Genetic Analysis of Egyptian Date (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phoenix dactylifera</Emphasis> L.) Accessions Using AFLP Markers

Forty-seven samples of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) collected from eight locations in Egypt were studied using four sets of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers with near infrared fluorescence labeled primers. These samples belonged to 21 named accessions and 9 of unknown pedigrees. A total of 350 bands were scored and 233 (66.6%) were polymorphic. Twenty-seven Egyptian accessions and ‘Medjool’and ‘Deglet Noor’accessions from California could beclassified into the major cluster. This major cluster may represent a major group of date palm germplasm in North Africa. There were four other clusters, each containing one or two accessions. The variety ‘Halawy’and one accession of unknown provenance were most likely from hybridization between two clusters. Six groups of accessions of which had the same names, revealed similar but not identical AFLP profiles suggesting these accessions might derive from seedlings rather thanthrough clonal offshoot propagation.     

UV spectral fingerprinting and analysis of variance-principal component analysis: a useful tool for characterizing sources of variance in plant materials

UV spectral fingerprints, in combination with analysis of variance-principal components analysis (ANOVA-PCA), can differentiate between cultivars and growing conditions (or treatments) and can be used to identify sources of variance. Broccoli samples, composed of two cultivars, were grown under seven different conditions or treatments (four levels of Se-enriched irrigation waters, organic farming, and conventional farming with 100 and 80% irrigation based on crop evaporation and transpiration rate). Freeze-dried powdered samples were extracted with methanol-water (60:40, v/v) and analyzed with no prior separation. Spectral fingerprints were acquired for the UV region (220-380 nm) using a 50-fold dilution of the extract. ANOVA-PCA was used to construct subset matrices that permitted easy verification of the hypothesis that cultivar and treatment contributed to a difference in the chemical expression of the broccoli. The sums of the squares of the same matrices were used to show that cultivar, treatment, and analytical repeatability contributed 30.5, 68.3, and 1.2% of the variance, respectively.     

Effects of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (ω-3) Supplementation on Some Cardiovascular Risk Factors with a Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet

Background: the ketogenic diet (KD) has become a widely used nutritional approach for weight loss. Some of the KD’s positive effects on metabolism and cardiovascular risk factors are similar to those seen after n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3) supplementation. We hypothesized that a ketogenic Mediterranean diet with phytoextracts combined with ω-3 supplementation may have increased positive effects on cardiovascular risk factors and inflammation. Methods: We analyzed 34 male overweight subjects; aged between 25 and 65 years who were overall healthy apart from overweight. The subjects followed a ketogenic diet protocol for four weeks; with (KDO3) or without (KD) ω-3 supplementation. Results: All subjects experienced a significant loss of body weight and body fat and there was no significant differences between treatment (body weight: KD—4.7 kg, KDO3—4.03 kg, body fat KD—5.41 kg, KDO3—5.86 kg). There were also significant decreases in total cholesterol, LDL-c, and glucose levels. Triglycerides and insulin levels decreased more in KDO3 vs. KD subjects, with a significant difference. All the investigated inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) decreased significantly in KDO3 subjects whilst only TNF-α showed a significant decrease in KD subjects over the 12 month study period. No significant changes were observed in anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and IL-1Ra), creatinine, urea and uric acid. Adiponectin increased significantly only in the KDO3 group. Conclusions: ω-3 supplementation improved the positive effects of a ketogenic Mediterranean diet with phytoextracts on some cardiovascular/metabolic risk factors and inflammatory state.     

Effects of charging voltage,application speed,target height,and orientation upon charged spray deposition on leaf abaxial and adaxial surfaces

Wastage of agricultural chemicals and ensuing environmental pollution is an issue, where ineffective spray deposition is a major concern with conventional pesticide application methods. Electrostatic spraying is known to be one of the most effective methods to improve leaf abaxial (underside) surface deposition, overall deposition, and distribution on the plant targets. Deposition of charged sprays on leaf abaxial and adaxial (upper) surfaces as influenced by the spray charging voltage (system), application speed (operational), target height and orientation (target) parameters was studied in the laboratory. An air-assisted electrostatic induction spray charging system attached to a moving carriage was used to apply charged spray at uniform application (ground) speeds. Spray deposition (101–71 μm NMD), determined using a fluorescent tracer technique increased with charging (0–5.5 mC kg⁻¹) on leaf abaxial and decreased with charging on adaxial surface. The deposition was higher on abaxial (0.66–1.33 μg cm⁻²) at 30° below (horizontal plane) and on adaxial (0.78–1.79 μg cm⁻²) at 0° (horizontal) target orientation for lower (0.278 m s⁻¹) application speed. At all target heights, abaxial deposition increased with charging voltage (0–4.0 kV) for medium application speed (0.417 m s⁻¹) and adaxial deposition decreased with charging voltage for lower application speed (0.278 m s⁻¹). The medium application speed with higher charging voltage was optimum for abaxial and adaxial deposition. The droplet velocity and charging voltage were the key factors for obtaining desired spray deposition on targets. All the selected factors including target orientation (O), application speed (S), target surface (L), and charging voltage (V), and their interactions except between O and S were significant at lower (0.35 m) and medium (0.65 m) target heights. All the factors and their interactions except between O and V were significant at higher (0.95 m) height. Electrostatically charged spray improved the underside (abaxial) and overall deposition. The deposition was substantially influenced by factors such as charging voltage, application speed, plant target height, and target orientation.     

Distribution of anticancer drug camptothecin in Nothapodytes foetida

The topoisomerase I-DNA inhibitor alkaloid camptothecin has been evaluated from the various parts of Nothapodytes foetida. The bark contained 0.27% dry wt of camptothecin and 0.11% dry wt 9-methoxycamptothecin followed by the root, stem, and leaves. Immature seeds contained higher concentrations of camptothecin (0.32% dry wt) and 9-methoxycamptothecin (0.16% dry wt) compared to mature seeds. Various parts of mature and immature seeds were analysed to determine the content of the major alkaloids. Zygotic embryos of immature seeds contained 0.11% dry wt of camptothecin and 0.04% dry wt of 9-methoxycamptothecin. The highest concentration of camptothecin (0.42% dry wt) and 9-methoxycamptothecin (0.18% dry wt) were accumulated in the cotyledons of immature seeds.     

Phytochemical Profile and Antiproliferative Activity of Dough and Bread Fractions Made from Refined and Whole Wheat Flours

Phytochemical profile (phenolic acids, carotenoids, and tocopherols) and antiproliferative properties of bread processing fractions, including the dough, crumb, and upper crust made from refined wheat and whole wheat flours were analyzed for two wheat cultivars. Ferulic acid, lutein, and α‐tocopherol were the predominant phenolic acid, carotenoid, and tocopherol, respectively, extracted from all fractions. The levels of all phytochemicals in whole wheat samples were over eightfold higher than their corresponding refined wheat samples. The concentrations of total phenolic acids (soluble and insoluble bound) were higher in the upper crust of refined (∼60–90%) and whole wheat (∼15–40%) breads than their corresponding dough fractions. However, the dough of whole wheat had higher levels of tocopherols and carotenoids compared with the crumb and upper crust, suggesting that phenolic acids were relatively stable during baking, whereas tocopherols (∼25–80%) and carotenoids (∼20–80%), were partially degraded. The antiproliferative activity of whole wheat bread extracts against HT‐29 cancer cells was weakly correlated with total phenolic acids but showed no correlations with total carotenoid and total tocopherol contents.     

Isoflavone composition and antioxidant capacity of modified-lipoxygenase soybeans grown in Maryland

Maryland-grown soybean lines modified for low lipoxygenase-1 (LOX-1) content and a traditional nonmodified cultivar were analyzed for fatty acid composition, total phenolic content (TPC), isoflavone composition, relative DPPH? scavenging capacity (RDSC), and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity (HOSC). Soybean lines included black, brown, and yellow soybeans. TPC of all soybean lines ranged from 2.84 to 4.74 mg gallic acid equiv (GAE)/g flour. Total isoflavones were between 2.78 and 8.66 μmol/g flour. RDSC of all lines was between 0.48 and 14.62 μmol Trolox equiv (TE)/g flour, and HOSC ranged from 53.57 to 135.52 μmol TE/g flour. Some modified-LOX genotypes demonstrated antioxidant capacity and/or isoflavone content similar to or higher than those of the nonmodified cultivar (P < 0.05). Black soybeans demonstrated higher TPC and RDSC than most yellow soybean lines, although they did not have higher isoflavone content. The results demonstrate that modification of the LOX trait did not necessarily alter the antioxidant capacity or chemical composition of the experimental soybean lines when compared with a nonmodified cultivar. These soybean lines may be studied further for nutraceutical properties and use in functional foods.     

Phytochemical composition, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative activity of whole wheat flour

Whole wheat flour from five wheat cultivars was evaluated for phenolic, carotenoid, and tocopherol compositions as well as anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities against HT-29 cells. The total ferulic acid content ranged from 452 to 731 μg/g among the five cultivars and was primarily present in the insoluble-bound form. Lutein was the only carotenoid detected and ranged from 1.5 to 4.0 μg/g, and α-tocopherol levels ranged from 12 to 61 μg/g. Extracts of four cultivars demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity, measured as inhibition of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) mRNA expression; however, none of the extracts inhibited tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mRNA expression, a second indicator of anti-inflammatory activity. Proliferation of HT-29 adenocarcinoma cells was inhibited by extracts from all cultivars at the dose of 100 mg botanical equivalent/mL. The cultivar WestBred 936 had the greatest antiproliferative activity at lower concentrations (20 and 50 mg botanical equivalent/mL), had the greatest anti-inflammatory effect against IL-1β, and also had the highest levels of ferulic acid and α-tocopherol. This research shows that whole wheat flours of these five cultivars varied significantly in their contents of phenolics, carotenoids, and α-tocopherol as well as in their anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative potentials, suggesting the possibility that wheat varieties can be selected based on potential health benefits.     

Tracking Arabinoxylans Through the Preparation of Pancakes

Arabinoxylans (AX) are well known to have a wide‐ranging influence on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) end‐use quality and are associated with health benefits. There is little information on the effects of processing on AX properties in high‐water‐content batter‐based products and on the associations between AX properties and end‐use quality in such products. The objective of this study was to track total and water‐extractable AX (TAX and WEAX, respectively) contents and determine changes in AX characteristics throughout the baking process of pancakes, a batter‐based wheat product. The TAX and WEAX contents along with the arabinose‐to‐xylose (A/X) ratio were quantified in refined flour and wholemeal as well as batter and pancakes from two soft and three hard wheat varieties. ANOVA F values indicated that the variation in TAX content was influenced most by sample type differences (flour versus batter versus pancakes), whereas varietal differences were responsible for the greatest differences in WEAX. In separate analyses on refined and wholemeal flours, the highest F values were for variety WEAX, largely attributed to the higher WEAX content of the three hard varieties. WEAX levels generally increased slightly from flour to batter to pancakes in refined flour. The WEAX content in flour, batter, and pancakes of both refined flour and wholemeal was highly correlated with pancake volume. These observations suggest moderate changes in wheat AX characteristics during processing and a positive association of WEAX levels with end‐product volume in a batter‐based product.     

Vapor-phase toxicity of Derris scandens Benth.-derived constituents against four stored-product pests

The vapor-phase toxicity of Derris scandens Benth.-derived constituents was evaluated against four stored-product pests ( Callosobruchus chinensis L., Sitophilus oryzae L., Rhyzopertha dominica L., and Tribolium castaneum H.) using fumigation bioassays and compared to those of commonly used insecticides. The structures of all constituents of were characterized by spectroscopic analyses [nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry]. The sensitivity of the test insect to compounds varied with exposure time, concentration, and insect species. Over 100% mortality after 24 h was achieved with the compounds osajin (2), scandinone (5), sphaerobioside (8), and genistein (9) against all of the test insects, while laxifolin (3) and lupalbigenin (4) showed 100% mortality after 72 h against T. csataneum and R. dominica . Scandenone (1), scandenin A (6), and scandenin (7) were less effective. Among the insects, C. chinensis , S. oryzae , and R. dominica were more susceptible to the treatments, whereas T. castaneum was less susceptible. The results of fumigation tests indicated that compounds from D. scandens whole plant extract are potential candidates to control stored-product pests.