The flowers of twenty-three cultivars of Dendranthema grandiflorum Ramat. were investigated to determine anthocyanin and carotenoid levels and to confirm the effects of the pigments on the flower colors using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The cultivars contained the anthocyanins cyanidin 3-glucoside (C3g) and cyanidin 3-(3ʺ-malonoyl) glucoside (C3mg) and the following carotenoids: lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, 13-cis-β-carotene, α-carotene, trans-β-carotene, and 9-cis-β-carotene. The cultivar “Magic” showed the greatest accumulation of total and individual anthocyanins, including C3g and C3gm. On the other hand, the highest level of lutein and zeaxanthin was noted in the cultivar “Il Weol”. The cultivar “Anastasia” contained the highest amount of carotenoids such as trans-β-carotene, 9-cis-β-carotene, and 13-cis-β-carotene. The highest accumulation of β-cryptoxanthin and α-carotene was noted in the cultivar “Anastasia” and “Il Weol”. Our results suggested that ‘Magic”, “Angel” and “Relance’ had high amounts of anthocyanins and showed a wide range of red and purple colors in their petals, whereas “Il Weol’, “Popcorn Ball’ and “Anastasia” produced higher carotenoid contents and displayed yellow or green petal colors. Interestingly, “Green Pang Pang”, which contained a high level of anthocyanins and a medium level of carotenoids, showed the deep green colored petals. “Kastelli”, had high level of carotenoids as well as a medium level of anthocyanins and showed orange and red colored petals. It was concluded that each pigment is responsible for the petal’s colors and the compositions of the pigments affect their flower colors and that the cultivars could be a good source for pharmaceutical, floriculture, and pigment industries.

In this study, we investigated optimal light conditions for enhancement of the growth and accumulation of glucosinolates and phenolics in the sprouts of canola (Brassica napus L.). We found that the shoot lengths and fresh weights of red light-irradiated sprouts were higher than those of sprouts exposed to white, blue, and blue + red light, whereas root length was not notably different among red, blue, white, and blue + red light treatments. The accumulations of total glucosinolates in plants irradiated with white, blue, and red lights were not significantly different (19.32 ± 0.13, 20.69 ± 0.05, and 20.65 ± 1.70 mg/g dry weight (wt.), respectively). However, sprouts exposed to blue + red light contained the lowest levels of total glucosinolates (17.08 ± 0.28 mg/g dry wt.). The accumulation of total phenolic compounds was the highest in plants irradiated with blue light (3.81 ± 0.08 mg/g dry wt.), 1.33 times higher than the lowest level in plants irradiated with red light (2.87 ± 0.05 mg/g dry wt.). These results demonstrate that red light-emitting diode (LED) light is suitable for sprout growth and that blue LED light is effective in increasing the accumulation of glucosinolates and phenolics in B. napus sprouts.

Traditionally, Agastache rugosa (Korean mint) has been widely used to treat various infectious diseases. The aims of this study were to: (i) determine the phenylpropanoid content of the plant using high-performance liquid chromatography; (ii) undertake total anthocyanin, flavonoid, and phenolic assays; (iii) and evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the methanol extracts from the stem, leaves, and flowers of Korean mint. The total anthocyanin, flavonoid, and phenolic content assays showed that the flowers had higher phenolic levels than the stem and leaves. The reducing power, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl superoxide radical scavenging abilities, and the hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging activities were also evaluated so that the antioxidant activities of the extracts from the different plant parts could be evaluated. The flower extracts revealed higher antioxidant properties than the other parts. The antibacterial properties of the methanol extracts from A. rugosa were analyzed by the disc diffusion method, and the flower extracts had higher antibacterial activities against the six bacterial strains used in the study than the other parts. This study provides information on the synergistic antioxidant and antibacterial properties of phenolics derived from the different parts of Korean mint.

A total of 13 anthocyanins and 33 metabolites; including organic acids, phenolic acids, amino acids, organic compounds, sugar acids, sugar alcohols, and sugars, were profiled in three radish cultivars by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS)-based metabolite profiling. Total phenolics and flavonoids and their in vitro antioxidant activities were assessed. Pelargonidins were found to be the major anthocyanin in the cultivars studied. The cultivar Man Tang Hong showed the highest level of anthocyanins (1.89 ± 0.07 mg/g), phenolics (0.0664 ± 0.0033 mg/g) and flavonoids (0.0096 ± 0.0004 mg/g). Here; the variation of secondary metabolites in the radishes is described, as well as their association with primary metabolites. The low-molecular-weight hydrophilic metabolite profiles were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), Pearson’s correlation analysis. PCA fully distinguished the three radish cultivars tested. The polar metabolites were strongly correlated between metabolites that participate in the TCA cycle. The chemometrics results revealed that TCA cycle intermediates and free phenolic acids as well as anthocyanins were higher in the cultivar Man Tang Hong than in the others. Furthermore; superoxide radical scavenging activities and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging were investigated to elucidate the antioxidant activity of secondary metabolites in the cultivars. Man Tang Hong showed the highest superoxide radical scavenging activity (68.87%) at 1000 μg/mL, and DPPH activity (20.78%), followed by Seo Ho and then Hong Feng No. 1. The results demonstrate that GC-TOFMS-based metabolite profiling, integrated with chemometrics, is an applicable method for distinguishing phenotypic variation and determining biochemical reactions connecting primary and secondary metabolism. Therefore; this study might provide information on the relationship between primary and secondary metabolites and a synergistic antioxidant ability derived from the secondary metabolites in the radish cultivars.

We investigated the effects of natural plant hormones, indole-3-acetic (IAA) acid and gibberellic acid (GA), on the growth parameters and production of flavonoids and other phenolic compounds in common buckwheat sprouts. A total of 17 phenolic compounds were identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Among these, seven compounds (4-hydroxybenzoic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, epicatechin, rutin, and quercetin) were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after treating the common buckwheat sprouts with different concentrations of the hormones IAA and GA. At a concentration of 0.5 mg/L, both IAA and GA exhibited the highest levels of growth parameters (shoot length, root length, and fresh weight). The HPLC analysis showed that the treatment of sprouts with IAA at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 mg/L produced higher or comparable levels of the total phenolic compounds than the control sprout and enhanced the production of rutin. Similarly, the supplementation with 0.1 and 0.5 mg/L GA increased the content of rutin in buckwheat sprouts. Our results suggested that the treatment with optimal concentrations of IAA and GA enhanced the growth parameters and accumulation of flavonoids and other phenolic compounds in buckwheat sprouts.

Phenylpropanoids are naturally occurring compounds that exert beneficial pharmacological effects on human health. Phenylpropanoids can act as antioxidants and are involved in resistance to ultraviolet light and cancer; these compounds possess anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial activity, and aid in wound healing. The expression of genes involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and consequent accumulation of phenylpropanoids in wheat sprout under conditions of stress, have not been extensively studied. This is the first study to examine the effects of light-emitting diodes (LED) on the expression of genes involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and accumulation of phenylpropanoids in wheat sprouts. Our results, obtained using qRT-PCR and HPLC analyses, indicate that white light (380 nm) was the optimal wavelength for epicatechin biosynthesis in wheat sprouts. Compared with the effects of white light, blue light (470 nm) enhanced the accumulation of gallic acid and quercetin, but decreased the levels of p-coumaric acid and epicatechin; red light (660 nm) increased the accumulation of ferulic acid at 8 day and p-coumaric acid at 12 day. Compared gene expression with phenylpropanoid content showed that TaPAL3, TaPAL4, and TaDFR maybe important genes in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in wheat sprout. This study provides insights into the effects of led lights on phenylpropanoid production in wheat sprouts. This knowledge will help improve secondary metabolite production in wheat sprouts.