Domenico Masuero

A Versatile Targeted Metabolomics Method for the Rapid Quantification of Multiple Classes of Phenolics in Fruits and Beverages

Compelling evidence of the health benefits of phenolic compounds and their impact on food quality have stimulated the development of analytical methods for the identification and quantification of these compounds in different matrices in recent years. A targeted metabolomics method has been developed for the quantification of 135 phenolics, such as benzoates, phenylpropanoids, coumarins, stilbenes, dihydrochalcones, and flavonoids, in fruit and tea extracts and wine using UPLC/QqQ-MS/MS. Chromatography was optimized to achieve separation of the compounds over a period of 15 min, and MRM transitions were selected for accurate quantification. The method was validated by studying the detection and quantification limits, the linearity ranges, and the intraday and interday repeatability of the analysis. The validated method was applied to the analysis of apples, berries, green tea, and red wine, providing a valuable tool for food quality evaluation and breeding studies.

Profiling and Accurate Quantification of Rubus Ellagitannins and Ellagic Acid Conjugates Using Direct UPLC-Q-TOF HDMS and HPLC-DAD Analysis

Accurate quantification and structural characterization of ellagitannins and ellagic acid conjugates in food, beverages, and food supplements are essential starting points for studying their effect on human health. However, accuracy is hindered both by the lack of pure standard compounds and by methods that maintain the compounds in their native form, avoiding any chemical modification of the structure. The objective of this work was to develop a new method for the purification, chromatographic separation, and accurate quantification of ellagitannins and ellagic acid conjugates to provide thorough characterization of the diversity in composition of 11 Rubus cultivars grown in Trentino, Italy. As such, two major steps were required: (i) the isolation and purification (with associated detailed structural characterization and determination of their molar extinction coefficients) of sanguiin H-6 and lambertianin C, providing essential data for their use, together with ellagic acid, as external standards, and (ii) the determination of the chemical structure of 20 novel minor ellagitannins and 4 ellagic acid conjugates on the basis of their Q-TOF-HDMS and DAD spectra. This survey of ellagitannins and ellagic acid conjugates provides evidence for the existence of significant differences in the pattern between and within blackberry and raspberry cultivars. To our knowledge, this is the first paper that has combined detailed metabolite profiling with accurate quantification of the main ellagitannins in Rubus using their respective standards.

Profiling of resveratrol oligomers, important stress metabolites, accumulating in the leaves of hybrid Vitis vinifera (Merzling × Teroldego) genotypes infected with Plasmopara viticola.

In the Vitaceae, viniferins represent a relatively restricted group of trans-resveratrol oligomers with antifungal properties, thus enabling plants to cope with pathogen attack. The aim of this study was to perform isolation and structural characterization of the whole class of viniferins accumulating in the leaves of hybrid Vitis vinifera (Merzling × Teroldego) genotypes infected with Plasmopara viticola . Infected leaves of resistant plants were collected 6 days after infection, extracted with methanol, and prepurified by flash chromatography using ENV+ and Toyopearl HW 40S resins. Further fractionation using normal-phase preparative chromatography and then reversed-phase preparative chromatography allowed isolation of 14 peaks. The isolated compounds were identified using advanced mass spectrometry techniques and extensive one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, UV, CD, optical properties, and molecular mechanic calculations. The results demonstrated the presence in infected leaves of seven dimers (six stilbenes and one stilbenoid), of which four were new in grapevine (ampelopsin D, quadrangularin A, E-ω-viniferin, and Z-ω-viniferin), four trimers (three stilbenes and one stilbenoid), of which two (Z-miyabenol C and E-cis-miyabenol C) were new in grapevine, three tetramer stilbenoids, all new in grapevine, isohopeaphenol, ampelopsin H, and a vaticanol C-like isomer. The isolation of a dimer deriving from the condensation of (+)-catechin with trans-caffeic acid also indicated that other preformed phenolics are structurally modified in tissues infected with P. viticola.

LC-MS based global metabolite profiling of grapes: solvent extraction protocol optimisation

Optimal solvent conditions for grape sample preparation were investigated for the purpose of metabolite profiling studies, with the aim of obtaining as many features as possible with the best analytical repeatability. Mixtures of water, methanol and chloroform in different combinations were studied as solvents for the extraction of ground grapes. The experimental design used a two stage study to find the optimum extraction medium. The extracts obtained were further purified using solid phase extraction and analysed using a UPLC full scan TOF MS with both reversed phase and hydrophilic interaction chromatography. The data obtained were processed using data extraction algorithms and advanced statistical software for data mining. The results obtained indicated that a fairly broad optimal area for solvent composition could be identified, containing approximately equal amounts of methanol and chloroform and up to 20% water. Since the water content of the samples was variable, the robustness of the optimal conditions suggests these are appropriate for large scale profiling studies for characterisation of the grape metabolome.

A Metabolomic Approach to the Study of Wine Micro-Oxygenation

Wine micro-oxygenation is a globally used treatment and its effects were studied here by analysing by untargeted LC-MS the wine metabolomic fingerprint. Eight different procedural variations, marked by the addition of oxygen (four levels) and iron (two levels) were applied to Sangiovese wine, before and after malolactic fermentation. Data analysis using supervised and unsupervised multivariate methods highlighted some known candidate biomarkers, together with a number of metabolites which had never previously been considered as possible biomarkers for wine micro-oxygenation. Various pigments and tannins were identified among the known candidate biomarkers. Additional new information was obtained suggesting a correlation between oxygen doses and metal contents and changes in the concentration of primary metabolites such as arginine, proline, tryptophan and raffinose, and secondary metabolites such as succinic acid and xanthine. Based on these findings, new hypotheses regarding the formation and reactivity of wine pigment during micro-oxygenation have been proposed. This experiment highlights the feasibility of using unbiased, untargeted metabolomic fingerprinting to improve our understanding of wine chemistry.

Insights into the Role of the Berry-Specific Ethylene Responsive Factor VviERF045

During grape ripening, numerous transcriptional and metabolic changes are required in order to obtain colored, sweet, and flavored berries. There is evidence that ethylene, together with other signals, plays an important role in triggering the onset of ripening. Here, we report the functional characterization of a berry-specific Ethylene Responsive Factor (ERF), VviERF045, which is induced just before véraison and peaks at ripening. Phylogenetic analysis revealed it is close to the SHINE clade of ERFs, factors involved in the regulation of wax biosynthesis and cuticle morphology. Transgenic grapevines lines overexpressing VviERF045 were obtained, in vitro propagated, phenotypically characterized, and analyzed for the content of specific classes of metabolites. The effect of VviERF045 was correlated with the level of transgene expression, with high-expressing lines showing stunted growth, discolored and smaller leaves, and a lower level of chlorophylls and carotenoids. One line with intermediate expression, L15, was characterized at the transcriptomic level and showed 573 differentially expressed genes compared to wild type plants. Microscopy and gene expression analyses point toward a major role of VviERF045 in epidermis patterning by acting on waxes and cuticle. They also indicate that VviERF045 affects phenolic secondary metabolism and induces a reaction resembling a plant immune response with modulation of receptor like-kinases and pathogen related genes. These results suggest also a possible role of this transcription factor in berry ripening, likely related to changes in epidermis and cuticle of the berry, cell expansion, a decrease in photosynthetic capacity, and the activation of several defense related genes as well as from the phenylpropanoid metabolism. All these processes occur in the berry during ripening.

A Multidisciplinary Approach Providing New Insight into Fruit Flesh Browning Physiology in Apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.)

In terms of the quality of minimally processed fruit, flesh browning is fundamentally important in the development of an aesthetically unpleasant appearance, with consequent off-flavours. The development of browning depends on the enzymatic action of the polyphenol oxidase (PPO). In the ‘Golden Delicious’ apple genome ten PPO genes were initially identified and located on three main chromosomes (2, 5 and 10). Of these genes, one element in particular, here called Md-PPO, located on chromosome 10, was further investigated and genetically mapped in two apple progenies (‘Fuji x Pink Lady’ and ‘Golden Delicious x Braeburn’). Both linkage maps, made up of 481 and 608 markers respectively, were then employed to find QTL regions associated with fruit flesh browning, allowing the detection of 25 QTLs related to several browning parameters. These were distributed over six linkage groups with LOD values spanning from 3.08 to 4.99 and showed a rate of phenotypic variance from 26.1 to 38.6%. Anchoring of these intervals to the apple genome led to the identification of several genes involved in polyphenol synthesis and cell wall metabolism. Finally, the expression profile of two specific candidate genes, up and downstream of the polyphenolic pathway, namely phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), provided insight into flesh browning physiology. Md-PPO was further analyzed and two haplotypes were characterised and associated with fruit flesh browning in apple.

Gibberellin metabolism in Vitis vinifera L. during bloom and fruit-set: functional characterization and evolution of grapevine gibberellin oxidases

Gibberellins (GAs) are involved in the regulation of flowering and fruit-set in grapes (Vitis vinifera L.), but the molecular mechanisms behind this process are mostly unknown. In this work, the family of grapevine GA oxidases involved in the biosynthesis and deactivation of GAs was characterized. Six putative GA 20-oxidase (GA20ox), three GA 3-oxidase (GA3ox), and eight GA 2-oxidase (GA2ox) proteins, the latter further divided into five C19-GA 2ox and three C20-GA2ox proteins, were identified. Phylogenetic analyses suggest a common origin of the GA3ox and C19-GA2ox groups and challenge previous evolutionary models. In vitro analysis revealed that all GA3ox and GA20ox enzymes prefer substrates of the non-13-hydroxylation pathway. In addition, ectopic expression of GA2ox genes in Arabidopsis thaliana confirmed the activity of their encoded proteins in vivo. The results show that bioactive GA1 accumulates in opening grapevine flowers, whereas at later developmental stages only GA4 is detected in the setting fruit. By studying the expression pattern of the grapevine GA oxidase genes in different organs, and at different stages of flowering and fruit-set, it is proposed that the pool of bioactive GAs is controlled by a fine regulation of the abundance and localization of GA oxidase transcripts.

Fate of Microbial Metabolites of Dietary Polyphenols in Rats: Is the Brain Their Target Destination?

Different polyphenol compounds are ingested when consuming a serving of fruits rich in polyphenols, spanning from one-phenol hydroxybenzoic acid to more complex polymeric compounds. Only a minor quantity of the polyphenols (5-10%) is absorbed. The remainder reaches the colon and is extensively metabolized by gut microbiota to low-molecular weight metabolites. Their subsequent tissue distribution is still undefined, although these microbial metabolites are currently believed to play a role in human health and disease states. To fill this knowledge gap, we performed a pharmacokinetics experiment in which a single bolus of 23 polyphenol microbial metabolites (total 2.7 μmol) was administered intravenously to rats to reliably reproduce a physiological postabsorption situation. Tissues and urine were collected shortly thereafter (15 s to 15 min) and were analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS to quantitatively track these compounds. Remarkably, the brain was found to be a specific target organ for 10 of the 23 polyphenol metabolites injected, which significantly increased in the treated animals. In most cases, their appearance in the brain was biphasic, with an early wave at 2 min (4 compounds) and a second wave starting at 5 min; at 15 min, 9 compounds were still detectable. Most compounds were excreted into the urine. The concentrations in the brain of the treated animals were compared against those of the control group by Students t test, with p-values < 0.1 considered to be statistically significant. These findings provide new perspectives for understanding the role of diet on brain chemistry. Our experimental approach has enabled us to obtain rich metabolomics information from a single experiment involving a limited number of animals.

Is there room for improving the nutraceutical composition of apple

In this study, we assessed the main bioactive compounds of a broad apple germplasm collection, composed by 247 accessions of wild (97) and domesticated (150) species. Among the stilbenes, trans- and cis-piceid were found to be ubiquitary components of both wild and cultivated apples. Apple was suggested to be the second dietary source of resveratrols. Results confirmed that the selection pressure of breeding and domestication did not uniformly affect all the phytochemicals contained in apples. For instance, organic acids (malic and ascorbic acid) and some phenolics (stilbenes, hydroxycinnamic acids, and dihydrochalcones) were significantly influenced by selection, while some relevant flavonoids (flavonols and flavan-3-ols) and triterpenoids (ursolic, oleanolic, and betulinic acids) were not. This comprehensive screening will assist in the selection of Malus accessions with specific nutraceutical traits suitable to establish innovative breeding strategies or to patent new functional foods and beverages.