Relationships between chemical composition, antioxidant activity and genetic analysis with ISSR markers in flower buds of caper plants (Capparis spinosa L.) of two subspecies spinosa and rupestris of Spanish cultivars

Genetic diversity and variability between populations is essential for the long-term survival of plant species as well as their adaptation to different habitats. The Capparis spinosa L. has two subspecies in Spain, spinosa with stipules thorny and rupestris without them. In Spain, the subspecies used for its cultivation is spinosa, which is difficult to manipulate due to its stipules thorny. The capers, unripe fruits and tender shoots are used as food. The caper plant is a rich source of phenolic compounds, due to that many flavonoids have been found in different parts of caper plant and in high quantities, which indicates that it is a good source of functional compounds both as food and for nutraceutical applications. There are no published works on the differences in biochemical and functional compounds of both subspecies, so in this work 32 varieties have been genetically analyzed to know their subspecies. Afterwards, various biochemical and functional parameters have been analyzed to find out if they present differences between both subspecies. From the results of the biochemical and functional parameters studied, there are no difference between the spinosa and rupestis subspecies, in all the parameters studied, except chlorophylls. There was more difference between the results of the subspecies spinosa among them, than with the subspecies rupestris. For all this, it can be concluded that the rupestris subspecies that does not present stipules thorniness can be cultivated, instead of the spinosa subspecies that does present them, without losing functional or nutritional characteristics of the caper buds.

Antioxidant and physicochemical properties of Chrysophyllum albidum fruit at different ripening stages

Chrysophyllum albidum (African Star Apple) fruit is an indigenous African fruit. The African Star Apple plant popularly referred to as the “alasa” tree grows widely in tropical Africa. Ripening influences biochemical processes and subsequently affects the nutritional and bioactive characteristics of the fruits. This study sampled Chrysophyllum albidum fruit of three maturity stages and determined the colour, proximate, total phenol and antioxidant characteristics of the fruits. Spectrophotometric methods were used in the determination of total antioxidant activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, 2,2-azinobis,3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and Ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay. Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in the colour of the fruit across all the ripening stages. The ripe stage of the fruit recorded the highest extent of lightness among all the other ripening stages. Both the ripe and over-ripe fruits appeared reddish in colour with the ripe fruit demonstrating a higher red intensity than the over-ripe fruit. The calculated metric chroma of the Chrysophyllum albidum fruits were in the range of 2.33-21.67 for the three ripening stages. Hue angle values recorded were in the range 46.46-92.00. Browning and colour indices for fruits of all the stages of development were of range 6.40-80.30 and -14.30-16.96, respectively. Proximate analysis of the three fruit categories showed that the unripe fruits had higher carbohydrate (69.27 %), crude protein (8.17 %), and crude fat (7.99 %) content relative to fruits which were ripe and over-ripe. The over-ripe fruit had higher crude fibre (7.36 %) and ash (3.86 %) content. Total phenolic content for the unripe fruit (20μg GAE/mg) was also higher than fruits of the other ripening stages. The antioxidant ability of the Chrysophyllum albidum fruit showed that the unripe stage recorded the highest DPPH (29.24 %) and ABTS (99.09 %) radical scavenging activity. The ferric reducing antioxidant potential of the fruit at different ripening stages was significantly different (p<0.05) with the unripe stage recording the highest potential. The unripe fruits demonstrated higher proximate and antioxidant composition than the ripe and over-ripe fruits. Extracts from the unripe fruit can serve as useful nutraceuticals in functional food formulations.

The component composition of the essential oil from Laurus nobilis L. unripe fruits harvested in Ukraine

Aim. To study the qualitative composition and the quantitative content of the essential oil components from Laurus nobilis L. unripe fruits.Results and discussion. In the essential oil from Laurus nobilis L. unripe fruits 31 compounds were determined; among them 28 substances were identified. A high content was characteristic for spatulenol (1947.1 mg/kg) and betulenol (925.3 mg/kg).Experimental part. The raw material for obtaining the essential oil (unripe fruits) of Laurus nobilis L. was harvested in November 2017 in Alushta and the village of Rybalskoe, Crimea. The component composition of the essential oil of the unripe fruits from Laurus nobilis L. was studied and the constituents of the essential oil were identified by chromato-mass spectrometry using an Agilent Technology 6890N chromatograph. The component composition of the essential oil was revealed by comparing the results obtained with data from the NIST 02 mass spectrum library (more than 174.000 substances).Conclusions. The component composition of the essential oil from Laurus nobilis L. unripe fruits harvested in Ukraine has been studied. Taking into account the set of the biologically active compounds found in the essential oil of Laurus nobilis L. it can be argued that further pharmacognostic studies of fruits of this plant as the medicinal raw material with the predicted pharmacological activity (e.g., antimicrobial and skin cleansing) are promising.

Phenology of Oenocarpus mapora H. Karst in Low-Terrace and High-Terrace Forests of the Madre de Dios Region, Peru

Oenacarpus mapora H. Karst (O. mapora) is an Amazon palm with high economic and nutraceutical potential, from which the pulp and oil can be extracted. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phenology of O. mapora in low-terrace and high-terrace forests of the Madre de Dios Region, Peru. Two hundred sixteen individuals of O. mapora were monitored between June 2019 and January 2020, evaluating the presence of flower buds, open flowers, immature fruits and ripe fruits. Weighted mean analyses of the phenological pattern and correlation between climatic and phenological variables were carried out. Higher productivity mediated by a greater number of mature green leaves and bunches was observed in terrace forests located at a lower altitude. In both forest subtypes, flower buds and open flowers were continuous with a peak in July and August, respectively, during the dry season. In both habitats, unripe fruits were also continuous with a peak in September, while ripe fruits showed a peak in December and January in low-terrace and high-terrace forests, respectively, during the rainy season. Our findings show that flowering was continuous during the evaluated period, while fruiting increased during the rainy season associated with a greater number of days with precipitation.

GC–MS Analysis, Molecular Docking and Pharmacokinetic Properties of Phytocompounds from Solanum torvum Unripe Fruits and Its Effect on Breast Cancer Target Protein

This study was designed to identify phytocompounds from the aqueous extract of Solanum torvum unripe fruits using GC–MS analysis against breast cancer. For this, the identified phytocompounds were subjected to perform molecular docking studies to find the effects on breast cancer target protein. Pharmacokinetic properties were also tested for the identified phytocompounds to evaluate the ADMET properties. Molecular docking studies were done using docking software PyRx, and pharmacokinetic properties of phytocompounds were evaluated using SwissADME. From the results, ten best compounds were identified from GC–MS analysis against breast cancer target protein. Of which, three compounds showed very good binding affinity with breast cancer target protein. They are ergost-25-ene-3,6-dione,5,12-dihydroxy-,(5.alpha.,12.beta.) (− 7.3 kcal/mol), aspidospermidin-17-ol,1-acetyl-16-methoxy (− 6.7 kcal/mol) and 2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-[[2-[1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl]ethyl amino]-6-[trichloromethyl]-s-triazine (− 6.7 kcal/mol). Further, docking study was performed for the synthetic drug doxorubicin to compare the efficiency of phytocompounds. The binding affinity of ergost-25-ene-3,6-dione,5,12-dihydroxy-,(5.alpha.,12.beta.) is higher than the synthetic drug doxorubicin (− 7.2 kcal/mol), and the binding affinity of other compounds is also very near to the drug. Hence, the present study concludes that the phytocompounds from the aqueous extract of Solanum torvum unripe fruits have the potential ability to treat breast cancer.

Biochemical composition, nutritional analysis and antioxidant activity of Buchanania lanzan Spreng fruits

Buchanania lanzan Spreng belongs to the family Anacardiaceae. The primary focus of this study was to examine phytochemical, proximate, antioxidant property and GCMS evaluation of unripe and ripen fruit of B. lanzan Spreng. The phytochemical studies showed that alkaloids, phenols, flavones, saponins, coumarins, glycosides and tannins are present in both ripen and unripe fruits. The proximate evaluation confirmed that crude fat (14.5%) and protein (6.37±0.69 g/100g) is high in ripen fruit. In unripe fruit (11.3%) crude fat and protein (4.11%) is less percent. The carotenoid (5.58 ± 0.5 mg/100g) and catalase (0.226±0.074 mg/100g) activity is higher in unripe fruit. The total polyphenol (6.4±0.8 mg/100g) and peroxidase (0.362±0.017 mg/100g) content show greater activity in ripen fruit. In DPPH and FRAP highest activity showed in methanol extract of ripen and unripe fruit than the other solvent. GC-MS evaluation showed many bioactive compounds present in unripe and ripen fruit. It is concluded that nutritional and bioactive ability is high in ripen and unripe fruits of B. lanzan. The fruits of B.lanzan are a good source of nutrition and medicinally important.

Comprehensive Utilization of Thinned Unripe Fruits from Horticultural Crops

Fruit thinning is a cultivation technique that is widely applied in horticulture in order to obtain high-quality horticultural crops. This practice results in the discarding of a large number of thinned unripe fruits in orchards each year, which produces a great waste of agricultural resources and causes soil pollution that may be an important reservoir for pest and plant diseases. Current studies showed that bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, organic acids, monosaccharides and starches are present in unripe fruits. Therefore, we reviewed the bioactive components obtained from thinned unripe fruits, their revalorization for the food industry, their beneficial effects for human health and the methods for obtaining these components. We also performed a calculation of the costs and benefits of obtaining these bioactive compounds, and we proposed future research directions. This review provides a reference for the effective utilization and industrial development of thinned unripe fruits obtained from horticultural crops. Furthermore, revalorizing the waste from this cultural practice may increase the economic benefits and relieve the environmental stress.

Evaluation of Cytotoxicity of normal Vero and Anticancer Activity of Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines by Aqueous Unripe Fruit Extract of Solanum torvum

In the present study aqueous extract of Solanum torvum unripe fruits was used to evaluate its cytotoxic effect and anticancer activity through in vitro studies by 3-(4, 5 dimethyl thiazole-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide- MTT assay) on Normal VERO cell line and MCF-7 (Human breast adenocarcinoma cell line). Aqueous extracts of Solanum torvum unripe fruits was found to be effective in the prevention of cell proliferation by breast adenocarcinoma cell lines at 1000 µg/ml from the results obtained during 24 hours of incubation.

Comparative nutritional evaluation of pods of Leptadenia pyrotechnica from three different regions of Rajasthan

Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Khimp) is a small shrub belonging to family Asclepiadaceae found growing in the arid zone of Rajasthan. It has ethnopharmacological importance and known for its stem fibre. Its edible unripe fruits contribute significantly to the food and energy needs of rural populations. These are known as khimpoli and cooked as vegetable. Comparative evaluation of nutritional composition of the pods from different regions of Rajasthan was carried out so as to promote these underutilised fruits. Analysis was carried out using standard AOAC methods. Fruits were found to be rich in ash (5.03 % to 5.57 % ), fat (5.35 % to 6.82 % ), protein (13.28% to 18.56 %), sugar (5.61 % to 6.54 % ), vitamin C (66.62 to 90.1 %) and minerals viz., Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Mg, P, K, Ca and Na. Results indicated that khimp pods can be promoted as supplementary food in arid region.