Cytogenomic Characterization of Transposable Elements and Satellite DNA in Passiflora L. Species.

The species Passiflora alata, P. cincinnata, and P. edulis have great economic value due to the use of their fruits for human consumption. In this study, we compared the repetitive genome fractions of these three species. The compositions of the repetitive DNA of these three species' genomes were analyzed using clustering and identification of the repetitive sequences with RepeatExplorer. It was found that repetitive DNA content represents 74.70%, 66.86%, and 62.24% of the genome of P. alata, P. edulis, and P. cincinnata, respectively. LTR Ty3/Gypsy retrotransposons represent the highest genome proportions in P. alata and P. edulis, while Ty1/Copia comprises the largest proportion of P. cincinnata genome. Chromosomal mapping by Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) showed that LTR retrotransposons have a dispersed distribution along chromosomes. The subtelomeric region of chromosomes is where 145 bp satellite DNA is located, suggesting that these elements may play important roles in genome structure and organization in these species. In this work, we obtained the first global characterization of the composition of repetitive DNA in Passiflora, showing that an increase in genome size is related to an increase in repetitive DNA, which represents an important evolutionary route for these species.

Physicochemical and functional properties of new sports drink with ricotta cheese whey and a brazilian passion fruit variety.

The present study investigated the bioaccessibility of minerals, bioactive compounds, and sensory acceptance of isotonic beverages formulated with Ricotta cheese whey (RCW) and passion fruit cv. BRS Sertão Forte. Three formulations were developed: I1 with 50% RCW and 5% passion fruit pulp, I2 with 50% RCW and 8.5% pulp, and I3 with 30% RCW and 12% pulp. I3 showed higher ascorbic acid content and antioxidant activity, exhibited the highest scores in the consumer test, and maintained its physicochemical stability and microbiological safety during the storage at 7 °C for 56 days. (-)-Epicatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, and cis-resveratrol were the main phenolic compounds quantified in the isotonic beverages. I1 and I3 exhibited high bioaccessibility of the minerals K, Na, and Mg (37-70%) compared to I2, which showed bioaccessibility between 31 and 40%. The beverages developed are innovative alternatives for the market of supplements for athletes, combining the use of a dairy industry by-product and a new variety of passion fruit to date little-explored economically. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-022-05636-5.

Salt stress on physiology, biometry and fruit quality of grafted Passiflora edulis / Estresse salino na fisiologia, biometria e qualidade dos frutos de Passiflora edulis enxertada

The production of grafted passion fruit is an alternative for plant adaptation to saline environments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of salt stress on physiology, biometry and fruit quality of P. edulis grafted on Passiflora spp. The experiment was conducted in completely randomized design, in a 3 x 2 factorial scheme, corresponding to three species of Passiflora (P. edulis, P. gibertii and P. cincinnata) with P. edulis scion and two levels of irrigation water salinity (0.5 - control and 4.5 dS m-1), with four repetitions. Water salinity compromises gas exchanges (CO2 assimilation raste and transpiration) and physiological variables (total chlorophyll and total water consumption) in grafted P. edulis. The interaction between the factors (water salinity x species) compromised only the growth in plant height and number of leaves. In relation to the species, auto-grafted P. edulis stood out from the other species, with higher internal CO2 concentration, number of leaves, stem dry mass, peel thickness, total soluble solids (TSS) of the pulp and TSS/TA ratio (titratable acidity). Auto-grafted P. edulis under saline conditions develops vital mechanisms (TSS and TSS/TA), which attenuates the effects of salt stress on the physico-chemical quality of the fruits.

A produção de maracujazeiro enxertado é uma alternativa para adaptação das plantas a ambientes salinos. Objetivou-se avaliar o efeito do estresse salino na fisiologia, biometria e qualidade de frutos de P. edulis enxertado em espécies de Passiflora spp. O delineamento utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 3 x 2, sendo três espécies de Passiflora (P. edulis, P. gibertii e P. cincinnata) tendo como copa P. edulis e dois níveis de salinidade de água de irrigação (0,5 ­ testemunha e 4,5 dS m-1), com quatro repetições. A salinidade da água compromete as trocas gasosas (taxa de assimilação de CO2 e transpiração) e variáveis fisiológicas (clorofila total e consumo hídrico total) em P. edulis enxertado. A interação entre os fatores (salinidade da água x espécie) compromete apenas o crescimento em altura de plantas e número de folhas. Em relação às espécies, o P. edulis auto enxertado se destaca em relação as demais espécies apresentando maior concentração interna de CO2, número de folhas, massa seca de caule, espessura da casca do fruto, sólidos solúveis totais (SST) da polpa e razão sólidos solúveis totais por acidez titulável (SST/AT). O P. edulis auto enxertado sob condições de salinidade, desenvolve mecanismos vitais (SST e SST/AT), que atenuam os efeitos do estresse salino na qualidade físico-química dos frutos.

Short communication: Potential use of passion fruit (Passiflora cincinnata) as a biopreservative in the production of coalho cheese, a traditional Brazilian cheese.

Passion fruit (Passiflora cincinnata Mast.) is a native fruit from the Caatinga, a typical ecoregion in northeastern Brazil, and it has potential for use by the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, we characterized the antimicrobial activity of P. cincinnata and its application in the production of coalho cheese, a traditional Brazilian product. Aqueous extract of P. cincinnata exhibited high inhibitory activity against Listeria spp. (n = 4, reference strains), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 3, reference strains), and multidrug-resistant Staph. aureus (n = 8), and low inhibitory activity against lactic acid bacteria (LAB, n = 3, reference strains). Based on these results, we produced coalho cheese using goat milk with and without (control) passion fruit. Cheeses were stored at 10°C for 14 d and populations of mesophilic aerobes, Staph. aureus, and presumptive LAB were monitored at d 1, 7 and 14. The passion fruit cheese had lower counts of mesophilic aerobes, Staph. aureus (after 7 and 14 d), and presumptive LAB (after 14 d) than the control cheese. Adding ground passion fruit contributed to a reduction of Staph. aureus counts in goat cheese, although these differences were not significant. These results indicated the inhibitory potential of passion fruit and its potential use for controlling microbial populations in a cheese model; further studies are needed to characterize the active molecules that are responsible for such activity.

Determination of phenolic compounds, in vitro antioxidant activity and characterization of secondary metabolites in different parts of Passiflora cincinnata by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis.

Ethanol extracts of different parts of Passiflora cincinnata were obtained by maceration. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were evaluated. The antioxidant activities were determined by ß-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching test, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), and 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging. The crude ethanol stem extract showed the highest amount of total polyphenols (45.53 mg gallic acid equivalent/g) while the highest total flavonoid contents (1.42 mg of quercetin equivalent/g) were observed in the leaf extract. The lowest IC50 (25.65 µg/ml) by the DPPH method was observed for the stem extract. The ABTS method showed a significant antioxidant activity for all investigated extracts. The secondary metabolite composition of ethanol extracts was assessed by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis, leading to the identification of fourteen secondary metabolites in P. cincinnata extracts. These results showed the potentiality of this species as a source of phenolic compounds and antioxidants.

Potentiation of antibiotic activity by Passiflora cincinnata Mast. front of strains Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

The development of new drugs from plants is an interesting alternative approach to overcoming microbial resistance. Passiflora cincinnata shows resistance to diseases and pests and a higher concentration of chemical components that may be useful in the pharmaceutical industry. We investigated the potential antimicrobial and antibiotic-modifying activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of leaves, stems, bark, pulp and seeds of P. cincinnata. The extracts were prepared by homogenization of material in 50% ethanol. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the broth dilution method, and the bacterial strains tested were Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Antibiotic-modifying activity was evaluated against the strains S. aureus 03 and E. coli 08, using a subinhibitory concentration of extract. The antibiotics tested were: amikacin, gentamicin, ampicillin, potassium benzylpenicillin and oxacillin. The extracts did not show antimicrobial activity of clinical relevance, where the MIC was equal to or greater than 1024 µg/mL. S. aureus showed 13 events, while E. coli showed only 4 events. Among these events, 14 involved synergistic activity, potentiating the effect of the antibiotics, and only 3 events demonstrated antagonistic activity toward ampicillin. Hydroalcoholic extracts are potential antimicrobial agents when combined with conventional drugs little utilized in in vivo treatment.