Reproductive Ecology of Forage Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.): Recent Advances

Plants display an assorted collection of reproductive tactics that eventually play a crucial role in perpetuation of species. Plant reproductive ecology is principally concerned with the adaptive implications of the plant in their vicinity, disparity in qualities allied with pollination, seed dispersal, and seedling establishment. The success in reproduction in most flowering plants depends on ecological interactions with pollinators and seed dispersal agents. Modern tactics in reproductive ecology can integrate proper surveys, advanced pollination studies, interaction between flower and pollinators and clear assessments of population genetic structure, which can provide new opportunities for plant reproductive biology. Alfalfa is an important forage legume and known as “Queen of forages” due to its worldwide adaptability, high yield potential and quality. Alfalfa produces seeds which are primarily used for forage production. It is a gift to livestock industry including dairy, beef, horses, and sheep for grazing, silage, hay etc. Alfalfa is also a medicinal herb with antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and cardioprotective properties, utilized for treatment of arthritis, kidney problems. The seeds are exploited in alfalfa sprout industry. The current chapter highlights the reproductive biology of alfalfa from flower development to seed production and its advances.

Effect of Germination on Alfalfa and Buckwheat: Phytochemical Profiling by UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS, Bioactive Compounds, and In-Vitro Studies of Their Diabetes and Obesity-Related Functions

Germination can be used to enhance nutritional value and health functions of edible seeds. Sprouts are considered healthier than raw seeds because they are richer in the basic nutritional components (carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals) and also contain more bioactive components responsible for various biological activities. The effect of sprouting on the antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiobesity activities, and metabolite profiles of alfalfa and buckwheat seeds was investigated in this study. DPPH radical scavenging activity was highest in buckwheat sprouts followed by alfalfa sprout, buckwheat seed, and alfalfa seed, respectively. ABTS radical scavenging potential showed a similar trend as DPPH with buckwheat sprouts exerting the best scavenging capacity. Alfalfa sprout and buckwheat seed exhibited the highest percentage inhibitory activity of α-glucosidase (96.6 and 96.5%, respectively). Alfalfa sprouts demonstrated the strongest inhibitory activity against pancreatic lipase (57.12%) while alfalfa seed showed the highest advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation inhibitory potential (28.7%). Moreover, thirty-three (33) metabolites were characterized in the seed and sprout samples. Sprouts demonstrated a higher level of metabolites compared to raw seeds. Hence, depending on the type of seed and the target activity, sprouting is a good technique to alter the secondary metabolites and functional properties of edible seeds.

Water Microbiota from a Commercial Alfalfa Sprout Crop over 4 Days of Growth

ABSTRACT Sprouts have been implicated in numerous foodborne illness outbreaks. To better understand baseline microbial profiles of irrigation water and subsequent spent irrigation water of alfalfa sprouts, DNA from water was extracted, sequenced, and annotated with CosmosID and a custom pipeline to provide bacterial, fungal, protist, and antimicrobial resistance gene profiles.

Comparing the health risks of alfalfa sprouts and wheatgrass via detecting the presences of escherichia coli in their juices

Background: Past studies have analyzed the health risks associated with alfalfa sprout production and developed standard procedures to reduce foodborne illnesses. There have been no studies related to microgreen outbreaks, specifically wheatgrass. Wheatgrass has become a growing culinary trend and the potential health risks associated need to be evaluated. Alfalfa sprouts and wheatgrass both share the same initial growth production – pre-soak and germination. The only difference is the harvesting period. This paper evaluated the risks associated with alfalfa sprout production and compared it with wheatgrass production by contaminating both alfalfa sprouts and wheatgrass with E. coli The presences of E. coli in the plant’s juices were evaluated and compared. Method: Alfalfa sprouts and wheatgrass were grown in similar conditions, in hydroponic condition, with an additional wheatgrass in soil. The plants were grown and harvested according to its respective pre-soaking and harvesting period, as specified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The plants were inoculated with Escherichia coli during the germination period, and then juiced to examine the presences of E. coli within its internal structure. The Hygiena systemSURE II luminometer was used to detect the presences of E. coli via the MicroSnap™ Enrichment and E. coli detection swabs. Results: The result showed that E. coli was present in both wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts juice. The root systems of the food products were independent of each other. The types of growth medium used for wheatgrass were also independent of each other. Conclusion: The study found that growing microgreens should be treated similarly to sprout productions. Food facilities with wheatgrass production need to be aware of safe handling, production, and storage of wheatgrass to prevent foodborne illnesses.

Simple, Rapid, and Reliable Detection of Escherichia coli O26 Using Immunochromatography

Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O26 has been increasingly associated with diarrheal disease all over the world. We developed an immunochromatographic (IC) strip for the rapid detection of E. coli O26 in food samples. To determine the specificity of the IC strip, pure cultures of 67 E. coli and 22 non–E. coli strains were tested with the IC strip. The IC strip could detect all (18 of 18) E. coli O26 strains tested and did not react with strains of any other E. coli serogroup or non–E. coli strains tested (0 of 71). The minimum detection limits for E. coli O26 were 2.2 ×103 to 1.0 ×105 CFU/ml. To evaluate the ability of the IC strip to detect E. coli O26 in food, 25-g food samples (ground beef, beef liver, ground chicken, alfalfa sprout, radish sprout, spinach, natural cheese, and apple juice) were spiked with E. coli O26. The IC strip was able to detect E. coli O26 at very low levels (approximately 1 CFU/25 g of food samples) after an 18-h enrichment, and the IC strip results were in 100% agreement with the results of the culture method and PCR assay. When 115 meat samples purchased from supermarkets were tested, 5 were positive for E. coli O26 with the IC strip; these results were confirmed with a PCR assay. These results suggest that the IC strip is a useful tool for detecting E. coli O26 in food samples.