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.

Variety Selection and Green Cultivation Technology of Courtyard Ornamental and Edible Peppers

In order to comply with the development trend of the multifunctional use of peppers,we conducted an investigation into the characteristics and features of varieties,potting management techniques,and the methods of extending the fruit ornamental period and other aspects of courtyard ornamental and edible peppers.A set of cultivation techniques suitable for courtyard ornamental and edible peppers has been developed,including timely sowing and seedling,nutrient soil preparation,water and fertilizer management,trimming and pruning,preservation of flowers and fruits,green prevention and control of diseases and pests,harvesting,and so on.

Hydrolytic and Antimicrobial Activities of Bacteria Isolated from Fermented Peppers Sold in Markets at Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo

Microorganisms are omnipresent in all environments and play mainly the role of transformers, thanks to the multiple enzymes they are able to produce. In order to valorize fermented foods in the Republic of the Congo, this work aimed to characterize and study some properties of microorganisms isolated from samples of peppers sold in three markets of Brazzaville. A numeration of the total aerobic mesophilic flora (TAMF) was made in a solid medium, allowing the evaluation of each sample’s microbial concentration. The microbial mass varied from 2.8 × 105 CFU/g for the Ouénzé sample to 1.8 × 104 CFU/g for the Total sample and 2 × 104 CFU/g for the Moungali market sample. The evaluation of the enzymatic properties of the Bacillus isolates showed that 68.42% were capable of producing cellulases and 78.94% were capable of producing amylases and proteases. Antimicrobial activities revealed that 63.15% of the isolates were able to secrete inhibitory substances against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Molecular analysis by PCR amplification, sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and BLAST bioinformatics analysis provides newly identified bacteria strains with new accession numbers in GenBank: Bacillus thuringiensis MBCBR322 (OP474008), Bacillus megaterium MBCBJ1822 (OP476493), Bacillus thuringiensis MBCBR222 (OP476494), Priestia megaterium MBCBJ2022 (OP476495) and Lactobacillus paraplantarum MBCBR1522 (OP476496). Multiple sequences alignment of identified sequences with their homologs of GenBank has shown high similarities. The phylogenetic inference assay has provided the two groups of strains observed in this study, and the two groups are very coherent with the phylogeny of the reference.

Effects of Slow-release Fertilizer and Balanced Fertilization on Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium Uptake in Peppers

Field plot experiment was conducted to study the effects of two slow-re- lease fertilizers and balanced fertilization on dry matter accumulation, yield, fertilizer use efficiency, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium uptake of peppers at Jiangna Town, Yanshan County, Yunnan Province in 2011. The results showed that the dry matter accumulation in dried pepper plant, pepper yield, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium uptake in peppers were significantly increased in all the fertilizer treat- ments, compared with those in control （no fertilizer）. Compared with conventional fertilization, balanced fertilization, slow-release compound fertilizer and slow-release urea fertilizer significantly increased dried pepper economic output by 20.94%, 17.5% and 14.54%, nitrogen uptake in dried peppers by 21.53%,18.46% and 13.19%, phosphorus uptake in dried peppers by 14.08%, 15.76% and 10.44%, potassium uptake in dried peppers by 22.66%, 15.73% and 16.28%; they also in- creased nitrogen and potassium use efficiency, but reduced potassium use efficiency due to the increased potassium addition. In treatments with balanced fertilization, slow-release compound fertilizer and slow-release urea fertilizer, the nitrogen utiliza- tion was 5.84%, 7.14% and 8.33% higher and the phosphorus utilization was 3.32%, 3.27% and 2.47% higher than those in treatment with conventional fertiliza- tion. In addition, the nitrogen application could be reduced by 20%-50% by bal- anced fertilization and the two slow-release fertilizers, thereby reducing environmen- tal pollution. Slow-release fertilizers could also reduce the frequency of fertilization and labor costs.

Lactic Acid Fermentation of Peppers

Different peppers fermentations (Capsicum annum, grossum variety) were assayed: spontaneous, native microflora supplemented individually with Lactobacillus plantarum N8, Leuconostoc mesentereroides L. or Pediococcus pentosaceus 12p and by pure or combined cultures of these lactic acid bacteria (LAB). In order to eliminate the native flora, different kinds of heat treatment were assayed. The treatment selected was heating in autoclaved after research 3/4 atmosphere and to turn off. Fermentations were carried out at 22?C and 30?C and the culture media contained 2% or 0.2% glucose and 4% NaCl. Sugar consumption, pH reduction and acid production were higher at 30℃ than at 22℃. At both temperatures, spontaneous fermentation showed a slower rate reduction in pH than inoculated samples. Diminution in pH in presence of 2% glucose was faster than at 0.2%, but minimum pH was in both case lower than 3.0. Maximum growth was reached between 2 and 5 days of fermentation in all the samples assayed. After 30 days of incubation in presence of 2% glucose the survival of LAB was nearly 5 log ufc/ml. The survival was higher at the lower temperature assayed for both glucose concentrations. Organoleptic properties of peppers fermented with a mixed culture of Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Pediococcus pentosaceus were found best by a human panel. This sample has a relation lactic acid/acetic acid of nearly 3 in the conditions assayed.

Anti-Cancer Effects and Mechanisms of Capsaicin in Chili Peppers

Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world and a promising area of cancer research is concentrated on chemoprevention by nutritional compounds. Capsaicin, traditionally used as a food additive and an analgesic, is one of the main pungent ingredients in chili peppers. Recent studies have shown that capsaicin has anti-cancer effects in various types of cancer model. The purpose of this review is to outline the anticarcinogenic effect of capsaicin and its mechanism.

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.

Inactivation of Salmonella Species on New Mexico Green Chile Peppers by Flame Roasting

Salmonella spp. have been implicated in foodborne disease outbreaks involving chile peppers, usually in combination foods such as chile rellenos, salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole and others where the source of contamination is uncertain. Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028 was used in this study to artificially inoculate green chile peppers. Green chile peppers were weighed and artificially contaminated by applying the calculated inoculation volumes of 4 o,L per g of pepper. No presumptive salmonellae were found on any of the peppers prior to inoculation with S. Typhimurium. Twenty inoculated chiles were transferred to a custom built lab-scale roaster and then flame roasted for five minutes until they were blistered on the surface, as is commonly at New Mexico supermarkets. The surface temperature of representative chiles was measured with an infrared thermometer. Flame roasting of green chile peppers is effective in reducing bacterial contaminants on fresh green chile peppers. Based on the TSAYE counts where inoculated chile peppers had a mean plate count of 7.21 and the roasted chile peppers 2.71 and 2.75, a 4.5 log reduction was seen. Results reveal the effectiveness of flame roasting on the microbiological safety and quality of roasted green chile peppers.

Cooking Class:Stir-Fried Shrimp and Green Peppers (Feicui Xiaren)

Jiangsucuisine,oneofChinaseightmajorcookingschools,isrepresentedbySuzhouandYangzhoudishes.JiangsucuisinecomprisescookinJmethodssuchasstewing,braising,simmering,steamlug,deep-frying,andstir-frying.Thedisheslookinvitlugandtastelightanddelicious.Emphasi...

Coexpression network analysis reveals an MYB transcriptional activator involved in capsaicinoid biosynthesis in hot peppers

Plant biosynthesis involves numerous specialized metabolites with diverse chemical natures and biological activities.The biosynthesis of metabolites often exclusively occurs in response to tissue-specific combinatorial developmental cues that are controlled at the transcriptional level.Capsaicinoids are a group of specialized metabolites that confer a pungent flavor to pepper fruits.Capsaicinoid biosynthesis occurs in the fruit placenta and combines its developmental cues.Although the capsaicinoid biosynthetic pathway has been largely characterized,the regulatory mechanisms that control capsaicinoid metabolism have not been fully elucidated.In this study,we combined fruit placenta transcriptome data with weighted gene coexpression network analysis(WGCNA)to generate coexpression networks.A capsaicinoid-related gene module was identified in which the MYB transcription factor CaMYB48 plays a critical role in regulating capsaicinoid in pepper.Capsaicinoid biosynthetic gene(CBG)and CaMYB48 expression primarily occurs in the placenta and is consistent with capsaicinoid biosynthesis.CaMYB48 encodes a nucleus-localized protein that primarily functions as a transcriptional activator through its C-terminal activation motif.CaMYB48 regulates capsaicinoid biosynthesis by directly regulating the expression of CBGs,including AT3a and KasIa.Taken together,the results of this study indicate ways to generate robust networks optimized for the mining of CBG-related regulators,establishing a foundation for future research elucidating capsaicinoid regulation.

Chili peppers - a key to solve the mystery of thermoreceptors

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was jointly awarded to two scientists,David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian,in recognition of their contributions to the discovery of temperature and touch“receptors”[1].In 1997,Julius successfully cloned the capsaicin-specific transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1(TRPV1)and used capsaicin to identify heat-responsive integumentary nerve ending sensors.He reported that capsaicin or temperatures above 43°C could activate the TRPV1.The body integrates chemical(e.g.,capsaicin),and physical(e.g.,temperature)stimulants into electrical signals,which are then transmitted to the brain via the nerves,leading to the sensation of heat or pain.This has completely transformed our understanding of somatic perception[2].

Ability of Fungi, Isolated from Nsukka Peppers and Garden-Egg Plant Rhizospheres, to Solubilize Phosphate and Tolerate Cadmium

Fungi were isolated from the rhizosphere of pepper and garden-egg plants, with the aim of solubilizing the insoluble phosphate, identifying the most potent isolate from each rhizosphere and testing their tolerance to cadmium metal. The fungi isolates were obtained from the rhizosphere of pepper and garden-egg plants, using PVK agar and NBRIP-BPB broth culture to determine the quantity of phosphate solubilized. From the spectrophotometric readings, isolates GF1 (Penicillium spp) and PF7 (Aspergillus niger) were identified as most potent isolates. Various concentrations of cadmium (100, 50, 10 and 1 μg/ml) were added to the broth containing different isolates for tolerance determination and a control group for different isolates were also obtained. At four-day interval, a quantity of phosphates solubilized at different concentrations of cadmium and control were recorded. The quantity solubilized in 100, 50, 10 and 1 μg/ml treatment groups increased progressively from Day 4 to Day 12 in both isolates, with a sharp increase observed in isolate GF1. The tolerance of GF1 to cadmium showed that there was no significant difference (P < 0.05) in quantity solubilized in the control group when compared with Day 8 and Day 12 of 1 μg/ml concentration of cadmium metal, except at Day 4 which may be as a result of acclimatization. The quantity solubilized for PF7 at control when compared with 1, 10, 50 and 100 μg/ml differed significantly although there were higher quantity of phosphates solubilized when compared with GF1 and other results obtained from most published works. Our results suggested that these two isolates could be used for phosphate solubilization in cadmium metal environment though GF1 tolerates more than PF7, and could be employed for bioremediation of cadmium heavy metals.

基于活动理论的BOPPPS教学模式促进学生编程和计算思维的实证研究——以Pepper机器人教学为例

本研究以“活动理论”教育理念为依据,构建以“引导活动、知识测试活动、合作体验活动和学习反思活动”为主体的活动理论教学模型,并设计以“导入、目标、前测、参与式学习、后测、总结”六个环节为主体的BOPPPS教学模式,利用Pepper机器人开展教学实践以培养学生的计算思维。实证分析结果表明,基于活动理论的BOPPPS教学模式促进了学生的编程成绩和计算思维成绩的提升,为中小学编程教学改革提供了借鉴。

Crop water stress index for off-season greenhouse green peppers in Liaoning, China

The crop water stress index(CWSI)is a complex instrument to effectively monitor the degree of water stress of crops and provides guidance for timely irrigation.In an experiment utilizing the CWSI with off-season green peppers planted in barrels in a greenhouse in Liaoning Province,Northeast China,this study monitors the sub-indexes--such as canopy temperature,environmental factors and yield--determines the changing law of each constituent,achieves an empirical model as well as a baseline formula for the canopy temperature of the peppers with a sufficient water supply,and verifies the rationality of the formula with corresponding experimental data.The results obtained by using the CWSI show that the optimal time to determine the water deficit for off-season green peppers is at noon,by measuring the diurnal variation in the peppers with different water supplies.There is a nonlinear relationship between the yield and the average CWSI at the prime fruit-bearing period;moreover,the optimal time to supply water for off-season green peppers comes when the average water stress index ranges between 0.2 and 0.4 during the prime fruiting stage,thereby ensuring a high yield.

Two-stage seedling cultivation method for sweet peppers combining closed plant factory and solar greenhouse

This study introduced a two-stage cultivation method for sweet pepper seedlings, integrating the strengths of a closed plant factory and solar greenhouse, to mitigate the environmental constraints in Northeast China during the early spring season. In the first stage, seedlings were cultivated in a closed plant factory, followed by a second stage in a solar greenhouse. Four treatments- T1 (9 and 36 d), T2 (12 and 33 d), T3 (15 and 30 d), and T4 (18 and 27 d) - were designed for the first and second stages, respectively, with solar greenhouse-only approach serving as the control (CK). The findings reveal that the two-stage methodology significantly outperformed the control across multiple metrics, including seedling health index, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic capacity, yield, etc. Specifically, T3 emerged as optimal, boosting the health index by 38.59%, elevating chlorophyll content by 39.61%, increasing net photosynthesis by 34.61%, and augmenting yield per plant by 40.67%. Additionally, T3 expedited the time to harvest by 25 d compared to the control. Although the seedling cost for T3 was 0.12 RMB yuan higher, the benefits offset the additional investment. In conclusion, the two-stage cultivation method effectively leverages the advantages of both closed-plant factories and solar greenhouses, resulting in superior seedling quality compared to using only solar greenhouses. It offers a practical and economically viable solution for enhancing the quality and yield of sweet pepper seedlings, thus contributing to the progress in the field of facility seedling cultivation research.

Impact of training methods and biostimulant applications on sweet pepper(Capsicum annuum) yield and nutritional values:Under greenhouse condition

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is an important agricultural crop because of the nutritional value of the fruit and its economic importance.Various techniques have been practiced to enhance pepper's productivity and nutritional value.Therefore,this study was conducted to determine the impact of different training methods and biostimulant applications on sweet pepper plants'growth,yield,and chemical composition under greenhouse conditions.For the training method,unpruned plants were compared with one stem and two stem plants.Unpruned plants had the fruit number of 33.98,fruit weight of 2.18 kg·plant^(-1),and total marketable yield of 1 090.0 kg·hm^(-2).One stem plant gave the best average fruit weight of 86.63 g,vitamin C content of 13.66 mg·kg^(-1)FW,and TSS content of 7.21%.However,two stem plants had the highest fruit setting of 62.41%,carotenoid content of 0.14 mg·kg^(-1)FW,and fruit chlorophyll content of 3.57 mg·kg^(-1)FW.For biostimulant applications,control plants were compared with the Disper Root (DR) and Disper Vital (DV).DR application significantly increased total sugar,carotenoid,fruit chlorophyll,and TSS contents compared to the control and DV applications.While,applying DV increased fruit setting,plant fruit number,weight,and total marketable yield.In addition,integrating one stem plant with the DR application improved fiber,vitamin C,and TSS contents significantly.Two stem plants,and the DV application improved fruit setting and carotenoid content.Thus,one and two stem training methods integrated with the DR and DV biostimulant applications could be considered for developing agricultural practices to obtain commercial yield and improve the nutrition values of sweet peppers,as unpruned plants without biostimulant applications have a negative impact.

Fine mapping and identification of CaTTG1,a candidate gene that regulates the hypocotyl anthocyanin accumulation in Capsicum annuum

Pepper(Capsicum annuum L.)is a typical self-pollinating crop with obvious heterosis in hybrids.Consequently,the use of morphological markers during the pepper seedling stage is crucial for pepper breeding.The color of hypocotyl is widely used as a phenotypic marker in crossing studies of pepper.Pepper accessions generally have purple hypocotyls,which are mainly due to the anthocyanin accumulation in seedlings,and green hypocotyls are rarely observed in pepper.Here we reported the characterization of a green hypocotyl mutant of pepper,Cha1,which was identified from a pepper ethyl methanesulfonate(EMS)mutant library.Fine mapping revealed that the causal gene,CaTTG1,belonging to the WD40 repeat family,controlled the green hypocotyl phenotype of the mutant.Virus-induced gene silencing(VIGS)confirmed that CaTTG1 regulated anthocyanin accumulation.RNA-seq data showed that expression of structural genes CaDFR,CaANS,and CaUF3GT in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway was significantly decreased in Cha1 compared to the wild type.Yeast two-hybrid(Y2H)experiments also confirmed that CaTTG1 activated the synthesis of anthocyanin structural genes by forming a MBW complex with CaAN1 and CaGL3.In summary,this study provided a green hypocotyl mutant of pepper,and the Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR(KASP)marker developed based on the mutation site of the underlying gene would be helpful for pepper breeding.