Echeveria subrigida is native to Mexico and its methanol extract (ME) shows relevant biological activities for human health, including the α-glucosidase inhibitory (αGI) activity that suggests its antidiabetic potential. Fractionation of the ME based on the αGI activity (IC₅₀ in µg/mL) showed that quercetin-3-O-β-glucoside (131.1), isorhamnetin-3-O-β-glucoside (166.4), and dimers to heptamers proanthocyanidins (9.6) were among the main responsible of αGI activity in the ME. The purified compounds showed better activity than acarbose (IC₅₀ = 4426 µg/mL). Graphical Abstract

Eight Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme accessions from Mexico were evaluated for total phenolics (TP) and flavonoids (TF), phenolic profiles (UPLC-DAD-MS), antioxidant capacity (AC) (ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP), and expression of transcription factors (MYB12 and MYB14) and target genes (PAL, CHS and CHI) by RT-qPCR. The AC (mmol TE/kg fw; TE, Trolox Equivalents) by ABTS (5.27–11.81), DPPH (1.43–3.67), and FRAP (4.41–9.22) correlated with TP (0.53–1.20 g GAE/kg fw; GAE, Gallic Acid Equivalents), TF (1.03–2.10 g QE/kg; QE, Quercetin Equivalents), and the levels of chlorogenic and dicaffeoylquinic acids and rutin. The expression of MYB12 and MYB14 correlated with that of PAL and CHS, while CHI was only associated with MYB12. The accessions Tumbisca and Kilim showed the highest gene expression, phenolics content, and AC, suggesting they can be used in breeding programs to produce tomatoes with better AC.

The current market demands gluten-free (GF) foods with better nutritional/nutraceutical value. In this study, a functional GF beverage (GFB) from a flours mixture of optimized extruded quinoa (OEQ) (70%) and extruded defatted chia (EDC) (30%) was developed. To obtain OEQ, a central composed experimental design with two factors (extrusion temperature [TE] = 60 °C-140 °C and screw speed [VT] = 60 rpm-240 rpm) and three responses (antioxidant activity [AoxA], total phenolic compounds [TPC], and in vitro protein digestibility [IVPD]) was used. The optimal extrusion conditions for OEQ were 138 °C/138 rpm, and for EDC they were 147 °C/237 rpm (obtained in a previous work). The mixture had calculated protein efficiency ratio (C-PER) = 2.28 and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory potential (IC50) = 0.271 mg/ml. 200 ml of functional GFB contains 5.61 g of good quality protein, 6.13 g of dietary fiber, 88 kcal, and AoxA = 5091 µmol TE. The functional GFB is a healthy alternative for celiac people.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds have a great diversity of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity, which is associated with the regulation of the phenylpropanoid pathway. We investigated this association in developing seeds (20 and 30 days after anthesis, DAA) from six chickpea genotypes (two kabuli and four desi). They were used to evaluate total phenolics (TP), total flavonoids (TF), phenolic composition, antioxidant capacity (AC), and the relative expression of MYB transcription factors (CaMYB39, MYB111-like, and CaMYB92) and phenylpropanoid biosynthetic genes (PAL, CHI, and CHS). TP, TF, and the AC increased significantly during seed development, and the highest values were observed in desi genotypes. The AC correlated with the levels of TP, TF, and the flavonols myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin. The levels of the phenolic compounds and the AC also correlated positively with the expression of MYB transcription factors and phenylpropanoid biosynthetic genes. The expression of CaMYB39 correlated significantly with that of PAL, CHS, and CHI, indicating the potential use of this MYB factor to improve the content of phenylpropanoids. The desi genotype with black seeds (ICC 4418) showed the highest levels of gene expression, TP, TF, and AC, suggesting it can be used to produce chickpeas with enhanced nutraceutical properties.