Red Arils of Taxus baccata L.—A New Source of Valuable Fatty Acids and Nutrients

Abstract

The aim of this study, focused on the nutritional value of wild berries, was to determine the contents of macronutrients, profiles of fatty (FAs) and amino acids (AAs), and the contents of selected elements in red arils (RA) of Taxus baccata L., grown in diverse locations in Poland. Protein (1.79–3.80 g/100 g) and carbohydrate (18.43–19.30 g/100 g) contents of RAs were higher than in many cultivated berries. RAs proved to be a source of lipids (1.39–3.55 g/100 g). Ten out of 18 AAs detected in RAs, mostly branched-chain AAs, were essential AAs (EAAs). The EAAs/total AAs ratio approximating were found in animal foods. Lipids of RA contained seven PUFAs, including those from n-3 family (19.20–28.20 g/100 g FA). Polymethylene-interrupted FAs (PMI-FAs), pinolenic 18:3Δ5,9,12; sciadonic 20:3Δ5,11,14, and juniperonic 20:4Δ5,11,14,17, known as unique for seeds of gymnosperms, were found in RAs. RAs may represent a novel dietary source of valuable n-3 PUFAs and the unique PMI-FAs. The established composition of RAs suggests it to become a new source of functional foods, dietary supplements, and valuable ingredients. Because of the tendency to accumulate toxic metals, RAs may be regarded as a valuable indicator of environmental contamination. Thus, the levels of toxic trace elements (Al, Ni, Cd) have to be determined before collecting fruits from natural habitats.

Bioactive Components, Volatile Profile and In Vitro Antioxidative Properties of Taxus baccata L. Red Arils

“…However, our results are at variance with other reports stating that the contents of most antioxidant phenolic compounds are highly correlated with sun exposure and location altitude [ 5 ]; the contents of all phenolic compounds and the antioxidant potential of RAs from the Cracow site (highest altitude among the studied sites) were lower than in samples from the northern site (Koszalin). Stressful environmental conditions, such as low/high temperature extremes, heavy metals and drought, probably bring about an increase in the level of flavonoids, which may reduce the negative effects of free radicals generated by diverse environmental stressors [ 9 , 32 ]. On the other hand, Cocco et al [ 21 ] found the highest total antioxidant capacity in strawberry fruits from a northern location characterized by a lower temperature before harvest, which agrees with our observations.…”

“…The environmental conditions of the fruit collection are presented in Figure 1 . Specific descriptions and characteristics of growing locations are described elsewhere [ 9 ]. Fruits were manually separated from the seeds to obtain RAs for analyses.…”

“…Jaakkola et al [ 5 ] suggested that the amount of sunlight, temperature levels and rainfall could be the main factors affecting the chemical composition, especially anthocyanin, of cloudberries. Additionally, in our previous study, we noted the contents of macronutrients, fatty acids, amino acids and macro- and micro-elements in the seedless red fleshy part of the berries of Taxus baccata , known as red arils (RAs), to be site-related and affected by water availability (sum of precipitation), sunlight intensity and soil parameters and composition [ 9 ].…”

“…Some of these compounds (taxines A and B) are responsible for its cardiotoxicity, whereas others (paclitaxel) are highly appreciated as important naturally occurring anticarcinogens [11,12]. Additionally, a recently published study confirmed that RAs were free of toxic compounds [9].…”

Characterization of the Volatile Compounds in Camellia oleifera Seed Oil from Different Geographic Origins

“…The flavor composition and nutritional evaluation of edible plants in different growing locations has been an important research field in the past few years, such as focusing on volatile compounds, fatty acids, amino acids, polyphenols, and antioxidant activities in Capsicum annuum [ 23 ], Viburnum opulus L. [ 24 ], olive [ 18 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], Taxus Baccata L. [ 28 ], Paeonia ostii [ 29 ], and Camellia sinensis [ 30 ]. It has long been known that the volatile compounds of edible oil are related to genetic (cultivars) [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], environmental (geography [ 18 , 25 , 27 , 31 ], climatic conditions [ 27 , 31 ] and storage conditions [ 31 ]), cultivating (agronomic techniques [ 36 ] and the degree of fruit ripening [ 31 , 36 ]), and processing (harvesting methods [ 31 ] and processing technology [ 37 ]) factors.…”