Appetitive behavior of the honey bee in response to phenolic compounds naturally found in nectars.

The honey bee is the most frequently used species in pollination services for diverse crops. In onion crops (), however, bees avoid visiting certain varieties, being attracted differently to male sterile (MS) and fertile (OP) lines. These differences might be based on the phenolic profiles of the cultivars' nectars.

Melatonin in Arabidopsis thaliana acts as plant growth regulator at low concentrations and preserves seed viability at high concentrations.

Since the discovery of melatonin in plants, several roles have been described for different species, organs, and developmental stages. Arabidopsis thaliana, being a model plant species, is adequate to contribute to the elucidation of the role of melatonin in plants. In this work, melatonin was monitored daily by UHPLC-MS/MS in leaves, in order to study its diurnal accumulation as well as the effects of natural and artificial light treatments on its concentration.

Analytical tools for elucidating the biological role of melatonin in plants by LC-MS/MS.

Melatonin (MT) presence in higher plants was recently discovered and the knowledge of its function in vivo is limited. Several studies have recently shown the occurrence of MT and related compounds in grapes and wines. The analysis of MT in plants and foods represents a highly challenging task due to its wide concentration range, the difficulty in the selection of the extraction solvents because of its amphipathic nature, and the fact that it reacts quickly with other matrix components.