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This study aimed to carry out the physical–chemical characterization, assess the functional potential and sensory analysis of bread made with 2.10, 5, 7.1 and 10% of caja-manga peel flour (Spondias cytherea Sonn.; CMPF), using a mixture experimental design. CMPF showed high antioxidant activity and content of phenolic compounds (PCs). Breads showed a reduction in PC content due to the baking process; however, it still maintained a fraction of them, in greater quantity in breads containing CMPF. In general, the formulations showed good scores for sensory acceptability, with emphasis on formulations with lower addition of CMPF, being flavor and texture the most influential attributes. Formulations containing from 5 to 10% of CMPF (presented higher correlation for physical–chemical variables and PCs) differed from those containing from 0.0 to 2.10% of CMPF (presented higher correlation for texture variables), through principal component (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Therefore, the addition of CMPF in breads, especially to a concentration of 5%, is an effective alternative for using fruit residue, obtaining a product with antioxidant potential, which contributes to the popularization of caja-manga consumption.

The use of fast and low-cost methods to optimize the total phenolic compounds (TPC) extraction has been gaining attention in ethnopharmacological research. Extraction conditions of the bioactive compounds from Calycophyllum spruceanum barks were established through multivariate regression models. In this sense, fractional factorial design (FFD) and central rotational composite design (CCRD) were developed using partial least squares regression (PLSR) combined with the information from the color images and spectrophotometry tools to evaluate the antioxidant activity from C. spruceanum barks. In fact, was possible to optimize the extraction of TPC with AA (ethanol 10% v/v, 1 h extraction time at 75 °C temperature). Besides, the precision and performance of generated models were established for the three response variables (TPC, AA by ABTS and FRAP methods) with R2 above 0.98 in the PLSR and residual predictive value (RPD) above 3. Thus, the approaches suggested in this study, with emphasis on the use of image analysis, proved to be potential and promising as simple, fast, non-destructive methods for quantifying TPC and antioxidant activity in C. spruceanum barks.

Wheat crop is very sensitive to osmotic stress conditions. As an abiotic stress, drought may exert a considerable effect on the levels of specialized metabolites in plants. These metabolites may exert beneficial biological activities in the prevention or treatment of disorders linked to oxidative stress in plants and humans. Furthermore, osmoprotector accumulation helps wheat to increase the maintenance of osmotic balance. Therefore, identifying wheat genotypes with better drought tolerance is extremely important. In this sense, this research aimed to understand agronomic, physiological and biochemical responses of spring wheat strains and cultivars to drought stress, under field conditions, and jointly select strains via multi-trait index. We evaluated agronomic, physiological and biochemical variables in 18 genotypes under field condition. The results demonstrated that all variables were affected by the drought. Most genotypes were significantly reduced in grain yield, except VI_14774, VI_14668, VI_9007 and TBIO_ATON. The variables related to photosynthesis were also affected. An increase above 800% was observed in proline contents in genotypes under drought. Sodium and potassium also increased, mainly for VI_131313 (Na), while VI_130758 and VI_14774 presented increased K. We evaluated the antioxidant potential of the different strains and the total content of phenolic compounds. The most drought-responsive genotypes were BRS_264, VI_14050 and VI_14426. Reduced grain yield and photosynthetic variables, and increased specialized metabolism compounds are due to plant defense mechanisms against drought conditions. Furthermore, variation in genotypes can be explained by the fact that each plant presents a different defense and tolerance mechanism, which may also occur between genotypes of the same species. Four strains were selected by the multivariate index: VI_14055, VI_14001, VI_14426 and VI_1466. Such results allow us to predict which genotype(s) performed best in semi-arid environments and under climatic fluctuations.

The residue from commercial propolis extraction may have significant antioxidant power in food technology. However, among the challenges for using the propolis co-product as an inhibitor of lipid oxidation (LO) in baked goods is maintaining its bioactive compounds. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the propolis co-product extracts’ capability to reduce LO in starch biscuit formulated with canola oil and stored for 45 days at 25 °C. Two co-product extracts were prepared: microencapsulated propolis co-product (MECP) (with maltodextrin) and lyophilized propolis co-product (LFCP), which were subjected to analysis of their total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (AA). Relevant antioxidant activity was observed using the methods of analysis employed. The spray-drying microencapsulation process showed an efficiency of 63%. The LO in the biscuits was determined by the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) test and fatty acid composition by gas chromatography analysis. Palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoelaidic, linoleic, and α-linolenic acids were found in biscuits at constant concentrations throughout the storage period. In addition, there was a reduction in malondialdehyde values with the addition of both propolis co-product extracts. Therefore, the propolis co-product extracts could be utilized as a natural antioxidant to reduce lipid oxidation in fatty starch biscuit.

The drying processing of agglomerated instant coffee can change the quality of the product due to the production of volatile compounds associated with the undesirable cereal aroma. Using fr...

Phenylpropanoids are secondary metabolites produced by plants. They, by differential expression, are involved in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses and confer plant plasticity. In addition, t...

Strawberry crop is very sensitive to osmotic stress conditions. We investigated the effect of the stress induced by mild drought (DS) and salt (SS) stresses, on molecular, physiological, and metabolic processes in the strawberry crop (Fragaria ananassa), cv. Camarosa. The results showed that the fruit yield was not affected. Mild DS and SS also resulted in an increased content of phenolics, anthocyanins, and l-ascorbic acid, and an increased antioxidant activity. These effects were accompanied by increased levels of ABA and its derivatives (phaseic and dehydrophasic acids), alongside the upregulation of several genes involved on their synthesis. Therefore, the results obtained in this study suggest that mild DS and SS improve the functional quality of strawberry fruits through and ABA-dependent mechanism.

Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) is an economically important fruit with a high demand owing to its good taste and medicinal properties. However, its cultivation is affected by various biotic and abiotic stresses. Plants exhibit several intrinsic mechanisms to deal with stresses. In the case of strawberry, the mechanisms highlighting the response against these stresses remain to be elucidated, which has hampered the efforts to develop and cultivate strawberry plants with high yield and quality. Although a virtual reference genome of F. ananassa has recently been published, there is still a lack of information on the expression of genes in response to various stresses. Therefore, to provide molecular information for further studies with strawberry plants, we present the reference transcriptome dataset of F. ananassa, assembled and annotated from deep RNA-Seq data of fruits cultivated under salinity and drought stresses. We also systematically arranged a series of transcripts differentially expressed during these stresses, with an emphasis on genes related to the accumulation of ascorbic acid (AsA). Ascorbic acid is the most potent antioxidant present in these fruits and highly considered during biofortification. A comparison of the expression profile of these genes by RT-qPCR with the content of AsA in the fruits verified a tight regulation and balance between the expression of genes, from biosynthesis, degradation and recycling pathways, resulting in the reduced content of AsA in fruits under these stresses. These results provide a useful repertoire of genes for metabolic engineering, thereby improving the tolerance to stresses.

Phytohormones are important plant components that are involved in a signaling cascade in plant development. In strawberry, the influence of abscisic acid (ABA) and its different forms [phaseic acid (PA), dihydrophaseic acid (DPA), and ABA glucose ester (ABA-GE)] on the process of fruit maturation is not yet completely understood. Quantification of phytohormones is currently performed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) due to its sensitivity and specificity. However, the sample matrix and the extraction procedure will influence the analysis. Thus, this study aimed to optimize a simple extraction method and validate the LC-MS quantification of ABA as well as the identification and quantification of ABA derivatives (PA, DPA, and ABA-GE) in strawberry fruit. Hormone extraction was performed using either methanol (80% v/v—S1) or acetone:water:acetic acid (80:19:1 v/v—S2) solutions with or without the use of sonication. The most efficient extraction was obtained using S1 without sonication, and LC-MS validation parameters for ABA were within acceptable scores.

Grape juice is known as a relevant source of compounds with antioxidant potential, which are accumulated during grape growth and development. As these compounds come from specialized metabolism, postharvest stressors may increase the synthesis and accumulation of these metabolites. Thus, UV-C radiation (65.6 J m−2) was applied to ‘Concord’ grapes (from vineyards grown in conventional and organic systems), after harvest. The following dependent variables were analyzed: pH, total titratable acidity, total soluble solids, ratio, angle hue, L, a, b, ΔE, total phenolic compounds, total anthocyanins, malvidin, delphinidin, peonidin, cyanidin, epicatechin, quercetin, kaempferol, trans-resveratrol, and cis-resveratrol. The UV-C treatment did not interfere with the basic physicochemical composition but resulted in juices with a more intense color. Juice from grapes grown in an organic system and subjected to postharvest UV-C treatment had also an increase in the levels of phenolic compounds, which was not observed in juice from grapes grown in a conventional system and subjected to the same treatment. Thus, responses to postharvest UV-C radiation depend on cultivation conditions.

Due mainly to the taste and appearance, the strawberry stands out in relation to the other fruits. and for the presence of antioxidant compounds. However, little attention has been devoted to the impact of abiotic stresses on the quality of strawberry and its agronomic performance. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of two levels of DS (L1 - 70% and L2 - 50% of crop evapotranspiration) on the quality of strawberry fruit and on some agronomic and physiological variables. There was a dose-dependent reduction in the evaluated agronomic variables in the DS plants, and the content of some minerals in the fruit and leaves was modified. The activities of the oxidative enzymes were higher in the fruit of L2 treatment, and the content of sucrose, reduced sugars, phenolic compounds and the total antioxidant activity were increased in the fruit from L2 treatment; while those of anthocyanins and L-ascorbic acid were reduced in L1 and L2 treatments, respectively. The phenylalanine ammonia lyase gene was upregulated and other genes related to phenylpropanoid and ascorbate pathways were downregulated in the fruit of stressed plants. Thus, our results indicate that DS seems to be a promising strategy to improve the content of antioxidant compounds and sugars.

Background Plants activate defense mechanisms to cope with adverse environmental conditions, leading to the accumulation and / or depletion of general and specialized metabolites. In this study, a multiplatform untargeted metabolomics strategy was employed to evaluate metabolic changes in strawberry fruit of cv. Camarosa grown under osmotic stress conditions. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) data from strawberries grown under two water-deficit conditions, irrigated at 95% crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and 85% ETc, and one excess salt condition with a 80 mmol L-1 NaCl solution, were analyzed to determine treatment effects on fruit metabolism. Results Multivariate principal component analysis, orthogonal projections to latent structures - discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and univariate statistical analyses were applied to the data set. While multivariate analyses showed group separation by treatment, T-tests and fold change revealed 12 metabolites differentially accumulated in strawberries from different treatments - among them phenolic compounds, glycerophospholipids, phytosterols, carbohydrates, and an aromatic amino acid. Conclusion Untargeted metabolomic analysis allowed for the annotation of compounds differentially accumulated in strawberry fruit from plants grown under osmotic stress and non-stressed plants. The metabolic disturbance in plants under stress involved metabolites associated with the inhibition of reactive oxygen species and cell-wall and membrane lipid biosynthesis, which might serve as osmotic stress biomarkers. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Strawberry is one of the most popular fruits because of its shape, color and taste, and the presence of antioxidant compounds. Because severe abiotic stresses result in detrimental consequences to plant growth, the effect of cultivating under mild stress conditions has rarely been investigated. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of mild salt stress on yield and quality of strawberry fruit. Mild salt stress did not affect yield. The lower level of mild salt stress evaluated showed increased vegetative growth (24%), higher photosynthetic effectiveness, and increased activity of phenoloxidase (22%) and polyphenoloxidase (33%), as well as the accumulation of sucrose (5%) and anthocyanins (60%) in the fruit, compared to non-stressed plants. The higher level of mild salt stress increased root growth (30%), the activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (68%), and the accumulation of total phenolic compounds (14%), and total antioxidant activity (13%) in the fruit, compared to non-stressed plants. The only phenolic compound improved in these treatments was (+)- catechins. Both levels of salt stress affected the expression of genes involved in the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid pathways, cell wall disassembly and abscisic acid-related genes. Therefore, mild salt stress improves strawberry fruit quality.

It is known that ultraviolet light has a major role in the ontogeny of the plants, and may also induce the production of secondary metabolites. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cultivar ‘Concord’, produced in conventional and organic production systems, treated with UV-C radiation after harvest. Grapes were evaluated for chemical composition, the antioxidant activity and the relative accumulation of gene transcripts related to secondary metabolism of the grapevine. UV-C radiation stimulated gene expression of the phenolic compounds biosynthetic and also caused accumulation of these metabolites, and these changes were dependent on the production system. The results showed that the conventional grapes had a higher accumulation of transcripts of the genes PAL , CHS and STS which ANS compared to organically produced grape. After harvest, UV-C stimulates the accumulation of transcripts of these genes. Organic grapes had a higher antioxidant activity. UV-C radiation resulted in an increase of antioxidant activity in grapevines from different production systems.

The increasing demand of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) fruits is associated mainly with their sensorial characteristics and the content of antioxidant compounds. Nevertheless, the strawberry production has been hampered due to its sensitivity to abiotic stresses. Therefore, to understand the molecular mechanisms highlighting stress response is of great importance to enable genetic engineering approaches aiming to improve strawberry tolerance. However, the study of expression of genes in strawberry requires the use of suitable reference genes. In the present study, seven traditional and novel candidate reference genes were evaluated for transcript normalization in fruits of ten strawberry cultivars and two abiotic stresses, using RefFinder, which integrates the four major currently available software programs: geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and the comparative delta-Ct method. The results indicate that the expression stability is dependent on the experimental conditions. The candidate reference gene DBP (DNA binding protein) was considered the most suitable to normalize expression data in samples of strawberry cultivars and under drought stress condition, and the candidate reference gene HISTH4 (histone H4) was the most stable under osmotic stresses and salt stress. The traditional genes GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) and 18S (18S ribosomal RNA) were considered the most unstable genes in all conditions. The expression of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and 9-cis epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED1) genes were used to further confirm the validated candidate reference genes, showing that the use of an inappropriate reference gene may induce erroneous results. This study is the first survey on the stability of reference genes in strawberry cultivars and osmotic stresses and provides guidelines to obtain more accurate RT-qPCR results for future breeding efforts.

The process of selection and validation of reference genes is the first step in studies of gene expression by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The genome of lettuce, the most popular leaf vegetable cultivated worldwide, has recently been sequenced; therefore, suitable reference genes for reliable results in RT-qPCR analyses are required. In the present study, 17 candidate reference genes were selected, and their expression stability in lettuce leaves under drought, salt, heavy metal, and UV-C irradiation conditions and under the application of abscisic acid (ABA) was evaluated using geNorm and NormFinder software. The candidate reference genes included protein-coding traditional and novel reference genes and microRNAs (miRNAs). The results indicate that the expression stability is dependent on the experimental conditions. The novel protein-coding reference genes were more suitable than the traditional reference genes under drought, UV-C irradiation, and heavy metal conditions and under the application of ABA. Only under salinity conditions were the traditional protein-coding reference genes more stable than the novel genes. In addition, the miRNAs, mainly MIR169, MIR171/170 and MIR172, were stably expressed under the abiotic stresses evaluated, representing a suitable alternative approach for gene expression data normalization. The expression of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) was used to further confirm the validated protein-coding reference genes, and the expression of MIR172 and MIR398 was used to confirm the validated miRNA genes, showing that the use of an inappropriate reference gene induces erroneous results. This work is the first survey of the stability of reference genes in lettuce and provides guidelines to obtain more accurate RT-qPCR results in lettuce studies.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of a fertilizer matrix of shale-based by-products and shale water as an alternative fertilization on strawberry culture. Were used 16 treatments, which resulted from the combination of three factors levels: cultivar (with two levels: Camarosa and Camino Real), allocated in plot, complementary base fertilization (with two levels: with and without MBR fertilizer matrix at a dose of 2000 kg ha -1 ), allocated in subplots and foliar fertilization (with four levels: Shale water, shale water + boron, shale water + calcium and a control without foliar fertilization), allocated in the sub-subplot. Yield, functional com­pounds and fruit chemical analysis were investigated. The production obtained in strawberry crop was similar or higher than national average. In the conditions of this study, in area with high level of initial fertility, the complementary base fertilization with MBR and foliar fertilization with shale water-based, did not influence the variables of quality such as the functional properties and chemical characteristics of strawberry fruits. Similarly, the added micronutrients in leaf fertilization shale water-based, Ca and B did not influence the yield and quality variables of studied culture.

Due mainly to the taste and appearance, the strawberry stands out in relation to the other fruits. and for the presence of antioxidant compounds. However, little attention has been devoted to the impact of abiotic stresses on the quality of strawberry and its agronomic performance. In the present study, we evaluated the e?ect of two levels of DS (L1 - 70% and L2 - 50% of crop evapotranspiration) on the quality of strawberry fruit and on some agronomic and physiological variables. There was a dose-dependent reduction in the evaluated agronomic variables in the DS plants, and the content of some minerals in the fruit and leaves was modi?ed. The activities of the oxidative enzymes were higher in the fruit of L2 treatment, and the content of sucrose, reduced sugars, phenolic compounds and the total antioxidant activity were increased in the fruit from L2 treatment; while those of anthocyanins and L-ascorbic acid were reduced in L1 and L2 treatments, respectively. The phenylalanine ammonia lyase gene was upregulated and other genes related to phenylpropanoid and ascorbate pathways were downregulated in the fruit of stressed plants. Thus, our results indicate that DS seems to be a promising strategy to improve the content of antioxidant compounds and sugars. Made available in DSpace on 2019-12-13T18:12:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2019Bamberg.pdf: 1364560 bytes, checksum: 62011752fd040da42efb6831f14375d2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019

Strawberry is one of the most popular fruits because of its shape, color and taste, and the presence of antioxidant compounds. Because severe abiotic stresses result in detrimental consequences to plant growth, the effect of cultivating under mild stress conditions has rarely been investigated. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of mild salt stress on yield and quality of strawberry fruit. Mild salt stress did not affect yield. The lower level of mild salt stress evaluated showed increased vegetative growth (24%), higher photosynthetic effectiveness, and increased activity of phenoloxidase (22%) and polyphenoloxidase (33%), as well as the accumulation of sucrose (5%) and anthocyanins (60%) in the fruit, compared to non-stressed plants. The higher level of mild salt stress increased root growth (30%), the activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (68%), and the accumulation of total phenolic compounds (14%), and total antioxidant activity (13%) in the fruit, compared to non-stressed plants. The only phenolic compound improved in these treatments was (þ)- catechins. Both levels of salt stress affected the expression of genes involved in the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid pathways, cell wall disassembly and abscisic acid-related genes. Therefore, mild salt stress improves strawberry fruit quality. Made available in DSpace on 2022-05-20T12:19:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 galli2016.pdf: 408382 bytes, checksum: b7a068e54027ce2037e6c7ad2e1c4ce2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016