Microencapsulating phenolic compounds and anthocyanins from grape pomace, a by-product of the food industry, is attractive because of the many beneficial health effects associated with these compounds. At first, we evaluated the cultivar BRS Violeta using microencapsulation, indicating the degree of innovation in the present research. This study aims to microencapsulate grape pomace extract in a combination of maltodextrin and xanthan gum via lyophilization, and determine the protective effect of this microcapsule on the phenolic compounds and anthocyanins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCadmium (Cd) inhibits soybean root growth, but its exact mode of action is still not completely understood. We evaluated the effects of Cd on growth, mitochondrial respiration, lipid peroxidation, total phenols, glutathione, and activities of lipoxygenase (LOX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) in soybean roots. In primary roots, Cd stimulated KCN-insensitive respiration and KCN-SHAM-insensitive respiration, indicating the involvement of the alternative oxidase (AOX) pathway, while it decreased KCN-sensitive respiration, suggesting an inhibition of the cytochrome oxidase pathway (COX).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomimetically incorporated into the lignin structure, rosmarinic acid improves in vitro maize cell wall saccharification; however, no in planta studies have been performed. We hypothesized that rosmarinic acid, itself, could inducer saccharification without disturbing plant growth. Its effects on growth, enzymes of the phenylpropanoid pathway, lignin, monomeric composition, and saccharification of maize were evaluated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the near future, grasses must provide most of the biomass for the production of renewable fuels. However, grass cell walls are characterized by a large quantity of hydroxycinnamic acids such as ferulic and p-coumaric acids, which are thought to reduce the biomass saccharification. Ferulic acid (FA) binds to lignin, polysaccharides and structural proteins of grass cell walls cross-linking these components.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe compared the amount of lignin as determined by the three most traditional methods for lignin measurement in three tissues (sugarcane bagasse, soybean roots and soybean seed coat) contrasting for lignin amount and composition. Although all methods presented high reproducibility, major inconsistencies among them were found. The amount of lignin determined by thioglycolic acid method was severely lower than that provided by the other methods (up to 95%) in all tissues analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCinnamic acid and its hydroxylated derivatives (p-coumaric, caffeic, ferulic and sinapic acids) are known allelochemicals that affect the seed germination and root growth of many plant species. Recent studies have indicated that the reduction of root growth by these allelochemicals is associated with premature cell wall lignification. We hypothesized that an influx of these compounds into the phenylpropanoid pathway increases the lignin monomer content and reduces the root growth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe non-protein amino acid, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), is the main allelochemical released from the roots of velvetbean and affects seed germination and root growth of several plant species. In the work presented here, we evaluated, in soybean roots, the effects of L-DOPA on the following: polyphenol oxidase (PPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities; superoxide anion (O·-2), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), and melanin contents; and lipid peroxidation. To this end, 3-day-old seedlings were cultivated in half-strength Hoagland's solution (pH 6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effects of cadmium (Cd), a well-known environmental pollutant with high toxicity to plants, were tested on root growth, cell viability, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) soluble plus cell wall-bound peroxidase (POD) activities, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) levels, and the content and monomeric composition of lignin in soybean (Glycine max) roots. Three-day-old seedlings were cultivated in half-strength Hoagland's solution (pH 6.0), with or without 25-100 μM CdCl(2) in a growth chamber (25°C, 12/12-h light/dark photoperiod, irradiance of 280 μmolm(-2)s(-1)) for 24h.
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