Antixenosis in Glycine max (L.) Merr against Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris).

To reveal the antixenosis potential against the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) we analyzed the pea aphid survival and probing behavior, and the quantitative and qualitative variation of flavonoids in the leaves of selected soybean Glycine max (L.) Merr (Fabaceae) cultivars 'Aldana', 'Annushka', 'Augusta', 'Madlen', 'Mavka', 'Simona', 'Violetta', and 'Viorica'. Aphid survival was drastically impeded on all cultivars. The electronic monitoring of aphid probing using the Electrical Penetration Graph (EPG) technique revealed that on all soybean cultivars, A. pisum readily probed into leaf tissues but the probes were usually terminated before reaching vascular tissues, which demonstrates the activity of antixenosis mechanisms in peripheral tissues epidermis and/or mesophyll in soybean leaves. The potency of antixenosis factors differed among soybean cultivars, which was reflected in differences in aphid survival and frequency and duration of phloem sap ingestion. Seven flavonoids were found: apigenin, daidzein, genistein, glycitein, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, and rutin, which occurred in different amount and proportion in individual cultivars. The content of apigenin and genistein in all soybean cultivars studied probably made them relatively unacceptable to A. pisum. Kaempferol in 'Aldana' might be responsible for the observed strong antixenosis resistance of this cultivar to A. pisum. The results of our survey provide the first detailed data that can be used for future studies.

Suitability of three-dimensional synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy for fingerprint analysis of honey samples with reference to their phenolic profiles.

The suitability of a right-angle geometry three-dimensional synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (3D-SFS) for the differentiation and classification of different honey types, including acacia, buckwheat, heather, linden, multiflower and rape honeys, was evaluated with reference to their phenolic profiles. The fraction of phenolic compounds was initially isolated and pre-concentrated from analyzed samples by means of polymeric reversed phase Strata X solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. A thoughtful analysis of 3D-SF spectra of resulting methanolic extracts of honey samples containing the separated fraction of phenolics and standards of phenolic acids and flavonoids revealed that the proposed methodology based on SPE and 3D-SFS is capable of discriminating honey samples due to different floral sources in a fast and straightforward way.

Characterisation of honeys according to their content of phenolic compounds using high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

A simple, fast and specific high performance liquid chromatography separation with an electro-spray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry detection in a negative single reaction ion monitoring scan mode was developed and used for the characterization of Polish honeys according to the content of phenolic acids, including caffeic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, ferulic, homogentisic, p-hydroxybenzoic and vanillic acids, and flavonoids, i.e., apigenin, genistein, hesperetin, kaempferol, luteolin, rhamnetin, rutin, tricetin and quercetin. Target compounds were isolated and pre-concentrated from the honey matrix by means of the solid phase extraction using Strata X (500mg) cartridges. Analysed honeys did not contain tricetin and genistein. Hesperetin was determined for the first time in heather and linden honeys while rutin in rape honey.

Determination of the total content of calcium and magnesium and their bioavailability in ripened bee honeys.

An analytical scheme for the fractionation and the determination of Ca and Mg in different bee honeys is presented. Using tandem column solid phase extraction based on a nonionic macroreticular adsorbing resin Amberlite XAD-16 and a gel-type strong cation exchange resin Dowex 50Wx8-200, three different groups of the Ca and Mg species were separated, including the hydrophobic, the cationic, and the residual species fractions. The concentrations of Ca and Mg were measured by means of flame atomic absorption spectrometry without any special chemical preparation of the analyzed samples. When regarding the total concentrations of Ca and Mg in the analyzed ripened floral and honeydew honeys, it was assessed that the most abundant group of the metal species was the cationic fraction, contributing for some honeys up to 96.3 and 97.0% of Ca and Mg, respectively. A relatively significant contribution of the hydrophobic fraction was also found, i.e., up to 20.1% for Ca and 23.0% for Mg.