Composition and Functional Properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lupinus campestris</Emphasis> Protein Isolates

Protein isolates from L. campestris and soybean seeds were prepared using isoelectric precipitation (PI) and micellization (MI) procedures. The amount of protein recovered was considerably higher with the isoelectric precipitation than with the micellization procedure (60% and 30%, respectively). Protein contents were higher than 90% in protein isolates. Antinutritional factors content (alkaloids, lectins, and tannins) were reduced to innocuous levels after protein isolate preparation. Minimum protein solubility for the precipitated lupin protein isolate (LPI) was at pH 4.0, and between pH 4 and 6 for the micellized lupin protein isolate (LMI), increasing at both extremes of the pH scale. Water absorption for the LMI was 1.3 ml/g of protein and its oil absorption 2.2 ml/g of protein. The LPI had 1.7 ml/g of protein in both water and oil absorption. Foaming capacity and stability was pH-dependent. Foaming capacity was higher at pH 2 and lower near the protein isoelectric points. Minimum protein concentration for gelation in LMI was 8% w/v at pH 4, while for LPI was 6% at pH 4 and 6. Amino acid composition in L. campestris flour and protein isolates was high in lysine and low in methionine. Most of the essential amino acids in lupin protein isolates were at acceptable levels compared to a reference pattern for infants and adults. The electrophoretic pattern of both protein isolates showed three bands with different mobilities, suggesting that the protein fractions belong to alpha-conglutin (11S-like protein), beta-conglutin (7S-like protein) and gamma-conglutin. It is proven that some of the functional properties of L. campestris protein isolates are similar to those soybean protein isolates recovered under equal conditions.     

Chemical Composition,Mineral Profile,and Functional Properties of Canna (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Canna edulis</Emphasis>) and Arrowroot (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Maranta spp</Emphasis>.) Starches

The aim of the present study was to evaluate some chemical and mineral characteristics and functional and rheological properties of Canna and Arrowroot starches produced in the Venezuelan Andes. Canna starch showed a higher (P < 0.05) moisture, ash, and crude protein content than arrowroot starch, while crude fiber, crude fat, and amylose content of this starch were higher (P < 0.05). Starches of both rhizomes own phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, and zinc in their composition. Phosphorus, sodium, and potassium are the higher in both starches. Water absorption, swelling power, and solubility values revealed weak bonding forces in Canna starch granules; this explained the lower gelatinization temperature and the substantial viscosity development of Canna starch during heating. Arrowroot starch showed a higher gelatinization temperature measure by DSC, than Canna starch and exhibited a lower value of ΔH. Both starches show negative syneresis. The apparent viscosity of Canna starch was higher (P < 0.05) than the Arrowroot starch values. The size (wide and large) of Canna starch granules was higher than arrowroot starch. From the previous results, it can be concluded that Canna and Arrowroot starches could become interesting alternatives for food developers, depending on their characteristics and functional properties.     

Antioxidative and Anticancer Activity of Extracts of Cherry (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus serrulata</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">spontanea</Emphasis>) Blossoms

Organic solvent (methanol, ethanol, and acetone) extracts and water extracts of cherry (Prunus serrulata var. spontanea) blossoms were prepared, and antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated. Methanolic CBE (100 μg/ml) showed the highest total phenol content (104.30 μM), radical scavenging activity (34.2%), and reducing power (0.391). The effect of CBE on DNA damage induced by H₂O₂ in human leukocytes was evaluated by Comet assay. All CBE was a potent dose dependent inhibitor of DNA damage induced by 200 μM of H₂O₂, methanolic CBE showed the most strong inhibition activity. The methanolic CBE of 500 μg/ml showed 38.8% inhibition against growth of human colon cancer cell line HT-29. These results indicated that cherry blossoms could provide valuable bioactive materials.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pulque</Emphasis>, An Alcoholic Drink from Rural Mexico,Contains Phytase. Its <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> Effects on Corn Tortilla

Pulque is made by fermenting the agave sap or aguamiel of Agave atrovirens with a whole array of microorganisms present in the environment including several lactic acid bacteria and yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ascorbic acid was determined in pulque and aguamiel, respectively. Phytase activity in lees, liquid and freeze-dried pulque was assayed by measuring the appearance of phosphate from phytate by a colorimetric method likewise phosphate from phytate present in fresh corn tortilla was measured after in vitro incubation with pulque. Iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and selenium contents were measured in pulque and corn tortilla as well as in nixtamalized corn flour (NCF), the latter is used to make instant tortilla, since corn provides most of the energy as well as most of the phytate in the Mexican rural diet. Pulque showed phytase activity but much less ascorbic acid and iron than previously reported; additionally, phytase in pulque hydrolyzed most of phytate’s corn tortilla. Lees, which is mostly made of pulque’s microbiota, significantly accumulated iron and zinc but no selenium. NCF was fortified with iron by the manufacturers but poorly blended. There were significant differences on selenium content between tortillas samples, apparently some soils in central Mexico are selenium deficient. Moderate pulque intake appears to increase the bioavailability of iron and zinc bound by phytate in corn.     

Chemical Composition and Bile Acid Binding Activity of Products Obtained from Amaranth (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Amaranthus cruentus</Emphasis>) Seeds

Cardiovascular diseases are currently the greatest cause of mortality in the world, and dislipidemia is appearing as one of the most important risk factors. The binding of bile acids (BAs) has been hypothesized as a possible mechanism by which dietary fibers lower blood cholesterol levels. Besides the fibers, other components in the amaranth seeds may be related to this hypocholesterolemic effect. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the BA binding capacity of some products obtained from defatted amaranth flour (DAF) and from the amaranth protein concentrate (APC). The alkaline residue, rich in fibers (8.6%), presented the lowest binding activity for the BAs tested, with the exception of glycocholic acid. The DAF showed intermediary binding activity for all the BAs tested, although similar to that of the APC for deoxycholic acid, and to that of the amaranth protein hydrolysate (APH) for taurocholic acid. The DAF and APC showed binding activity for secondary bile acids toxic to the intestinal mucus. From the results, amaranth products were shown to have the ability to bind BAs, but it was not possible to affirm whether the main component responsible for this activity was the proteins, fibers or eventually some other non-evaluated component.     

Bread Supplemented with Amaranth (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Amaranthus cruentus</Emphasis>): Effect of Phytates on <Emphasis Type="Italic">In Vitro</Emphasis> Iron Absorption

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the bread supplemented with whole amaranth flour (0, 20 and 40%) on iron bioavailability using Caco-2 cells model. The phytate and lower myo-inositol phosphates content in in vitro bread digests were measured by high pressure liquid chromatography. The breads made with amaranth showed significant increase of soluble phytates levels (up to 1.20 μmol/g in dry matter for the 40% of substitution) in comparison with controls, which have not detectable values. A negative correlation among phytate and Fe availability was found when increased levels of amaranth. Ferritin concentration was found 2.7- and 2.0-fold higher (P < 0.05) in cultures exposed to 20% and 40% of amaranth formulated bread samples, respectively, compared to control bread. The soluble phytate/Fe molar ratio explained the whole amaranth flour-mediated inhibitory effect associated to the limitation of available Fe; however, the use up to 20% of amaranth in bread formulation appears as a promising strategy to improve the nutritional value of bread, as indicated by the ferritin concentrations quantified in cell cultures. Higher proportion of amaranth flour increased Fe concentration although there was not detected any increase in Fe uptake.     

Antioxidant and Antimutagenic Activities of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Randia echinocarpa</Emphasis> Fruit

We report for the first time the antioxidant and antimutagenic activities of fractions from Randia echinocarpa fruit, which is a Rubiaceae plant native to Sinaloa, Mexico. This fruit has been traditionally used in the prevention or treatment of cancer, among other diseases. The pulp of the fruit was sequentially extracted with solvents of different polarity (i.e. hexane, chloroform, methanol and water). A high extraction yield was obtained with methanol (72.17% d.w.). The aqueous extract showed the highest content of phenolics (2.27 mg/g as ferulic acid equivalents) and the highest antioxidant activity based on the β-carotene bleaching method (486.15). The commercial antioxidant BHT was used as control (835.05). Antimutagenic activity of the aqueous extract (0–500 μg/tube) was evaluated using the Salmonella microsuspension assay (YG1024 strain) and 1-NP as the mutagen (50 and 100 ng/tube). The aqueous extract was neither toxic nor mutagenic and the percentage of inhibition on 1-NP mutagenicity was 32 and 53% at doses of 50 and 100 ng/tube, respectively. The results of the double incubation assay suggest that the extract inhibited the mutagenicity of 1-NP by a combination of desmutagenic and bioantimutagenic effects.     

Antioxidant Activity and Chemical Characterization of Essential Oil of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bunium persicum</Emphasis>

The search for natural antioxidants, especially of plant origin, has notably increased in recent years. Bunium persicum Boiss. is an economically important medicinal plant growing wild in the dry temperature regions in Iran. In this study, chemical constituents of the essential oil of the seed from Bunium persicum Boiss. have been studied by GC/MS technique. The major components were caryophyllene (27.81%), gamma-terpinene (15.19%), cuminyl acetate (14.67%). Individual antioxidant assays such as, DPPH* scavenging activity and beta-carotene bleaching have been carried out. In DPPH* system, the EC(50) value of essential oil was determined as 0.88 mg/mL. In beta-carotene bleaching antioxidant activity of essential oil (0.45%) was almost equal to BHT at 0.01%. In addition, the antioxidant activity of the essential oil was evaluated in crude soybean oil by monitoring peroxide and thiobarbituric acid values of the oil substrate. The results showed that the Bunium persicum essential oil (BPEO) was able to reduce the oxidation rate of the soybean oil in the accelerated condition at 60 degrees C (oven test). The essential oil at 0.06% showed the same effect of BHA at 0.02%. Hence, BPEO could be used as an additive in food after screening.     

Antioxidant and Antifungal Activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verbena officinalis</Emphasis> L. Leaves

The scavenging activity against DPPH (1,1-diphenil-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical and the antifungal effect against chloroform, ethyl acetate and 50% methanolic extracts of Verbena officinalis leaves were investigated. The activity of different fractions of 50% methanolic extract and some isolated compounds were also investigated. The results suggest that 50% methanolic extract and caffeoyl derivatives could potentially be considered as excellent and readily available sources of natural antifungal and antioxidant compounds.     

Physicochemical,Nutritional and Antibacterial Characteristics of the Fruit of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bromelia pinguin</Emphasis> L.

Bromelia pinguin L. is a plant native to Sinaloa, Mexico, where its fruit is used as food or as a phytotherapeutic agent. The fruits of B. pinguin were characterized and they could be considered as a functional food. These fruits show an average weight of 13.7 g and a yellow color of high luminosity (b* = 43.2, L* = 74.5). The values for acidity (4.6%, as citric acid) and pH (3.7) of B. pinguin fruit are similar to those of citrics. The edible portion is characterized by a high content of vitamin C (126 mg/100 g), ash (10.6 g/100 g d.w.), crude fiber (3.4 g/100 g d.w.), calcium (1290 mg/100 g d.w.), magnesium (500 mg/100 g d.w.), manganese (2.95 mg/100 g d.w.) and it is a good source of zinc (2.8 mg/100 g d.w.). Polar fractions extracted from the pulp fruit showed activity against several genera of human pathogenic-bacteria (Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia and Pseudomonas).     

Carotenoid Composition of Jackfruit (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Artocarpus heterophyllus</Emphasis>), Determined by HPLC-PDA-MS/MS

Carotenoids are pigments responsible for the yellow-reddish color of many foods and are related to important functions and physiological actions, preventing several chronic-degenerative diseases. The objective of this study was to confirm the carotenoid composition of jackfruit by high-performance liquid chromatography connected to photodiode array and mass spectrometry detectors (HPLC-PDA-MS/MS). The main carotenoids were all-trans-lutein (24–44%), all-trans-β-carotene (24–30%), all-trans-neoxanthin (4–19%), 9-cis-neoxanthin (4–9%) and 9-cis-violaxanthin (4–10%). Either qualitative or quantitative differences, mainly related to the lutein proportion, were found among three batches of jackfruit. Since the fruits from batch A showed significantly lower contents for almost all carotenoids, it also had the lowest total carotenoid content (34.1 μg/100 g) and provitamin A value, whereas the total carotenoid ranged from 129.0 to 150.3 μg/100 g in the other batches. The provitamin A values from batches B and C were 3.3 and 4.3 μg RAE/100 g, respectively. The carotenoid composition of jackfruit was successfully determined, where 14 of the 18 identified carotenoids were reported for first time. Differences among batches may be due to genetic and/or agricultural factors.     

Chemical Composition of Garden Cress (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepidium sativum</Emphasis>) Seeds and Its Fractions and use of Bran as a Functional Ingredient

Garden cress (Lepidium sativum) belonging to the family Cruciferae grown in India, Europe and US is an underutilized crop. The edible whole seed is known to have health promoting properties. Hence, it was assumed that these seeds can be a functional food. A preliminary work on chemical composition of seeds was carried out and the possibility of using it as nutraceutical food ingredient in dietary fiber formulation was explored. Three fractions namely whole meal (WM), endosperm and bran were analyzed for chemical composition. The yield of the endosperm and the bran fraction were 72 and 28%, respectively. The WM, endosperm and bran had 22.5, 27.7 and 12.6% protein, 27.5, 33.1 and 6% fat, 30, 13.6 and 75% dietary fibre (DF), and 1193.00, 945.15 and 1934.57 mg% potassium respectively. The major protein on SDS-PAGE was of 29.5 kDa. The most abundant amino acid was glutamic acid (19.3%) and the essential amino acid, leucine was the highest (8.21 ± 0.01%) and methionine the lowest (0.97 ± 0.02%). The major fatty acid was linolenic acid (30.2%) and low amount of erucic acid (3.9%) was also present. Bran having high water holding capacity and high DF, its use as source of DF was explored. The product contained 12% protein, 4% fat and 74.3% DF and exhibited desirable functional properties such as dispersibility, gelling ability, stability, formed homogenous mild alkaline suspension and was comparable to proprietary DF.     

Endosperm-Specific Expression of Serotonin <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-Hydroxycinnamoyltransferase in Rice

Serotonin N-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (SHT) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of feruloylserotonin (FS) and 4-coumaroylserotonin (CS). These serotonin derivatives show strong antioxidant activity, making them valuable for both nutritional and pharmacological use in humans. Ectopic expression of SHT under the control of the endosperm specific-glutelin and prolamin promoters from rice was produced via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. SHT expression was confirmed by Southern blot analysis, followed by Northern blotting and SHT enzyme activity analyses using total RNA and protein, respectively, extracted from transgenic seeds. The glutelin A3 (GluA3) promoter produced low SHT mRNA expression in rice seeds, whereas the prolamin promoter expressed high levels of SHT mRNA. In spite of the ectopic expression of SHT in rice seeds, both transgenic genotypes accumulated levels of serotonin derivatives similar to those found in wild-type rice. Furthermore, our data suggest that serotonin, rather than phenylpropanid-CoAs, is the rate-limiting substrate in the biosynthesis of serotonin derivatives in SHT-overexpressing transgenic rice seeds.     

Variation in the Carotenoid Composition of the Lycopene-Rich Brazilian Fruit <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eugenia uniflora</Emphasis> L.

The indigenous pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) is now marketed and commercially processed in Brazil. In the present work, the carotenoids of the pitanga fruit from two states and at two stages of ripening, as well as of processed pitanga products (frozen pulp and juice, the brands being designated as A, B and C) commercialized in Campinas, São Paulo, were determined by HPLC. As compared to ripe pitanga from Medianeira, Paraná, those from Campinas had significantly higher (all-E)-lycopene (14.0 vs. 71.1 μg/g), (13Z)-lycopene (1.1 vs. 5.0 μg/g) and (all-E)-γ-carotene (1.6 vs. 3.8 μg/g) levels. Significant increases in most of the carotenoids occurred from the partially ripe to the ripe fruits, with (all-E)-lycopene doubling its concentration in fruits from both states. Pitanga was found to be one of the richest fruit sources of carotenoids, particularly lycopene, but the processed products had much lower lycopene content. The mean (all-E)-lycopene concentration was 16.6 μg/g for frozen pulp brand A, 23.0 μg/g for bottled juice brand B and 25.6 μg/g for bottled juice brand C. Optimization of processing is therefore needed to guarantee better retention of this important carotenoid.     

Quantification of Zeaxanthin Dipalmitate and Total Carotenoids in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lycium</Emphasis> Fruits (Fructus Lycii)

An HPLC-DAD method has been developed to quantitatively analyze for the content of zeaxanthin dipalmitate, a major carotenoid in Fructus Lycii, in different species of the genus Lycium. Determination was performed using an Alltima C18 column with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and dichloromethane (42:58). The total contents of carotenoids in these samples were also determined by using UV spectrophotometric assay. Total carotenoid concentrations of different Fructus Lycii are within the range of 0.03–0.5%. Zeaxanthin dipalmitate is a predominant carotenoid, comprising 31–56% of the total carotenoids in Fructus Lycii. This study is the first systematic quantification of the carotenoids in the fruits of different Lycium species. The results demonstrated that these methods are reliable and facile techniques for rapid analysis of carotenoids for crude drug and plant-derived food supplements.     

Applied Biotechnology to Combat Late Blight in Potato Caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora Infestans</Emphasis>

Potato is an important crop, grown worldwide. It suffers from many pests and diseases among which late blight, caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans, is the worst. The disease is still causing major damage in many potato production areas and control is only possible by applying fungicides frequently. The knowledge on the molecular biology and genetics of the interaction between the plant and the oomycete is developing rapidly. These are relevant fields of study, currently dominated by the discovery of many resistance genes and numerous effector proteins and the analysis of their specific mode of action. These studies may yield essential information needed for the development of durable resistance. The long-term and worldwide effort to breed for resistance so far has had little effect. A novel breeding approach may change this. It is based on cisgenic modification (CM) consisting of marker-free pyramiding of several resistance genes and their spatial and temporal deployment yielding dynamic varieties that contain potato genes only. It is envisioned that this CM approach with potato’s own genes will not only prove societally acceptable but may also result in simplifications in the legislation on use of the CM approach. Various parties in the potato research arena intend to cooperate in this novel approach in a number of developing countries where potato substantially contributes to food security. The use of resources such as land, water and energy improves when the effect of late blight is markedly reduced.     

Antioxidant in Mango (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mangifera indica</Emphasis> L.) Pulp

This work was carried out to investigate the pulp composition of four mango cultivars (Haden, Tommy Atkins and Ubá) at the ripening stage in relation to three components with antioxidant potential (total phenolics, carotenoids and ascorbic acid). Total phenolic compound content was estimated by the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and total carotenoid content by spectrophotometry at 450 nm. The contents of β-carotene and total vitamin C (ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid) were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. Differences were found among the four mango cultivars in all the components analyzed. The content of phenolic compounds ranged from 48.40 (Haden) to 208.70 mg/100 g (Ubá); total carotenoid from 1.91 (Haden) to 2.63 mg/100 g (Palmer); β-carotene from 661.27 (Palmer) to 2,220 μg/100 g (Ubá) and total ascorbic acid ranged from 9.79 (Tommy Atkins) to 77.71 mg/100 g (Ubá). These results corroborated previous information that mangoes are a good source of antioxidants in human diet.     

Antiproliferation and Apoptosis on RKO Colon Cancer by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Millingtonia hortensis</Emphasis>

Millingtonia hortensis is a medicinal plant widely used in many Asian countries. An aqueous crude extract of this plant has been shown the apoptosis induction on RKO colon cancer cells. However, its mechanism remains unknown. To learn more about this plant extract, we partially purified the crude extract using Sephadex LH-20 and three aqueous fractions were collected. Each fraction was investigated for cytotoxicity using MTT assay. Fraction 1 showed antiproliferative effect on RKO cells with dose-dependent manner, while fraction 2 and 3 had no effect. Induction of apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry and DNA fragmentation method. Apoptotic cell numbers and the appearance of fragmented DNA increased with dose-dependent manner after treatment with fraction 1 for 48 h. We further investigated the expression of apoptotic protein by western blot analysis. Fraction 1 decreased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-x_L and p-Bad, while pro-apoptotic protein Bad, was not changed. Fraction 1 also decreased the expression of p-Akt and slightly increased the level of total Akt. These results indicated that fraction 1 is able to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis on RKO cells by decreasing the expression of Bcl-x_L, p-Bad and p-Akt which are involving in survival of cancer cells.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">In vivo</Emphasis> Antioxidant Properties of Extracts from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coptis chinensis</Emphasis> Inflorescence

The inflorescence of cultivated Coptis chinensis has been valued for tea production for many years in China. The antioxidant activities of C. chinensis inflorescence extracts prepared by various solvents were investigated by using several established in vitro systems: 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide radical scavenging assays, reducing power assay, and ferrothiocyanate (FTC) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assays. The results showed that the 70% ethanol extract (EE) had the strongest antioxidant activity in vitro among the various extracts. Based on the in vitro results, EE was used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of C. chinensis inflorescence in vivo. The liver and kidney of intoxicated animals showed a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) levels, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) level showed a significant increase. These changes were significantly reversed after treatment with EE and the standard vitamin E. Thus, the C. chinensis inflorescence may be a valuable natural source that can be applicable to food industries.     

Comparative Study on the Chemical Composition,Antioxidant Properties and Hypoglycaemic Activities of Two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Capsicum annuum</Emphasis> L. Cultivars (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Acuminatum</Emphasis> small and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cerasiferum</Emphasis>)

The present study aimed to evaluate for the first time the phenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin content and the antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties of Capsicum annuum var. acuminatum small and C. annuum var. cerasiferum air-dried fruits. The ethanol extract of C. annuum var. acuminatum small, characterized by the major content of total poliphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids and capsaicinoids, showed the highest radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ of 152.9 μg/ml). On the contrary, C. annuum var. cerasiferum showed a significant antioxidant activity evaluated by the β-carotene bleaching test (IC₅₀ of 3.1 μg/ml). The lipophilic fraction of both C. annuum var. acuminatum and C. annuum var. cerasiferum exhibited an interesting and selective inhibitory activity against α-amylase (IC₅₀ of 6.9 and 20.1 μg/ml, respectively).