Respiration, soluble carbohydrates and enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in tips of harvested asparagus spears

Irving, Donald E.; Hurst, Paul L.

doi:10.1016/0168-9452(93)90010-w

Cited by 60 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…5,20) Bhowmik et al 21) also noted that total sugar content was higher in the bottom portions than in the top portions. Hurst et al 4) reported that glucose, fructose and sucrose levels in the top portions of green asparagus were higher in short spears than in long spears, while their levels were higher in the bottom portions than in top portions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…5,6) While little FOS are detected in aerial parts of asparagus, it remains still unclear the reason for the difference of FOS content between the top and the bottom parts of the spears. On the other hand, the role of FOS in spears tissues is also unknown.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4) Thus, soluble carbohydrate levels decline particularly during the first hours after harvest, and this decline triggers deterioration in the spears. 5,6) While little FOS are detected in aerial parts of asparagus, it remains still unclear the reason for the difference of FOS content between the top and the bottom parts of the spears. On the other hand, the role of FOS in spears tissues is also unknown.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Saccharide and Fructooligosaccharide Contents, and Invertase, 1-KHE, 1-SST, 1-FFT and 6G-FFT Activities in Green Asparagus Spears during Storage: Effects of Temperature and Spear Portion

徳夫¹,

Benkeblia²,

秀一³

et al. 2007

J. Appl. Glycosci.

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Unlike most vegetable crops, asparagus, a hardy perennial plant, is commonly consumed and appreciated because it is low in calories and provides substantial amounts of reducing sugars and a very low amount of fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and these fructosyl polymers are well known for their health benefits.1) The chemical characteristics of the spears are markedly affected by temperature, 2) growth conditions 3) and harvest date. 4) Carbohydrates are major constituents of asparagus spears and contribute considerably to their quality.1) The main carbohydrates in asparagus spears are glucose, fructose and sucrose, 2,4) while the presence of FOS has never been reported. In asparagus carbohydrates are translocated from storage roots to spears, where they are hydrolyzed into hexoses and used during the catabolic activities of the spears.4) Thus, soluble carbohydrate levels decline particularly during the first hours after harvest, and this decline triggers deterioration in the spears. 5,6) While little FOS are detected in aerial parts of asparagus, it remains still unclear the reason for the difference of FOS content between the top and the bottom parts of the spears. On the other hand, the role of FOS in spears tissues is also unknown. It is not clear if their presence results from simple translocation from roots to spears to provide energetic substrates, or whether they are translocated to play specific roles such as osmoregulation, or to partially compensate for the rapid decline of sucrose in tips. Numerous investigations have been carried out on the structures, 7 11) enzymology 12) and molecular biology 13) of FOS in roots of asparagus and such research works were recently reviewed by Shiomi et al.,14) but there have been no reports on their presence in aerial tissues. Although many studies have focused on the carbohydrate content of edible spears after harvesting, few studies have focused on soluble and reducing sugars, including soluble invertase, while no investigations have been carried out on FOS and their metabolizing enzymes in asparagus spears.From the technological point of view, freshly harvested spears deteriorate rapidly at ambient temperatures, 1) and have a short shelf life, which is strongly related to respiratory activity.15) This postharvest deterioration is accompanied by biochemical changes, particularly in spear tips J. Appl. Glycosci., 54, 187 194 (2007) Abstract: Fresh spears of asparagus were stored in the dark at 4, 10 or 20 C for 2 weeks. During storage contents of glucose, fructose, sucrose, 1-kestose, neokestose and nystose, and activities of invertase, 1-kestose hydrolyzing enzyme (1-KHE), sucrose: sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST), fructan: fructan 1-fructosyltransferase (1-FFT) and fructan: fructan 6 G -fructosyltransferase (6G-FFT) were determined in the top, middle and bottom portions of the spears. A gradient was observed, from the bottom to the top, for glucose, fructose and sucrose which constitute the major proportion of carbohydrates, while fructooligosaccharides, ne...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Saccharide and Fructooligosaccharide Contents, and Invertase, 1-KHE, 1-SST, 1-FFT and 6G-FFT Activities in Green Asparagus Spears during Storage: Effects of Temperature and Spear Portion

徳夫¹,

Benkeblia²,

秀一³

et al. 2007

J. Appl. Glycosci.

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“…For sucrose and amino acid assays, the frozen tissues were lyophilised, then ground to a fine powder and stored desiccated at -20°C. Sugars were extracted in 62.5% (v/v) methanol and concentrations were determined enzymatically with a Sucrose/DGlucose/D-Fructose kit (Boehringer Mannheim Biochemicals) following the method of Irving & Hurst (1993). Asparagine was quantified by high pressure liquid chromatography as the ophthaldialdehyde derivatives (Martin et al 1982) as previously described (Hurst & Clark 1993) except the isocratic methanol-phosphate buffer regime of Martin et al (1982) was replaced by a methanol-phosphate buffer gradient (10-50% over 10 min; 20 mM phosphate, pH 6.8) to improve the amino acid separation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) spears deteriorate after harvest there are large increases in asparagine synthetase (AS) transcript abundance and asparagine levels (King et al 1990;Davies & King 1993;Hurst & Clark 1993), and at the same time there are large decreases in soluble sugars (Irving & Hurst 1993). A linkage between C and N metabolism has been made recently where alterations in sucrose levels have been shown to directly influence the expression of a number of genes, including AS, in asparagus cell cultures (Davies et al 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asparagine synthetase gene expression increases as sucrose declines in broccoli after harvest

Downs

Somerfield

1997

New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science

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Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) floral tissues rapidly differentiate and grow before harvest and then senesce rapidly after harvest. The factors regulating this rapid postharvest senescence are currently under investigation. We show that within 6 h of harvest sucrose concentration in florets declines by c. 50%, and between 24 and 72 h asparagine levels increase more than 7-fold. This increase in asparagine parallels an earlier increase in asparagine synthetase (AS) gene expression in florets. Northern analyses show that AS transcript abundance increases from 2 to 24 h after harvest, and then declines. AS transcript abundance also increases in harvested leaves as they turn yellow, although to a level lower than that seen in florets. In other plant systems, including asparagus, increases in AS gene expression occur as a result of a decline in sucrose status. We note the considerable similarities between broccoli and asparagus postharvest physiology and discuss our results for broccoli AS in terms of possible regulation by sucrose status.

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Comparing¹H‐NMR imaging and relaxation mapping of German white asparagus from five different cultivation sites

Menzel

Oros‐Peusquens

Pohlmeier

et al. 2007

Z. Pflanzenernähr. Bodenk.

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SummaryNuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and complementary analytical techniques were used to address the question whether white asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) from different cultivation sites in Germany can be distinguished on the basis of NMR relaxation times. Five locations with contrasting soil properties and composition within the two asparagus-cultivation regions Rhineland and Lower Franconia were selected for this project. For the first time, entire asparagus plants in their authentic soil environment excavated directly from the original harvest site were imaged by the NMR technique. However, they could not be employed for determination of relaxation times of spears in situ, because of artifacts arising from soil properties. Instead, market-ready asparagus spears and freshly prepared spear saps from the five locations were used to acquire MRI data sets with different (slow and fast) imaging methods and to compute spatially resolved distributions (maps) of T 1 , T 2 , and T 2 * relaxation times. Comparison of the data for pith, vascular tissue, and peel of the spears yielded only marginal, if any, differences in T 1 , T 2 , and T 2 * between the specimens from the five locations, which were not sufficient for an unambiguous regionrelated distinction. More pronounced differences in T 1 , T 2 , and T 2 * were visible for the spear saps, allowing a clear distinction between individual specimens for each of the two cultivation regions. The results are discussed in terms of an application potential for correlated NMR relaxation times of tissue saps for future geographic authentication of agricultural produces.

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Respiration, soluble carbohydrates and enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in tips of harvested asparagus spears

Cited by 60 publications

References 28 publications

Saccharide and Fructooligosaccharide Contents, and Invertase, 1-KHE, 1-SST, 1-FFT and 6G-FFT Activities in Green Asparagus Spears during Storage: Effects of Temperature and Spear Portion

Saccharide and Fructooligosaccharide Contents, and Invertase, 1-KHE, 1-SST, 1-FFT and 6G-FFT Activities in Green Asparagus Spears during Storage: Effects of Temperature and Spear Portion

Asparagine synthetase gene expression increases as sucrose declines in broccoli after harvest

Comparing¹H‐NMR imaging and relaxation mapping of German white asparagus from five different cultivation sites

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Respiration, soluble carbohydrates and enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in tips of harvested asparagus spears

Cited by 60 publications

References 28 publications

Saccharide and Fructooligosaccharide Contents, and Invertase, 1-KHE, 1-SST, 1-FFT and 6G-FFT Activities in Green Asparagus Spears during Storage: Effects of Temperature and Spear Portion

Saccharide and Fructooligosaccharide Contents, and Invertase, 1-KHE, 1-SST, 1-FFT and 6G-FFT Activities in Green Asparagus Spears during Storage: Effects of Temperature and Spear Portion

Asparagine synthetase gene expression increases as sucrose declines in broccoli after harvest

Comparing1H‐NMR imaging and relaxation mapping of German white asparagus from five different cultivation sites

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Comparing¹H‐NMR imaging and relaxation mapping of German white asparagus from five different cultivation sites