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Secondary products from winemaking are considered to be a rich source of bioactive compounds, mainly phenolic compounds, which can offer numerous opportunities to improve feed quality. This paper aims to characterize three winery by-products (grape marc, grape seed meal and grape seed oil) with regard to: the primary chemical composition; polyphenol content; antioxidant capacity; fatty acid profile and amino acid profile. Grape marc had 10.43% crude protein, significantly lower (P

El propósito del estudio fue evaluar el efecto de la harina de semilla de uva, adicionada a la dieta de pollos de engorda Hubbard de crecimiento lento alta en ácidos grasos poliinsaturados (AGPI) por la harina de linaza de la dieta. El ensayo de alimentación de 7 semanas utilizó 80 polluelos (14 d), asignados a dos grupos: control (C) y E, con 4 repeticiones de 10 polluelos/grupo. La dieta basal fue similar para ambos grupos durante ambas etapas de alimentación. La dieta para el grupo E se complementó con 3 % de harina de semilla de uva. Se sacrificaron seis pollos de cada grupo al final del ensayo de alimentación, y se recogieron muestras de sangre, carne de pechuga y pierna. El colesterol sérico fue significativamente menor en el grupo E (110.85 mg/dL) que en el grupo C (146.82 mg/dl). La concentración de AGPI fue significativamente mayor en el grupo E que en el grupo C, tanto en la pechuga (31.34 %, en comparación con el 27.73 % de ésteres metílicos totales de ácidos grasos - EMAG) como en la pierna (32.44 %, en comparación con el 30.06 % de EMAG totales). La concentración de colesterol fue significativamente menor en el grupo E (42.52 mg) que en el grupo C (60.91 mg/100 g de muestra fresca) en la pierna. Después de 7 días de refrigeración, el valor de peróxido fue significativamente menor en el grupo E (8.11 meq) que en el grupo C (8.79 meq/kg de grasa) en la carne de pechuga, mientras que la acidez de la grasa fue significativamente menor en el grupo E (40.82 mg de KOH) que en el grupo C (43.99 mg de KOH/g de grasa) en la pierna. El 3 % de harina de semilla de uva de la dieta, utilizada como antioxidante natural, en las dietas de pollos de engorda enriquecidas con AGPI, tuvo efectos positivos en los parámetros sanguíneos y la calidad de la carne.

Leontopodium alpinum Cass. (edelweiss) is recognized as a frequent constituent of anti-aging skin care products, providing increased antioxidant and anti-inflammatory defense. Considering the growing demand and the protected status of edelweiss in many countries, alternative methods of production have been developed, one of them being callus culturing. This study reports the phytochemical composition of a methanolic extract of L. alpinum callus cultures, characterized by liquid chromatography coupled to ion-mobility high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC/IM-HRMS). The methanolic extract exhibited strong free radical scavenging activity (122.19 ± 7.28 mg AAE/g dw), while the quantitative evaluation revealed that four major constituents (phenylpropanoid derivatives) represent 57.13% (m/m) of the extract. Consequently, a screening of antiproliferative effects was performed on ten cancer cell lines, representative of prostate, colon, lung and breast cancer, showing inhibition of colony formation in all cases. These results provide a comprehensive phytochemical characterization of L. alpinum callus cultures using advanced IM-HRMS, while the in vitro explorations confirmed the potent antioxidant properties of edelweiss which are worth exploring further in cancer prevention.

In the last decades the plants have to cope with the warming of the climate. As a consequence of this process more than half of the plant species could become vulnerable or threatened until 2080. Romania has a high plant diversity, with endemic and endangered plant species, the measures of biodiversity conservation being necessary. The integrated approach of biodiversity conservation involves both in situ and ex situ strategies. Among ex situ methods of conservation, besides the traditional ones (including field and botanic collection and seed banks), in vitro tissues techniques offer a viable alternative. The germplasm collections can efficiently preserve the species (of economic, scientific and conservative importance), in the same time being a source of plant material for international exchanges and for reintroduction in the native habitats.The "in vitro gene banking" term refers to in vitro tissues cultures from many accessions of a target species and involves the collection of plant material from field or from native habitats, the elaboration of sterilization, micropropagation and maintaining protocols. These collections have to be maintained in optimal conditions, morphologically and genetically characterized. The aim of our work was to characterize the response of the plant material to the minimal in vitro growth protocol for medium-term cultures achievement as a prerequisite condition for an active gene bank establishment in two rare Caryophyllaceae taxa: Dianthus spiculifolius and D. glacialis ssp. gelidus. Among different factors previously tested for medium-term preservation in Dianthus genus, mannitol proved to be more efficient for minimal cultures achievement. In vitro, the cultures were evaluated concerning their growth, regenerability and enzyme activity (POX, SOD, CAT) as a response to the preservation conditions in the incipient phase of the initiation of the in vitro collection. The two species considered in this study showed a good in vitro behavior when using the mannitol as growth retardant.

Cotinus coggygria Scop. (smoketree) and Fragaria × ananassa Duch. (strawberry) are two industrially important species due to their composition in bioactive compounds. In this study, we investigated the effects of acute low-dose gamma irradiation (15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 Gy) on two red callus cultures established in smoketree and strawberry. The biomass production, dry weight, content of phenols, flavonoids, monomeric anthocyanins’, index of anthocyanins polymerization and antioxidant activity were evaluated. For the smoketree callus, a negative correlation between irradiation doses and callus biomass accumulation was observed. For the strawberry callus, irradiation did not significantly affect the accumulation of the biomass. An increased dry weight was observed in irradiated smoketree callus, while for treated strawberry callus, a decrease was recorded. Irradiation with 30 Gy was stimulative for polyphenols’ accumulation in both cultures; however, the increase was significant only in the strawberry callus. The flavonoids increased in the 30 Gy strawberry variants, while it significantly decreased in smoketree callus irradiated with 35 and 40 Gy. In irradiated strawberry callus, except for the 25 Gy variant (1.65 ± 0.4 mg C-3-GE/g DW), all treatments caused an increase in anthocyanins’ accumulation. In smoketree, except for the 15 Gy variant (2.14 ± 0.66 mg C-3-GE/g DW), the irradiation determined an increase in anthocyanins synthesis, with the highest value being seen in the 20 Gy variant (2.8 ± 0.94 mg C-3-GE/g DW). According to UPLC-HRMS investigations, an unidentified compound increased by 99% at the 30 Gy dose in strawberry callus, while in smoketree, maslinic acid increased by 51% after irradiation with 40 Gy. The results of this study showed, for the first time, the differential response of two performant callus cultures to low-dose gamma irradiation, a biotechnological method that can be used to stimulate the synthesis of important flavonoids and triterpenes.

Cotinus coggygria Scop. (smoketree) is a phytotherapeutically valuable shrub growing in specific areas in many Eurasian countries. Exploring the intrinsic and extrinsic (abiotic) factors that modulate its secondary metabolism has fundamental and applicative importance. Three smoketree plants from the same population were studied for a period of 4.5 months. Their extracts were characterized using LC–MS/MS, HPLC–UV–VIS–DAD and colorimetric assays to determine the chemical composition and antioxidant potential. Multivariate analysis was applied to correlate the metabolomic data with registered habitat variables and phenological stages. The identified and quantified compounds belonged to the flavonoids (myricetin-3-O-galactoside, myricitrin) and hydrolysable tannins groups (pentagalloyl glucose, methyl gallate, methyl digallate I). Phenolic compounds and tannins were synthesized abundantly in the flowering and fruit stages, whereas flavonoids and triterpenes accumulated during senescence. The antioxidant activities varied between detection methods, samplings and individuals and were only punctually correlated with the compound contents in certain phenological stages. Based on the HCAbp analysis, the samples clustered under four groups, according to their metabolic profile. The CCA analysis revealed that during the reproductive stages (flower, fruit or seed), the secondary metabolism of the plants’ leaves is sensitive to the action of abiotic factors, while in senescence, the metabolic content is according to the phenological phase. This study provides a first attempt at understanding the interplay between the habitat and the metabolome of smoketree.

Ferns are vascular plants with significant ornamental value, and in recent years, they have also been considered for the potential application in different economic sectors like nutrition, medicine and cosmetics. This study aimed to obtain in vitro fern gametophytes and sporophytes and evaluate their potential as secondary metabolites sources. For this study four fern species were used: Polypodium vulgare L. (PV), Asplenium trichomanes L. (AT), Athyrium filix-femina L. Roth (AF), and Osmunda regalis L. (OR). The polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins and terpenoids content and antioxidant activity were estimated by different colorimetric methods. For metabolite identification and their antioxidant activity, HP-TLC separations were used. Also, quantitative HPLC–DAD analysis was performed to estimate the content of certain metabolites. The results showed that in vitro generation of gametophytes registered higher growth rates in OR, PV, and AF, while the regeneration of sporophytes was better for PV, AT, and AF. The OR gametophyte produced the highest quantities in all analyzed metabolite classes and also had the highest antioxidant values. We report for the first time the presence of metabolites such as catechin, caffeic acid, gallic acid, ferulic acid, cinnamic acid, or rutin in OR. In this study, we demonstrated the possibility of producing potent antioxidant metabolites by in vitro cultures in ferns.