Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan 30;26(3):723.
doi: 10.3390/molecules26030723.

Red Arils of Taxus baccata L.-A New Source of Valuable Fatty Acids and Nutrients

Małgorzata Tabaszewska  1 , Jaroslawa Rutkowska  2 , Łukasz Skoczylas  1 , Jacek Słupski  1 , Agata Antoniewska  2 , Sylwester Smoleń  3 , Marcin Łukasiewicz  4 , Damian Baranowski  2 , Iwona Duda  5 , Jörg Pietsch  6
Affiliations

Red Arils of Taxus baccata L.-A New Source of Valuable Fatty Acids and Nutrients

Małgorzata Tabaszewska et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

The aim of this study, focused on the nutritional value of wild berries, was to determine the contents of macronutrients, profiles of fatty (FAs) and amino acids (AAs), and the contents of selected elements in red arils (RA) of Taxus baccata L., grown in diverse locations in Poland. Protein (1.79-3.80 g/100 g) and carbohydrate (18.43-19.30 g/100 g) contents of RAs were higher than in many cultivated berries. RAs proved to be a source of lipids (1.39-3.55 g/100 g). Ten out of 18 AAs detected in RAs, mostly branched-chain AAs, were essential AAs (EAAs). The EAAs/total AAs ratio approximating were found in animal foods. Lipids of RA contained seven PUFAs, including those from n-3 family (19.20-28.20 g/100 g FA). Polymethylene-interrupted FAs (PMI-FAs), pinolenic 18:3Δ5,9,12; sciadonic 20:3Δ5,11,14, and juniperonic 20:4Δ5,11,14,17, known as unique for seeds of gymnosperms, were found in RAs. RAs may represent a novel dietary source of valuable n-3 PUFAs and the unique PMI-FAs. The established composition of RAs suggests it to become a new source of functional foods, dietary supplements, and valuable ingredients. Because of the tendency to accumulate toxic metals, RAs may be regarded as a valuable indicator of environmental contamination. Thus, the levels of toxic trace elements (Al, Ni, Cd) have to be determined before collecting fruits from natural habitats.

Keywords: Taxus baccata L. red arils; amino acids; elements; nutritional value; polymethylene-interrupted fatty acids; α-linolenic acid.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Annual changes in selected climate conditions in diverse locations in Poland: (A)—average temperature (°C), (B)—total precipitation (mm).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Location of collection of Taxus baccata red berries in natural habitats in Poland.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hua Z., Wang Z.Y., Yang X., Zhao H.T., Zhang Y.C., Dong A.J., Jing J., Wang J. Determination of free amino acids and 18 elements in freeze-dried strawberry and blueberry fruit using an Amino Acid Analyzer and ICP-MS with micro-wave digestion. Food Chem. 2014;147:189–194. - PubMed
    1. Jiang Y., Nie W.J. Chemical properties in fruits of mulberry species from the Xinjiang province of China. Food Chem. 2015;174:460–466. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.11.083. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barizza E., Guzzo F., Fanton P., Lucchini G., Sacchi A.G., Lo Schiavo F., Nascimbene J. Nutritional profile and productivity of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) in different habitats of a protected area of the Eastern Italian Alps. J. Food Sci. 2013;78:C673. - PubMed
    1. Jaakkola M., Korpelainen V., Hoppulab K., Virtanena V. Chemical composition of ripe fruits of Rubus chamaemorus L. grown in different habitats. J. Sci. Food Agric. 2012;92:1324–1330. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.4705. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zheng G.Q., Zheng Z.Y., Xu X., Hu Z.H. Variation in fruit sugar composition of Lycium barbarum L. and Lycium chinense Mill. of different regions and varieties. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 2010;38:275–284. doi: 10.1016/j.bse.2010.01.008. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources