Background : Pachyrhizus erosus (Leguminosae), locally called as “Yam bean” is a traditional medical plant that grows in the tropical and subtropical region. The root of P. erosus is used by the local people to treat insomania, treatment of osteoporosis and extracts of this plant have shown antioxidant activity, immunomodulatory activity, tyrosinase inhibitionby, antitumour properties and cardiovascular benefit. Methods and Results : Free radical scavenging activity was evaluated using α-tocopherol and butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) as standard antioxidants. The radical scavenging activity was measured using the stable radical 1,1-diphenyl–2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ABTS assay. Total phenolic content was determined by following Folin-Ciocalteau colorimetric method and Total flavonoids were determined using aluminium chloride calorimetric methods. Phenolic compound concentration and compositions were determined by HPLC-MS/MS system. Seedlings grown under the flourescent light (Fl) exhibited the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity when compared to the plants treated with light emitting diodes (LEDs) and light emitting plasma (LEP). LED-Blue showed the higher DPPH radical scavenging activity and ABTS concentration of PE compared to other LEDs. The accumulation of phenolic compounds increased under different white-LEDs conditions as compared to LEP and FL light conditions. Conclusion : In this study, antioxidant activity and phenolic compound composition of P. erosus was improved by the application of LED and LEP.

Background : Although ginseng has various bioactive compounds in it, there is lack of study on the variations of bioactive compounds in ginseng according to the cultivation soil and the applied fertilizer types (or amount). Therefore, this study aims to examine the variations of 37 fatty acids (FA) and 8 vitamin E (Vit-E) vitamers in 6-year-old ginseng root cultivated in different soil types with different fertilizers regimes. Methods and Results : The profiling of 37 FAs and 8 Vit-E vitamers in 6-year-old ginseng roots was measured by gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector, and then these results were statistically analyzed with chemometrics. The FA and Vit-E content in ginseng roots varied significantly with respect to soil cultivation conditions due to organic fertilizer types and amounts used. Unsaturated FA in ginseng is approximately 2.7 fold higher than the saturated FA. Linoleic, palmitic, and oleic acids were the most abundant FAs found in the ginseng roots. Also, the major Vit-E vitamer found in ginseng root is α-tocopherol. In particular, the application of rice straw compost or food waste fertilizer was increased to create nutritionally desirable FAs and bioactive Vit-E in ginseng root. In addition, phytonutrient profiling coupled with chemometrics can be used to discriminate the cultivation conditions of ginseng. Conclusion : This study extends our understanding about the variations of FA and Vit-E in ginseng root depending on cultivation conditions. Hence, these results can be useful as basic information for reliable ginseng production containing high amounts of phytonutrients in a paddy-converted field.

Background : The geographical origin of Panax ginseng Meyer, a valuable medicinal plant, is important to both ginseng producers and consumers in the context of economic profit and human health benefits. We therefore aimed to discriminate between the cultivation regions of ginseng using the stable isotope ratios of C, N, O, and S, which are abundant bio-elements in living organisms. Methods and Results : The C, N, O, and S stable isotope ratios were measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometer, and then these isotope ratios profiling was statistically analyzed with chemometrics. The various isotope ratios found in Panax ginseng roots were significantly influenced by region, cultivar, and the interactions between these two factors (P ≤ 0.0002). In particular, δ18O was lower in ginseng roots grown at high altitudes (r = −0.47), while δ34S was higher in ginseng roots grown close to coastal areas (r = −0.48). Chemometric results provided discrimination between the majorities of different cultivation regions. Conclusion : Our case study extends the understanding about the variation of C, N, O, and S stable isotope ratios in ginseng root depending on cultivation region. Hence, the analysis of stable isotope ratios is a suitable tool for discrimination between the regional origins of ginseng samples from Korea, with potential application to other countries.

Background : Despite the presence of various bioactive compounds in ginseng, there is lack of study about the phenolic metabolites in ginseng especially depending on the cultivation soil and the fertilizer types. Therefore, this study aims to develop an (-)ESI-LC-MS/MS analytical method for the measurement of selected phenolic compounds in the ginseng root. Methods and Results : Total phenol content in ginseng root was measured with the Folin-Ciocalteau method using UV/Vis spectrophotometer. Then, the 56 selected phenolic metabolites in ginseng root were measured with the (-)ESI-LC-MS/MS. The brief LC-MS/MS analytical conditions were as follows; Thermo Scientific Syncronis C18 HPLC Column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) was used. Optimized instrument settings were as follows: Curtain gas 20 psi, collision gas 2 psi, ion spray voltage –4500 V, nebulizer gas 40 psi, heating gas 70 psi, and its temperature 350℃. Total phenol content was higher in the ginseng cultivated in the paddy-converted field than that in upland. In particular, the total phenol content was about 6% decreased in the ginseng root cultivated with the food waste fertilizer compared to the control (p < 0.05). Six phenolic constituents including caffeic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, ferulic, gentisic, and salicylic acids were found in the ginseng root by using the LC-MS/MS in MRM (multiple reaction monitoring) Mode. These six phenolic compounds occupied approximately 20% of the total phenol content measured in the corresponding ginseng root. The chlorogenic acid was the most abundant phenolic metabolite found in the ginseng root, accounting for ≥ 95% of the sum of six phenolic compounds, in this study. Conclusion : This preliminary study can be useful for the study on content and composition of phenolic metabolites in ginseng root with the aspect of metabolomics. We plan to further optimize the LC-MS/MS analytical method and then provide the extended understanding on the phenolic metabolism in the ginseng root with respect to the ginseng cultivation conditions.

Background : The natural stable isotope ratio of common bio-elements like carbon (C), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), or sulfur (S) varies with diverse isotope fractionation processes in nature. Therefore, measuring the variation of these stable isotope ratios in ginseng roots can be a feasible tool to discriminate the geographical origins of ginseng in Korea. Methods and Results : The 3-year-old six Korean ginseng cultivars were cultivated at the five regions in Korea, and then used for measuring the stable isotope ratios of C, N, O, and S by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The mean C, N, O, and S stable isotope ratio values in the ginseng roots significantly differed according to the cultivation regions (p < 0.05). However, these isotope ratios in ginseng roots had relatively weak discriminative power against to the ginseng cultivars at each cultivation region. The interaction of the cultivation region and ginseng cultivar type also significantly affected to the C, N, O, and S stable isotope ratio in ginseng roots (p < 0.0001). The two-dimensional plots associated with the N stable isotope ratio can effectively separate the ginseng roots in Jinan compared to those in the other regions. The partial least squares-discriminant analysis showed more significant separation between ginseng geographical origins compared to the principal component analysis. Conclusion : Our findings improve our understanding of how the isotope composition of ginseng roots varies with respect to cultivation regions and cultivars, and suggest that the analysis of the stable isotope ratios combined with chemometrics can be used as a feasible tool to discriminate geographical origin of ginseng in Korea.

Health beneficial properties of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] isoflavones are well known. The objectives of this study were to determine and compare the isoflavone composition and concentrations of soybean varieties grown in different cultivated regions of Vietnam (i.e., upland and lowland). Total and individual isoflavone composition and concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Total isoflavone concentrations varied from 1153 to 6604~mug~;g-1 and averaging 3354~mug~;g-1 across environments and varieties. In the lowland region, the highest total isoflavones concentration was observed in M103 cultivar (5653~mug~;g-1 ) and the lowest in VX9-3 (1153~mug~;g-1 ), whereas in the upland region the highest and lowest concentrations were in M103 (6604~mug~;g-1 ) and DT93 (1938~mug~;g-1 ), respectively. Across varieties, average total isoflavones concentration was higher in the upland than lowland region (3728 vs. 2980~mug~;g-1 ). The malonylglucosides and acetylglucosides concentrations in upland soybean varieties were higher than those from the lowland region. Despite the presence of Genotype (G) x Environment (E) interactions, varieties with consistently high (M103) and low (VX9-3, DT93) isoflavone concentrations across environments were identified. This is the first report of isoflavones in Vietnamese soybean varieties, revealing large variation in isoflavones concentration and profile among different varieties and cultivated regions. Results will be useful in selecting high-isoflavones soybean varieties for growth in tropical regions.

Soybean seeds contain high amounts of isoflavones that display biological effects and isoflavone content of soybean seed can vary by year, environment, and genotype. Objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci that underlie isoflavone content in soybean seeds. The study involved 85 F2 populations derived from Korean soybean cultivar 'Kwangkyo' and wild type soybean 'IT182305' for QTL analysis associated with isoflavone content. Isoflavone content of seeds was determined by HPLC. The genetic map of 33 linkage groups with 207 markers was constructed. The linkage map spanned 2,607.5 cM across all 33 linkage groups. The average linkage distance between pair of markers among all linkage groups was 12.6 cM in Kosambi map units. Isoflavone content in F2 generations varied in a fashion that suggested a continuous, polygenic inheritance. Eleven markers (4 RAPD, 3 SSR, 4 AFLP) were significantly associated with isoflavone content. Only two markers, Satt419 and CTCGAG3 had F-tests that were significant at P<0.01 in F2 generation for isoflavone content. Interval mapping using the F2 data revealed only two putative QTLs for isoflavone content. The peak QTL region on linkage group 3, which was near OPAG03c, explained 14~% variation for isoflavone content. The peak QTL region on linkage group 5, which was located near OPN14 accounted for 35.3~% variation for isoflavone content. Using both Map-Maker-QTL (LOD~geq2.0) and single-factor analysis (P~leq0.05) , one marker, CTCGAG3 in linkage group 3 was associated with QTLs for isoflavone content. This information would then be used in identification of QTLs for isoflavone content with precision

The objective of this study was to determine the role of storing years with the variation of total phenol and individual phenolic compounds in soybean (Glycine max L.) seeds. The total phenol content varied from 0.36 to 0.42% over four years, with the highest value (0.42%) found at storage for two and three years. Among the nine soybean varieties examined, Daweonkong had the highest total average phenol content (0.58%). The total content of 11 phenolics varied from 730.0 to 1812.8 ~mu~textrmg~;~textrmg-1 over storage for four years, and the highest concentration (1812.8 ~mu~textrmg~;~textrmg-1 ) was found at storage for two years. Myeongjunamulkong (1465.4 ~mu~textrmg~;~textrmg-1 ) had the highest mean content among the nine soybean varieties. The total content of 11 phenolic compounds measured in this study occupied from 20.96 to 47.73% of the total phenol contents. The highest total phenol contents were in seeds with black coats (5279.4 ~mu~textrmg~;~textrmg-1 ), while the highest concentration of individual phenolic compounds were in seeds with green coats (1419.5 ~mu~textrmg~;~textrmg-1 ). Our study suggests that it may be feasible to improve soybean varieties with high functional substances such as phenolic compounds.

Effects of ambient and elevated ~textrmCO2 and high temperature, and their interactions with zero and applied nitrogen supply (NN-no nitrogen and AN-applied nitrogen) were studied on soybean (Glycine max L.) in 2001. In this experiment, elevated ~textrmCO2 (650 ~mu~textrmmol.~textrmmol-1 ) and temperature (+5~circ ) increased total dry mass at final harvest by 125% and 119% and seed weight per plant by 57% and 105% for NN and AN plants, respectively. Although the influence of temperature and temperature x ~textrmCO2 were not significant, the influences of ~textrmCO2 concentration and temperature x ~textrmCO2 concentration were significant on total dry weight and seed weight, respectively. In particular, seed weight per plant was increased, while weight per one hundred seed weight was decreased with elevated ~textrmCO2 and temperature. The N supply increased biomass and seed weight per soybean plants. The results of this study suggest that the long-term adaptation of soybean growth at an elevated ~textrmCO2 concentration and high temperature might potentially result in a increase in dry matter production and yield.

To analyze their isoflavones contents by HPLC analysis during two years on 60 collected old local traditional soybean varieties from various districts of Korea was conducted. There was a yearly variation in the seed isoflavon concentrations. The total contents on 5 isoflavones were in the range from 16.21mg/g to 25.21 mg/g and from 6.47 mg/g to 15.44 mg/g, in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Collected soybean from Gunsnsi-1(25.21 mg/g) in 1997 and from Gangjingun-3 (16.50 mg/g) in 1998 showed the highest amount of isoflavones as compared with other collected soybean varieties. The highest amount among 5 isoflavones was genistin as 48.45% and 49.73%, in 1997 and 1998, respectively, indicating the genotypic variation in seed isoflavon contents of local soybean cultivar. Our data suggest that it may be feasible for improving soybean variety with higher antioxiadtive activity and substances.

분리한 보리호분층을 이용하여 (1-3)-β-glu-canase 와 (1-3,1-4)-β-glucanase 의GA3 에 대한 반응특성을 조사하였다 GA3 처리에 의해 호분충과 배양액 내의 단백질 함량, (1-3)-β-glucanase및(1-3,1-4)-β-glucanase 활성 등이 모두 증가하였다. 그러나 GA3 처리에 의한 효소활성 및 효소분비 증가 정도는 효소에 따라 큰 차이를 보였다. (1-3,1-4)-β-glucanase 가(1-3)-β-glucanase 보다 효소활성 증가 정도와 분비증가 정도 모두 컸다. 이와 같은 결과는 발아초기 (1-3,1-4)-β-glucanase 의 중요한 생리작용과 관계가 있을 것으로 생각되었다