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Molecules
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Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Bioactive Components in Fruits and Vegetables
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Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Bioactive Components in Fruits and Vegetables

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 5216

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Minjie Qian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, China
Interests: fruit appearance quality; light signal response; molecular biology; metabolites
Dr. Jianzhao Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Agriculture, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
Interests: plant molecular biology; metabolites; plant biotechnology; postharvest
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Dong Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
Interests: plant molecular biology; plant biotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fruits and vegetables produce diverse bioactive components including vitamins, diet fibers, polyphenols, flavonoids, and different kinds of pigments (i.e. carotenoids, anthocyanins, betalains, etc.), which are not only essential for the resistance of plants to abiotic and biotic stresses, but also beneficial for human health. With the developments of molecular biology, biotechnology, synthetic biology, analytical chemistry, and omics (i.e. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.), different compositions of the bioactive components have been identified, as well as the key structural genes and transcription factors involved in the biosynthesis of bioactive components. However, compared with model species, the biosynthesis and metabolism of bioactive components in fruits and vegetables still need further investigation.

The proposed Special Issue entitled “Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Bioactive Components in Fruits and Vegetables” aims to present advances in composition identification and quantification, functional gene mining, omics analyses, and the application of biotechnology and pre- and post-harvest technologies related to the biosynthesis and metabolism of bioactive components in fruits and vegetables. We look forward to receiving your manuscripts (including reviews and research articles) and are eager to share your newest findings.

Dr. Minjie Qian
Dr. Jianzhao Li
Prof. Dr. Dong Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 21866 KiB  
Article
Characterization Variation of the Differential Coloring Substances in Rapeseed Petals with Different Colors Using UPLC-HESI-MS/MS
by Haitao Zeng, Tao Zheng, Ying Li, Qiao Chen, Yan Xue, Qi Tang, Hao Xu and Mengjiao Chen
Molecules 2023, 28(15), 5670; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28155670 - 26 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 839
Abstract
Rapeseed’s (Brassica napus L.) colorful petals have important ornamental values. However, the mechanisms of regulating petals coloration in rapeseed are still unknown. In our study, we investigated the key differential coloring substances in nine rapeseed cultivars with different petal colors, and 543 [...] Read more.
Rapeseed’s (Brassica napus L.) colorful petals have important ornamental values. However, the mechanisms of regulating petals coloration in rapeseed are still unknown. In our study, we investigated the key differential coloring substances in nine rapeseed cultivars with different petal colors, and 543 metabolites were detected and characterized through UPLC-HESI-MS/MS. Among them, the kinds and contents of flavonols, flavones, and anthocyanidins were the main contributors to petals’ coloration. Tamarixetin-, quercetin-, butin-, naringenin- and luteolin-derivates were the main pigment bases in white and yellow petals. Peonidin-3,5-O-diglucoside, peonidin-3-O-(6″-O-caffeoyl)glucoside, and quercetin-derivatives were the main coloring substances in pink petals. Acylated cyanidin derivatives might lead to a series of different purple petal colors. Glycosylated anthocyanins were responsible for the coloration of rapeseed red petals, and peonidin-3-O-glucoside and kaempferol-derivatives were mainly detected from the red petals. These results provide comprehensive insights into the difference in flavonoid metabolites in rapeseed petals with different colors and supply theoretical supports for the breeding of novel colorful rapeseed cultivars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Bioactive Components in Fruits and Vegetables)
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17 pages, 3572 KiB  
Article
Variation in the Main Health-Promoting Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity of Three Leafy Vegetables in Southwest China
by Yi Zhang, Wenli Huang, Chenlu Zhang, Huanhuan Huang, Shihan Yang, Yiqing Wang, Zhi Huang, Yi Tang, Xiaomei Li, Huashan Lian, Huanxiu Li, Fen Zhang and Bo Sun
Molecules 2023, 28(12), 4780; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28124780 - 15 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1257
Abstract
Malabar spinach (Basella alba), amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor), and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) are leafy vegetables found in Southwest China. The variation of chlorophyll, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, total flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity was studied in the [...] Read more.
Malabar spinach (Basella alba), amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor), and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) are leafy vegetables found in Southwest China. The variation of chlorophyll, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, total flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity was studied in the leaves and stems of the three vegetables. The content of main health-promoting compounds and the antioxidant capacity in the leaves were higher than that in the stems, indicating that the leaves of the three vegetables possess greater nutritional value. The trend of total flavonoids in all three vegetables was similar to the trend of antioxidant capacity, suggesting that the total flavonoids may be the major antioxidants wihin these vegetables. Eight individual phenolic compounds were detected in three different vegetables. The most abundant levels of individual phenolic compounds in the leaves and stems of malabar spinach, amaranth, and sweet potato were 6′-O-feruloyl-d-sucrose (9.04 and 2.03 mg g−1 DW), hydroxyferulic acid (10.14 and 0.73 mg g−1 DW), and isorhamnetin-7-O-glucoside (34.93 and 6.76 mg g−1 DW), respectively. Sweet potato exhibited a higher total and individual phenolic compound content compared to malabar spinach and amaranth. Overall, the results demonstrate that the three leafy vegetables possess high nutritional value, and could be used not only for consumption but also in various other fields, including medicine and chemistry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Bioactive Components in Fruits and Vegetables)
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17 pages, 3953 KiB  
Article
p-Synephrine Indicates Internal Maturity of Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck cv. Mato Peiyu—Reclaiming Functional Constituents from Nonedible Parts
by Li-Yun Lin, Chiung Chi Peng, Yi-Ping Huang, Kuan-Chou Chen and Robert Y. Peng
Molecules 2023, 28(10), 4244; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28104244 - 22 May 2023
Viewed by 1214
Abstract
The processing of Citrus grandis Osbeck cv. Mato Peiyu (CGMP) fruits generates a considerable amount of waste, mainly the flavedo, albedo, and segment membrane; the generated waste yields severe environmental and economic challenges. In this study, we tried to reclaim some functional chemicals [...] Read more.
The processing of Citrus grandis Osbeck cv. Mato Peiyu (CGMP) fruits generates a considerable amount of waste, mainly the flavedo, albedo, and segment membrane; the generated waste yields severe environmental and economic challenges. In this study, we tried to reclaim some functional chemicals from the waste. Our data indicated that the essential oil content in the flavedo was 0.76–1.34%, with the major component being monoterpenes (93.75% in August, declining to 85.56% in November, including mainly limonene (87.08% to 81.12%) and others such as β-myrcene). p-Synephrine (mg/100 g dry weight) declined accordingly (flavedo, 10.40 to 2.00; albedo, 1.80 to 0.25; segment membrane, 0.3 in August, 0.2 in September, and none since October). Polyphenols (in μg/g) included gallic acid (70.32–110.25, 99.27–252.89, and 105.78–187.36, respectively); protocatechuic acid (65.32–204.94, 26.35–72.35, and 214.98–302.65, respectively), p-coumaric acid (30.63–169.13, 4.32–17.00, and 6.68–34.32, respectively), ferulic acid (12.36–39.36, 1.21–10.25, and 17.07–39.63, respectively), and chlorogenic acid (59.19–199.36, 33.08–108.57, and 65.32–150.14, respectively). Flavonoids (in μg/g) included naringin (flavedo, 89.32–283.19), quercetin (181.05–248.51), nobiletin (259.75–563.7), hesperidin, and diosmin. The phytosterol content (mg/100 g) was 12.50–44.00 in the flavedo. The total dietary fiber in the segment membrane was 57 g/100 g. The antioxidant activity against the DPPH• and ABTS+• free radicals was moderately high. In conclusion, the waste of CGMP fruits is worth reclaiming for essential oil, p-synephrine, polyphenolics, and dietary fiber. Notably, p-synephrine content (flavedo: <8 mg/100 g dry weight, albedo: <2.0, or segment membrane: <0.4 mg) can serve as a marker of the internal maturation of CGMP fruits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Bioactive Components in Fruits and Vegetables)
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12 pages, 7992 KiB  
Article
Metabolic Profiling and Potential Taste Biomarkers of Two Rambutans during Maturation
by Hao Deng, Guang Wu, Li Guo, Fuchu Hu, Liying Zhou, Bin Xu, Qingchun Yin and Zhe Chen
Molecules 2023, 28(3), 1390; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031390 - 01 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1614
Abstract
The metabolite-caused taste variation during rambutan maturation is unknown due to a lack of systematic investigation of all components. In this study, three growing stages, including unripe (S1), half-ripe (S2), and full-ripe (S3) BY2 and BY7 rambutans were compared and profiled by UPLC–MS/MS-based [...] Read more.
The metabolite-caused taste variation during rambutan maturation is unknown due to a lack of systematic investigation of all components. In this study, three growing stages, including unripe (S1), half-ripe (S2), and full-ripe (S3) BY2 and BY7 rambutans were compared and profiled by UPLC–MS/MS-based widely targeted metabolomics analysis. We demonstrated that the sugar-acid ratios of two rambutans were greatly improved between the S2 and S3 stages. A total of 821 metabolites were identified, including 232, 205, 204, and 12 differential metabolites (DMs) in BY2-S1 vs. BY2-S2, BY2-S2 vs. BY2-S3, BY7-S1 vs. BY7-S2, and BY7-S2 vs. BY7-S3, respectively. A correlation analysis showed that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) could be the sugar-acid ratio biomarker of BY2 rambutan. Methionine (Met), alanine (Ala), and S-methyl-L-cysteine (SMC) could be total amino acid biomarkers of BY2 and BY7 rambutans. In addition, UPLC-MS/MS-based quantitative verification of the above biomarkers exhibited the same variations as metabolomics analysis. This study not only provides useful nutritive information on rambutans but also valuable metabolic data for rambutan breeding strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Bioactive Components in Fruits and Vegetables)
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