Antioxidant activity in common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Beans were pearled to evaluate the feasibility of increasing antioxidant activity and phenolic antioxidants. Phenolics were concentrated mostly in the hull fraction at about 56 mg of catechin equivalents per gram of sample. The methanolic extracts of the pearled bean samples were screened for antioxidant potential using the beta-carotene-linoleate and the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) in vitro model systems. The pearled material, also referred to as milled samples, exhibited antioxidant activity that correlated with phenolic content and inhibited DPPH significantly in a dose-dependent manner. Phenolics and antioxidant activities were also examined in chromatographic fractions of methanolic extracts of manually obtained hulls that represented a model used previously to ascertain antimutagenic activity. Fractions extracted with ethyl acetate/acetone and acetone displayed antioxidant activity, which implies potent free radical scavenging activity with antimutagenic activity.     

Stability of plant sterols in ingredients used in functional foods

The content of plant sterol (PS) and their oxidation products (POPs) in eight ingredients used to enrich functional foods was studied. A gas chromatographic (GC) technique with mass-spectrometric detection was used for identification, while GC with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) was used for quantification. β-Sitosterol was the most abundant phytosterol, and the main POPs found were derived from this compound (7α/β-hydroxysitosterol, 7-ketositosterol, and sitostanetriol). The total amount of POPs found in the ingredients ranged from 29.03 to 110.02 μg/100 g PS. The β-sitosterol oxidation rates ranged from 10 to 50 μg β-sitosterol oxides/100 g of β-sitosterol. In view of this low rate of oxidation in the ingredients tested, it can be concluded that the PS remain stable in these ingredients. Significant correlations (p < 0.01) were found between total oxysitosterols versus β-sitosterol contents (R(2) = 86.5%) and between total POPs and total PS (R(2) = 81.6%).     

Primary inoculum of Erwinia amylovora: alternative sources and viable but non-culturable state: A review

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Fire blight is a complex and devastating plant disease caused by the necrotrophic bacterium Erwinia amylovora. One of the main factors that determine the...     

Allergenic Content of New Alimentary Pasta Made of Lentils Compared with Lentil Seeds and Analysis of the Impact of Boiling Processing

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - There is growing interest in legumes such as lentil as healthy ingredients in gluten-free products. In that respect, foods based on lentils, like alimentary pasta,...     

Common potato disease symptoms: ambiguity of symptom-based identification of causal pathogens and value of on-site molecular diagnostics

Journal of General Plant Pathology - Because symptoms of plant diseases are often ambiguous for identifying the causal pathogen, chemical applications and cultural managements are occasionally...     

Curvularia brachyspora causing leaf spot on Cucurbita argyrosperma in Mexico

Journal of General Plant Pathology - In September 2021, severe leaf spots were observed on Cucurbita argyrosperma plants in nine commercial fields in Cocula, Guerrero, Mexico. Conidia were similar...     

Cooked Common Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) Protect Against β-cell Damage in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Diabetes is a disease characterized by a hyperglycemic stage that leads to a chronic inflammatory state. We evaluated the in vivo effect of a diet supplemented with 25 % cooked black bean cultivar Negro 8025 (N8025) flour in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The effect was assessed before (preventive-treatment) and after (treatment) the onset of diabetes. There is a significant decrease of total phenolic, tannins and anthocyanins content after cooking, and the concentration of most of the single phenols analyzed are only slightly decreased. The treatment group showed a significant reduction of glucose (22.8 %), triglycerides (21.9 %), total cholesterol (29.9 %) and LDL (56.1 %) that correlates with a protection of pancreatic ß-cells. The diet with N8025 flour before the induction of diabetes did not exert a protective effect (glucose levels are similar to the diabetic control) but they have low levels of total cholesterol (47.5 %) and LDL (56.1 %). The preventive-treatment group did not inhibit the increase of TNF-α and IL-1β, whereas the treatment group did, compared to the diabetic control. Therefore, N8025 bean supplementation can be recommended to control diabetes.     

Investigation of Alternanthera repens and Bidens odorata on gastrointestinal disease

Alternanthera repens and Bidens odorata are used as medication for gastrointestinal diseases today, mainly in relation to diarrhea; therefore, pharmacological tests with aqueous and ethanol extracts of both species were carried out in mice. Using charcoal meal, the activity of the four extracts on intestinal motility was determined, finding that they inhibit the advance of the gastrointestinal content. Also, the lethal media doses were estimated in order to examine the plants' safety. The data confirmed the validity of the medicinal use for both plant species, contributing to explain the use of these plants as antidiarrheal agents in Mexican traditional medicine.     

Nuclear genome size and chromosome analysis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chenopodium quinoa</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">C. berlandieri</Emphasis> subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">nuttalliae</Emphasis>

Cytogenetic characterization by karyotyping and determination of DNA content by flow cytometry of seven cultivated varieties of Chenopodium was performed. Chenopodium quinoa cultivar Barandales and C. berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae cultigens Huauzontle, Quelite and Chia roja showed 2n = 4x = 36, x = 9. Statistically insignificant genome size differences for studied varieties ranged from 2.96 pg/2C (1 Cx = 724 Mbp) in C. quinoa to 3.04 pg/2C (1 Cx = 743 Mbp) in Huauzontle. Karyotype analyses revealed the presence of nine groups of four metacentric chromosomes, including two pairs of chromosomes with satellites. The first pair of satellites was located on the largest pair of chromosomes and the second on a different pair of chromosomes in all accessions analyzed. Variation among varieties was evident in chromosome size, genome length (GL) and the position of satellites. Chia roja exhibited greatest GL (58.82 μm) and biggest chromosomes (2.04 μm). Huauzontle showed the smallest GL (45.02 μm) and shortest chromosomes (1.60 μm). Comparison of GL in studied taxa was statistically significant and allowed to define three groups according to the use given to these plants. These data indicate that they are small, very stable genomes in terms of DNA content, and they support the allotetraploid origin(s) of C. berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae and C. quinoa.