Increased furocoumarin content of celery during storage

Abstract

Diseased celery infected with the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum had greatly increased levels of three phytoalexin furocoumarins, namely psoralen, 5-MOP, and 8-MOP, which are responsible for skin photosensitivity. Storage of freshly harvested celery at 4 °C resulted in clear signs of fungal infection, from latent fungus, appearing within 23-29 days, with concomitant increases in total furocoumarin levels from 1.84 ppm (wet weight) to 43.82 ppm and with occasional samples as high as 95.52 ppm. Psoralen, the most active of the DNA photoalkylating furocoumarins, increased during storage from <0.06 to 14.14 ppm and on occasions 24.24 ppm. A combination of HPLC, TLC, and an extremely sensitive photobiological assay was used to obtain these results, which are discussed in relation to possible health consequences.

Gamma radiation effects on growth and yield attributes of Psoralea corylifolia L. with reference to enhanced production of psoralen

“…In some plants, seed germination occurs only after psoralens have been leached out from the seeds into the soil. The released psoralens inhibit germination of surrounding seeds (Baskin et al 1967;Zobel and Brown 1988;Chaudhary et al 1985;Zangerl 1990;Nguyen et al 1997). In this context, present study will explain and elucidate the effects of gamma rays on the production of psoralen, growth and development.…”

Xanthotoxin and Other Furanocoumarins as Phytoalexins in Pastinaca sativa L. roots

“…For example, Chaudhary et al (1985) considered the linear furanocoumarins, psoralen (6), xanthotoxin and bergapten (7) to be phytoalexins of celery (Apium graveolens) by reporting that diseased celery infected with the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum had greatly increased the levels of these compounds that are normally found in healthy celery (Beier and Oertli, 1983;Chaudhary et al, 1985;Ashwood-Smith et al, 1986;Trumble et al, 1990). Similarly, Al-Barwani (2002) in her survey of phytoalexins in a number of umbelliferous species found that the majority of the species studied produce high levels of furanocoumarins as a result of induction.…”

Analytical Methods for Isolation, Separation and Identification of Selected Furanocoumarins in Plant Material

“…The use of hyphenated techniques such as LC-MS provides great information about the content and nature of constituents of complex natural matrices prior to fractioning and carrying out biological assays. Moreover, MS presents a great advantage not only in its ability to measure accurate ion masses but also in its use in structure elucidation (Chaudhary et al, 1985;Dugo et al, Waksmundzka-Hajnos & Sherma, 2011).…”