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Rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is an evergreen plant, a member of the Lamiaceae family. It is distributed throughout the Mediterranean, where it is used primarily as a spice herb for culinary purposes. In the present study 18 wild populations of rosemary distributed throughout the Tyrrenian Sea and its vicinity were tested for chemical profile. The populations were initially cultivated for 2 years under homogenous environmental conditions to minimize the potential effect of geographic surroundings on volatile composition (phenotype) that masked the true genotypic differences. A total of 58 compounds, representing 95.5–98.7% of the volatiles were detected. Volatile compounds were grouped into 27 oxygenated monoterpenes, 18 sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons, 10 monoterpene hydrocarbons, 1 oxygenated sesquiterpene, and 2 miscellaneous compounds. Sesquiterpenes and oxygenated terpenes were the main constituents in the rosemary oil. PCA and UPGMA dendrogram identified three chemotypes designated ‘chemotype A’ dominated by 1,8-cineole and β-pinene; ‘chemotype B’ dominated by α-pinene and verbenone and ‘chemotype C’, dominated by camphor and myrcene. The variability of volatiles in the 18 populations was moderately correlated (0.48 ≤ r ≤ 0.75) to geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude), suggesting that once environmental effects are removed genetics and origin are the key factors in chemotype variation in rosemary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils obtained from six species of Helichrysum ( H. archimedeum C. Brullo & Brullo, H. errerae Tineo, H. hyblaeum Brullo, H. orientale (L.) Vaill., H. panormitanum Tineo ex Guss. subsp. panormitanum, H. serotinum subsp. picardii (Boiss. & Reut.) Galbany, L. Sáez & Benedí) grown in Italy were analyzed by GC-MS. One hundred seventeen components were identified representing 90.1–98.5% of the total chemical composition, mainly characterized by sesquiterpenes and monoterpene compounds. All the analyzed oils showed a monoterpene content ranging from 7.8% ( H. serotinum subsp. picardii ) to 50.9% ( H. errerae ), while sesquiterpene compounds ranging from 28.5% ( H. errerae ) to 77.9% ( H. archimedeum ). α-pinene (39.6% H. hyblaeum and 32.0% H. errerae , respectively), β-caryophyllene (23.8%, H. panormitanum subsp. panormitanum ), β-selinene (20.8%, H. archimedeum ) and β-eudesmol (19.1%, H. orientalis and 17.2% H. orientale , respectively) were the main constituents. This is the first report on the essential oil composition of H. archimedeum , H. errerae, H. hyblaeum , H. panormitanum subsp. panormitanum , H. serotinum subsp. picardii . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Helichrysum Miller is a source of many bioactive metabolites commonly used in traditional medicine. In particular, Helichrysum petiolare Hilliard & B.L. Burtt shows activities as antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and in the control of anxiety disorder. Biosynthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites is a defense mechanism of plants and it is strictly influenced by the surrounding environmental conditions. In this study, drought was imposed on H. petiolare (HEL008 clone CREA-Sanremo collection) to understand the effect of water stress on the dynamics of plant biomass and secondary metabolites production, and the morphological and physiological mechanisms involved in plant responses. H. petiolare was cultivated for 34 days under three water regimes: 100% of container capacity (CC, control), 50% CC (moderate water stress), and 0% CC (severe water stress). Plant growth traits, leaf water potential, gas exchange parameters, phenol, flavonoid, and anthocyanin content, and antioxidant activity changes were determined twice a week, while the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and essential oils (Eos) at the end of the trial. Severe water stress dramatically reduced aerial and root dry weight, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, leaf water potential, water use efficiency (WUE, A / E ), transpiration rate ( E ), stomatal conductance ( gs ), net photosynthetic rate ( A ) and antioxidant activity. Moderate water stress induced only slight changes and led to an increase of WUE at the end of the experiment. The total amount of VOCs and Eos was not affected by water stress while their quality changed. Moderate water stress increased the main constituents of both VOCs, i.e. the monoterpene hydrocarbons, and Eos, i.e., the oxygenated sesquiterpenes. In conclusion, this H. petiolare cultivation under the applied moderate drought condition could lead to a double benefit i.e., water-saving irrigation practice and high quality metabolite production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demethylfruticuline A and fruticuline A, the most abundant compounds from the surface extract of Salvia corrugata Vahl., have shown antibacterial, antitumor and cytotoxic activities. In order to obtain these icetexane diterpenes from in vitro cultures of S. corrugata , protocols were developed for callus production, micropropagation and shoot regeneration. Analysis of the regenerated shoots showed the presence of both icetexanes, micropropagated plants contained only fruticuline A, while the callus contained trace amounts of both diterpenes. The yield of fruticuline A was higher in the methanolic extract of regenerated shoots than in those of fresh leaves and fresh shoot tips. In addition to these diterpenes, the regenerated shoot and micropropagated plant extracts afforded seven other diterpenes, one icetexane and six abietanes, identified by UV, IR, 1D- and 2D-NMR and HR-MS analysis. Five compounds (19-acetoxy-7α-hydroxyroyleanone, 7β,20-epoxy-11,12,19-trihydroxyabieta-8,11,13-triene, 7,20-dihydrofruticuline A, 7β-acetoxy-20-hydroxy-19,20-epoxyroyleanone, 7β-ethoxy-6β,20:19,20-diepoxyroyleanone) were previously undescribed. Although the crude plant surface extract did not possess any antibacterial activity, methanolic extracts of in vitro tissues and two compounds, namely 7β-acetoxy-20-hydroxy-19,20-epoxyroyleanone and 7β-ethoxy-6β,20:19,20-diepoxyroyleanone, isolated in suitable amounts, were active in varying degrees against multidrug resistant clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcus epidermidis , Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium , displaying MIC values ranging from 32, 64 to 128 μg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU project Nutra-Snack established an integrated scientific and technological framework to introduce conventional and new biotechnologies into the nutraceutical industry. The purpose was to promote novel ready-to-eat snacks enriched with natural antioxidant/radical-scavenging compounds. Enhancement of valuable compounds production in plant cells and in vitro cultures were achieved by different elicitation strategies, and exhaustive metabolites profiling obtained by high-resolution analytical techniques. Finally, innovative enzyme-based biosensors were developed for food products functional activity and safety properties assessment. This review provides an overview of the technologies selected, integrated and tested in NUTRA-SNACK and recent literature strengthening integrated approaches in modern food process manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nemo's Garden® underwater biospheres are a green, alternative agriculture system. • Underwater basil did not show micromorphological changes of the leaf indumentum. • Relevant differences were detected in the essential oil and head space compositions. • More photosynthetic pigments and polyphenols were produced in the underwater plants. • Basil seems well adapted: studies on other species are needed to evaluate a scale-up. The need for alternative cultivation methods is urgent for regions of the world where cultivable land is scarce: underwater areas are unexploited and vast. Nemo's Garden® Project aims at creating a green and alternative agriculture system: its biospheres are underwater greenhouses, developed for areas where plants growth is difficult in terrestrial conditions, due to climate change. Basil was chosen as model plant to study its phytochemical, physiological, and micromorphological parameters, in comparison with the same plants grown in terrestrial conditions in the Sanremo Research Centre for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (CREA-Centro di Ricerca Orticoltura e Florovivaismo) greenhouse. While the micromorphological analyses showed no detectable differences between control and biospheres samples, the phytochemical investigations evidenced a switch of the essential oil chemotype from methyl eugenol/linalool to methyl eugenol, respectively. The headspaces were also different: sesquiterpenes dominated the biospheres samples, whereas oxygenated monoterpenes accounted for half the control sample emission. Differences also emerged in the physiological investigation: total chlorophyll, total carotenoids and total polyphenols were present in higher amounts in the biospheres samples, with a 31.52% and 13.3% increase in the antioxidant activity and polyphenols content, respectively. Basil was well adapted in the biosphere environment, whose influence should be studied in different species to assess the viability of an industrial scale-up of the Nemo's Garden®. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]