Trends in naturals and food issues Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Monique S.J. Simmonds
Business as usual is not an option. Climate Change + Population increase a world of decreased natural resources Increased crop failures therefore need to look at traits to improve crops Increase in adulterants October 30 2006 Increase interest in diversity of food plants especially with health benefits - novel foods Interest in eating for fitness - better understanding of what is in our food/drinks
Food Diversity Loss of biodiversity: Why does this matter? Globally, 80% of our plant-based food intake comes from just 12 domesticated plant species, 8 cereals and 4 tubers. An estimated 34,000 species of plant are regularly eaten by people: especially wild harvested species Should we continue to rely on the narrow range of domesticated plants - a tiny fraction of edible plant diversity for all our future needs?
Wild and semi-domesticated species for livelihoods In developing countries, wild and semi-domesticated plants account for a substantial proportion of people s diets and livelihoods: In a study from Tanzania, 49% of vegetables consumed were from wild sources In a study from Burkina Faso, 20% of all foods consumed were wild species China 47% of foods are wild species In most countries, livestock primarily eat wild forage species
Some of the biodiversity for food maintained by TATRO Women s Group in Western Kenya What are we loosing - very little information about the nutritional quality of these foods
LC MS/MS UV Tomatoes RT: 0.00-17.38 uau uau uau uau uau 150000 100000 50000 0 200000 150000 100000 50000 0 150000 100000 50000 0 150000 100000 50000 0 150000 100000 50000 0 0.28 1.10 0.22 0.02 1.53 1.60 1.80 1.62 1.53 1.62 1.78 1.80 2.32 2.38 3.23 4.27 5.73 6.05 9.87 4.08 13.98 4.53 5.55 8.67 6.63 7.42 9.60 10.73 7.97 11.10 12.15 13.82 14.32 15.75 16.62 17.17 NL: 1.65E5 5.70 13.97 Total Scan PDA Solanum_sp_Derby 2.40 Stripped_24612_co 4.05 nc_posnegesi_ 4.23 6.02 9.85 5.52 8.62 10.72 4.90 7.90 9.73 2.62 3.22 7.00 12.13 12.47 13.80 14.27 15.73 16.62 17.37 2.40 5.72 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Time (min) 9.85 6.05 4.05 8.63 10.73 1.52 4.25 12.48 5.53 7.02 7.40 12.13 13.82 8.20 9.63 14.28 15.72 16.45 17.33 0.30 0.98 2.65 3.22 1.80 NL: 1.61E5 Total Scan PDA 1.60 2.37 13.98 Solanum_sp_Arvent o_24614_conc_pos negesi_ 0.03 1.28 Marmenade 1.53 4.30 4.12 2.63 3.98 5 CQA 4 CQA 4.93 5.72 6.03 9.87 13.82 6.50 7.98 8.65 9.75 10.47 12.13 13.37 14.00 14.30 15.85 16.62 17.35 NL: 1.75E5 Total Scan PDA Solanum_sp_Marm enade_24610_conc _posnegesi_ 5.73 NL: 2.42E5 Total Scan PDA 1.78 Solanum_sp_Garde Gardeners ners_24611_conc_p 13.97 osnegesi_ 9.85 1.60 Delight 6.03 2.42 4.12 10.73 5.57 7.40 12.47 1.52 6.48 8.18 8.65 9.73 11.07 3.23 13.80 14.30 15.87 16.62 17.23 Derby Stripped Arvento rutin chalconaringenin NL: 1.65E5 Total Scan PDA Solanum_sp_EarlyO utdoor_24613_conc _posnegesi 1407 23172309
Coffea Climate change/niche modelling
Theobroma cacao
angiosperms monocots eudicots core eudicots Amborellaceae Nymphaeaceae Austrobaileyales Chloranthaceae Magnoliales Laurales Canellales magnoliids Piperales Acorales Alismatales Pandanales Dioscoreales Liliales Asparagales Arecales Poales Dasypogonaceae commelinids Commelinales Zingiberales Ceratophyllales Ranunculales asterids rosids Sabiaceae Proteales Buxaceae Trochodendraceae Gunnerales Aextoxicaceae Berberidopsidaceae Dilleniaceae Phylogeny of the flowering plants 2003 Phylogeny of the (Chase et al. APG) flowering plants 2003 about 498 families about 498 families >13,000 genera >13,000 genera Caryophyllales Santalales Saxifragales Crossosomatales Geraniales Myrtales Celastrales Malpighiales Oxalidales Rosales Fabales Fagales Cucurbitales Brassicales Sapindales Malvales Cornales Ericales Garryales Lamiales Solanales Gentianales Aquifoliales Apiales Asterales >250,000 species >300,000 species eurosid I eurosid II euasterid I euasterid II Theobroma cacao Sterculiaceae
Theobroma cacao seeds: Dominica Samples being sold by the British West Indian Plantation Syndicate Valued on the London market 20 th March 1894 57 shillings per cwt
Materia Medica, Pharmaceutical Society, Liverpool: 1896 EBC 56321
Flavan 3-ols angiosperms Over 5,000 species contain this group of compounds Diabetes: >1500 species monocots eudicots core eudicots Amborellaceae Nymphaeaceae Austrobaileyales Chloranthaceae Magnoliales Laurales Canellales magnoliids Piperales Acorales Alismatales Pandanales Dioscoreales Liliales Asparagales Arecales Poales Dasypogonaceae commelinids Commelinales Zingiberales Ceratophyllales Ranunculales asterids rosids Sabiaceae Proteales Buxaceae Trochodendraceae Gunnerales Aextoxicaceae Berberidopsidaceae Dilleniaceae Caryophyllales Santalales Saxifragales Crossosomatales Geraniales Myrtales Celastrales Malpighiales Oxalidales Rosales Fabales Fagales Cucurbitales Brassicales Sapindales Malvales Cornales Ericales Garryales Lamiales Solanales Gentianales Aquifoliales Apiales Asterales Phylogeny of the flowering plants about 498 families eurosid I eurosid II >13,000 genera euasterid I euasterid II
Catechins (mg/100g) Apple 0.8 C / 6.3 E Apricots 2.6 C / 3.0 E Blackberry 0.7 C / 10.4 E Blueberry 0.4 C / 0.7 E Broad beans 14.5 C / 30.0 E Grapes 4.9 C / 4.7 E Kiwi --- C / 0.5 E Mango 1.7 C / --- E Chocolate (dark) 6.6 C 21.8 E Cocao drink 0.7 C / 0.6 E Anderson & Markham 2006
100 95 90 85 80 Camelia sinensis (Green Tea), Leaf, 80% MeOH Extract LC/MS (posapci) 5.85 195.2 epigallocatechin gallate epicatechin catechin 1.14E8 Base Peak F: + c APCI Full ms [ 125.00-1200.00] 75 70 65 5.53 459.0 7.29 443.0 60 Relative Abundance 55 50 45 40 4.41 307.1 6.14 291.2 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1.12 509.2 1.54 360.1 1.65 175.2 2.50 345.1 3.58 181.3 4.74 291.1 7.73 443.0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Time (min) 8.47 481.0 9.60 611.0 9.71 465.0 10.75 595.0
Spices supply problems
Black pepper Piper nigrum Development of the banking trade in Venice Spice King
Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum Queen of spices 3 rd most expensive spice after saffron and vanilla Adulterants: Afromomum spp. in Africa Amomum spp. in South East Asia. It is not true that the cardamom from Guatemala adulterated: Indian Spice Board, April 2013
Illicium verum Freshly steamed fruits are dried in the sun Dried fruits used for food and medicinal purposes
Food Security
Authentication of Chinese Star Anise Tip more hooked Surface more knobbly Illicium anisatum Japanese Star Anise Illicium verum Chinese Star Anise
148 Authentication of Chinese Star Anise by Thermal Desorption GC-MS 100 O Illicium verum 77 91 117 105 133 % anethole O foeniculin 0 100 Illicium anisatum % 0 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 Time
Poor Communication Health/Food legislation EMEA: European Regulator EU Commission Decision #OJEC L 2.2.2002 L 33/31: the botanical variety Illicium anisatum Lour is scientifically recognised as highly poisonous and barred from import into Europe. in doing so they banned the import of Chinese Star Anise used in our food!
Authentication of ginseng photo: Lin Yu-Lin
Are traded plants sustainable? Ginseng Authentication Panax ginseng MS/MS 475 637 Ginsenoside Rf OH HO 100 % Panax quinquefolius CITES listed 100 961.5 945.5 945.6 841.3 MS/MS 799.4 783.5 653 491 635 1107.6 1149.5 1119.6 1119.4 1119.6 HO HO HO Pseudoginsenoside F11 O OH O O OH O OH HO O OH OH OH 415 1149.5 % 799.5 987.5 783.4 1107.6 1149.6 987.4 945.6 1149.5 1119.6 HO HO HO O O O HO O OH OH 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 Time (min) HO Kite et al. (2003). Rapid Commun. Mass Spec. 17, 238 Sustainable Uses Group
Sambucus nigra
Authentication of elderflower extract New compounds from well used plants. 100 2a 1c 1a 2c 2d 50 3b 3d 0 100 1c 50 1a 1b 1d 1d 0 100 2a 2c 2b 2d Novel compounds 50 2d 0 100 3b 3c 3a 50 3d 3d 0 10 15 20 25 Time (min) 30 35 Kite et al. (2013). J. Agric. Food. Chem. 61, 3501. Funders: Sustainable Uses Group
What next Need for greater clarity on what is being traded Improve the sustainable range of food plants available Increase our knowledge about the quality of our food Ensure we have the genetic resources (wild relatives) to improve our food plants Support the conservation of our heritage lines / old varieties - new innovation Develop use of DNA bar codes and chemical finger prints
Unlocking the power of plants Magnolia campbellii ssp. campbellii R.Fang