The enhancement of bioactive potential in Vitis vinifera leaves by application of microspheres loaded with biological and chemical agents

Abstract

An overview of a research on Vitis vinifera plants treated with a chemical (calcium and magnesium ions) and biological (Trichoderma viride) agents simultaneously loaded in alginate microspheres was presented. Microspheres were applied at two growth stages: before flowering and berries pea-size. Physicochemical characteristics of leaves after the two growth stages and grapes were measured in terms of bioactive components content and antioxidant activity. After the treatments, vine leaves reached a significant increase in almost all measured parameters (polyphenols, antioxidant capacity, β-carotene, and chlorophyll) compared to the control. The highest total chlorophyll content was found after the treatment with microspheres containing Mg²⁺/Ca²⁺ cations, and T. viride. The treatments enhanced Vitis vinifera leaves in terms of bioactive potential and can be further used as a functional food. As compared to the control, somewhat elevated values of total polyphenols and antioxidant activity were found on the grape samples.

Keywords:

• microspheres
• bioactive potential
• functional foods
• Vitis vinifera
• Trichoderma viride
• calcium ions
• magnesium ions
• vine leaves

Additional information

Funding

We acknowledge the support from Croatian Science Foundation for their financing of the project titled: New biopolymer based microcapsules for plant protection/nutrition agents controlled release Project: UIP-2014-09-6462).