Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. J Food Sci Technol. 2024 Nov;61(11):2205-2214. doi:
10.1007/s13197-024-05991-5.  Epub 2024 Apr 26.

Using food to color food: photostability of canistel pulp and its application as 
a food dye.

Anjo FA(1), Ogawa CYL(2), Saraiva BR(1), de Castro-Hoshino LV(2), Hegeto FL(2), 
da Silva JB(3), Vital ACP(4), Bruschi ML(3), Neto AM(2), Sato F(2), 
Matumoto-Pintro PT(1)(5).

Author information:
(1)Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência de Alimentos, Universidade Estadual de 
Maringá, Maringá, PR CEP: 87020-900 Brasil.
(2)Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, 
Maringá, PR CEP: 87020-900 Brasil.
(3)Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual de 
Maringá, Maringá, PR CEP: 87020-900 Brasil.
(4)Departamento de Nutrição, Centro Universitário Inga, Maringá, PR, CEP 
87035-510 Brasil.
(5)Departamento de Agronomia, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Av. Colombo, 
5700, Jd. Universitário, 87020-900 Paraná, Brasil.

The use of foods to color other foods (coloring food) should be considered in 
food production. In this study, freeze-dried canistel (Pouteria campechiana 
(Kunth) Baehni) pulp underwent a photostability test. A blue LED light with a 
maximum intensity of 420 nm was utilized to induce photodegradation of the pulp. 
After irradiation, the samples were analyzed using photoacoustic spectroscopy. 
Different concentrations (2%, 4%, and 6%) of the pulp were employed as coloring 
food in ice cream, and the ice cream was thoroughly characterized. Photoacoustic 
spectroscopy provided valuable insights into dehydrated canistel pulp, revealing 
two stages of photoreaction involving carotenoids (violaxanthin and ξ-carotene) 
and demonstrating photostability under visible LED irradiation. The ice cream 
made with natural food dye produce elevated levels of bioactive compounds and 
retained a stable color throughout storage. All ice creams exhibited thixotropy. 
Ice creams with higher pulp concentrations displayed greater resistance to shear 
stress and, in sensory tests, received the highest scores, attributed to their 
intense yellow color. Dehydrated canistel pulp holds significant potential for 
use as food coloring in the industry due to its photostability.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material 
available at 10.1007/s13197-024-05991-5.

© Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2024. Springer Nature 
or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this 
article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other 
rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of 
this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and 
applicable law.

DOI: 10.1007/s13197-024-05991-5
PMCID: PMC11464659
PMID: 39397837

Conflict of interest statement: Conflict of interestThe authors have declared no 
conflicts of interest for this article.


2. BMC Plant Biol. 2024 Oct 14;24(1):959. doi: 10.1186/s12870-024-05660-x.

Transcriptome analysis reveals key regulatory networks and genes involved in the 
acquisition of cold stress memory in pepper seedlings.

Li J(1)(2), Yang P(2), Fu H(2), Li J(2)(3), Wang Y(3), Zhu K(1), Yu J(4), Li 
J(5).

Author information:
(1)College of Horticulture, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, 730070, 
China.
(2)College of Biological and Agricultural Sciences, Honghe University, Mengzi, 
661100, China.
(3)College of Horticulture and Forestry, Tarim University, Alar, 843300, China.
(4)College of Horticulture, Gansu Agriculture University, Lanzhou, 730070, 
China. yujihuagg@163.com.
(5)College of Biological and Agricultural Sciences, Honghe University, Mengzi, 
661100, China. gsau23@126.com.

Temperature is an important limiting factor in the counter-seasonal cultivation 
of pepper. Currently, there are no studies on transcriptomic analysis of 'cold 
stress memory' in pepper. In this study, in order to understand the mechanism of 
'cold stress memory' in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), seedlings were subjected to 
the following treatments: normal temperature treatment (P0), the first cold 
treatment for 3 days (P3), the recovery temperature treatment for 3 days (R3), 
and another cold treatment for 3 days (RP3). The results showed that P3 plants 
wilted the most, RP3 the second and R3 the least. Leaf reactive oxygen species 
(ROS) and electrolyte leakage were the most in P3, the second in RP3 and the 
least in R3. In addition, RP3 had the highest accumulation of zeaxanthin, 
violaxanthin and β-cryptoxanthin, followed by P3, and R3 had the least. These 
results suggest that pepper seedlings are characterized by 'cold stress memory'. 
Transcriptomics was used to analyze the key genes and transcription factors 
involved in the biosynthesis of zeaxanthin, violaxanthin and β-cryptoxanthin 
during the formation of 'cold stress memory'. This study provides candidate 
genes and transcription factors for an in-depth study of the cold tolerance 
mechanism in pepper.

© 2024. The Author(s).

DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05660-x
PMCID: PMC11479542
PMID: 39396950 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests.


3. Molecules. 2024 Sep 6;29(17):4235. doi: 10.3390/molecules29174235.

Metabolomic Analysis of Carotenoids Biosynthesis by Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05.

Liu C(1), Xu Q(1), Liu Y(1), Song M(1), Cao X(1), Du X(1), Yan H(1).

Author information:
(1)School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and 
Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.

Carotenoids belonging to the class of tetraterpenoids have extensive 
applications in medicine, food, nutrition, cosmetics, and feed. Among them, 
lutein and zeaxanthin can prevent macular degeneration in the elderly, which is 
very important for protecting vision. Here, we introduce the first metabolomic 
analysis of Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05, aiming to shed light on the biosynthesis 
of carotenoids. Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05 has the complete methylerythritol 
4-phosphate (MEP) pathway and carotenoid biosynthesis pathway, especially 
involved in the bioconversion of zeaxanthin, violaxanthin, and astaxanthin. 
Metabolomic profiling identified seven carotenes and six xanthophylls 
synthesized by Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05. Zeaxanthin, in particular, was found to 
be the most abundant, with a content of 37.1 µg/g dry cells. Collectively, the 
results presented herein greatly enhance our understanding of Sphingopyxis sp. 
USTB-05 in carotenoids biosynthesis, and thus further accelerate its fundamental 
molecular investigations and biotechnological applications.

DOI: 10.3390/molecules29174235
PMCID: PMC11397044
PMID: 39275082 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.


4. Sci Rep. 2024 Sep 11;14(1):21284. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-70825-5.

Biological activities of derived pigments and polyphenols from the newly 
recorded alga Phyllymenia gibbesii.

El-Din NGS(1), Hafez MSMAE(1)(2), El-Wahab MGA(3)(4), Ibrahim HAH(5)(6).

Author information:
(1)National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, NIOF, Cairo, Egypt.
(2)Faculty of Health Science Technology, Borg Al Arab Technological University, 
Alexandria, Egypt.
(3)Faculty of Technological Industry and Energy, Thebes Technological 
University, Thebes, Luxor, Egypt.
(4)Pharmaceutical and Fermentation Industries Development Centre (PFIDC), City 
of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Borg Al Arab 
Al Gadida city, Egypt.
(5)National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, NIOF, Cairo, Egypt. 
drhassan1973@yahoo.com.
(6)Microbiology Department, NIOF, Kayet Bay, El-Anfoushy, Alexandria, Egypt. 
drhassan1973@yahoo.com.

The newly recorded Phyllymenia gibesii in the Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria 
coast of Egypt is regarded as a significant source of bioactive substances and 
is applied as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial agent. 
According to the HPLC chromatograms, the acetone extract of P. gibesii comprised 
ten photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-d, α-carotene, 
β-carotene, phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, antheraxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, 
lutein, and violaxanthin). Total carotenoids were the dominant class in the 
pigments' profile, achieving a concentration of 257 g/g dry weight. The P. 
gibbesii extract had a total content of phenols (146.67 mg/g) and a total 
content of flavonoids (104.40 mg/g). The capacity of all the investigated 
biological activities augmented with the concentration of the algal extract. The 
maximal DPPH scavenging capacity was 81.44%, with an inhibitory concentration 
(IC50) of 9.88 μg/mL. Additionally, the highest ABTS scavenging capacity was 
89.62%, recording an IC50 of 21.77 μg/mL. The hemolytic activity of P. gibbesii 
attained a maximum capacity of 49.88% with an IC50 of 100.25 μg/mL. Data also 
showed the maximum anti-inflammatory effectiveness at 81.25%, with an IC50 of 
99.75 μg/mL. Furthermore, the extract exhibited antimicrobial capacity against 
all reference strains, particularly at high concentrations (0.1 mg/mL), with the 
greatest effect on C. albicans and E. coli.

© 2024. The Author(s).

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70825-5
PMCID: PMC11390728
PMID: 39261518 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests.


5. Biochemistry (Mosc). 2024 Jul;89(7):1251-1259. doi: 10.1134/S0006297924070071.

Content of Primary and Secondary Carotenoids in the Cells of Cryotolerant 
Microalgae Chloromonas reticulata.

Dymova OV(1), Parshukov VS(2), Novakovskaya IV(2), Patova EN(2).

Author information:
(1)Institute of Biology of Komi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian 
Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, 167982, Russia. 
dymovao@ib.komisc.ru.
(2)Institute of Biology of Komi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian 
Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, 167982, Russia.

Snow (cryotolerant) algae often form red (pink) spots in mountain ecosystems on 
snowfields around the world, but little is known about their physiology and 
chemical composition. Content and composition of pigments in the cells of the 
cryotolerant green microalgae Chloromonas reticulata have been studied. Analysis 
of carotenoids content in the green (vegetative) cells grown under laboratory 
conditions and in the red resting cells collected from the snow surface in the 
Subpolar Urals was carried out. Carotenoids such as neoxanthin, violaxanthin, 
anteraxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, and β-carotene were detected. Among the 
carotenoids, the ketocarotenoid astaxanthin with high biological activity was 
also found. It was established that cultivation of the algae at low positive 
temperature (6°C) and moderate illumination (250 μmol quanta/(m2⋅s) contributed 
to accumulation of all identified carotenoids, including extraplastidic 
astaxanthin. In addition to the pigments, fatty acids accumulated in the algae 
cells. The data obtained allow us to consider the studied microalgae as a 
potentially promising species for production of carotenoids.

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297924070071
PMID: 39218022 [Indexed for MEDLINE]