Characteristics of organic acids in the fruit of different pumpkin species

Comparing the differences in quality profiles and antioxidant activity in seven pumpkin cultivars (Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita maxima) at harvest and during postharvest storage

Pumpkin, nutritious vegetable, is renowned for its extended shelf life. In this study, seven pumpkin cultivars from Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita maxima were comparatively characterized for 25 physiochemical quality factors, starch granule structures, antioxidant activity, and correlations at 0-60 days of postharvest (dop). The findings revealed that sucrose and carotenoid contents increased in C. moschata, while they initially increased and then decreased in C. maxima. Additionally, acidity, primarily driven by malic acid, decreased in C. maxima but increased in C. maxima. The starch content of C. moschata and C. maxima reached its maximum value at 30 dop and 20 dop, respectively. The DPPH radical scavenging activity correlated with the carotenoid content in both pumpkin species. Conclusively, C. moschata demonstrated improved nutritional and quality at 20-30 dop, while C. maxima exhibited higher commercial suitability at 10-20 dop. The findings suggested that pumpkin storage was crucial for quality improvement.

Chemical and physical properties of winter squash and their correlation with liking of their sensory attributes

Cucurbita moschata, commonly known as squash or pumpkin, is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family originating from Central America. This species is regarded as heat tolerant and disease resistant and is commonly used in breeding programs. Calabaza (wintersquash) is an emerging market type of C. moschata with increasing popularity in the United States; however, limited research has been conducted to understand how sensory qualities influence consumers' acceptability and willingness to pay (price). This study compared the sensory perception of C. moschata accessions grown in the continental southeastern United States with their physical and chemical properties using squash prepared from fresh and frozen states. The eight accessions investigated included five hybrids of calabaza from the University of Florida (University of Florida Tropical Pumpkin #), two commercial cultivars of calabaza (La Estrella and Soler), and one butternut squash cultivar (Waltham). The evaluation of fresh calabaza revealed significant differences in consumer preference among cultivars in addition to correlations with sensory attributes. UFTP8 and UFTP24 received the highest ratings, whereas UFTP38 and 'La Estrella' were rated lowest. Interestingly, the evaluation of frozen calabaza revealed UFTP8 and 'Waltham' Butternut squash as the highest in ranking, while UFTP38 and 'La Estrella' retained the lowest ranking. Consumer ratings of fresh samples revealed positive correlations between overall liking, sweetness liking, and texture liking with willingness to pay and soluble solids content (SSC). For calabaza intended for the frozen market, the color, hardness, and SSC were identified as the most significant parameters impacting willingness to pay. These results show how quality attributes can play a crucial role in consumers perception of quality and significantly influence their reported willingness to pay. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Producers and breeders can use positively correlated attributes as indicators of overall liking and to determine pricing for C. moschata products.

A time-course transcriptome analysis of wax gourd fruit development reveals predominant genes regulating taste and nutrition

Wax gourd, which belongs to Cucurbitaceae, is an excellent plant resource with the concomitant function of both medicine and foodstuff. Its unique taste and rich nutrition are deeply accepted by consumers. However, the main flavor and nutrients are still unclear, which restricts the quality breeding process of wax gourd. Here, we discovered that monosaccharides, malic acid and citrulline affect the flavor and nutrition of wax gourd and clarified the dynamic accumulation process of these metabolites. To gain insights into the underlying predominant genes regulating accumulation of these metabolites, we performed a time-course transcriptome analysis using RNA-sequencing analysis and compared the expression of screened genes among twenty-four germplasms with different metabolites levels. In addition, the expression abundance among the homologous genes were also analyzed. Finally, a total of 8 genes related to sugar [AGA2 (Bhi03G001926), SUS (Bhi12G001032)], malic acid [MDH (Bhi12G001426, Bhi01G000427), PEPC (Bhi12G000721, Bhi09G002867), ME (Bhi01G002616)] and citrulline [ASS (Bhi02G000401)], respectively were determined. In summary, understanding the core genes influencing taste or nutrition will provide a theoretical basis for fruit quality improvement in wax gourd.

Nutritional Value, Phytochemical Potential, and Therapeutic Benefits of Pumpkin (Cucurbita sp.)

Pumpkin is a well-known multifunctional ingredient in the diet, full of nutrients, and has opened new vistas for scientists during the past years. The fruit of pumpkin including the flesh, seed, and peel are a rich source of primary and secondary metabolites, including proteins, carbohydrates, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, tocopherols, tryptophan, delta-7-sterols, and many other phytochemicals. This climber is traditionally used in many countries, such as Austria, Hungary, Mexico, Slovenia, China, Spain, and several Asian and African countries as a functional food and provides health promising properties. Other benefits of pumpkin, such as improving spermatogenesis, wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anti-ulcerative properties, and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia have also been confirmed by researchers. For better drug delivery, nanoemulsions and niosomes made from pumpkin seeds have also been reported as a health promising tool, but further research is still required in this field. This review mainly focuses on compiling and summarizing the most relevant literature to highlight the nutritional value, phytochemical potential, and therapeutic benefits of pumpkin.

Development of Dressing-Type Emulsion with Hydrocolloids from Butternut Squash Seed: Effect of Additives on Emulsion Stability

Background: Natural ingredients have been employed to develop food products. Methods: Hydrocolloids from butternut squash seeds (HBSSs) were extracted with water at pH 3, 7, and 10 and characterized bromatologically and rheologically; then these HBSSs were used to stabilize the dressing-type emulsion by evaluating its physicochemical, rheological, and microstructural properties. Results: Hydrocolloids presented higher protein (from 20.43 to 39.39%) and carbohydrate (from 50.05 to 52.68%) content and rheological properties with a predominant elastic modulus. HBSSs extracted at pH 10 were used for the development of the dressing-type emulsion. The samples were stable during the storage period (15 days), with a good microstructural organization showing non-Newtonian fluid properties with shear-thinning behavior when the pseudoplasticity and the oil droplet size decreased with the addition of HBSS. Conclusions: Hydrocolloid constituents were detected surrounding the droplets of the emulsions, intensifying the effects of inner droplet interaction due to depletion events and a strong influence on the structure and physical stability. The hydrocolloids used to stabilize the dressing-type emulsions are additively promising in microstructured food design.

Comparative In Vitro Antioxidant Capacity and Terpenoid Profiling of Pumpkin Fruit Pulps from a Serbian Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata Breeding Collection

Pumpkin is considered a healthy and functional food. The consumption of pumpkins and pumpkin-based foods has been shown to confer several beneficial effects on human health due to their antioxidant capacity and terpenoid content. Consequently, this study aimed to characterize the in vitro antioxidant capacity (using FRAP and ABTS assays), terpenoid profile (using an untargeted lipidomics approach via high-resolution UHPLC-Orbitrap mass spectrometry), and carotenoid content (by HPLC-DAD) in pumpkin fruit pulp from accessions differing for species (11 Cucurbita maxima and 9 Cucurbita moschata), cultivar, and origin, belonging to a Serbian breeding collection. These accessions are candidates for inclusion within programs intended to improve pumpkin fruit quality. The results obtained in this work allowed us to highlight the best marker compounds, discriminating both the region of accession collection or breeding (“origin”) and the plant species. Furthermore, our findings have helped to identify the most suitable antioxidant-rich varieties to select for national breeding programs for improving human health. These findings provide valuable information to the overall current understanding of the potential health benefits of pumpkins and the discriminant triterpenoids underlying the C. maxima and C. moschata accessions investigated here, which include those of Serbian and non-Serbian origin.

Variation in the Physical and Functional Properties of Yam (Dioscorea spp.) Flour Produced by Different Processing Techniques

Research on the processing of yam (Dioscorea spp.) into flour is aimed at optimizing techniques to obtain a material with high physicochemical and functional properties. The present study investigates the effect of the processing techniques on the levels of inulin, organic acids, total phenolics (TP), antioxidant capacity, and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities, as well as on the physicochemical properties of flour derived from two yam species-Dioscorea esculenta and Dioscorea bulbifera. All tubers were peeled and sliced, then subjected to different processing techniques through blanching, soaking, and drying. The results revealed that freeze-drying appears to be the best technique in achieving the highest whiteness index of yam flour. This coincided well with the low phenolics content and POD activity, which suggests a reduced enzymatic browning reaction in the freeze-dried yam flour. On the other hand, chemical analyses showed that D. esculenta and D. bulbifera flours have the highest levels of inulin (23.0 and 27.8 g/100 g DW, respectively) and succinic acid (7.96 and 7.65 g/100 g DW, respectively) in the samples subjected to direct oven-drying. Oven drying without pretreatment neither blanching nor water steeping maintained antioxidant activity in the flour derived from both D. esculenta and D. bulbifera.

Muffin with pumpkin flour: technological, sensory and nutritional quality

Abstract Pumpkin is a yellow or orange-colored vegetable with a mild flavor that stands out as a fiber and nutrient source. However, the products with pumpkins are still little explored in Brazil, due to high perishability in natura and to the lack of eating habits of regional baked goods. This study aimed to produce and characterize a pumpkin flour to be used as an ingredient in muffins, evaluate the technological, and sensory characteristics of these cakes, and select the most sensorially accepted muffin for nutritional composition evaluation. Three muffins were produced as following: one control (M0); and two containing 5 (M1) and 10 (M2) g/100 g of partial substitution of wheat flour by pumpkin flour, thus maintaining the other ingredients common to cakes. The technological characteristics of firmness, volume and color were evaluated. Sensory acceptance was assessed using an affective test on an unstructured 9-point hedonic scale. There were no significant differences in the firmness and image analysis (distribution, size, and pore area of the crumb) among the three muffins, however, M1 and M2 presented darker crust color, more orange crumb, and a lower volume compared to M0. The sensory acceptability of the muffins was considered as a criterion for selection for nutritional composition analysis. The muffins’ acceptance of M1 was better than M0, but without differences to M2. The consumers’ opinions were also considered, and M1 was selected for having greater acceptance. Nutritionally, M0 and M1 presented similar levels of proteins, digestible carbohydrates, and lipids, however, M1 showed a higher content of ash and total dietary fibers: 2.01 ± 0.03 and 1.57 g/100 g (dry basis), respectively. Thus, the pumpkin flour could be produced and used as a regional, enriched, and natural-colored ingredient for muffins or other bakery products, and therefore they had a socially positive impact on family farming.

Nutritional assay Pereskia spp.: unconventional vegetable

Pereskia grandifolia Haworth (PGH) and Pereskia aculeata Miller (PAM) are recognized sources of proteins; dietary fiber; vitamins and minerals make this plant leaves, raw, cooked, and braised, an important ally against protein and micronutrient deficiencies. One of the main problems is the presence of antinutritional factors that may interfere in the digestibility and bioavailability of some nutrients. The objective was to evaluate the amino acid profile and the chemical score of the raw leaves and the effects of heating media and time on the total dietary fiber, minerals, trypsin inhibition, oxalic acid and tannins of leaves of PGH and PAM. The samples had similar amino acid profiles and total dietary fiber. With regard to antinutritional compounds, heating the leaves of PGH led to a decrease in trypsin inhibition, primarily after the first minutes of wet cooking. Oxalic acid and tannins predominated in both species. Considering the interaction with time, the variables related to iron and zinc minimized the tannin responses in PGH and PAM, respectively. Heating media and times interfered with the chemical components present in the leaves of Pereskia species and led to high antinutrient retention after heat treatment.

Quality of New Functional Powdered Beverages Enriched with Lyophilized Fruits—Potentially Bioaccessible Antioxidant Properties, Nutritional Value, and Consumer Analysis

This study evaluates nutrients and health-promoting compounds responsible for antioxidant capacity in eight novel formulations based on lyophilized fruit and vegetable powders. The composition contained lyophilized carrot, pumpkin, lentil sprouts, raspberry, strawberry, and apple. The effect of functional additives on the antioxidant, nutritional, and functional characteristics of powdered beverages was determined in the powders and after rehydration followed by in vitro digestion. The antioxidant activity, phenols, vitamin C, and reducing power were significantly higher in the powders enriched with additives having potential functional properties. Furthermore, the analyses indicated that all the powdered formulations may be potential sources of total starch (100–112 mg/100 mL) and proteins (125–139 mg/100 mL). The designed powdered beverages after reconstitution exhibited high antioxidant content, reasonable consumer acceptance, and good in vitro bioaccessibility. The best results of antioxidant capacity were obtained for beverages enriched with raspberry, i.e., 10.4 mg Trolox equivalent (TE)/100 mL and 12.1 mg TE/100 mL rehydrated at 20 °C and 80 °C, respectively. Additionally, color characteristics were used as indicators of the quality of the powdered beverages. This research promotes the reduction of food waste, since whole plant tissues are used, thus allowing maximum exploitation of food raw materials; moreover, drying provides stable shelf life.

Metabolic and transcriptomic analysis of two Cucurbita moschata germplasms throughout fruit development

BACKGROUND

Pumpkins (Cucurbita moschata; Cucurbitaceae) are valued for their fruits and seeds and are rich in nutrients. Carotenoids and sugar contents, as main feature of pumpkin pulp, are used to determine the fruit quality.

RESULTS

Two pumpkin germplasms, CMO-X and CMO-E, were analyzed regarding the essential quality traits such as dry weight, soluble solids, organic acids, carotenoids and sugar contents. For the comparison of fruit development in these two germplasms, fruit transcriptome was analyzed at 5 different developmental stages from 0 d to 40 d in a time course manner. Putative pathways for carotenoids biosynthesis and sucrose metabolism were developed in C. moschata fruit and homologs were identified for each key gene involved in the pathways. Gene expression data was found consistent with the accumulation of metabolites across developmental stages and also between two germplasms. PSY, PDS, ZEP, CRTISO and SUS, SPS, HK, FK were found highly correlated with the accumulation of carotenoids and sucrose metabolites, respectively, at different growth stages of C. moschata as shown by whole transcriptomic analysis. The results of qRT-PCR analysis further confirmed the association of these genes.

CONCLUSION

Developmental regulation of the genes associated with the metabolite accumulation can be considered as an important factor for the determination of C. moschata fruit quality. This research will facilitate the investigation of metabolic profiles in other cultivars.

Evaluation of Metabolites and Antioxidant Activity in Pumpkin Species

Cucurbita species ( Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita maxima) are rich sources of nutrients, especially carotenoids and carbohydrates. Metabolites in pulps of C. moschata and C. maxima lines were examined by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Our results revealed that glucose and sucrose were the dominant sugars in C. maxima and C. moschata, respectively. A correlation was found between Brix percentage and sucrose levels as compared with glucose and fructose. A greater amount of myo-inositol had accumulated in C. moschata lines compared with C. maxima. Conversely, total carotenoids and antioxidant activity were found to be higher in C. maxima lines than in C. moschata. A strong correlation of glucose, fructose, and sucrose with β-carotene and violaxanthin revealed that it will be difficult to develop pumpkin cultivars with both high inositol and carotenoid levels. In conclusion, the composition of carbohydrates and carotenoids was more diverse in C. moschata lines than in C. maxima lines. Our results will contribute to a better understanding of metabolite changes in the fruits of these as well as other pumpkin species.

Provenance effect on bioactive phytochemicals and nutritional and health benefits of the desert date Balanites aegyptiaca

Balanites aegyptiaca L. is a multipurpose tree distributed in Africa and Middle East. Several parts of B. aegyptiaca have been suggested to have medicinal uses. So far the effect of ecological origin on the nutritional values and biological activities of B. aegyptiaca genotypes is rarely investigated. Further, metabolic profiling and assessment of the functional food value of B. aegyptiaca leaves are far from complete. In this study, biological activities and profiling of primary and secondary metabolites were investigated in the leaves of five B. aegyptiaca provenances collected from Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Interestingly, all provenances showed notable antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiprotozoal, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed significant variability in the concentrations of individual sugars, organic acids, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, phenolics, and minerals among the provenances and these variations were provenance dependent. Medina provenance showed the heights diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging and antifungal activities and was the most powerful against embryonic kidney adenocarcinoma and urinary bladder carcinoma cells. The highest inhibition against Escherichia coli and colon carcinoma cells was observed by Sudan and Cairo provenances. El-Kharga and Yemen provenances showed the greatest activity against Trypanosoma cruzi and hepatocellular and urinary bladder carcinoma. Therefore, leaves of B. aegyptiaca possess good nutritive and biological capacities and might have potential applications in the food and medical industries. However, the strength of such activities is significantly affected by the provenance. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: According to the national Research Council (NRC) of United States, Balanites aegyptiaca L. is recognized among the 24 priority lost crops of Africa. B. aegyptiaca leaves contain considerable amounts of primary metabolites (e.g., sugars, EAAs, USFAs) and secondary (e.g., phenolic acids and flavonoids) metabolites, vitamins, and macro and microelements. The obvious existence of these nutritionally and medicinally related compounds supports the functional food value of B. aegyptiaca leaves. Moreover, the present results revealed that B. aegyptiaca is not only a foliage dietary plant, but also could be considered as a valuable source for neutraceuticals, which support its pharmacological value. So far, this is the first report to explore, in detail, the functional food value of B. aegyptiaca leaves by presenting a clear image about its metabolic profiling and biological activities, and how the provenance factor could affect these values.

Boiling-induced changes on physicochemical, bioactive compounds, color, and texture properties of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima)

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of boiling duration on physicochemical, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, color, and texture properties of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima). The pumpkin was subjected to boiling for 1, 5, 10, and 20 min at 100 ℃. The physicochemical analyses showed that pH, moisture, and water solubility index were increased, whereas ash content was decreased with increasing the boiling time. Prolong boiling exhibited a detrimental effect on bioactive compounds of pumpkin, and it was found that 20 min of boiling caused about 25.91% ± 2.21% loss of total phenolic content, 14.79% ± 1.03% loss of total carotenoids content, and 18.46% ± 1.34% loss of antioxidant activity. A kinetic study was conducted to quantify the losses occurring in bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, changes in color, and firmness of pumpkin. The study revealed that the logistic model can predict the variation in bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity with higher R². However, first-order kinetic models were found suitable to predict the changes occurring in bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, color properties (L*, a*, b*, Chroma), and firmness. The total color changes (ΔE) showed a good fit with zero-order kinetic models (R²= 0.98). The t_1/2 and D-value were calculated for all measured parameters of pumpkin. These findings would be useful in designing thermal processes and related calculations of pumpkin.

Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Tuber indicum from Different Geographical Regions of China

Tuber indicum, an endemic truffle species in eastern Asian, is an edible mushroom that is both an important export and widely distributed across China. Many existing studies on truffles focus on analyzing their taxonomy, population genetics, volatile organic compounds and artificial cultivation of the truffles, while little information is available about their nutrient composition and pharmacological activity, especially the relationship between chemical composition in ascocarps and their geographic distributions. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of the chemical composition of T. indicum, including free sugars, fatty acids, organic acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and polysaccharides, and tracks the antioxidant activity of T. indicum ascocarps collected from five geographical regions of four provinces in P. R. China: Hebei, Tibet, Yunnan, and Liaoning province. Our results showed that T. indicum collected from Qujing, Yunnan province, possessed the highest amount of free sugars (23.67 mg/g dw), total flavonoids (2.31 mg/g dw), total phenolics (4.46 mg/g dw) and the highest DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging activities. The amount of water-soluble polysaccharides was the highest (115.24 mg/g dw) in ascocarps from Tibet, the total organic acids was the highest (22.073 mg/g dw) in ascocarps from Gongshan, and polyunsaturated fatty acids were most abundant in those from Hebei province. This study reveals that the quantity of chemical compounds in T. indicum varies by geographical origin. Detecting differences in chemical composition may provide important data for understanding the relationship between environmental factors and truffle formation, as well as quality evaluation of the commercial species T. indicum throughout China.

CO2 enrichment can enhance the nutritional and health benefits of parsley (Petroselinum crispum L.) and dill (Anethum graveolens L.)

The functional food value of herbal plants is greatly related to their contents of valuable phytochemicals. Regarding its impact on primary and secondary plant metabolism, CO₂ enrichment could be a candidate strategy to modulate the levels of nutritionally and medicinally interesting phytochemicals in herbal plants. Herein, the concentrations of 81 metabolites and minerals were evaluated in shoot tissues of parsley and dill grown under two levels of CO₂, ambient (378 ± 25 µmole CO₂ mole^-1 air, aCO₂) and elevated (627 ± 24 µmole CO₂ mole^-1 air, eCO₂). Regardless of the plant species, eCO₂ improved the levels of soluble sugars, starch, organic acids, some EAAs, most of USFA, total phenolics, total flavonoids and vitamins A and E. However, notable variations in the metabolites responsiveness to eCO₂ were recorded among the tested plant species. Moreover, considerable improvements in the total antioxidant capacity, antiprotozoal, antibacterial and anticancer activities were recorded for parsley and dill in response to eCO₂.

Sonchus oleraceus Residue Improves Nutritive and Health-Promoting Value of Common Bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.): A Metabolic Study

This study was conducted to evaluate the use of the phenolic-rich Sonchus oleraceus residue as an environmentally safe approach to induce the nutritive and health-promoting values of common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Bronco). S. oleraceus shoot residue, at rates of 150 and 300 g m^-2, has improved soil fertility via accumulation of soil macronutrients, organic matter, organic carbon, and total phenolics. The growth and yield of bean were significantly increased. Moreover, chemical composition of the treated seeds was significantly altered, whereas higher levels of total antioxidant capacity, proteins, carbohydrates, and most of the individual phenolic acids, flavonoids, vitamins, essential amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids were recorded. Interestingly, a concentration dependent effect was also observed, for instance, a lower saturated-to-unsaturated fatty acid ratio was only observed in the case of the lower residue rate. These findings recommend the use of S. oleraceus in organic farming of bean to enhance the health benefits of the produced seeds.

Nutritional and sensory evaluation of pumpkin-based (Cucurbita maxima) functional juice

Purpose

Pumpkins are a rich source of essential nutrients, namely, β-carotene, minerals and vitamins, and they are therefore suitable for making functional juice. This study aims to develop pumpkin-based functional juice and assess the acceptability of the product by various consumers. In total, 55 per cent of the panelists disliked the pumpkin juice because of its strong off-flavor. Consequently, different blends of pumpkin juice with mango, orange, strawberry and green apple juices were prepared and evaluated for global appreciation and descriptive sensory analysis.

Methodology

Pumpkins, green apples, mangos, oranges and strawberries were obtained from the local market. Four mixtures of juices were prepared by mixing pumpkin and mango juice (750/250, v/v), pumpkin and green apple juice (750/250, v/v), pumpkin and orange juice (750/250, v/v) and pumpkin with strawberry and orange juice (750/125/125, v/v/v). The contents of moisture ash, fiber, carbohydrate, crude protein and lipids were estimated according to AOAC methods. β-Carotene, vitamin C and minerals were determined. A semi-trained panel consisting of 100 members assessed sensory characteristics of pumpkin juice and mixtures using a quantitative descriptive analysis method (QDA) for different attributes.

Findings

The findings show that the moisture, crude protein, fiber, ash and carbohydrate contents indicate that the developed pumpkin juice was rich in these essential nutrients. The fiber value in our study was lower than the value previously reported for pumpkin. The content of β-carotene and vitamin C in the developed pumpkin juice was considerably higher than that reported previously for fruits. The values of calcium and iron of the current study were much higher than those previously reported in vegetable juices and mixtures. The sensory results revealed that the developed pumpkin-based juice blends are acceptable by the consumers.

Originality value

This study was carried out to develop a suitable formula for preparing functional juices from pumpkin, which is not consumed willingly by children and the elderly; the authors aimed to improve its taste and flavor by mixing it with different fruit juices. The results demonstrated that pumpkin juice is rich in essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, suggesting its health-promoting potential. Mixing pumpkin juice with mango juice or orange and strawberry juices significantly improved the sensory quality of the products. Strikingly, the formulated pumpkin juice mixtures received good acceptance and appreciation by children and the elderly, which could promote its use as a functional juice. Generally, pumpkin-based juice blends are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and can therefore be consumed as a functional beverage with potentially increased health-promoting characteristics. Using pumpkin for developing functional juices could add commercial value to pumpkins. Future studies should specifically focus on large-scale production and commercialization of these juice mixtures.

Content of selected elements and low-molecular-weight organic acids in fruiting bodies of edible mushroom Boletus badius (Fr.) Fr. from unpolluted and polluted areas

The aim of the study was to (i) investigate the potential of edible mushroom Boletus badius (Fr.) Fr. to accumulate 53 elements from unpolluted acidic sandy soil and polluted alkaline flotation tailing sites in Poland, (ii) to estimate the low-molecular-weight organic acid (LMWOA) profile and contents in fruit bodies, and finally (iii) to explore the possible relationship between elements and LMWOA content in mushrooms. The content of most elements in fruiting bodies collected from the flotation tailings was significantly higher than in mushrooms from the unpolluted soils. The occurrence of elements determined in fruiting bodies of B. badius has been varied (from 0.01 mg kg^-1 for Eu, Lu, and Te up to 18,932 mg kg^-1 for K). The results established the high importance of element contents in substrate. Among ten organic acids, nine have been found in wide range: from below 0.01 mg kg^-1 for fumaric acid to 14.8 mg g^-1 for lactic acid. Lactic and succinic acids were dominant in both areas, and citric acid was also in high content in polluted area. The correlation between element contents and the individual and total content of LMWOAs was confirmed.

Chemical composition and antioxidant capacity of different anatomical parts of pear (Pyrus communis L.)

Sugar, organic acid, triterpenoid and phenolic composition as well as antioxidant capacity of different anatomical parts of pear were studied. Fruits and leaves of 'Radana' pear (Pyrus communis L.) were used. The results showed great quantitative differences in the composition of the pear pulp, peel, leaves and seeds. Fructose was the major sugar in pulp, seeds and peel (227.46, 45.36 and 67.49 g/kg dry mass [DM], respectively), while sorbitol was predominant in leaves (40.66 g/kg DM). Malic acid was the major organic acid, followed by citric and shikimic acids. The highest concentration of triterpenoids (3460.5 μg/g DM) was determined in pear peel, and ursolic acid was predominant. Leaves were characterized by the highest amount of phenolics (5326.7 mg/100 g DM) and the highest DPPH and FRAP values (2027.9 and 3539.6 μmol TE/100 g DM, respectively). Pear leaves and seeds may be selected as potential sources of phytochemicals.

Quality Control of Gamma Irradiated Dwarf Mallow (Malva neglecta Wallr.) Based on Color, Organic Acids, Total Phenolics and Antioxidant Parameters

This study addresses the effects of gamma irradiation (1, 5 and 8 kGy) on color, organic acids, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity of dwarf mallow (Malva neglecta Wallr.). Organic acids were analyzed by ultra fast liquid chromatography (UFLC) coupled to a photodiode array (PDA) detector. Total phenolics and flavonoids were measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminium chloride colorimetric methods, respectively. The antioxidant activity was evaluated based on the DPPH(•) scavenging activity, reducing power, β-carotene bleaching inhibition and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation inhibition. Analyses were performed in the non-irradiated and irradiated plant material, as well as in decoctions obtained from the same samples. The total amounts of organic acids and phenolics recorded in decocted extracts were always higher than those found in the plant material or hydromethanolic extracts, respectively. The DPPH(•) scavenging activity and reducing power were also higher in decocted extracts. The assayed irradiation doses affected differently the organic acids profile. The levels of total phenolics and flavonoids were lower in the hydromethanolic extracts prepared from samples irradiated at 1 kGy (dose that induced color changes) and in decocted extracts prepared from those irradiated at 8 kGy. The last samples also showed a lower antioxidant activity. In turn, irradiation at 5 kGy favored the amounts of total phenolics and flavonoids. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of the effects of irradiation in indicators of dwarf mallow quality, and highlighted the decoctions for its antioxidant properties.

Discovery and Characterization of Human-Urine Utilization by Asymptomatic-Bacteriuria-Causing Streptococcus agalactiae

Streptococcus agalactiae causes both symptomatic cystitis and asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU); however, growth characteristics of S. agalactiae in human urine have not previously been reported. Here, we describe a phenotype of robust growth in human urine observed in ABU-causing S. agalactiae (ABSA) that was not seen among uropathogenic S. agalactiae (UPSA) strains isolated from patients with acute cystitis. In direct competition assays using pooled human urine inoculated with equal numbers of a prototype ABSA strain, designated ABSA 1014, and any one of several UPSA strains, measurement of the percentage of each strain recovered over time showed a markedly superior fitness of ABSA 1014 for urine growth. Comparative phenotype profiling of ABSA 1014 and UPSA strain 807, isolated from a patient with acute cystitis, using metabolic arrays of >2,500 substrates and conditions revealed unique and specific l-malic acid catabolism in ABSA 1014 that was absent in UPSA 807. Whole-genome sequencing also revealed divergence in malic enzyme-encoding genes between the strains predicted to impact the activity of the malate metabolic pathway. Comparative growth assays in urine comparing wild-type ABSA and gene-deficient mutants that were functionally inactivated for the malic enzyme metabolic pathway by targeted disruption of the maeE or maeK gene in ABSA demonstrated attenuated growth of the mutants in normal human urine as well as synthetic human urine containing malic acid. We conclude that some S. agalactiae strains can grow in human urine, and this relates in part to malic acid metabolism, which may affect the persistence or progression of S. agalactiae ABU.

Microbiological and physicochemical analysis of pumpkin juice fermentation by the basidiomycetous fungus Ganoderma lucidum

A new protocol for processing of pumpkin juice was set up which included fermentation by the basidiomycete Ganoderma lucidum at 28 °C for 7 d. The growth curve of G. lucidum in pumpkin juice was successfully (R(2)  = 0.99) fitted by a 4-parameter logistic model and the ideal highest biomass was estimated to be 4.79 g/L. G. lucidum was found to have a significant acidification effect on pumpkin juice. The lowest pH (4.05 ± 0.05) and highest total titratable acidity (14.31 ± 0.16 mL 0.1 M NaOH/100 mL) were found on the 4th day during fermentation. Sugars in pumpkin juice fermented with G. lucidum showed a significant decrease, especially glucose and fructose. On the contrary, the release of exo-polysaccharides and free amino acids greatly enriched the pumpkin juice. The variation of color index and viscosity also mirrored the above behavior. Based on headspace solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, 68 volatile compounds were identified, including 17 esters, 14 alcohols, 13 phenyl compounds, 11 aldehydes, 8 ketones, 3 acids, 1 furan, and 1 benzothiazole. The pumpkin juices fermented for different days were markedly differentiated with principal component analysis and the fermentation process was tentatively divided into 3 periods: the booming (from the 1st to 4th day), steady (from the 5th to 6th day), and decline (the 7th day) period.