Natural Variation of Seed Tocopherol Composition in Diverse World Soybean Accessions from Maturity Group 0 to VI Grown in China

Tocopherols are natural antioxidants that increase the stability of fat-containing foods and are well known for their health benefits. To investigate the variation in seed tocopherol composition of soybeans from different origins, 493 soybean accessions from different countries (China, USA, Japan, and Russia) belonging to 7 maturity groups (MG 0–VI) were grown in 2 locations (Beijing and Hainan Provinces of China) for 2 years (2017 and 2018). The results showed that significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed among the accessions and origins for individual and total tocopherol contents. The total tocopherol content ranged from 118.92 μg g−1 to 344.02 μg g−1. Accessions from the USA had the highest average concentration of γ- and total tocopherols (152.92 and 238.21 μg g−1, respectively), whereas a higher level of α-tocopherol (12.82 μg g−1) was observed in the Russian accessions. The maturity group of the accession significantly (p < 0.001) influenced all tocopherol components, and higher levels of α-, γ-, and total tocopherols were observed in early maturing accessions, while late-maturing accessions exhibited higher levels of δ-tocopherol. The inclination of tocopherol concentrations with various MGs provided further evidence of the significance of MG in soybean breeding for seed tocopherol components. Furthermore, the correlation between the seed tocopherol components and geographical factors revealed that α-, γ-, and total tocopherols had significant positive correlations with latitude, while δ-tocopherol showed an opposite trend. The elite accessions with high and stable tocopherol concentrations determined could be used to develop functional foods, industrial materials, and breeding lines to improve tocopherol composition in soybean seeds.

Discrimination of Geographical Origin of Unroasted Kernels Argan Oil (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels) Using Tocopherols and Chemometrics

Valorisation of Argan oil requires the precise identification of different provenances markers. The concentration of tocopherol is regarded as one of the essential parameters that certifies the quality and purity of Argan oil. In this study, 39 Argan samples from six different geographical origins (Safi, Essaouira, Agadir, Taroudant, Tiznit, and Sidi Ifni) from the central west of Morocco were collected and extracted using cold pressing. The total tocopherol amount was found to range from 783.23 to 1,271.68 mg/kg. Generally, γ-tocopherol has the highest concentration in Argan oil. It should also be noted that the geographical origin was found to have a strong effect on the amounts of all tocopherol homologues studied. Principal component analysis of tocopherol concentrations highlighted a significant difference between the different provenances. The content of tocopherol has also been found to be strongly influenced by the distance from the coast and altitude, whereas no significant effect was found regarding other ecological parameters. The prediction ability of the LDA models was 87.2%. The highest correct classification was revealed in coastal provenances (100%), and the lowest values were from the continental ones (71.4%). These results provide the basis for determining the geographical origins of Argan oil production with well-defined characteristics to increase the product’s value and the income of local populations. In addition, this study provides a very promising basis for developing Argan varieties with a high content of tocopherol homologues, as well as contributing to the traceability and protection of Argan oil’s geographical indication.

Dietary intake of tocopherols and risk of incident disabling dementia

Tocopherols, strong antioxidants, may be useful in preventing dementia, but the epidemiological evidence is insufficient. We performed a community-based follow-up study of Japanese, the Circulatory Risk in Community Study, involving 3739 people aged 40–64 years at baseline (1985–1999). Incident disabling dementia was followed up from 1999 through 2020. For subtype analysis, we classified disabling dementia into that with and that without a history of stroke. Dietary intake of tocopherols (total, α, β, γ, and δ) were estimated using 24-h recall surveys. During a median follow-up of 19.7 years, 670 cases of disabling dementia developed. Total tocopherol intake was inversely associated with risk of disabling dementia with multivariable hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 0.79 (0.63–1.00) for the highest versus lowest quartiles of total tocopherol intake (P for trend = 0.05). However, the association was strengthened when further adjusted for α-linolenic acid intake (Spearman correlation with total tocopherol intake = 0.93), with multivariable hazard ratios of 0.50 (0.34–0.74) (P for trend = 0.001) but was weakened and nonsignificant when further adjusted for linoleic acid intake (Spearman correlation with total tocopherol intake = 0.92), with multivariable hazard ratios of 0.69 (0.47–1.01) (P for trend = 0.05). Similar but nonsignificant inverse associations were observed for α-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols but not for β-tocopherol. These results were similar regardless of the presence of a history of stroke. Dietary tocopherol intake was inversely associated with risk of disabling dementia, but its independent effect was uncertain owing to a high intercorrelation of α-linolenic linoleic acids with total tocopherol intake. Even with such confounding, a diet high in tocopherols may help prevent the onset of dementia.

Benchmarking Nutraceutical Soybean Composition Relative to Protein and Oil

The aim of this study was to explore relationships between protein, oil, and seed weight with seed nutraceutical composition, focused on total isoflavone (TI) and total tocopherol (TT) contents across genotypic and environmental combinations in soybean. We conducted a synthesis-analysis of peer-reviewed published field studies reporting TI, TT, protein, oil, and seed weight (n = 1,908). The main outcomes from this synthesis-analysis were: (i) relationship of TI-to-protein concentration was positive, though for the upper boundary, TI decreases with increases in protein; (ii) relationship of TT-to-oil concentration was positive, but inconsistent when oil was expressed in mg per seed; and (iii) as seed weight increased, TI accumulation was less than proportional relative to protein concentration and TT decreased more proportional relative to oil concentration. Association between nutraceuticals and protein, oil, and seed weight for soybean reported in the present study can be used as a foundational knowledge for soybean breeding programs interested on predicting and selecting enhanced meal isoflavone and/or oil tocopherol contents.

Vitamin E and Antioxidants Content of Portulaca oleracea L. Form Various Altitudes in East Java, Indonesia

<p>This study aims to obtain purslane plants as a source of local food and a quality bioactive component from various altitudes in East Java, Indonesia. Purslane planting materials were collected from the lowlands &lt;200 m asl in Surabaya, medium plains 200-800 m asl in Malang DAU, and highlands&gt; 800 m asl in Batu, Malang. Analysis of vitamin E was as total tocopherol. The results of the analysis of the content of <em>Portulaca oleraceae</em> L. of vitamin E were as followed: in the highlands 0.1056%, medium lands 0.1253%, and lowlands 1.162%. The analysis showed that <em>Portulaca oleraceae</em> L. could be a source of high quality local food and bioactive components because it contains vitamin E and antioxidants.</p><p>Keywords<strong>:</strong> bioactive components; local food; lowland.<strong></strong></p><p> </p>

Effect of process parameters on the antioxidant activity of Vietnamese tea (Camellia sinensis O. Kuntze) seed oil

This research was carried out on Tea (Camellia sinensisO. Kuntze.) seeds (containing 22.01% oil) harvested from Trung du tea trees varieties, cultivated in Phu Tho, Vietnam to select the most suitable processing methods which enhance the high antioxidant activity of the oil in the seed oil extraction. The objective of this research is to study the effects of particle size, material/solvent ratio, temperature, time, speed of solvent movement, and extraction cycle on antioxidant properties of the oil (by analysing IC50, total polyphenol content, total carotenoid, and total tocopherol value). The suitable extraction conditions were determined as follows: particle size was 0.25-0.5 mm, the solid-solvent ratio was 1/8-1/10, the extraction temperature was 35-45oC, the extraction time was 7-9h, speed of solvent movement was 200-250 r/m and the extraction cycle was two times. The tea seed oil extracted under the suitable conditions had the DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50), total polyphenol content, total carotene, and total tocopherol of 62.19 mg/ml, 4.45 mgGAE/g dry weight, 89 mg/kg, and 710 mg/kg, respectively. The high content of antioxidants makes tea seed oil has a good antioxidant capacity, high oxidation stability, and relatively long shelf life. Therefore, research on using wasted tea seed sources to extract oil has great potential for the vegetable oil industry and a high potential of application in food technology.

INHERITANCE OF TOCOPHEROL CONTENT IN SUNFLOWER SEEDS IN RETURN CROSSING

The aim of this work was to study the inheritance of the total tocopherol content (TTC) in backcrosses of sunflower breeding lines. Inheritance in the BC1 generation with a highly significant parent is carried out according to the type of intermediate and overdominance (h/d from -0.53 to 2.81), with low significance – according to the type of intermediate and negative overdominance (h/d from -0.59 to -1, 48). A significant positive correlation between the values of the recurrent parent and BC1, equal to 0.8, indicates the observed maternal effect. In the I1BC1 generation, positive and negative transgression was found.

Enhanced Recovery of Phenolic and Tocopherolic Compounds from Walnut (Juglans Regia L.) Male Flowers Based on Process Optimization of Ultrasonic Assisted-Extraction: Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activities

The extraction of bioactive compounds present in walnut (Juglans regia L.) male flowers (WMFs) was performed based on an experimental design using ultrasonic-assisted extraction. Solvent nature, extraction time, and water content were selected as experimental variables, and phenolic, flavonoidic, and condensed tannins contents and antioxidant properties were evaluated. Acetone was the solvent with the highest extraction performance, with the extracts obtained using this solvent displaying an increased concentration of bioactive compounds and increased antioxidant activities. For several extracts with high bioactive content, individual polyphenolic and tocopherolic compounds were evaluated by means of LC-MS and LC-MS/MS. The best extraction conditions for polyphenolic (2.86 mg gallic acid equivalents/g WMF) and tocopherolic compounds (29.4 µg/g WMF) were acetone with 40% water content (N20) and acetone with 20% water content (N15), respectively. Although the total tocopherol concentrations were lower than in other Juglans regia parts, most of the total tocopherol quantity was provided by the highly biologically active δ-tocopherol (84%). Significant quantities of quercetin (101.9 µg/g), hyperoside (2662.9 µg/g), quercitrin (405.7 µg/g), and isoquercitrin (1293.7 µg/g) were determined in WMF (N20). Both extracts inhibited the enzymatic activity of α-glucosidase and tyrosinase; however, an increased inhibition was observed for N20, the extract with the higher polyphenolic content. Conversely, N15 had higher anticancerous activity on the cell lines used, with a moderate selectivity towards the cancerous phenotype being observed for both extracts. At non-cytotoxic concentrations, both extracts displayed good antioxidant activities in cellular cultures, decreasing basal and H2O2-induced oxidative stress. This is the first characterization of both hydrophilic and lipophilic phytochemicals in WMF extracts. The outcomes of our study reveal that walnut male flowers have strong biological activities, thus justifying further research to demonstrate their usefulness in the food, pharmaceutical, and/or cosmetic industries.

Seasonal Variation in Aflatoxin Levels in Edible Seeds, Estimation of Its Dietary Intake and Vitamin E Levels in Southern Areas of Punjab, Pakistan

A total of 779 samples of edible nuts (melon seeds, watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, and cantaloupe seeds) from Southern Punjab (Pakistan), were collected during the summer and the winter seasons. The natural occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs) and vitamin E (tocopherols) levels were investigated using HPLC. The results have shown that 180 (43.4%) of samples from the winter season and 122 (33.4%) samples from the summer season were found positive for AFs. Elevated average levels of total AFs (20.9 ± 3.10 μg/kg, dry weight) were observed in watermelon seeds without shell, and the lowest average amount (15.9 ± 3.60 μg/kg) were documented in melon seeds without shell samples from the winter season. An elevated average amount of total AFs 17.3 ± 1.50 μg/kg was found in pumpkin seeds available without a shell. The results have documented a significant difference in total AFs levels in edible seeds available with shells versus without shells (α = 0.05 & 0.01). The highest dietary intake of 6.30 μg/kg/day was found in female individuals from consuming pumpkin seeds (without shell) in the winter season. A value of 3.00 μg/kg/day was found in pumpkin seed without shell in the summer season in female individuals. The highest total tocopherol levels were 22.2 ± 7.70 ng/100 g in pumpkin seeds samples from the winter season and 14.5 ± 5.50 mg/100 g in melon seed samples from the summer season. The variation of total tocopherol levels in edible seeds among the winter and summer seasons showed a significant difference (p ≤ 0.0054), except watermelon seeds samples with non-significant differences (p ≥ 0.183).

Seasonal Variation in Aflatoxins Levels in Edible Seeds, Estimation of Its Dietary Intake and Vitamin E Levels From Southern Areas of Punjab, Pakistan

A total of 779 samples of edible nuts (melon seeds, watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, and cantaloupe seeds) from southern cities of Punjab, Pakistan were collected from the summer and the winter seasons. The natural occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs) and vitamin E (tocopherols) levels were investigated using HPLC. The results have shown that 180 (43.4%) samples from the winter season and 122 (33.4%) samples from the summer season were found positive with AFs. The elevated average levels of total AFs (20.9&plusmn;3.10 &micro;g/kg) were observed in watermelon seeds without shell and the lowest average amount (15.9&plusmn;3.60 &micro;g/kg) were documented in melon seeds without shell samples from the winter season. The elevated average amount of total AFs 17.3&plusmn;1.50 &micro;g/kg were found in pumpkin seeds available as without shell. The results have documented a significant difference in total AFs levels in edible seeds available as shells versus without shells (&alpha; = 0.05 &amp; 0.01). The highest dietary intake of 6.30 &micro;g/kg/day was found in female individuals from pumpkin seeds (without shell) in the winter season and the value of 3.00 &micro;g/kg/day were found in pumpkin seed without shell in summer season in female individuals. The highest amount of total tocopherol levels of 22.2 &plusmn; 7.70 ng/100g in pumpkin seeds samples from winter season and 14.5 &plusmn; 5.50 mg/100g were found in melon seeds samples from summer season. The variation of total tocopherol levels in edible seeds among the winter and summer seasons showed significant difference (p &le; 0.0054), except watermelon seeds samples which shown non-significant difference (p &ge; 0.183).