Comparative study on free amino acid composition of wild edible mushroom species

A comparative study on the amino acid composition of 11 wild edible mushroom species (Suillus bellini, Suillus luteus, Suillus granulatus, Tricholomopsis rutilans, Hygrophorus agathosmus, Amanita rubescens, Russula cyanoxantha, Boletus edulis, Tricholoma equestre, Fistulina hepatica, and Cantharellus cibarius) was developed. To define the qualitative and quantitative profiles, a derivatization procedure with dabsyl chloride was performed, followed by HPLC-UV-vis analysis. Twenty free amino acids (aspartic acid, glutamic acid, asparagine, glutamine, serine, threonine, glycine, alanine, valine, proline, arginine, isoleucine, leucine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, cysteine, ornithine, lysine, histidine, and tyrosine) were determined. B. edulis and T. equestre were revealed to be the most nutritional species, whereas F. hepatica was the poorest. The different species exhibited distinct free amino acid profiles. The quantification of the identified compounds indicated that, in a general way, alanine was the major amino acid. The results show that the analyzed mushroom species possess moderate amino acid contents, which may be relevant from a nutritional point of view because these compounds are indispensable for human health. A combination of different mushroom species in the diet would offer good amounts of amino acids and a great diversity of palatable sensations.     

Changes in the free amino acid composition with maturity of the noble cultivar of Vitis rotundifolia Michx. grape

The changes in amino acid composition that occur with maturity of the Noble cultivar of the Vitis rotundifolia Michx. (muscadine) grape were determined by HPLC. Eighteen amino acids were identified. Histidine was the most prominent amino acid followed by alanine. The concentrations of most of the major amino acids (alanine, glycine, histidine, valine, isoleucine, aspartic acid, and serine) were highest at verasion. Glutamine and threonine contents dropped sharply after fruit set, while those of arginine and proline increased gradually with maturity and ripening. Tyrosine content increased gradually with maturity and ripening following a slight drop after fruit set. In ripe grapes, seeds contained most of the amino acids in mature grapes (50%) followed by the pulp (23%), the juice (15%), and the skin (11%). Alanine, histidine, and arginine were the principal amino acids identified in the juice. Alanine, histidine, arginine, valine, glutamine, aspartic acid, proline, serine, and threonine accounted for about 90% of the amino acids in the pulp. In seeds, alanine, proline, asparagine, and histidine accounted for over 55% of the amino acids, while alanine and histidine were found to be the predominant free amino acids in the skin. The profile indicates some differences in the changes in amino acid composition with berry maturity and relative amounts of amino acids present in muscadine compared to those in nonmuscadine grape species.     

Tronchuda cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. costata DC): scavenger of reactive nitrogen species

The ability of tronchuda cabbage ( Brassica oleracea L. var. costata DC) to act as a scavenger of the reactive nitrogen species nitric oxide and peroxynitrite was investigated. The aqueous extracts obtained from tronchuda cabbage seeds and from its external and internal leaves exhibited a concentration dependent scavenging capacity. The antioxidant potential observed against the two reactive species was as follows: seeds > external leaves > internal leaves. In order to establish a possible correlation with the chemical composition of the extracts, the activity of ascorbic and sinapic acids and kaempferol 3- O-rutinoside was also studied. Among the compounds tested, sinapic acid showed the strongest antioxidant activity against both species.     

氨基酸部分替代硝态氮对小白菜生长、硝酸盐累积及大量元素含量的影响

A hydroponic experiment was carried out to determine the influence of replacing 20% of nitrate-N in nutrient solutions with 20 individual amino acids on growth, nitrate accumulation, and concentrations of nitrogen （N）, phosphorus （P）, and potassium （K） in pak-choi （Brassica chinensis L.） shoots. When 20% of nitrate-N was replaced with arginine （Arg） compared to the full nitrate treatment, pak-choi shoot fresh and dry weights increased significantly （P ≤ 0.05）, but when 20% of nitrate-N was replaced with alanine （Ala）, valine （Val）, leucine （Leu）, isoleucine （Ile）, proline （Pro）, phenylalanine （Phe）, methionine （Met）, aspartic acid （Asp）, glutamic acid （Glu）, lysine （Lys）, glycine （Gly）, serine （Ser）, threonine （Thr）, cysteine （Cys）, and tyrosine （Tyr）, shoot fresh and dry weights decreased significantly （P ≤ 0.05）. After replacing 20% of nitrate-N with asparagine （Asn） and glutamine （Gin）, shoot fresh and dry weights were unaffected. Compared to the full nitrate treatment, amino acid replacement treatments, except for Cys, Gly, histidine （His）, and Arg, significantly reduced （P ≤0.05） nitrate concentrations in plant shoots. Except for Cys, Leu, Pro, and Met, total N concentrations in plant tissues of the other amino acid treatments significantly increased （P ≤ 0.05）. Amino acids also affected total P and K concentrations, but the effects differed depending on individual amino acids. To improve pak-choi shoot quality, Gln and Asn, due to their insignificant effects on pak-choi growth, their significant reduction in nitrate concentrations, and their increase in macroelement content in plants, may be used to partially replace nitrate-N.     

Multivariate analysis of tronchuda cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. costata DC) phenolics: influence of fertilizers

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of fertilization level on the phenolic composition of tronchuda cabbage ( Brassica oleracea L. var. costata DC) external and internal leaves. Eight different plots were constituted: a control without fertilization, one with organic matter, and six experiments with conventional fertilizers (nitrogen, boron, and sulfur, two levels each). The phenolic compounds were analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC-DAD. External and internal leaves revealed distinct qualitative composition. In the internal leaves were found 15 phenolics (5 kaempferol and 10 cinnamic acid derivatives), whereas the external leaves presented 3- p-coumaroylquinic acid and 13 kaempferol derivatives. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to assess the relationships between phenolic compounds, agronomical practices, and harvesting time. Samples obtained with conventional practices were quite effectively separated from organic samples, for both types of leaves. In general, samples developed without any fertilization presented the highest phenolics amounts: external and internal leaves contained 1.4- and 4.6-fold more phenolic compounds than the ones that received conventional fertilizer, respectively, and the internal leaves presented 2.4 times more phenolics than the ones grown with organic amendment. Additionally, samples from organic production exhibited higher total phenolics content than those from conventional practices, collected at the same time. Samples harvested first were revealed to be distinct from the ones collected later. The results show that it is possible to grow tronchuda cabbage without excess fertilizers, with highest amounts of phenolics and reduced environment contamination.     

Natural abundance of 15N in nitrate,ureides, and amino acids from plant tissues

The natural ¹⁵N abundances (δ¹⁵N values) were measured for nitrate and free and bound amino acids from the leaves of field-grown spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) and komatsuna (Brassica campestris L.), as well as ureides and free and bound amino acids in the leaves and roots of hydroponically grown soybean (Glycine max L.) totally depending on dinitrogen. Nitrate from the spinach and komatsuna leaves and ureides from leaves and roots of soybean showed higher δ¹⁵N values than the total tissue N and N in free or bound amino acid fractions. The δ¹⁵N values of individual free and bound amino acids, determined by GC/C/MS using their acetylpropyl derivatives, were similar in leaf tissues except for proline but varied in soybean root tissues. The order of ¹⁵N enrichment was similar in the four samples: aspartic acid > glutamic acid > threonine, proline, valine > glycine + alanine +serine, γ-amino butyric acid, and phenylalanine.     

Environmentally induced changes in amino acid composition in the grain of durum wheat grown under different water and temperature regimes in a Mediterranean environment

Amino acid composition is an important feature in determining the nutritional value of wheat grain for human and animal diets. Environmental conditions are known to influence protein quantity as well as grain production and, in turn, amino acid composition. In this study, grain yield, protein content, and amino acid composition were determined in 10 durum wheat genotypes under three water and temperature regimes in a Mediterranean environment. The highest value for grain-protein content (15.7%) was found in the warmer and driest environment and the lowest (12.8%) in the irrigated environment. Although amino acid composition showed significant variation for all genotypes, with the exception of arginine and cysteine, major changes in amino acid composition were caused by environmental conditions and in particular by water availability and temperature during the grain-filling period, which significantly altered the duration of grain development. The amino acids with the highest percentage of variation between environments were tyrosine (26.4%), lysine (23.7%), methionine (20.3%), threonine (19.3%), and valine (15.6%), whereas phenylalanine (5.1%), glycine (6.4%), and aspartic acid (6.8%) showed the least variation between environments. Whereas the content of glutamine, phenylalanine, and proline increased with the decrease in grain-filling duration, the remaining amino acids tended to diminish, presumably because high temperature and drought favored the deposition of gliadins (proteins particularly rich in glutamine and proline), to the detriment of albumins and globulins (proteins especially rich in threonine, lysine, methionine, valine, and histidine). Despite the negative correlations found between the percentage of protein and its content in essential amino acids, the results indicate that reductions in lysine per unit of food were not very pronounced (0.32 to 0.29 g/100 g of flour) with increases of up 22.7% in grain-protein content, whereas threonine did not change and valine even slightly increased.     

Identification of free amino acids in peat by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

The qualitative and quantitative composition of free amino acids in a typical Finnish peat bog at various depths down to 5.3 m below the surface was studied using capillary gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Sixteen amino acids were identified at each depth: α-alanine, β-alanine, glycine, valine, leucine, proline, isoleucine, serine, threonine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, phenylalanine, tyrosine, γ-aminobutyric acid, ornithine and lysine. Their amounts decreased markedly at a depth of 40–100 cm. The total amount of amino acids varied between 0.6 and 5.6 g kg^?1 dry matter (i.e. 0.06–0.56%) depending on the depth. The proportion of neutral amino acids was greatest at all depths studied, except at the surface layer where it ranged between 41 and 72% by mass. The acidic amino acids decreased with depth from 56 to 23% of the total. The proportion of aromatic amino acids was very small, 3.2–5.5% by mass. In samples from aerobic conditions, where the microbial production of free amino acids was the greatest, α-ala, gly, glu and asp were most abundant. In peat from anaerobic conditions, where the microbiological activity was low, the proportion of the most chemically stable amino acid was exceptionally high. This may have been because glycine was a degradation product of other amino acids or peptides. Peat type and degree of decomposition had a strong influence on the total amount of free amino acids and their qualitative composition.     

Cucumber performance is improved by inoculation with plant growth-promoting microorganisms

We investigated the effects of inoculation of Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on cucumber plant growth promotion and on the contents of plant hormones, amino acids, and mineral nutrients. We showed that treatment with all three bio-inoculants significantly increased the shoot length, root length, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, and chlorophyll content, via secretion of indole acetic acid and/or organic acids. Inoculation with R. sphaeroides had more favorable effect on plant growth than did inoculation with L. plantarum or S. cerevisiae, by significantly enhancing the gibberellin and reducing the abscisic acid contents. The results of amino acid analysis revealed that inoculation with R. sphaeroides, L. plantarum, and S. cerevisiae generally increased the contents of 17 amino acids, namely, aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, cysteine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine, histidine, arginine, and proline. With the exception of cysteine, all these amino acids were present in higher concentrations in plants inoculated with R. sphaeroides than in control plants or in plants inoculated with L. plantarum and S. cerevisiae. Furthermore, inoculation with R. sphaeroides significantly increased the calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphate contents. Our results suggest that the use of R. sphaeroides, L. plantarum, and S. cerevisiae in agricultural fields can improve plant growth. Moreover, inoculation of cucumber plants with R. sphaeroides regulates plant functional metabolites, thereby promoting plant growth.     

Biochemical and microbial changes during the storage of minimally processed cantaloupe

The effect of storage time on pH, titratable acidity, degrees Brix, organic acids, sugars, amino acids, and color of minimally processed cantaloupe melon (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus Naud. cv. Mission) was determined at 4 degrees C and 20 degrees C. Changes in most of the biochemical parameters with storage time were relatively slow at the lower temperature. At 20 degrees C, a 17% loss in soluble solids and a 2-fold increase in acidity occurred after 2 days. Organic acid content also increased considerably with time at this temperature as a result of the production of lactic acid. Oxalic, citric, malic, and succinic acids were the organic acids, and glucose, fructose, and sucrose were the sugars present in the freshly cut cantaloupe. Malic acid concentration decreased concurrently with lactic acid production indicating the possible involvement of anaerobic malo-lactic fermentation along with sugar utilization by lactic acid bacteria. The effect of storage on microbial growth was determined at 4, 10, and 20 degrees C. Gram-negative stained rods grew at a slower rate at 4 degrees C and 10 degrees C than the Gram-positive mesophilic bacteria that dominated microorganism growth at 20 degrees C. Eighteen amino acids were identified in fresh cantaloupe: aspartic acid, glutamic acid, asparagine, serine, glutamine, glycine, histidine, arginine, threonine, alanine, proline, tyrosine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, phenyl alanine, and lysine. The dominant amino acids were aspartic acid, glutamic acid, arginine, and alanine. Total amino acid content decreased rapidly at 20 degrees C, but only a slight decrease occurred at 4 degrees C after prolonged storage. Changes in lightness (L), chroma, and hue at both temperatures indicate the absence of browning reactions. The results indicate the potential use of lactic acid and lactic acid bacteria as quality control markers in minimally processed fruits.     

Influence of two fertilization regimens on the amounts of organic acids and phenolic compounds of tronchuda cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. Var. costata DC)

A phytochemical study was undertaken on tronchuda cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. costata DC) cultivated under conventional and organic practices and collected at different times. Six organic acids (aconitic, citric, ascorbic, malic, shikimic, and fumaric acids) were identified and quantified by HPLC-UV. Qualitative and quantitative differences were noted between internal and external leaves. Analysis of the phenolics of the internal leaves was achieved by HPLC-DAD, and the phenolic profile obtained was revealed to be distinct from that of the external leaves. By this means were identified and quantified 11 compounds: 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid, kaempferol 3-O-sophoroside-7-O-glucoside, kaempferol 3-O-(caffeoyl)sophoroside-7-O-glucoside, kaempferol 3-O-(sinapoyl)sophoroside-7-O-glucoside, kaempferol 3-O-(feruloyl)sophoroside-7-O-glucoside, kaempferol 3-O-sophoroside, two isomeric forms of 1,2-disinapoylgentiobiose, 1-sinapoyl-2-feruloylgentiobiose, 1,2,2'-trisinapoylgentiobiose, and 1,2'-disinapoyl-2-feruloylgentiobiose. In general, internal leaves exhibited more constant chemical profiles.     

Quantification of racemization of amino acids in alkaline-treated duck eggs by micellar capillary electrophoresis

Duck eggs were pickled in 4.2% NaOH/5% NaCl solution for 20 days to prepare the traditional Chinese Pidan. The extent of racemization of compositional amino acid in egg albumen and yolk over the alkaline pickling period was investigated with micellar capillary electrophoresis (MCE) using beta-cyclodextrin as chiral selector. The racemization value of amino acids in egg albumen was in the order serine > aspartic acid > glutamic acid > phenylalanine > leucine > valine > threonine = isoleucine, whereas the order in egg yolk was aspartic acid > glutamic acid > phenylalanine > leucine > valine. Therefore, the tendency of amino acid racemization appeared to be closely related to the properties of its residual side chain, as well as the pH and alkaline treating period. Moreover, racemization of most of the amino acids was remarkably induced by the alkaline treatment during the initial pickling period.     

Free amino acids in unhardened and cold‐hardened winter wheat crowns

The free amino acids proline and glutamic acid increased in the crown of winter wheat in all treatments when exposed to cold‐hardening. Glutamine also increased except when 90–80 N‐P fertilizer was applied. The increase of proline and glutamic acid was enhanced with the application of P but counteracted by N. This enhancement was smaller with glutamine. The decrease of threonine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine and α‐aminobutyric acid with cold‐hardening was not counteracted by application of N and P. However, isoleucine in cold‐hardened winter wheat increased with the application of 180–0 fertilizer and aspartic acid increased when P was added. The increase in alanine with cold‐hardening was enhanced by P alone but counteracted by N‐P treatments. The marked increase in proline during cold‐hardening could be useful in the detection of cold‐hardiness in winter wheats.     

氨基酸与锌配合喷施提高小白菜生物量、品质及锌利用效率

【目的】 作物可以直接吸收小分子有机氮,探究不同氨基酸对作物产量、品质及养分吸收的影响,及其与锌肥配合的效果可深化对有机营养的认识,为叶面施肥提供理论依据。【方法】 以小白菜为供试作物进行盆栽试验,以喷施清水为对照,设甘氨酸、谷氨酸、苏氨酸、七水合硫酸锌分别单独喷施和甘氨酸、谷氨酸、苏氨酸分别与七水合硫酸锌混合喷施处理,三种氨基酸浓度梯度均为100、250、400 mg/L,七水合硫酸锌施用浓度为0.1%,共20个处理;每个处理5次重复,随机区组排列;收获后测定植株生物量和硝酸盐、可溶性糖及维生素C含量,分析植株吸收锌量。【结果】 1）施用三种氨基酸均能明显促进小白菜生长、改善品质,并能显著促进小白菜对锌的吸收。与对照相比,喷施三种氨基酸小白菜生物量分别提高了32.0%、19.8%和16.6%,硝酸盐含量分别降低了53.9%、60.9%和65.6%,可溶性糖含量分别提高了66.2%、145.1%和207.6%,Vc含量分别提高了20.8%、38.8%和61.6%。喷施100 mg/L的甘氨酸小白菜锌吸收量提高了12.0%,而喷施三种浓度的谷氨酸与苏氨酸均可提高小白菜的锌吸收量,分别平均提高了38.7%、12.0%;2）甘氨酸、谷氨酸、苏氨酸与硫酸锌混合喷施可明显提高锌的应用效果,与硫酸锌单施相比,混合喷施可分别使小白菜生物量提高25.6%、25.4%和24.5%,硝酸盐含量降低19.0%、26.3%和25.2%,可溶性糖含量提高33.2%、72.7%和27.1%,Vc含量提高67.1%、22.6%和25.2%,锌吸收量提高26.7%、50.0%和67.8%,锌利用率分别提高了14.3%、10.2%和19.2%,差异显著。【结论】 甘氨酸、谷氨酸、苏氨酸单独施用或与硫酸锌混合施用均能明显促进小白菜的生长发育及对锌的吸收利用,并能显著改善其品质。甘氨酸、谷氨酸、苏氨酸单独施用或与硫酸锌混合喷施其最适浓度范围均分别为250~400 mg/L、250~400 mg/L、100~250 mg/L。苏氨酸与硫酸锌混合喷施应用效果较甘氨酸和谷氨酸更佳,在氨基酸螯合锌肥中可优先选用。     

玉米浆发酵产生物丁醇的氨基酸代谢动力学模拟

为了深入挖掘利用丙酮丁醇梭菌产生物丁醇过程中氨基酸代谢的动态过程，探究利用廉价氮源玉米浆中的氨基酸用于丙酮丁醇梭菌产生物丁醇的生产策略，寻找生产丁醇的高效率廉价氮源来降低发酵生产成本。该研究首先利用高通量测序技术对玉米浆中微生物多样性进行分析；同时基于丙酮丁醇梭菌（Clostridium acetobutylicum）生产丙酮-丁醇-乙醇（Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol，ABE）碳代谢动态模型的基础上，构建氨基酸代谢模型，以此模拟15种氨基酸在利用木糖为碳源发酵生产ABE中的氨基酸代谢过程，并对氨基酸的代谢与丙酮丁醇梭菌的生物量以及ABE的合成相关性关系进行冗余分析；通过模型预测实际生产中利用玉米浆发酵时氨基酸的消耗过程。结果表明，梭状芽胞杆菌属（Clostridium）占细菌总数的68.76%，是玉米浆中的优势菌群；最佳参数校正后构建了氨基酸代谢模型，模拟值与试验值有较好拟合度；11种氨基酸（苯丙氨酸、苏氨酸、异亮氨酸、亮氨酸、蛋氨酸、缬氨酸、酪氨酸、甘氨酸、丝氨酸、精氨酸、天冬酰胺）在培养过程中迅速消耗用于细胞生长和溶剂生成，3种氨基酸（脯氨酸、组织胺、天冬氨酸）保持稳定状态，同时发酵过程中谷氨酰胺积累；冗余分析表明其中5种氨基酸对发酵产物及生物量影响具有相关性（P<0.05），相关性排序从大到小依次为丝氨酸、甘氨酸、亮氨酸、缬氨酸、天冬酰胺；模拟预测玉米浆中缬氨酸、甘氨酸、丝氨酸在发酵过程中基本被消耗，推测其为发酵后期的营养限制性因子。该结论可证实玉米浆可作为丙酮丁醇梭菌发酵丁醇的优势氮源，为丙酮丁醇梭菌的氨基酸代谢调控及下一步利用并优化玉米浆作为氮源生产生物丁醇提供一定的理论参考和数据支撑。     

Protein content and amino acid composition of seven wheat cultivars subjected to water stress: Effects of nitrogen fertilizer treatments

Seven wheat cultivars of wide genetic base were grown with three levels of N (0, 100, and 200 kg/ha), and were subjected to a water stress at the flowering stage. The protein content and amino acid composition of the wheat grain were determined. Crude protein content increased with each increase of N rate for each cultivar but the largest increase was from the first increment. The percentages of three amino acids (glutamic acid, proline, and phenylalanine) increased with the first increment of nitrogen, and the percentages of eight (lysine, histidine, arginine, aspartic acid, threonine, glycine, alanine, and valine) decreased. None of the cultivar x N interactions for amino acid composition was significant, indicating that the relative changes in amino acid composition for the seven cultivars were the same. This shows that successful manipulation of amino acid composition through N fertilization of selected cultivars that were subjected to a soil water stress at the flowering stage is remote.     

Turkish Tombul hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.). 1. Compositional characteristics

The quality of Tombul (Round) hazelnut, grown in the Giresun province of Turkey, was determined by measuring proximate composition, minerals, vitamins, dietary fiber, amino acids, and taste active components (free amino acids, sugars, and organic acids). Fat was the predominant component in Tombul hazelnut (approximately 61%). The major minerals were potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and selenium. Hazelnut was also found to serve as an excellent source of vitamin E (24 mg/100 g) and a good source of water soluble (B complex) vitamins and dietary fiber. The major amino acids were glutamic acid, arginine, and aspartic acid. The three nonessential amino acids and the essential amino acids contributed 44.9 and 30.9% to the total amino acids present, respectively, while lysine and tryptophan were the limiting amino acids in Tombul hazelnut. Twenty-one free amino acids, six sugars, and six organic acids were positively identified; among these, arginine, sucrose, and malic acid predominated, respectively. These taste active components may play a significant role in the taste and flavor characteristics of hazelnut. Thus, the present results suggest that Tombul hazelnut serves as a good source of vital nutrients and taste active components.     

Hydrolysis of low-molecular-weight soil peptides by immobilized proteases in column and batch reaction systems

Summary Organic matter was extracted from three soils, a cultivated Berwick sandy loam, a cultivated Franklin loamy sand, and an uncultivated Cumberland silty loam. Gel-permeation chromatography was used to separate organic matter extracts into high- (HMW) and low-molecular-weight (LMW) fractions. Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography was used to separate and collect the LMW peptide fractions. Peptide samples were hydrolyzed with immobilized proteases attached to beaded agarose and carboxymethyl cellulose in column and batch reaction systems. The chromatograms suggested that peptides are bound to common soil components. The amino acids released in the greatest percentages were relatively non-polar. Large percentages of serine, glycine, alanine, threonine, and valine were observed in the LMW soil peptides. Little aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, glutamine, arginine, and no histidine was detected in the LMW soil peptides. The soil peptides released different amino acid percentages and quantities when hydrolyzed by immobilized proteases attached to different supports. The quanitities of amino acids released by batch hydrolysis differed from those obtained with column hydrolysis. Greater quantities of amino acids were released (by both types of immobilized protease) from the LMW peptide hydrolysates of the two cultivated soils than from the uncultivated soil.     

Changes in the free amino acid contents of honeys during storage at ambient temperature

This study was carried out to establish the changes in the free amino acid contents of floral honeys, honeydew honeys, and blend honeys during storage at room temperature and to test the capacity of the amino acids to distinguish the origin of the honeys after storage. For this purpose, 54 artisanal honeys (39 floral, 5 honeydew, and 10 blend) were studied. Samples were taken from recently collected honeys and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 16, 20, and 24 months after harvesting. The contents of most of the free amino acids were found to decrease with storage time, with the greatest reduction observed in the first 9 months. The contents of the amino acids aspartic acid, beta-alanine, and proline increased in the first few months after storage, reaching maximum values at 6 months, suggesting the possible existence of enzymatic activities. The application of stepwise discriminant analysis to the free amino acid content data demonstrated that the contents of the amino acids valine, beta-alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, serine, isoleucine, alpha-alanine, ornithine, and glutamine correctly assigned 87% of honeys to their group of origin: floral, honeydew, or blend.