its physical properties on the gastrointestinal tract.

Chayote (Sechium edule) pulp is consumed raw or cooked and is source of polysaccharides with potential immunomodulatory properties in macrophages, which are cells that play important roles in homeostasis and innate immune responses to pathogens; however, these immunomodulatory effects of chayote polysaccharides remain unknown. Therefore, polysaccharides from raw (SeR) and cooked (SeC) chayote and from the hot water extract obtained after heating (SeH) were analyzed for their composition and effects on macrophages. Chayote has a high- (340 kDa) and a low- (46 kDa) molecular weight (MW) polysaccharide fraction containing high amounts of galactose, arabinose and galacturonic acid. After cooking, SeC was enriched in high-MW galactose-rich fractions, whereas SeH was enriched in low-MW arabinans and homogalaturonans-rich fractions. The polysaccharides induced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) secretion in macrophages; however,only SeR and SeH reduced TNF-α, NO and interleukin-6 secretion in activated macrophages. Furthermore, SeRand SeCW, but not SeC, affected phagocytic activity. In conclusion, bioactive polysaccharides in chayote modulate macrophage functions, and minor changes in composition resulting from the solubilization of a small proportion of low-MW arabinans and homogalacturonans during cooking accounted for the different effects of raw and cooked chayote.

Macrophages play an essential role in lipid metabolism; however, the excessive uptake of modified lipids andcholesterol crystals (CC) leads to the formation of pro-inflammatory lipid-laden macrophages called foam cells.Since theα-1,6- andβ-1,3-D-glucans from the basidiome and the mycelium of the edible mushroomPleurotusalbidushave previously been shown to regulate macrophage function, these glucans were tested in macro-phage-like THP-1 cells previously exposed to acetylated low-density lipoproteins (acLDL) or CC. The glucansinhibited lipid-induced inflammation, but only theβ-1,3-D-glucan regulated both the NLRP3 inflammasome ac-tivation and the expression of genes involved on lipid efflux in acLDL- or CC-pretreated cells, thereby reducingfoam cell formation. In contrast, the twoα-1,6-glucans tested inhibited foam cell formation only in acLDL-pretreated cells and had no effect on the expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gammaand liver X receptor alpha genes, suggesting that these glucans regulate lipid influx rather than lipid efflux.Thus,α-andβ-D-glucans differentially regulate lipid-induced inflammation and foam cell formation in macro-phage-like cells. Furthermore, results emphasize thatP. albidushas potential to be used as a functional food oras a source for the extraction of biologically-active glucans.

Linear arabino-oligosaccharides (LAOS) produced from controlled enzymatic hydrolysis of arabinans from sugar beet are well-known because of their chain-length dependent prebiotic effects. However, it is not clear if these α-(1,5)-linked arabinose oligosaccharides can interact directly with immune system cells, as well as if its degree of polymerization (DP) influences possible biological effects. Four high purity LAOS with distinct DP were tested in macrophage-like cells exposed or not to LPS. Results shown that LAOS interact with Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 in a chain length-dependent manner. LAOS with higher DP induce stimulatory effects mainly through the TLR4/MyD88 pathway, thereby enhancing the release of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL-) 1β, 6, 12, and chemokines including MCP-1, RANTES, IL-8, and IP-10. Notably, LAOS with lower DP appears to have an opposite effect to those counterparts with higher DP, as they does not induce the secretion of cytokines and chemokines in macrophages-like cells, while also inhibit TLR4-mediated effects induced by both lipopolysaccharide and LAOS with higher DP. These findings provide not only insights into potential biological effects of LAOS, but also reveal that controlled enzymatic hydrolysis of sugar beet arabinans may lead to dietary oligosaccharides with desired biological properties.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review focuses on the recent findings from lipidomics studies as related to nutrition and health research.

RECENT FINDINGS: Several lipidomics studies have investigated malnutrition, including both under- and overnutrition. Focus has been both on the early-life nutrition as well as on the impact of overfeeding later in life. Multiple studies have investigated the impact of different macronutrients in lipidome on human health, demonstrating that overfeeding with saturated fat is metabolically more harmful than overfeeding with polyunsaturated fat or carbohydrate-rich food. Diet rich in saturated fat increases the lipotoxic lipids, such as ceramides and saturated fatty-acyl-containing triacylglycerols, increasing also the low-density lipoprotein aggregation rate. In contrast, diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as n-3 fatty acids, decreases the triacylglycerol levels, although some individuals are poor responders to n-3 supplementation.

SUMMARY: The results highlight the benefits of lipidomics in clinical nutrition research, also providing an opportunity for personalized nutrition. An area of increasing interest is the interplay of diet, gut microbiome, and metabolome, and how they together impact individuals' responses to nutritional challenges.

The monocot banana fruit is one of the most important crops worldwide. As a typical climacteric fruit, the harvest of commercial bananas usually occurs when the fruit is physiologically mature but unripe. The universal treatment of green bananas with ethylene or ethylene-releasing compounds in order to accelerate and standardize the ripening of a bunch of bananas mimics natural maturation after increasing the exogenous production of ethylene. The trigger of autocatalytic ethylene production regulated by a dual positive feedback loop circuit derived from a NAC gene and three MADS genes results in metabolic processes that induce changes in the primary metabolism of bananas. These changes include pulp softening and sweetening which are sensorial attributes that determine banana postharvest quality. During fruit development, bananas accumulate large amounts of starch (between 15 and 35% w/w of their fresh weight, depending on the cultivar). Pulp softening and sweetening during banana ripening are attributed not only to changes in the activities of cell wall hydrolases but also to starch-to-sugar metabolism. Therefore, starch granule erosion and disassembling are key events that lead bananas to reach their optimal postharvest quality. The knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate sugar primary metabolism during banana ripening is fundamental to reduce postharvest losses and improve final product quality, though. Recent studies have shown that ethylene-mediated regulation of starch-degrading enzymes at transcriptional and translational levels is crucial for sugar metabolism in banana ripening. Furthermore, the crosstalk between ethylene and other hormones including indole-3-acetic acid and abscisic acid also influences primary sugar metabolism. In this review, we will describe the state-of-the-art sugar primary metabolism in bananas and discuss the recent findings that shed light on the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of this metabolism during fruit ripening.

The objective of this study was to compare the sensory quality and the volatile compound profile of new varieties of Capsicum chinense pepper (CNPH 4080 a strain of ‘Cumari-do-Pará’ and BRS Seriema) with a known commercial variety (Biquinho). Volatiles were isolated from the headspace of fresh fruit by SPME and identified by GC-MS. Pickled peppers were produced for sensory evaluation. Aroma descriptors were evaluated by Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) method, and the frequency data were submitted to Correspondence Analysis. Flavor acceptance was assessed by hedonic scale and analyzed by ANOVA. BRS Seriema showed the richest volatile profile, with 55 identified compounds, and up to 40% were compounds with sweet aroma notes. CNPH 4080 showed similar volatile profile to that of Biquinho pepper, but it had higher amounts of pepper-like and green-note compounds. The samples did not differ in terms of flavor acceptance, but they showed differences in aroma quality confirming the differences found in the volatile profiles. The C. chinense varieties developed by Embrapa proved to be more aromatic than Biquinho variety, and were well accepted by the judges.

Dietary fibre intake is essential for all human beings and has been correlated to beneficial health effects. Pea hull fibres (PF) are generally seen as a side stream during extraction of protein and starch from yellow pea but could be used in various food products to boost fibre content. In this study, the thermal treatment of pea hull fibres was investigated in terms of physicochemical properties and in vitro colonic fermentation. The PF that was subjected to heating showed an increase of fibres solubilised in the liquid and particle size. Results also showed that viscosity and storage modulus increased with thermal treatment, possibly due to the swelling of the PF. The pea fibre was readily fermentable based on total gas production and pH. However, the susceptibility to fermentation of PF did not increase with thermal treatment. Total gas production and short chain fatty acid produced were similar independent of thermal treatment. Conclusively, heating of the PF resulted in increased ability to structure water suspension, owing to increased fibre particle size, but is not sufficient to increase short chain fatty acid production during colonic fermentation. To explain this, we propose that the changes in cell wall structure were not major enough to induce higher fermentability.

The incorporation of fibre into pea protein matrices influences their microstructure, yet our understanding of their gut fermentability remains unexplored. In this study, dietary fibres and protein from yellow pea were investigated for their physico-chemical properties and impact on in vitro colonic fermentation using human inoculum. Pea fibre and pea protein blends were studied at different pH and after thermal treatment at 95 ◦C for 30 min with oscillatory rheology, static light scattering and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The effect on in vitro colonic fermentation was evaluated measuring gas production, ammonia, and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Rheology indicated that during thermal treatment a firmer gel is formed close to the protein isoelectric point with a structure characterised by aggregation, but less particle swelling compared to other pH. Addition of fibre led to higher storage modulus (G′), with the fibre dominating the rheological properties. Fermentation of samples containing protein led to higher levels of ammonia and SCFA compared to only fibres. Blends produced higher amounts of valerate, i-valerate and caproate, and lower amounts of ammonia. Reduced fermentation of proteins in the presence of fibres was also reflected in a more intact microstructure of the protein particles in the digesta. Although thermal treatment of blends caused particle swelling and induced gelation, only small differences could be discerned in the in vitro colonic fermentation outcomes. Our results highlight that potentially harmful fermentation products from protein, such as ammonia, were reduced in the presence of pea hull fibre.

This research evaluates the effect on herbal crops of mechanical stress induced by two specially developed robotic platforms. The changes in plant morphology, metabolite profiles, and element content are evaluated in a series of three empirical experiments, conducted in greenhouse and CNC growing bed conditions, for the case of basil plant growth. Results show significant changes in morphological features, including shortening of overall stem length by up to 40% and inter-node distances by up to 80%, for plants treated with a robotic mechanical stress-induction protocol, compared to control groups. Treated plants showed a significant increase in element absorption, by 20-250% compared to controls, and changes in the metabolite profiles suggested an improvement in plants' nutritional profiles. These results suggest that repetitive, robotic, mechanical stimuli could be potentially beneficial for plants' nutritional and taste properties, and could be performed with no human intervention (and therefore labor cost). The changes in morphological aspects of the plant could potentially replace practices involving chemical treatment of the plants, leading to more sustainable crop production.

Severe obesity is a major risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Early detection and careful monitoring of renal function are critical for the prevention of CKD during obesity, since biopsies are not performed in patients with CKD and diagnosis is dependent on the assessment of clinical parameters. To explore whether distinct lipid and metabolic signatures in obesity may signify early stages of pathogenesis toward CKD, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and gas chromatography-high resolution accurate mass-mass spectrometry (GC-HRAM-MS) analyses were performed in the serum and the urine of severely obese patients with and without CKD. Moreover, the impact of bariatric surgery (BS) in lipid and metabolic signature was also studied, through LC-MS and GC-HRAM-MS analyses in the serum and urine of patients with severe obesity and CKD before and after undergoing BS. Regarding patients with severe obesity and CKD compared to severely obese patients without CKD, serum lipidome analysis revealed significant differences in lipid signature. Furthermore, serum metabolomics profile revealed significant changes in specific amino acids, with isoleucine and tyrosine, increased in CKD patients compared with patients without CKD. LC-MS and GC-HRAM-MS analysis in serum of patients with severe obesity and CKD after BS showed downregulation of levels of triglycerides (TGs) and diglycerides (DGs) as well as a decrease in branched-chain amino acid (BCAA), lysine, threonine, proline, and serine. In addition, BS removed most of the correlations in CKD patients against biochemical parameters related to kidney dysfunction. Concerning urine analysis, hippuric acid, valine and glutamine were significantly decreased in urine from CKD patients after surgery. Interestingly, bariatric surgery did not restore all the lipid species, some of them decreased, hence drawing attention to them as potential targets for early diagnosis or therapeutic intervention. Results obtained in this study would justify the use of comprehensive mass spectrometry-based lipidomics to measure other lipids aside from conventional lipid profiles and to validate possible early markers of risk of CKD in patients with severe obesity.

Aims and methods: Minocycline (Mino) and doxycycline (Dox) are second generation tetracyclines known to present several other effects, which are independent from their antimicrobial activities. We studied in a comparative way the anti-inflammatory effects of Mino and Dox, on acute models of peripheral inflammation in rodents (formalin test and peritonitis in mice, and carrageenan-induced paw oedema in rats). Immunohistochemical assays for TNF-alpha and iNOS in rat paws of carrageenan-induced oedema were also carried out as well as in vitro assays for myeloperoxidase (MPO) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Furthermore, antioxidant activities were evaluated by the DPPH assay.

Results: In the formalin test although Mino and Dox (1, 5, 10 and 25 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited the first phase, they acted predominantly on the second phase of the test, where inhibition of the licking time close to 80% were observed. Mino and Dox were very efficacious in reducing the carrageenan-induced paw oedema in rats (10, 25 and 50 mg/kg, i.p.) and carrageenan-induced leucocyte migration (1 and 5 mg/kg, i.p.) to mice peritoneal cavities. Besides, they also significantly inhibited MPO and LDH releases at doses ranging from 0.001 to 1 μg/ml. Thus, in general, the anti-inflammatory activity of Dox was higher as compared to that of Mino, although the radical scavenging activity of Mino was of a magnitude 10 times higher.

Conclusions: Our data indicate that anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, involve the inhibition of iNOS and TNF-alpha, among other properties, and these encourage clinical studies of these compounds for new therapeutic applications, especially those were inflammation plays a role.

Background: The species Himatanthus drasticus is popularly known in Northeast Brazil as "janaguba" and belongs to the family Apocynaceae. The latex collected from its stem bark is used for several purposes including anti-inflammatory properties and presents among its bioactive constituents the pentacyclic triterpene lupeol. The objective of the present work was to study in vivo and in vitro the lupeol acetate (LA) isolated from the plant latex, in several models of inflammation.

Methods: Male Swiss mice (25-30 g, 6-24 animals per group) were administered with LA, 30 min before the test initiation. In the evaluation of analgesic activity the formalin test was used. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by the following tests: paw edema induced by carrageenan and dextran, and the carrageenan-induced neutrophil migration into peritoneal cavities. Furthermore, the effect of LA on the myeloperoxidase release (MPO, an inflammation biomarker) from human neutrophils was also determined, as well as its antioxidant potential by the DPPH assay.

Results: In the formalin test, LA (10, 25 and 50 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited both the 1(st) (neurogenic, 0-5 min) and mainly the 2(nd) (inflammatory, 20-25 min) phase. Naloxone completely reversed the LA effect, indicating the participation of the opioid system. LA also significantly inhibited carrageenan-and dextran-induced paw edemas, as well as the neutrophil migration to the peritoneal cavity evaluated by the carrageenan-induced pleurisia. In this model, the effect of a very low dose of LA (0.1 mg/kg) was potentiated by the same dose of pentoxifylline (PTX), a known TNF-alpha inhibitor. LA (25 and 50 mu g/ml) was also very effective in inhibiting MPO released from stimulated human neutrophils, and significantly decreased the number of cells expressing iNOS activity in the paw of mice submitted to carrageenan-induced edema, suggesting a drug involvement with the NO system.

Conclusions: The anti-inflammatory effect of LA probably involves the opioid system, asindicated by the complete blockade of the opioid antagonist naloxone. Furthermore, the LA effect was potentiated by PTX (a TNFalpha inhibitor). LA also decreased the number of iNOS cells, suggesting the participation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the NO system in the drug action.

This study is part of an extensive project that evaluated the effects of a natural ecosystem on a healthy bananacrop and the quality of its fruit. In particular, the study examined the influence of the maintenance of naturalbiodiversity (Atlantic forest) near a conventional banana crop on the metabolic profiling of ripe banana fruits.Results revealed differences between ripe fruits harvested from plants near the natural forest (Near-NF) andfruits harvested in areas distant from the natural forest (Distant-NF). A total of 76 metabolites were identified inripe banana fruits. Bananas harvested from Near-NF plot showed increased levels ofγ-aminobutyric acid andreduced levels of putrescine compared with fruits from Distant-NF plot. Furthermore, fatty acids profile suggeststhat ripe fruits harvested from Near-NF plot had increased nutritional quality compared with fruits from Distant-NF plot. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that these metabolites, which potentially influence the nu-tritional/sensorial quality of ripe fruits, also contributed to distinguishing fruits harvested from Near-NF andDistant-NF plots. Collectively, the results suggest that the natural biodiversity surrounding a crop area couldbenefit ripe banana nutritional/sensorial quality. The maintenance of natural forest fragments thus appears to bea promising tool for increasing the quality of fruit crops.

Ultraviolet radiation (UV, 280-400 nm) as an environmental signal triggers metabolic acclimatory responses. However, how different light qualities affect UV acclimation during growth is poorly understood. Here, cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus) were grown under blue, green, red, or white light in combination with UV. Their effects on leaf metabolites were determined using untargeted metabolomics. Blue and white growth light triggered the accumulation of compounds related to primary and secondary metabolism, including amino acids, phenolics, hormones, and compounds related to sugar metabolism and the TCA cycle. In contrast, supplementary UV in a blue or white light background decreased leaf content of amino acids, phenolics, sugars, and TCA-related compounds, without affecting abscisic acid, auxin, zeatin, or jasmonic acid levels. However, in plants grown under green light, UV-induced accumulation of phenolics, hormones (auxin, zeatin, dihydrozeatin-7-N-dihydrozeatin, jasmonic acid), amino acids, sugars, and TCA cycle-related compounds. Plants grown under red light with UV mainly showed decreased sugar content. These findings highlight the importance of the blue light component for metabolite accumulation. Also, data on interactions of UV with green light on the one hand, and blue or white light on the other, further contributes to our understanding of light quality regulation of plant metabolism.

Ultraviolet B (UV-B, 280 – 315 nm) and ultraviolet A (UV-A, 315-400 nm) radiation comprise small portions of the solar radiation but regulate many aspects of plant development, physiology and metabolism. Until now, how plants respond to UV-B in the presence of different light qualities is poorly understood. This study aimed to assess the effects of a low UV-B dose (0.912± 0.074 kJ m-2 day-1, at a 6 h daily UV exposure) in combination with four light treatments (blue, green, red and broadband white at 210 μmol m-2 s-1 Photosynthetic active radiation [PAR]) on morphological and physiological responses of cucumber (Cucumis sativus cv. ‘Lausanna RZ F1’). We explored the effects of light quality backgrounds on plant morphology, leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, epidermal pigment accumulation, and on acclimation ability to saturating light intensity. Our results showed that supplementary UV-B significantly decreased biomass accumulation in the presence of broad band white, blue and green light, but not under red light. UV‐B also reduced the photosynthetic efficiency of CO2 fixation (α) when combined with blue light. These plants, despite showing high accumulation of anthocyanins, were unable to cope with saturating light conditions. No significant effects of UV-B in combination with green light were observed for gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, but supplementary UV-B significantly increased chlorophyll and flavonol contents in the leaf epidermis. Plants grown under red light and UV-B significantly increased maximum photosynthetic rate and dark respiration compared to pure red light. Additionally, red and UV-B treated plants during with saturating light intensity showed an higher quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII), fraction of open PSII centres and electron transport rate and showed no effect on the apparent maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm) or non-photochemical quenching in contrast to solely red-light conditions. These findings provide new insights into how plants respond to UV-B radiation in the presence of different light spectra.

During recent years we have advanced our understanding of plant molecular responses to ultraviolet radiation (UV, 280-400 nm); however, how plants respond to UV radiation under different spectral light qualities is poorly understood. In this study, cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus ‘Lausanna RZ F1’) were grown under monochromatic blue, green, red and broadband white light in combination with UV radiation. The effects of light quality and UV radiation on acclimatory responses were assessed by measuring transcript accumulation of ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5), CHALCONE SYNTHASE 2 (CHS2) and LIGHT HARVESTING COMPLEX II (LHCII), and the accumulation of flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids in the leaves. The growth light backgrounds differentially regulated gene expression and metabolite accumulation. While HY5 and CHS2 transcripts were induced by blue and white light, LHCII was induced by white and red light. Furthermore, UV radiation antagonized the effects of blue, red, green, and white light on transcript accumulation in a gene dependent manner. Plants grown under blue light with supplementary UV radiation increased phenylalanine, flavonol disaccharide I and caffeic acid contents compared to those exposed only to blue light. UV radiation also induced the accumulation of flavonol disaccharide I and II, ferulic acid hexose and coumaric acid hexose in plants grown under green light. Our findings provide further understanding of plant responses to UV radiation in combination with different light spectra and contribute to the design of light recipes for horticultural practices that aim to modify plant metabolism and ultimately improve crop quality.

In Brazil, black leaf streak disease, also known as black Sigatoka, is devastating to traditional banana cultivars. Government research institutes are developing new resistant varieties, but if the sensory properties are not taken into account, the breeding program may not succeed. The objective of this work was to compare, by principal component analysis (PCA), the volatile profile (GC-MS) of the most popular banana cultivars in Brazil (Prata and Pacovan), susceptible to black Sigatoka, with nine resistant hybrids. Results showed that Galil 18 and Pacovan Ken were similar to traditional cultivars. Japira presented the richest volatile profile. These cultivars have great potential to replace fruits that are susceptible to banana diseases.

Brazilian geneticists are developing aromatic peppers that, besides their burning sensation, can also add flavor to foods. In this work, the volatile profiles of two new genotypes, CNPH 3931 and CNPH 4080, were compared to the profile of Orange Biquinho pepper, a very scented but not pungent Brazilian variety. Headspace volatile compounds were isolated by SPME and identified by GC-MS. The new genotypes presented very similar volatile profiles, with fewer compounds but higher volatile quantity when compared to Biquinho. They lack some important compounds to Biquinho’s aroma, but the presence of other esters can add a variety of desirable notes. These CNPH peppers were shown to be promising materials.

The hypothesis that links the increase in the intake of plant-source foods to a decrease in colorectal cancer (CRC) risk has almost 50 years. Nowadays, systematic reviews and meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies confirmed the association between dietary patterns and CRC risk, in which the non-digestible carbohydrates (NDC) from plant-source foods are known to play beneficial effects. However, the mechanisms behind the physicochemical properties and biological effects induced by NDC on the decrease of CRC development and progression remain not fully understood. NDC from plant-source foods consist mainly of complex carbohydrates from plant cell wall including pectin and hemicellulose, which vary among foods in structure and in composition, therefore in both physicochemical properties and biological effects. In the present review, we highlighted the mechanisms and described the recent findings showing how these complex NDC from plant-source foods are related to a decrease in CRC risk through induction of both physicochemical effects in the gastrointestinal tract, fermentation-related effects, and direct effects resulting from the interaction between NDC and cellular components including toll-like receptors and galectin-3. Studies support that the definition of the structure-function relationship—especially regarding the fermentation-related effects of NDC, as well as the direct effects of these complex carbohydrates in cells—is crucial for understanding the possible NDC anticancer effects. The dietary recommendations for the intake of NDC are usually quantitative, describing a defined amount of intake per day. However, as NDC from plant-source foods can exert effects that vary widely according to the NDC structure, the dietary recommendations for the intake of NDC plant-source foods are expected to change from a quantitative to a qualitative perspective in the next few years, as occurred for lipid recommendations. Thus, further studies are necessary to define whether specific and well-characterized NDC from plant-source foods induce beneficial effects related to a decrease in CRC risk, thereby improving nutritional recommendations of healthy individuals and CRC patients.

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a fleshy fruit that presents a rapid pulp softening during ripening. However, the timeline on how papaya pectinases act in polysaccharide solubilization and the consequent modification of the cell wall fractions during ripening is still not clear. In this work, the gene expression correlations between, on one hand, 16 enzymes potentially acting during papaya cell wall disassembling and, on the other hand, the monosaccharide composition of cell wall fractions during papaya ripening were evaluated. In order to explain differences in the ripening of papaya samplings, the molecular mass distribution of polysaccharides from water-soluble and oxalate-soluble fractions (WSF and OSF, respectively), as well as the oligosaccharide profiling from the WSF fraction, were evaluated by high performance size exclusion chromatography coupled to a refractive index detector and high performance anion-exchange chromatography coupled to pulse amperometric detection analyses, respectively. Results showed that up-regulated polygalacturonase and β-galactosidase genes were positively correlated with some monosaccharide profiles. In addition, an overall increase in the retention time of high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) polysaccharides in WSF and OSF was shown. The apparent disappearance of one HMW peak of the OSF may result from the conversion of pectin that were crosslinked with calcium into more soluble forms through the action of PGs, which would increase the solubilization of polysaccharides by lowering their molecular weight. Thus, the results allowed us to propose a detailed process of papaya cell wall disassembling that would affect sensorial properties and post-harvesting losses of this commercially important fruit.

While the "farm to fork" strategy ticks many boxes in the sustainability agenda, it does not go far enough in addressing how we can improve crop nutraceutical quality. Here, we explored whether supplementary ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure during growth of broccoli and Chinese cabbage can induce bioactive tryptophan- and glucosinolate-specific metabolite accumulation thereby enhancing Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation in human intestinal cells. By combining metabolomics analysis of both plant extracts and in vitro human colonic fermentation extracts with AhR reporter cell assay, we reveal that human colonic fermentation of UVB-exposed Chinese cabbage led to enhanced AhR activation in human intestinal cells by 23% compared to plants grown without supplementary UV. Thus, by exploring aspects beyond "from farm to fork", our study highlights a new strategy to enhance nutraceutical quality of Brassicaceae, while also providing new insights into the effects of cruciferous vegetables on human intestinal health.

There is an increasing interest in the use of automation in plant production settings. Here, we employed a robotic platform to induce controlled mechanical stimuli (CMS) aiming to improve basil quality. Semi-targeted UHPLC-qToF-MS analysis of organic acids, amino acids, phenolic acids, and phenylpropanoids revealed changes in basil secondary metabolism under CMS, which appear to be associated with changes in taste, as revealed by different means of sensory evaluation (overall liking, check-all-that-apply, and just-about-right analysis). Further network analysis combining metabolomics and sensory data revealed novel links between plant metabolism and sensory quality. Amino acids and organic acids including maleic acid were negatively associated with basil quality, while increased levels of secondary metabolites, particularly linalool glucoside, were associated with improved basil taste. In summary, by combining metabolomics and sensory analysis we reveal the potential of automated CMS on crop production, while also providing new associations between plant metabolism and sensory quality.

The development of light emitting diodes (LED) gives new possibilities to use the light spectrum to manipulate plant morphology and physiology in plant production and research. Here, vegetative Chrysanthemum × morifolium were grown at a photosynthetic photon flux density of 230 μmol m−2 s−1 under monochromatic blue, cyan, green, and red, and polychromatic red:blue or white light with the objective to investigate the effect on plant morphology, gas exchange and metabolic profile. After 33 days of growth, branching and leaf number increased from blue to red light, while area per leaf, leaf weight fraction, flavonol index, and stomatal density and conductance decreased, while dry matter production was mostly unaffected. Plants grown under red light had decreased photosynthesis performance compared with blue or white light-grown plants. The primary and secondary metabolites, such as organic acids, amino acids and phenylpropanoids (measured by non-targeted metabolomics of polar metabolites), were regulated differently under the different light qualities. Specifically, the levels of reduced ascorbic acid and its oxidation products, and the total ascorbate pool, were significantly different between blue light-grown plants and plants grown under white or red:blue light, which imply photosynthesis-driven alterations in oxidative pressure under different light regimens. The overall differences in plant phenotype, inflicted by blue, red:blue or red light, are probably due to a shift in balance between regulatory pathways controlled by blue light receptors and/or phytochrome. Although morphology, physiology, and metabolism differed substantially between plants grown under different qualities of light, these changes had limited effects on biomass accumulation.

The present study aimed to evaluate the volatiles profile of red mombin (Spondias purpurea) pulp and its powder produced by spray-drying (SD) as an example to show utility of headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) in the analysis of parameters such as the quality and stability of fruit products. Volatiles profiles of the pulp were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), quantified by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and compared to the profile of the powder stored at 0, 60 and 120 days in plastic (PP) or laminated packages (LP). The results showed that the technique was able to identify 36 compounds in the red mombin pulp, 17 out of which have been described for the first time in this fruit, showing that red mombin fresh pulp appears to be unique in terms of volatiles composition. However, only 24 compounds were detected in the powder. This decrease is highly correlated (r² = 0.99), at least for the majority of compounds, to the degree of volatility of compounds. Furthermore, the powder stored in PP or LP showed no statistical differences in the amounts of its components for a period of 120 days of storage. Finally, this work shows how HS-SPME analysis can be a valuable tool to assess the quality and stability of fruit products.