Sources of Stem Rust Resistance in Wheat-Alien Introgression Lines.

Stem rust is one of the most devastating diseases of wheat. Widely virulent races of the pathogen in the Ug99 lineage (e.g.

Phenolic compounds in blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) leaves relative to leaf position and harvest date.

Blackcurrant leaves are an essential source of phenolic compounds and this study investigated their variation relative to leaf positions and harvest date. The phenolic content varied between harvest dates, although leaf position on the shoot and interactions also played an important role. The contents of quercetin-malonyl-glucoside, kaempferol-malonyl-glucoside isomer and kaempferol-malonyl-glucoside were higher than that of the other identified phenolic compounds, whereas epigallocatechin was the lowest for all investigated leaf positions and harvest dates.

Contribution of organically grown crops to human health.

An increasing interest in organic agriculture for food production is seen throughout the world and one key reason for this interest is the assumption that organic food consumption is beneficial to public health. The present paper focuses on the background of organic agriculture, important public health related compounds from crop food and variations in the amount of health related compounds in crops. In addition, influence of organic farming on health related compounds, on pesticide residues and heavy metals in crops, and relations between organic food and health biomarkers as well as in vitro studies are also the focus of the present paper.

Phenols and ascorbic acid in black currants (Ribes nigrum L.): variation due to genotype, location, and year.

Black currant berries contain many biochemical compounds with proven or potential human health benefits. We studied the content of total and single polyphenols, ascorbic acid, soluble sugars, and titratable acidity for two advanced selections and three cultivars of black currant at two distant locations in Sweden (south: 56°06'N; north: 65°21'N) over a 3 year period. Regression analyses revealed the effect of genotype to be considerably larger than that of location and year.

An optimized method for analysis of phenolic compounds in buds, leaves, and fruits of black currant ( Ribes nigrum L.).

Although the fruits are the economic driver for the black currant industry, the buds and leaves are excellent sources of beneficial phenolic compounds that may contribute to the future value of the crop. In this study, extraction of phenolic compounds for different parts of the black currant plant was optimized, and an efficient method for their separation by HPLC was developed. This allowed the simultaneous quantification of a range of hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, and anthocyanins by DAD following their identification by HPLC-ESI-MS(n).

Tocopherols in rose hips (Rosa spp.) during ripening.

Background: Rose hips are used as a food ingredient and in health products. They are rich in various bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and vitamin C, but data on their vitamin E content (tocopherols and tocotrienols) are limited. In this study, four different species of Rosa were analysed for tocopherol and tocotrienol content during ripening in three different years.

Carotenoids in sea buckthorn ( Hippophae rhamnoides L.) berries during ripening and use of pheophytin a as a maturity marker.

Four cultivars of sea buckthorn berries were analyzed for their carotenoid and chlorophyll contents during ripening in three consecutive years. The different carotenoids generally increased in concentration during ripening and comprised from 120 to 1425 microg/g of DW of total carotenoids (1.5-18.

Tocopherols and tocotrienols in sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) berries during ripening.

Sea buckthorn berries ( Hippophae rhamnoides L.) are used in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. They are of particular interest for their high content of healthy phytochemicals, including vitamin E-related compounds (tocopherols and tocotrienols).