Composition and content of seed flavonoids in forage and grain legume crops

2D LC as a tool for standardization of Foenugraeci semen extracts containing compounds with anti-Helicobacter pylori activity

The on-line heart-cutting two-dimensional liquid chromatography method with the use of a diode array detector and a mass spectrometer (LC-LC-DAD-ESI-MS) was established and validated for quantitation of C-glycosylflavones in fenugreek seeds (Foenugraeci semen, Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). The first- (¹D) and second- (²D) dimensional separations were performed on Kinetex C-18 columns with different diameters, respectively, and gradient (¹D) and isocratic elution (²D). Finally, 17 compounds were separated, 13 of which were quantified by ¹D separation and 4 compounds by ²D separation. As a result, it was pointed out that fenugreek seeds of Polish origin can be considered as a rich source of C-glycosylflavones. Antibacterial activity against Helicobacter pylori of standardized 70% methanol extract from fenugreek seeds has been demonstrated, in contrast to the inactive aqueous extract. Anti-H. pylori activity of the 70% methanol extract can be related to a higher concentration of C-glycosylflavones. This is the first report on the bactericidal activity of vitexin, diosgenin, tigogenin and sarsasapogenin against H. pylori and the bacteriostatic activity of orientin against this bacterium.

Small-Seeded Legumes as a Novel Food Source. Variation of Nutritional, Mineral and Phytochemical Profiles in the Chain: Raw Seeds-Sprouted Seeds-Microgreens

Growing public concerns about health haves prompted the search for novel food sources. The study is focused on the seeds, sprouted seeds and microgreens of Trifolium pratense, T. medium, Medicago sativa, M. lupulina, Onobrychis viciifolia, Astragalus glycyphyllos and A. cicer species as a potential source of value-added food ingredientsr. The samples were analysed for nutritional (wet chemistry, standard methods) and mineral (atomic absorption spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry) profiles, isoflavones (ultra-performance liquid with diode array detector ⁻UPLC-DAD), coumestrol (UPLC-DAD), condensed tannins (CT) (vanillin-H₂SO₄ assay) and triterpene saponins (UPLC with triple-stage quadrupole MS). In our study, each species displayed high, but species-dependent nutritional, mineral and phytochemical value. All counterparts of legumes were mineral and protein rich. A. glycyphyllos samples, especially seeds, were abundant in iron. Trifolium spp. were found to be important sources of isoflavones, Medicago spp. of coumestrol and saponins, and O. viciifolia of CT. The protein and phytochemical contents increased and total carbohydrates decreased from seeds to microgreens.Our findings proved for the first time that seeds, sprouted seeds, and especially microgreens of small-seeded legumes are promising new sources of ingredients for fortification of staple foods with bioactive compounds, minerals and nutrients.

Perennial legumes as a source of ingredients for healthy food: proximate, mineral and phytoestrogen composition and antibacterial activity

ABSTRACT

Perennial legumes have been used as edible or medicinal plants since ancient times. The focus of the current study are perennial legumes-Trifolium pratense L., T. medium L., Medicago sativa L., M. lupulina L., Onobrychis viciifolia Scop., Astragalus glycyphyllos L. and A. cicer L.-of branching stage as a potential source of value-added ingredients for healthy food. Freeze-dried samples were analysed for proximal composition, mineral, isoflavone and coumestrol contents as well as for antimicrobial activity. Legumes were protein-rich (23.0/100 g on average). Mineral contents in 100 g of plant dry matter averaged: K 2.64 g, Ca 1.81 g, Mg 0.475 g, P 0.324 g, Zn 2.76 mg and Fe 37.8 mg. According to the total amount of phytoestrogens, the species ranked as follows: T. medium (34.4 mg/g) ≫ T. pratense ≫ O. viciifolia ≥ M. sativa = A. cicer = M. lupulina ≥ A. glycyphyllos (0.207 mg/g). Extracts of legumes, especially that of O. viciifolia, exhibited noticeable potency to inhibit the growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Perennial legumes of branching stage can be used as protein, mineral and phytoestrogen rich source for food ingredients and supplements.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Biohydrogenation of fatty acids is dependent on plant species and feeding regimen of dairy cows

Rumen biohydrogenation (BH) of C18:3n-3 (ALA) and C18:2n-6 (LA) has been shown to be reduced in cows fed species-rich herbage, but plant species offering the best protection against BH are yet to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in rumen in vitro BH of ALA and LA between single plant species and feeding regimens. Rumen fluid was collected from cows fed either total mixed ration (TMR), species-rich silage (HERB), or grass silage (GRASS). Five single species (alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, chicory, English plantain, and salad burnet) and a grass-clover mixture (white clover and ryegrass) were incubated in three replicas up to 30 h and subsequently analyzed for fatty acid content. Michaelis-Menten kinetics was applied for quantifying the BH rate. BH proceeded at the lowest rate in alfalfa and salad burnet (P < 0.005), and independent of species BH rate was lower in HERB and GRASS compared to TMR (P < 0.001).

Global transcriptome analysis of developing chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds

Understanding developmental processes, especially in non-model crop plants, is extremely important in order to unravel unique mechanisms regulating development. Chickpea (C. arietinum L.) seeds are especially valued for their high carbohydrate and protein content. Therefore, in order to elucidate the mechanisms underlying seed development in chickpea, deep sequencing of transcriptomes from four developmental stages was undertaken. In this study, next generation sequencing platform was utilized to sequence the transcriptome of four distinct stages of seed development in chickpea. About 1.3 million reads were generated which were assembled into 51,099 unigenes by merging the de novo and reference assemblies. Functional annotation of the unigenes was carried out using the Uniprot, COG and KEGG databases. RPKM based digital expression analysis revealed specific gene activities at different stages of development which was validated using Real time PCR analysis. More than 90% of the unigenes were found to be expressed in at least one of the four seed tissues. DEGseq was used to determine differentially expressing genes which revealed that only 6.75% of the unigenes were differentially expressed at various stages. Homology based comparison revealed 17.5% of the unigenes to be putatively seed specific. Transcription factors were predicted based on HMM profiles built using TF sequences from five legume plants and analyzed for their differential expression during progression of seed development. Expression analysis of genes involved in biosynthesis of important secondary metabolites suggested that chickpea seeds can serve as a good source of antioxidants. Since transcriptomes are a valuable source of molecular markers like simple sequence repeats (SSRs), about 12,000 SSRs were mined in chickpea seed transcriptome and few of them were validated. In conclusion, this study will serve as a valuable resource for improved chickpea breeding.

Phytochemical characterisation of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry

INTRODUCTION

Although green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) constitute a major agro-industrial crop worldwide and involve many bean varieties, the phytochemical composition and how this fluctuates among varieties is not well known.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this work was to conduct a comprehensive characterisation of the phytochemical compounds found in three varieties of green bean.

METHODOLOGY

Hydromethanol extracts from green beans were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) in order to characterise phytochemical compounds from different varieties of P. vulgaris L. The compounds were characterised based on interpreting their mass spectrum provided by the TOF-MS as well as by comparison with information from the literature (some compounds have been described previously in Fabaceae).

RESULTS

In this work, 72 phytochemical compounds were tentatively characterised by HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS. These compounds were classified as, 10 phenolic acids, 59 flavonoids, two lignans and an iridoid. Notably, out of the 72 compounds, 54 are new and their isomers have been characterised for the first time in green beans.

CONCLUSION

The phytochemical composition of three different varieties of P. vulgaris L have been characterised using HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS. A total of 72 phytochemical compounds were characterised, 54 being reported in green beans for the first time. Among these were the main flavonoids detected. These results highlight the influence that variety can exert on the quality of phytochemicals. Given that new phytochemical compounds have been characterised, this study offers a useful approach for improving and updating the food-composition tables.

Therapeutic effect of trigonella foenum-graecum L. total saponins on diet-induced obesity in rats

AIM: To observe the therapeutic effect of trigonella foenum-graecum L. total saponins (TFGs) on high-sugar and high-fat-sucrose (HFS) diet-induced nutritional obesity in rats.

METHODS: A rat model of nutritional obesity was established by feeding rats a high-sugar and HFS diet. Obese rats were treated with TFGs for 8 weeks. During treatment, the weight of rats was recorded. At the end of treatment, the weight of epididymal fat pads was also measured and fat tissue was taken for HE staining. Meanwhile, the levels of blood lipids, including serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), as well as fasting blood glucose (FBG) and fasting insulin (FINS), were determined. Homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated.

RESULTS: Compared to rats fed a normal diet, rats fed a HFS diet had heavier body weight (495.5 g ± 69.2 g vs 388.7 g ± 60.2 g, P < 0.01) and epididymal fat pads (8.6 g ± 0.6 g vs 5.3 g ± 0.5 g, P < 0.01), larger adipocytes, increased levels of TG (0.9 mmol/L ± 0.3 mmol/L vs 0.3 mmol/L ± 0.2 mmol/L, P < 0.01), TC (2.7 mmol/L ± 0.4 mmol/L vs 1.5 mmol/L ± 0.1 mmol/L, P < 0.01), LDL-C (1.2 mmol/L ± 0.2 mmol/L vs 0.5 ± 0.2 mmol/L, P < 0.01), FINS (27.8 ± 4.8 vs 13.6 ± 3.6 mIU/L, P < 0.01), and HOMA-IR (8.0 ± 1.1 vs 3.5 ± 1.1, P < 0.01), and decreased HDL-C level (0.5 mmol/L ± 0.1 mmol/L vs 0.7 mmol/L ± 0.2 mmol/L, P < 0.01). Treatment with TFGs caused a significant reduction in weight gain (462.5 g ± 55.2 g vs 495.5 g ± 69.2 g, P < 0.01), fat tissue accumulation (6.9 g ± 0.3 g vs 8.6 g ± 0.6 g, P < 0.01), TG (0.7 mmol/L ± 0.2 mmol/L vs 0.9 mmol/L ± 0.3 mmol/L, P < 0.01), TC (2.1 mmol/L ± 0.3 mmol/L vs 2.7 mmol/L ± 0.4 mmol/L, P < 0.05), LDL-C (0.9 mmol/L ± 0.1 mmol/L vs 1.2 mmol/L ± 0.2 mmol/L, P < 0.01), and HOMA-IR (4.9 ± 1.4 vs 8.0 ± 1.1, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: TFGs have a favorable therapeutic effect on nutritional obesity in rats and might be an effective treatment for obesity.

Anti-inflammatory activity of ethanol extract derived from Phaseolus angularis beans

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Phaseolus angularis Wight (adzuki bean) is an ethnopharmacologically well-known folk medicine that is prescribed for infection, edema, and inflammation of the joints, appendix, kidney and bladder in Korea, China and Japan.

AIM OF STUDY

The anti-inflammatory effect of this plant and its associated molecular mechanisms will be investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The immunomodulatory activity of Phaseolus angularis ethanol extract (Pa-EE) in toll like receptor (TLR)-activated macrophages induced by ligands such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Poly (I:C), and pam3CSK was investigated by assessing nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin (PG)E(2) levels. To identify which transcription factors such as nuclear factor (NF)-κB and their signaling enzymes can be targeted to Pa-EE, biochemical approaches including reporter gene assays, immunoprecipitation, kinase assays, and immunoblot analyses were also employed. Finally, whether Pa-EE was orally available, ethanol (EtOH)/hydrochloric acid (HCl)-induced gastritis model in mice was used.

RESULTS

Pa-EE dose-dependently suppressed the release of PGE(2) and NO in LPS-, Poly(I:C)-, and pam3CSK-activated macrophages. Pa-EE strongly down-regulated LPS-induced mRNA expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2. Interestingly, Pa-EE markedly inhibited NF-κB, activator protein (AP)-1, and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) activation; further, according to direct kinase assays and immunoblot analyses, Pa-EE blocked the activation of the upstream signaling molecules spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk), p38, and transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1). Finally, orally administered Pa-EE clearly ameliorated EtOH/HCl-induced gastritis in mice.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that Pa-EE can be further developed as a promising anti-inflammatory remedy because it targets multiple inflammatory signaling enzymes and transcription factors.

Flowering catch crops used as forage plants for dairy cows: influence on fatty acids and tocopherols in milk

The effect of several flowering dicotyledonous catch crop plants (dicots) on milk fat quality in cows was investigated to test the hypothesis that their phenolic compounds may inhibit ruminal biohydrogenation and thus enhance the transfer to milk of intact, plant-derived polyunsaturated fatty acids. Berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), and phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) were sown in mixture with ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum; intended biomass proportion of 0.2) on 1ha. For comparison, nonflowering chicory (Cichorium intybus, also sown in mixture with ryegrass) and pure ryegrass were cultivated. Realized biomass proportions (wet weight) were 91% for berseem clover, 69% for buckwheat, 54% for phacelia, and 51% for chicory. At the start of flowering (or from d 47 after sowing onward), cultures were harvested daily and fed for 20 d ad libitum to groups of 6 midlactation cows each. Additionally, 1 kg each of energy and protein concentrate and pure ryegrass hay were fed. Individual intake and milk yield of the cows were measured daily. Milk samples were obtained twice daily 5 d before and from 11 to 20 d after the start of treatment feeding. Feed samples were drawn twice a week from the fresh feeds. Apart from standard traits, feeds and milk were analyzed for fatty acids, tocopherols, and phenolic fractions. Only a few substantial treatment effects on intake and performance were observed. All diets based on dicots increased α-linolenic acid (ALA) concentrations in milk fat compared with the ryegrass diet even though the corresponding swards were not generally richer in ALA. The highest ALA concentration in milk fat (1.3 g/100g of fatty acids) occurred with the berseem clover diet. Transfer rate of ALA from feed to milk was highest with the buckwheat diet (0.09) and lowest with ryegrass (0.05). This was congruent with the differences in total extractable phenols, being high in the buckwheat sward (2.6% of dry matter) and low in the ryegrass sward (1.2% of dry matter). Intermediates of ALA biohydrogenation were lowest in the milk fat of the buckwheat group, indicating an inhibitory effect of this treatment, which provided the highest dietary levels of phenols. The α-tocopherol concentration in milk was higher with the buckwheat diet than with berseem clover and phacelia diets. The study provides evidence that the ALA concentration in milk fat could be enhanced by feeding flowering dicots; however, this was due to different modes of action.

Phenolic-compound-extraction systems for fruit and vegetable samples

This paper reviews the phenolic-compound-extraction systems used to analyse fruit and vegetable samples over the last 10 years. Phenolic compounds are naturally occurring antioxidants, usually found in fruits and vegetables. Sample preparation for analytical studies is necessary to determine the polyphenolic composition in these matrices. The most widely used extraction system is liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), which is an inexpensive method since it involves the use of organic solvents, but it requires long extraction times, giving rise to possible extract degradation. Likewise, solid-phase extraction (SPE) can be used in liquid samples. Modern techniques, which have been replacing conventional ones, include: supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). These alternative techniques reduce considerably the use of solvents and accelerate the extraction process.

HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS analysis and antioxidant activities of nonanthocyanin phenolics in mulberry (Morus alba L.)

Qualitative analysis of the nonanthocyanin phenolics from 2 mulberry cultivars, da-10 and hongguo, was performed by the HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS method. Six nonanthocyanin phenolics compounds were identified (procatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, 4-caffeolyquinic acid, taxifolin, rutin, quercetin) and 3 others (3,5-diCQA, taxifolin-hexoside, kamepferol-hexoside) were tentatively identified. Quantification of nonanthocyanin phenolic was performed by HPLC-DAD, which revealed that rutin (111.38 and 90.79 microg/g FW) was the major nonanthocyanin phenolics in the 2 mulberry cultivars. Phenolic acids in cultivar da-10 (54.68 microg/g FW) were far more than in cultivar hongguo (14.93 microg/g FW). CQA and its isomers (40.02 microg/g FW) were the major phenolic acid in cultivar da-10. The nonanthocyanin phenolics in the 2 cultivars of mulberry had higher antiradical activities in superoxide anion and DPPH radical and antioxidant activity in beta-CLAMS assay than the Trolox. These results were relevant to not only the control of color stability and organoleptic characteristics of mulberry juice and wine but also the exploitation of the functional foods made from mulberry.