Location: Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory
2023 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Impact of climate change on lipids in soyeans. The nutritional value of the food we eat is not well understood. Conventional modeling approaches correlate yield with nutrition under the assumption that high yields translate to good nutrition. Scientists at the USDA-Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, and the Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Unit, University Park, Pennsylvania, are challenging this assumption. Most Americans get the essential fatty acid a-linolenic acid (ALA) from the soybean and canola oil incorporated into the foods we eat. As temperatures during the growing season increase, the production of this essential fatty acid in the plants decreases. These researchers built a model demonstrating the reduction in ALA we can expect for soybean oil across the food system as temperatures increase, which will result in dietary insufficiency for a wide-ranging population of Americans.
2. Comparison of phytochemicals in wild and cultivated American ginseng. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is a “cash crop” in many states and the roots are used as dietary health supplements and additives to food, beverages, and cosmetics and for the treatment of many human ailments. Limited research on the wild populations of American ginseng is available due to the scarcity. In collaboration with Middle Tennessee State University the chemical profiles of wild American ginseng were compared with its cultivated counterpart using an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS)-based metabolomics approach. Both ginsenoside and non-ginsenoside profiles of wild and cultivated ginseng were well-discriminated by untargeted analysis. The results suggested that characteristic components can be used as chemical markers to differentiate between cultivated and wild America ginseng. This strategy is beneficial for the quality evaluation of America ginseng and quality control by manufacturers.
3. Steroidal glycoalkaloids contribute to anthracnose resistance in Solanum lycopersicum. Anthracnose is a widespread plant disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum, that affects a wide range of crops including tomato fruit. In collaboration with the Genetic Improvement for Fruits & Vegetables Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland, the biochemistry and genetic control of anthracnose resistance in different lines of tomatoes was investigated. It was determined that a class of secondary metabolites known as steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) provide anthracnose resistance and confirmed a role for corresponding genes (GAME genes) that regulate SGA biosynthesis. This work provides a foundation for new genetic tools for the management of anthracnose in tomatoes and other crops and is valuable for scientists investigating fundamental aspects of plant disease resistance.
4. Effects of different light-emitting diode illumination on bioactive compounds in mustard. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been increasingly used to promote the content of bioactive compounds in commercially grown plants, particularly in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) settings. In collaboration with the Food Quality Laboratory of USDA-ARS, the effect of LED light wavelengths on the phytochemical profiles of the major secondary metabolites (i.e., anthocyanins, non-anthocyanin phenolics, and glucosinolates) of mustard “Ruby Streak” microgreens was investigated. Red and magenta light promoted the accumulation of both total and individual anthocyanin/aliphatic glucosinolates, while blue light was found to be the dominant factor in the accumulation of non-anthocyanin phenolics. The results suggest a significant and complex impact of lighting on phytochemical accumulation in microgreens and the potential of modulating plant nutritional profiles by varying wavelengths of the light source.
5. Chemical composition of cinnamon, clove, and honeysuckle. The possibility of dietary approach to enhance resistance to COVID is appealing. In collaboration with the University of Maryland, the chemical composition of commonly used botanical-based spices was evaluated for their capacity to suppressing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), inhibiting ACE2, and scavenging free radicals. New compounds were discovered with the potential of reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 development, as well as scavenging free radicals using in vitro models. The dietary approach has an interesting potential.
6. Extractability of bioactive curcuminoids from turmeric. Curcuminoids in turmeric have been purported to have a series of health promoting qualities. A major problem with curcuminoids is its low solubility in aqueous media, poor bioavailability, and pharmacokinetic profiles. The extractability of three curcuminoids (curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin) from a series of solvents was investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that the extractability varied significantly with lipid and alcohol content. This study showed that the bioavailability and the bioefficacy of phytochemicals from various foods or dietary supplements significantly change with the mode of consumption. This provides consumers with a better knowledge of how to prepare the supplements for efficient consumption.
7. Variations in fiber content associated with the commonly applied methodologies. Analysis of fiber is currently non-specific and highly ambiguous. Analysis of total dietary fiber (TDF), insoluble dietary fiber (IDF), and soluble dietary fiber (SDF) was investigated in two foods using an automated fiber analyzer to implement two commonly used gravimetric methods (AOAC 2017.16 and AOAC 991.43). The fiber results were compared to the total monosaccharide, glycosidic linkage, and free saccharide levels in collaboration with the University of California, Davis. Results showed that for oats, both AOAC methods gave similar results while, for raw potato starch, each AOAC method gave markedly different results attributable to resistant starch. This information will be of significant interest to health care and nutrition professionals to investigate the role of dietary fiber as it relates to health.
8. Improved and simplified fatty acid analysis. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of foods has been of significant nutritional interest. Improvements to the gas chromatography (GC) separation with flame ionization detection (FID) and MS confirmation for fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis were implemented and reported. Statistical treatment of the GC-FID FAME data showed the same grouping pattern by principal component analysis (PCA) of the triacylglycerol composition by LC-MS but using a simpler analysis. The modified method will simplify and speed up fatty acid analysis.
9. Lipidomics of pulses. Methods developed for infant formula and bovine milk analysis were successfully applied to the analysis of lipids in pulses. These analyses are important due to the gap in knowledge on pulse lipids. We successfully applied both lipidomic and classical identification and quantification approaches to pulses and applied them to dairy feeding trial milk samples. We demonstrated both a long, detailed method for analysis and a fast, high-throughput method for analysis. Both the detailed and the fast approaches allow quantification of triacylglycerol regioisomers and fat-soluble vitamins. We proved that the method we are using for milk samples also worked well for pulse lipids.
Review Publications
Fabian, M.L., Zhang, C., Sun, J., Price, N.P., Chen, P., Clarke, C.R., Jones, R.W., Stommel, J.R. 2023. Steroidal glycoalkaloids contribute to anthracnose resistance in solanum lycopersicum. Journal of Experimental Botany. 74(12):3700-3713. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erad108.
Liu, Z., Teng, Z., Pearlstein, D.J., Chen, P., Yu, L., Zhou, B., Luo, Y., Sun, J. 2022. Effects of different light-emitting diode illumination on bioactive compounds in mustard “Ruby Streak” microgreens by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry. ACS Food Science and Technology. 2(9):1483–1494. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.2c00193.
Li, Y., Liu, Z., Tamia, G., He, X., Sun, J., Chen, P., Lee, S., Wang, T.T., Gao, B., Xie, Z., Yu, L. 2022. Identification of soluble free, soluble conjugated and insoluble bound phenolics in tomato seeds and their radical scavenging and antiproliferative activities. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 70(29):9039-9047. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c03418.
Zhihao, L., Mengliang, Z., Chen, P., Harnly, J.M., Sun, J. 2022. Mass spectrometry based non-targeted and targeted analytical approaches in fingerprinting and metabolomics of food and agricultral research. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 70(36):11138–11153. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c01878.
Li, Y., Liu, Z., Zeng, M., El Kadiri, A., Huang, J., Kim, A., He, X., Sun, J., Chen, P., Wang, T.T., Zhang, Y., Gao, B., Xie, Z., Yu, L. 2022. Chemical compositions of clove (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.) extracts and their potentials in suppressing SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-ACE2 binding, inhibiting ACE2, and scavenging free radicals. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 70(45):14403-14413. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06300.
Li, Y., Wu, K., Liu, Z., He, X., Sun, J., Zeng, M., Lee, S., Wang, T.T., Gao, B., Xie, Z., Wei, C., Yu, L. 2022. Effect of thermal treatments on soluble-free, soluble-conjugated, and insoluble-bound phenolic components and free radical scavenging properties of tomato seeds. ACS Food Science and Technology. 2(10):1631-1638. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.2c00228.
Gao, B., Zhu, L., Liu, Z., Li, Y., He, X., Wu, X., Pehrsson, P.R., Sun, J., Xie, Z., Slavin, M., Yu, L. 2023. Chemical composition of honeysuckle (Lonicerae japonicae) extracts and their potential in inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and ACE2 binding, suppressing ACE2, and scavenging radicals. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 71(15):6133-6143. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c00584.
Bacalzo, N., Couture, G., Ye, C., Castillo, J., Phillips, K., Fukagawa, N.K., Lebrilla, C. 2022. Quantitative bottom-up glycomic analysis of polysaccharides in food matrices using liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry. 95:1008. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c03707.
Huang, Y., Bruna, P., Fukagawa, N.K., Barile, D. 2022. Comprehensive oligosaccharide profiling of commercial almond milk, soy milk, and soy flour. Food Chemistry. 409:135267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.135267.
Bacalzo,.P., Couture, G., Ye, C., Luthria, D.L., Phillips, K.M., Fukagawa, N.K., Lebrilla, C.B., Tareq, F.S., Harnly, J.M., Pehrsson, P.R., McKillop, K.A. 2022. Multi-glycomic characterization of fiber from AOAC methods defines the carbohydrate structures. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 70(45):14559-14570. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06191.
