The main area of the investigations, carried out by the research
group coordinated by Prof. Giovanni Dinelli, concerns the
physiology, biology and ecology of crops and spontaneous vegetal
species. The main research topic is related to the study of
expression physiology of nutraceutical compounds (mainly
flavonoids) synthesized by different major and minor crops (mainly
cereals and legumes) with the aim the aim to improve the knowledge
on the role of primary production on functional food. In
particular, the researches are focused on the relationships between
crop genotype and the expression of functional compounds (i.e.,
secondary metabolites) as a function of applied agro-technique and
environmental factors (with emphasis on main abiotic stresses).
This main research activity is complemented with different
collaborations with researchers of the University of Bologna and of
other national and international Universities, aimed to investigate
the effects of transformation technologies (with emphasis on bread
and pasta) on the content of functional compounds in the final
food, as well as to determine the role of intestinal macro-biota
(probiotics) and prebiotics (mainly vegetal fibres) on their
bioavailability and absorbption in humans.
The experimental trials are carried out in open fields, greenhouses
and growth chambers. The experimental determinations include
chemical (HPLC, GC and capillary electrophoresis equipped with
different detectors) and molecular analyses based on PCR reaction
(PCR real-time). For specific determinations related to plant
physiology radiolabel compounds are employed with detection with
beta-counter and phosphor imager.
For the research topic of crop physiology and functional
compounds, actually the following research activities are carried
out
The first research activity deals with the study of expression
physiology of different functional compounds in soft and durum
wheat, as possible source of bioactive compounds for food,
nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. At the present, fibers
(soluble and insoluble) are the well characterized functional
component of wheat, even if different other seed compounds, such as
lignans, phenolic acids, polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids,
tocopherols and tocotrienols possess a wide range of
biological activities. The researches are focused on actual and
“old” soft and durum wheat accessions: the available wheat
collection includes more than 30 different “old” wheat genotypes
(not yet cultivated). The different accessions are characterized
for the content of different functional compounds with the aim to
complete their phytochemical profiles and to define the
relationships between environmental factors, agro-tecniques
(conventional vs organic farming), genotypes and the expression of
investigated functional compounds. The different accessions are
also characterized for their rheological properties and protein
quality.
The second research activity is carried out on different
accessions of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) and lucerne
(Medicago sativa L) as a source of isoflavones (phytoestrogens) and
melatonine. The investigations include the determination of the
isoflavones and melatonine content as a function of controlled
abiotic and biotic stresses. Molecular analyses are carried out on
the main key enzymes involved in the bio-synthesis of
phytoestrogens and melatonin. The researches are aimed to define
the opportune productive parameters for the obtainment of seedlings
(for both direct consumption and for the preparation of
nutraceutical integrators) containing the phytostrogen/melatonine
complex.
The third research activity concerns the evaluation of the
functional properties of cauliflower and strawberry, grown in open
field according to conventional and organic farming. The aim of the
experimental trials is to identify the effects of different
agronomic approaches on the synthesis and accumulation of bioactive
compounds. Tests on the anti-oxidant activities and
quali-quantitative determinations of glucosinolates (cauliflower)
and polyphenols are carried out.
The fourth research activity concerns the study of the
physiological mechanisms involved in the synthesis of secondary
metabolites in different model crop species (soybean, common bean,
white and red clover). The investigations are aimed to evaluate the
effects of different elicitations (chemical compounds, physical
stresses) on the bio-synthesis of polyphenols at green tissue and
seed level. The studies includes the quail-quantitative
determinations of polyphenols and molecular analyses, based on PCR
real-time, on the expression of the key enzymes involved in the
synthesis of polyphenols.
