@article{fan_johanningsmeier_schultheis_starke_osborne_collins_2024, title={Quantification of cucurbitacin C in bitter cucumber and its reduction by fermentation and acidification}, volume={129}, ISSN={["1096-0481"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.jfca.2024.106065}, abstractNote={Cucurbitacins are seldom found in pickling cucumber, but when present, make finished products unpalatable. Liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry was employed to determine cucurbitacins in ‘Hanzil’ (bitter) and ‘Vlaspik’ (non-bitter) pickling cucumbers subjected to acidification or fermentation. Cucurbitacins C (CuC) and C-glycoside were putatively identified in ‘Hanzil’ cucumber fruits while undetectable in ‘Vlaspik’. The major cucurbitacin in ‘Hanzil’, CuC, increased in concentration with cucumber size, ranging from 28 ppm in size 2 A to >74 ppm in size 4+ fruits. Endocarp had the highest CuC concentration (88.7 ± 44.3 ppm) followed by mesocarp (30.6 ± 15.1 ppm) and exocarp (2.58 ± 1.75 ppm). CuC was 3-fold lower in acidified cucumber (15.7 ± 10.3 ppm) and 10-fold less in fermented cucumber (4.90 ± 3.94 ppm) than when fresh (47.9 ± 22.8 ppm). Fermentation has potential for de-bittering of cucurbits, and oversized bitter cucumbers could serve as a source of CuC for exploration of bioactivities.}, journal={JOURNAL OF FOOD COMPOSITION AND ANALYSIS}, author={Fan, Xinyue and Johanningsmeier, Suzanne D. and Schultheis, Jonathan and Starke, Keith and Osborne, Jason A. and Collins, Maxton}, year={2024}, month={May} }
 @article{salgado-salazar_shiskoff_leblanc_ismaiel_collins_cubeta_crouch_2019, title={Coccinonectria pachysandricola, Causal Agent of a New Foliar Blight Disease of Sarcococca hookeriana}, volume={103}, ISSN={0191-2917 1943-7692}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-09-18-1676-RE}, DOI={10.1094/PDIS-09-18-1676-RE}, abstractNote={ Woody plants of the Buxaceae, including species of Buxus, Pachysandra, and Sarcococca, are widely grown evergreen shrubs and groundcovers. Severe leaf spot symptoms were observed on S. hookeriana at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC, in 2016. Affected plants were growing adjacent to P. terminalis exhibiting Volutella blight symptoms. Fungi isolated from both hosts were identical based on morphology and multilocus phylogenetic analysis and were identified as Coccinonectria pachysandricola (Nectriaceae, Hypocreales), causal agent of Volutella blight of Pachysandra species. Pathogenicity tests established that Co. pachysandricola isolated from both hosts caused disease symptoms on P. terminalis and S. hookeriana, but not on B. sempervirens. Artificial inoculations with Pseudonectria foliicola, causal agent of Volutella blight of B. sempervirens, did not result in disease on P. terminalis or S. hookeriana. Wounding enhanced infection by Co. pachysandricola and Ps. foliicola on all hosts tested but was not required for disease development. Genome assemblies were generated for the Buxaceae pathogens that cause Volutella diseases: Co. pachysandricola, Ps. buxi, and Ps. foliicola; these ranged in size from 25.7 to 28.5 Mb. To our knowledge, this foliar blight of S. hookeriana represents a new disease for this host and is capable of causing considerable damage to infected plants. }, number={6}, journal={Plant Disease}, publisher={Scientific Societies}, author={Salgado-Salazar, Catalina and Shiskoff, Nina and LeBlanc, Nicholas and Ismaiel, Adnan A. and Collins, Maxton and Cubeta, Marc A. and Crouch, Jo Anne}, year={2019}, month={Jun}, pages={1337–1346} }