Characterization of potato starch-high amylose rice starch blend as a substitute of acetylated potato starch in long-life noodle.

This study investigated the suitability of a potato starch (NP)-Dodamssal rice starch (DD) mixture to replace acetylated potato starch (AP) in long-life noodles. Wheat flour (WF) was replaced with AP and NP in 20% of WF, and NP was replaced with DD in 10-50% of NP. The swelling power of the WF-AP mixture was similar to that of all the WF-NP-DD mixtures. The melting enthalpies of the WF-NP-DD mixtures were slightly higher than those of the WF-AP mixtures. The pasting viscosity decreased with increasing DD content of the mixtures. The G' of all the WF-NP-DD mixtures was higher than that of the WF-AP mixture over the temperature profile, and similar G' patterns over time were observed. The tensile strengths of noodles by the WF-NP-DD mixtures were similar to those obtained using the WF and WF-AP mixture. Overall, NP-DD mixtures have the potential to replace AP when mixed with WF. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-024-01628-7.

The emulsifying capacity and stability of potato proteins and peptides: A comprehensive review.

The potato has recently attracted more attention as a promising protein source. Potato proteins are commonly extracted from potato fruit juice, a byproduct of starch production. Potato proteins are characterized by superior techno-functional properties, such as water solubility, gel-forming, emulsifying, and foaming properties. However, commercially isolated potato proteins are often denatured, leading to a loss of these functionalities. Extensive research has explored the influence of different conditions and techniques on the emulsifying capacity and stability of potato proteins. However, there has been no comprehensive review of this topic yet. This paper aims to provide an in-depth overview of current research progress on the emulsifying capacity and stability of potato proteins and peptides, discussing research challenges and future perspectives. This paper discusses genetic diversity in potato proteins and various methods for extracting proteins from potatoes, including thermal and acid precipitation, salt precipitation, organic solvent precipitation, carboxymethyl cellulose complexation, chromatography, and membrane technology. It also covers enzymatic hydrolysis for producing potato-derived peptides and methods for identifying potato protein-derived emulsifying peptides. Furthermore, it reviews the influence of factors, such as physicochemical properties, environmental conditions, and food-processing techniques on the emulsifying capacity and stability of potato proteins and their derived peptides. Finally, it highlights chemical modifications, such as acylation, succinylation, phosphorylation, and glycation to enhance emulsifying capacity and stability. This review provides insight into future research directions for utilizing potato proteins as sustainable protein sources and high-value food emulsifiers, thereby contributing to adding value to the potato processing industry.

Effect of twin-screw extrusion pretreatment on starch structure, rheological properties and 3D printing accuracy of whole potato flour and its application in dysphagia diets.

Twin-screw extrusion pretreatment has great potential for the development of three-dimensional (3D) printed food as dysphagia diets. This study aimed to investigate the effect of twin-screw extrusion pretreatment on starch structure, rheological properties and 3D printing accuracy of whole potato flour and its application in dysphagia diets. The results indicated that twin-screw extrusion pretreatment was found to change chain length distributions, short-range ordered structure and relative crystallinity of whole potato flour (WPF), thereby improving its 3D printing performance. With the increasing proportion of long linear chains (DP > 12), the intensity of hydrogen bonds, linear viscoelastic region, storage modulus (G'), loss modulus (G″), viscosity and n of whole potato flour paste were increased, enhancing high printing accuracy and shape retention of 3D printed samples with a denser microstructure and smaller pore diameter distribution. The whole potato flour paste extruded with a peristaltic pump speed at 5.25 mL/min (WPF-4) displayed the highest printing accuracy with excellent rheological properties, good water distribution state and dense network structure, which classified as class 5 level dysphagia diets. This research provides an effective guidance for the modification of whole potato flour using twin-screw extrusion pretreatment as 3D printed food inks for dysphagia patients.

YourTuber matters: Screening for potato variety for the synthesis of bacterial cellulose in its tuber juice.

This study aimed to characterize potato varieties for producing potato juice media (PJM) that allow bacterial cellulose (BC) effective and cost-efficient production. The study used 12 edible and 10 starch potato varieties from an accredited company for breeding and seed production. In general, edible varieties produced a 73 % higher PJ yield. Favorable BC yields were obtained using five edible and two starch varieties. Notably, the average BC yields in PJM from three edible varieties (Altesse, Mazur, and Owacja) were above the average BC yield from Hestrin-Schramm (HS) medium (4.3, 4.1, and 3.9 g/L v. 3.69 g/L, respectively); these varieties had relatively high concentrations of glucose (3.3-4.2 g/L), fructose (3.0-4.2 g/L), and sucrose (2.9-4.2 g/L). It was also shown that the macro- and microstructure, crystallinity, and polymerization degree showed no significant differences between PJM-derived BC and HS-BC. As estimated, the cost of PJM required to produce 1 kg of BC is approximately EUR 60. In contrast, the cost of HS medium exceeds 1200 EUR. In conclusion, our research has proven that PJM can significantly reduce the costs (by over tenfold) of the medium for BC biosynthesis, ultimately lowering overall costs of producing this valuable biomaterial.

Assessment of potato surpluses as eco-friendly adsorbent for removal of Orange II: optimization and kinetic modelling at different pH values.

Orange II, an azo dye used in textile and leather industries, is toxic and contributes to reducing dissolved oxygen in water. In this sense, agri-food waste adsorbents offer efficient, cost-effective dye removal. In this study, potato surpluses were evaluated as adsorbents for the removal of Orange II at 22 °C and pH values between 4 and 9. The adsorbents were characterized by their morphology, elemental composition, infrared spectra, and point of zero charge. Adsorption isotherms were analysed using Langmuir and Freundlich models, revealing that the Langmuir equation (0.933 < r2 > 0.882) better described the adsorption process compared to the Freundlich model (0.909 < r2 > 0.852). The maximum adsorption capacity at pH 4 was 1.1 and 2.3 times higher than at pH 7 and 9, respectively. This increased capacity at pH 4 was due to favourable electrostatic interactions between the cationic adsorbent surface and the anionic dye. A kinetic model was developed to understand the adsorption dynamics of Orange II, demonstrating high accuracy with coefficients of determination (r2) exceeding 0.99 across various pH values. The predictions of the kinetic model aligned well with the Langmuir isotherm results, indicating a strong theoretical foundation. The critical contact time required to achieve the minimum adsorbent concentration necessary for meeting a discharge limit of 14.7 mg L-1 was determined using both the Langmuir and kinetic models. Simulation profiles showed that when the adsorbent concentration was increased from 12 to 40 g L-1, the contact time necessary to achieve the discharge limit decreased from 26 to 3.35 h, highlighting the trade-off between contact time and cost. This study offers a cost-effective solution for wastewater treatment and presents a robust model for optimizing batch adsorption processes, marking a significant advancement in using potato surpluses for dye removal.

Overexpression of Potato PYL16 Gene in Tobacco Enhances the Transgenic Plant Tolerance to Drought Stress.

PYR/PYL/RCAR proteins are abscisic acid (ABA) receptors that play a crucial role in plant responses to abiotic stresses. However, there have been no research reports on potato PYL so far. In this study, a potato PYL gene named StPYL16 was identified based on transcriptome data under drought stress. Molecular characteristics analysis revealed that the StPYL16 protein possesses an extremely conserved PYL family domain. The tissue expression results indicated that the StPYL16 is predominantly expressed at high levels in the underground parts, particularly in tubers. Abiotic stress response showed that StPYL16 has a significant response to drought treatment. Further research on the promoter showed that drought stress could enhance the activation activity of the StPYL16 promoter on the reporter gene. Then, transient and stable expression of StPYL16 in tobacco enhanced the drought resistance of transgenic plants, resulting in improved plant height, stem thickness, and root development. In addition, compared with wild-type plants, StPYL16 transgenic tobacco exhibited lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content, higher proline accumulation, and stronger superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities. Meanwhile, StPYL16 also up-regulated the expression levels of stress-related genes (NtSOD, NtCAT, NtPOD, NtRD29A, NtLEA5, and NtP5CS) in transgenic plants under drought treatment. These findings indicated that the StPYL16 gene plays a positive regulatory role in potato responses to drought stress.

In Vitro Assay Development to Study Pulse Field Ablation Outcome Using Solanum Tuberosum.

Exposing cells to intense and brief electric field pulses can modulate cell permeability, a phenomenon termed electroporation. When applied in medical treatments of diseases like cancer and cardiac arrhythmias, depending on level of cellular destruction, it is also referred to as irreversible electroporation (IRE) or Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA). For ablation device testing, several pulse parameters need to be characterized in a comprehensive manner to assess lesion boundary and efficacy. Overly aggressive voltages and application numbers increase animal burden. The potato tuber is a widely used initial model for the early testing of electroporation. The aim of this study is to characterize and refine bench testing for the ablation outcomes of PFA in this simplistic vegetal model. For in vitro assays, several pulse parameters like voltage, duration, and frequency were modulated to study effects not only on 2D ablation area but also 3D depth and volume. As PFA is a relatively new technology with minimal thermal effects, we also measured temperature changes before, during, and after ablation. Data from experiments were supplemented with in silico modeling to examine E-field distribution. We have estimated the irreversible electroporation threshold in Solanum Tuberosum to be at 240 V/cm. This bench testing platform can screen several pulse recipes at early stages of PFA device development in a rapid and high-throughput manner before proceeding to laborious trials for IRE medical devices.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of Growth-Regulating Factor Family in Sweet Potato and Its Two Relatives.

Growth-regulating factor (GRF) is a multi-gene family that plays an important role in plant growth and development and is widely present in plants. Currently, GRF gene members have been reported in many plants, but the GRF gene family has not been found in sweet potato. In this study, ten GRF genes were identified in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), twelve and twelve were identified in its two diploid relatives (Ipomoea trifida) and (Ipomoea triloba), which were unevenly distributed on nine different chromosomes. Subcellular localization analysis showed that GRF genes of sweet potato, I. trifida, and I. triloba were all located in the nucleus. The expression analysis showed that the expression of IbGRFs was diverse in different sweet potato parts, and most of the genes were upregulated and even had the highest expression in the vigorous growth buds. These findings provide molecular characterization of sweet potato and its two diploid relatives, the GRF families, further supporting functional characterization.

To be or not to be tetraploid-the impact of marker ploidy on genomic prediction and GWAS of potato.

Cultivated potato, Solanum tuberosum L., is considered an autotetraploid with 12 chromosomes with four homologous phases. However, recent evidence found that, due to frequent large phase deletions in the genome, gene ploidy is not constant across the genome. The elite cultivar "Otava" was found to have an average gene copy number of 3.2 across all loci. Breeding programs for elite potato cultivars rely increasingly on genomic prediction tools for selection breeding and elucidation of quantitative trait loci underpinning trait genetic variance. These are typically based on anonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, which are usually called from, for example, SNP array or sequencing data using a tetraploid model. In this study, we analyzed the impact of using whole genome markers genotyped as either tetraploid or observed allele frequencies from genotype-by-sequencing data on single-trait additive genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) genomic prediction (GP) models and single-marker regression genome-wide association studies of potato to evaluate the implications of capturing varying ploidy on the statistical models employed in genomic breeding. A panel of 762 offspring of a diallel cross of 18 parents of elite breeding material was used for modeling. These were genotyped by sequencing and phenotyped for five key performance traits: chipping quality, length/width ratio, senescence, dry matter content, and yield. We also estimated the read coverage required to confidently discriminate between a heterozygous triploid and tetraploid state from simulated data. It was found that using a tetraploid model neither impaired nor improved genomic predictions compared to using the observed allele frequencies that account for true marker ploidy. In genome-wide associations studies (GWAS), very minor variations of both signal amplitude and number of SNPs supporting both minor and major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were observed between the two data sets. However, all major QTLs were reproducible using both data sets.

The StPti5 ethylene response factor acts as a susceptibility factor by negatively regulating the potato immune response to pathogens.

Ethylene response factors (ERFs) have been associated with biotic stress in Arabidopsis, while their function in non-model plants is still poorly understood. Here we investigated the role of potato ERF StPti5 in plant immunity. We show that StPti5 acts as a susceptibility factor. It negatively regulates potato immunity against potato virus Y and Ralstonia solanacearum, pathogens with completely different modes of action, and thereby has a different role than its orthologue in tomato. Remarkably, StPti5 is destabilised in healthy plants via the autophagy pathway and accumulates exclusively in the nucleus upon infection. We demonstrate that StEIN3 and StEIL1 directly bind the StPti5 promoter and activate its expression, while synergistic activity of the ethylene and salicylic acid pathways is required for regulated StPti expression. To gain further insight into the mode of StPti5 action in attenuating potato defence responses, we investigated transcriptional changes in salicylic acid deficient potato lines with silenced StPti5 expression. We show that StPti5 regulates the expression of other ERFs and downregulates the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway as well as several proteases involved in directed proteolysis. This study adds a novel element to the complex puzzle of immune regulation, by deciphering a two-level regulation of ERF transcription factor activity in response to pathogens.

Nutritional and anti-nutritional compositional analysis of transgenic potatoes with late blight resistance.

Late blight, caused by the pathogen Phytophthora infestans, is a devastating disease affecting potato production globally, with adverse effects in Africa where limited access to fungicides exacerbates its impact. Outbreaks of late blight lead to reduced yields and substantial economic losses to potato farmers and agricultural systems. The development of resistant potato varieties, tailored to African agroecological conditions, offers a viable solution in mitigating the devastating effects of late blight on potato cultivation. Leading to this study, two consumer-preferred varieties, Victoria and Shangi, with high susceptibility to late blight were targeted for conferring late blight resistance through genetic engineering. This was achieved by inserting R genes from wild relatives of potato displaying resistance to the disease. The intended effect of conferring resistance to the late blight disease has been consistently observed over twenty experimental field trials spanning 8 years at three locations in Uganda and Kenya. In this study, we assessed whether the genetic transformation has led to any significant unintended effects on the nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of potato tubers compared to the non-transgenic controls grown under the same agroecological conditions. The compositional assessments were conducted on commercial-size potato tubers harvested from regulatory trials at three locations in Uganda and Kenya. Statistical analysis was conducted using two-way analysis of variance comparing transgenic and non-transgenic samples. Overall, the results showed that the transgenic and non-transgenic samples exhibited similar levels of nutritional and antinutritional components. Variations detected in the levels of the analysed components fell within the expected ranges as documented in existing literature and potato composition databases. Thus, we conclude that there are no biologically significant differences in the nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of transgenic and non-transgenic potato tubers engineered for resistance to late blight.

Influence of higher levels of NPK fertilizers on growth, yield, and profitability of three potato varieties in Surma, Bajhang, Nepal.

Potato is a crucial food and cash crop with high yield potential in many parts of the Bajhang district. However, achieving optimal yields can be hindered by inconsistent NPK fertilizer application rates and suboptimal potato variety selection, including instances where no fertilizers are used at all by the farmers. To address these challenges and determine the most effective NPK fertilizer rates and potato varieties, a field experiment was conducted in Surma rural municipality of Bajhang district. The experiment utilized a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications, to evaluate the effects of four NPK fertilizer rates (0:0:0, 50:50:50, 100:100:60, and 150:150:90 kg NPK/ha) and three potato varieties (Khumal Seto, Cardinal, and Bajhang Local), on growth, yield, and economic profitability. Statistical analysis, including analysis of variance and Duncan's multiple range test (DMRT), indicated that the highest values for plant height, canopy diameter, number of leaves, number of main stems, tuber weight, fresh weight of leaves and stems, average tuber diameter and number of marketable tubers per hill were consistently observed higher in either the Khumal Seto or Bajhang Local potato varieties. Similarly, these results were particularly prominent with the application of 150:150:90 kg NPK/ha. Economic analysis demonstrated that the Khumal Seto variety showed superior performance in terms of gross benefit, net benefit, and benefit-to-cost ratio (NPR 1,805,714.29, NPR 1,306,168.83, and 3.61, respectively) when compared to other varieties. Similarly, the application of 150:150:90 kg NPK/ha resulted in higher economic returns (NPR 1,645,714.29, NPR 1,129,908.83, and 3.19). In conclusion, using higher levels of mineral fertilizers (150:150:90 kg NPK/ha) with high yielding and well adapted potato varieties such as Khumal Seto and Bajhang Local significantly enhances growth, yield, and profitability in potato cultivation, as demonstrated by the findings of this study.

Molecular insights into the anti-spoilage effect of salicylic acid in Favorita potato processing.

Salicylic acid is a commonly used anti-spoilage agent to prevent browning and quality degradation during potato processing, yet its precise mechanism remains unclear. This study elucidates the role of StuPPO2, a functional protein in Favorita potato shreds, in relation to the anti-browning and starch degradation effects of 52 SA analogues. By employing molecular docking and Gaussian computing, SA localizes within the hydrophobic cavity of StuPPO2, facilitated by hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. The inhibitory effect depends on the distribution pattern of the maximal electrostatic surface potential, requiring hydroxyl ion potentials of >56 kcal/mol and carboxyl ion potentials of >42 kcal/mol, respectively. Multiomics analysis, corroborated by validation tests, indicates that SA synthetically suppresses activities linked to defense response, root regeneration, starch degradation, glycoalkaloids metabolism, and potato shred discoloration, thereby preserving quality. Furthermore, SA enhances antimicrobial and insect-repellent aromas, thereby countering biotic threats in potato shreds. These collective mechanisms underscore SA's anti-spoilage properties, offering theoretical foundations and potential new anti-browning agents for agricultural preservatives.

Potato: from functional genomics to genetic improvement.

Potato is the most widely grown non-grain crop and ranks as the third most significant global food crop following rice and wheat. Despite its long history of cultivation over vast areas, slow breeding progress and environmental stress have led to a scarcity of high-yielding potato varieties. Enhancing the quality and yield of potato tubers remains the ultimate objective of potato breeding. However, conventional breeding has faced challenges due to tetrasomic inheritance, high genomic heterozygosity, and inbreeding depression. Recent advancements in molecular biology and functional genomic studies of potato have provided valuable insights into the regulatory network of physiological processes and facilitated trait improvement. In this review, we present a summary of identified factors and genes governing potato growth and development, along with progress in potato genomics and the adoption of new breeding technologies for improvement. Additionally, we explore the opportunities and challenges in potato improvement, offering insights into future avenues for potato research.

Impact of freeze-thaw cycles on the physicochemical properties and structure-function relationship of potato starch with varying granule sizes in frozen dough.

Starch, as a critical component of dough, significantly influences quality preservation during the freezing process. In particular, the fine structure of potato (B-type) starch in frozen processing is a subject of considerable interest. This study aims to investigate the intrinsic differences of B-type starch and the impact of freeze-thaw (F/T) treatment on its molecular structure and physicochemical properties. Chain length distribution and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were utilized to examine the structural characteristics of natural potato starch with different granule sizes. Furthermore, the fine structure, thermal properties, and rheological properties of the isolated starches after F/T treatment were analyzed. The results indicate that potato starch with smaller particle sizes exhibits higher surface CC and PO content along with a higher proportion of very short chains (DP < 6, 8.17 %) and long B chains (DP > 25, 20.68 %). The study found that after F/T treatment, the surface of small-sized starch granules was initially damaged, exhibiting threads on the surface centered on the umbilical point. Following F/T treatment, both the crystallinity (very large (VL): 24.52-18.36 %; small (S): 17.03-16.69 %) and short-range order (VL: 2.97-2.61; S: 2.71-2.35) of starch particle size decreased. Both the amylose content (20.88-14.57 %) and ΔH (10.15-8.62 J/g) of isolated starch after freeze-thaw-treated dough exhibited a decrease to varying degrees. With the exception of the fifth cycle, small-size starch particles exhibited relatively higher G' and G" values and showed significant changes as a result of F/T treatment, demonstrating high hardness and complex viscosity. Clarifying the physicochemical properties of potato starches with different granule sizes is expected to expand their applications in frozen dough.

Determination of tetracycline residues in potatoes and soil by LC-MS/MS: Method development, validation, and risk assessment.

A method utilizing liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated according to the Commission Implementing Regulation (CIR) EU 2021/808 for quantifying four tetracyclines (TCs) in potatoes and soil. The method demonstrated recovery values ranging from 70 to 121% and precision (repeatability and within-laboratory reproducibility), with coefficient of variation (CV) values below 18% for all TCs in both matrices. The limits of quantification (LOQs) for the TCs ranged from 0.90 to 1.87 µg/kg in potatoes and from 0.68 to 1.25 µg/kg in soil. The decision limit (CCα) and detection capability (CCß) ranged from 10.4 to 12.3 µg/kg and 11.9 to 14.3 µg/kg, respectively. Analysis of 538 potato and soil samples from Egyptian farms revealed a 13.2% occurrence of TC residues, with a higher frequency in soil (19.33%) than in potatoes (7.06%). Target hazard quotient (THQ) values indicated that TC residues in potatoes do not pose a health risk to Egyptian consumers.

Construction of an amylolytic Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with high copies of α-amylase and glucoamylase genes integration for bioethanol production from sweet potato residue.

Sweet potato residue (SPR) is the by-product of starch extraction from fresh sweet potatoes and is rich in carbohydrates, making it a suitable substrate for bioethanol production. An amylolytic industrial yeast strain with co-expressing α-amylase and glucoamylase genes would combine enzyme production, SPR hydrolysis, and glucose fermentation into a one-step process. This consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) shows great application potential in the economic production of bioethanol. In this study, a convenient heterologous gene integration method was developed. Eight copies of a Talaromyces emersonii α-amylase expression cassette and eight copies of a Saccharomycopsis fibuligera glucoamylase expression cassette were integrated into the genome of industrial diploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 1974. The resulting recombinant strains exhibited clear transparent zones in the iodine starch plates, and SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that α-amylase and glucoamylase were secreted into the culture medium. Enzymatic activity analysis demonstrated that the optimal temperature for α-amylase and glucoamylase was 60-70°C, and the pH optima for α-amylase and glucoamylase was 4.0 and 5.0, respectively. Initially, soluble corn starch with a concentration of 100 g/L was initially used to evaluate the ethanol production capability of recombinant amylolytic S. cerevisiae strains. After 7 days of CBP fermentation, the α-amylase-expressing strain 1974-temA and the glucoamylase-expressing strain 1974-GA produced 33.03 and 28.37 g/L ethanol, respectively. However, the 1974-GA-temA strain, which expressed α-amylase and glucoamylase, produced 42.22 g/L ethanol, corresponding to 70.59% of the theoretical yield. Subsequently, fermentation was conducted using the amylolytic strain 1974-GA-temA without the addition of exogenous α-amylase and glucoamylase, which resulted in the production of 32.15 g/L ethanol with an ethanol yield of 0.30 g/g. The addition of 20% glucoamylase (60 U/g SPR) increased ethanol concentration to 50.55 g/L, corresponding to a theoretical yield of 93.23%, which was comparable to the ethanol production observed with the addition of 100% α-amylase and glucoamylase. The recombinant amylolytic strains constructed in this study will facilitate the advancement of CBP fermentation of SPR for the production of bioethanol.

Proximate Composition, Health Benefits, and Food Applications in Bakery Products of Purple-Fleshed Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) and Its By-Products: A Comprehensive Review.

Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam is a dicotyledonous plant originally from tropical regions, with China and Spain acting as the main producers from outside and within the EU, respectively. The root, including only flesh, is the edible part, and the peel, leaves, stems, or shoots are considered by-products, which are generated due to being discarded in the field and during processing. Therefore, this study aimed to perform a comprehensive review of the nutritional value, phytochemical composition, and health-promoting activities of purple-fleshed sweet potato and its by-products, which lead to its potential applications in bakery products for the development of functional foods. The methodology is applied to the selected topic and is used to conduct the search, review abstracts and full texts, and discuss the results using different general databases. The studies suggested that purple-fleshed sweet potato parts are characterized by a high content of essential minerals and bioactive compounds, including anthocyanins belonging to the cyanidin or the peonidin type. The flesh and leaves are also high in phenolic compounds and carotenoids such as lutein and ß-carotene. The high content of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins provides the purple-fleshed sweet potato with high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power due to the modulation effect of the transcription factor Nrf2 and NF-kB translocation, which may lead to protection against hepatic and neurological disorders, among others. Furthermore, purple-fleshed sweet potato and its by-products can play a dual role in food applications due to its attractive color and wide range of biological activities which enhance its nutritional profile. As a result, it is essential to harness the potential of the purple-fleshed sweet potato and its by-products that are generated during its processing through an appropriate agro-industrial valorization system.

Physiological-Biochemical Characteristics and a Transcriptomic Profiling Analysis Reveal the Postharvest Wound Healing Mechanisms of Sweet Potatoes under Ascorbic Acid Treatment.

Sweet potatoes are extremely vulnerable to mechanical wounds during harvesting and postharvest handling. It is highly necessary to take measures to accelerate wound healing. The effect of 20 g L-1 of ascorbic acid (AA) treatment on the wound healing of sweet potatoes and its mechanisms were studied. The results validated that AA treatment significantly reduced the weight loss rate and disease index. AA treatment effectively enhanced the formation speed of lignin and SPP at the wound sites, decreased the MDA content, and maintained the cell membrane integrity. AA enhanced the activities of PAL, C4H, 4CL, CAD, and POD and increased the contents of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, cinnamic acid, p-coumaryl alcohol, sinapyl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, and lignin. Based on a transcriptomic analysis, a total of 1200 genes were differentially expressed at the sweet potato wound sites by the AA treatment, among which 700 genes were upregulated and 500 genes were downregulated. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis; phenylpropanoid biosynthesis; and other wound healing-related pathways. As verified by a qRT-PCR, the AA treatment significantly upregulated the gene expression levels of IbSKDH, IbADT/PDT, IbPAL, and Ib4CL at the wound sties.

Biochar/Biopolymer Composites for Potential In Situ Groundwater Remediation.

This study explores the use of pine wood biochar (BC) waste gasified at 950 °C as fillers in polymer matrices to create BC@biopolymer composites with perspectives in groundwater remediation. Four biochar samples underwent different sieving and grinding processes and were extensively characterized via UV-Vis, FTIR, and FESEM-EDS, highlighting the fact that that BCs are essentially graphitic in nature with a sponge-like morphology. The grinding process influences the particle size, reducing the specific surface area by about 30% (evaluated by BET). The adsorption performances of raw BC were validated via an adsorption isotherm using trichloroethylene (TCE) as a model contaminant. A selected BC sample was used to produce hydrophilic, stable polymer composites with chitosan (CS), alginate (ALG), potato starch (PST), and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) via a simple blending approach. Pilot sedimentation tests over 7 days in water identified BC@PST and BC@CMC as the most stable suspensions due to a combination of both hydrogen bonds and physical entrapment, as studied by FTIR. BC@CMC showed optimal distribution and retention properties without clogging in breakthrough tests. The study concludes that biopolymer-based biochar composites with improved stability in aqueous environments hold significant promise for addressing various groundwater pollution challenges.