Major lignans of sesame sesamin and sesamolin are benzodioxol--substituted furofurans. Sesamol, sesaminol, its epimers, and episesamin are transformation products found in processed products. Synthetic routes to all lignans are known but only sesamol is synthesized industrially. Biosynthesis of furofuran lignans begins with the dimerization of coniferyl alcohol, followed by the formation of dioxoles, oxidation, and glycosylation. Most genes of the lignan pathway in sesame have been identified but the inheritance of lignan content is poorly understood. Health-promoting properties make lignans attractive components of functional food. Lignans enhance the efficiency of insecticides and possess antifeedant activity, but their biological function in plants remains hypothetical. In this work, extensive literature including historical texts is reviewed, controversial issues are critically examined, and errors perpetuated in literature are corrected. The following aspects are covered: chemical properties and transformations of lignans; analysis, purification, and total synthesis; occurrence in Seseamum indicum and related plants; biosynthesis and genetics; biological activities; health-promoting properties; and biological functions. Finally, the improvement of lignan content in sesame seeds by breeding and biotechnology and the potential of hairy roots for manufacturing lignans in vitro are outlined.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) epidemics in wheat and contamination with Fusarium mycotoxins has become an increasing problem over the last decades. This prompted the need for non-invasive and non-destructive techniques to screen cereal grains for Fusarium infection, which is usually accompanied by mycotoxin contamination. This study tested the potential of hyperspectral imaging to monitor the infection of wheat kernels and flour with three Fusarium species. Kernels of two wheat varieties inoculated at anthesis with F. graminearum, F. culmorum, and F. poae were investigated. Hyperspectral images of kernels and flour were taken in the visible-near infrared (VIS-NIR) (400–1000 nm) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) (1000–2500 nm) ranges. The fungal DNA and mycotoxin contents were quantified. Spectral reflectance of Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK) was significantly higher than non-inoculated ones. In contrast, spectral reflectance of flour from non-inoculated kernels was higher than that of FDK in the VIS and lower in the NIR and SWIR ranges. Spectral reflectance of kernels was positively correlated with fungal DNA and deoxynivalenol (DON) contents. In the case of the flour, this correlation exceeded r = −0.80 in the VIS range. Remarkable peaks of correlation appeared at 1193, 1231, 1446 to 1465, and 1742 to 2500 nm in the SWIR range.

Background: Temperate agroforestry is regarded as a sustainable alternative to monoculture agriculture due to enhanced provisioning of ecosystem services. Plant health and food safety are crucial requirements for sustainable agriculture; however, studies of fungal diseases and mycotoxin contamination of crops grown under temperate agroforestry are lacking. This study therefore aimed to compare fungal colonization and mycotoxin contamination of crops grown in temperate agroforestry against conventional monoculture. Methods: The biomass of plant pathogenic fungi in oilseed rape plants and barley and wheat grain harvested in 2016 to 2018 at four paired agroforestry and monoculture sites was quantified using species-specific real-time PCR. Mycotoxin content of barley and wheat grain was determined by HPLC-MS/MS. Results: The colonization of oilseed rape plants with the vascular pathogen Verticillium longisporum and wheat grain with the head blight pathogen Fusarium tricinctum was lower in agroforestry than in conventional monoculture. Mycotoxin content of barley and wheat grain did not differ between agroforestry and monoculture systems and did not exceed the legal limits of the EU. Remarkably, fumonisin B1 was detected in wheat grains at two sites in two years, yet the low levels found do not raise food safety concerns. No differences were found between the two production systems with regard to infection of wheat and barley grain with five Fusarium species (F. avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. poae, and F. proliferatum) and oilseed rape with fungal pathogens Leptosphaeria biglobosa, Leptosphaeria maculans, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Conclusions: Temperate agroforestry does not negatively affect the infection of wheat, barley and oilseed rape with major fungal pathogens though it may suppress the infection of oilseed rape with V. longisporum and wheat grain with F. tricinctum. Furthermore, temperate agroforestry does not increase mycotoxin contamination of barley and wheat. Therefore, temperate agroforestry does not negatively affect food safety.

Fusarium subglutinans is a plant pathogenic fungus infecting cereal grain crops. In 2011, the species was divided in Fusarium temperatumsp. nov. and F. subglutinans sensu stricto. In order to determine the occurrence and significance of F. temperatum and F. subglutinans on maize, a monitoring of maize ears and stalks was carried out in Germany in 2017 and 2018. Species identification was conducted by analysis of the translation elongation factor 1α (TEF-1α) gene. Ninety-four isolates of F. temperatum and eight isolates of F. subglutinans were obtained during two years of monitoring from 60 sampling sites in nine federal states of Germany. Inoculation of maize ears revealed a superior aggressiveness for F. temperatum, followed by Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium verticillioides, and F. subglutinans. On maize stalks, F. graminearum was the most aggressive species while F. temperatum and F. subglutinans caused only small lesions. The optimal temperature for infection of maize ears with F. temperatum was 24 °C and 21 °C for F. subglutinans. All strains of F. temperatum and F. subglutinans were pathogenic on wheat and capable to cause moderate to severe head blight symptoms. The assessment of mycotoxin production of 60 strains of F. temperatum cultivated on rice revealed that all strains produced beauvericin, moniliformin, fusaric acid, and fusaproliferin. The results demonstrate a higher prevalence and aggressiveness of F. temperatum compared to F. subglutinans in German maize cultivation areas.

Most studies of Fusarium head blight (FHB) focused on wheat infection at anthesis. Less is known about infections at later stages. In this study, the effect of infection timing on the development of FHB and the distribution of fungal biomass and deoxynivalenol (DON) along wheat spikes was investigated. Under greenhouse conditions, two wheat varieties were point-inoculated with Fusarium graminearum starting from anthesis until 25 days after anthesis. The fungus and fungal DNA were isolated from the centers and the bases of all the spikes but not from the tips for all inoculation times and both varieties. In each variety, the amount of fungal DNA and the content of DON and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside (DON-3-G) were higher in the center than in the base for all inoculation times. A positive correlation was found between the content of fungal DNA and DON in the centers as well as the bases of both varieties. This study showed that F. graminearum grows downward within infected wheat spikes and that the accumulation of DON is largely confined to the colonized tissue. Moreover, F. graminearum was able to infect wheat kernels and cause contamination with mycotoxins even when inoculated 25 days after anthesis.