Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-19T15:32:18.211Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seed stability during storage: Raffinose content and seed glassy state1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

I. Bernal-Lugo  and
A. C. Leopold
I. Bernal-Lugo*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Bioquimica, DBF. Facultad de Quimica, UNAM. Mexico D.F. 04510, Mexico.
A. C. Leopold
Affiliation:
Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, New York 14852, USA
*
*Correspondence
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

It has been proposed that sucrose and raffinose play a role in the storability of maize seeds. The levels of these sugars in the embryos and the glassy state were compared in maize seeds of contrasting storage stability to determine the relationship between sugar composition, glassy state and the storability of the seed. Sucrose was the predominant sugar but its content was not correlated with good storage. The content of raffinose as a mass fraction of total sugars and the magnitude of the glassy state showed positive correlations with storage stability. It is suggested that in maize seeds dry storage stability is a reflection not of the total soluble sugars, but of the mixture of sucrose with raffinose. Apparently raffinose amplifies the magnitude of the glass signal and this in turn is associated with enhanced storability.

Keywords

glass statemaizeraffinoseseed ageingstorabilitysucrosesugarsZea mays L.
Type
Research Papers
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , June 1995 , pp. 75 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

1

IBL gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Fullbright Scholar Progam.

References

Amuti, K.S. and Pollard, C.J. (1977) Soluble carbohydrates of dry and developing seeds. Phytochemistry 16, 529–532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernal-Lugo, I. and Leopold, A.C. (1992) Changes in soluble carbohydrates during seed storage. Plant Physiology 98, 1207–1210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bernal-Lugo, I., Diaz-de Leon, F., Castillo, A. and Leopold, A.C. (1993) Embryo sugar composition and seed storage performance. pp 789–792 in Côme, D. and Corbineau, F. (Eds) Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Seeds: Basic and Applied Aspects of Seed Biology. ASFIS, Paris.Google Scholar
Blackman, S.A. and Leopold, A.C. (1993) Chemical and physical factors in seed deterioration. pp 731–737 in Côme, D. and Corbineau, F. (Eds) Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Seeds: Basic and Applied Aspects of Seed Biology. ASFIS, Paris.Google Scholar
Blackman, S.A., Obendorf, R.L. and Leopold, A.C. (1992) Maturation proteins and sugars in desiccation tolerance of developing soybean seeds. Plant Physiology 100, 225–230.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boersig, M.K. and Negm, F.B. (1985) Prevention of sucrose inversion during preparation of HPLC samples. HortScience 20, 1054–1056.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruni, F. and Leopold, A.C. (1991) Glass transition in soybean seed: relevance to anhydrous biology. Plant Physiology 96, 660–663.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruni, F. and Leopold, A.C. (1992) Pools of water in anhydrobiotic organisms: a thermally stimulated depolarization current study. Biophysical Journal 63, 663–672.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caffrey, M., Fonseca, V. and Leopold, A.C. (1988) Lipid-sugar interaction. Plant Physiology 86, 754–758.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koster, K. and Leopold, A.C. (1988) Sugars and desiccation tolerance in seeds. Plant Physiology 88, 829–832.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leprince, O., Bronchart, R. and Deltour, R. (1990) Changes in starch and soluble sugars in relation to the acquisition of desiccation tolerance during maturation drying of Brassica campestris seeds. Plant, Cell and Environment 13, 539–546.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mascarenhas, S. (1987) Bioelectrets: electrets in biomaterials and biopolymers. pp 321–346 in Sessler., G.M. (Ed.) Electrets. Berlin, Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Priestley, D.A. (1986) Seed aging. Ithaca NY, Comstock Publishing Associates.Google Scholar
Slade, L. and Levine, H. (1991) Beyond water activity: recent advances on an alternative approach to the assessment of food quality and safety. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 30, 115–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slade, L. and Levine, H. (1994) Glass transitions and water food structure interactions. in Kinsella, J.E. (Ed.) Advances in food and nutrition research Vol. 38, Academic Press. (in press)Google Scholar
Williams, R.J. and Leopold, A.C. (1989) The glassy state in corn embryos. Plant Physiology 89, 977–981.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Turnhout, J. (1987) Thermally stimulated discharge of electrets. pp 81–215 in Sessler., G.M. (Ed.) Electrets. Berlin, Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar