OBJECTIVETo investigate pesticide abuse on fruits and vegetables in Tianjin Area, to detect pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, to study the methods for reducing pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables.

METHODS(1) A questionnaire on the pesticide application during growing fruit and vegetable was administered to 185 farmers in Tianjin Area. (2) According to the information from the questionnaire survey, fruit and vegetable samples were collected in four seasons around the year and measured for organophosphorus pesticide residues by gas chromatography. (3) Fruit and vegetable samples contained pesticide residue were treated by scald, immersion in 0.15% and 0.30% detergent solution, immersion in pure water, peeling and cutting root and pesticide residues were measured before and after the treatment.

RESULTSThe percentage of pesticide abuse in growing fruit and vegetable was 65.00% in Tianjin area, and 31.60% of the fruits and vegetable samples collected in summer were positive for high toxic organophosphorus pesticides. Significant decrease of pesticide residue in fruit and vegetable was found by scald, immersion in 0.15% and 0.30% detergent solution, as well as peeling and cutting root, and over 80.00% pesticide residue in the samples could be reduced by scald.

CONCLUSIONSIt is necessary to strengthen pesticide abuse control and market surveillance and inspection, in order to reduce the harmful effects of pesticide residue in fruit and vegetables to human health.

Chromatography, Gas ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Pesticide Residues ; analysis ; Vegetables ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo study the variations of flavonoids contents in vine tips of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) among different varieties, parts and the time of topping.

METHODThe flavonoid contents in leaf, petiole and stem of vine tips at 6 different topping time of 3 varieties for vegetable-use Pushu 53, Guangcaishu No. 2 and Fushu 7-6, which were collected from Chongqing were determined by UV spectrophotometry with rutin as a standard substance.

RESULTThe results showed that the flavonoid content of Guangcaishu No. 2 was higher than that of Pusu 53, so was that of Pusu 53 than that of Fushu 7-6. The average flavonoid contents in leaf of 3 varieties were between 3.66 mg x L(-1) and 11.09 mg x L(-1) during 6 topping time, and those in petiole, stem were between 2.20-5.26 mg x L(-1) and 4.03-7.79 mg x L(-1), respectively. The rations of average flavonoid contents in leaf, petiole and stem to the total contents of vine tips among 3 varieties during their whole topping periods were 46.71%, 20.65% and 32.63%, respectively. The contents during earlier topping time were higher than those of later periods. The variance analysis of flavonoid contents revealed that there was significant difference between different varieties, parts and time of topping and significant interactions among varieties, parts and time of topping.

CONCLUSIONThe results of the study indicate that the contents of flavonoid should be considered for the breeding, cultivation and industrialization of sweetpotato for vegetable-use.

China ; Flavonoids ; analysis ; Ipomoea batatas ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; analysis ; Plant Structures ; chemistry ; Time Factors ; Vegetables ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of anti-progression activity of edible plants using urokinase as the biomarker.

METHODSBased on the assay of urokinase activity with peptide of Glu-Gly-Arg as the reaction substrate, extract of 25 fruits and 37 vegetables and water extract of tea were reacted against urokinase activity after Spectrozyme UK [carbobenzyl-1-gamma-Glu(alpha-t-BuO)-Gly-Arg-rho-nitroanilide. 2C2H5OH] was added and the residual urokinase activity was measured by the microplate photometer.

RESULTSAbout half of the fruit and vegetable samples showed urokinase inhibitory activity (UIA) at 20% or more and among them lemon, kiwi-fruit, peas, spinach and pumpkin showed effects over 80%, while garlic, radish, Japanese butterbur, garland chrysanthemum, celery, plum, pineapple and grape ranged between 50% and 79%. Average UIA of 51 kinds of tea was 83.2% and among them 28 kinds showed UIA over 90% and other 20 kinds of tea ranged from 70% to 89%. Green tea showed inhibitory effects on urokinase activity more powerful than black tea and Oolong tea. On the other hand, vegetable showed various UIA with different ways of processing. Comparing the effects of various solvents, garlic extracted with methanol, spinach with ethyl acetate, and pumpkin and radish with water showed highest UIA.

CONCLUSIONPopular fruits, vegetables and tea in daily life could inhibit urokinase activity and may be helpful in the prevention of malignant tumor formation.

Fruit ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Plants, Edible ; chemistry ; Tea ; chemistry ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Vegetables ; chemistry

Carbamates ; analysis ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Organophosphorus Compounds ; analysis ; Pesticide Residues ; analysis ; Vegetables ; chemistry

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"-the ancient adage proposed by Greek philosopher Hippocrates of Kos thousands of years ago already acknowledged the importance of the beneficial and health-promoting effects of food nutrients on the body (Mafra et al., 2021). Recent epidemiological and large-scale community studies have also reported that unhealthy diets or eating habits may contribute heavily to the burden of chronic, non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, arthritis, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Jayedi et al., 2020; Gao et al., 2022). Emerging evidence highlights that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can prevent various chronic diseases (Chen et al., 2022). Food bioactive compounds including vitamins, phytochemicals, and dietary fibers are responsible for these nutraceutical benefits (Boeing et al., 2012). Recently, phytochemicals such as polyphenols, phytosterols, and carotenoids have gained increasing attention due to their potential health benefits to alleviate chronic diseases (van Breda and de Kok, 2018). Understanding the role of phytochemicals in health promotion and preventing chronic diseases can inform dietary recommendations and the development of functional foods. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the health benefits of phytochemicals derived from commonly consumed foods for the prevention and management of chronic diseases.
Humans ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Diet ; Vegetables/chemistry* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control* ; Phytochemicals ; Chronic Disease

OBJECTIVETo quantify five specific dietary phytosterols and phytostanols in vegetables and fruits commonly consumed in China.

METHODSA total of 34 different kinds of vegetables and 33 kinds of fruits were chosen according to the consuming habit of Chinese people. All the samples were purchased from two shops in Beijing. The contents of phytosterols (beta-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, beta-sitostanol, and campestanol) were analyzed by GLC method which was established by our laboratory, and the total phytosterols were calculated.

RESULTSThe total phytosterol content in vegetables ranged 1.1-53.7 mg/100 g edible portion. The highest concentration was found in pea, cauliflower, broccoli, and romaine lettuce. The phytosterol contents in fruits ranged 1.6-32.6 mg/100 g, the highest concentration was found in navel orange, tangerine, and mango.

CONCLUSIONThe phytosterol contents in vegetables and fruits are not as high as those in edible oils, but because of the large amount of consumption, they also play an important role in increasing the people's phytosterols intake, indicating that increased intake of vegetables and fruits with higher phytosterol contents helps increase the phytosterol intake in China.

China ; Chromatography, Gas ; Diet ; Fruit ; chemistry ; classification ; Humans ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; analysis ; metabolism ; toxicity ; Phytosterols ; analysis ; metabolism ; toxicity ; Vegetables ; chemistry ; classification

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this survey was to investigate the level of contamination of the most consumed foods in China with 16 rare earth elements (REEs), and to provide the basic data for establishing and revising food safety standards for REEs.

METHODSSixteen REEs in foods were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in the labs of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of four provinces and two municipalities, during 2009-2010.

RESULTS1 231 samples were analyzed and 19 121 concentration data of 16 REEs were collected. The REEs levels in the investigated foods varied significantly. The concentrations of cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), and neodymium (Nd) were relatively high, while the remaining eleven REEs were at low levels. The mean values of total rare earth element oxides (REOs) in cereals, fresh vegetables, fresh aquatic products, fresh meats and eggs varied from 0.052 mg/kg to 0.337 mg/kg.

CONCLUSION16 REEs in the major foods were at very low contamination levels in the investigated regions.

Animals ; China ; Edible Grain ; chemistry ; Eggs ; Fishes ; Food Analysis ; Food Contamination ; Meat ; analysis ; Metals, Rare Earth ; chemistry ; Mollusca ; Swine ; Vegetables ; chemistry

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the change of pesticide residues in Chinese dietary through analysis on results of the pesticide residues in the Chinese total diet study carried out the first in 1990.

METHODSOrganochlorine, such as HCH and DDT of 9 groups and 15 organophosphorus pesticide residues of 3 groups in four regions of China were determined by gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD) and gas chromatography-flame photometric detector (GC-FPD) respectively. According to the amount of pesticide residues in various foods and the amount of food consumption in different areas, we calculated the amount of dietary intake of pesticide residues, then compared with the acceptable daily intake (ADI) or provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI). The contaminated samples were validated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

RESULTSResults showed that the total dietary daily intake of HCH per person was decreasing from 5.04 micro g in 1990 to 3.11 micro g in 2000, where as the total dietary daily intake of DDT per person was decreasing from 20.47 micro g in 1990 to 2.15 micro g in 2000. The result was less than 1 percent difference of PTDI (0.01 mg/kg bw) established by the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) in 2000. Compared to the results in 1990, the intake of HCH from animal foods increased a little, due to the contaminated of aquatic products by Lindan in the second Southern region and the first Northern region. None of the organophosphorous pesticide residues analyzed were detected in cereals, vegetables and fruits.

CONCLUSIONThe intake level of pesticide residues in Chinese dietary in 2000 was considered to be low, and the abuse of organophosphorous pesticide seemed to be under effective control.

Animals ; China ; DDT ; analysis ; Edible Grain ; chemistry ; Fish Products ; analysis ; Food Contamination ; analysis ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Humans ; Insecticides ; analysis ; Lindane ; analysis ; Pesticide Residues ; analysis ; Seafood ; analysis ; Vegetables ; chemistry

The study was purposed to investigate whether the cyclooxygenase inhibitors from some dietary vegetables can inhibit platelet aggregation function by the arachidonic acid (AA). The vegetable juice was mixed with platelet rich plasma (PRP), and asprin was used as positive control. The maximum ratio of platelet aggregation induced by AA was measured on the aggregometer; heme and cyclooxygenase-1 (COX(1)) or cyclooxygenase-2 (COX(2)) were added to test tubes containing COX reaction buffer, the mixture was vortex-mixed and exposed to aspirin or vegetable juice, followed by addition of AA and then hydrochloric acid (1 mol/L) was added to stop the COX reaction, followed by chemical reduction with stannous chloride solution. The concentration of COX inhibitors was detected by the enzyme immunoassay kit; vegetable juice (aspirin as positive control) was mixed with whole blood, which was followed by the addition of AA, and then the reaction was stopped by adding indomethacin, centrifuged, then the supernatant was collected, and the plasma thromboxane B(2) (TXB(2)) was measured by radioimmunoassay. The results showed that spinach juice, garlic bolt juice, blanched garlic leave juice and Chinese leek juice could inhibit by 80% human platelet aggregation induced by AA. 4 kinds of vegetables were all found a certain amount of cyclooxygenase inhibitors, which COX(1) and COX(2) inhibitor concentrations of spinach were higher than that of aspirin; 4 vegetable juice could significantly reduce the human plasma concentrations of TXB(2) induced by AA (p < 0.05). It is concluded that 4 kinds of raw vegetables containing cyclooxygenase inhibitors inhibit the production of TXA(2) and thus hinder platelet aggregation. Raw spinach, garlic bolt, blanched garlic and chinese leek inhibit significantly AA-induced human platelet aggregation in vitro. 4 kinds of vegetables may have a good potential perspective of anti-platelet aggregation therapy or prevention of thrombosis.
Adult ; Arachidonic Acid ; metabolism ; Blood Platelets ; drug effects ; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Platelet Aggregation ; drug effects ; Vegetables ; chemistry

Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Cerebellum ; cytology ; Dietary Supplements ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Male ; Muscle Fatigue ; drug effects ; Neurons ; drug effects ; pathology ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Physical Exertion ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Vegetables ; chemistry