In this paper, the chemical composition of Telfairia pedata seeds and oil is discussed. This crop belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae. Unroasted seeds and oil obtained from roasted seeds were collected during a study trip in Tanzania. Oil from unroasted seeds was extracted in the lab using hexane. The seeds contain approximately 60 (% m/m) of oil and 30 (% m/m) of protein, being the remaining amount represented by crude fiber, carbohydrates and mineral constituents. The protein fraction contains glutamic acid, arginine, aspartic acid and leucine as the most representative amino acids. The fatty acid composition is a common one, being palmitic, linoleic, stearic and oleic acids, the most important fatty acids detected. No difference was found in fatty acid composition between oils extracted from roasted and unroasted seeds. On the contrary, the oil obtained from roasted seeds shows a higher concentration in sterols and tocopherols while the distribution between the different constituents remains the same.

In humans, in several biological systems, in particular the nervous system, the FADS2 gene transcribes Δ6-desaturase, which is the rate-limiting enzyme for converting α-linolenic acid into docosahexaenoic acid (an n-3 fatty acid). The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) modulates the transcription of FADS2 gene by interacting with a second transcription factor: the retinoid X receptor α (RXRα). These transcription factors take the form of a PPARα-RXRα heterodimer and are modulated by the ligands that modify their respective structures and enable them to bind to the peroxisome proliferator response element (PPRE) located in the promoter region of the FADS2 gene. Free estradiol induces the activation of PPARα via two pathways (i) transcription through genomic action mediated by an estrogen receptor; (ii) a non-genomic effect that allows for phosphorylation and activates PPARα via the ERK1/2-MAPK pathway. Phosphorylation is an on/off switch for PPARα transcription activity. Since Δ6-desaturase expression is retro-inhibited by free intracellular DHA in a dose-dependent manner, this position paper proposes an original hypothesis: if DHA simultaneously binds to both phosphorylated PPARα and RXRα, the resulting DHA-PPARαP-RXRα-DHA heterodimer represses FADS2 gene via PPRE. The retinoic acids-RARα-RXRα-DHA heterodimer would not dissociate from corepressors and would prevent coactivators from binding to FADS2. We speculate that SNPs, which are mostly located on PPRE, modulate the binding affinities of DHA-PPARαP-RXRα-DHA heterodimer to PPRE. The DHA-PPARαP-RXRα-DHA heterodimer’s greater affinity for PPRE results in a decreased production of D6D and DHA. FADS2 promoter polymorphism would increase the competition between DHA and other ligands, in accordance with their concentrations and affinities.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the physical and antioxidant properties of microemulsions containingMoringa oleiferaleaf extract (MLE) produced by the means of a deep eutectic solvent. Selected microemulsions containing MLE were incorporated in chocolate products to enrich them. Their color properties including CIE L*, a*, b* parameters and whitening index (WI) along with DPPH radical scavenging activity were assessed during a period of 8 months. The antioxidant activity of microemulsions depended on the oil phase used, while it was unaffected by the concentration of MLE. Samples prepared with soybean oil as oil phase containing MLE presented the highest radical inhibition percentage (I% = 26.8–27.8%). Coconut microemulsions were finally incorporated at 2 and 4% w/w concentration into chocolate products, as coconut oil is a known cocoa butter substitute. Although the incorporation of MLE microemulsions did not affect the color properties of most of the chocolates, enriched products did not exhibit superior antioxidant activity compared to control samples.

Modern breeding of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), which started 100 years ago, increased the number and the diversity of cultivated forms. In addition, for more than 50 years, wild sunflower and otherHelianthusspecies have been collected in North America where they all originated. Collections of both cultivated and wild forms are maintained in gene banks in many countries where sunflower is an important crop, with some specificity according to the availability of germplasm and to local research and breeding programmes. Cultivated material includes land races, open pollinated varieties, synthetics and inbred lines. The majority of wild accessions are ecotypes of wildHelianthus annuus, but also 52 other species ofHelianthusand a few related genera. The activities of three gene banks, in USA, France and Serbia, are described in detail, supplemented by data from seven other countries. Past and future uses of the genetic resources for environmental adaptation and breeding are discussed in relation to genomic and improved phenotypic knowledge of the cultivated and wild accessions available in the gene banks.

“Démarche de progrès DIESTER®” was an attempt by French farmers, industrialists, technicians, agricultural cooperatives and private grain trading companies to continuously improve the environmental performance of rapeseed biodiesel. The objective was to implement certain rapeseed cultivation operations that had shown their efficiency in previous studies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: (i) the use of decision support systems (DSS) to calculate nitrogen fertilisation rates, (ii) the cultivation of legumes as intercrops with rapeseed or (iii) as previous crops. This paper first presents an estimate of the potential GHG effects of these cultivation operations, using results from previous studies obtained under experimental conditions or using crop modelling. It then presents the level of adoption by farmers of these cultivation operations in the context of the “Démarche de progrès DIESTER®” initiative to continuously improve the environmental performance of rapeseed biodiesel. Depending on the year, 39 to 74 agricultural cooperatives and grain trading companies were involved in the study, and 90 170 to 283 480 hectares of rapeseed have been monitored. This is the first time in France that an attempt to improve cultivation operations for environmental reasons has been made on such a scale. The average GHG reduction values, compared to fossil fuels, varied from 49.5 to 55.8% depending on the year, which was most often above the 50% minimum reduction value for sustainable biodiesel, but well below the 70% minimum for very low GHG emission biodiesel. Using the results of previous studies, this article shows that the widespread use of decision support systems to calculate mineral N fertilizer rates, and the cultivation of legumes as a preceding crop or intercrop, would make it possible to significantly reduce GHGs and make it possible to produce very low GHG-emitting biodiesel in certain locations and/or years. However, the actual changes in cultural operations were too small to be effective. The reasons for this lack of impact and how to achieve results in the future are discussed in this article.

Due to the unfavorable effects of synthetic antioxidants, the use of various sources of plant antioxidants to prevent foods oxidation, especially oil-based or fat-based varieties, has been recently got considerable attention. In this study, the antioxidant effect of essential oil and extract from the citron fruit (Citrus medica L.) was investigated on the thermal stability of sunflower oil. Aqueous, ethanolic, and methanolic extracts of citron peel (800 ppm), BHT synthetic antioxidant (200 ppm), and citron peel essential oil (800 ppm) were added to sunflower oil. The oil oxidation stability was evaluated during 5 days through analyzing the values of peroxide, anisidine, thiobarbituric acid, totox, and oxidative stability index (OSI). Results showed that the peroxide, anisidine, and totox value had an increasing trend over time. The effects of storage time, extract, and essential oil were statistically significant in reducing the oxidation rate of sunflower oil during storage. Ultrasonic-assisted ethanolic extract at 30 min showed the highest OSI. The results of this study demonstrated the positive effects of citron peel extract essential oil and on sunflower oil stability and its superiority over synthetic antioxidants.

Although hemp cultivation is increasingly perceived as a promising option in terms of crop diversification, especially in semi-arid conditions such as in the Mediterranean region, its adoption remains limited thus constraining the development of hemp value chains at a larger scale. Our objective was to explore suitable conditions, at farm and downstream levels, for organic hempseed oil production in Sicily, taking on an action-research perspective that involves local actors. Based on a preliminary characterisation of barriers to organic hemp development at different value chain levels, we carried out targeted complementary investigation: (i) assessment on agroenvironmental performances of integrating hemp in durum wheat-based rotations; (ii) chemical analysis of local hempseed oil; (iii) exploration of marketing opportunities and value chain development. Our results showed that the lack of technical and economic knowledge as well as the deficiencies of suitable cultivars and adequate machinery were the main barriers for the organic hemp value chain development in Sicily. The analysis of agroenvironmental performances also revealed both strengths and weaknesses of hemp introduction in durum-wheat based rotations. Despite the identified limitations, we demonstrated that the organic hemp value chains represent interesting perspectives for the Sicilian farming sector, particularly in case of substantial barriers removal or adaptation.

The aim of this study was to analyze in detail the changes produced by the enzymatic interesterification of BT/RBO blends (beef tallow/rice bran oil) at different proportions, as an alternative for production of trans free fats. It was observed that the increase in the oil content produced a range of the content of saturated fatty acids from 20 to 38% in the blend and a range of polyunsaturated fatty acids from 35 to 18%. In TAG composition, the SUU and SSS type (S: saturated fatty acid; U: unsaturated fatty acid) increased in concentration as a result of interesterification process and this effect was more noticeable when the blend was richer in oil, arriving at 19 and 4% respectively in 50:50 BT/RBO blend. These variations in composition greatly improved the plastic range of BT. The process studied produced new trans free fatty materials with improving suitability as food ingredients. Therefore, promising new materials were developed.

This article focuses on the interest in improving the nitrogen use efficiency of rapeseed varieties in France. We show that this trait is of interest at different levels of the value chain and for different markets. Nitrogen use efficiency improves farmers’ margins by reducing fertilizing costs or increasing yields. Nitrogen use efficiency also improves the GHG (greenhouse gas) balance of rapeseed used for biodiesel production and the image of edible rapeseed oil for consumers within the framework of specific labels. Finally, nitrogen use efficiency can also be seen as a trait that improves the protein content of rapeseed oilcake and, therefore, increases its value compared to competing sources of protein. After a detailed presentation of these different valuations, we provide current or possible measures that have been or could be implemented to encourage different actors in the sector to develop and diffuse this trait.