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Multifunctionality of Phenolic Compounds in Plants, 2nd Edition
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Multifunctionality of Phenolic Compounds in Plants, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 1852

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maja Mikulič-Petkovšek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: primary and secondary metabolites; biological potential of grapevine and fruit species; resistance mechanisms; plant–environment interaction; food chemistry; wine; high-performance liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; natural product chemistry; antioxidants; bioactive com-pounds; food processing techniques; analytical methods; secondary metabolism; plant extracts; phytochemicals; fruit quality; plant extracts with biological activity; development of innovative products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Phenolic substances are found in various plant organs and have different functions in plants: they contribute to the colour of flowers and fruits, attracting pollinators and seed dispensers; they have a protective function against herbivores and pathogens; and some phenolic compounds have an allelopathic effect. They also provide protection against UV radiation among other functions. In addition, phenolic compounds have a strong influence on the quality of the fruit produced and on the organoleptic characteristics of the juice and wine produced, such as colour, flavour, and aroma.
In essence, their most important task is to protect the plant from various abiotic and biotic harmful influences. Many environmental factors—including solar radiation, temperature, lack of water, and nutrients—lead to the synthesis and accumulation of phenolic components. In addition to abiotic factors, there are constant plant-damaging organisms in nature, such as herbivores, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes, against which the plant also tries to protect itself by synthesizing phenolic compounds. Because of their action, phenolic compounds can also be used as ecological agents to protect plants from insects; moreover, they can serve as growth inhibitors for certain plants.

The goal of this Special Issue of Plants is to publish studies that address various aspects of phenolic compounds’ importance in plants. Research studies can describe the importance of various phenolic compounds regarding the quality parameters of plants and their products, such as juices and wines. However, articles can also monitor the response of individual plants to environmental stressors (biotic or abiotic) and the effects of various technological processes of food production or processing on altered phenolic compound synthesis and content. The results of the allelopathic effect of some phenolic components on the reduced growth of weed species and on the control of some insects and pathogens are also important and useful.

For consumers, data on the content of phenolic compounds in both plant foods and their products are extremely important, especially regarding their beneficial effects on human health. For growers, the obtained research results will provide important information in the field of synthesis and content of the analysed phenolic substances in different types of production. Additionally, we will gain insights into their importance concerning the natural defence mechanisms of plants—showing the allelopathic effect of phenolic substances in agricultural production—and their resultant reduced environmental impact due to the decreased use of synthetic pesticides.

Dr. Maja Mikulič-Petkovšek
Guest Editor

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. Plants 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.

Keywords

  • phenolic compounds
  • secondary metabolites
  • hydroxycinnamic acids
  • phenolic acids
  • anthocyanins
  • flavonoids
  • biotic/abiotic stress
  • food chemistry
  • antioxidant activity
  • antioxidants
  • food analysis
  • juice
  • fruit
  • chromatography
  • extraction
  • plant biology
  • high-performance liquid chromatography
  • natural product chemistry
  • phytochemicals
  • allelopathy
  • plant pathology
  • environmental stressors
  • production technology

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 2639 KiB  
Article
Structural Variations of Broccoli Polyphenolics and Their Antioxidant Capacity as a Function of Growing Temperature
by Ivana Šola and Daria Gmižić
Plants 2025, 14(8), 1186; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14081186 - 11 Apr 2025
Viewed by 398
Abstract
Polyphenolics in plants exist in free, soluble-bound, and insoluble-bound structural forms. The concentration of these structural forms depends on the plant’s developmental stage, tissue type, soil water availability, and food preparation methods. In this study, for the first time, the effects of growth [...] Read more.
Polyphenolics in plants exist in free, soluble-bound, and insoluble-bound structural forms. The concentration of these structural forms depends on the plant’s developmental stage, tissue type, soil water availability, and food preparation methods. In this study, for the first time, the effects of growth temperature (RT—room temperature—23 °C day/18 °C night, HT—high temperature—38 °C day/33 °C night, LT—low temperature—12 °C day/7 °C night) on variations of polyphenolic structural forms—free, soluble-bound (esterified and glycosylated), and insoluble-bound—in broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. convar. botrytis (L.) Alef. var. cymosa Duch.) microgreens were investigated. Using spectrophotometric, RP-HPLC, and statistical analyses, it was found that the highest amount of total phenolics (TP) in broccoli microgreens was present in the esterified form, regardless of the temperature at which they were grown (63.21 ± 3.49 mg GAE/g dw in RT, 65.55 ± 8.33 mg GAE/g dw in HT, 77.44 ± 7.82 mg GAE/g dw in LT). LT significantly increased the amount of free (from 13.30 ± 2.22 mg GAE/g dw in RT to 18.33 ± 3.85 mg GAE/g dw) and esterified soluble TP (from 63.21 ± 3.49 mg GAE/g dw in RT to 77.44 ± 7.82 mg GAE/g dw), while HT significantly increased the amount of TP glycosylated forms (from 14.85 ± 1.45 mg GAE/g dw in RT to 17.84 ± 1.20 mg GAE/g dw). LT also enhanced free and esterified forms of total flavonoids, tannins, hydroxycinnamic acids, and flavonols. HT, on the other hand, increased glycosylated forms of TP, flavonoids, tannins, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, and phenolic acids, and decreased insoluble-bound tannins. According to the ABTS method, HT induced antioxidant potential of free and glycosylated forms, while LT increased antioxidant capacity of free forms only. According to the FRAP method, LT increased antioxidant potential of free and esterified polyphenolic forms. Also, based on ABTS and FRAP assays, esterified polyphenolics showed significantly higher antioxidant capacity than any other form. Principal component analysis showed that structural form had a greater impact than temperature. Hierarchical clustering showed that RT-, HT- and LT-broccoli microgreens were most similar in their glycosylated polyphenolics, but differed the most in esterified forms, which were also the most distinct overall. In conclusion, HT and LT induced specific shifts in the structural forms of broccoli polyphenolics and their antioxidant capacity. Based on the results, we recommend applying LT to increase the amount of free and esterified polyphenolics in broccoli microgreens, while HT may be used to enhance glycosylated forms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctionality of Phenolic Compounds in Plants, 2nd Edition)
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38 pages, 2602 KiB  
Article
Copper Sulfate Elicitation Effect on Biomass Production, Phenolic Compounds Accumulation, and Antioxidant Activity of Morus nigra L. Stem Node Culture
by Jan Senekovič, Špela Jelen and Andreja Urbanek Krajnc
Plants 2025, 14(5), 766; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050766 - 2 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1086
Abstract
Phenolic compounds are strong antioxidant and antibacterial agents with great pharmacological, medicinal, nutritional, and industrial value. The potential of Morus nigra in stem node culture was investigated for the production of phenolic compounds and their elicitation with CuSO4. Individual phenolic compounds [...] Read more.
Phenolic compounds are strong antioxidant and antibacterial agents with great pharmacological, medicinal, nutritional, and industrial value. The potential of Morus nigra in stem node culture was investigated for the production of phenolic compounds and their elicitation with CuSO4. Individual phenolic compounds in the samples were identified and quantified by using HPLC-PDA and HPLC-MS methods, while the content of total phenolic compounds, the content of total flavonoids, and the antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts were evaluated spectrophotometrically. The highest fresh and dry weights were obtained in plantlets treated with 0.5 mM CuSO4 for 42 days. The highest total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of the extracts were determined in stem node cultures treated with 3 mM CuSO4 for 42 days. Under the latter conditions, the predominant representatives of the caffeoylquinic acids, p-coumaric acid derivatives, kaempferol derivatives, and quercetin derivatives also achieved the highest content. The most abundant phenolic compound in all samples was the chlorogenic acid. The nodal culture of M. nigra elicited with CuSO4 could potentially be used for the industrial production of phenolic compounds, especially caffeoylquinic acids. Moreover, considering the biochemical response to CuSO4 treatment and the ability to tolerate and accumulate copper, the potential application of M. nigra in phytoremediation is also highlighted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctionality of Phenolic Compounds in Plants, 2nd Edition)
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