Publications by authors named "Tim O'Hare"

Domestic storage conditions can have a significant impact on the composition of phytochemicals and sugars in stone fruits. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two domestic storage temperatures (4 and 23 °C) on the physicochemical properties, phytochemical composition, and sugars of 'Rubycot' (RC) plumcot, a novel stone fruit variety, and 'Queen Garnet' (QG) plum. Initially, RC had a lower total anthocyanin concentration (TAC) than QG, but TAC in RC increased significantly ( < 0.

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Article Synopsis
  • A new super-sweetcorn line called 'Tim1' was created from a purple-pericarp maize and a white sweetcorn, but details about the genes responsible for its purple color and sweetness are still unclear.
  • The study compared the DNA sequences of several anthocyanin biosynthesis and sweetness genes between 'Tim1', its parent lines, and a reference yellow maize to understand their differences.
  • Results indicated that 'Tim1' shares some genes with its purple parent while also having specific differences, especially in the Pr1 gene, suggesting variations in color and confirming unique genetic features in anthocyanin and sweetness compared to other maize lines.
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Purple-pericarp sweetcorn accessions, derived from crossing purple-pericarp maize with white sweetcorn, were assessed for differences in anthocyanin profile at both sweetcorn eating stage and at full kernel maturity. The 'Tim1' sweetcorn line developed a similar total anthocyanin concentration to its 'Costa Rica' parent when assessed at sweetcorn-eating stage. At full maturity it surpassed the purple maize parent, but this was mainly due to the presence of starch diluting the anthocyanin concentration of the latter.

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The existence of purple-pericarp super-sweetcorn based on the supersweet mutation, shrunken2 (sh2), has not been previously reported, due to its extremely tight genetic linkage to a non-functional anthocyanin biosynthesis gene, anthocyaninless1 (a1). Generally, pericarp-pigmented starchy purple corn contains significantly higher anthocyanin. The development of purple-pericarp super-sweetcorn is dependent on breaking the a1-sh2 tight genetic linkage, which occurs at a very low frequency of < 1 in 1000 meiotic crossovers.

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Improving bulb yield and allicin content of garlic is important in meeting fresh and pharmaceutical market demands. Garlic plants have a high demand for sulfur (S) since allicin contains S atoms. Two experiments were conducted to identify the effect of S application rate on garlic yield and quality.

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Due to high perishability, plums are harvested at an early stage of maturity to extend postharvest storage life. Storage time and temperature can significantly affect the phytochemical and sugar composition of plums, altering their palatability and nutritional quality. In this study, variations in physiochemical properties (total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), color (chroma and hue angle)), phytochemical composition (total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), and carotenoids), and sugars in three different tissues of the Queen Garnet plum (QGP) during storage at two common domestic storage temperatures (4 and 23 °C) were evaluated.

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Grain yield and mineral nutrient concentration in cereal crops are usually inversely correlated, undermining biofortification efforts. Here, sink size, expressed as kernel number per cob, was manipulated by controlling the time when the silks of sweetcorn (Zea mays) cv. Hybrix 5 and var.

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In sweetcorn (Zea mays L.), embryo Zn is accumulated mainly as Zn-phytate, whereas endosperm Zn is complexed with a N- or S-containing ligand. Understanding the speciation of Zn in crop plants helps improve the effectiveness of biofortification efforts.

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Influence of kernel position on zeaxanthin, lutein, total carotenoid (TC) and quality parameters was evaluated in a zeaxanthin-biofortified and a commercial yellow sweet-corn. Cobs were harvested at six different maturity stages, and the above variables in kernels from the tip-end, middle and base of the cobs were analysed. Kernels from the tip-end had highest zeaxanthin and TC in the zeaxanthin biofortified sweet-corn, and highest lutein and TC in the commercial yellow sweet-corn.

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Background And Aims: Understanding the spatial distribution of inorganic nutrients within edible parts of plant products helps biofortification efforts to identify and focus on specific uptake pathways and storage mechanisms.

Methods: Kernels of sweetcorn (Zea mays) variety 'High zeaxanthin 103146' and maize inbred line 'Thai Floury 2' were harvested at two different maturity stages, and the distributions of K, P, S, Ca, Zn, Fe and Mn were examined in situ using synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy.

Key Results: The distribution of inorganic nutrients was largely similar between maize and sweetcorn, but differed markedly depending upon the maturity stage after further embryonic development.

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Zeaxanthin, along with its isomer lutein, are the major carotenoids contributing to the characteristic colour of yellow sweet-corn. From a human health perspective, these two carotenoids are also specifically accumulated in the human macula, and are thought to protect the photoreceptor cells of the eye from blue light oxidative damage and to improve visual acuity. As humans cannot synthesise these compounds, they must be accumulated from dietary components containing zeaxanthin and lutein.

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Prostate cancer is common in men with very high mortality which is one of leading causes of cancer-related deaths in men. The main treatment approaches for metastasized prostate cancer are androgen deprivation and chemotherapeutic agents. Although there are initial responses to castration, the resistance to the treatment will eventually occur, leading to castration-resistant prostate cancer.

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Background: New varieties of fruits and vegetables, with higher carotenoid levels, are being developed to improve the potential health benefits to consumers. To assist the development of a new variety of high zeaxanthin sweetcorn, an analytical screening method was developed, including chromameter measurement of hue angle and optimized extraction for HPLC, and applied to 385 lines of a breeding population and six commercial varieties.

Results: Saponification had no effect on carotenoid extraction.

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