• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.236-245
• /
• 2019

Fruit ripening is a genetically programmed process involving a number of biochemical and physiological processes assisted by variations in gene expression and enzyme activities. This process generally affects the phytochemical profile and the bioactive principles in fruits and vegetables. To appraise the variation in bioactive principles of fruits from Rosa rugosa during its ripening process, we analyzed the changes in antioxidant and anti-elastase activities and polyphenolic compounds during the four ripening stages of fruits. Overall, an extract of unripe fruits contained the highest levels of total phenolic and flavonoid contents, radical scavenging activity, reducing power, oxygen radical antioxidant capacity, and elastase inhibitory activity, compared with the extracts of fruits at other stages of ripening. Additionally, we found that the reduction of flavonoid content occurs because of decreased transcriptional levels of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis pathway during the ripening process. Based on HPLC analysis, we found that the extract of unripe fruits contained the highest amount of myricetin, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, and p-coumaric acid and suggested that the antioxidant and anti-elastase activities of the extract obtained from stage 1, should be mediated by the presence of these compounds. Additionally, we analyzed the interaction sites and patterns between these compounds and elastase using the structure-based molecular docking approach, and suggested that chlorogenic acid strongly interacted with elastase. Together, these findings suggest that the maturity of fruits has profound effects on the pharmaceutical value of R. rugosa.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.545-554
• /
• 2019

The phytochemical compounds of Pueraria, a medicinally important leguminous plant, include various isoflavones that have weak estrogenic activity and a potential role in preventing chronic disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and postmenopausal syndrome. However, the major isoflavones are derivatives of puerarin and occur mainly as unabsorbable and biologically inactive glycosides. The bioavailability of the glucosides can be increased by hydrolysis of the sugar moiety using ${\beta}$-glucosidase. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant effects of a Pueraria extract after fermentation by Lactobacillus rhamnosus BHN-LAB 76. The L. rhamnosus BHN-LAB 76 strain was inoculated into Pueraria powder and fermented at $37^{\circ}C$ for 72 hr. The total polyphenol content of the Pueraria extract increased by about 134% and the total flavonoid content increased around 110% after fermentation with L. rhamnosus BHN-LAB 76 when compared to a non-fermented Pueraria extract. Superoxide dismutase-like activities, DPPH radical scavenging, and ABTS radical scavenging increased by approximately 213%, 190%, and 107%, respectively, in the fermented Pueraria extract compared to the non-fermented Pueraria extract. Fermentation of Pueraria extracts with L. rhamnosus BHN-LAB 76 is therefore possible and can effectively increase the antioxidant effects. These results can be applied to the development of improved foods and cosmetic materials.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.170-179
• /
• 2022

Glutamic acid is a precursor of essential amino acids that play an important role in plant growth and development. It is one of the biostimulants that reduce cold stress damage by stimulating biosynthetic pathways leading to cryoprotectants. This study evaluated the effects of glutamic acid foliar application on Kimchi cabbage under low-temperature stress. There were six treatments, combining three photo-/dark periods temperature levels (11/-1℃ extremely low, E; 16/4℃ moderately low, M; and 21/9℃ optimal, O) with and without glutamic acid foliar application (0 and 10 mg·L^-1; Glu 0 and Glu 10). Glutamic acid foliar application was sprayed once 10 days after transplanting, and then temperature treatment immediately after glutamic acid foliar application was conducted for up to four days. After four days of treatment, abscisic acid (ABA), phaseic acid (PA), dihydrophaseic acid (DPA), and abscisic acid-glucose ester (ABA-GE) contents were higher with Glu 10 treatment than Glu 0 treatment in M treatment. Glucose content was highest in E with Glu 10 treatment (52.1 mg·100 g^-1 dry weight), while fructose content was highest in O with Glu 0 treatment (134.6 mg·100 g^-1 dry weight). The contents of glucolepiddin (GLP), glucobrassicin (GBS), 4-methoxyglucobrassicin (4MGBS), neoglucobrassicin (GNBS), and gluconasturtiin (GNS) were highest among all treatments in E with Glu 10 treatments (0.72, 2.05, 1.67, 9.40 and 0.85 µmol·g^-1 dry weight). After two days of treatment, rapid changes in PA and DPA contents of E with Glu 10 treatments were confirmed, and several individual glucosinolate contents (GLP, GBS, 4MGBS, GNBS, and GNS) were significantly different depending on low temperature and glutamic acid treatment. In addition, the content of fructose was significantly lower than that of O treatment in E and M treatments after four days of treatment. Therefore, although the changes in PA, DPA, glucose, fructose, and individual glucosinolates according to low temperature and glutamic acid foliar treatment were shown. A clear correlation between low temperature and glutamic acid effects could not be evaluated. Results indicated that Brassica crops are cryophilic vegetables, do not react sensitively to low temperatures, and mostly have cold resistance.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.112-125
• /
• 2024

This study determined the relationships between the total anthocyanin content in apple skin and the total polyphenols, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and soluble solids contents in the flesh of cold-stored Fuji apples. Total anthocyanin content in apple skin ranged from 0.130±0.005 mg CE/g fw to 0.262±0.028 mg CE/g fw, and the overall average was 0.200±0.008 mg CE/g fw. The total polyphenolic compounds in the flesh was ranged from a 4.283±0.141 mM GAE/g fw to 8.207±0.234 mM GAE/g fw, and the average content was 6.275±0.177 mM GAE/g fw. The total flavonoid content ranged from 4.510±0.080 mM QE/g fw to 2.467±0.458 mM QE/g fw, and the average total flavonoid content was about 3.586 mM QE/g fw. The total proanthocyanidin content was relatively high, ranging from 3.475±0.577 mM EE/g fw to 6.816±0.277 mM EE/g fw, and the soluble solid in the flesh was about 12 °Brix to 14 °Brix. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of extracts from apple flesh ranged from 66.36% to 94.99%, and the ascorbate equivalent concentration was 0.482 mM. The ABTS radical scavenging activity was 99.12% to 99.9%, indicating a higher inhibitory activity than the DPPH inhibitory activity, and the ascorbate equivalent concentration was 0.486 mM. The correlation between the total anthocyanin and total polyphenolic compounds was y = 15.192x + 3.2169 (R²=0.2748), but the concentration of total polyphenolic compounds increased when the total anthocyanin content was increased. The correlation equation of total anthocyanin with total flavonoids was y = 15.18x + 0.5555 (R²=0.6226), with total proanthocyanin was y = 14.918x + 2.3422 (R²=0.3372), and with soluble solid was y = 10.558x + 11.126 (R²=0.1925), indicating that the correlation of total anthocyanin with total flavonoid was higher than that with soluble solid.