Medium Roasting and Brewing Methods Differentially Modulate Global Metabolites, Lipids, Biogenic Amines, Minerals, and Antioxidant Capacity of Hawai'i-Grown Coffee ().

In the United States, besides the US territory Puerto Rico, Hawai'i is the only state that grows commercial coffee. In Hawai'i, coffee is the second most valuable agricultural commodity. Health benefits associated with moderate coffee consumption, including its antioxidant capacity, have been correlated to its bioactive components.

Management of Chinese Rose Beetle (Adoretus sinicus) Adults Feeding on Cacao (Theobroma cacao) Using Insecticides.

The Chinese rose beetle (Adoretus sinicus Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)) is an introduced, widely-established pest in Hawai'i. The adult beetles feed on the leaves of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), which can lead to defoliation and even death of young trees.

Kavalactone content and chemotype of kava beverages prepared from roots and rhizomes of Isa and Mahakea varieties and extraction efficiency of kavalactones using different solvents.

The South Pacific islanders have consumed kava beverage for thousands of years. The quality of kava and kava beverage is evaluated through determination of the content of six major kavalactones including methysticin, dihydromethysticin, kavain, dihydrokavain, yangonin and desmethoxyyangonin. In this study, we determined contents of kavalactones in and chemotype of kava beverages prepared from roots and rhizomes of Isa and Mahakea varieties and extraction efficiency of five different solvents including hexane, acetone, methanol, ethanol and ethyl acetate.

Effects of kava alkaloid, pipermethystine, and kavalactones on oxidative stress and cytochrome P450 in F-344 rats.

Kava-containing products remain popular in the United States and continue to be sold in health food stores and ethnic markets regardless of the fact that it was banned in Western countries such as Germany, France, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada, following reports of alleged hepatotoxicity. It is therefore critical to establish efficacy and verify adverse effects and/or herb-drug interactions for kava-kava (Piper methysticum). We have previously demonstrated that kava alkaloid, pipermethystine (PM), abundant in leaves and stem peelings, induces mitochondrial toxicity in human hepatoma cells, HepG2, as compared with the bioactive components, kavalactones (KL), abundant in the rhizome.

Determination of kavalactones in dried kava (Piper methysticum) powder using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy and partial least-squares regression.

Kava (Piper methysticum Forst F.), or àwa in the Hawaiian language, has been used for thousands of years by the people of the South Pacific Islands, in particular Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Samoa, for social and ceremonial occasions. Kava has the unique ability to promote a state of relaxation without the loss of mental alertness.