TY - JOUR
T1 - Nutraceutical properties of pecan kernels are affected by soil zinc fertilizer application
AU - Wang, Yuqing
AU - Heerema, Richard J.
AU - Walworth, James L.
AU - Dungan, Barry
AU - VanLeeuwen, Dawn
AU - Omar Holguin, F.
N1 - Funding Information:
Received for publication 16 July 2020. Accepted for publication 28 Sept. 2020. Published online 6 November 2020. We thank Farmers Investment Company for generously allowing us to conduct our research in their pecan orchard and Fertizona for their donations of zinc fertilizer. This study was made possible by Arizona Pecan Growers Association, Arizona Department of Agriculture, New Mexico State University Agricultural Experiment Station, and grants from U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA-SCRI Award No. 2011-51181-30674); National Institutes of Health SC2 award project HL126060; and National Science Foundation award no. IIA-1301346. We also thank Shengrui Yao and Ivette Guzman for their critical reviews of the manuscript. Current address for Y.W.: Beijing Engineering Research Center of Protein & Functional Peptides, China National Research Institute of Food and Fermentation Industries Co., Ltd., Beijing 100015, PR China R.J.H. is the corresponding author. E-mail: rjheerem@ nmsu.edu. This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommon-s.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Publisher Copyright:
© This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) has high kernel antioxidant activity and unsaturated fatty acid content, which contribute to its nutraceutical properties. In the western United States, where soils are typically alkaline, pecan trees require frequent zinc (Zn) fertilizer applications to maintain normal canopy growth and nut production. Our objective was to investigate the effects of tree Zn fertilization on nutraceutical properties of 'Wichita' and 'Western' pecan kernels. Trees were fertilized with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) chelated Zn, which was applied to the soil at one of three seasonal rates for a total of three treatments: 0 (control), 2.2, or 4.4 kg·haL1 Zn. Nut samples were collected and homogenized for analyses of kernel oil yield, hydrophilic antioxidant capacity, fatty acid profile, and g-tocopherol content. Although soil Zn treatments did not significantly affect antioxidant capacity of defatted pecan kernels, Zn application had significant positive effects on both total kernel oil yield and g-tocopherol content compared with the control. In conclusion, soil application of Zn fertilizer may increase the human health-promoting aspects of pecan kernels, a valuable attribute among health-conscious consumers.
AB - Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) has high kernel antioxidant activity and unsaturated fatty acid content, which contribute to its nutraceutical properties. In the western United States, where soils are typically alkaline, pecan trees require frequent zinc (Zn) fertilizer applications to maintain normal canopy growth and nut production. Our objective was to investigate the effects of tree Zn fertilization on nutraceutical properties of 'Wichita' and 'Western' pecan kernels. Trees were fertilized with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) chelated Zn, which was applied to the soil at one of three seasonal rates for a total of three treatments: 0 (control), 2.2, or 4.4 kg·haL1 Zn. Nut samples were collected and homogenized for analyses of kernel oil yield, hydrophilic antioxidant capacity, fatty acid profile, and g-tocopherol content. Although soil Zn treatments did not significantly affect antioxidant capacity of defatted pecan kernels, Zn application had significant positive effects on both total kernel oil yield and g-tocopherol content compared with the control. In conclusion, soil application of Zn fertilizer may increase the human health-promoting aspects of pecan kernels, a valuable attribute among health-conscious consumers.
KW - 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)
KW - Carya illinoinensis
KW - Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME)
KW - Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC)
KW - Tocopherol
KW - Zinc ethylenediaminetraacetic acid (Zn EDTA)
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U2 - 10.21273/HORTSCI15314-20
DO - 10.21273/HORTSCI15314-20
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85097241318
SN - 0018-5345
VL - 55
SP - 2001
EP - 2007
JO - HortScience
JF - HortScience
IS - 12
ER -