Effects of Genetic Background and Altitude on Sugars, Malic Acid and Ascorbic Acid in Fruits of Wild and Cultivated Apples (Malus sp.)

Metabolite Profiling, Biological and Molecular Analyses Validate the Nutraceutical Potential of Green Seaweed Acrosiphoniaorientalis for Human Health

Seaweeds have proven to be nutrient-dense and are rich in antioxidants, like phenolics, flavonoids, and other essential metabolites that help to provide their medicinal benefits. Non-targeted metabolite profiling of the tropical green seaweed Acrosiphonia orientalis showed the presence of numerous groups of contents, including sugars, essential amino acids, and fatty acids. Targeted metabolite profiling using HPLC identified 17 amino acids. The extract exhibited a very low half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) dosage for HeLa and Huh-7 cell lines, indicating a high likelihood of anticancer properties. A significant positive correlation was found between biological activities, such as antioxidation, scavenging, and reducing power with the phenolic and flavonoid contents. The extract revealed augmentation of proliferation in selected cervical cells, as it upregulated p53 1.3-fold, and downregulated important cancerous genes such as Cas-3 and DNMT 12- and 8-fold, respectively. An approximate 55-fold downregulation was observed in selected hepatic cell lines. Microarray analysis of hepatic cells indicated 0.27% and 0.07% upregulation of coding and non-coding genes, respectively, and 0.41% and 0.13% downregulation of coding and non-coding genes, respectively. As a consequence, it can be said that A. orientalis has possible medicinal use, such as anticancer activity, and therefore may be an intriguing food component that has potential as a regular dietary supplement.

Mosaic Genome of a British Cider Yeast

Hybrid formation and introgressions had a profound impact on fermentative yeasts domesticated for beer, wine and cider fermentations. Here we provide a comparative genomic analysis of a British cider yeast isolate (E1) and characterize its fermentation properties. E1 has a Saccharomyces uvarum genome into which ~102 kb of S. eubayanus DNA were introgressed that replaced the endogenous homologous 55 genes of chromosome XIV between YNL182C and YNL239W. Sequence analyses indicated that the DNA donor was either a lager yeast or a yet unidentified S. eubayanus ancestor. Interestingly, a second introgression event added ~66 kb of DNA from Torulaspora microellipsoides to the left telomere of SuCHRX. This region bears high similarity with the previously described region C introgression in the wine yeast EC1118. Within this region FOT1 and FOT2 encode two oligopeptide transporters that promote improved nitrogen uptake from grape must in E1, as was reported for EC1118. Comparative laboratory scale grape must fermentations between the E1 and EC1118 indicated beneficial traits of faster consumption of total sugars and higher glycerol production but low acetic acid and reduced ethanol content. Importantly, the cider yeast strain produced high levels of fruity ester, including phenylethyl and isoamyl acetate.

Based on quality, energy consumption selecting optimal drying methods of mango slices and kinetics modelling

Mangoes have a short shelf life because of their high-water content. This study aimed to compare the effect of three drying methods (HAD, FIRD and VFD) on mango slices to improve product quality and reduce costs. Mangoes were dried at various temperatures (50, 60, 70 °C) with different slice thicknesses (3, 5, 7, 10 mm). Results indicated that FIRD was the most cost-effective with the dried mango containing the highest sugar-acid ratio, and when the mango slices thickness was 7 mm and drying at 70 °C, the ascorbic acid content, rehydration ratio, sugar-acid ratio, and energy consumption per unit volume reached 56.84 ± 2.38 mg/100 g, 2.41 ± 0.05, 83.87 ± 2.14, and 0.53 kWh/L. Among three mathematical models, the Page model described the most satisfactory drying behaviour of mango slices in FIRD. This study provides useful information in mango processing industry and FIRD is supposed to be a promising drying method.

Metabolism and Regulation of Ascorbic Acid in Fruits

Ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C, is a vital antioxidant widely found in plants. Plant fruits are rich in ascorbic acid and are the primary source of human intake of ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid affects fruit ripening and stress resistance and plays an essential regulatory role in fruit development and postharvest storage. The ascorbic acid metabolic pathway in plants has been extensively studied. Ascorbic acid accumulation in fruits can be effectively regulated by genetic engineering technology. The accumulation of ascorbic acid in fruits is regulated by transcription factors, protein interactions, phytohormones, and environmental factors, but the research on the regulatory mechanism is still relatively weak. This paper systematically reviews the regulation mechanism of ascorbic acid metabolism in fruits in recent decades. It provides a rich theoretical basis for an in-depth study of the critical role of ascorbic acid in fruits and the cultivation of fruits rich in ascorbic acid.

Physico-Chemical and Sensory Quality of Oven-Dried and Dehydrator-Dried Apples of the Starkrimson, Golden Delicious and Florina Cultivars

Apple fruits are high in phenolic compounds, sugar and dietary fiber content and are rich in malic acid and vitamins, with a significant impact on the organoleptic quality and its health-promoting properties. They can be turned out in value-added product such as apple chips due to the low cost of raw material. The aim of the study was to obtain apple chips, fat-free, healthy, traditionally dried and without added sugar, which can be easily obtained and capitalized economically, as well as the evaluation of their physico-chemical and sensory qualities. The apple chips were produced from three apple cultivars (‘Starkrimson’, ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Florina’) by drying the apple fruits in an oven and a dehydrator at 65 °C. To inactivate the browning enzymes, the apple slices were immersed in a solution of lemon salt (4%) for 7 min before drying. Apple chips were sensory-evaluated and relevant parameters were analyzed at defined intervals during storage at room temperature up to 21 days. The water activity (aw) values of apple chip samples dried in the oven ranged from 0.544 to 0.650, while for the samples dried in the dehydrator, aw values were between 0.374 and 0.426. During the storage, the pH of apple chips varied very little, while titratable acidity increased for all samples. Compared with fresh apple slices, it was observed that the total soluble solids (TSS) content of all dried apple chip samples decreased. Color parameters and browning and whitening indexes differed depending on the apple cultivars and dryer type used.