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At present, it is relevant to investigate new sources of nutrients with beneficial activity for humans, so the scientific community has proposed to investigate different legumes such as beans, soybeans, and chickpeas. Chickpea is a grain with high nutrient (lipids, minerals, protein, and carbohydrates) content and is commonly used in Mediterranean cuisine. However, chickpea is a grain with high protein content, which has attracted the attention of researchers, as it is a new source for the obtainment of peptides with biological activity; in that sense, peptides with antioxidant, antihypertensive, hypocholesterolemic, anticancer, and antidiabetic activity have already been reported. This chapter summarizes the most recent information about the biological activity of peptides from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) grain.&nbsp

Psittacanthus calyculatus es una planta hemiparásita que afecta diversas especies vegetales de gran importancia para el ecosistema. Existen diversos reportes sobre su capacidad antibacteriana debido a que contiene diversos compuestos con actividad antioxidante y antimicrobiana, sin embargo, sobre su actividad antifúngica es prácticamente nula la información disponible. Por lo que el objetivo del presente trabajo fue conocer la actividad antifúngica de extractos de muérdago ante la inhibición de Colletotrichum. gloeosporioides, Fusarium sp. y Curvularia sp. Para ello, se utilizó hoja y flor de muérdago obtenidos de dos hospederos: Prosopis laevigata y Eysenhardtia polystachya. Las muestras se lavaron, deshidrataron y molieron. Posteriormente se realizó una extracción sólido-líquido utilizando el metanol-acetona-agua. Se cuantificó el contenido de fenoles y flavonoides, además el perfil fitoquímico cualitativo. La evaluación de la actividad antifúngica se llevó a cabo con la técnica de dilución en placa con medio PDA. Se determinaron los parámetros de inhibición del crecimiento micelial, esporulación, germinación y se determinó el efecto fungicida o fungistático. Los resultados muestran inhibición mayor al 70% con extractos de hoja y flor, siendo Curvularia sp. el más susceptible con un 98% de inhibición. También hubo reducción de la esporulación y germinación de los fitopatógenos evaluados. Se determinó que la inhibición corresponde a un efecto fungistático. Los resultados revelan alta capacidadde inhibición in vitro de extractos de muérdago contra fitopatógenos de gran importancia para la agricultura.

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is a climacteric fruit native to India which, due to its edaphoclimatic adaptability, is also found in Mexico, the main exporter of the fruit in Latin America. Despite this, information on the characterization of jackfruit genotypes in Mexico is limited; therefore, the objective of this study was to carry out morphological, physiological, and physicochemical characterization of four jackfruit genotypes, locally known as “Agüitada”, “Licenciada”, “Rumina”, and “Virtud”, which are cultivated in Nayarit, Mexico. Morphological analyses revealed 17 traits with significant differences among the genotypes. The respiration rate showed the maximum production of CO2 in the “Agüitada” genotype, with 123.99 mL of CO2 kg−1·h−1 at day 2 of storage. The “Rumina” and “Licenciada” genotypes had yellow bulbs while “Agüitada” and “Virtud” had orange bulbs. A principal component analysis revealed different behaviors of the fruits throughout their storage. In general, a wide diversity was revealed among the jackfruit genotypes which are cultivated in the state of Nayarit, Mexico. This study may be useful for their future use in breeding programs.

In this work, the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) (operating conditions of sonication amplitude, pulse-cycle, and extraction time) was investigated to obtain an extract rich in biologically active compounds from Annona muricata leaves. In addition, the content of bioactive compounds from the extract by the optimal UAE conditions (UAE extract) was compared with extracts prepared by decoction and infusion. Moreover, Artemia salina toxicity was evaluated in all extracts. UAE extract (using optimal conditions: 80% amplitude, 0.7 s pulse-cycle, for 4.54 min) contained 178.48 mg/100 mL of soluble phenols, 20.18 mg/100 mL of total flavonoids, 27.81 mg/100 mL of hydrolyzable polyphenols, 167.07 mg/100 mL of condensed tannins, 30.44 mg/100 mL of total alkaloids and 14.62 mg/100 mL of total acetogenins. The UAE extract exhibited a high antioxidant capacity and a higher content of bioactive compounds from ~6 to ~927-fold than decoction or infusion, depending on the type of compound. Twenty-four different phenolic compounds were identified in the samples, and UAE extract produced the highest concentration. All extracts were considered non-toxic using the A. salina test. The UAE extract from A. muricata leaves is a rich source of bioactive compounds and can be utilized to formulate therapeutic drugs or nutraceutical foods.

Ultraviolet B (UVB) causes photoaging of the skin, the appearance of wrinkles, spots, and alteration of the skin barrier. The main cells in the most superficial layer of the skin are the keratinocytes; these cells play an important role in protecting this organ.The present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of the hydrolysates from kafirin to inhibit UVB-induced responses in human keratinocytes cells (HaCaT).Kafirin hydrolysates were produced by enzymatic hydrolysis with alcalase. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), in the HaCaT cell line in the presence of UVB and the effects of the hydrolysates against the UVB-induced response were evaluated. Furthermore, the peptides that were generated by hydrolysis were identified in silico using the BIOPEP database.Two protein sequences were identified (α-kafirin and the precursor protein of α-kafirin), in the kafirin extract. A degree of hydrolysis of 18.8% was obtained by hydrolyzing the kafirin extract with alcalase. The kafirin hydrolysates avoided the decrease in endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, CAT, and GPx reducing the oxidative stress generated by UVB. Using the BIOPEP-UWM database, we found 102 peptide sequences, and it has shown that the peptides have a large amount of hydrophobic amino acids such as proline, alanine, and glutamine, and amino acids with high antioxidant capacity.These results suggest that the kafirin hydrolysates can be used as antioxidant agents to ameliorate UVB-induced skin keratinocytes cells' response in vitro, providing an alternative against UVB-induced photoaging.

In the present study, the antifungal activity of metabolites produced by Bacillus atrophaeus B5 and a new Brevibacterium strain against Alternaria alternata was evaluated. Assays in vitro and in vivo on tomato fruit during postharvest were made. Based on the 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis, the new strain (strain B7) was identified as Brevibacterium frigoritolerans. Metabolites produced by both bacterial strains reduced the spore germination of A. alternata in vitro and decreased the severity of the alternaria rot disease on tomato fruit during postharvest. This is the first report that demonstrates the potential of B. frigoritolerans B7 as a biocontrol agent against this fungal phytopathogen. The use of metabolites produced by B. atrophaeus B5 and B. frigoritolerans B7 represents a new approach to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and control fungal decay during the postharvest stage.

The postharvest application of high degree of polymerization agave fructans (HDPAF) was tested, evaluating anthracnose disease, defense-related enzyme activities, and quality attributes in avocado fruit. Application of a 20% HDPAF solution showed a reduction in anthracnose severity (60%) and incidence (34%) compared to the other concentrations evaluated and the water-treated control. Polyphenoloxidase activity increased 4.6 times more 24 h after treatment. In addition, peroxidase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzyme activity was 4.34 and 1.7 times higher than the control at 0.5 h after treatment. HDPAF retrieves the deceleration of both firmness loss and physiological weight loss compared to the control. Regarding quality parameters such as color, pH, total soluble solids, and titratable acidity, no significant differences were observed between treatments compared to the control; therefore, these parameters were not negatively affected by HDPAF treatments, but a positive effect on the induction of the defense system is shown.

Secondary metabolites play an important role in the avocado fruit defense system. Phenolic compounds are the main biosynthesized metabolites of this system response. Our objective in this investigation was to evaluate the induction of specific metabolic pathways using chitosan as an elicitor. Extracts obtained from avocado in intermediate and consumption maturity stages treated with chitosan exhibited an increase in antifungal activity, which caused inhibition of mycelial growth and a decrease in sporulation as well as spore germination of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Additionally, RNA from epicarp of the fruits treated and untreated with chitosan was obtained in order to evaluate the expression of genes related to phenylpropanoids and the antifungal compound 1-acetoxy-2-hydroxy-4-oxo-heneicosa-12,15-diene biosynthesis. An increased in gene expression of genes that participates in the phenylpropanoids route was observed during the stage of physiological fruit maturity, others genes such as Flavonol synthase (Fls), increased only in samples obtained from fruit treated with chitosan at consumption maturity. Our results reveal a new molecular mechanism where chitosan induces a specific accumulation of phenylpropanoids and antifungal diene; this partially explains avocado's resistance against fungal pathogens. Finally, we discuss the molecular connections between chitosan induction and gene expression to explain the biological events that orchestrate the resistance pathways in fruits.

In the present study, the antifungal activity of metabolites produced by Bacillus atrophaeus B5 and a new Brevibacterium strain against Alternaria alternata was evaluated. Assays in vitro and in vivo on tomato fruit during postharvest were made. Based on the 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis, the new strain (strain B7) was identified as Brevibacterium frigoritolerans. Metabolites produced by both bacterial strains reduced the spore germination of A. alternata in vitro and decreased the severity of the alternaria rot disease on tomato fruit during postharvest. This is the first report that demonstrates the potential of B. frigoritolerans B7 as a biocontrol agent against this fungal phytopathogen. The use of metabolites produced by B. atrophaeus B5 and B. frigoritolerans B7 represents a new approach to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and control fungal decay during the postharvest stage.

Se llevó a cabo la obtención de extractos de hoja de carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.) con el objetivo de evaluar su actividad antioxidante y capacidad antifúngica. La extracción fue asistida por ultrasonidos. Se aplicaron tres diferentes tratamientos, donde el tiempo de extracción, el ciclo de pulso y la amplitud de sonicación fueron evaluados. Una vez obtenidos los extractos a las diferentes condiciones de sonicación, se determinó para cada uno de ellos el contenido de fenoles totales y la actividad antioxidante por tres métodos: DPPH, ABTS y FRAP. Además se evaluó la actividad antifúngica de los extractos, lo cual fue determinado mediante su capacidad de inhibir el desarrollo de Colletotrichum sp en condiciones in vitro. Los resultados indican que los extractos logran una inhibición de hasta el 53% del crecimiento micelial del hongo in vitro, así como una reducción en la esporulación del fitopatógeno. Estos resultados contribuyen a la generación de evidenciapara el desarrollo de nuevas alternativas para el control de enfermedades poscosecha utilizando hojas de carambola como fuente de compuestos con capacidad antifúngica.

In recent years, the cosmetic industry has developed products that provide beneficial functions on the skin, with an increase in the production of cosmeceuticals which has generated great scientific and industrial interest in the search for alternative bioactive ingredients. The objective of this research was to determine the protective effects (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging) of peptide extracts of the grain of white sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] against the damage induced by exposure to ultraviolet B irradiation (UVB) in organotypic cultures of human skin. The kafirins (α, β, and γ-kafirin) fraction extracted from the sorghum grain was hydrolyzed with alcalase to produce crude hydrolysates. Then, by ultrafiltration, two peptide extracts with molecular weight 1–3 kDa (PE-3) and

Las plantas del género Bromelia se distribuyen en América Latina, especialmente en las regiones del pacífico y Golfo de México; tienen usos diversos ya sea como plantas de ornato, plantas medicinales o alimento. Los frutos de estas especies son de tipo baya y se desarrollan constituyendo una infrutescencia de color amarillo o rosado de forma alargada u ovalada. Desde el punto de vista nutricional estos frutos tienen gran potencial ya que son buena fuente de minerales como calcio, potasio y fósforo; además, contienen vitamina C y son ricos en cisteína proteasas. Desde tiempos prehispánicos los frutos de estas especies se utilizaban en la medicina tradicional para tratar enfermedades respiratorias y trastornos del sistema urinario, entre otras. Hoy en día, las investigaciones demuestran que los extractos de la pulpa de frutos tienen actividad antimicrobiana, antihelmíntica, antitumoral y anti-inflamatoria, cuyos efectos son atribuidos a metabolitos secundarios (fenoles, saponinas terpenoides, etc.) y cisteína proteasas. Las enzimas proteolíticas caracterizadas en estos frutos son similares a las proteasas vegetales comerciales y pueden ser una alternativa potencial en la industria alimentaria y farmacéutica. En esta revisión se dan a conocer los usos etnobotánicos, características nutricionales, actividad biológica y estudios tecnológicos reportados en extractos de frutos del género Bromelia.

Significance The avocado is a nutritious, economically important fruit species that occupies an unresolved position near the earliest evolutionary branchings of flowering plants. Our nuclear genome sequences of Mexican and Hass variety avocados inform ancient evolutionary relationships and genome doublings and the admixed nature of Hass and provide a look at how pathogen interactions have shaped the avocado’s more recent genomic evolutionary history., The avocado, Persea americana, is a fruit crop of immense importance to Mexican agriculture with an increasing demand worldwide. Avocado lies in the anciently diverged magnoliid clade of angiosperms, which has a controversial phylogenetic position relative to eudicots and monocots. We sequenced the nuclear genomes of the Mexican avocado race, P. americana var. drymifolia, and the most commercially popular hybrid cultivar, Hass, and anchored the latter to chromosomes using a genetic map. Resequencing of Guatemalan and West Indian varieties revealed that ∼39% of the Hass genome represents Guatemalan source regions introgressed into a Mexican race background. Some introgressed blocks are extremely large, consistent with the recent origin of the cultivar. The avocado lineage experienced 2 lineage-specific polyploidy events during its evolutionary history. Although gene-tree/species-tree phylogenomic results are inconclusive, syntenic ortholog distances to other species place avocado as sister to the enormous monocot and eudicot lineages combined. Duplicate genes descending from polyploidy augmented the transcription factor diversity of avocado, while tandem duplicates enhanced the secondary metabolism of the species. Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, known to be elicited by Colletotrichum (anthracnose) pathogen infection in avocado, is one enriched function among tandems. Furthermore, transcriptome data show that tandem duplicates are significantly up- and down-regulated in response to anthracnose infection, whereas polyploid duplicates are not, supporting the general view that collections of tandem duplicates contribute evolutionarily recent “tuning knobs” in the genome adaptive landscapes of given species.

The enzymatic activity and partial characterization of proteases from Bromelia karatas fruits were evaluated and compared with Bromelia pinguin proteases. The specific activity increased twofold after partial purification in both proteases. Partially purified proteases from Bromelia karatas showed good specific activity at pH 6.0–8.0 and residual activity of 70–100% for 60 min at 37–60 °C, similar to Bromelia pinguin proteases. The K m value of proteases from Bromelia karatas was higher (253.32 µM) than that of Bromelia pinguin proteases (234.94 µM). The use of specific protease inhibitors indicated the presence of cysteine and serine proteases. Proteases with molecular weight of 66.2–97 and 21–31 kDa were detected. Bromelia karatas proteases registered 73% hydrolysis using a soy protein concentrate, similar to the enzyme activity of Bromelia pinguin proteases and commercial bromelain. These results demonstrate that Bromelia karatas proteases could be a potential alternative protease in the food industry.

Anthracnose is a fungal disease caused by Colletotrichum species that is detrimental to numerous fruit, including soursop and avocado. The use of fungicides to maintain the high quality of fruit creates a potential health risk. One alternative to this problem is the biological control, which has been applied successfully during postharvest. The Bacillus species are one of the most studied biological agents against postharvest pathogens because accomplish their biocontrol performance by producing a variety of metabolites. In this study, we evaluated the activity of metabolites contained in the cell free supernatant, obtained from Bacillus strain B5 culture, against micelial growth and spore germination of two virulent strains of C. gloeosporioides isolated from soursop and avocado. On the basis of 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis, this strain was identified as Bacillus atrophaeus. A preventive treatment using cell free supernatant, reduced severity and incidence of anthracnose disease on harvested soursop and avocado fruit. B. atrophaeus strain B5 harbors genes involved in the production of antibiotics such as surfactin, bacillomycin and iturin, which could be contributing to the efficiency of the preventive treatment during postharvest. The antagonistic role of metabolites contained in the cell free supernatant against anthracnose disease, provide a new approach by which to attack this problem and can help reduce the use of chemical pesticides, environmental pollution, leading to the safer fruit preservation.

Avocado (Persea americana) is one of the most important crops in Mexico as it is the main producer, consumer, and exporter of avocado fruit in the world. However, successful avocado commercialization is often reduced by large postharvest losses due to Colletotrichum sp., the causal agent of anthracnose. Chitosan is known to have a direct antifungal effect and acts also as an elicitor capable of stimulating a defense response in plants. However, there is little information regarding the genes that are either activated or repressed in fruits treated with chitosan. The aim of this study was to identify by RNA-seq the genes differentially regulated by the action of low molecular weight chitosan in the avocado-chitosan-Colletotrichum interaction system. The samples for RNA-seq were obtained from fruits treated with chitosan, fruits inoculated with Colletotrichum and fruits both treated with chitosan and inoculated with the fungus. Non-treated and non-inoculated fruits were also analyzed. Expression profiles showed that in short times, the fruit-chitosan system presented a greater number of differentially expressed genes, compared to the fruit-pathogen system. Gene Ontology analysis of differentially expressed genes showed a large number of metabolic processes regulated by chitosan, including those preventing the spread of Colletotrichum. It was also found that there is a high correlation between the expression of genes in silico and qPCR of several genes involved in different metabolic pathways.

"Actualmente, en países occidentales la dieta se caracteriza por el consumo elevado de alimentos refinados con alto aporte energético, relacionado con el incremento alarmante de enfermedades crónicas degenerativas. En México, los casos de diabetes e hipertensión son cada vez más comunes a temprana edad; además poseemos el primer lugar mundial en obesidad infantil y el segundo en adultos. La prevención y atención temprana de estas enfermedades es clave para disminuir los casos, y conocer el estado de salud de una población constituye parte de la estrategia de prevención. En la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición (ENSANUT) 2012, se reporta que un alto porcentaje de los mexicanos no conoce su condición general de salud, por ejemplo: solamente el 50% de la población conoce sus niveles de colesterol en sangre. Por otro lado, sólo el 30% de los hogares mexicanos cuentan con condiciones de seguridad alimentaria y aún prevalecen enfermedades infecciosas diarreicas y respiratorias agudas. En el presente escrito se presenta un análisis de los datos más recientes del estado de salud en México, incluyendo aspectos de inseguridad alimentaria y mostrando alternativas basadas en la modificación de hábitos alimenticios para prevenir y disminuir la presencia de enfermedades crónicas degenerativas."

Summary Chitosan is a natural, biodegradable, and nontoxic compound with fungicidal properties and it also induces defense mechanisms in fruit tissues during the postharvest period. Reports so far indicate alterations at the microscopic, biochemical, and molecular level in plant system tissues and the pathogens that attack them, causing changes in the structure and cell metabolism due to its polycationic activity. There is little information on the effect of chitosan on gene expression in fruits; however, preliminary unpublished data from transcriptomic analysis of the chitosan–Colletotrichum–avocado cv. Hass interaction indicate significant changes in the gene expression of the pathogen and host.

Low phosphorus (P) availability is one of the most limiting factors for plant productivity in many natural and agricultural ecosystems. Plants display a wide range of adaptive responses to cope with low P stress, which generally serve to enhance P availability in the soil and to increase its uptake by roots. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), primary root growth inhibition and increased lateral root formation have been reported to occur in response to P limitation. To gain knowledge of the genetic mechanisms that regulate root architectural responses to P availability, we designed a screen for identifying Arabidopsis mutants that fail to arrest primary root growth when grown under low P conditions. Eleven low phosphorus insensitive (lpi) mutants that define at least four different complementation groups involved in primary root growth responses to P availability were identified. The lpi mutants do not show the typical determinate developmental program induced by P stress in the primary root. Other root developmental aspects of the low P rescue system, including increased root hair elongation and anthocyanin accumulation, remained unaltered in lpi mutants. In addition to the insensitivity of primary root growth inhibition, when subjected to P deprivation, lpi mutants show a reduced induction in the expression of several genes involved in the P starvation rescue system (PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER 1 and 2, PURPLE ACID PHOSPHATASE 1, ACID PHOSPHATASE 5, and INDUCED BY PHOSPHATE STARVATION 1). Our results provide genetic support for the role of P as an important signal for postembryonic root development and root meristem maintenance and show a crosstalk in developmental and biochemical responses to P deprivation.

Phosphorus (P) is one of the most limiting factors for plant growth, development, and productivity in many natural and agricultural ecosystems. P is acquired by plants from the soil in the form of inorganic phosphate (Pi). Due to the high reactivity of Pi with cations present in the soil and its rapid conversion to organic forms by microbial activity, in most soils, Pi is not readily available for plant uptake. However, during millions of years of evolution, plants acquired complex physiological, biochemical, and molecular strategies to survive and reproduce in soils with low Pi availability. Thus, plants display a low Pi rescue system that includes a wide range of adaptive responses, which integrate external and internal signals to maintain Pi homeostasis at the cellular, organ, and whole plant levels. These adaptive responses allow plants to enhance Pi availability in the soil, increase its uptake, and improve the efficiency with which plants use Pi to support its metabolic activities to grow and reproduce. The development of a comprehensive understanding of how plants sense phosphate status and coordinate the local and systemic responses via network pathways has become a major area of research in plant biology. This review is aimed to succinctly present the current state of research covering most of process related with Pi uptake, transport, and in particular the plant responses to Pi-deprivation, making special emphasis on recent developments in the molecular mechanisms and the signaling pathways that regulate these responses.

Low phosphorus (P) availability is considered a major constraint for plant growth and crop productivity; therefore, the ability of plant roots to acquire P from soil and the mechanisms that regulate phosphorous homeostasis in the plant are topics of great interest. Low P availability elicits a Pi-starvation response that includes morphological, metabolic, and physiological changes oriented to increase P availability and the efficiency of P uptake and usage by the plant. Recent advances in the study of the plant responses to low P availability allowed the identification of several key molecular components of the P rescue system. However, the complete signaling pathways, as well as the putative phosphate receptors, remain largely unknown. In this chapter, we review current research aimed at dissecting the components of the biochemical, molecular, and physiological adaptations associated with the plant responses to P starvation and its relation to the efficiency and effectiveness of P uptake and assimilation from rhizosphere.

When growing under limiting phosphate (P) conditions, Arabidopsis thaliana plants show dramatic changes in root architecture, including a reduction in primary root length, increased formation of lateral roots and greater formation of root hairs. Here we report that primary root growth inhibition by low P is caused by a shift from an indeterminate to a determinate developmental program. In the primary root, the low P-induced determinate growth program initiates with a reduction of cell elongation followed by the progressive loss of meristematic cells. At later stages, cell proliferation ceases and cell differentiation takes place at the former cell elongation and meristematic regions of the primary root. In low P, not only the primary but also almost all mature lateral roots enter the determinate developmental program. Kinetic studies of expression of the cell cycle marker CycB1;1:uidA and the quiescent center (QC) identity marker QC46:GUS showed that in low P conditions, reduction in proliferation in the primary root was preceded by alterations in the QC. These results suggest that in Arabidopsis, P limitation can induce a determinate root developmental program that plays an important role in altering root system architecture and that the QC could act as a sensor of environmental signals.

El mango es susceptible a una enfermedad postcosecha denominada antracnosis, causada por el patógeno Colletotrichum sp. Los fungicidas han sido utilizados para controlar las enfermedades ocasionadas por hongos; sin embargo, ocasionan daño al medio ambiente. El quitosano posee propiedades antimicrobianas e induce resistencia en las plantas, en esta resaltan algunas enzimas, como la peroxidasa (POD). El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar el efecto del quitosano en la inducción de resistencia contra Colletotrichum sp. en frutos de mango. A nivel in vitro el quitosano inhibió la germinación de esporas, la elongación del tubo germinativo y el crecimiento micelial de Colletotrichum sp. Para los tratamientos aplicados a los frutos en postcosecha, el quitosano a concentraciones de 1.0 y 1.5% inhibió por completo a Colletotrichum sp.