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• This study includes 596 children with 26.5% having confirmed vitamin A deficiency. • Xerophthalmia is highly prevalent (48.8%) in this study population. • The most common ocular sign in this study population is conjunctival xerosis (38.9%). • Boys and indigenous schoolchildren have higher risk of xerophthalmia. • Overweight/obesity status is associated with a reduced risk of xerophthalmia. • Identified risk factors linked to xerophthalmia aid in targeted intervention efforts. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) remains a major health issue in developing nations, contributing to preventable childhood blindness. However, there is lack of recent data on xerophthalmia, especially among school-aged children in Malaysia. We hypothesized that xerophthalmia persists among rural schoolchildren in Malaysia and potentially associated with socio-demographic status and malnutrition. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 596 schoolchildren (8-12 years) from ten rural primary schools located in five states across Malaysia. Children meeting the criteria for xerophthalmia assessment included those diagnosed with vitamin A deficiency (VAD) (plasma retinol < 0.70 µmol/L) and marginal VAD (plasma retinol 0.70 to < 1.05 µmol/L). The overall prevalence of xerophthalmia was 48.8%, with the most common ocular sign being conjunctival xerosis (38.9%). The occurrence of xerophthalmia was negatively associated with retinol-binding protein 4 (RPB4) (P =0.003), alpha-carotene (P =0.04), hemoglobin (P =0.004), weight (P =0.02), body mass index (BMI) (P =0.04) and WAZ (weight-for-age z-score) (P =0.04) status. Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, a higher risk of xerophthalmia was observed in boys (Adjusted odd ratio [AOR]: 1.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-2.5) and Orang Asli (OA, indigenous) schoolchildren (AOR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3-3.0), while schoolchildren with overweight/obesity status (AOR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3-0.8) were associated with a reduced risk of xerophthalmia. The present study unveils a high prevalence of xerophthalmia among vitamin A-deficient primary schoolchildren in rural areas of Malaysia, especially among the indigenous community. The identified socio-demographic and nutritional factors associated to xerophthalmia would facilitate the implementation of more targeted interventions in addressing these issues. This cross-sectional study included 596 rural primary schoolchildren (8-12 years old) in Malaysia, diagnosed with vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and marginal VAD. Xerophthalmia prevalence was 48.8%, with conjunctival xerosis (38.9%) as the most common sign. Higher risk of xerophthalmia was seen in boys and Orang Asli (indigenous) students, while children with overweight/obesity showed reduced risk. The identified risk factors linked to xerophthalmia could aid in targeted intervention efforts. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algae are exclusively aquatic photosynthetic organisms that are microscopic or macroscopic, unicellular or multicellular and distributed across the globe. They are a potential source of food, feed, medicine and natural pigments. A variety of natural pigments are available from algae including chlorophyll a, b, c d, phycobiliproteins, carotenes and xanthophylls. The xanthophylls include acyloxyfucoxanthin, alloxanthin, astaxanthin, crocoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, diatoxanthin, fucoxanthin, loroxanthin, monadoxanthin, neoxanthin, nostoxanthin, perdinin, Prasinoxanthin, siphonaxanthin, vaucheriaxanthin, violaxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, while carotenes include echinenone, α-carotene, β-carotene, γ-carotene, lycopene, phytoene, phytofluene. These pigments have applications as pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals and in the food industry for beverages and animal feed production. The conventional methods for the extraction of pigments are solid-liquid extraction, liquid-liquid extraction and soxhlet extraction. All these methods are less efficient, time-consuming and have higher solvent consumption. For a standardized extraction of natural pigments from algal biomass advanced procedures are in practice which includes Supercritical fluid extraction, Pressurized liquid extraction, Microwave-assisted extraction, Pulsed electric field, Moderate electric field, Ultrahigh pressure extraction, Ultrasound-assisted extraction, Subcritical dimethyl ether extraction, Enzyme assisted extraction and Natural deep eutectic solvents. In the present review, these methods for pigment extraction from algae are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops cultivated in Egypt. Tuta absoluta is a devastating insect pest that causes tremendous damage to tomato’s fields. An experiment was conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture Farm, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt to study the effect of Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) infestation on tomato leaf contents of nutrients (Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium) along with photosynthetic pigments (Carotene and Chlorophyll a + b). The results shows that plants with un-infested leaves had higher mean levels of calcium, potassium, and magnesium compared to infested plants. Regarding the effect of T. absoluta infestation on carotene and (A+B) in tomato leaves, the results indicate a significant difference for the average contents of carotene and Chlorophyll a + b between the un-infested and infested tomato leaves. This study highlights the differential risk of T. absoluta infestations in tomato production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wild soybean Glycine soja Sieb. et Zucc. is an ancestor of the cultivated soybean Glycine max (L.) Merr. and a source of many valuable genes missing in the G. max genome, including genes that determine stress resistance to adverse environmental factors. Biochemical parameters (protein, oil, ascorbic acid, carotene, higher fatty acids, and specific activities and multiple forms of enzymes of the oxidoreductase and hydrolase classes) were studied in five G. soja accessions from the collection of the All-Russian Institute of Soybean (КА-1413, КА-342, КBl-29, КBl-24, and Kеl-72). The accessions provide unique natural gene banks. Wild seeds were collected in three districts (Arkharinskii, Blagoveshchensk, and Belogorskii) of Amur Oblast. Based on superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), ribonuclease (RNase), acid phosphatase, esterase, and amylase (AML) activities and biochemical parameters of seeds, the G. soja accession KA-1413 was found to have higher contents of protein, oleic acid, and linolenic acid; a lower polyphenol oxidase specific activity; and higher activities of SODs, esterases, and RNases. The accession KA-1413 was therefore recommended to use as a source of dominant genes in breeding to increase the adaptive potential of new soybean varieties. A higher heterogeneity of multiple forms was observed for SOD, AML, RNase, and esterase, which can provide markers of adaptation to environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to assess the intensity of light energy absorption by rotational crops during the growing season and to determine the amount of atmospheric carbon absorbed during the process of photosynthesis. In a long-term stationary experiment, we studied the absorption of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) by the red clover crops of 2 years of use and spring wheat in variants without fertilizers and with the application of N60P60K60. To assess the intensity of light energy absorption, we used indicators of the content of chlorophyll A, chlorophyll B and carotene, which serve as photoreceptors-pigments of photosynthesis in higher plants. The most active period of PAR absorption by red clover leaves was noted from the stem phase to flowering; the sum of chlorophyll A and B in the leaves was 11.08–14.32 mg/g dry weight, carotene, 2.2–3.3 mg/g dry weight. During photosynthesis, the carbon content in clover leaves varied in the range of 40.4–45.5%. The content of the main products of photosynthesis, sugars, decreased from 9.8% in the stemming phase to 3.4% during seed formation. The most intensive process of photosynthesis of spring wheat occurred in the period from the tillering phase to the beginning of ripening; the chlorophyll content was 9.14–11.90 mg/g dry weight and the carotene content was 2.5–4.3 times lower. Most of the sugars were noted at the beginning of stem elongation: without fertilizers sugar content comprised 15.3%, with NPK applied at 60 kg ai/ha it was 17.2%. The amount of carbon absorbed by the red clover crops during photosynthesis in the growing season, depending on the experimental options, was 2.26–2.42 t/ha (8.09–8.66 t/ha CO), while for spring wheat it was 1.49–1.93 t/ha (5.33–6.90 t/ha CO). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface‐enhanced (resonance) Raman scattering (SER(R)S) can extremely enhance Raman intensity of samples, which is helpful for detecting synovial fluid (SF) that does not show Raman activity under normal conditions. In this study, SER(R)S spectra of SF from three different osteoarthritis (OA) stages were collected and analyzed for OA progress, finding that the content of collagen increased throughout the disease, while non‐collagen proteins and polysaccharides decreased sharply at advanced OA stage accompanied by the increase of phospholipid. The spectral features and differences were enhanced by salting‐out and centrifugation. Much more information on biomolecules at different OA stages was disclosed by using SERRS for the first time, these main trace components (β‐carotene, collagen, hyaluronic acid, nucleotide, and phospholipid) can be used as potential biomarkers. It indicates that SERRS has a more comprehensive ability to assist SERS in seeking micro(trace) biomolecules as biomarkers and facilitating accurate and efficient diagnosis and mechanism research of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings on the application of two fractionation protocols of Dunaliella microalgal biomass with the aim to separate and recover the lipid, pigment and protein fraction, leaving as “residue” the fraction that contains carbohydrates. The first protocol (LPC) is based on the initial extraction of lipids, followed by extraction of proteins, while in the second protocol (CLP), the pigments are first extracted followed by lipids extraction. With the LPC protocol the recovered lipid fraction was 34 and 32 wt%, while the recovered proteinic fraction was 46 and 50 wt% for the two samples under study, i.e. 1120 (D. granulata) and 1220 (D. minutissima). The CLP protocol led to the initial extraction of the pigment fraction with a percentage of 10–15 wt% while the subsequently recovered lipidic fraction was 16–24 wt%. The initial biomass was characterized for its moisture (

The aim of this study was to develop a stable palm carotene-based emulsion using the rice protein isolate-flaxseed gum complex (RPI-FG) with different ratios (3:1, 5:1, 7:1, 9:1, 11:1). RPI achieved highest solubility at pH 12. Meanwhile, RPI-FG complex shows low turbidity value from pH 6 to 12 for all ratios. Emulsion with ratio 7:1 exhibited 33 % droplet size increment throughout 7 days storage and evenly distributed based on the microstructure images. For creaming index (CI), all emulsion shows 0 % separation on day zero except emulsion with ratio 11:1 (1.90 %) and lowest CI on day 7 was 9.05 % in ratio 3:1. Furthermore, emulsion activity index and emulsion stability index of the emulsions decreased significantly with the reduced of FG in the formulation. These results suggested that carotene-based emulsion fabricated using RPI-FG complex with ratio of 7:1 exhibited the highest emulsion stability and could be further applied in aqueous food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Carotenoids perform a broad range of important functions in humans; therefore, carotenoid biofortification of maize (Zea mays L.), one of the most highly produced cereal crops worldwide, would have a global impact on human health. PLASTID TERMINAL OXIDASE (PTOX) genes play an important role in carotenoid metabolism; however, the possible function of PTOX in carotenoid biosynthesis in maize has not yet been explored. In this study, we characterized the maize PTOX locus by forward‐ and reverse‐genetic analyses. While most higher plant species possess a single copy of the PTOX gene, maize carries two tandemly duplicated copies. Characterization of mutants revealed that disruption of either copy resulted in a carotenoid‐deficient phenotype. We identified mutations in the PTOX genes as being causal of the classic maize mutant, albescent1. Remarkably, overexpression of ZmPTOX1 significantly improved the content of carotenoids, especially β‐carotene (provitamin A), which was increased by ~threefold, in maize kernels. Overall, our study shows that maize PTOX locus plays an important role in carotenoid biosynthesis in maize kernels and suggests that fine‐tuning the expression of this gene could improve the nutritional value of cereal grains. Significance Statement: We used a genetic approach to show that an important enzyme PLASTID TERMINAL OXIDASE (PTOX) regulates the biosynthesis of carotenoids, a pivotal nutrient for human health, in maize kernels. This work provides the first evidence that PTOX plays an important role in carotenoid biosynthesis in cereal grains, and we successfully increased the nutrient value of maize by overexpressing this gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) remains a significant contributor to childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries; therefore, the implementation of sustainable and cost-effective approaches to control VAD is of utmost pertinence. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of red palm olein (RPO)-enriched biscuit supplementation in improving vitamin A, haematological, iron, and inflammatory status among vitamin A-deficient schoolchildren. Methods: We conducted a double-blinded, randomised controlled trial involving 651 rural primary schoolchildren (8–12 years) with VAD in Malaysia. The schoolchildren were randomised to receive either RPO-enriched biscuits (experimental group, n = 334) or palm olein-enriched biscuits (control group, n = 317) for 6-month duration. Results: Significant improvements in retinol and retinol-binding protein 4 levels were observed in both groups after supplementation (P < 0.001). The improvement in retinol levels were similar across groups among subjects with confirmed VAD (P = 0.40). Among those with marginal VAD, greater improvement in retinol levels was recorded in the control group (P < 0.001) but lacked clinical significance. The levels of α- and β-carotenes, haematological parameters (haemoglobin, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin) and iron enhanced more significantly in the experimental group (P < 0.05). The significant reduction in the prevalence of microcytic anaemia (− 21.8%) and high inflammation (− 8.1%) was only observed in the experimental group. Conclusion: The supplementation of RPO-enriched biscuits enhanced levels of provitamin A carotenes, iron, and erythropoiesis, and exhibited anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, the incorporation of RPO into National Nutritional Intervention Programs may be a potential measure to improve the health status of vitamin A-deficient children, among various other interventions. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03256123). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of oven temperature (OT) and slice thickness (ST) of orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) on β-carotene, carbohydrate, and moisture contents of OFSP flour was studied. A 22 full factorial experimental design with two replications was used. The washed, peeled and sliced OFSP roots were dried to constant weights in an oven. The dried slices were milled into flour using a grinder and then sieved using a 200 µm sieve to achieve particle size uniformity. The colour parameters, carbohydrate, and moisture contents of the resultant flour were determined. Statistical analyses were carried out using Design Expert 12 software at (p < 0.05) significance level. Results showed that OT had significantly negative effect while ST had significantly positive effect on the pigments, carbohydrate, and moisture contents of OFSP flour. Both OT and ST, however, had significantly positive interaction effect on the dependent variables. At the design points and their proximities, linear equations were found to be adequate. However, at the centres of the design space, the linear equations were found inadequate for predictions, which indicated the need for further studies on quadratic or cubic model development. The results mean that 10 mm thick slices oven-dried at 85oC would give properly dried (9.4% M.C.) high-protein (6.7%) flour; while 10 mm thick slices dried at 45 oC would give high carbohydrate (76%) flour with good colour retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relevance. Currently, the priority direction in the development of the food industry is the use of local raw materials and the production of products with increased nutritional value, i.e. with an increased content of micronutrients, which include vitamins, minerals, macro and microelements. One of these products of plant origin is the pumpkin culture. The cultivation of high-yielding, versatile, nutrient-rich crops, such as pumpkin, plays an important role in ensuring food security. When breeding new improved varieties, special attention is paid to the adaptability of the crop to growing conditions, as well as to portion fruits with high taste and technological qualities.Purpose. Selection of the most adapted, productive, high-quality pumpkin samples for breeding and their cultivation in industrial production and the private sector in the conditions of the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia.Material and methods. Field research was conducted in 2021-2022 at the experimental site of the selection (organic) crop rotation, in the educational and experimental farm of the Omsk State Agrarian University. Meteorological conditions during the years of the experiments were different, but quite typical for the climate of the southern forest-steppe of the Omsk region. The object of research are 5 varieties of large-fruited pumpkin: Dietary, Red etamp, Crumb, Honey crumb, Honey dessert; two samples of selection of the Omsk State Agrarian University: 1/15, 2/15; three samples of selection of the FGBOU IN RGAZU: 4/21, 5/21, 7/21. Observations, accounting and analysis were carried out according to generally accepted methods.Results. The biological yield of the studied cultivars varies from 10.3 to 42.2 t/ha in 2021 and from 18.2 to 35.8 t/ha in 2022.

This study aimed to examine the impact of various nitrogen sources and concentrations on the growth and biochemical composition of Lemna minor. Specifically, three nitrogen sources, namely ammonium, nitrate, and urea, were utilized. These nitrogen sources were incorporated into the Hoagland nutrient medium at two different concentrations: 2500 µM L-1 and 5000 µM L-1. The impact of various nitrogen concentrations on the biochemistry of L. minor, including the number of individuals, chlorophyll-a levels, carotene content, dry matter, and protein content was examined. The experimental results revealed that the 7th, 5th, and 6th groups exhibited the highest relative frond number, while no significant statistical difference (p>0.05) was observed between the 5000 µM L-1 and 2500 µM L-1 groups among all experimental groups. The 2nd, 7th, and 5th groups displayed the highest relative growth rate. The 4th group using NH4-N as the source exhibited the highest total carotene and chlorophyll-a content. Although there were no significant differences in the dry matter and protein values of L. minor, the protein ratio was higher in the 3rd and 4th groups with NH4-N as the source compared to the other groups. The results indicate that NO3 nitrogen is the most suitable nitrogen source for promoting the growth and biochemical composition of L. minor, as evidenced by an increase in relative frond number and relative growth. On the other hand, NH4 nitrogen showed favorable effects on protein, carotene, and chlorophylla content. Additionally, the experimental groups with a nitrogen concentration of 2500 µM L-1 yielded better overall results. Interestingly, in terms of protein efficiency, it was observed that nitrogen concentrations played a more significant role than nitrogen sources, and groups with lower dilution rates exhibited superior outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers in Ukraine and around the world are increasingly interested in healthy lifestyles and functional foods with high biological value. For the production of such foods, it is important to select raw materials that meet a range of quality requirements. Pumpkin fruits have a high content of nutrients, vitamins, essential amino acids, and minerals that largely meet these requirements. The research aims to comprehensively evaluate pumpkin fruits of eight varieties of different types: large-fruited (Cucurbita maxima Duch) and butternut (Cucurbita moschata Duchex Poir), grown in the forest-steppe of Ukraine, to identify the most suitable for drying and production of functional foods. The experimental method was used following the research plan, the laboratory method was used to determine biochemical, biometric, and organoleptic quality indicators, and the statistical method was used to conduct dispersion and correlation analyses of the studied indicators. It has been established that when large-fruited pumpkin varieties are used for convective drying, 16.1-20.3% of dry products with a sugar content of 48.6-51.6% and 11-14 and 34.5-40.2% of nutmeg varieties, respectively, can be obtained. For the production of functional food products with a β-carotene content of 40-41 mg/100 g (in terms of dry matter), it is advisable to use the fruits of nutmeg varieties Gilea and Divo, and vitamin C at the level of 28 mg% – large-fruited varieties Slavuta and Polyovychka. The study revealed that with the increase in fruit weight, the content of dry matter (r=-0.68), sugars (r=-0.67) and the yield of finished products (r=-0.74) significantly decreases. A significant direct relationship between the content of dry matter and sugars (r=0.98), as well as the content of dry matter and the yield of finished products (r=0.94), was established. The materials of the article are of practical value for breeders, vegetable growers, and specialists of processing enterprises when choosing a type and variety of pumpkin for the production of functional foods

Eukaryotes evolved various strategies to coordinate their development and metabolism in response to harsh environments. However, it remains unknown whether fungi increase their resistance to stress from fungivorous arthropods by altering phenotype and metabolite composition. In this study, we investigated the coordinated regulation of sensor histidine kinase (SLN1) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC1) on sporulation and metabolite accumulation in Neurospora crassa, particularly upon the springtail Sinella curviseta (Collembola: Entomobryidae) attack. The mutants Δsln1, Δacc1, and double mutant Δsln1::Δacc1 exhibited reduced conidia number and defective sexual reproduction in contrast to the wild type. Intriguingly, double deletion of sln1 and acc1 results in failure of beak formation and, consequently, inhibits ascospores ejection which helps Δsln1::Δacc1 to escape the predation by S. curviseta. Furthermore, sln1 and/or acc1 play critical roles in metabolic processes in N. crassa. Compared with the control, the cultures exposed to S. curviseta produced more trehalose, carotenoids, folic acid, and fatty acids, especially in the asexual stage. The deletion of sln1 and acc1 affecte d the trehalose content, thereby reducing the resistance of Δsln1, Δacc1, and Δsln1::Δacc1 to S. curviseta. Null of sln1 and/or acc1 altered the lipid composition and thus carotenoids synthesis. Chemical analysis showed that N. crassa formed more fatty acids and carotenoids upon the attack of S. curviseta. Taken together, our data suggest that acc1 and sln1 work together to protect N. crassa from the stress of S. curviseta. SLN1 and ACC1 compose a regulatory system that coordinates the conidiation, perithecial formation, and metabolism, especially upon fungivores stress. IMPORTANCE Understanding the regulatory pathways by which fungi respond to environmental signals through interlinked genes provides insights into the interactions between fungi and insects. The coordinated optimization of the regulatory networks is necessary for fungi to adapt to their habitats. We demonstrated that the synergistic regulation of sensor histidine kinase (SLN1) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC1) plays a critical role in regulating the fungal response to Sinella curviseta stress. Furthermore, we found that the enhanced production of trehalose, carotenoids, and 5-MTHF plays crucial role in the resistance to the fungivore. Our results provide insights into the understanding of the adaptation of N. crassa to environmental stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas (CRISPR-Cas9) technology in the genetic modification of Yarrowia lipolytica is challenged by low efficiency and low throughput. Here, a highly efficient CRISPR-iCas9 (with D147Y and P411T mutants) genetic manipulation tool was established for Y. lipolytica, which was further utilized to integrate carotene synthetic key genes and significantly improve the target product yield. First, CRISPR-iCas9 could shorten the time of genetic modification and enable the rapid knockout of nonsense suppressors. iCas9 can lead to more than 98% knockout efficiency for NHEJ-mediated repair after optimal target disruption of a single gene, 100% knockout efficiency for a single gene-guided version, and more than 80% knockout efficiency for multiple genes simultaneously in Y. lipolytica. Subsequently, this technology allowed for rapid one-step integration of large fragments (up to 9902-bp) of genes into chromosomes. Finally, YL-ABTG and YL-ABTG2Z were further constructed through CRISPR-iCas9 integration of key genes in a one-step process, resulting in a maximum β-carotene and zeaxanthin content of 3.12 mg/g and 2.33 mg/g dry cell weight, respectively. Therefore, CRISPR-iCas9 technology provides a feasible approach to genetic modification for efficient biosynthesis of biological compounds in Y. lipolytica. Key points: • iCas9 with D147Y and P411T mutants improved the CRISPR efficiency in Y. lipolytica. • CRISPR-iCas9 achieved efficient gene knockout and integration in Y. lipolytica. • CRISPR-iCas9 rapidly modified Y. lipolytica for carotenoid bioproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract \nHIGHLIGHTS Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in regulating the response to immune checkpoint therapy, therefore modulation of the microbiome with bioactive molecules like carotenoids might be a very effective strategy to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. This review highlights the bio-functional effect of carotenoids on Gut Microbiota modulation based on a bibliographic search of the different databases. The methodology given in the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) has been employed for developing this review using papers published over two decades considering keywords related to carotenoids and gut microbiota. Moreover, studies related to the health-promoting properties of carotenoids and their utilization in the modulation of gut microbiota have been presented. Results showed that there can be quantitative changes in intestinal bacteria as a function of the type of carotenoid. Due to the dependency on several factors, gut microbiota continues to be a broad and complex study subject. Carotenoids are promising in the modulation of Gut Microbiota, which favored the appearance of beneficial bacteria, resulting in the protection of villi and intestinal permeability. In conclusion, it can be stated that carotenoids may help to protect the integrity of the intestinal epithelium from pathogens and activate immune cells. Gut microbiota plays an essential role in regulating the immune checkpoint therapy Carotenoids are promising molecules in the alteration of gut microbiota Carotenoids activate the immune cells resulting in a low incidence of oxidative stress Gut microbiota plays an essential role in regulating the immune checkpoint therapyCarotenoids are promising molecules in the alteration of gut microbiotaCarotenoids activate the immune cells resulting in a low incidence of oxidative stress [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study economic feasibility of using available materials, inexpensive and environmentally friendly as fertilizers for wheat plants .also, Increasing wheat yield by improving the overall vegetative and physiological characteristics. The experiment was for the wheat plant cultivars utilizing two types, IPA99 and Abograib. plants sprayed with three different concentrations of ZnoNPs & SA (0, 50, 75, and100) ppm in three different Treatments,T1 foliar spraying SA, T2 foliar spraying ZnoNPS, and T3 foliar spraying SA & ZnoNP. The results showed the best effect of T3 at75 ppm on the Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b and Carotene on IPA99 cultivar, on the other hand T1 display better effect on Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b and Carotene on both cultivars. while,T3 at 100 ppm show less effects on both cultivars compared to the other treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptomyces sp. VITGV38 is an endophyte from tomato plant (Lycopersicon esculentum). It produces potential secondary metabolites, like coelichelin, coelibactin, hopene, undecyl prodigiosin, geosmin, albaflavenone, germicidin, ectoine, and desferrioxamin B are commercially important in human and veterinary medicine. The potentiality of this genus Streptomyces is the diversity of its secondary metabolites. The three days old culture in starch casein agar plates showed their purple colouration. This was transferred to broth culture to analyse the pigment. GC-MS analysis of the crude extract (ethyl acetate) revealed pigmented compounds like lycoperesene at 25.094 retention time with 1.26% of the total crude extract. Whole genome sequence analysis of Streptomyces sp. VITGV38 reveals the complete genome has 7.8 million base pairs, twenty-six different kinds of secondary metabolite gene clusters were found. antiSMASH was used for the identification, annotation and analysis of metabolite gene clusters. The gene clusters for terpene (62%) produce pigments such as carotenoids, ß-carotenes & isorenieratene. Four nonribosomal clusters involved in the biosynthesis of peptide compounds that encodes coelichelin, coelibactin, a-lipomycin & undecylprodigiosin are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Retention of micronutrients in high oleic palm oil (HOPO) was evaluated by comparing two methods; standard refining (260 °C) and modified refining (160, 180, 200 °C). Tocopherol analysis showed that α‐tocopherol loss during standard refining was relatively low for both refined bleached and deodorised (RBD) PO control (10%) and RBDHOPO (2%). On the contrary, the carotene loss for both RBDPO control and RBDHOPO in standard refining methods was 99% (1.9 and 5.9 ppm, detected). Modified refining temperatures, can maintain up to 99% more carotenes than standard refining. Applying modified refining to RBDHOPO retains ~78%–83% more carotene than regular RBDPO. This examination shows, suitably processed RBDHOPO has the capability for producing a red palm oil (RPO), enriched with carotenoid for provitamin A function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article presents the results of studies on the effect of feeding doses of vitamin-herbal flour made of the green mass of R. carthamoides on the growth dynamics and biochemical composition of the blood of young cattle. The studies were carried out in 2022 at the dairy complex of Sokolovo LLC (Perm Krai). The objects of the study were replacement heifers of the Holsteinized Black-and-White breed at the age of 12-15 months. For 92 days, heifers of I and II experimental groups were additionally fed vitamin-herbal flour made of R. carthamoides in the dose of 150 and 300 g per head per day as part of the main diet. The use of nitrogen from the incoming and from the digested one was more in heifers of the I and II experimental groups by 0.74-1.09 %abs. (p < 0.05) and 2.17-3.64% abs. (p < 0.01) compared with the control group. At the age of 15 months, heifers of I and II experimental groups in terms of live weight exceeded the animals of the control group by 2.80 and 18.20 kg (p < 0,001) by asbsolute gain by 4.86 and 11.61% respectively. At the end of the experimental period, in the blood serum of heifers of the II experimental group, where the maximum dose of vitamin-herbal flour was used, the content of total protein increased by 11.43 %, albumin ‒ by 14.01 %, carotene - by 28.57 %, the level of reserve alkalinity ‒ by 18.01 %. In all cases, the difference with the control was confirmed statistically (p < 0.05-0.001). Thus, the studies carried out testify to some bioavailability of vitamin-herbal flour and its positive effect on the physiological state of experimental animals, which consists of the normalization of metabolism and improvement of biochemical parameters of blood, which makes it possible to recommend introducing vitamin-herbal flour made of R. carthamoides into the diets of young cattle at the rate of 300 g per head per day.

Abstract Background Living cells maintain and adjust structural and functional integrity by continual synthesis and degradation of metabolites and macromolecules. The maintenance and adjustment of thylakoid membrane involve turnover of photosynthetic pigments along with subunits of protein complexes. Quantifying their turnover is essential to understand the mechanisms of homeostasis and long-term acclimation of photosynthetic apparatus. Here we report methods combining whole-plant long-term 13CO2 labeling and liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis to determine the size of non-labeled population (NLP) of carotenoids and chlorophylls (Chl) in leaf pigment extracts of partially 13C-labeled plants. Results The labeling chamber enabled parallel 13CO2 labeling of up to 15 plants of Arabidopsis thaliana with real-time environmental monitoring ([CO2], light intensity, temperature, relative air humidity and pressure) and recording. No significant difference in growth or photosynthetic pigment composition was found in leaves after 7-d exposure to normal CO2 (~ 400 ppm) or 13CO2 in the labeling chamber, or in ambient air outside the labeling chamber (control). Following chromatographic separation of the pigments and mass peak assignment by high-resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance MS, mass spectra of photosynthetic pigments were analyzed by triple quadrupole MS to calculate NLP. The size of NLP remaining after the 7-d 13CO2 labeling was ~ 10.3% and ~ 11.5% for all-trans- and 9-cis-β-carotene, ~ 21.9% for lutein, ~ 18.8% for Chl a and 33.6% for Chl b, highlighting non-uniform turnover of these pigments in thylakoids. Comparable results were obtained in all replicate plants of the 13CO2 labeling experiment except for three that were showing anthocyanin accumulation and growth impairment due to insufficient water supply (leading to stomatal closure and less 13C incorporation). Conclusions Our methods allow 13CO2 labeling and estimation of NLP for photosynthetic pigments with high reproducibility despite potential variations in [13CO2] between the experiments. The results indicate distinct turnover rates of carotenoids and Chls in thylakoid membrane, which can be investigated in the future by time course experiments. Since 13C enrichment can be measured in a range of compounds, long-term 13CO2 labeling chamber, in combination with appropriate MS methods, facilitates turnover analysis of various metabolites and macromolecules in plants on a time scale of hours to days.

The pigments play a vital role in the insect's defence, attraction, camouflage, sun protection, photoperiodism, etc. Carotenoids are isoprenoid pigments synthesized exclusively by plants and microorganisms. Notably, animals cannot synthesize carotenoids themselves, they get them only from the plants they consume and, they are transported to tissues by plasma proteins. The cocoons of naturally coloured mulberry silkworms appear yellow due to ether-soluble carotenoids. Six carotenoids found in the yellow-coloured cocoon of the mulberry were attributed to the carotenoid content present in the plant's leaves, which was transferred to the silk gland via haemolymph and deposited in the silk cocoon. All-trans β-carotene, neo-β-carotene B, all-trans lutein, neo-lutein A, tetraxanthin, and violaxanthin are reported to be deposited in the cocoons through the midgut. Biological efficacy studies revealed that the carotenoid derived from silkworm cocoons, pupae, haemolymph, etc. acted as a growth-promoting factor, a radical scavenger, an antioxidant, prevented photo aging and enhanced immune functions. An overview of the carotenoids present in silkworm, their biosynthesis, absorption, transportation, functional role, and biological activity is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the benefits of carrots and carotene in different areas of health have been examined. The purpose of this umbrella review was to identify the associations between carrots and carotene and multiple health outcomes. The review considered evidence from meta‐analyses of interventional and observational studies of carrots and carotene and any health outcome. We comprehensively searched Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase. For each association, we estimated the summary effect size using random and fixed effects models and the 95% confidence interval. A total of 1329 studies were searched, and 30 meta‐analyses with 26 health outcomes were identified that met the eligibility criteria. Carrot intake was associated with a lower risk of multiple cancer outcomes including breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, urothelial cancer, and prostate cancer. Carotene intake was associated with a lower risk of fracture, age‐related cataract, sunburn, Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, and head and neck cancer (HNC). Serum carotene was inversely associated with all‐cause mortality, breast cancer, and lung cancer. Our study revealed that carrot or carotene intake could reduce the risk of various negative health outcomes. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kazakhstan does not have an effective technology for deep processing of fruit and vegetable products, including tomatoes, and the available technologies are not perfect, therefore, the utility indicators and demand for such products are falling. From that reason, the project being developed is connected with the technology of processing tomatoes, and obtaining a dry powder containing biologically active substances (BAS) from pomace for the purpose of enriching food products, is very relevant. The purpose of the work is development of technology for deep processing of zoned tomato varieties after their processing to obtain, from the pomace of lycopene-containing dry powder, in order to enrich food products. As a result of the research work carried out, zoned varieties of tomatoes bred at the Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Potato and Vegetable Growing were selected for the development of technology for obtaining high-value lycopene-containing dry powder, or in particular, the varieties: "Lider", "Samaladai", "Dream", "Surprise", "Wonderful", and "Amber". Carotene was determined by spectrophotometer at a 452.5 nm, while carotinoids were determined according to GOST 8756.22-80. Based on this analysis, we selected 3 varieties which will be used for obtaining biologically active substances (BAS) pomace. Possibility an assessment of the yield of raw tomato pomace as: total weight, pomace mass, squeezes, juice, juice weight, and total losses was carried out by classical technological methods. Based on the analysis of the obtained research results, 3 zoned varieties were selected, according to the highest content of ß-carotene, i.e., varieties: "Samaladai" with a carotene content of 1.43 mg/100 g, "Leader" - 1.16 mg/100 g and "Amber" - 0.91 mg/100 g. These varieties pomace, will be used for a lycopenecontaining dry powder suitable for food enrichment, for what further research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent concern for human safety and environmental protection has rekindled interest in natural pigment sources. In comparison to synthetic pigments, microbial pigments show better biodegradability and environmental compatibility and are used in a variety of applications ranging from food to cosmetics. The areas of attention for economical pigment synthesis include the identification of novel microbiological sources and improvement of process parameters. The purpose of this research was to screen and identify microbial isolates capable of generating pigments with antimicrobial activity from a variety of soil samples. A total of six pigment-producing bacterial sps were able to isolate from various soil samples such as bore well digging sites, river shores, river beds, forest areas, dumping yards using the enrichment culture technique. All the isolates were morphologically and biochemically identified as Micrococcus sp producing two-color pigments i.e., yellow and orange, Serratia sp producing red and pink color pigments, Salinococcus sp producing orange color pigment, and Exiguobacterium sp producing yellow color pigment respectively. During optimization studies maximum pigment production was observed at pH 7, agitation at 90 rpm (rotations per minute) and 120 rpm, the temperature of 30°C and 37°C, inoculum size up to 2% with NaCl concentration of 2%, 4%, and 6% respectively. Optimization of nutritional parameters such as carbon source and nitrogen source it was found that glucose (1%) and yeast extract (0.1%) work the best. Extraction of the pigment from the fermented broth was done by solvent-solvent extraction method. UV-Visible spectrophotometry and Silica gel Thin-layer chromatography was used to detect the presence of carotene and prodigiosin in the extracted bacterial pigment. The crude bacterial pigments were tested for antimicrobial activity against clinical pathogens including E. coli, Klebsiella sp, Bacillus sp, Staphylococcus sp, and pseudomonas sp respectively. Among all the isolates, pigments of Micrococcus sp and Salinococcus sp showed comparatively good results. Further purification of the pigment will lead to discovering a promising drug in the pharmaceutical industry.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is known to have a positive effect on the postharvest storage of vegetables and fruits, but limited results are available on its influence in fruit flavor quality. Here, we presented the effect of H2S on the flavor quality of tomato fruit during postharvest. H2S decreased the content of fructose, glucose, carotene and lycopene but increased that of soluble protein, organic acid, malic acid and citric acid. These differences were directly associated with the expression of their metabolism-related genes. Moreover, H2S treatment raised the contents of total phenolics, total flavonoids and most phenolic compounds, and up-regulated the expression level of their metabolism-related genes (PAL5, 4CL, CHS1, CHS2, F3H and FLS). However, the effects of the H2S scavenger hypotaurine on the above flavor quality parameters were opposite to that of H2S, thus confirming the role of H2S in tomato flavor quality. Thus, these results provide insight into the significant roles of H2S in tomato fruit quality regulation and implicate the potential application of H2S in reducing the flavor loss of tomato fruit during postharvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the most effective way of dehydrating food products for canning is drying. Thus, the main task of the drying process is to achieve the highest quality with minimal energy consumption. This paper presents a study of the drying kinetics of Almaty hawthorn with simultaneous thermoradiative and convective energy supply. The work highlights the issue of finding a rational ratio between the amount of heat expended from an external convective heater and thermal radiation generators. Changes in the quality of dried hawthorn products during storage are considered. Storage of different varieties of hawthorn was carried out in two types of polyethylene terephthalate bags and cardboard-polyethylene boxes in an air environment. In cardboard and polyethylene containers, carotene losses occurred more intensively during storage than in polyethylene terephthalate bags, in particular, after a year of storage of hawthorn Almaatynsky, the decrease occurred by 60 and 47%, respectively. According to research, similar to carotene in ascorbic acid, after a year of storage, the loss of ascorbic acid for hawthorn Alma-Ata was 48% in polyethylene terephthalate bags and 70% in cardboard and polyethylene containers. The studies have shown that hawthorn fruits dried by thermal-radiation-convective energy supply lose the content of P-active substances in their chemical composition during storage due to enzymatic processes of oxidation and hydrolysis of high molecular weight substances during hawthorn storage. The highest qualitative assessment was obtained for hawthorn samples dried by thermal-radiation-convective energy supply, stored in polyethylene terephthalate bags with a laminated surface. The organoleptic quality indicators of hawthorn samples were somewhat lower after storage in cardboard and polyethylene boxes, which is a consequence of the loose fit of the fruit in cardboard and polyethylene boxes and the presence of air access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeds of oil crops are both important sources of edible oils and bioactive compounds. The present study was carried out to determine variations in oil content, bioactive compounds (total phenolic, flavonoid, carotenoid, xanthophyll and tocopherol) and fatty acid compositions in the seeds of 20 safflower genotypes. Relationships among these parameters were also examined with correlation and principal coordinate analysis. Significant differences for seed oil content and bioactive compounds were detected among the safflower genotypes. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the genotypes ranged from 5.10-14.55 mg g-1 and from 4.60-7.25 mg g-1, respectively. Total carotenoid and xanthophyll contents of seeds ranged from 3.75-19.17 mg g-1 and from 5.25-20.13 mg g-1, respectively. Total tocopherol content of safflower genotypes was between 43.56-76.42 mg 100 g-1. Oil content of the genotypes were between 24.07-34.53% with average value of 29.22%. Fatty acid analysis revealed that 16 genotypes were linoleic and 4 were oleic type and they had generally high palmitic acid content ranging from 5.6-12.89%. Total unsaturated/total saturated fatty acids ratios were between 4.55-11.59, and 'Olas' and 'Linas' had the highest values. Correlation analysis revealed 45 correlations, four were positively and 7 were negatively correlated with each other. Principal coordinate analysis showed that some genotypes were clustered separately based on their seed contents. Our results also confirmed that seed oil content, fatty acid compositions and seed chemical compositions among the safflower genotypes varied significantly and could be exploited for higher oil yield and oil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a biostimulant, amino acids play crucial roles in enhancing plant growth and development. These roles, combined with the ability to be approved for organic usage, make amino acids a good choice for sustainable farming systems. This work investigates the effect of onion seed priming with different exogenous amino acids, specifically the impact of seed priming in enhancing a diverse range of morpho-physiological responses of onion seedlings. Here, we primed onion seeds (Cultivar Giza 6) with ten exogenous amino acids. Based on the growth parameters of onion seedlings, data showed that glutamine significantly improved the most studied parameters. Germination percentage (GP) ranged from 85% in Methionine (Met) to 98.5% in Proline (Pro) and Tryptophan (Try), with 10% over the control treatment. Glutamine (Glu) enhanced the vigor index (VI) of onion, giving the seeds a high ability to produce normal seedlings. The most extended root system (≥3.3 cm) was obtained from Glu, Glycine (Gly), Pro, and Try treatments. The maximum shoot length was obtained from treatments (Glu and Try) with more than 60% over control. Priming onion seeds with amino acids (AAs) increased chlorophyll contents compared with non-primed seeds. Glutamine and Threonine (Thr) had the highest results (122 and 127 μg/g fresh weight, respectively), while the Glu treatment registered the highest Carotene contents with 50% over the control treatment. Furthermore, the data illustrate that the principal component analysis-1 (PCA1) indicates 67.2% variability, and PCA2 indicates 14.8% variability. Strong positive correlations were observed between germination percentage, root length, shoot length, dry matter, chlorophyll a, and carotene. The study concluded that the primed onion seeds by glutamine, proline, and tryptophan had the best germination rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Crude palm oil (CPO) is rich with phytonutrients such as carotenoids and tocols which possesses many health benefits. The aim of this research was to develop a methanol‐free process to produce palm phytonutrients via enzymatic hydrolysis. In this work, triacylglycerol was hydrolyzed into free fatty acids (FFAs) using three different types of liquid lipases derived from Aspergillus oryzae (ET 2.0), Aspergillus niger (Habio) and Candida antartica (CALB). RESULTS: ET 2.0 was found to be the best enzyme for hydrolysis. Under the optimum condition, the FFA content achievable was 790 g kg−1 after 24 h of reaction with 1:1 water‐to‐oil mass ratio at 50 °C and stirring speed of 9 × g. Furthermore, with the addition of 2 g kg−1 ascorbic acid, it was found that 98% of carotenoids and 96% of tocols could be retained after hydrolysis. CONCLUSION: This work shows that enzymatic hydrolysis, which is inherently safer, cleaner and sustainable is feasible to replace the conventional methanolysis for the production of palm phytonutrients. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and its DNA adducts has been suggested to increase the risk of preterm birth (PB). Yet, few studies have been conducted to investigate this association, and the role of dietary nutrients intakes including vitamins, folate, and carotene during pre- and post-conception on this association has not been studied. Methods Building upon a birth cohort in Taiyuan China, we conducted a nested case control study including 83 PB and 82 term births. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)-DNA adducts were measured by an improved LC-MC/MC analytic method. Dietary nutrient intakes were estimated from food frequency questionnaire using the Chinese Standard Tables of Food Consumption. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine the associations. Results Increased risk of PB was observed as per interquartile increase in maternal BaP-DNA adduct level (OR = 1.27, 95%CI 0.95–1.67). Compared to low level (below mean) of maternal adducts, high level (above mean) of adducts was associated with the risk of PB (OR = 2.05, 95%CI 1.05–4.01). After stratified by dietary nutrients intakes, high adducts levels were associated with approximately 2–fourfold times increases in risk of PB among women with low vitamin A, C, E, folate, and carotene intakes during pre- and/or post-conception. Stronger stratified associations were consistently seen during preconception. Similar patterns were observed after additional adjustment for supplementation. Conclusions Our study supports the hypothesis that high level of maternal PAHs exposure was significantly associated with increased risk of PB, and provides the first evidence that dietary vitamins, carotene, and folate intake levels may modify this association during different pregnancy windows. Our findings are relevant to identify recommendation for environment management and prenatal nutrition regarding pregnant women and newborns. Further investigation in other populations is warranted.

The development of technology for obtaining a biologically valuable product (lycopene containing dry powder) based on the processing of vegetable products (tomato pomace) will undoubtedly have a beneficial effect on the successful development of science and new technologies of the domestic market of the republic, and the introduction of the developed technology and the release of new products (lycopene containing dry powder), has great social and economic significance, since safe, with a natural health-improving effect products have a beneficial effect on human health, labor productivity and provide an effective basis for the development and improvement of the economy of the state. Considering that the use of these products in the daily consumer diet of people is very vital. Kazakhstan does not have an effective technology for deep processing of fruit and vegetable products, including tomatoes, and the available technologies are not perfect, therefore, useful indicators and demand for such products is falling. The purpose of the work is to develop a technology for deep processing of zoned tomato varieties after processing them to obtain a lycopene-containing dry powder from pomace in order to enrich food products. As a result of the research carried out, for the development of technology for obtaining high-value lycopene-containing dry powder, zoned tomato varieties bred at the Kazakh Research Institute of Potato and Vegetable Growing were selected, in particular, such varieties as: "Leader", "Samaladai", "Dream", "Surprise", "Wonderful" and "Amber". To develop a technology for obtaining a high-value lycopene containing dry powder, 3 zoned varieties were selected, according to the highest content of β-carotene, i.e., varieties: "Samaladai" with a carotene content of 1.43 mg/100g, "Leader" - 1.16 mg/100g and "Amber" - 0.91 mg/100g, which will be further studied and used to develop a technology for deep processing of tomatoes, to obtain a dry powder suitable for food enrichment from BAS-lycopene pomace.

Seeds of oil crops are both important sources of edible oils and bioactive compounds. The present study was carried out to determine variations in oil content, bioactive compounds (total phenolic, flavonoid, carotenoid, xanthophyll and tocopherol) and fatty acid compositions in the seeds of 20 safflower genotypes. Relationships among these parameters were also examined with correlation and principal coordinate analysis. Significant differences for seed oil content and bioactive compounds were detected among the safflower genotypes. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the genotypes ranged from 5.10-14.55 mg g-1 and from 4.60-7.25 mg g-1, respectively. Total carotenoid and xanthophyll contents of seeds ranged from 3.75-19.17 mg g-1 and from 5.25-20.13 mg g-1, respectively. Total tocopherol content of safflower genotypes was between 43.56-76.42 mg 100 g-1. Oil content of the genotypes were between 24.07-34.53% with average value of 29.22%. Fatty acid analysis revealed that 16 genotypes were linoleic and 4 were oleic type and they had generally high palmitic acid content ranging from 5.6-12.89%. Total unsaturated/total saturated fatty acids ratios were between 4.55-11.59, and ‘Olas’ and ‘Linas’ had the highest values. Correlation analysis revealed 45 correlations, four were positively and 7 were negatively correlated with each other. Principal coordinate analysis showed that some genotypes were clustered separately based on their seed contents. Our results also confirmed that seed oil content, fatty acid compositions and seed chemical compositions among the safflower genotypes varied significantly and could be exploited for higher oil yield and oil quality.

Although pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is considered a rare disease, the incidence thereof has increased steadily in recent years, while a safe and effective cure remains beyond reach. In this study, the potential of tocotrienol-rich fractions (TRF) and carotene to alleviate PF was explored. PF was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats via a single intratracheal bleomycin (BLM) (5 mg/kg) instillation. These rats were subsequently treated with TRF, carotene, pirfenidone (Pir) and nintedanib (Nin) for 28 days via gavage administration, whereafter histopathological performance, biochemical functions and molecular alterations were studied in the lung tissues. Our results showed that TRF, carotene, Nin and Pir all ameliorated PF by reducing inflammation and resisting oxidative stress to varying degrees. The related mechanisms involved the TGF-β1/Smad, PI3K/Akt and NF-κB signaling pathways. Ultimately, our findings revealed that, when combined with TRF, the therapeutic effects of Nin and Pir on PF were enhanced, indicating that TRF may, indeed, provide promising potential for use in combination therapy in the treatment of PF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The market request for organic vegetables has grown recently for their positive impact on healthy diets. Consumers have progressively shown preferences for various combinations of color, size, and shape of pepper fruits. Facilitating communication, collaboration, and participation in the selection of cultivars with superior performance, flavor, texture, and culinary attributes can represent a key tool in breeding for nutritional and culinary traits. The current research started from the premise that organic production involves achieving adequate nutritional and culinary quality of pepper fruits. The study was conducted to investigate traits related culinary quality of pepper genotypes, especially in the ripening phase of fruits, to select the best resources with a high antioxidant content for breeding programs. The biological material represented by nine genotypes of sweet pepper was cultivated in the open fields during 2019 and 2020 at the experimental stations of the Vegetable Research Development Station of Bacau and of Iasi University of Life Sciences. Agricultural practices and intensive breeding focused on yield and stress tolerance have indirectly led to a reduction in the nutrition and flavor of the produce. Complex approaches, including screening of consumer preferences, phenotyping, and use of modern genomics and analytical chemistry tools in breeding, together with participatory farmer-breeder-chef-consumer collaborations, can represent a strategy to facilitate the development of the next generation of crops aimed to meet the growing demands of safe and nutritionally vegetables featured by culinary standards as good flavor, color, and texture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution brings together current knowledge on the use of functional food additives affecting marine fish reproductive performance. This article reviews published studies by several authors who have worked with specialized diets and focused on the dietary needs of brood fish, with the objective of identifying the relevant functional additives with potential to improve reproductive performance. The use of commercial and experimental diets that may have an effect on egg viability, quantity, and quality are discussed, with reference to hatching rates, larval survival, and compositions of fatty acids and amino acids after feed supplementation with various nutritional compounds. The intention of this review is to highlight the benefits of the use of vitamins, carotenes, fatty acids, and proteins of animal origin in broodstock nutrition, all of which have been shown to improve the quality of progeny under captive conditions. Finally, consideration is given to future perspectives on the use of additives in marine fish nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Living cells maintain and adjust structural and functional integrity by continual synthesis and degradation of metabolites and macromolecules. The maintenance and adjustment of thylakoid membrane involve turnover of photosynthetic pigments along with subunits of protein complexes. Quantifying their turnover is essential to understand the mechanisms of homeostasis and long-term acclimation of photosynthetic apparatus. Here we report methods combining whole-plant long-term 13CO2 labeling and liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis to determine the size of non-labeled population (NLP) of carotenoids and chlorophylls (Chl) in leaf pigment extracts of partially 13C-labeled plants. Results: The labeling chamber enabled parallel 13CO2 labeling of up to 15 plants of Arabidopsis thaliana with real-time environmental monitoring ([CO2], light intensity, temperature, relative air humidity and pressure) and recording. No significant difference in growth or photosynthetic pigment composition was found in leaves after 7-d exposure to normal CO2 (~ 400 ppm) or 13CO2 in the labeling chamber, or in ambient air outside the labeling chamber (control). Following chromatographic separation of the pigments and mass peak assignment by high-resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance MS, mass spectra of photosynthetic pigments were analyzed by triple quadrupole MS to calculate NLP. The size of NLP remaining after the 7-d 13CO2 labeling was ~ 10.3% and ~ 11.5% for all-trans- and 9-cis-β-carotene, ~ 21.9% for lutein, ~ 18.8% for Chl a and 33.6% for Chl b, highlighting non-uniform turnover of these pigments in thylakoids. Comparable results were obtained in all replicate plants of the 13CO2 labeling experiment except for three that were showing anthocyanin accumulation and growth impairment due to insufficient water supply (leading to stomatal closure and less 13C incorporation). Conclusions: Our methods allow 13CO2 labeling and estimation of NLP for photosynthetic pigments with high reproducibility despite potential variations in [13CO2] between the experiments. The results indicate distinct turnover rates of carotenoids and Chls in thylakoid membrane, which can be investigated in the future by time course experiments. Since 13C enrichment can be measured in a range of compounds, long-term 13CO2 labeling chamber, in combination with appropriate MS methods, facilitates turnover analysis of various metabolites and macromolecules in plants on a time scale of hours to days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes the effect of adding carrot on the nutritional and biological value of canned goat meat. Four batches of canned goat meat were produced: control (without carrot), and three experimental treatments T10, T20, and T30 that was canned goat meat with the addition of 10, 20, and 30% carrot, respectively. Canned goat meat with 30% added carrot had the lowest fat (5.76%) and protein (17.08%) content. The mass fraction of fiber was significantly increased, up to 1.96% in T10, 2.33% in T20, and 2.71% in T30. The same trend was observed for β-carotene content (from 0.78 mg/100 g in the control sample to 1.91 mg/100 g in T30). Among the amino acids, histidine was significantly increased in T30 (p < 0.05), and lysine in T20 and T30 (p < 0.05). There was also evidence of increased vitamin A, B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), and B5 (pantothenic acid) content in experimental samples than in the control sample. Among the minerals, the most significant increase was in potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus levels in samples with carrot. Organoleptic evaluation showed differences in color, taste, consistency, and odor. Thus, the addition of carrots increases the nutritive value and improves the palatability of canned goat meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Horticulture / Kertgazdaság is the property of Herman Otto Intezet Nonprofit Kft. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)