Spinach (Spinacea oleracea L.) Response to Salinity: Nutritional Value, Physiological Parameters, Antioxidant Capacity, and Gene Expression

Scarcity of good-quality irrigation water is a major impediment to meet food demand for a growing world population. Recycled waters may be available locally more affordably, but their higher salinity is a concern. Salinity effects on spinach mineral composition, antioxidant capacity, photosynthesis, and gene expression have not been established. Spinach cv. Raccoon was greenhouse-grown and irrigated with four levels of water salinity of electrical conductivities (ECiw) of 1.4 (control) or ranging from 3.6 to 9.4 dS m−1, combined with three levels of K (3, 5, and 7 meq L−1). Irrigation waters had 2, 20, 40, and 80 meq L−1 of NaCl. After 23 treatment days, plants significantly accumulated Na and Cl in shoots and roots with increasing salinity, regardless of the K concentration in the irrigation water. Plants exhibited no visual symptoms of salt toxicity and there were no differences in shoot growth. Plants maintained their overall concentrations of mineral nutrients, physiological parameters, and oxalic acid across salinity treatments. Leaves retained all their antioxidant capacity at 20 meq L−1 NaCl, and 74% to 66% at 40 and 80 meq L−1 NaCl, respectively. Expression analyses of ten genes, that play important role in salt tolerance, indicated that although some genes were upregulated in plants under salinity, compared to the control, there was no association between Na or K tissue concentrations and gene expression. Results clearly show that spinach maintains its growth, mineral composition, and antioxidant capacity up to ECiw = 9.4 dS m−1. As this salinity is equivalent to a soil salinity of 4.5 dS m−1, spinach can tolerate over two-fold its previously-considered salinity threshold. Thus, growers can cultivate spinach using recycled, saline, waters without detriment to shoot biomass accumulation, and nutritional value.

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Selected dried fruits as a source of nutrients

European Food Research and Technology ◽

10.1007/s00217-021-03802-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Iga Rybicka ◽

Justyna Kiewlicz ◽

Przemysław Łukasz Kowalczewski ◽

Anna Gliszczyńska-Świgło

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Activity ◽

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Dietary Fiber ◽

Mineral Composition ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Sea Buckthorn ◽

Dried Fruits ◽

Goji Berry ◽

Rose Hip ◽

Unhealthy Snacks

AbstractDried fruits are an excellent alternative to unhealthy snacks. Twelve commercially available dried fruits were selected: dates, raisins, prunes, Goji berry, chokeberry, rose hip, sea buckthorn, berberis, physalis, haritaki, noni and juniper. The nutritional value in terms of moisture, ash, protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, energy value, mineral composition, antioxidant activity and tannins was compared. It is a novelty in the literature in relation to the particular analytes (e.g., minerals, tannins) and/or fruits (e.g., berberis, noni, haritaki). Especially rich in protein were Goji berry (13.3%), sea buckthorn (9.3%), noni (8.9%) and physalis (8.0%); in fat − sea buckthorn (11.2%); in dietary fiber (4.4–53.0%) − most of analyzed products. High antioxidant capacity was noticed for haritaki, berberis, rose hip, Goji berry, and physalis. An important source of minerals was 100 g of: noni (345 mg of Ca; 251 mg of Mg), rose hip (844 mg of Ca; 207 mg of Mg), juniper (564 mg of Ca), sea buckthorn (58 mg of Fe), berberis (24 mg of Fe) and haritaki (14 mg of Fe). The nutritionally attractive dried fruits have the potential for wider application in food formulations.

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Silymarin-Enriched Biostimulant Foliar Application Minimizes the Toxicity of Cadmium in Maize by Suppressing Oxidative Stress and Elevating Antioxidant Gene Expression

Biomolecules ◽

10.3390/biom11030465 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 465

Author(s):

Hesham F. Alharby ◽

Hassan S. Al-Zahrani ◽

Khalid R. Hakeem ◽

Hameed Alsamadany ◽

El-Sayed M. Desoky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Gene Expression ◽

Lipid Peroxidation ◽

Antioxidative Enzymes ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Foliar Spray ◽

Cd Stress ◽

Enzyme Gene ◽

Maize Plants ◽

Maize Grain

For maize, the potential preventive role of foliar spraying with an extract derived from maize grain (MEg, 2%), silymarin (Sm, 0.5 mM), or silymarin-enriched MEg (MEg-Sm) in attenuating the stress effects of cadmium (Cd, 0.5 mM) was examined using a completely randomized design layout. Under normal conditions, foliar spraying with MEg, Sm, or MEg-Sm was beneficial (with MEg-Sm preferred) for maize plants, whereas the benefit was more pronounced under Cd stress. The use of Cd through irrigation water decreased plant growth traits, photosynthetic efficiency, including instantaneous carboxylation efficiency, Fv/Fm, and pigment contents, and hormonal contents (e.g., auxin, gibberellins, cytokinins including trans-zeatin, and salicylic acid). These undesired findings were due to an increase in Cd content, leading to increased levels of oxidative stress (O2•− and H2O2), ionic leakage, and lipid peroxidation. Therefore, this damage resulted in an increase in the activities of nonenzymatic antioxidants, Sm, antioxidative enzymes, and enzyme gene expression. However, under Cd stress, although foliar spray with MEg or Sm had better findings than control, MEg-Sm had better findings than MEg or Sm. Application of MEg-Sm greatly increased photosynthesis efficiency, restored hormonal homeostasis, and further increased the activities of various antioxidants, Sm, antioxidative enzymes, and enzyme gene expression. These desired findings were due to the suppression of the Cd content, and thus the levels of O2•−, H2O2, ionic leakage, and lipid peroxidation, which were positively reflected in the growth and accumulation of dry matter in maize plants. The data obtained in this study recommend applying silymarin-enriched maize grain extract (MEg-Sm at 0.24 g Sm L−1 of MEg) as a spray solution to maize plants when exposed to excess Cd in soil or irrigation water.

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Impact of Dietary Supplementation with Moringa oleifera Leaves on Performance, Meat Characteristics, Oxidative Stability, and Fatty Acid Profile in Growing Rabbits

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11020248 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 248

Author(s):

Shaimaa Selim ◽

Mahmoud F. Seleiman ◽

Mohamed M. Hassan ◽

Ahmed A. Saleh ◽

Mohamed A. Mousa

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Moringa Oleifera ◽

Live Weight ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Relative Content ◽

Daily Weight Gain ◽

Control Group ◽

Moringa Oleifera Leaves

Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) have gained great interest as a non-traditional feed ingredient due to their unique nutritional value. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of graded dietary supplementation levels with MOL on performance, carcass characteristics, antioxidant capacity, blood biochemical constituents, meat quality, and fatty acids profile of growing rabbits. A total of 120 weaned New Zealand white rabbits (6 weeks old) were randomly allotted into 4 dietary groups with 5 replicates each (n = 6), which were fed for 42 days with a basal diet as control or 3 experimental diets supplemented with 5, 10, or 15 g/kg MOL. The results showed that, compared to the control group, the dietary inclusion of MOL at a level of 10 and 15 g/kg DM linearly increased (p < 0.01) final live weight (2403.3 and 2498.2 vs. 2166.6) and average daily weight gain (36.5 and 35.51 g/d vs. 28.72 g/d), and enhanced feed conversion ratio (2.49 and 2.50 vs. 3.14). The dietary supplementation with MOL linearly increased dressing out percentage, spleen index, intestinal length, and decreased abdominal fat index (p < 0.01). Greater serum levels of total protein and globulin, but lower alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were observed in the MOL-fed rabbits (p < 0.01). Serum levels of total triglycerides, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (p < 0.05) were decreased linearly and quadratically in the MOL groups compared with the control. Glutathione peroxidase activity increased (p < 0.01), whereas malondialdehyde decreased (p < 0.01) linearly and quadratically in both serum and meat, in response to dietary MOL supplementation. Dietary MOL supplementation increased the meat crude protein content but lowered the relative content of ether extract in the meat (p < 0.05). The relative content of the meat n-3 PUFA was increased by about 33.71%, 29.46%, and 24.36% for the MOL0.5%, MOL1%, and MOL1.5% groups compared to control. In conclusion, MOL could be used at a level of 1.5g/kg of the growing rabbits’ diets with beneficial impacts on performance, antioxidant capacity, and the nutritional value of the meat.

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Stabilizing Grain Yield and Nutrition Quality in Purple Rice Varieties by Management of Planting Elevation and Storage Conditions

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11010083 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 83

Author(s):

Supapohn Yamuangmorn ◽

Suchada Jumrus ◽

Sansanee Jamjod ◽

Narit Yimyam ◽

Chanakan Prom-u-Thai

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Brown Rice ◽

Storage Conditions ◽

Harvest Management ◽

Rice Varieties ◽

Opposite Pattern ◽

Dpph Activity ◽

And Storage

Purple rice has become an interesting source of nutritional value among healthy cereal grains. The appropriate cultivation together with post-harvest management would directly benefit farmers and consumers. This study aimed (i) to determine the yield, grain nutritional quality, and antioxidant capacity of purple rice varieties grown at lowland and highland elevations, and (ii) to evaluate the effects of storage conditions on the stability of the rice nutritional value during six months of storage. The high anthocyanin PES variety grown in the lowlands had a higher grain yield than the plants grown in the highlands, but grain anthocyanin concentration had the opposite pattern. In the high antioxidant capacity KAK variety, grain yield and DPPH activity were not significantly different between plants grown at the two elevations. The storage of brown rice and vacuum-sealed packages were both found to preserve greater anthocyanin concentrations in PES, but there was no effect on the DPPH activity of KAK. The grain properties were not significantly different between storage at 4 °C and room temperature. This study suggests that the optimal cultivation practices and storage conditions would result in the higher yield and grain quality of purple rice varieties.

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The role of edible insects to mitigate challenges for sustainability

Open Agriculture ◽

10.1515/opag-2020-0206 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 24-36

Author(s):

Raquel P. F. Guiné ◽

Paula Correia ◽

Catarina Coelho ◽

Cristina A. Costa

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Value ◽

Animal Feed ◽

World Population ◽

Edible Insects ◽

Strong Component ◽

Human Food ◽

The World ◽

Food And Feed ◽

Recent Trends

Abstract This review is focused on the utilization of insects as a new opportunity in food and feed products, including their commercialization both in traditional and new markets. It has been suggested that insects are considerably more sustainable when compared with other sources of animal protein, thus alleviating the pressure over the environment and the planet facing the necessity to feed the world population, constantly increasing. Many chefs have adhered to the trend of using insects in their culinary preparations, bringing insects to the plan of top gastronomy, highlighting their organoleptic qualities allied to a recognized high nutritional value. However, in some markets, insects or insect-based products are not readily accepted because of neophobia and disgust. Moreover, the insect markets, farming, and commercialization are experiencing a huge growth, in which the domain of animal feed is undoubtedly a very strong component. The future of insects as human food and animal feed seems promising in view of the recent trends and challenges.

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Uptake and accumulation of Cr in edible parts of Eruca sativa from irrigation water. Effects on polyphenol profile and antioxidant capacity

Heliyon ◽

10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06086 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. e06086

Author(s):

Mariela Cuellar ◽

Verónica Baroni ◽

Valeria Pfaffen ◽

Julieta Griboff ◽

Patricia Ortiz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Eruca Sativa ◽

Water Effects ◽

Polyphenol Profile ◽

Edible Parts

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Validation of Reference Genes for Studying Different Abiotic Stresses in oat (Avena sativa L.) by RT-qPCR

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10071272 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1272

Author(s):

Judit Tajti ◽

Magda Pál ◽

Tibor Janda

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Avena Sativa ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Reference Genes ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Tissue Type ◽

Future Research ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Expression Studies ◽

Gene Expression Studies

Oat (Avena sativa L.) is a widely cultivated cereal with high nutritional value and it is grown mainly in temperate regions. The number of studies dealing with gene expression changes in oat continues to increase, and to obtain reliable RT-qPCR results it is essential to establish and use reference genes with the least possible influence caused by experimental conditions. However, no detailed study has been conducted on reference genes in different tissues of oat under diverse abiotic stress conditions. In our work, nine candidate reference genes (ACT, TUB, CYP, GAPD, UBC, EF1, TBP, ADPR, PGD) were chosen and analysed by four statistical methods (GeNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, RefFinder). Samples were taken from two tissues (leaves and roots) of 13-day-old oat plants exposed to five abiotic stresses (drought, salt, heavy metal, low and high temperatures). ADPR was the top-rated reference gene for all samples, while different genes proved to be the most stable depending on tissue type and treatment combinations. TUB and EF1 were most affected by the treatments in general. Validation of reference genes was carried out by PAL expression analysis, which further confirmed their reliability. These results can contribute to reliable gene expression studies for future research in cultivated oat.

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Effects of glutamine supplementation on oxidative stress-related gene expression and antioxidant properties in rats with streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114511004168 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 107 (8) ◽

pp. 1112-1118 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Pei-Hsuan Tsai ◽

Jun-Jen Liu ◽

Chui-Li Yeh ◽

Wan-Chun Chiu ◽

Sung-Ling Yeh

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Gene Expression ◽

Amino Acid ◽

Oxidative Damage ◽

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Enzyme Activities ◽

Antioxidant Enzyme Activities ◽

Related Gene ◽

Gene Expressions ◽

Oxidative Stress Related Gene

There are close links among hyperglycaemia, oxidative stress and diabetic complications. Glutamine (GLN) is an amino acid with immunomodulatory properties. The present study investigated the effect of dietary GLN on oxidative stress-relative gene expressions and tissue oxidative damage in diabetes. There were one normal control (NC) and two diabetic groups in the present study. Diabetes was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of nicotinamide followed by streptozotocin (STZ). Rats in the NC group were fed a regular chow diet. In the two diabetic groups, one group (diabetes mellitus, DM) was fed a common semi-purified diet while the other group received a diet in which part of the casein was replaced by GLN (DM-GLN). GLN provided 25 % of total amino acid N. The experimental groups were fed the respective diets for 8 weeks, and then the rats were killed for further analysis. The results showed that blood thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip) mRNA expression in the diabetic groups was higher than that in the NC group. Compared with the DM group, the DM-GLN group had lower glutamine fructose-6-phosphate transaminase 1, a receptor of advanced glycation end products, and Txnip gene expressions in blood mononuclear cells. The total antioxidant capacity was lower and antioxidant enzyme activities were altered by the diabetic condition. GLN supplementation increased antioxidant capacity and normalised antioxidant enzyme activities. Also, the renal nitrotyrosine level and Txnip mRNA expression were lower when GLN was administered. These results suggest that dietary GLN supplementation decreases oxidative stress-related gene expression, increases the antioxidant potential and may consequently attenuate renal oxidative damage in rats with STZ-induced diabetes.

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