Allium ursinum L. is a wild relative of garlic, and it is abundant in many antioxidant compounds. Sulfur compounds, primarily cysteine sulfoxides (CSOs), are converted through several reactions into various volatile molecules, which are considered the principal flavor compounds of Alliums. In addition to secondary metabolites, wild garlic is abundant in primary compounds, such as amino acids, which serve not only as building blocks for the health-promoting sulfur compounds but also as antioxidants. The aim of this study was to investigate the link between individual amino acid contents, the total phenolic content, and the profile of volatile compounds as well as their influence on the antioxidant capacity of both the leaves and bulbs of wild garlic populations in Croatia. Both univariate and multivariate methods were used to study the differences in the phytochemical compositions among the wild garlic plant organs and the link between individual compounds and antioxidant capacity. Both the plant organ and location, as well as their interaction, have a significant impact on the content of total phenolic content, amino acids, volatile organic compounds, and the antioxidant capacity of wild garlic.

The impacts of global climate change and a rapid increase in population have emerged as major concerns threatening global food security. Environmental abiotic stress, such as drought, severely impairs plants’ morphology, physiology, growth, and yield more than many other environmental factors. Plants use a complex set of physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms to combat the negative effects caused by drought-induced stress. The aim of this study was to investigate morphological, spectral, physiological, and biochemical changes occurring in 30 garlic accessions exposed to short-term drought stress in a greenhouse setting and to identify potential early drought-induced stress markers. The results showed that, on average, garlic plants exposed to drought conditions exhibited a decrease in assimilation, transpiration, and stomatal conductance of 39%, 52%, and 50%, respectively, and an average increase in dry matter and proline content of 10.13% and 14.29%, respectively. Nevertheless, a significant interaction between the treatment and accessions was observed in the investigated photosynthetic and biochemical parameters. The plants’ early response to drought ranged from mild to strong depending on garlic accession. Multivariate analysis showed that accessions with a mild early drought response were characterized by higher values of assimilation, transpiration, and stomatal conductance compared to plants with moderate or strong early drought response. Additionally, accessions with strong early drought response were characterized by higher proline content, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant capacity as measured by FRAP compared to accessions with mild-to-moderate early drought response.

This paper describes the development and validation of a simple, fast, and sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of the 5′-mononucleotides: adenosine 5′-monophosphate, cytidine 5′-monophosphate, guanosine 5′-monophosphate, inosine 5′-monophosphate, and uridine 5′-monophosphate in infant formulae in defined labour conditions. Following deproteinisation and filtration, the sample extract was analysed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The method was developed by using a C₁₈ reverse-phase column. Isocratic elution was used with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1 M potassium phosphate buffer and 4 mM tetrabutylammonium hydrogen phosphate. The pH of the solution was adjusted to 6.0. The analysis of nucleotides was performed with a PDA detector at 260 nm and 278 nm. Analytical validation parameters, such as specificity and selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness, and system suitability were evaluated. During evaluation of the analytical parameters, it was shown that the method is linear (r = 0,999). The recoveries ranged 100 ± 3 and the relative standard deviation was ≤3. The precision of the method was achieved with a coefficient of variation (CV %), which is less than 3%. Standard solutions are stable during 30 hours and in the range of method robustness. Validation of the HPLC method for determination of nucleotides has shown that the developed analytical method is acceptable for its intended purpose in defined labour conditions.