High Content Of Phytochemicals Research Articles

Baby-leaf and multi-leaf of green and red lettuces are suitable raw materials for the fresh-cut industry

Consumer demand for softer leaves with variation in taste, shape and colours has encouraged the development of new lettuce products of baby-sized leaves. The objective of this study was the comparison of whole-head lettuce, as the most common raw material for fresh-cut, with baby-leaf and multi-leaf as the newest baby-sized lettuce leaves. Lettuces ( Lactuca sativa L.) of the types Green Leaf, Red Leaf and Lollo Rosso were cultivated in the same field with different plant densities, under commercial conditions. Although baby-leaf was subjected to far less wound damage than the shredded lettuce from the whole-head, leaf age could play an important role in increasing respiration rate and determining postharvest quality. After 9–11 d of storage, minimally processed products from the three types of raw material showed good visual quality without differences among them. However, over the 12-d storage period, quality decreased to the limit of marketability mainly due to browning of the cut edge surface of the fresh-cut product from whole-heads and decay due to the soft tissue in the case of baby-leaves. Additionally, with the processing of whole-heads, the increase in cut-damage surfaces and availability of cell nutrients provided conditions that favoured the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and total coliforms compared to uncut surfaces of baby-sized leaves. The ratio between the oxidized and reduced forms of ascorbate (DHA/AA) increased 2–4 times after 9–11 d of storage. Furthermore, baby-sized leaves had higher phenolic contents than the shredded product from the whole-head which probably contributed to reaching a shelf-life of 11 d. In conclusion, the new green and red baby-sized leaves both at immature and mature stages provided high quality lettuce for the fresh-cut market, meeting specific requirements regarding visual quality, microbial load and high content of phytochemicals.

Sensory quality, bioactive constituents and microbiological quality of green and red fresh-cut lettuces ( Lactuca sativaL.) are influenced by soil and soilless agricultural production systems

Quality characteristics and shelf-life of fresh-cut lettuce cultivated in soil, as the traditional production system, and soilless, as an innovative production system, were investigated. Three lettuce genotypes, lollo rosso and red oak leaf as red-leafed genotypes, and butterhead as a green-leafed genotype, were studied. Lettuces from both production systems were grown in the same open field and at the same time in the winter season. A longer growing period was needed, to obtain the same maturity stage, in the soil than in the soilless (102 and 63 d after planting, respectively). After harvest, the visual quality of the fresh-cut produce from red-leafed lettuce cultivated in soilless was better than those in soil. In the case of green-leafed genotype, the soilless system gave a lower visual quality of the fresh-cut product. Lollo rosso cultivated in the soilless system had a higher content of phytochemicals, including vitamin C and individual and total phenolics, than that cultivated in soil. At the end of storage, fresh-cut lollo rosso and red oak leaf grown in the soilless system showed significantly higher content of vitamin C than those in soil. This high content of antioxidants was linked to a better maintenance of visual quality and the control of browning when compared with the fresh-cut product from lettuces cultivated in soil. The soilless system was more effective in controlling microbial contamination as lettuce cultivated in the soilless system had a lower initial microbial load and slower microbial growth during storage. At the end of shelf-life, differences in microbial counts between soil and soilless lettuce were 3 and 1.5 log units higher for lactic acid bacteria and total coliforms, respectively, in soil. This study shows that higher quality and microbiologically safer raw product can be provided by the soilless system as a new growing system although it depends on the genotype and the season.

육성계통에 따른 고추의 생리활성 평가

본 연구에서는 40여종의 육성계통 고추의 기능성 성분의 함량을 분석 및 활성 평가를 함으로써 우수 고추 품종 개발을 위한 database를 제공하고자 하였다. 연구 결과 capsaicinoid의 함량은 0.1에서 204.2 ㎎/100 g으로 나타났으며 ascorbic acid 함량은 279.1에서 1695.5 ㎎/100 g으로 넓은 분포 범위를 보였다. Polyphenol 함량은 2.6에서 10.2 ㎎/g 수준으로, flavonoid 함량은 1.4에서 5.7 ㎎/g 수준으로 나타났다. 항산화 활성 측정 결과는 육성계통 고추 breeding line No. 2500은 다른 계통에 비해 가장 높은 DPPH와 ABTS 라디칼 제거능을 나타내었으며 polyphenol과 flavonoid 함량 및 환원력이 다른 육성계통에 비해 높은 값을 나타내었다. 항암 효과는 breeding line No. 3201이 암세포 증식 저해율 84.5%로 가장 높은 효과를 나타내었으며 항염증 효과는 breeding line No. 3232가 75.2%로 가장 높은 nitric oxide 생성 억제율을 확인하였다. 본 연구에서는 육성계통에 따른 고추의 기능성 성분을 분석하고 다양한 생리활성을 평가하여 우수 품종 개량을 위한 성분 및 활성 database로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 생각된다.

Total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of rice grains with extremely small size

Whole cereal grains have been received increasingly attention by consumers due to their potential health benefits because of their antioxidant capacity, which is probably derived from their high contents of phenolics, flavonoids and other phytochemicals. Here, we reported the contents of phenolics and flavonoids in different rice genotypes with grain size ranging from extremely small to normal size. The smaller grains had higher phenolic content, flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity than the normal and larger grains. The phenolic content had positive correlation with the flavonoid content (P<0.001) and the antioxidant capacity (P<0.01). The phenolic and flavonoid content had negative correlation with grain length, grain length to width ratio and 100-grain weight (P<0.01), but had no relationship with grain width and grain thickness. Thus, the phenolic content could be indirectly predicted by grain length and 100-grain weight. New rice varieties high in antioxidant levels could be obtained by breeding for extremely small grain rice. Key words: Phenolics, flavnoids, antioxidant capacity, rice grains.

The effect of postharvest ripening on strawberry bioactive composition and antioxidant potential

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the phytochemical profile and the antioxidant activity of strawberry fruit (cv. Camarosa) upon postharvest ripening at room temperature (20 °C) and to correlate them with qualitative attributes. 'Camarosa' fruit retained an appreciable postharvest performance for up to 1 day shelf life; thereafter substantial quality deterioration was observed. An increased phenolic content, mainly attributed to hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols and anthocyanins, was monitored after 3 days maintenance at 20 °C. The chromatographic fingerprint of athocyanins showed that pelargonidin-3-glucoside was the major anthocyanin, which increased with the increase of shelf life period, while cyanidin-3-glucoside and pelargonidin-3-rutinoside were found at lower concentrations. The potent radical scavenging activity, evaluated with four in vitro assays, showed a higher antioxidant capacity after 3 and 1 days of shelf life. In addition, the antioxidant effect of strawberry fruit extracts on lipid substrates and on an emulsion system showed a significant inhibition in the formation of conjugated diene hyperoxides. Interestingly, no direct correlation between the phytochemical profile and the quality attributes exist. 'Camarosa' fruit had acceptable quality attributes for fresh consumption and at the same time a high phytochemical content up to 1 day shelf life. The over-ripe fruit continued to be an excellent reservoir of natural antioxidants, pointing to its potential use as food antioxidant and nutritional supplement.

Determination of Phytochemical Contents and Biological Activities from the Fruits of Elaeagnus multiflora

The purpose of this study was to investigate the phytochemical contents and biological activities, including α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and antioxidant activity, from the fruits of Elaeagnus multiflora using different solvent systems. The 50% ethanol extract of this species showed the most potent α-glucosidase inibitory activity (88.5%) at a concentration of 1 ㎎/mL. Moreover, this extract also displayed the strongest antioxidant activity in each assay, showing 96.3% in DPPH scavenging activity, 98.2% in ABTS scavenging activity, and 2.5% in reducing power. The highest total phytochemical contents, including flavan-3-ols, phenolic acids, and flavonoids, were observed in the 50% ethanol extract. Interestingly, flavan-3-ols (3.150 ㎎/g) were detected at a significantly higher total content than those of phenolic acids (0.380 ㎎/g) and flavonoids (not detected). Additionally, the contents of individual phytochemicals showed remarkable differences, especially the epicatechin gallate (2.008 ㎎/g) and gallic acid (0.099 ㎎/g), which were the predominant constituents of each phytochemical type. Therefore, our results suggest that the 50% ethanol extract of E. multiflora fruits has strong biological activities, which are correlated with high phytochemical contents.

Phytochemical profile, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic potential of hydroalcoholic extracts from Citrus medica L. cv Diamante flowers, leaves and fruits at two maturity stages

Since the past decade consumption of certain foods has been reported to have a positive effect on health. The object of the study was to determine for the first time the chemical composition and the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic potential of Citrus medica L. cv Diamante flowers, leaves and fruits (endocarp and mesocarp) at two maturity stages. Flowers and leaves were characterized by the highest total phenols and flavonoids content. A declining trend was observed during maturity of fruits for both phenols and flavonoids. The antioxidant activity evaluated by the β-carotene bleaching test showed a strong activity for flowers and endocarp of mature fruits with IC50 values of 2.8μg/mL and 3.5μg/mL, respectively, after 30min of incubation. Interestingly, the mature fruits endocarp (IC50 value of 426.0μg/mL) could inhibit α-amylase with an IC50 value 2-fold higher than immature fruits. None of the tested extracts affected the proliferation of human skin fibroblasts 142BR. The obtained results suggest a potential use of C. medica L. cv Diamante as new valuable Citrus species with functional properties for food or nutraceutical product on the basis of high content of phytochemicals.

Antioxidant Potential of Peel Extracts of Banana Varieties (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Musa sapientum&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;)

The study has been aimed to evaluate and compare phytochemical content and the antioxidant activity in peel extracts of nine local varieties of banana, i.e. Musa sapientum species. Ethanolic extract of peels of these varieties were subjected to in vitro free radical scavenging assays like DPPH, ABTS and lipid peroxidation inhibition assay. Total antioxidant capacity assay to confirm the antioxidant potential and phytochemical content such as total phenols, flavonoids were also determined. The results obtained were analyzed statistically by ANOVA and DMRT analysis. The peel ex- tracts of all the nine varieties of banana exhibited significant antioxidant and phytochemical activities with Musa spp – Blueggoe (Monthan) - AAB and Musa spp – Rasthali – AAB showing highest free radical scavenging activity and Musa spp – Karpooravalli – ABB, Musa spp – Rasthali – AAB, Musa spp - Ney Poovan (Kadali) – AB and Musa spp – Mysore (Poovan) – AAB having highest phytochemical content. The study suggests that peel extracts of these banana varieties could be useful to combat free radical mediated diseases.

Phytochemical Screening Of Activity Directed Extracts A Of &lt;i&gt;Vernonia Amygdalina&lt;/i&gt; Leaves

Fractionation of the crude ethanolic extract of vernonia amygdalina using organic solvents of increasing polarities yielded activity directed fractions of benzene, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, methanol and residue E. Phytochemical screening of the fractions show that there were significant differences (p≤0.05) qualitatively in the levels of tannins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, saponins and alkaloids in the various fractions. While the benzene extract had very low levels of tannins, saponins and alkaloids, the ethyl acetate fraction had low levels of tannins and terpenoids as well as very low levels of flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, and alkaloids. The butanol fraction had a high level of tannins, low level of flavonoids and saponins while the methanol fraction had high levels of tannins and flavonoids as well as low levels of cardiac glycosides, saponins and alkaloids with a very low level of terpenoids. The water soluble residue E had very high levels of tannins, a high level of saponins, low levels of alkaloids and very low levels of flavonoids, cardiac glycosides and terpenoids. Phytochemical content of the various fractions increased with increasing polarities of the organic solvent used. The relatively high Phytochemical content of the butanol, methanol and residue E fractions may be exploited for medicinal purposes.

고추의 육성계통에 따른 Capsaicinoids와 Ascorbic Acid 분석

Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) are a rich source of phytochemicals including polyphenolics, flavonoids, capsaicinoids and ascorbic acid. Capsaicinoids are a group of 12 or more related alkaloids responsible for the pungent sensation in the fruits of the genus Capsicum. Ascorbic acid is another functional and nutritional constituent of peppers. In this study, the contents of two major capsaicinoids (capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin) and ascorbic acid in 131 pepper breeding lines were quantified by HPLC. In 131 pepper breeding lines, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin contents were in the range of 0.0 to 219.6 and 0.0 to 110.8 mg/100 g, respectively. The breeding lines with higher capsaicin content contained higher dihydrocapsaicin content as well. Ascorbic acid contents were 264.9 to 1695.5 mg/100 g for the 131 pepper breeding lines. The analytical method validation parameters including accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility were calculated to ensure the method`s validity. This study provides basic information to plant breeders and biotechnologists who are planning to breed genotypes with high content of phytochemicals.

The influence of ultraviolet radiation on growth, photosynthesis and phenolic levels of green and red lettuce: potential for exploiting effects of ultraviolet radiation in a production system

Studies have shown that natural ultraviolet (UV) radiation increases secondary products such as phenolics but can significantly inhibit biomass accumulation in lettuce plants. In the work presented here, the effect of UV radiation on phenolic concentration and biomass accumulation was assessed in relation to photosynthetic performance in red and green lettuce types. Lettuce plants in polythene clad tunnels were exposed to either ambient (UV transparent film) or UV‐free conditions (UV blocking film). The study tested whether growth reduction in lettuce plants exposed to natural UV radiation is because of inhibition of photosynthesis by direct damage to the photosynthetic apparatus or by internal shading by anthocyanins. Ambient levels of UV radiation did not limit the efficiency of photosynthesis suggesting that phenolic compounds may effectively protect the photosynthetic apparatus. Growth inhibition does, however, occur in red lettuce and could be explained by the high metabolic cost of phenolic compounds for UV protection. From a commercial perspective, UV transparent and UV blocking films offer opportunities because, in combination, they could increase plant quality as well as productivity. Growing plants continuously under a UV blocking film, and then 6 days before the final harvest transferring them to a UV transparent film, showed that high yields and high phytochemical content can be achieved complementarily.

Cytotoxicity, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines exposed to an extract of the seed kernel of Mangifera pajang (bambangan)

An extract of Mangifera pajang kernel has been previously found to contain a high content of antioxidant phytochemicals. The present research was conducted to investigate the anticancer potential of this kernel extract. The results showed that the kernel crude extract induced cytotoxicity in MCF-7 (hormone-dependent breast cancer) cells and MDA-MB-231 (non-hormone dependent breast cancer) cells with IC50 values of 23 and 30.5μg/ml, respectively. The kernel extract induced cell cycle arrest in MCF-7 cells at the sub-G1 (apoptosis) phase of the cell cycle in a time-dependent manner. For MDA-MB-231 cells, the kernel extract induced strong G2-M arrest in cell cycle progression at 24h, resulting in substantial sub-G1 (apoptosis) arrest after 48 and 72h of incubation. Staining with Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide revealed that this apoptosis occurred early in both cell types, 36h for MCF-7 cells and 24h for MDA-MB-231cells, with 14.0% and 16.5% of the cells respectively undergoing apoptosis at these times. This apoptosis appeared to be dependent on caspase-2 and -3 in MCF-7 cells, and on caspase-2, -3 and -9 in MDA-MB-231 cells. These findings suggest that M. pajang kernel extract has potential as a potent cytotoxic agent against breast cancer cell lines.

No effect of the farming system (organic/conventional) on the bioavailability of apple (Malus domestica Bork., cultivar Golden Delicious) polyphenols in healthy men: a comparative study

The organic food sales have been increasing during the recent years. It has been hypothesised that organically grown fruits are healthier based on their higher content of phytochemicals. However, data on the bioavailability of phytochemicals from organically or conventionally produced plant foods are scarce. Two human intervention studies were performed to compare the bioavailability of polyphenols in healthy men after ingestion of apples from different farming systems. The administered apples were grown organically and conventionally under defined conditions and characterised regarding their polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity. No significant differences in the polyphenol content and the antioxidant capacity from the organic and conventional farming system were observed. In the short-term intervention study, six men consumed either organically or conventionally produced apples in a randomized cross-over study. After intake of 1 kg apples, phloretin (C (max) 13 + or - 5 nmol/l, t (max) 1.7 + or - 1.2 h) and coumaric acid (C (max )35 + or - 12 nmol/l, t (max) 3.0 + or - 0.8 h) plasma concentrations increased significantly (P < 0.0001) in both intervention groups, without differences between the two farming systems. In the long-term intervention study, 43 healthy volunteers consumed organically or conventionally produced apples (500 g/day; 4 weeks) or no apples in a double-blind, randomized intervention study. In this study, 24 h after the last dosing regime, the apple intake did not result in increasing polyphenol concentrations in plasma and urine compared to the control group suggesting no accumulation of apple polyphenols or degradation products in humans. Our study suggests that the two farming systems (organic/conventional) do not result in differences in the bioavailability of apple polyphenols.

Protective Activity of Theobroma cacao L. Phenolic Extract on AML12 and MLP29 Liver Cells by Preventing Apoptosis and Inducing Autophagy

Theobroma cacao L. is known to have potential cardiovascular and cancer chemopreventive activities because of its high content of phenolic phytochemicals and their antioxidant capacities. In this work, we show for the first time that cocoa inhibits drug-triggered liver cytotoxicity by inducing autophagy. Phenolic-rich extracts of both unroasted and roasted cocoa prevented Celecoxib-induced cell viability inhibition in MLP29 liver cells because of the accumulation of G1 cells and cell death. Death prevented by cocoa had hallmarks of apoptosis such as the sub-G1 peak at flow cytometry and activation of Bax expression, together with down-regulation of Bcl-2, released cytochrome c in the cytosol with activation of Caspase 3, indicating that components of the apoptotic pathway such as Bax or upstream are major targets of cocoa phytochemicals. The protective effect of cocoa against liver cytotoxicity by Celecoxib was probably accounted for by inducing the autophagic process, as shown by enhanced Beclin 1 expression and accumulation of monodansylcadaverine in autolysosomes. This fact suggests that apoptosis was prevented by inducing autophagy. Finally, considering all these findings, we suggest that cocoa can be added to the list of natural chemopreventive agents whose potential in hepatopathy prevention and therapy should be evaluated.

In Vitro Measures Used to Predict Anticancer Activity of Apple Cultivars and Their Comparison to Outcomes From a Rat Model of Experimentally Induced Breast Cancer

Experiments reported herein tested the hypothesis that cultivars of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) would demonstrate anticancer activity in vivo as predicted by in vitro measures. Freeze dried powders of Red Delicious (RD), Fuji (FJ), Golden Delicious (GD), and Granny Smith (GS) apple cultivars were evaluated. Significant differences were noted among cultivars in total phenolics (P < 0.0001), flavonoids (P < 0.0003), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (P < 0.0001), and growth inhibition in the MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cell line relative to vehicle-treated cells (P < 0.0001). These findings were extended to predict inhibition of the postinitiation phase of 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea-induced mammary carcinogenesis by freeze-dried whole apple powders of the same cultivars. Although rats fed apple-containing diets did not have lower incidence or multiplicity of cancers than rats fed control diet, a finding consistent with epidemiological reports on fruit and breast cancer risk, differences among cultivars were noted, with the greatest difference in cancer multiplicity between GS and RD (1.46 vs. 2.47 cancers/rat; P = 0.0159). The rate of cell proliferation in mammary carcinomas differed between GS and RD (P < 0.001), whereas the apoptotic rate did not. These findings suggest altered methodology for screening apples for anticancer activity and that more diverse apple cultivars with higher phytochemical content should be evaluated.

Selective Induction of Apoptosis of Human Oral Cancer Cell Lines by Avocado Extracts Via a ROS-Mediated Mechanism

Avocados have a high content of phytochemicals with potential chemopreventive activity. Previously we reported that phytochemicals extracted from avocado meat into a chloroform partition (D003) selectively induced apoptosis in cancer but not normal, human oral epithelial cell lines. In the present study, we observed that treatment of human oral cancer cell lines containing high levels of reactive oxygen (ROS) with D003 increased ROS levels twofold to threefold and induced apoptosis. In contrast, ROS levels increased only 1.3-fold, and apoptosis was not induced in the normal cell lines containing much lower levels of basal ROS. When cellular ROS levels in the malignant cell lines were reduced by N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), cells were resistant to D003 induced apoptosis. NAC also delayed the induction of apoptosis in dominant negative FADD-expressing malignant cell lines. D003 increased ROS levels via mitochondrial complex I in the electron transport chain to induce apoptosis. Normal human oral epithelial cell lines transformed with HPV16 E6 or E7 expressed higher basal levels of ROS and became sensitive to D003. These data suggest that perturbing the ROS levels in human oral cancer cell lines may be a key factor in selective apoptosis and molecular targeting for chemoprevention by phytochemicals.

Characterization and Quantification of Flavonoids and Hydroxycinnamic Acids in Curly Kale (Brassica oleracea L. Convar. acephala Var. sabellica) by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn

Kale is a leafy green vegetable belonging to the Brassicaceae family, a group of vegetables including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, with a high content of health-promoting phytochemicals. The flavonoids and hydroxycinammic acids of curly kale ( Brassica oleracea L. ssp. oleracea convar. acephala (DC.) Alef. var. sabellica L.), a variety of kale, were characterized and identified primarily through HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS(n) analysis. Thirty-two phenolic compounds including glycosides of quercetin and kaempferol and derivatives of p-coumaric, ferulic, sinapic, and caffeic acid were tentatively identified, providing a more complete identification of phenolic compounds in curly kale than previously reported. Moreover, three hydroxycinnamic acids and one flavonoid with an unusual high grade of glycosylation, quercetin-3-disinapoyl-triglucoside-7-diglucoside, have been tentatively identified for the first time. The influence of different extraction conditions (extraction method, solvent type, solvent/solid ratio, and duration of extraction) was investigated. The total flavonol and hydroxycinnamic acid contents in curly kale determined as rutin equivalents (RE) were 646 and 204 mg of RE/100 g of fresh weight (fw), respectively. The contents of individual flavonoids ranged from 2 to 159 mg of RE/100 g of fw, with main compounds kaempferol-3-sinapoyl-diglucoside-7-diglucoside (18.7%) and quercetin-3-sinapoyl-diglucoside-7-diglucoside (16.5%). After acidic hydrolysis, two flavonol aglycones were identified in curly kale, quercetin and kaempferol, with total contents of 44 and 58 mg/100 g of fw, respectively.

Effects of selected antioxidants on physical and sensory characteristics of yeast bread containing flaxseed meal

AbstractFlaxseed has been identified as a potential functional food because of its high content of phytochemicals, alpha‐linolenic (α‐linolenic) acid and lignans. Flaxseed can be used in baked goods because of its minimal loss of α‐linolenic acid. Alpha‐linolenic acid is susceptible to oxidation and the development of off‐aromas and flavours in the food. The focus of this study was to determine the effectiveness of both synthetic and natural antioxidants that were incorporated into a yeast bread that contained 15% flaxseed as a partial replacement for bread flour. The study evaluated the effectiveness of the antioxidants on the physical and sensory characteristics of the bread. Physical properties, such as per cent moisture and loaf volume, were not affected (P &gt; 0.05) by the antioxidants, but ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxytoluene and butylated hydroxyanisole, independently, had a softening affect (P &lt; 0.05) on crumb firmness. Sensory analysis indicated significant (P &lt; 0.05) changes in aroma, grainy taste, aftertaste and moistness in all bread samples regardless of antioxidant, however, only ascorbic acid was rated as effective in maintaining a softer (P &lt; 0.05) crumb.

QUANTIFICATION OF CAROTENOID AND FLAVONOID COMPONENTS IN BRANS OF SOME THAI BLACK RICE CULTIVARS USING SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION AND HIGH‐PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY‐MASS SPECTROMETRY

ABSTRACT A method employing supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization‐mass spectrometry (LC‐ESI‐MS) was developed and used for quantification of the antioxidants in groups of carotenoids and flavonoids in the bran of four Thai black rice cultivars: Kao Hom Nin BD, Kao Hom Nin BT, Kao Hom Nin BT no. 3 and 1000–11–2–26. Trans‐β‐carotene, quercetin and isorhamnetin were identified in the crude yellow extracts obtained from SFE using liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS). Their contents in the black rice bran samples were determined using LC‐ESI‐MS operated in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The response of the mass spectrometric detection in the SIM mode was linear, within the range of 1.00–40.00 µg/mL (r2 = 0.9997), 0.25–2.00 µg/mL (r2 = 0.9987) and 0.25–2.00 µg/mL (r2 = 0.9982); the limit of detection was at 0.10, 0.15 and 0.15 µg/mL, and the limit of quantitation was 0.80 g of rice bran for trans‐β‐carotene and 0.60 g of rice bran for both quercetin and isorhamnetin. Method precisions in terms of intraday and inter‐day coefficients of variation were under 3.67% (relative standard deviation). The accuracy of the method estimated by determination of known concentrations of trans‐β‐carotene in the certified reference material, Standard Reference Material 3276, was found to range from 92 to 101%. Trans‐β‐carotene, quercetin and isorhamnetin were present in the bran of all black rice cultivars within the range of 33.60–41, 1.08–2.85 and 0.05–0.83 µg/g, respectively.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSProduction and accumulation of trans‐β‐carotene, quercetin and isorhamnetin in the bran of black rice revealed in this study imply that more attention should be paid to the analysis for screening black rice that has high contents of these bioactive phytochemicals, especially those obtained in rice‐breeding programs. The developed supercritical fluid extraction and liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry method for quantification of β‐carotene, quercetin and isorhamnetin in black rice bran samples proved to be selective, precise, linear and sensitive, and can efficiently be employed for such analytical purposes. Additionally, extraction of carotene components by supercritical CO2 prior to LC‐MS analysis not only makes the total analysis time much shorter than that of the conventional extraction methods but also eliminates a sample clean‐up step, thus offering a clean analytical procedure.

Phytochemicals and Dietary Fiber Components in Rye Varieties in the HEALTHGRAIN Diversity Screen

Ten rye varieties grown in one location were analyzed for their contents of dietary fiber (arabinoxylan and beta-glucan) and phytochemicals (folate, tocols, phenolic acids, alkylresorcinols, and sterols). The varieties included old and modern varieties from five European countries. Significant differences were observed in the contents of all phytochemicals in whole grains and in the fiber contents in the flour and bran. The old French varieties Haute Loire and Queyras had high contents of most phytochemicals, whereas the Polish varieties Dankowskie-Zlote and Warko were relatively poor in phytochemicals. The varieties with a high content of folate tended to have low alkylresorcinol contents and vice versa. Furthermore, high contents of arabinoxylans were associated with high contents in tocols and sterols. The 10 selected rye samples comprising old populations and old and modern varieties from different ecological regions of Europe demonstrate high natural variation in their composition and show that landraces and old populations are useful genetic resources for plant breeding. The contents of single phytochemicals can likely be affected by breeding, and they may be adjusted by the right selection of genotype.