Analysis of Fourteen Mycotoxins in Chili Peppers in Guizhou Province Combining DES-DLLME and UHPLC-MS/MS and Their Risk Evaluation

Mycotoxins exist widely in food and have a serious impact on human health.At present,most detection methods of mycotoxins are costly and time-consuming.Most of these methods are aimed at detecting a single type of mycotoxin,and the efficiency is not high.On this basis,in this study,QuEChERS-deep eutectic solvent liquid-liquid microextraction was applied to extract and enrich 14 mycotoxins in chili peppers from the concept of green chemistry.A simple,time-consuming and environment-friendly multi-flux pretreatment method was established,and 100 chili pepper samples were randomly sampled from farmers'markets and supermarkets in major urban areas of Guizhou Province for detection,and risk assessment was carried out according to the detection results.

Agro-morphological Characteristics and Sensory Evaluation of Native Peruvian Chili Peppers

In this work, 31 native Peruvian chili peppers were evaluated for their agro-morphological characteristics and sensory attributes. The descriptive sensory analysis （DSA） was used to evaluate the 31 chili pepper samples based on their acid, bell pepper, sweet, tomato, apple, citrus, fruity, herbal, oregano and passion fruit attributes. The data obtained from the DSA enabled the grouping of these 31 chili peppers into six groups based on their different sensory attributes, such as fruity, bell pepper and herbal. The most abundant group （12 of the 31） had the bell pepper, apple, herbal, fruity and sweet attributes. Each group contained different species and different physical appearances, indicating that species or different forms of chili pepper do not define that sensory attribute. Considering the fact that Peruvian peppers are in high demand, the results achieved would be useful for growers, producers and chefs, as well as for further breeding activities.

Effects of Polygonatum odoratum Polysaccharides on the Quality of White Chili Peppers in Jars

[Objectives]This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Polygonatum odoratum polysaccharides on the quality of white chili peppers in jars.[Methods]White chili peppers were pickled by adding different concentrations of P.odoratum polysaccharides with traditional pickling technology,and its nitrite content,pH and sensory quality were analyzed and detected.[Results]The results showed that,compared with the control group without adding P.odoratum polysaccharides,the nitrite content in white chili peppers in jars decreased after adding P.odoratum polysaccharides.When the addition amount of P.odoratum polysaccharides was 0.002%,the inhibition rate of nitrite reached the maximum.Under the same fermentation time,P.odoratum polysaccharides could significantly reduce the pH value of pickles.When the addition amount of P.odoratum polysaccharide was 0.002%and the pickling time was 3 months,the sensory quality of white chili peppers in jars was the best.At this point,white chili peppers in jars had rich aroma and tasted soft and sour,and the sour and salinity were suitable.As the fermentation time continued to increase,the chili aroma of white chili peppers in jars gradually decreased,and the sour taste became more pronounced.[Conclusions]This study can provide reference for the safety and quality control of white chili peppers in jars.

Non-destructive thermal imaging for object detection via advanced deep learning for robotic inspection and harvesting of chili peppers

Deep Learning has been utilized in computer vision for object detection for almost a decade.Real-time object detection for robotic inspection and harvesting has gained interest during this time as a possible technique for highqualitymachine assistance during agriculture applications.We utilize RGB and thermal images of chili peppers in an environment of various amounts of debris,pepper overlapping,and ambient lighting,train this dataset,and compare object detection methods.Results are presented from the real-time and less than real-time object detection models.Two advanced deep learning algorithms,Mask-Regional Convolutional Neural Networks(Mask-RCNN)and You Only Look Once version 3(YOLOv3)are compared in terms of object detection accuracy and computational costs.When utilizing the YOLOv3 architecture,an overall training mean average precision(mAP)value of 1.0 is achieved.Most testing images from this model score within a range from 97 to 100%confidence levels in natural environment.It is shown that the YOLOv3 algorithm has superior capabilities to the Mask-RCNNwith over 10 times the computational speed on the chili dataset.However,some of the RGB test images resulted in lowclassification scoreswhen heavy debris is present in the image.A significant improvement in the real-time classification scores was observed when the thermal images were used,especially with heavy debris present.We found and report improved prediction scores with a thermal imagery dataset where YOLOv3 struggled on the RGB images.It was shown that mapping temperature differences between the pepper and plant/debris can provide significant features for object detection in real-time and can help improve accuracy of predictionswith heavy debris,variant ambient lighting,and overlapping of peppers.In addition,successful thermal imaging for real-time robotic harvesting could allow the harvesting period to become more efficient and open up harvesting opportunity in low light situations.

Phenotype Observation and Variation Analysis of F_2 Generation of Ion Implanted Chili Pepper Seeds

[Objective]The aim was to investigate inheritance of the mutagenic properties caused by ion implantation from F1 to F2 generation in chili pepper.[Method]Chili pepper seeds were implanted with different ion combinations at different doses,and the F1 generation seeds of five groups in which biological mutation occurred were selected to sow in the field.Then the main phenotype changes in F2 generation were observed,the biochemical changes caused by ion implantation were analyzed by determination of peroxidase isozyme.[Result]Seed implanted with 9×1011 P2＋/cm2 and 1×1012 Cu2＋/cm2（No.21）on its both sides could maintain the superiority in yield per plant to F2 generation,while the mutagenic effects of F1 generation in other groups were not inherited by the F2 generation.[Conclusion]The prominent biological characters induced in the seeds of group No.21 were relatively inherited,so the seeds were worth further breeding.

Effects of Jasmonic Acid on the Expression of Capsaicin Biosynthesis Related Genes in Chili Pepper(Capsicum annuum)

To explore the regulatory effects of jasmonic acid （JA） on the expression of the genes involved in capsaicin biosynthesis pathway, the mRNA expression of the genes was determined by fluorescence-based quantitative PCR 0, 4, 12, 24 and 48 h after chili peppers （Capsicum annuum var. conoides） were treated with 100 μmol/L JA, and the content of capsaicin was measured by high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） 0, 1, 3, 6, 10 and 15 d after JA treatment. The results showed that JA upregulated the mRNA levels of pal, C4h, Comt, 4Cl, Hct, Paint, Bcat, FatA and pun1 in chili pepper, thus promoting the synthesis of capsaicin to different extents.

Genetic Diversity and Correlation Analysis of Main Botanical Traits of Chili Pepper Genetic Resources

A total of 398 chili pepper germplasms were used as test materials and genetic diversity and correlation analysis were performed on 17 botanical traits. The results of diversity analysis showed that the diversity indexes of the 17 botanical traits ranged from 0.15 to 5.97 with the average value of 4.12. The data distributions of 11 quantitative traits were more dispersed than qualitative traits. The average value of eoefficient of variation was 36.90% and the variation ranges were one to six times larger than the average value. The results of correlation analysis showed that plant height had significantly positive correlations with plant breadth, leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, the frrst flower node and carpopodium length. The In＇st flower node was significantly negatively correlated with fruit length, fruit width, flesh thickness and weight per fruit and signifieantly positively correlated with plant height and plant breadth. The flesh thickness was significantly positively correlated with leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, fruit length, fruit width and carpopodium length. The weight per fruit was significantly positively correlated with leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, fruit length, fruit width, carpopodium length and flesh thickness. Materials with low first flower node, moderate plant height and width and large fruit should be selected for the breeding of early-maturing and high-yield chili pepper varieties. The genetic distances between chili pepper traits were calculated based on the genotypic values of the 11 quantitative traits. The genetic distances between different traits ranged from 14.26 to 32.99. The 11 quantitative traits were divided into seven groups when the rescaled distance was ten, which further clarified the relationships between different traits. The research results laid a solid foundation for the new variety breeding of chili pepper.

Chinese Cookery Diced Chicken with Chili Pepper(Gong Bao Ji Ding)

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Capsaicin exerts anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia effects via inhibiting androgen receptor signaling pathway

Background:Benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)is a common condition in middle-aged and elderly men.Enlargement of the prostate causes lower urinary tract symptoms.Capsaicin is a phytochemical extracted from chili peppers and exerts many pharmacological actions,such as anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects.Methods:Our study investigated the effect of capsaicin in vitro and in a mouse model in vivo.A prostatic stromal myofibroblast cell line(WPMY-1)was co-incubated with testosterone(1µM)and different concentrations of capsaicin(10–100µM)for 24 and 48 h.Capsaicin(10–100µM)significantly inhibited testosterone-treated WPMY-1 cell growth at 48 h by MTT assay.The testosterone propionate(7.5 mg/kg)-induced BPH mouse model was used to examine the anti-proliferative effect of capsaicin.Treatment with capsaicin(10 mg/kg)for 14 days significantly attenuated prostatic hyperplasia.Finasteride was used as a positive control.Results:Capsaicin significantly decreased prostate weight and prostate index(prostate/body weight ratio)in BPH mice.The expression of 5α-reductase type II,androgen receptor(AR)and prostate specific antigen(PSA)protein expression and PSA serum were all significantly reduced in capsaicin-treated BPH mice.In addition,capsaicin also activated transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 mediated apoptosis and autophagy in BPH mice.Conclusion:These results demonstrate multiple positive effects of capsaicin in controlling prostate growth and suggest its therapeutic potential in the treatment of BPH.

The bio-interactions between plants,insecticides and fertilizers:an innovative approach for the research of xenobiotic substances

In this experiment carried out on Caribbean chili pepper plants(Capsicum chinensis),the bio-insecticide azadirachtin in combination with an NPK fertilizer proved to have a greater lethal impact on the larvae of Aedes albopictus than each substance on its own.This synergistic effect is noticeably important when both inputs are sprayed directly on the leaves of the plant(foliar application).While the plants treated with azadirachtin or NPK alone cause a 33.6%and 36.4%mortal-ity respectively of the Ae.albopictus larvae,the combination of the two inputs induces a 74.4%mortality on the mosquito larvae.To account for this synergistic effect phenomenon inside the plant,the azadirachtin+NPK combination most likely interacts with the capsaicinoid compounds naturally produced by the plant.Not only does this study carried out on azadirachtin reveal major results but the methodology itself offers a most interesting approach on how to boost the agricultural inputs within the plants.As a matter of fact,this research axis demands developing since the control of pests harmful to men has been dramatically lacking insecticide molecules acting on new targets over the past three decades.

Effect of Salinity Stress on Capsicum annuum Callus Growth, Regeneration and Callus Content of Capsaicin, Phenylalanine, Proline and Ascorbic Acid

The present research was conducted to study salinity effect on callus growth and regeneration from the local Chilli pepper cultivar as well as calli content of capsaicin, phenylalanine, proline and ascorbic acid. The results showed that the Pericarp gave the highest fresh and dry weight of 511.6 mg and 56.95 mg respectively at 9 dSm-1 compared with other interactions. Moreover the lowest fresh and dry weight was recorded for the root calli grown at 12 dSm-1. The highest regeneration percentage was 87.20% at 3 dSm-1 and the lowest was 6.70% at 9 dSm-1. For explant effect on regeneration, the highest percentage was 71.1% for shoot tips and the lowest was 23.30 % from the pericarp. However no plants were regenerated at 12 dSm-1 from all explants and at 9 dSm-1 from calli induced from roots, placenta and pericarps. Calli induced from Pericarp contain significantly higher Proline amount at 12 dSm-1 which was 34.65 μg/g and the lowest was 2.57 μg/g at 3 dSml. Moreover Phenylalanine ranged from 28.23 μg/g at 3 dSml and 41.50μg/g at 12 dSm1. While a wide range between the explants in the Ascorbic acid amount was recorded. The highest was 47.21 μg/g from the Placenta calli and the lowest was 0.98 μg/g from the Shoot tip calli. On the other hand calli produced from Placenta gave the highest amount of Capsaicin 53.11 μg/g at 9 dSm-1 which was not significantly different than the placenta and the pericarp at 12 dSml and the shoot tips, placenta and the pericarp at 9 μg/g. In conclusion Chili pepper callus tolerated salinity via the accumulation of Ascorbic acid, Proline, Phenylalanine and Capsaicin. Moreover Chili Pepper grown In vitro under salt stress contained high amount of Capsaicin the important pharmaceutical compound. Finally pepper plants were regenerated from salt stressed calli might be salt tolerant under field conditions.