Search Results (30)

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus ochraceous and various Penicillium species, which are known for contaminating agricultural products and posing significant health risks, which include immunotoxicity. This study aims to evaluate the potential of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) loaded with a carotenoid-enriched extract from pumpkin peel (Cucurbita maxima L.) in mitigating the toxic effects of OTA. To address the poor bioavailability and instability of carotenoids, nanoencapsulation techniques were employed to enhance their delivery and efficacy. NLCs were formulated using hydrogenated sunflower oil, pumpkin oil, and soy lecithin using hot high-pressure homogenization. The in vitro study involved co-digesting OTA-contaminated bread with an NLC formulation and assessing the impact of the encapsulated carotenoid on OTA bioaccessibility, bioavailability, and cellular toxicity using Caco-2 and Jurkat T cells. Even though no significant influence was observed on the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of OTA, carotenoid-loaded NLCs exhibited cytoprotective effects by improving cell viability and mitigating OTA-induced toxicity in both Caco-2 and Jurkat T cells. Particularly, the flow cytometry analysis highlighted the ability of carotenoids to mitigate OTA-induced cellular damage by decreasing ROS production and limiting mitochondrial mass changes. The study suggests that the encapsulation of carotenoids in NLCs represents a promising strategy to enhance their protective effects against OTA toxicity, potentially offering a novel approach to food safety and public health protection. The study underscores the potential of nanotechnology in improving the bioavailability and efficacy of natural antioxidants to mitigate mycotoxin-induced damage. Full article

Recently, pectin, a versatile polysaccharide with different industrial applications, has gained significant attention as an eco-friendly and functional ingredient. This study investigates pumpkin peels (Cucurbita maxima L., Mantua variety) as a novel source of pectin, using a microwave-assisted extraction method with citric acid-acidified water as solvent. The extraction conditions were optimized using a Design of Experiments approach, considering the solvent-to-solid ratio (SSR), pH, temperature, and extraction time. The optimized conditions (94.8 °C, 5 min, pH 1.5, and 46 mL/g SSR) resulted in a pectin yield of 18.05%. A comprehensive characterization of the extracted pectin was performed, including FT-IR spectroscopy, DSC, TGA, rheological properties, and techno-functional assessments such as water holding capacity and fat binding capacity. The results indicated a high degree of esterification (56.19 ± 0.87%), classifying the pumpkin peels (PP) extract as a high methoxyl pectin. PP pectin demonstrated potential as a stabilizer and emulsifying agent, although its high methoxyl content limits its use as a carrier for targeted bioactive delivery. The findings support the viability of using agricultural by-products to obtain valuable polysaccharides, contributing to waste valorization and sustainable industrial practices. Full article

Plants, including pumpkins (Cucurbita spp.), are an interesting source of nutrients and bioactives with various health benefits. In this research, carotenoid extracts obtained from the pulp of eight pumpkin varieties, belonging to the C. moschata and C. maxima species, were tested for cytotoxicity on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. The results showed that pumpkin bioactives exert a cytotoxic action against the tested cells, in particular Butternut extract at a 100 μM (53.69 μg/mL) concentration after 24 h of treatment and Mantovana extract at 50 μM (26.84 μg/mL) after 48 h. Moreover, the carotenoid extracts also showed interesting in vitro antioxidant activity, evaluated by ABTS and ORAC assays. To fully characterize the qualitative and quantitative profile of carotenoids in the tested extracts, a high-performance chromatographic technique was performed, revealing that pumpkin pulp carotenoids were mainly represented by β-carotene, mono- and di-esterified hydroxy- and epoxy-carotenoids. Moreover, the carotenoid dataset was also useful for discriminating samples from two different species. In conclusion, the results of the present study highlight the potential anti-cancer activity of pumpkin carotenoid extracts and the possibility of using them as chemotherapeutic adjuvants. Full article

The goal of the current work was to assess the nutritional profile and phytochemical properties of cucurbit (Cucurbita maxima L.) seeds, seed oils and oil extraction by-products (e.g., seed-cakes). Our results suggest a high nutritional value for both cucurbit seeds and cucurbit cake, while γ-tocopherol was the richest compound, with traces of α, β and δ-tocopherol compounds also detected. Regarding the free sugars composition, there were recorded significant statistical differences between seeds and cucurbit seed-cake, although sucrose content was the highest for both matrices (1.97 and 2.9 g/100 g dw, respectively) followed by trehalose (0.26 and 0.25 g/100 g dw, respectively), fructose (0.20 and 0.34 g/100 g dw, respectively) and glucose (0.21 and 0.19 g/100 g dw, respectively). In terms of organic acids, oxalic was the only compound detected in seed cake (0.006 g/100 g dw), while in seeds only traces of oxalic and malic acid were detected. In relation to fatty acid composition, linolenic acid was the most abundant compound in both seeds and seed-cake (43.9% and 41.5%, respectively), while oleic acid (37.0% and 36.3%, respectively), palmitic acid (12.2% and 14.0%, respectively) and stearic acid (4.83% and 5.46%, respectively) were detected in lesser amounts. Moreover, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were the major fatty acids class (44.5% and 42.3% in seeds and seed cake, respectively) compared to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA; 37.4% and 36.7% in seeds and seed cake, respectively) and saturated fatty acids (SFA; 18.1% and 21.0% in seeds and seed cake, respectively) which were detected in lower amounts. Furthermore, the tested extracts did not present any cytotoxic or hepatoxic activity at the maximum tested concentration (GI₅₀ > 400 μg/mL), while seed oils presented satisfactory antimicrobial properties with inhibitory activity against the studied bacterial strains and fungi. Our findings provide valuable knowledge regarding the exploitation of pumpkin seeds and seed by-products as valuable natural sources of nutrients and phytochemicals in the food industry sector within the context of a circular economy. Full article

It has been discovered that the peel of a pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima), regarded as a waste product of pumpkin processing, has significant amounts of carotenoids and other antioxidants. This study aims to identify the most effective extraction parameters for an ultrasonic-assisted extraction method to extract the total carotenoids (TCs) and assess the antioxidant activity (AA) of pumpkin peel. To determine the effects of the extraction time, temperature, and material-to-solvent ratio on the recovery of TCs and AA, a response surface methodology utilizing the central composite design (CCD) was used. The extraction temperature (6.25–98.75 °C), extraction duration (13.98–128.98 min), and solvent ratio (0.23–50.23 mL) were the variables studied in the coded form of the experimental plan. The carotenoid concentration varied from 0.53 to 1.06 mg/g DW, while the AA varied from 0.34 to 7.28 µM TE/g DW. The findings indicated that the optimal extraction parameters were an 80 °C temperature, a 10 mL solvent ratio, and a 100 min extraction time. The study confirmed that the optimum extraction conditions resulted in an experimental TC yield of 0.97 mg/g DW and an AA of 7.25 µM TE/g DW. Overall, it should be emphasized that the extraction process can be enhanced by setting the operating factors to maximize the model responses. Full article

Food residues are a promising resource for obtaining natural pigments, which may replace artificial dyes in the industry. However, their use still presents challenges due to the lack of suitable sources and the low stability of these natural compounds when exposed to environmental variations. In this scenario, the present study aims to identify different food residues (such as peels, stalks, and leaves) as potential candidates for obtaining natural colorants through eco-friendly extractions, identify the colorimetric profile of natural pigments using the RGB color model, and develop alternatives using nanotechnology (e.g., liposomes, micelles, and polymeric nanoparticles) to increase their stability. The results showed that extractive solution and residue concentration influenced the RGB color profile of the pigments. Furthermore, the external leaves of Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata f. rubra, the peels of Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita maxima x Cucurbita moschata, and Beta vulgaris L. proved to be excellent resources for obtaining natural pigments. Finally, the use of nanotechnology proved to be a viable alternative for increasing the stability of natural colorants over storage time. Full article

Improving plant regeneration ability and shortening regeneration time can promote the development of genetic transformation breeding technology for horticultural crops. We optimized several culture conditions, including explant type, mother plant genotype, and medium, to improve shoot formation in winter squash (Cucurbita maxima Duch.). Histological analysis of the occurrence of shoots was also carried out. The results indicate that cotyledon was the most suitable explant for inducing the shoot regeneration of winter squash. We found that ‘Jin-li’ had a shorter shoot induction time and a higher average number of shoots. The highest induction rate of 95.23% among the five lines. The average shoot induction rate of five lines was the highest (84.85%) on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA) and 0.2 mg/L indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). We also found that there was an interaction between genotypes and induction media, and their interaction had a greater impact on the shoot induction rate than individual effects. Histological observation revealed that the induced shoots of winter squash cotyledons originated from subepidermal cells. We also found that the optimal medium for de novo root regeneration was 1/2 MS. We acclimatized and cultivated regenerated plants and harvested their fruits, which maintained the characteristics of mother plants. These findings lay an important foundation for further research on direct shoot regeneration and accelerate its application in winter squash genetic transformation. Full article

Soil macro- and micronutrient nutrient availability and their uptake by plants are critically reliant upon an active presence of the soil microbiome. This study investigated the effect of two locally sourced bio-inocula, local effective microorganisms (LEMs) and false-local effective microorganisms (F-LEMs), on plant available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and the uptake of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), and zinc (Zn) content in edamame (Glycine max. L.) and pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) grown in a randomized complete block design with four reps, summer 2017 and 2018, respectively. LEM plots showed greater plant-available N during the first week (edamame season) and fourth week (pumpkin season) after treatment applications. During the pumpkin season, post-treatment plant-available P was greater in both summers in LEM plots. Edamame bean had 19%, 3%, 5%, and 16% greater Ca, Mg, K, and Zn content in LEM plots compared to the Control, respectively. The concentration of K in pumpkin pulp at harvest was 31% higher in LEMs than in F-LEMs, while Mg concentration was 42% higher. Pumpkin pulp and seeds also had 27% and 34% greater Ca and Zn concentrations compared to the Control. Our study suggests that LEMs were effective in solubilizing macro- and micronutrients, which led to increased plant uptake. Full article

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L., cv. “Nina Z”) plants grafted onto squash (Cucurbita maxima, cv. “Yu Yu Ikki”) were grown in a greenhouse using the newly developed nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponic system “Kappa land” (Mitsubishi aqua solutions Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan), from February to June 2022. The growth and development of cucumbers were examined under two different training methods: Lowering training (LT) and Pinching training (PT). Data collected were related to water and nutrient consumption, plant growth and development parameters, and the workload of the main activities. The results showed that plants grown under the LT recorded significantly higher total stem length (10.9 m) and number of nodes (133). In addition, from 21 April to 19 May, the leaf area index was significantly higher in the LT treatment. The highest total yield (15.4 kg m⁻²) and marketable yield per unit area (13.8 kg m⁻²) were recorded in the LT treatment. Regarding fruit growth, the fruits took 14 and 19 days to reach the standard harvest weight in the PT and LT treatments, respectively. In addition, the fruits were more straight in the PT treatment. The water use efficiency was not significantly different between the two treatments. However, the nutrient use efficiency was significantly higher in the PT treatment because plants produced more vegetative organs in the LT treatment instead of fruits. The work for removing old leaves and harvesting fruits was simplified in the LT treatment. The LT method can be effective for the automation of old leaf removal and fruit picking by the robot in the future. Full article

Grafting techniques are being used to improve economically important horticultural crops including Cucumis melo L. This 2-year study was carried out at Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of grafting using different rootstocks on plant, fruit and seed quality in cantaloupe melons. The double haploid (DH) female (H27) and male (H4) parental lines of Solmaz F₁ (Cucumis melo L. var. cantalupensis) variety developed by Cukurova University Faculty of Agriculture were used as scion and three commercial interspecific hybrid Cucurbita (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne × Cucurbita moschata Duchesne) varieties, Nun-9075 F₁ (Nunhems), Ares F₁ (ITU) and TZ-148 (Clause) were used as rootstocks. The parental lines were also self grafted and ungrafted parents were used as the control group. The grafted and ungrafted parents were crossed during pollination. Graft combinations and control were compared for performances in measured parameters such as the main stem length (cm), main stem diameter (mm), node number, harvest time (day), fruit weight (g), fruit length (cm), fruit diameter (cm), fruit cavity length (cm), fruit cavity diameter (cm), fruit flesh thickness (cm), fruit rind thickness (mm), total soluble solids (TSS, %), fruit flesh productivity (%), number of full and empty seeds (number/fruit), 1000 seeds weight (g), seed germination rate (%) and time (day), seed emergence rate (%), and time (day). Most of the plant, fruit and seed parameters have been positively affected by grafting. The use of commercial interspesific Cucurbita hybrid rootstocks resulted in high values compared to the control group however, harvest time, fruit cavity length and diameter, fruit rind thickness and fuit flesh productivity parameters were not statistically significant between rootstocks. Considering seed emergence and germination rate Cucurbita hybrid rootstocks performed lower values than self grafted and ungrafted control. The current study concludes that grafting plays a crucial role in plant growth, fruit and seed characters in cantaloupe melons. Statistically significant differences were mostly observed based on evaluated parameters. Full article

Watermelon grafting is practiced in order to improve tolerance to poor environments such as low temperature. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of low-temperature tolerant bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) rootstocks on the growth and fruit quality of watermelon in semi-forcing and retarding culture where plants were exposed to low or high temperature. Five bottle gourd accessions (FR79, IT207112, BG702, BG703, and FRD22) with low temperature tolerance were evaluated as rootstock for the watermelon scion ‘Sambokkul’. Non-grafted watermelon and watermelon grafted onto commercial rootstock ‘Shintozwa’ (Cucurbita maxima D. × C. moschata D.) or ‘Bullojangsaeng’ (L. siceraria) were used as controls. Watermelons were cultivated in spring (April to June, semi-forcing culture) and autumn (August to October, retarding culture). The responses to low-temperature, growth, yield, and fruit quality differed depending on the rootstocks and growing season. In semi-forcing culture, the monthly averages of daily and minimum temperature in April were, respectively, 13.4 and 1.5 °C. Although the low temperature of the early growth stage suppressed the initial growth of watermelons, grafting mitigated the low-temperature stress. The fruit quality of non-grafted watermelons was greater, but the fruit mass was the lowest (4.8 kg). Grafting onto ‘Shintozwa’ increased the fruit weight (7.0 kg) but reduced the fruit quality. Grafting onto bottle gourd rootstocks had high affinity, good root growth, tolerance to low temperature, and little effect on fruit quality. In retarding culture, the temperature conditions in early and late growth were very high and low, respectively. The growth and fruit quality of grafted watermelons were not superior to those of non-grafted watermelons. Accordingly, these results suggest that watermelon grafting onto the bottle gourd rootstocks may increase the low-temperature tolerance, especially in the early growth stage, and the marketable yield without a reduction in fruit quality. The most promising accession for this purpose was found to be ‘FR79’. Full article

Screening and identification of tolerant genotypes using osmotic materials under in vitro culture could be rapid, easy, and even accurate. In this research, three Iranian landraces of Cucurbita sp. included Tanbal Ajili (Cucurbita maxima Duch.), Ajili Razan (Cucurbita pepo L.), and Balghabakhi (Cucurbita moschata Duch.) seeds were cultured in ¼ MS medium. After germination, plantlets were transferred to MS media containing mannitol and PEG 6000. Mannitol and PEG at three concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 M and 0.009, 0.012, and 0.015 M, respectively, were added into the MS medium, while the MS medium without any adding was used as control. Our findings revealed that osmotic treatments significantly increased shoot and root dry weight (DW), malondialdehyde (MDA), and proline content, but significantly reduced coleoptile length, shoot and root fresh weight, and photosynthesis pigments content. Protein content, phenols, and flavonoids content, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant including ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) activity, reduced ascorbate (AsA), reduced ascorbate/dehydroascorbic acid (AsA/DHA), reduced glutathione (GSH), dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) were significantly increased at moderate osmotic stress induced by mannitol and PEG. In contrast, the previous physiological parameters were significantly reduced at higher water deficit conditions. With respect to most attributes and concentrations, mannitol simulated osmotic stress better than PEG. Our results revealed that applying PEG and mannitol under in vitro conditions could be an efficient way to evaluate and screen cucurbit genotypes for future breeding programs. Full article

By-products of cultivated plants are one of the major environmental concerns worldwide. Due to the high concentration of bioactive chemicals, such waste may be considered hazardous due to the interference with the plant growth, deterioration of the drinking water quality or toxic effects on sensitive marine organisms. Moreover, plant-derived by-products, with proper handling, may represent a low-cost source of bioactive compounds potentially important for pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. The aim of the study was to evaluate the phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, the influence of tyrosinase activity, in vitro sun protecting factor and cytotoxicity of 15 extracts from peels of five cultivars of Cucurbita maxima and C. moschata. The extracts were prepared using “green solvents” (water, 50% propylene glycol, and 20% ethanol) and ultrasound-assisted extraction. The performed analysis showed that the peel extracts from various cultivars differ significantly in respect to the phytochemical content and activity. The type of solvent also had a significant impact on the extract’s composition and bioactivity. Aqueous peel extracts contained the highest amounts of flavonoids, showed the greatest antioxidant potential and the most significant in vitro SPF values. In vitro studies showed that the analyzed peel extracts are not cytotoxic for human keratinocytes up to the concentration of 1000 µg/mL and thus might be considered as non-irritant for the skin. The study confirms the potential application of peel extracts from Cucurbita spp. cultivars in cosmetic products. Full article

Traditional pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and Japanese pumpkin (C. maxima) consist of natural polysaccharides. From a scientific basis, natural polysaccharides could be applied to improve hydration in the cosmetic field. The purified polysaccharide was extracted and deproteinized with the CaCl₂ method. Japanese pumpkin showed the higher value of physicochemical properties including yield (12.96 ± 0.60%), total polysaccharide content (0.89 ± 0.04 mg/mL), swelling capacity (4.00 ± 0.00%), swelling index (1.04 ± 0.00%), solubility (126.67 ± 5.77%), viscosity (1.25 ± 0.00 cps), water capacity (0.93 ± 0.15 g/g) and oil absorption capacity (5.93 ± 0.06 g/g) than traditional pumpkin. Additionally, Japanese pumpkin (IC₅₀ 9.30 ± 0.58 µg/mL) provided higher antioxidant activity by DPPH assay than traditional pumpkin (IC₅₀ 9.98 ± 0.25 µg/mL). The evaluation of efficacy on skin hydration in fifteen Thai volunteers indicated that Japanese pumpkin showed non-skin irritation. An extract concentration of 0.05–0.1% showed a significantly increased effect in moisturizing ability according to concentration (p < 0.05). This result supported that it was safe and effective to use as a moisturizer for cosmetic products. Full article

The volatiles extracted by the dynamic headspace collection system from the undamaged and conspecific damaged Cucurbita maxima were analyzed by Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The olfactory responses of antennal chemosensilla by male and female A. foveicollis towards the plant volatiles were studied by electroantennography (EAG), while the behavioral responses were analyzed by olfactometer bioassay under laboratory conditions. Scanning electron microscopic study revealed the predominance of antennal olfactory sensilla of seven different types with four types of mechanosensilla. The antennae are sexually dimorphic, with differences in density of the chemosensillae present in the apical band region of segment IX, called the circumferential band, being higher in the females. Female antennae showed maximum peak amplitudes for 2-methyl phenol (at 10 mg/mL), followed by 1,4, dimethoxybenzene (at 5 mg/mL), while male antennae showed maximum amplitudes for heneicosane (at 5 mg/mL). Y-tube bioassays revealed maximum attractiveness towards 1,4, dimethoxy benzene that decreased progressively across heneicosane, pentacosane, tetradecane, ethyl benzene, D-limonene, nonadecane, eicosane, nonanal, decanal, α-pinene, phytol and benzaldehyde in females. However, male species were more responsive towards heneicosane, followed by 1,4 dimethoxybenzene, while the responses to pentacosane and tetradecane were equal, followed by equal responses to decanal, ethyl benzene and nonadecane, and thereafter, a progressively reducing response was observed towards α-pinene, eicosane, nonanal, D-limonene, phytol and benzaldehyde. The study assists in understanding the role of olfaction by A. foveicollis in the host plant Cucurbita maxima by listing compounds that act as potential kairomones for the beetle, and can be expected to facilitate development of an eco–friendly trap and/or by attracting the natural enemies for control of the pest. Full article