Page 59 - Book of Abstracts

5 International Scientific Online Conference DOI: https://doi.org/10.15414/2021.9788055224015

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AMINO ACID PROFILE OF LEAVES OF NON-TRADITIONAL FRUIT PLANTS
Olga Grygorieva , Svitlana Klymenko , Yulia Vinogradova , Anna Adriana Bieniek ,
1
2
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3
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Agata Antoniewska , Katarína Fatrcová-Šramková , Ján Brindza
1 M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
Kyiv, Ukraine; E-mail.: olgrygorieva@gmail.com
2 N.V. Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
3 University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
4 Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
5 Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovak Republic
Amino acids have important functions in both nutrition and health: regulate protein
synthesis, breakdown and consequently protein deposition, which corresponds to the balance
between the two processes; cell signaling molecules, regulators of gene expression and the
protein phosphorylation cascade; key precursors for syntheses of hormones and low-molecular
weight nitrogenous substances of high biological importance.
To the best of the authors knowledge, amino acids composition of leaves of many non-
traditional fruit plants is lacking. Thus, the aim of the study was to determine amino acid profiles
of leaves of selected non-traditional fruit plants: Amelanchier alnifolia (Nutt.) Nutt., Asimina
triloba (L.) Dunal, Cornus mas L., Diospyros kaki L., Diospyros lotus L., Diospyros virginiana L.,
Hippophaë rhamnoides L., Chaenomeles japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ex Spach, Ziziphus jujuba Mill.
grown in the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden (Kyiv, Ukraine).
Amino acid profile was analyzed by ion-exchange chromatography using an AAA-400
Amino Acid Analyzer (Ingos, Czech Republic) equipped with a column (370 × 3.7 mm filled with
an Ostion LG ANG ion exchanger, Ingos, Czech Republic) and were detected by reaction with
ninhydrin at 570 nm.
The differences in the total amino acids content between studied non-traditional fruit
plants were remarkable. Hippophaë rhamnoides leaves were distinguished by the highest
content of total amino acids (176.9 g/kg of dry weight), whereas Chaenomeles japonica with
83.8 g/kg of dry weight by the lowest. Asparagine (25.1 g/kg of dry weight) was the major
component of non-essential amino acids of Hippophaë rhamnoides leaves, followed by
glutamine (21.4 g/kg of dry weight). It should be pointed out that the content of asparagine, as
a precursor of lysine and a donor of amino groups in the biosynthesis of non-essential amino
acids, is of a great interest. In turn, Amelanchier alnifolia leaves proved to be rich in leucine (17.4
g/kg of dry weight) among the essential amino acids. The leucine content should be highlighted,
due to the impact on accumulation of diterpene glycosides in the process of ontogenesis.
In conclusion, leaves of non-traditional fruit plants proved to be of high nutritional value,
as indicated by a significant share of amino acids. The leaves of selected species may be
regarded as a novel source of some amino acids in human diet.
The Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and Biosafety at the Slovak University of
Agriculture in Nitra and the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden (Kyiv, Ukraine) cooperate
in the promising project regarding the study of biochemical composition of non-traditional fruit
plants. It should be highlighted that presented results are only a small part of multidisciplinary
research.

Keywords: non-traditional fruit plants, leaves, amino acids.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful SAIA and Visegrad Fund (Bratislava, Slovakia). Experimental activities were
realized in the laboratories of the Excellent Center for the Conservation and Use of Agrobiodiversity at
the Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra.

5 International Scientific Conference Agrobiodiversity for Improving the Nutrition, Health, Quality of Life and |58
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Spiritual Human Development
November 3 2021
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