Shiva Ram Bhandari

Seasonal variation in phytochemicals and antioxidant activities in different tissues of various Broccoli cultivars

Florets, leaves, and stems of twelve commercial broccoli cultivars grown in the spring and fall seasons at the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science (NIHHS), Rural Development Administration (RDA), Suwon, South Korea were evaluated for glucosinolates, vitamin C, total phenol, and total flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity. The levels of all phytochemicals and antioxidant activity were significantly influenced by cultivar (C), plant part (P), and growing season (S). Among the glucosinolates, glucoraphanin and glucobrassicin were the major constituents. The highest total glucosinolate content was found in the florets of plants grown in both seasons. Phenols and flavonoids were highest levels in leaves, while vitamin C was highest in stems, suggesting that broccoli leaves and stems may be good sources of such phytochemicals. The levels of all phytochemicals were generally higher in florets in the spring than in the fall, but were higher in leaves and stems during the fall than the spring. Furthermore, higher cultivar-dependent and tissue-dependent variation was observed in the spring than in the fall. Total phenol content exhibited a strong positive correlation (r = 0.674**) with antioxidant activity, followed by total flavonoid content (r = 0.497**), indicating their significant contribution to total antioxidant activity. Key words: Antioxidant activity, broccoli, glucosinolate, seasonal variation, total phenol, vitamin C.

Comparisons of nutritional and phytochemical property of genetically modified CMV-resistant red pepper and its parental cultivar

The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional composition of a genetically modified (GM) CMV-resistant red pepper strain with its parental line. Specifically, the nutrient content (moisture, protein, lipid, ash, carbohydrate, and energy), minerals, fatty acid composition, capsaicinoids (capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin), free sugars (glucose, sucrose, and fructose), vitamin E isomers (α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols), vitamin C, phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol, and β-sitosterol), squalene contents, and ASTA values were analyzed and compared. Most of the analyzed compounds showed no significant differences between the GM red peppers and the parental line. The only significant difference was observed in stigmasterol content, but the difference was below the 15% natural-fluctuation threshold. These results suggest that the CMV-GM pepper is equivalent to its parental line in terms of nutritional and phytochemical composition.

Evaluation of phytonutrients in Adlay (Coix lacryma- jobi L.) seeds

respectively. Of the six detected fatty acids, the major fatty acids were oleic (46.3%) and linoleic acids (37.4%). Seed squalene content exhibited high correlationship with phytosterols, but not with tocopherols. Among the tested varieties, variety Yulmu 1 showed a relatively higher proportion of phytonutrients, suggesting its potential as a gene source for further breeding.

Yearly Variation in Glucosinolate Content in Inflorescences of Broccoli Breeding Lines

This study aimed to evaluate yearly variation in individual glucosinolate (GSL) profiles and content in inflorescences of 42 broccoli genotypes (9 commercial cultivars, 16 F1 hybrids, and 17 inbred lines) grown at the same location for two consecutive years (2014 and 2015). Broccoli heads were harvested at the marketable stage, and individual GSLs were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Eight GSLs, namely glucoiberin (IBE), progoitrin (PRO), epiprogoitrin (EPI), glucoraphanin (GRA), sinigrin (SIN), gluconapin (NAP), glucoerucin (ERU), and glucobrassicin (BRA) were identified in broccoli breeding lines grown in both 2014 and 2015. BRA was the most dominant GSL, followed by GRA and ERU, in both 2014 and 2015. The GSL content and profiles were dependent on both the genotype and the growing year. In total, five F1 hybrids (A311, 5022, 5036, 5075, and 5078) and three inbred lines (5401, 5402, and 5409) showed similar levels of BRA in both years. In addition, the levels of GRA in genotypes 5078, 5079, 5075, and 5308, and levels of IBE in 5078, 5079, and 5312 were stable between 2014 and 2015. Total GSL content varied from 3.32-16.92 μmol·g-1 in 2014 and 3.83-14.20 μmol·g-1 in 2014. The average total GSL content was higher in 2015 (8.18 μmol·g-1 DW) than in 2014 (7.66 μmol·g-1 DW). This trend was positively correlated to climatic factors such as relative humidity, temperature, and radiation, which were also higher in 2015 than in 2014. The genotypes 5035, 5402, and 5409 had the highest total GSL content among all genotypes in both years. Altogether, two F1 hybrids (5078 and 5079) and two inbred lines (5308 and 5409) showed stable and high GSL contents under two different climatic conditions. Therefore, these genotypes could be used for breeding functional materials for commercialization in the future. Additional key words: environmental variation, F1 hybrid, glucobrassicin, glucoraphanin, inbred line