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Cabbage is one of the most popular vegetables that is rich in sugars contributing to flavor and consumer acceptance; however, little information is available on the effect of genotypes and growing conditions on sugar accumulation. We assessed the seasonal variation in agronomic characteristics and free sugar content in cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L.) grown under open field conditions. Seventy-five cabbage genotypes were grown in the spring and autumn 2019, and their morphological characteristics and sugar concentrations were evaluated. Six cabbage types produced predominantly round-shaped heads (64 genotypes). Bright green and green were the dominant colors depending on the outer and inner leaves of the cabbage head. The most variable quantitative trait was head weight in both spring (36.9%) and autumn (49.2%). Glucose was the predominant sugar in most genotypes in both seasons. Mean glucose content in spring and autumn was 209.3 and 214.9 mg g-1 with 14.8% and 14.6% variation, respectively. Most genotypes produced higher fructose concentrations in fall than in spring. Sucrose levels showed the highest variation in both spring (36.0%) and autumn (60.5%), followed by fructose and glucose levels. Most agronomic parameters exhibited nonsignificant or negative correlations with sugar content, except the correlation of head height and width with glucose content. Fructose and glucose were positively correlated with total sugar content, while there was nonsignificant correlation with sucrose. Genotypes 160330 and 183701 produced comparably high and stable total sugar content in both seasons and can therefore be used as commercial breeding materials. We revealed a significant effect of genotype and season on cabbage agronomic characteristics and sugar content.

Chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) parameters, plant growth, and chlorophyll and proline content were investigated in the seedlings of four tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars (‘Dafnis’, ‘Maxifort’, ‘BKO’, and ‘B-blocking’) exposed to 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 300, and 400 mM NaCl concentrations for 15 days. The maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) showed progressively decreased at 300 and 400 mM salt concentrations in all the cultivars, with the highest decrement in Dafnis. In contrast, the quantum yield of nonregulated energy dissipation in photosystem II (PSII) [Y(NO)] showed a reverse accumulation pattern at higher salt concentrations as the treatment time increased, regardless of the genotype. Other CF parameters, such as the coefficient of nonphotochemical quenching, excitation transfer efficiency from antenna pigments to the reaction center of PSII in the light-adapted state, effective quantum yield of photochemical energy conversion in PSII, nonphotochemical quenching, and the ratio of chlorophyll fluorescence decrease were lower at higher salt concentrations; however, some inconsistencies were observed at 5 and 10 days after the treatment time depending upon the cultivar and salt concentration. Growth parameters such as plant height, stem diameter, number of nodes, and shoot fresh and dry weight decreased by about 2.2–3.2, 1.1–1.6, 1.7–2.0, 3.1–6.8, and 1.8–3.2 times, respectively, in the salt-stressed cultivars. In the seedlings, the proline content significantly increased, with the highest increment observed in the seedlings treated with 100–200 mM salt concentration. Both chlorophyll a and b decreased as the salt concentration increased. Among the four cultivars, Dafnis showed the highest response to the salt concentrations with respect to all the parameters. In conclusion, our results suggest that the CF parameters Fv/Fm and Y(NO) can be used as indices for screening tomato genotypes with salt tolerance.

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating disease that limits tomato seedling and fruit production. Monitoring and early detection are required to effectively manage and reduce the spread of this disease. Seedlings of 30 tomato accessions from three Solanum spp. that came from different countries were grown under greenhouse conditions. Seedlings at the 4-leaf stage were inoculated with R. solanacearum. Disease severity was monitored using the chlorophyll fluorescence parameter (maximum quantum yield; Fv/Fm) until 5 days post inoculation (dpi). Visual symptoms were recorded daily until 16 dpi, and compared with non-infected control seedlings. Fv/Fm started to decrease at 2 dpi in most of the accessions and reached the lowest values at 5 dpi. Visual symptoms started to appear at 3 dpi for 16 accessions, and all of the moderately resistant and susceptible accessions showed visual symptoms at 5 dpi excluding four highly resistant accessions showing non visual disease index at 5 dpi. Finally, 17 accessions were susceptible to R. solanacearum, resulting in visual disease indices (DI) at 3–4 dpi and Fv/Fm values between 0.00 and 0.55. These plants died at the end of the experiment. Nine accessions were moderately resistant to R. solanacearum, showing visual DI values of 1–2 and Fv/Fm values between 0.55 and 0.65. However, four accessions were highly resistant to bacterial wilt and had visual DI values of 0 and Fv/Fm values between 0.65 and 0.83. Furthermore, the resistant genotypes did not show any changes in their visual DI until 16 dpi. Collectively, these results indicate that, depending on the genotype, R. solanacearum infection can be precisely predicted 1–2 days before visual symptoms appear in tomato seedlings. The chlorophyll fluorescence parameter can also be used to accurately screen for moderately resistant accessions.

Two separate experiments were conducted to identify suitable cultivars, to optimize light and temperature, and to understand the heading process in order to produce high-quality crisphead lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in a closed production environment. Three commercial crisphead lettuce cultivars (‘Adam’, ‘Manchu’, and ‘Sensation’) were grown on deep flow technique beds in a closed-type plant factory under three different fluorescent light intensities [150, 200, and 250 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ photosynthetic photon flux (PPF)] and two temperature conditions. The plants were grown until 60 days after transplantation (DAT) under the high [22/18 °C (0–30 DAT) → 18/16 °C (30–60 DAT)] and low [18/16 °C (0–30 DAT) → 18/14 °C (30–60 DAT)] temperature conditions, with 50 ± 10% relative humidity and a 12-h day length. Growth parameters, including head formation rate and tip burn incidence, were measured in all experiments. All cultivars exhibited significantly higher growth rates in the 250 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ light intensity compared to lower light intensities under both temperature conditions, and showed a cultivar-specific difference in the growth pattern at different light intensities. Our cultivation trials suggest that ‘Sensation’ is ideal for production in closed-type plant factory systems at 250 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ PPF due to its stable head formation and superior head quality. Under the high temperature condition, head formation was only observed in two cultivars, ‘Sensation’ and ‘Adam’, while all cultivars showed head formation in the low temperature condition. The initiation of head formation began at the 8–10 true-leaf stage around 20 DAT, and then apparent head formation was observed around 30 DAT, followed by an increase of head density until harvest (60 DAT). Tip burn symptoms were observed throughout the experiment, with higher values in the high temperature condition. The results of our study suggest that good head formation can be achieved under high light intensities (≥ 200 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ PPF) and low temperature [18/16 °C (0–30 DAT) → 18/14 °C (30–60 DAT)] in crisphead lettuce grown in a closed-type plant factory.

The present study evaluated the pattern of proline accumulation in paprika leaf sap using a modified high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Leaf sap samples were extracted using five different solvents and two extraction procedures, and were analyzed using modified HPLC analytical conditions. Enhanced extraction and HPLC analytical conditions were applied to analyze paprika leaf sap obtained from different plant parts (petiole and lamina sap) under different environmental conditions. The results showed that pure water extraction without heating or organic solvent performed best. This newly developed HPLC method was validated and confirmed suitable for analyzing proline content in leaf sap. The proline concentration in both the petiole and lamina sap showed a similar accumulation pattern, exhibiting the lowest proline concentration in the arbitrary node group I (1–5 nodes) and the highest concentration in the VI node group (21–30 nodes). In addition, sap from both the petiole and lamina of side stem leaves showed statistically higher proline content than the main stem leaves. The proline concentration also increased with increasing water stress during both the fruit enlargement and coloring stages, but primarily during the fruit coloring stage. The overall results suggest that the proline concentration in paprika leaves differentially accumulates throughout the plant and can be analyzed by water extraction using a modified HPLC method.

This study was performed to monitor glucosinolate (GSL) profile, total phenol, ascorbic acid, total flavonoid contents, and antioxidant activity in florets of six broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck) genotypes at three different inflorescence developmental stages. The level of phytochemicals and antioxidant activities varied significantly among genotypes and developmental stages. Out of the eight GSLs identified in this study, only five were present in all genotypes and their respective developmental stages. Glucoraphanin (GRA), a major GSL, was significantly increased towards the later stages of development (1.41 μg g-1 in immature stage of ‘Koyoshi’ to 10.57 μg g-1 in commercial stage of ‘09FA- M295’), whereas glucobrassicin (BRA) showed a reverse accumulation pattern with the highest value at the immature stage (5.10-7.97 μg g-1). Other minor GSLs varied depending on the genotype. Total phenolic and ascorbic acid content increased significantly as maturity progressed in all the genotypes with a relatively higher increment observed in ascorbic acid (65.8%-100.9%) than phenolic content (10.2%-31.2%). Flavonoid content, on the other hand, showed a cultivar- dependent accumulation pattern throughout the developmental stages. However, although antioxidant activity increased with inflorescence development, the increment was higher and lower than in total phenol and ascorbic acid content, respectively. The highest value for GRA (10.57 μg g-1), ascorbic acid (502.3 mg 100 g-1), total phenol (523.7 mg 100 g-1) and antioxidant activities was obtained for ‘09FA-M295’ at the commercial stage. Taken together, these results indicate that phytochemicals in broccoli have a differential accumulation pattern during inflorescence development. Regardless of genotypes and inflorescence developmental stage, total phenolic content showed the highest correlation with antioxidant activity (r = 0.779**), followed by ascorbic acid (r = 0.674**) and flavonoid content (r = 0.602**), whereas total GSLs showed a nonsignificant correlation with antioxidant activity.

Red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), an important horticultural crop, is typically harvested several times within one season. The goal of this study was to elucidate the harvest time-dependent variation and accumulation patterns of phytochemicals and any associated antioxidant activity in red pepper. Fully matured red pepper fruits, grown in an open field, were harvested six times during the season. They were evaluated for their proximate nutrient contents, as well as their minerals, vitamins, capsaicinoids, total flavonoid, total phenols, squalene, phytosterols, and fatty acids, and for antioxidant activity. The content of most phytochemicals varied significantly at different times of harvest. Phytochemicals such as capsaicinoids, vitamin C, total phenols, total flavonoid, s-carotene, and calcium, as well as antioxidant activity, had higher values in the initial and final harvests, while P, K, and Na decreased continuously with the progression of the harvest season. Squalene content increased continuously, while vitamin E and phytosterol contents were relatively stable throughout the harvest season. Different phytonutrients exhibited different levels of harvesting time-dependent variation; capsaicinoid had the highest coefficient of variation (CV, 55.44%), followed by squalene (40.51%), total flavonoids (15.97%), and vitamin C (10.57%). Total vitamin E, phytosterols, fatty acids, and the proximate nutrients were relatively constant, with low CVs (

Genotypic diversity of antioxidants is important for the development of tomato cultivars with high antioxidant contents. The contents and antioxidant activities of major antioxidant phytochemicals (carotenoids, ascorbic acid, total phenolics, and flavonoids) of 119 cherry and non-cherry tomato genotypes (16 commercial cultivars and 103 germplasm lines) were analyzed. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH assays. Significant genotypic differences were observed in the content and antioxidant activity of all of the studied antioxidant phytochemicals. Relatively higher genotypic variation was found in carotenoid, ascorbic acid, and flavonoid content than in total phenolic content and antioxidant activities. Most variation in total carotenoid content of tomato fruits was caused by lycopene, followed by s-carotene and lutein. One cherry tomato line, TG-110, and 3 non-cherry tomato germplasm lines, IT237605, IT237703, and IT237706, had much higher lycopene contents (> 1930 mg·kg -1), and thus higher total carotenoid contents, than did the other lines. The highest ascorbic acid and total flavonoid contents were found in TG-106 (388 mg·kg -1) and TC-053 (2353.0 mg·kg -1), respectively. Two cherry tomato lines, TC-019 and TC-053, and 3 non-cherry tomato lines, TG-107, TG-112, and TG-113, had significantly higher total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities than did the commercial cultivars. The genotypes selected on the basis of their phytochemical content could be used to develop new tomato cultivars with high antioxidant contents and activities.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the profile and concentration of individual glucosinolates (GSL), and the total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ascorbic acid content, and antioxidant activity of broccoli florets and flower stalks (10 commercial cultivars, 19 F1 hybrids, and 20 inbred lines). All broccoli heads were harvested at their marketable stage, and their flower stalks and florets were subjected to phytochemical analysis. GSL, TPC, TFC, and ascorbic acid content varied significantly depending on broccoli genotype. Altogether, nine GSLs were identified, four of which (glucoraphanin, progoitrin, glucoerucin, and glucobrassicin) were the most common in both broccoli flower stalks and florets. In florets, glucobrassicin was the most abundant GSL (4.46 μmol·g-1 DW), followed by glucoraphanin (1.93 μmol·g-1 DW), whereas glucoraphanin was the most abundant in flower stalks (1.47 μmol·g-1 DW). The concentrations of total GSLs, TPC, and TFC in florets were relatively higher than those in the flower stalks, whereas the concentration of ascorbic acid was higher in the flower stalks than the florets. Almost all F1 hybrids and inbred lines exhibited higher TPC, TFC, ascorbic acid concentration, and antioxidant activities than those in the commercial cultivars. Three F1 hybrids; 5075, 5078, and 5079, and one inbred line (5308) had the highest glucoraphanin and total GSL content. Three inbred lines, 5307, 5311, and 5409 had the higher concentration of glucobrassicin and total GSLs, superior antioxidant activity with low PRO+EPI content. These results suggest that these genotype selections had desirable compositions of individual GSLs and higher nutritional value for commercialization as functional vegetables.

Individual glucosinolates (GSLs) were assessed to select cabbage genotypes for a potential breeding program. One hundred forty-six cabbage genotypes from different origins were grown in an open field from March to June 2019, the cabbage heads were used for GSL analyses. Seven aliphatics [glucoiberin (GIB), progoitrin (PRO), epi-progoitrin (EPI), sinigrin (SIN), glucoraphanin (GRA), glucoerucin (GER) and gluconapin (GNA)], one aromatic [gluconasturtiin (GNS)] and four indolyl GSLs [glucobrassicin (GBS), 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin (4HGBS), 4-methoxyglucobrassicin (4MGBS), neoglucobrassicin (NGBS)] were found this study. Significant variation was observed in the individual GSL content and in each class of GSLs among the cabbage genotypes. Aliphatic GSLs were predominant (58.5%) among the total GSLs, followed by indolyl GSL (40.7%) and aromatic GSLs (0.8%), showing 46.4, 51.2 and 137.8% coefficients of variation, respectively. GIB, GBS and NGBS were the most common GSLs found in all genotypes. GBS was the most dominant GSL, with an average value of 3.91 &micro, mol g&minus, 1 (0.79 to 13.14 &micro, 1). SIN, GIB, PRO and GRA were the other major GSLs, showing average values of 3.45, 1.50, 0.77 and 0.62 &micro, 1, respectively. The genotypes with relatively high contents of GBS, SIN, GIB and GRA warrant detailed studies for future breeding programs since the hydrolysis products of these GSLs have several anti-cancer properties.

To evaluate the ripening-dependent changes in phytonutrients, seven commercial cultivars (two general and five cherry) of tomatoes were cultivated under greenhouse conditions. Fruits were harvested at breaker, turning, pink, light red, and red stages of each cultivar, and antioxidant contents, color attributes, and antioxidant activities were measured. During ripening process, lycopene content increased from the breaker to red stage, while lutein displayed the reverse accumulation pattern, with higher values during the breaker stage. In contrast,β-carotene showed the highest levels of synthesis in pink and light red stages. Furthermore, flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, naringenin, and luteolin) also showed similar ripening-dependent changes, with higher quantities in pink and light red stages. Ascorbic acid showed continuously increasing patterns throughout ripening until the red stage, while the accumulation of total phenolics was cultivar-dependent. These results indicate that each antioxidant compound has a unique pattern of accumulation and degradation during the ripening process. “Unicon” exhibited highest total carotenoid (110.27 mg/100 g), total phenol (297.88 mg GAE/100 g) and total flavonoid content (273.33 mg/100 g), and consequently highest antioxidant activity (2552.4 μmol TE/100 g) compared to other cultivars. Throughout the ripening processes, total phenolics showed the highest correlation with antioxidant activity, followed byβ-carotene and total flavonoids. In conclusion, ripening in tomatoes is accompanied by incremental increases in various antioxidant compounds to some extent, as well as by concomitant increases in antioxidant activity.

Glucosinolate (GSL) profiles and concentrations in various tissues (seeds, sprouts, mature root, and shoot) were determined and compared across nine Brassica species, including cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, radish, baemuchae, pakchoi, Chinese cabbage, leaf mustard, and kale. The compositions and concentrations of individual GSLs varied among crops, tissues, and growth stages. Seeds had highest total GSL concentrations in most of crops, whereas shoots had the lowest GSL concentrations. Aliphatic GSL concentrations were the highest in seeds, followed by that in sprouts, shoots, and roots. Indole GSL concentration was the highest in the root or shoot tissues in most of the crops. In contrast, aromatic GSL concentrations were highest in roots. Of the nine crops examined, broccoli exhibited the highest total GSL concentration in seeds (110.76 µmol·g(-1)) and sprouts (162.19 µmol·g(-1)), whereas leaf mustard exhibited the highest total GSL concentration in shoots (61.76 µmol·g(-1)) and roots (73.61 µmol·g(-1)). The lowest GSL concentrations were observed in radish across all tissues examined.

Seasonal variation in the contents of sugars (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) in the floret, leaf, and stem of broccoli were studied in ten commercial broccoli cultivars. Plants were grown in the spring and fall seasons in 2011. In both seasons, glucose was the major constituent, comprising about 50% of the total sugar content in the floret and leaf tissue of most cultivars, whereas the broccoli stem showed an unusual pattern of accumulation. Sucrose exhibited greater cultivar dependency as well as seasonal variation compared to fructose and glucose in floret and leaf tissues. The floret tissue had a higher total content of sugar in the spring compared to the fall due to an increase in glucose and fructose. However, most of the leaf and stem tissues of broccoli had a higher total sugar content in the fall compared to the spring. Furthermore, stem and leaf tissues possessed a relatively higher total sugar content compared to floret tissue in both seasons. ‘Grandeur’ broccoli contained a significantly greater amount of total sugar in both floret and leaf tissues in both seasons, whereas ‘YuDoRi No.1’ broccoli exhibited the highest total content of sugar in stem tissue. At overall, the results showed significant influences of genotype, plant part and growing season on sugar content in broccoli.

This research was conducted to evaluate glucosinolate profiles, vitamin C, total phenol, total flavonoid, and free sugar (glucose, fructose, and sucrose) content, fatty acid composition, and antioxidant activity in floret and leaf of six cauliflower and broccoli cultivars. The level of chemical constituents as well as antioxidants significantly varied among crop types, cultivars, and their different parts, in that phytochemicals such as glucosinolate were statistically higher in florets compared with leaves in both broccoli and cauliflower cultivars. In contrast, total flavonoid and free sugar were found at higher levels in the leaf parts. The Asia purple cultivar exhibited statistically higher vitamin C (649.7 mg·100 g−1), total phenol (1345.2 mg·GAE 100 g−1), and total flavonoid (632.7 mg·CE 100 g−1) contents and consequently had the highest antioxidant activity (1.12 mg·mL−1) in its florets, while Baeridom and Bridal had the highest total glucosinolate (9.66 µmol·g−1) and free sugar (318.6 mg·g−1) contents, respectively compared with other cultivars. Likewise, the major fatty acids were palmitic (23.52%–38.42%), linoleic (13.09%–18.97%), and linolenic (26.32%–51.80%) acids, which comprised the highest compositional ratio (more than 50%) of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in most cultivars. Among the antioxidants, total phenol exhibited the most significant positive correlation (r = 0.698 **) with antioxidant activity, followed by vitamin C (r = 0.522 **) and total flavonoid (r = 0.494 **), indicating their significant contributions to total antioxidant activity.

Phytochemical constituents, such as alliin, vitamin C, total phenol and total flavonoid, content of free sugars, and antioxidant activity of 19 garlic lines and cultivars [six parental lines, three controlled cultivars, five cultivars for regional adaptation test (RAT cultivars), and five new cultivars, released by NIHHS for commercialization] cultivated at the experimental field in the NIHHS, RDA in Suwon were evaluated. Average contents of alliin, vitamin C, total phenol and total flavonoid per 100 g dry weight, respectively, were 1,938.4 mg, 9.3 mg, 97.0 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) and 16.1 mg catechin hydrate equivalent (CE), and antioxidant activity was 27.5%. Among the three free sugars analyzed, sucrose was present in the greatest quantity (3.48%), followed by fructose (1.05%) and glucose (0.54%). The RAT cultivars, R-01, R-04 and R-05, and new cultivars released for commercialization, NC-02, NC-03 and NC-04, exhibited statistically greater contents of phytochemicals, and consequently possessed higher antioxidant activities as compared to the parental lines and control cultivars. Total flavonoid content showed the highest positive correlations with antioxidant activity (r = 0.908**), followed by total phenol and vitamin C contents.

To characterize the nutraceutical property of Italian millet (Setaria italica) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), ten Korean landraces of each crop were collected and their vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols), squalene and phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol) contents as well as fatty acid composition in seeds were evaluated. Italian millet seeds exhibited 5 forms of vitamin E isomers: three (α-, γ- and δ-) tocopherols and two (α- and γ-) tocotrienols, while sorghum seeds showed only three forms of vitamin E isomers: α- and γ-tocopherol and α-tocotrienol. In both crops, γ-tocopherol was the major constituent of vitamin E in terms of highest quantity. Total vitamin E content in Italian millet and sorghum landraces were 88.3 ㎎/㎏ and 44.3 ㎎/㎏, respectively. Among three phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol) analyzed, β-sitosterol was the major form comprising about 85% and 65% in Italian millet and sorghum landraces, respectively. Total phytosterols content ranged from 443.0 to 568.5 ㎎/㎏ and 442.3 to 719.2 ㎎/㎏ in Italian millet and sorghum, respectively. Squalene, a precursor of phytosterols biosynthesis, ranged from 6.8 to 10.2 ㎎/㎏ in Italian millet and from 62.2 to 115.2 ㎎/㎏ in sorghum. Linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids were the major fatty acids in both of the crops and about 80% of the total fatty acids were unsaturated fatty acids. Among the tested landraces, M09 and S10 showed relatively higher proportion of phytonutrients, suggesting their potential as a gene source for further breeding program.

To evaluate seasonal variation in fatty acid composition in broccoli, 12 commercial cultivars of broccoli were grown in spring and fall season at the field of NIHHS, and their floret, leaf and stem parts were used for the fatty acid composition analyses. Among 14 fatty acids detected in broccoli, linolenic, palmitic and linoleic acids were major fatty acids comprising more than 80% of total fatty acids in both the seasons and all the parts. Likewise, stearic and oleic acids were also present in considerable amount while remaining fatty acids; caproic, lauric, myristic, pentadecanoic, palmitoleic, heptadecanoic, arachidic, behenic and lignoceric acids showed their minor compositional ratio. Among the three parts, stem exhibited highest SFAs (49.681% in spring and 50.717% in fall season) compared to MUFA and PUFA, while highest compositional ratio of PUFAs were observed in leaves (62.588% in spring and 68.931% in fall season), which indicates leaves as a good source of health beneficial fatty acids. In contrast, floret part exhibited highest SFA (48.786%) and PUFA (57.518%) in spring and fall seasons, respectively. Major fatty acids; palmitic, linoleic and linolenic acid showed lowest cultivar dependent variation (below 10%) and leaf showed least variation in both the seasons compared to floret and stem. Our results suggest that all the fatty acids are significantly influenced by genotype of cultivars (C), plant parts (P) and growing seasons (S). Among the 14 fatty acids, myristic and palmitic acid showed highest positive or negative correlationship with oleic (r=0.912 ** ) and linolenic acid (r=-0.933 ** ), respectively. The most abundant fatty acid, linolenic acid, showed either negative or no correlation ship with other fatty acids while palmitic acid, a second major fatty acid, exhibited either positive or negative correlation ship.

To understand ripening-dependent changes in phytonutrients, five commercial cultivars of red peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) grown in an open field in Taean, South Korea, were selected and their fruits were harvested at green mature (GM), intermediate breaker (BR), and red ripe (RR) stages and their phytonutrient contents and antioxidant activities were compared. Three major patterns in relation to ripening progress were observed. First, continuous increases were observed in vitamin C, total phenol, vitamin E (especially α-tocopherol), total free sugar, β-carotene, linolenic acid content, and antioxidant activity. Second, decreasing patterns were observed in phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol, and β-sitosterol) and linoleic acid. Third, total flavonoid and squalene contents were relatively higher at the BR stage compared with the GM and RR stages. These results indicate that each phytonutrient has a unique pattern of accumulation and degradation during the fruit-maturing process. Unlike the mentioned phytonutrients, which showed similar patterns in all tested cultivars, capsaicinoids exhibited quite different patterns of ripening-dependent changes among the cultivars. Throughout the ripening processes, positive correlations with antioxidant activity were observed in vitamin E (r = 0.814**), β-carotene (r = 0.772*), vitamin C (r = 0.610**), and total phenol (r = 0.595**) contents, whereas capsaicinoids, total flavonoid, and phytosterols exhibited no or slightly negative correlations. In conclusion, the ripening of red pepper fruits is accompanied by continuous increments in various phytonutrients and subsequent antioxidant activity.

Perilla frutescens, which comprises var. frutescens and var. crispa, has been cultivated traditionally in Asian countries as an edible oil, leaf vegetable, and medicinal crop. To evaluate the lipophilic phytonutrient properties of P. frutescens, we selected 54 Perilla accessions [19 landraces of var. frutescens (FL), 22 weedy type var. frutescens (FW), 9 weedy type var. crispa (CW), 2 cultivars of var. frutescens widely cultivated for seed oil (FCS), and 2 cultivars of var. frutescens cultivated as a leaf vegetable (FCL)] and analyzed their seeds and leaves for vitamin E, squalene, and phytosterols. Among the four vitamin E isomers analyzed, γ-tocopherol was the major form of vitamin E in seeds, whereas α-tocopherol was the major form in leaves of all types of P. frutescens. The highest total vitamin E content in seeds was present in FL (170.0 ㎎ㆍ㎏?¹), whereas that in leaves was highest in FCL (358.1 ㎎ㆍ㎏?¹). The highest levels of squalene in seeds and leaves were in FL (65.5 ㎎ㆍ㎏?¹) and CW (719.3 ㎎ㆍ㎏?¹), respectively. Among the three phytosterols, β-sitosterol occurred in the highest amount in both leaves and seeds of all of the crop types. Phytonutrient contents were comparatively higher in leaves than in seeds of all crop types. All of these results suggest that the consumption of leaves and seeds of Perilla crops could be beneficial to human health, as Perilla possesses considerable amounts of various lipophilic compounds.

The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional composition of a genetically modified (GM) CMV-resistant red pepper strain with its parental line. Specifically, the nutrient content (moisture, protein, lipid, ash, carbohydrate, and energy), minerals, fatty acid composition, capsaicinoids (capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin), free sugars (glucose, sucrose, and fructose), vitamin E isomers (α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols), vitamin C, phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol, and β-sitosterol), squalene contents, and ASTA values were analyzed and compared. Most of the analyzed compounds showed no significant differences between the GM red peppers and the parental line. The only significant difference was observed in stigmasterol content, but the difference was below the 15% natural-fluctuation threshold. These results suggest that the CMV-GM pepper is equivalent to its parental line in terms of nutritional and phytochemical composition.

To assess South Korean commercial tomato cultivars, regular and cherry tomato cultivars were grown in the greenhouse and evaluated for color attributes, titratable acidity, pH, total soluble solids, carotenoids (lycopene and β-carotene), total phenols, flavonoids, vitamin C, and antioxidant activity. Significant differences (p ＜ 0.05 using Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT)) were observed in the levels of most phytochemicals, quality parameters, and antioxidant activity among the twenty South Korean tomato cultivars tested. Lycopene and β-carotene contents varied significantly (p ＜ 0.05 using DMRT), from 0.95 ㎎·100 g -1 to 5.12 ㎎·100 g -1 and 0.65 ㎎·100 g -1 to 3.56 ㎎·100 g -1 of fresh weight, respectively. β-carotene contents exhibited the highest genetic variation (59.2%), followed by naringenin (52.8%) and other phytochemicals. Most of the cherry tomato cultivars had statistically higher levels (p ＜ 0.05 using DMRT) of carotenoids, phenols, flavonoids, vitamin C, and antioxidant activity compared to the regular tomato varieties, suggesting their higher nutritional value. Lycopene content was highest in the cultivars YoYo, Jicored, Titi-Chal, TY-Endorphin, and Rubyking. Cultivars Rubyking, TY-Endorphin, and Titi-Chal also showed relatively higher antioxidant activities in three assays: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. All the antioxidants, except luteolin, were positively correlated with antioxidant activities; the highest correlation was observed between total phenol and antioxidant activities, followed by the correlation between rutin and vitamin C. Cultivars identified to have superior nutritional status would be useful in tomato breeding programs to further improve quality and health benefits of tomatoes for the fresh and processed markets.

Florets, leaves, and stems of twelve commercial broccoli cultivars grown in the spring and fall seasons at the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science (NIHHS), Rural Development Administration (RDA), Suwon, South Korea were evaluated for glucosinolates, vitamin C, total phenol, and total flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity. The levels of all phytochemicals and antioxidant activity were significantly influenced by cultivar (C), plant part (P), and growing season (S). Among the glucosinolates, glucoraphanin and glucobrassicin were the major constituents. The highest total glucosinolate content was found in the florets of plants grown in both seasons. Phenols and flavonoids were highest levels in leaves, while vitamin C was highest in stems, suggesting that broccoli leaves and stems may be good sources of such phytochemicals. The levels of all phytochemicals were generally higher in florets in the spring than in the fall, but were higher in leaves and stems during the fall than the spring. Furthermore, higher cultivar-dependent and tissue-dependent variation was observed in the spring than in the fall. Total phenol content exhibited a strong positive correlation (r = 0.674**) with antioxidant activity, followed by total flavonoid content (r = 0.497**), indicating their significant contribution to total antioxidant activity.Keywords: Antioxidant activity, broccoli, glucosinolate, seasonal variation, total phenol, vitamin CAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol. 13(4), pp. 604-615, 22 January, 2014

Adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) has long been cultivated in oriental countries as a cereal and medicinal crop. In this study, eight adlay varieties, most commonly cultivated in South Korea were selected and their seed phytonutrient contents were evaluated. The average total vitamin E content was 37.38 mg kg-1. Two major components of vitamin E were γ-tocopherol (14.76 mg kg-1) and γ-tocotrienol (14.18 mg kg-1), corresponding to 39.5 and 37.9% of the total vitamin E content, respectively. Tested varieties exhibited squalene content ranging from 31.23 to 55.00 mg kg-1, with an average of 41.24 mg kg-1. The contents of the phytosterols: Campesterol, stigmasterol, and β-sitosterol were 80.43, 131.1, and 313.38 mg kg-1, respectively. Of the six detected fatty acids, the major fatty acids were oleic (46.3%) and linoleic acids (37.4%). Seed squalene content exhibited high correlationship with phytosterols, but not with tocopherols. Among the tested varieties, variety Yulmu 1 showed a relatively higher proportion of phytonutrients, suggesting its potential as a gene source for further breeding.Key words: Adlay, vitamin E, phytosterols, squalene, fatty acids.