The questions of the practical usage of the analytical scanning electron microscope JSM 600 LA by JEOL company (Japan) with EDS system -microanalysis for the studying of the ash elemental composition of seeds 9 breeds (Vegetable and Grain application) 4 species genus Amaranthus L. -A. hypochondriacus, A. cruentus, A. hybridus, A. caudatus, A. tricolor. Plant seeds by Federal center of vegetable production selection were envisaged. We studied the concentration of 14 basic elements (in weight %) contained in the mineral part of amaranth seeds. In the amaranth seeds of vegetable forms the accumulation order of the elements is the following: Ca >K >P >Mg >Si >Se >Fe >Mo ≈ S ≈ Cl ≈ Zn >Na >Al. In the seeds of the grain forms the order is different: К >P >Ca >Si >Se >Mg >Fe >Na >Mo >Cl ≈ S ≈ Mn ≈ Zn ≈ Al. The amaranth seeds of the grain forms are rich in macro -and microelements. P, K, Cl and S in the seeds of the grain forms are accumulated on 50, 37, 15 and 5% more and Si, Fe and Al in 2.6 and 1.8 times more than in the vegetable forms seeds. The breeds with the high concentration of the elements are recommended for using in the selection process. The elevated level of the essential macroand microelements such as Ca, K, P, Mg, Mo, S and Cl stipulates the perspective of the functional products creation on the base of the studied amaranth seeds for the enrichment of the food stuffs.

Antioxidant metabolites of plant origin are able to regulate many physiological functions of the body and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases caused by free radical oxidation. Vegetable plants are the most affordable source of essential antioxidant metabolites lack of which leads to a sharp decrease in resistance to environmental stresses. Amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) is a promising food and medicinal plant. Variety Valentina (originated by V.K. Gins, P.F. Kononkov, M.S. Gins, All-Russian Research Institute of Breeding and Seed Production of Vegetable Crops) was successfully introduced and grown in several Russian regions. Our objective was to study the composition and content of low-molecular biologically active antioxidant metabolites that determine the nutritional and pharmacological value of amaranth leaves, and to assess the main antioxidant accumulation in plant organs under the conditions of the Moscow Region. For analysis, fresh and dried leaves (juvenile, those with a formed blade, and old ones), inflorescences, stems, veins, petioles and roots were used. Amaranthine, reduced ascorbic acid, and total antioxidant content was measured in water and ethanol extracts from fresh and dry leaves and plant organs. Also, simple phenols and oxybenzoic acids, flavonoids, condensed and polymeric polyphenols were assayed. Chlorogenic, gallic, ferulic acids and arbutin content was determined in aqueous extract by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The metabolites were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). It was shown that actively photosynthesizing leaves with a fully formed blade predominantly accumulated ascorbic acid, while in the aging leaves its amount decreased. Veins, petioles and stems contained substantially less metabolites with antioxidant activity compared to leaves. In aqueous extracts, the main betacyanins were amaranthine and iso-amarantine. Chromatography of aqueous extracts from amaranth leaves showed the presence of highly active antioxidants, e.g. arbutin-glucoside hydroquinone and oxycinnamic acids including ferulic, chlorogenic, oxybenzoic (gallic) acids. In the tests, gallic acid concentration was 1.51 µg/100 ml, chlorogenic acid concentration was 2.05 µg/100 ml, ferulic acid concentration was 0.01 µg/100 ml, and arbutin concentration was 472.51 µg/100 ml. Water-extracted squalene (C 30 H 50), a powerful antioxidant usually isolated from amaranth seeds only, was first discovered in amaranth leaves. Ethanol extraction revealed a greater number of the colored components in the spectral range of the 350-700 nm, in addition, gallic, chlorogenic and ferulic acids were found. A total of 37 low-molecular metabolites were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Our findings indicate that vegetable amaranth, as a promising reproducible source of antioxidants, can be used in functional foods and phytobiologicals.

The mineral composition of Allium cepa L. leaves was measured by using the scanning electron microscope of Japanese company JEOL, model JSM600LA with EDS system. 11collection samples of FRC “All-Russian Institute of Plants Genetic Resources named after N. I. Vavilov” and 4 samples of FSBSI “Research Institute of Agriculture of the Crimea” were studied. 12 main elements (in mass., %) contained in onion leaves were evaluated. The samples with the maximum macro- and micronutrient elements accumulation in the leaves used for the sourthern subspecies breeds and hybrids selection were revealed. These samples can be used to prevent the elements deficiency in the human body. The following samples number with a high accumulation of the elements in the leaves was revealed: K – nine (from 20.0 to 3.3 max %: B12132B, trimontzium, Rouge pale, Red Wetherstfield, Blood red flat, Valensiya, Tavricheskiy, Yaltinskiy lux, Yaltinskiy rubin), P – five (from 1.8 to 2.8 mass., %:B12132B, Mestniy, Valensiya, Yaltinskiy lux, Yaltinskiy rubin), Mg – one (2.23 mass., %: Rouge pale), Ca – nine (from 5.4 to 8.3 mass., %: Mestniy, Rouge pale, Mestniy, Red Wetherstfield, Blood red flat, Valensiya, Brown Beauty, Yaltinskiy lux and Yaltinskiy rubin), Fe – two (from 0.5 to 0.8 mass., %: B12132B, Tavricheskiy), S – seven (from 2.2 to 2.5 mass., %: B12132B, Mestniy, Red Wetherstfield, Tavricheskiy, Yaltinskiy lux, Yaltinskiy rubin, Yaltinskiy model No. 3), Na – two (from 1.3 to 1.5 mass., %: B12132B, Mestniy), Cl – five (from 4.0 to 7.0 mass., %: Mestniy, B12132B, Trimontzium, Red Wetherstfield, Yaltinskiy model No. 3), Cu – one (1.9 mass., %: Yaltinskiy model No. 5), Mo – eight (from 5.2 to 7.0 mass., %: Tavricheskiy, Yaltinskiy lux, Yaltinskiy rubin, Yaltinskiy model No. 3, Mestniy, Trimontzium, Red Wetherstfield, and B12132B), Zn – seven (from 0.5 to 4.97 mass., %: Yaltinskii model No. 3, Mestniy, B12132B, Rouge pale, Blood red flat, Brown Beauty, Yaltinskiy rubin) and Si – one (0.5 mass.%,%: Yaltinskiy lux). The order of the elements accumulation variation in the onion samples was distributed as follows: Zn > Fe > Si > Na > P > Cl > Mo > Mg > S > Ca > Cu > K.

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The biochemical compounds of red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) fruits cultivated with conventional growing technology and on a nutrient substrate were studied during 2019–2020 at the Federal Horticultural Research Center for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery, Moscow, Russia. The antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, and ash constituents of the fruits and the metabolites of the alcoholic extract of the raspberries were determined. The effect of growing technologies, i.e., conventional vs. nutrient substrate, on the accumulation of macro- and microelements in raspberry fruits was established. In red raspberries grown on nutrient substrate, the antioxidant activity decreased by 25 times (aqueous extract) and 1.5 times (alcoholic extract). The K and Na contents and Se contents of red raspberries grown on nutrient substrate were 1.5 and 3 times higher than those of raspberries of grown with conventional technology. Raspberries grown with conventional technology contained 2 times more Ca, Ni, and Mn and 7.4 times more Fe than raspberries grown on nutrient substrate. The total amount of elements in raspberries grown through soilless cultivation was 5.5% higher than that in berries grown conventionally. A total of 48 compounds were identified in the alcoholic extracts, and only 29 substances were found in berries grown on a nutrient substrate. Sugar and citric acid constituted the largest share of red raspberry components. Fructose and turanose disaccharide synthesis in raspberries grown on nutrient substrate was 20% higher than that in conventionally grown raspberries. A total of 48 organic compounds with different biological activities were identified. They included five substances with antimicrobial activity, three phenolic substances, eight organic acids, four sugar acids, nine amino acids, and 19 sugars and their derivatives. At the same time, 42 compounds were found in raspberries grown with traditional technology, and 21 compounds were identified in raspberry fruits grown on nutrient substrate. Three fatty acids, namely, ɑ-linoleic acid (polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid), palmitic acid, and stearic acid (saturated fatty acid), along with cinnamic acid, shikimic acid, and chrysin were found in berries grown conventionally.