Experimental Paper. The effect of colour grading of milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) seeds on their quality for sowing

Abstract

S u m m a r yIntroduction: Milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) is a medicinal plant belonging to Asteraceae family. Extract from milk thistle achenes (termed in practice as seeds) contains sylimarin, which protects liver cells against inorganic and organic toxic compounds. Objective: The aim of the research was to evaluate the effect of colour grading on the quality of milk thistle seeds. Methods: Seeds were graded manually by colour according to the Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, issued in Great Britain. In three samples two fractions of seeds were separated: beige and brown, whereas seeds of the fourth sample were graded into three fractions: yellow, beige and brown. The 1000-seed weight and germination of graded and non-graded seeds were evaluated. Infestation of graded seeds with fungi was assessed. Results: Brown seeds had a higher 1000-seed weight than beige or yellow ones. Germination at the final count of beige seeds did not differ as compared to that of brown seeds or was even better. Milk thistle seeds were infested with numerous fungi, however Alternaria alternata and Ulocladium consortiale predominated. Conclusions: Less mature beige seeds can be used as sowing material because their germination at the final count did not differ as compared to that of fully

Presence of Mycotoxins in Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) Food Supplements: A Review

“…Other fungi species from the genera of Acremoniella spp., Acremonium spp., Arthrinium spp., Bipolaris spp., Chaetomium spp., Epicoccum spp., Monascus spp., Gliomastix spp., Humicola spp., Paecilomyces spp., Papulaspora spp., Phialophora spp., Phomopsis spp., Sordaria spp., Sporotrichum spp., Stagnospora spp., Stemphylium spp., Thamnidium spp., Trichoderma spp., and Trichothecium spp. have also been isolated from MT [ 3 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”

“…MT has been shown to be infested with numerous saprotrophic and potentially pathogenic molds. Alternaria genus, mainly A. alternata, is the most prevalent [11][12][13][14] The occurrence of Aspergillus spp., Eurotium spp., Melanospora spp., Mortierella spp., Mucor spp., Rhizopus spp., Ulocladium spp., Verticillium spp., and Zygorhynchus spp. is also significant, while the occurrence of Botrytis spp., Phoma spp., and Rhizoctonia spp.…”

“…In this review, a total of nine relevant original papers [ 2 , 3 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ] concerning mycotoxins and/or micro-fungi have been included. All these publications were published in the period 2009–2019.…”

“…However, its main biologically active compound, silymarin (see Section 3) has been proven to have many beneficial effects (see Section 4). Nevertheless, using modern analytical methods (see Section 5), infestation with various micro-fungi [3,[11][12][13][14] and contamination with their mycotoxins [2,3,[15][16][17] in MT-based supplements has been reported in several studies (see Sections 6 and 7) The highest multi-mycotoxin concentration found in MT-based supplements has reached up to 37.6 mg/kg in total [3]. This concentration slightly exceeds the value earlier determined in the study by Veprikova et al [15].…”

Bioactive Substances and Microbiological Quality of Milk Thistle Fruits from Organic and Conventional Farming

“…Scientific studies report that milk thistle fruits within the cultivars and individual plants differ in color, 1000 seed weight, germination capacity, and also in the content of fat and silymarin [8][9][10][11]. The proportion of individual flavonolignans in silymarin, similarly to the proportion of fatty acids in the oil, is genetically determined [8,11].…”