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When replanting an asparagus field, the roots of the previous crop are crushed and incorporated into the soil, creating problems of autotoxicity and fungal infections. Asparagus roots can be considered as a valuable byproduct, since they are very rich in saponins (3–6%), compounds currently considered as bio-emulsifiers. The objective is to evaluate the emulsifying and foaming capacity of a saponin extract from asparagus roots (ARS) and compare it with other commercial extracts. ARS was obtained using a process patented by our research group. The results have shown that ARS has activity similar to Quillaja extract. Its critical micellar concentration falls between that of Quillaja and Tribulus extracts (0.064, 0.043, and 0.094 g/100 mL, respectively). Both emulsifying and foaming activities are affected by pH, salt, and sucrose to a similar extent as the other extracts. Additionally, it has demonstrated an inhibitory effect on pancreatic lipase, which is even better than the other two studied extracts, as indicated by its IC50 value (0.7887, 1.6366, and 2.0107 mg/mL for asparagus, Quillaja, and Tribulus, respectively). These results suggest that ARS could serve as a natural emulsifying/foaming agent for healthier and safer food products and as a potential aid in treatments for obesity and hyperlipidemia.

In this study, Asparagus stipularis was characterized concerning its phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential, cytotoxicity, and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities. Twenty-seven compounds were identified and quantified by HPLC-DAD-MS in the leaf, stem, pericarp, and rhizome of ethanolic extracts. Seven steroidal saponins were detected, and the highest content was quantified in rhizome and pericap. A. stipularis also contained significant amounts of flavonoids in the aerial part. Isorhamnetin tetra-glycoside, quercetin-3-glucosyl-rutinoside, and rutin were the main flavonoid derivatives in leaf, stem, and pericarp extracts, respectively. In addition, eleven phenolic acids were also detected; among them, caffeic acid, protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and ferulic acid were the predominant phenolics, with these having the highest amounts quantified in the rhizome extracts. All the tested extracts possessed antioxidant capacities, with pericarp and rhizome extracts exhibiting the highest activity in DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. The extracts from pericarp and rhizome were revealed to also be the strongest inhibitors of pancreatic lipase. The rhizome extracts exhibited potent cytotoxic activity against HCT-116 and HepG2 with IC50 values of 30 and 54 µg/mL after 48 h of treatment. The present study demonstrated that A. stipularis can be used as a new source of natural antioxidants and potential anticancer and antiobesity compounds.

This study investigated the transformative effects of incorporating Arabica coffee as a natural additive to improve the overall quality and the sensory properties of date seed coffee. Furthermore, the impact of the freeze-drying process was assessed to provide scientific proof of the marketability of this new product. The enrichment of arabica coffee in the (C + DS) sample led to a higher extractable yield, phenolic content, and consequently a higher antioxidant capacity compared to decaffeinated date seed coffee (DS). (C + DS) coffee showed a volatile profile similar to Arabica coffee (C). It is characterized by an abundance of pyrazines, ketones, and furans and a greater number of potent odorants than (DS) coffee, giving a positive note to the drink. Furthermore, the freeze-dried coffees (C-L) released the highest number of volatile compounds. The perception of coffee was investigated throughout the sensory analysis, which confirmed that evaluators accepted the coffee mixture both before and after freeze drying.

Asparagus is a healthy food appreciated for its organoleptic characteristics, nutritional composition and physiological properties. During its industrial processing, a large amount of by-products are generated, since only the apical part of the vegetable is considered edible and a large amount of by-products are generated that could be of nutritional interest. Therefore, the nutritional composition of the edible part and the two by-products of the plant (root and stem) was evaluated, including dietary fiber, inulin, low-molecular-weight carbohydrates, low-molecular-weight polyphenols and macromolecular polyphenols. The hydration properties, oil retention capacity, glucose retardation index and impact on bacterial growth of both probiotic bacteria and pathogenic strains were determined. All samples were high in fiber (>22 g/100 g dw), fructans (>1.5 g/100 g dw) and polyphenolic compounds (>3 g/100 g dw) and had good water-, oil- and glucose-binding capacity. In addition, they promoted the growth of probiotic strains but not pathogenic ones. The effects were more pronounced in the spear by-product samples and appear to be related to the components of dietary fiber. The results indicate that edible spear has potential beneficial effects on host health and microbiota when ingested as part of a healthy diet, while the by-products could be used as supplements and/or as natural ingredients in fiber-enriched foods that require emulsification and are intended to achieve a prebiotic effect.

The development of somatic embryogenesis in avocado (Persea americana Mill.) has been hampered by different chronic problems. One such problem is the low level of induction of white-opaque somatic embryos (WOSEs) during the process of obtaining full avocado plants. We detected the induction of multiple WOSEs promoted after the placement of three or four small WOSEs over the embryogenic callus of Duke-7. Among the other possible chemical inductors of the Arabinogalactans (AGPs), we identified a family of extracellular plant proteoglycans implicated in many aspects of the in vitro induction of somatic embryos (SE). We extracted AGPs directly from embryogenic cultures of avocado. When the induction/proliferation medium of embryogenic avocado calli (MS-0.1 mg L-1 Picloram) was supplemented with 1-2 mg L-1 AGP, the induction rate of good-quality WOSEs from the embryogenic callus increased significantly (more than ten times that of the control without AGP) and this effect persisted for at least five subcultures after the initial treatment with AGP. AGP also modified the texture and quality of the callus. The effect of AGP extends to other cultivars and proliferation media. Our objectives were to improve the induction of WOSEs and study the effect of AGP in the somatic embryogenesis of avocado.

Numerous beneficial compounds in date seeds are less accessible due to natural barriers. These compounds can be especially beneficial to human health when linked to their excellent antioxidant capacity. The aim of this study is to elucidate the effect of gamma irradiation on releasing these compounds in order to enhance the chemical composition of native and defatted date seed powder. To achieve this, date seed flour was exposed to two doses of gamma irradiation (1 and 5 kGy), and then the irradiated samples were assessed for their chemical properties. Additionally, after irradiation pretreatment, oil extraction was carried out using different solvents, and the native and defatted date seed flours were analyzed. The results showed that gamma irradiation had a significant effect on the color and chemical composition of the date seed powder. The solubility of amino acids in solvents was affected by gamma irradiation, resulting in defatted seed flours that were richer in some amino acids. Furthermore, irradiated-defatted seed powder exhibited higher levels of neutral sugars and esterified phenols, which contribute to a better antioxidant capacity. FTIR spectra confirmed that, after irradiation, there was a breakdown of the cell wall structure, allowing for a higher oil yield with more effective antimicrobial activities. In conclusion, irradiation pretreatment allowed the native and defatted date seed flour to gain additional benefits by making chemical compounds more extractable.

Five experimental hybrids (1 pentaploid, 3 tetraploids and 1 diploid) were planted in the field following a randomized block design with 4 repetitions, 2 for spring and 2 for autumn harvesting. Hybrids were evaluated for yield and spear thickness during autumn 2020, spring 2021 and autumn 2021, and flavonoids content during autumn 2020 and spring 2021. Significant differences were found among hybrids for yield and spear thickness, being the interaction season harvesting-hybrid significant. The performance of hybrids was different in autumn and spring. The pentaploid hybrid had a yield significantly higher than the rest in autumn and had one of the highest yields in spring. Regarding flavonoid content, seven different flavonoid types were found. The flavonoid rutin was the most present ranging from 64.4 to 95.9% of the total content. Variation among hybrids for all flavonoid was observed, the presence of some flavonoids being null in some hybrids. Non-significant differences between harvesting season and non-significant interaction season-hybrid were detected. The pentaploid hybrid showed the best flavonoid profile. Therefore, their spears are expected to have a higher antioxidant activity, due to the synergistic action between flavonoids of different nature.

Asparagus cultivation generates every year a significant amount of by-products that consist of root and frond. Leaving these residues on the fields after harvesting negatively affects the following asparagus crops, since they release autotoxic (allelopathic) substances into the soil, whose accumulation causes that asparagus yields gradually decrease over the years, becoming an unprofitable crop in a period of about 10 to 15 years. This phenomenon is known as decay and forces the entire asparagus plantation to be lifted (abandoned). On the other hand, once a certain plantation has been lifted, it is not profitable to immediately re-plant new asparagus plants, since the yields that are achieved are never more than half of normal ones. It is necessary to wait an average of 4 or 5 years before replanting asparagus in these lands. This phenomenon is known as the replanting problem, and causes the need to continually search for new land for growing asparagus. Another added problem for farmers is that the elimination of those plant residues from asparagus cultivation entails significant economic costs. For all these reasons, it is essential to seek alternatives for the management of that waste that improve the sustainability of the crop within the scope of the circular economy. In this context, this work proposes the valorization of asparagus by-products by obtaining bioactive compounds. Main objectives of the present work include: i) phytochemical analyses of asparagus fronds and roots; ii) obtaining bioactive extracts, with distinct technological and nutritional functionalities, by using an environmentally sustainable extraction process, easy to implement in the practice of a food industry and with methods compatible with food use. Characterization of asparagus by-products shown that fronds had an average flavonoid content of 2.637 ± 0.014 g/Kg fresh weight, which is up to 5-6 times higher than that of the spears; and roots contained up to 10 times more saponins (2.25 g

Secondary varieties of date fruits are often discarded because they do not have commercial value. However, their phytochemicals are very similar to those of the primary ones and therefore, they can be valorized as a source of compounds of interest, mainly phenols and dietary fiber. Their chemical composition changes with ripening, so their characterization throughout this process is of great significance. Date fruit samples were harvested at Khalal, Rutab, and Tamer stages, and a mixture of fruits from ornamental date trees was also analyzed. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts were studied for their phenolic composition. In aqueous extracts, phenols decreased with ripening, while in the ethanolic ones having higher phenolic content. Chelidonic acid, a γ-pyrone, was the major compound found in all extracts, but in the ethanolic ones, flavonoids were also present in similar amounts. After purification by adsorption chromatography, all extracts were assayed for their antimicrobial activity. Those from the Tamer stage showed the highest activity, especially against Gram-positive bacteria. The fibrous residues after aqueous and ethanolic extractions were also characterized. Their chemical composition suggested that they can be considered as a good source of prebiotic arabinoxylans and antioxidant fiber, whose antiradical activity correlated with their phenolic content. Date fruits from secondary varieties are promising as a worthwhile starting point for obtaining new value-added products.

Commercial fructans (inulin and oligofructose) are generally obtained from crops such as chicory, Jerusalem artichoke or agave. However, there are agricultural by-products, namely asparagus roots, which could be considered potential sources of fructans. In this work, the fructans extracted from asparagus roots and three commercial ones from chicory and agave were studied in order to compare their composition, physicochemical characteristics, and potential health effects. Asparagus fructans had similar chemical composition to the others, especially in moisture, simple sugars and total fructan contents. However, its contents of ash, protein and phenolic compounds were higher. FTIR analysis confirmed these differences in composition. Orafti®GR showed the highest degree of polymerization (DP) of up to 40, with asparagus fructans (up to 25) falling between Orafti®GR and the others (DP 10-11). Although asparagus fructan powder had a lower fructan content and lower DP than Orafti®GR, its viscosity was higher, probably due to the presence of proteins. The existence of phenolic compounds lent antioxidant activity to asparagus fructans. The prebiotic activity in vitro of the four samples was similar and, in preliminary assays, asparagus fructan extract presented health effects related to infertility and diabetes diseases. All these characteristics confer a great potential for asparagus fructans to be included in the prebiotics market.

The date seed is a by-product from the date industry. Its use as a source of added-value compounds is of great interest. Oil accounts for 5-13% of the seed’s weight. Soxhlet extraction with organic solvents is the traditional method for obtaining oil from seeds. In this work, hydrothermal pre-treatments and sonication are proposed to make the extraction a more environmentally friendly process. Factors such as sonication time and temperature and hexane-to-seed ratio (H/S) have been considered. Response surface methodology was applied for optimization. Hydrothermal treatments increased oil recovery. H/S was the most influential factor, and was close to 7 mL/g seeds for both samples. 71% recovery was achieved for native seeds after 15 min sonication at 45 ºC, and 80% for 180 ºC-treated seeds after 45 min at 35 ºC when compared to Soxhlet extraction. These conditions comply with our initial aim. Pre-treatments seem to have a negative effect on oil stability, although this observation needs to be confirmed., La semilla de dátil es un subproducto de la industria datilera. Su uso como fuente de compuestos de valor añadido sería muy interesante. El aceite representa el 5-13% del peso de la semilla. La extracción mediante Soxhlet con disolventes orgánicos es el método tradicional para obtener aceite de semillas. En este trabajo se proponen pretratamientos hidrotérmicos y sonicación para diseñar un proceso de extracción más respetuoso con el medio ambiente. Se han considerado factores como el tiempo y la temperatura de sonicación y la proporción hexano/semilla (H/S). La optimización del proceso se llevó a cabo por el método de superficie de respuesta. Los tratamientos hidrotérmicos aumentaron el porcentaje de recuperación. El factor más influyente fue H/S, y su valor óptimo estuvo cerca de 7 mL/g para ambas muestras. La recuperación óptima fue del 71% para las semillas sin tratamiento tras 15 min de sonicación a 45 ºC, y del 80% para las semillas tratadas a 180 ºC después de 45 min a 35 ºC. Estos resultados cumplen con nuestro objetivo inicial. Sin embargo, los pretratamientos parecen tener un efecto negativo sobre la estabilidad del aceite, lo que se confirmará en estudios posteriores.

Asparagus roots are by-products from asparagus cultivation and they could be considered one of the best sources of fructans. These polymers are interesting food ingredients for their prebiotic and immuno-stimulating characteristics. The aim of this work is to characterize the fructan profile from the roots of several asparagus varieties grown at different locations and pickled at three vegetative statuses in order to valorize these by-products as fructan source. Fructans were extracted with hot water and fractionated into three pools according to their molecular weight (MW). Their average MW was studied by HPSEC and their degree of polymerization by HPAEC. The fructan content was up to 12.5% on fresh weight basis, depending on variety and sampling date. The relative abundance of the three pools also depended on the picking moment as after the spear harvest period their total content and MW increased. The average MW of the three fractions was similar among varieties with 4.8, 8.4 and 9 sugar units, although fructans up to 30 units were identified by HPAEC. These characteristics make them similar to the commercialized Orafti®-GR inulin, a common additive to food products. Therefore, the concept of asparagus roots as cultivation waste must be changed to a new feedstock for sustainable agriculture and industry.

The phytochemical composition of leaves, stems, pericarps and rhizomes ethanolic extracts of Asparagus acutifolius were characterized by HPLC-DAD-MS. A. acutifolius samples contain at least eleven simple phenolics, one flavonon, two flavonols and six steroidal saponins. The stem extracts showed the highest total phenolic acid and flavonoid contents, where cafeic acid and rutin were the main compounds. No flavonoids were detected in the leaf, pericarp or rhizome while caffeic acid and ferulic acid were the predominant. Steroidal saponins were detected in the different plant parts of A. acutifolius, and the highest contents were found in the rhizome extracts. The stem extracts exhibited the highest antioxidant activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and the highest 2,2-azino-bis (3 ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging activity was found in the pericarp extracts. The rhizome and leaf extracts showed a potent cytotoxic activity against HCT-116 and HepG2 cell lines. Moreover, the pericarp and rhizome extracts revealed a moderate lipase inhibitory activity. The leaf and rhizome extracts were screened for their antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic isolates. The leaf extract exhibited a powerful inhibitory activity against all the bacteria and fungi tested.

In Algeria, Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl (Oleaceae) is a prominent ingredient for the treatment of inflammatory diseases caused by oxidative stress. This study aimed to make a comparison between the phenolic compound compositions of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts (decoction and infusion) of this plant and to test the antioxidant, cytotoxic and anti-pancreatic lipase activities of the ethanolic extracts from the leaf and bark. The identification and quantification of phenolic compounds was carried out by HPLC-DAD-MS and the antioxidant activity was assessed according to three methods: Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging activity. The cytotoxic effect was investigated using the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HCT-116; while pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity was examined using 4-nitrophenyl butyrate (NPB) as a substrate. A large variety of phenolic compounds were detected and the content of the leaf was much higher than that of the bark. The ethanolic extracts from the leaf had a higher antioxidant capacity than those of the bark, however, the latter showed greater antilipase activity and cytotoxicity than the former. These results suggest that this plant may be an important source of active compounds with a variety of biological activities which justify its use in traditional medicine.

The cultivation of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is the main activity and source of livelihood for people from arid and semiarid regions of the world. Date production is increasing every year. In addition, pitted date exportation is rising and great amounts of date seeds are produced. This biomass represents a problem for manufacturing companies. At the moment, date seeds are normally discarded or used as animal feed ingredients. However, this co-product can be used for many other applications due to its valuable chemical composition. Oil is one of the most interesting components of the date seed. In fact, date seeds contain 5–13% oil. Date seed oil contains saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with lauric and oleic as the main ones, respectively. Tocopherols, tocotrienols, phytosterols, and phenolic compounds are also present in significant amounts. These phytochemicals confer added value to date seed oil, which could be used for many applications, such as food product formulations, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. This review provides up-to-date data on the different extraction techniques and the chemical composition of date seed oils. The applications of date seed oil have also been reviewed.

Asparagus cultivation produces enormous amounts of biomass (leaves, stems, fruits, roots and rhizomes) that currently lacks of economic value at the time that implies an environmental challenge. From the bioeconomy point of view an added-value must be given to these co-products to shift their consideration from waste to chance. They are rich in phytochemicals, such as flavonoids, fructans and saponins, which can be easily extracted and purified by green and environmental friendly processes. Those bioactive extracts are of great interest for several industrial sectors. The exploitation of this biomass will represent an increase in the incomes of asparagus growers and life standard enhancement of rural areas.

Glucosinolate extracts from sprouts of common Brassica nigra, B. juncea cv. Scala, B. carinata cv. Eleven, and Sinapis alba cv. Ludique were analysed by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-mass spectrometry. The effect of the glucosinolate–myrosinase system on in vitro mycelial growth of Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands and Pythium spiculum B. Paul was assessed. Likewise, sinigrin and sinalbin monohydrate commercial standards were also tested. The extracts from B. carinata, which contained 159 mmol/g plant DW equivalent (85% sinigrin, 5% gluconapin, and 3% glucotropaeolin), were the most effective against Phytophthora and Pythium isolates used in this study. However, the extract from S. alba, which contained 1 180 mmol/g (100% sinalbin), did not inhibit the mycelial growth of the isolates tested. The use of the glucosinolate-myrosinase system provides important additional information to advance in the implementation of field application of brassicaceous amendments for the control of soil-borne pathogens.

Asparagus cultivation and consumption are widely spread throughout the world. Several investigations about fresh asparagus have evidenced that they are a nutritionally well-balanced and one of the best sources of antioxidants being the green spears richer than the white ones. However, there is scarce information on quality of canned asparagus. In the present work, we have studied chemical and phytochemical composition of 21 distinct presentations of asparagus, representative of the distinct brands available in Spanish markets. Our results revealed that this appreciated product continued to be of high nutritional quality after industrial processing, containing 1-1.8% bioactive fiber and 1-3% proteins. In addition, it contained significant quantities of several bioactive compounds, mainly ascorbic acid (6-12 mg/100g) and phenolics that in green asparagus ranged 16-46 mg/100g. Asparagus variety seems to be the factor that most influence the composition and quality of the final product. There were two samples of green asparagus that stand out from all others and that correspond to triguero asparagus from southern Spain. It can be concluded that the selection of varieties taking into account not only agronomic factors, but also phytochemical profile is determinant to obtain a product of the highest quality for both fresh and processed commercialization.

SUMMARY In the Nerpio region (Albacete, Spain), endogenous walnut cultivars have been grown since ancient times. None of them has been chemically characterized to valorize them in comparison to commercial varieties. In this work, 47 native (N) and 7 foreign (F) walnut cultivars grown in Nerpio, and 13 commercial (C) samples were studied during three seasons. The average yield, moisture, and protein and oil contents were slightly lower in the N samples than in C. The composition of fatty acid suggested that the N walnuts could be more stable against oxidation due to their higher amount of MUFA and lower amount of PUFA. The biological protein value for the samples was similar but the antioxidant capacity marked important differences among them: N cultivars reached the highest scores, with intermediate F values. Local walnut varieties from Nerpio should be valorized on the basis of their potentially enhanced health benefits, although further studies must be developed on their phytochemicals. RESUMEN Composición nutricional y actividad antioxidante de diferentes variedades de nueces (Juglans regia L.) de Nerpio (España) en comparación con variedades comerciales. En Nerpio (Albacete, España) se cultivan tradicionalmente variedades locales de nueces que nunca han sido estudiadas con vistas a su puesta en valor frente a variedades comerciales. En este trabajo se han estudiado 47 variedades locales (N) y 7 extranjeras (F) cultivadas en Nerpio, además de 13 comerciales (C). Los valores medios encontrados para rendimiento, humedad, y contenidos graso y proteico fueron ligeramente inferiores en N. Debido a su composición de ácidos grasos, el aceite de nueces N podría ser más estable frente a la oxidación. El valor biológico de sus proteínas es muy similar, siendo la actividad antioxidante la que marca una gran diferencia en favor de los cultivares endémicos: las muestras N dieron los valores más altos, y las F intermedios. Por ello, las variedades locales de Nerpio podrían ten

Asparagus by-products were submitted to hydrothermal treatments to improve their solubility and antioxidant capacity. Four severity conditions were applied (logRo 3.05, 3.64, 4.23, 4.82) and two fractions were isolated from each treatment. The solid fibrous residues were enriched in cellulose, and depleted of hemicelluloses and phenolics. Their antioxidant activities were higher than those presented for asparagus bioactive fibers (81–154 vs 21–26 mmol Trolox/Kg) and did not correlate with phenol content. The soluble liquors were rich in phenolics and also contained changeable amounts of mono-, oligo-, and polysaccharides as a function of severity. The majority of the released oligosaccharides (xylooligosaccharides) are considered as prebiotic and their percentage could be optimized by modifying hydrothermal treatment conditions. This fraction presented very high antioxidant activity (131–232 mmol Trolox/Kg), and had a moderate correlation with phenols. Melanoidins are suggested to be present in both fractions. A new fiber fraction with potential prebiotic activity and high antioxidant activity has been obtained from asparagus by-products. Its high solubility in water and a pleasant flavor broaden its applications in food formulations.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world. Many efforts have focused on finding natural molecules with potential chemo-preventive activity due to their low toxicity compared to synthetic drugs. However, comprehensive information on the bioactive fractions and components is still missing. In this study, we developed a method for the quantitative separation and isolation of saponins from asparagus genotypes consisting of an adsorption chromatography and subsequent liquid chromatographic separation on a reversed-phase column. The saponins isolated were tested for their cytotoxic activity against human colon cancer cell lines, which could develop cross-resistance to a wide variety of chemotherapeutic drugs. Our results showed that Huétor-Tájar asparagus saponins (HTSAP), mainly protodioscin and HTSAP-10 have higher cytotoxic activity than HTSAP-1, HTSAP-6, and HTSAP-8. This study links the potential anticancer effect of asparagus to specific saponins and unveils the triguero Huétor-Tájar asparagus as a nutraceutical particularly in colon cancer therapies

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world. Many efforts have focused on finding natural molecules with potential chemo-preventive activity due to their low toxicity compared to synthetic drugs. However, comprehensive information on the bioactive fractions and components is still missing. In this study, we developed a method for the quantitative separation and isolation of saponins from asparagus genotypes consisting of an adsorption chromatography and subsequent liquid chromatographic separation on a reversed-phase column. The saponins isolated were tested for their cytotoxic activity against human colon cancer cell lines, which could develop cross-resistance to a wide variety of chemotherapeutic drugs. Our results showed that Huétor-Tájar asparagus saponins (HTSAP), mainly protodioscin and HTSAP-10 have higher cytotoxic activity than HTSAP-1, HTSAP-6, and HTSAP-8. This study links the potential anticancer effect of asparagus to specific saponins and unveils the triguero Huétor-Tájar asparagus as a nutraceutical particularly in colon cancer therapies.

In the last years, there has been increasing interest in the research on saponins from food sources. Many epidemiological studies have pointed out their versatile health benefits. Since saponins are directly associated with human dietary ingredients and health, there is a need to evaluate their structure and function relationship. Asparagus spears are one of the main dietary sources of steroidal saponins.Most recent researches have focused on the health aspects of asparagus saponins for humans. Many asparagus saponins have cytotoxic and antitumor activities together with cholesterol lowering effect. This review highlights the structural features of saponins in asparagus, their beneficial roles in human health, and as well as their bioavailability and role on diet.

Asparagus maritimus is a species distributed in sandy soils along the Mediterranean coast. It has been reported as salt tolerant and resistant to rust. The wild asparagus species are a very important genetic resources for asparagus breeding because the current commercial cultivars have a narrow genetic base. Until recently, the only population of A. maritimus catalogued in Spain was a small population, which is at high extinction risk, located around the coastal lagoon “Mar Menor” in the region of Murcia. Different studies carried out in the current work support the recent description of this population as a new species named Asparagus macrorrhizus. Plants from three populations of A. maritimus were used to carry out studies of characterization and the results were compared with plants of A. macrorrhizus. The morphological studies showed clear differences between the populations of A. maritimus and A. macrorrhizus. One of the differences found between these populations was at the ploidy level. The plants of A. maritimus were hexaploid (2n = 6x = 60), while the plants of A. macrorrhizus were dodecaploid (2n = 12x = 120). Also, the flavonoid composition showed that A. maritimus contains six different flavonoids while in A. macrorrhizus 90 % of the flavonoid content corresponds to only one flavonoid (Nicotiflorin) followed by minor quantities of other two. Another difference between these populations was supported by the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) using data from 4 EST-SSRs markers amplified in plants of A. maritimus and A. macrorrhizus, and clearly separates the two species. The differences found in this work highlight the importance of A. macrorrhizus as a possible genetic resource for asparagus breeding. The distribution of A. macrorrhizus is limited to the area surrounding the “Mar Menor” lagoon. The prospections carried out in the last years indicated the high risk of extinction of this species due to the urbanization of this natural habitat. Therefore

The aim of this work was to study the saponin profiles from spears of different wild asparagus species inthe context of its genetic diversity aside from geographical seed origin. They includedAsparagus pseudoscaberGrecescu,Asparagus maritimus(L.) Mill.,Asparagus brachiphyllusTurcz.,Asparagus prostratesDumort., andAsparagus officinalisL. Thesaponin analysis by LC-MS has shown that saponin profile from wild asparagus is similar to that previously describedfortrigueroasparagus from Hu ́etor-T ́ajar landrace (trigueroHT), which had not ever been reported in the edible part ofasparagus. All the samples, exceptA.officinalis, were characterized for having saponins distinct to protodioscin and the totalsaponin contents were 10-fold higher than those described for commercial hybrids of green asparagus. In particular,A.maritimusfrom different origins were rich in saponins previously found intrigueroHT. These findings supported previoussuggestion, based on genetic analysis, aboutA.maritimusbeing the origin oftrigueroHT. Multivariate statistics includingprincipal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis were used to define both similarities and differencesamong samples. The results showed that the greatest variance of the tested wild asparagus could be attributed to differencesin the concentration of particular saponins and this knowledge could be a tool for identifying similar species.

The ethanolic extracts from the leaves, pericarps and rhizomes of Asparagus albus L. were investigated for their phytochemical composition, antioxidant (DPPH and FRAP assays), anti-microbial against human pathogenic isolates and cytotoxic (human colon carcinoma HCT-116 cells) activities. The highest flavonoid content was obtained in the leaf extract followed by the pericarp but there were no flavonoids detected in the rhizome. However, the rhizome had a high concentration of saponins. Flavonoid and saponin profiles were similar to those previously described for the triguero Huetor Tajar asparagus landrace. It was found that the pericarp ethanolic extract exhibited higher antioxidant activity than rhizome and leaf extracts. Moreover, the rhizome possessed more evident cytotoxic activity against HCT-116 cells in comparison to leaf and pericarp. All extracts showed varying degrees of antimicrobial activity against most of the human pathogenic isolates. In addition, the leaves showed more powerful inhibitory activities against the maximum number of bacteria and all the fungai isolated and the highest activity was in the pericarp extract against multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDR) and Erythromycin resistant Streptococcus agalactiae (ER) with an inhibition zone of 21 mm and 19 mm, respectively. The results show that A. albus could be a new crop with pharmaceutical interest because its richness in bioactive compounds provides considerable benefits for human health.