Search Results (324)

Kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala) is a widely appreciated vegetable with a century-old history of cultivation in Italy. The present study was addressed to the collection and characterization of kale germplasm traditionally cultivated in Apulia, Southern Italy, nowadays at risk of genetic erosion. In total, nineteen Apulian kale accessions were acquired. Genotyping by means of simple sequence repeat (SSR) DNA markers led to the identification of highly informative primer combinations and highlighted significant patterns of molecular variation among accessions. Consistently, significant differences were observed with respect to morpho-agronomic traits, including yield and harvesting time, and the content of bioactive compounds, namely total phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, associated with antioxidant activity. Overall, this study led to the establishment of an ex situ collection of great importance to preserve endangered Apulian kale germplasm and to provide seed access to potential growers. Meanwhile, it offers a first characterization of Apulian kale, useful to promote its consumption and valorisation through breeding programmes. Full article

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA), synthesized in the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway, has been found to upregulate glucosinolate (GS) biosynthesis in plant species of the Brassicaceae family. Exogenous application of MeJA has shown to increase tissue GS concentrations and the formation of myrosinase-mediated GS hydrolysis products (GSHPs). In vitro and in vivo assays have demonstrated the potential health-promoting effects of certain GSHPs. MeJA is also known to elicit and induce genes associated with defense mechanisms to insect herbivory in Brassica species. To investigate the relationship between MeJA-induced GS biosynthesis and insect defense, three treatments were applied to “Red Russian” kale (Brassicae napus var. pabularia) seedlings: (1) a 250 µM MeJA leaf spray treatment; (2) leaf infestation with larvae of the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni (Hübner)); (3) control treatment (neither larval infestation nor MeJA application). Samples of leaf tissue from the three treatments were then assayed for changes in GS and GSHP concentrations, GS gene biosynthesis expression, and myrosinase activity. Major differences were observed between the three treatments in the levels of GS accumulation and GS gene expression. The insect-damaged samples showed significantly lower aliphatic GS accumulation, while both MeJA and T. ni infestation treatments induced greater accumulation of indolyl GS. The gene expression levels of CYP81F4, MYB34, and MYB122 were significantly upregulated in samples treated with MeJA and insects compared to the control group, which explained the increased indolyl GS concentration. The results suggest that the metabolic changes promoted by MeJA application and the insect herbivory response share common mechanisms of induction. This work provides potentially useful information for kale pest control and nutritional quality. Full article

A novel industrial-scale ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light processor from AseptoRay (MGT, Israel) was used to treat a raw cold-pressed green juice blend (GJB) consisting of kale, romaine, celery, apple, and lemon. The effect of UV-C light energies of 0.88 kJ L⁻¹ and 2.93 kJ L⁻¹ on microbial, enzymatic, nutritional, quality, and sensory parameters of the GJB was studied. Using 2.93 kJ L⁻¹, 3.7 log reduction in aciduric bacteria and 3.9 logs in aerobic colony count were achieved, while lactic acid bacteria, coliforms, yeasts, and moulds were reduced by >3, >2, 2.1, and 2.1 logs, respectively. A minor increase in polyphenoloxidase (PPO) enzyme activity was seen with 0.88 kJ L⁻¹ and a slight change in colour (not visually observed) was detected using 2.93 kJ L⁻¹. No other significant change in nutritional and quality parameters or enzyme activities was detected. Further, the stability of the GJB was explored. Kale and romaine contributed the most significant source of spoilage enzyme activity, cloud loss, and browning in the GJB. These stability parameters were shown to be affected by pressing temperature and pH. The commercial UV-C treatment process explored in this study is a viable alternative to high pressure processing (HPP) for improved microbial safety of fresh green juice blends. Full article

Selective enrichment of target species is crucial for a wide variety of engineering systems for improved performance of subsequent processes. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a powerful electrokinetic method that can be used to focus, trap, concentrate, and separate a variety of species in a label-free manner. The commonly employed methods for DEP suffer from limitations such as electrode fouling and high susceptibility to Joule heating effects. Recently, our group has demonstrated DEP-based manipulations of particles and cells using a novel method of reservoir-based dielectrophoresis (rDEP) which exploits the naturally produced electric field gradients at the reservoir-microchannel junction. Although this method reasonably addresses the limitations mentioned above while maintaining a high simplicity of fabrication, all of our demonstrations so far have used a two-dimensional rDEP, which limits the performance of the devices. This work aims to improve their performance further by making the DEP three-dimensional. Through detailed experimental and numerical analysis, we demonstrate a six-fold increase in the enrichment performance of latex beads and a significant reduction in the power consumption for the new devices, which would allow a more reliable integration of the same into micro-total analysis systems. Full article

Chinese kale (Brassica alboglabra Bailey) is a widely consumed vegetable which is rich in antioxidants and anticarcinogenic compounds. Herein, we used an untargeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-Quadrupole-Orbitrap MS/MS-based metabolomics strategy to study the nutrient profiles of Chinese kale. Seven Chinese kale cultivars and three different edible parts were evaluated, and amino acids, sugars, organic acids, glucosinolates and phenolic compounds were analysed simultaneously. We found that two cultivars, a purple-stem cultivar W1 and a yellow-flower cultivar Y1, had more health-promoting compounds than others. The multivariate statistical analysis results showed that gluconapin was the most important contributor for discriminating both cultivars and edible parts. The purple-stem cultivar W1 had higher levels of some phenolic acids and flavonoids than the green stem cultivars. Compared to stems and leaves, the inflorescences contained more amino acids, glucosinolates and most of the phenolic acids. Meanwhile, the stems had the least amounts of phenolic compounds among the organs tested. Metabolomics is a powerful approach for the comprehensive understanding of vegetable nutritional quality. The results provide the basis for future metabolomics-guided breeding and nutritional quality improvement. Full article

Two differently designed, spatially resolved reflectance spectroscopy-based scanners and two-photon tomography were used for noninvasive in vivo determination of cutaneous carotenoids, and collagen I/elastin aging index of dermis, respectively, in the skin of 29 healthy female volunteers between 40 and 56 years of age. The volunteers received a supplement in the form of a carotenoid-rich natural curly kale extract containing 1650 µg of carotenoids in total (three capsules of 550 µg), once a day. Measurements were taken before, after 5 months and after 10 months of daily supplementation. The results showed significantly increased values for the cutaneous carotenoids and the collagen I/elastin aging index of dermis 5 and 10 months after the beginning of the study. The obtained results show that a natural carotenoid-rich extract could prevent the aging-related collagen I degradation in the dermis and improve the extracellular matrix. Full article

Transposable elements (TEs) are highly abundant in plant genomes. Environmental stress is one of the critical stimuli that activate TEs. We analyzed a heat-activated retrotransposon, named ONSEN, in cruciferous vegetables. Multiple copies of ONSEN-like elements (OLEs) were found in all of the cruciferous vegetables that were analyzed. The copy number of OLE was high in Brassica oleracea, which includes cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprout, and kale. Phylogenic analysis demonstrated that some OLEs transposed after the allopolyploidization of parental Brassica species. Furthermore, we found that the high copy number of OLEs in B. oleracea appeared to induce transpositional silencing through epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation. The results of this study would be relevant to the understanding of evolutionary adaptations to thermal environmental stress in different species. Full article

Quantitative targeted proteomics based approaches deploy state-of-the-art Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry LC-MS technologies and are evolving as a complementary technique to standard ligand-binding based assays. Advancements in MS technology, which have augmented the specificity, selectivity and sensitivity limits of detection and freedom from antibody generation, have made it amicable towards various clinical applications. In our current work, a surrogate peptide based quantitative proteomics assessment is performed by selecting specific signature peptides from the complementary determining region CDR region of trastuzumab (Herclon^®, Roche products in India). We developed a double Stable Isotope Label (dSIL) approach by using two different surrogate peptides to evaluate the proteolytic digestion efficiency and accurate quantification of the target analyte peptide of Herclon^® in human serum. Method validation experiments were meticulously performed as per bioanalytical method validation guidelines. The dSIL approach, using an LC-MS/MS based quantification assay demonstrated good linearity over a range of 5–500 µg/mL of Herclon^®, and validation experimental data is in compliance with bioanalytical regulatory guidelines. Full article

Glucosinolates have anti-carcinogenic properties. In the recent decades, the genetics of glucosinolate biosynthesis has been widely studied, however, the expression of specific genes involved in glucosinolate biosynthesis under exogenous phytohormone treatment has not been explored at the subspecies level in Brassica oleracea. Such data are vital for strategies aimed at selective exploitation of glucosinolate profiles. This study quantified the expression of 38 glucosinolate biosynthesis-related genes in three B. oleracea subspecies, namely cabbage, broccoli and kale, and catalogued associations between gene expression and increased contents of individual glucosinolates under methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and salicylic acid (SA) treatments. Glucosinolate accumulation and gene expression in response to phytohormone elicitation was subspecies specific. For instance, cabbage leaves showed enhanced accumulation of the aliphatic glucoiberin, progoitrin, sinigrin and indolic neoglucobrassicin under both MeJA and SA treatment. MeJA treatment induced strikingly higher accumulation of glucobrassicin (GBS) in cabbage and kale and of neoglucobrassicin (NGBS) in broccoli compared to controls. Notably higher expression of ST5a (Bol026200), CYP81F1 (Bol028913, Bol028914) and CYP81F4 genes was associated with significantly higher GBS accumulation under MeJA treatment compared to controls in all three subspecies. CYP81F4 genes, trans-activated by MYB34 genes, were expressed at remarkably high levels in all three subspecies under MeJA treatment, which also induced in higher indolic NGBS accumulation in all three subspecies. Remarkably higher expression of MYB28 (Bol036286), ST5b, ST5c, AOP2, FMOGS-OX5 (Bol031350) and GSL-OH (Bol033373) was associated with much higher contents of aliphatic glucosinolates in kale leaves compared to the other two subspecies. The genes expressed highly could be utilized in strategies to selectively increase glucosinolate compounds in B. oleracea subspecies. These results promote efforts to develop genotypes of B. oleracea and other species with enhanced levels of desired glucosinolates. Full article

Electrokinetic manipulation refers to the control of particle and cell motions using an electric field. It is an efficient technique for microfluidic applications with the ease of operation and integration. It, however, suffers from an intrinsic drawback of low throughput due to the linear dependence of the typically very low fluid permittivity. We demonstrate in this work a significantly enhanced throughput for electrokinetic manipulation of particles and cells by the use of multiple parallel microchannels in a two-layer stacked microfluidic device. The fabrication of this device is simple without the need of a precise alignment of the two layers. The number of layers and the number of microchannels in each layer can thus be further increased for a potentially high throughput electrokinetic particle and cell manipulations. Full article

Glucoraphanin is a plant secondary metabolite that is involved in plant defense and imparts health-promoting properties to cruciferous vegetables. In this study, three genes involved in glucoraphanin metabolism, branched-chain aminotransferase 4 (BCAT4), methylthioalkylmalate synthase 1 (MAM1) and dihomomethionine N-hydroxylase (CYP79F1), were cloned from Chinese kale (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra Bailey). Sequence homology and phylogenetic analysis identified these genes and confirmed the evolutionary status of Chinese kale. The transcript levels of BCAT4, MAM1 and CYP79F1 were higher in cotyledon, leaf and stem compared with flower and silique. BCAT4, MAM1 and CYP79F1 were expressed throughout leaf development with lower transcript levels during the younger stages. Glucoraphanin content varied extensively among different varieties, which ranged from 0.25 to 2.73 µmol·g⁻¹ DW (dry weight). Expression levels of BCAT4 and MAM1 were high at vegetative–reproductive transition phase, while CYP79F1 was expressed high at reproductive phase. BCAT4, MAM1 and CYP79F1 were expressed significantly high in genotypes with high glucoraphanin content. All the results provided a better understanding of the roles of BCAT4, MAM1 and CYP79F1 in the glucoraphanin biosynthesis of Chinese kale. Full article

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a nutritious food and a staple for millions of people. Not only are lentils a good source of energy, they also contain a range of micronutrients and prebiotic carbohydrates. Kale (Brassica oleracea v. acephala) has been considered as a health food, but its full range of benefits and composition has not been extensively studied. Recent studies suggest that foods are enrich in prebiotic carbohydrates and dietary fiber that can potentially reduce risks of non-communicable diseases, including obesity, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Lentil and kale added to a cereal-based diet would enhance intakes of essential minerals and vitamins to combat micronutrient malnutrition. This review provides an overview of lentil and kale as a complementary nutrient-rich whole food source to combat global malnutrition and calorie issues. In addition, prebiotic carbohydrate profiles and the genetic potential of these crops for further micronutrient enrichment are briefly discussed with respect to developing sustainable and nutritious food systems. Full article

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. Full article

Glucosinolates are anti-carcinogenic, anti-oxidative biochemical compounds that defend plants from insect and microbial attack. Glucosinolates are abundant in all cruciferous crops, including all vegetable and oilseed Brassica species. Here, we studied the expression of glucosinolate biosynthesis genes and determined glucosinolate contents in the edible organs of a total of 12 genotypes of Brassica oleracea: three genotypes each from cabbage, kale, kohlrabi and cauliflower subspecies. Among the 81 genes analyzed by RT-PCR, 19 are transcription factor-related, two different sets of 25 genes are involved in aliphatic and indolic biosynthesis pathways and the rest are breakdown-related. The expression of glucosinolate-related genes in the stems of kohlrabi was remarkably different compared to leaves of cabbage and kale and florets of cauliflower as only eight genes out of 81 were expressed in the stem tissues of kohlrabi. In the stem tissue of kohlrabi, only one aliphatic transcription factor-related gene, Bol036286 (MYB28) and one indolic transcription factor-related gene, Bol030761 (MYB51), were expressed. The results indicated the expression of all genes is not essential for glucosinolate biosynthesis. Using HPLC analysis, a total of 16 different types of glucosinolates were identified in four subspecies, nine of them were aliphatic, four of them were indolic and one was aromatic. Cauliflower florets measured the highest number of 14 glucosinolates. Among the aliphatic glucosinolates, only gluconapin was found in the florets of cauliflower. Glucoiberverin and glucobrassicanapin contents were the highest in the stems of kohlrabi. The indolic methoxyglucobrassicin and aromatic gluconasturtiin accounted for the highest content in the florets of cauliflower. A further detailed investigation and analyses is required to discern the precise roles of each of the genes for aliphatic and indolic glucosinolate biosynthesis in the edible organs. Full article

India has experienced significant Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LULCC) over the past few decades. In this context, careful observation and mapping of LULCC using satellite data of high to medium spatial resolution is crucial for understanding the long-term usage patterns of natural resources and facilitating sustainable management to plan, monitor and evaluate development. The present study utilizes the satellite images to generate national level LULC maps at decadal intervals for 1985, 1995 and 2005 using onscreen visual interpretation techniques with minimum mapping unit of 2.5 hectares. These maps follow the classification scheme of the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP) to ensure compatibility with other global/regional LULC datasets for comparison and integration. Our LULC maps with more than 90% overall accuracy highlight the changes prominent at regional level, i.e., loss of forest cover in central and northeast India, increase of cropland area in Western India, growth of peri-urban area, and relative increase in plantations. We also found spatial correlation between the cropping area and precipitation, which in turn confirms the monsoon dependent agriculture system in the country. On comparison with the existing global LULC products (GlobCover and MODIS), it can be concluded that our dataset has captured the maximum cumulative patch diversity frequency indicating the detailed representation that can be attributed to the on-screen visual interpretation technique. Comparisons with global LULC products (GlobCover and MODIS) show that our dataset captures maximum landscape diversity, which is partly attributable to the on-screen visual interpretation techniques. We advocate the utility of this database for national and regional studies on land dynamics and climate change research. The database would be updated to 2015 as a continuing effort of this study. Full article