Consumers have become increasingly aware of potential health benefits from diets rich in fruits and vegetables. While potato has not yet surfaced as a headline-grabber in this respect, there is increasing evidence that some genotypes may possess health attributes that warrant attention. Plant breeders rely on germplasm biodiversity to advance their programs and are also acutely aware of current marketing trends that relate to health attributes. Investigations of antioxidant properties for over 90 genotypes were conducted to characterize antioxidant profiles for the Colorado potato breeding program and to identify those especially rich in antioxidants. The objective was to summarize data based on total phenolics (TP), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and vitamin C, as well as to provide LC/MS characterization of major phenolic compounds and glycoalkaloids for pigmented genotypes. Preliminary data from breast cancer cell culture inhibition studies were examined for relationships to in vitro chemical assays. Genotypes with red or purple skin and flesh consistently had the highest gallic acid equivalent TP, TEAC, and chlorogenic acid content. Baked tubers had lower TP levels, TEAC and vitamin C compared to uncooked, microwave cooked and boiled tubers. Environmental effects contributed year to year variation in TP and TEAC radical scavenging capacity. TP content increased after 6 to 7 months in refrigerated storage at 5±1°C in several highly pigmented, but not in white or yellow fleshed cultivars and selections. Major phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, and glycoalkaloid content were further investigated with LC/MS in six cultivars. The pigmented cultivars 'Purple Majesty' and 'Mountain Rose' contained considerably higher levels of chlorogenic acid isomers than the non-pigmented genotypes. In the nonpigmented genotypes, chlorogenic acid and glycolalkaloid content were highest in 'Rio Grande Russet'. Chlorogenic acid has been demonstrated to exhibit several desirable anticarcinogenic properties in recent biochemical investigations, as have several of the phenolic based anthocyanin pigments found in many colorful fruits and vegetables. Thus, comprehensive compositional profiles using LC/MS are of interest in characterizing germplasm for breeding purposes. Preliminary tests with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) extracts of baked tubers from six cultivars revealed that 'Rio Grande Russet' was most effective in inhibiting growth of breast cancer cultures MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468. 'Purple Majesty' inhibited to some extent, 'Mountain Rose' and 'Yukon Gold' had no inhibitory effect. A subsequent study with 21 genotypes where the initial extract was made with 80% acetone followed by drying and extraction in aqueous PBS differed from direct PBS extraction. Five genotypes including 'Russet Nugget' inhibited at 0.187% to 0.375% w/v of the cell culture Am. solution. However, IC 50 inhibition data was not strongly related to the in vitro chemical data for these cultivars.Resumen Los consumidores se han dado cuenta del potenc...

Interleukin-10 is an immunosuppressive cytokine involved in the regulation of gastrointestinal mucosal immunity toward intestinal microbiota. Interleukin-10-deficient (IL10(-/-)) mice develop Crohn's disease-like colitis unless raised in germ-free conditions. Previous gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomic analysis revealed urinary metabolite differences between IL10(-/-) and wildtype C57BL/6 mice. To determine which of these differences were specifically associated with intestinal inflammation arising from IL10-deficiency, urine samples from IL10(-/-) and wildtype mice, housed in either conventional or specific pathogen-free conditions, were subjected to GC-MS metabolomic analysis. Fifteen metabolite differences, including fucose, xanthurenic acid, and 5-aminovaleric acid, were associated with intestinal inflammation. Elevated urinary levels of xanthurenic acid in IL10(-/-) mice were attributed to increased production of kynurenine metabolites that may induce T-cell tolerance toward intestinal microbiota. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis confirmed that plasma levels of kynurenine and 3-hydroxykynurenine were elevated in IL10(-/-) mice. Eleven metabolite differences, including glutaric acid, 2-hydroxyglutaric acid, and 2-hydroxyadipic acid, were unaffected by the severity of inflammation. These metabolite differences may be associated with residual genes from the embryonic stem cells of the 129P2 mouse strain that were used to create the IL10(-/-) mouse, or may indicate novel functions of IL10 unrelated to inflammation.

The betalain pigments in ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus), a tuberous crop native to the Andes, have been investigated for the first time using LC-DAD-ESI-MS-MS(2) analyses. Five red, yellow, and red-spotted accessions introduced into New Zealand as a new food crop plus two red tetraploid lines were investigated. Thirty-two different betalains were identified. Both the yellow and red tubers were rich in yellow betaxanthins, and the most prominent among the 20 identified were histidine-betaxanthin, arginine-betaxanthin and glutamine-betaxanthin. Arginine-betaxanthin has been reported to occur naturally only once before and was found in yellow ulluco but not in the red tubers. Twelve betacyanins were found in red tubers, with roughly 50% of this content being betanin/isobetanin. Betacyanin levels were up to 70 microg/g fresh weight in red tubers, but were below quantifiable levels in yellow tubers. Betaxanthin levels were up to 50 microg/g fresh weight in yellow tubers. Interference by betacyanins in measuring levels of betaxanthins by visible spectrophotometry is discussed. Low concentrations of betalains were detected in leaves, whereas stems contained total levels similar to the tubers, with dopamine-betaxanthin and betanin being the major pigments. This is the first report describing both the betacyanin and betaxanthin patterns in a plant from the Basellaceae family.