Justyna Cybulska

Polish Academy of Sciences | PAN · Bohdan Dobrzański Institute of Agrophysics

This study focuses on pectin covalently linked in cell walls from two sources, apples and carrots, that was extracted using diluted alkali, and it describes changes in the rheological properties of diluted alkali-soluble pectin (DASP) due to enzymatic treatment. Given DASP’s richness of rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), RG-I acetyl esterase (RGAE), rham...

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has broken boundaries in the characterization of the supramolecular architecture of cell wall assemblies and single cell wall polysaccharides at the nanoscale level. Moreover, AFM provides an opportunity to evaluate the mechanical properties of cell wall material which is not possible with any other method. However, in...

PEF technology is a non-thermal food process gaining popularity for treating fruits and vegetables. However, there has been little investigation into the impact of PEF on the biomolecular components of plant tissues. This study assesses the influence of PEF at low (1.5 kJ/kg) and medium (151 kJ/kg) intensities on the physicochemical parameters of p...

The plant cell wall (PCW) inspires the preparation of fiber-based biomaterials, particularly emphasizing exploiting the intrinsic interactions within the load-bearing cellulose and hemicellulose network. Due to experimental difficulties in studying and interpreting the interaction between these polysaccharides, this research presents a numerical mo...

Strawberries, as non-climacteric fruits, undergo unfavourable changes after harvest such as cell damage, softening and a loss in fruit quality. One of the methods of maintaining high-quality fruit is using ecological preparations defined as biostimulants, which also eliminate the usage of pesticides and support a sustainable agriculture approach. T...

This study focuses on pectin covalently linked in cell walls and extracted using diluted alkali (DASP) from two sources: apples and carrots, describing changes in rheological properties due to enzymatic treatment. Given DASP's richness in rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), RG-I acetyl esterase (RGAE), rhamnogalacturonan endolyase (RGL), and arabinofurano...

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a natural biopolymer of β-(1,4)-linked β-D-glucopyranose that forms a homogeneous network of cellulose fibres with high chemical purity and modifiability. Plasticizers of the BC fibre network allow to reduce its brittleness and improve flexibility by reducing the intermolecular forces and increasing the chain mobility, w...

Ściana komórkowa roślin (ŚKR) jest wysoce uporządkowaną i wyspecjalizowaną siecią, rozwiniętą w celu kontrolowania reakcji mechanicznych roślin. Pomimo niezaprzeczalnej roli celulozy i hemicelulozy w tworzeniu szkieletu ŚKR, rolę poszczególnych polisacharydów i ich interakcji muszą być ponownie rozważone ze względu na obecną aktualizację informacji...

The primary plant cell wall (PCW) is highly ordered and specialized network, evolved to control plant mechanical responses. Despite the undeniable role of cellulose and hemicellulose polysaccharides in the formation of the PCW scaffold, the role of individual polysaccharides and their interactions should be reconsidered according to the current vie...

Several studies have shown beneficial effects of short exposure to oxidative stress on stored fruit, such as better preservation, increased firmness, preservation of polyphenolic compounds, and reduced risk of postharvest disorders such as bitter pit and superficial scald in apples. In this study the effect of short-term oxidative stress conditions...

The properties of bacterial cellulose (BC)-based films produced by in situ biosynthesis with various polysaccharides (water-soluble pectin, arabinan, rhamnogalacturonan I, arabinoxylan, xyloglucan, glucomannan) were investigated. The addition of the polysaccharides to the bacterial growth environment changed the composition of the films by incorpor...

The primary plant cell wall (PCW) is a highly ordered and specialized network that developed to manage the mechanical responses, strengths and flexibility of the plant. Despite the numerous studies on PCW structure, question remains whether collective contribution of cellulose-hemicellulose interactions is sufficient to maintain its integrity. In t...

Intensive farming practices have increased the consumption of chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers thereby creating health issues for humans and animals and also causing a deterioration in the natural ecosystem. The promotion of biomaterials synthesis could potentially lead to the replacement of synthetic products and improve soil fertility, p...

Opuntia joconostle is a semi-wild cactus cultivated for its fruit. However, the cladodes are often discarded, wasting the potentially useful mucilage in them. The mucilage is composed primarily of heteropolysaccharides, characterized by their molar mass distribution, monosaccharide composition, structural features (by vibrational spectroscopy, FT I...

Background Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) are extracellular matrix constituents involved in plant response to fungal infection. The aim of the current study was to investigate the antifungal effect of AGPs ex situ and to determine the structural features of AGPs that may have an influence on this activity. The features of AGPs isolated from fruit...

A novel bioactive polysaccharopeptide (C1) and polysaccharide (C2) with an average molecular weight of 180 kDa and 70 kDa were isolated from R. rugosa pseudofruit. The composition of the macromolecules was established using 1H NMR, FT-IR, GC-MS, SDS-PAGE coupled with enzymatic cleavage, and proteomic analyses (LC-MS). C1 was found to contain 60.56...

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a natural biopolymer metabolized by Gram-negative bacteria strains in carbon- and nitrogen-rich media. It is considered to be an exceptional biomaterial with versatile scientific and commercial applications. Among many applications, BC composites with plant cell wall polysaccharides have gained particular importance in s...

Rhamnogalacturonan type I (RG-I) is one of the pectin family member abundant in plant cell walls. Process of RG-I extraction from cell walls, either as a one-step or several-stage process, conditions the structure and properties of obtained polysaccharides. In this paper, we provide comprehensive overview of the factors related to the source and ex...

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a bacteria-metabolized biopolymer, composed of cellobiose. High purity, strength and water holding capacity considered BC on numerous scientific and commercial applications. In this study, the effect of hemicellulose additives on structural and mechanical properties of BC-based composites was evaluated.

Natural carbohydrates are gaining importance over a wide spectrum of human activity due to their versatile functionalities. The properties of carbohydrates are currently used in many branches of industry and new possibilities of their utilization, like in medicine or materials science, are demonstrated systematically. The attractive properties of c...

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a natural biopolymer metabolized by Gram-negative bacteria strains in carbon- and nitrogen-rich media. Due to its natural purity, biodegradability, biocompatibility and outstanding mechanical properties, it is considered to be an exceptional biomaterial with versatile scientific and commercial applications. Among many ap...

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a natural biopolymer, metabolized by Gramm-negative bacteria strains in carbon- and nitrogen-rich media. Among many other applications, BC composites with plant cell wall polysaccharides have gained particular importance in studies concerning the properties of plant cell walls (PCW). In this study, the effect of hemicell...

BACKGROUND Okra pods contain heat‐sensitive substances, such as phenolic compounds and other phytochemicals that can be degraded when okra pods are subjected to heat treatment. The understanding of the impact of high humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) on the changes in physicochemical properties of polysaccharides and phytochemicals of...

Cold plasma (CP) is an innovative technology for non-thermal food processing. Low temperature and active particles during CP processing play a significant role in limiting nutrient loss in food and modifying biomacromolecules. So far, numerous works have been carried out on the use of CP in food processing. However, the effectiveness of the CP pre-...

The effect of different processing times of cold plasma (CP) treatment on the cell wall polysaccharides and phytochemical properties of okra pods was investigated. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra of water-soluble pectin (WSP), chelator-soluble pectin (CSP), and diluted alkali-soluble pectin (DASP) fractions isolated from...

The aim of study was to evaluate the changes in molecular and rheological characteristics of pectin fractions extracted from okra pods subjected to high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB). HHAIB had pronounced impact on the pectin solubility of okra pods, their structure and rheology. For example, short HHAIB, i.e. 15 and 30 s, resulted...

Strawberry is very perishable fruit with rapid postharvest loss of quality and high susceptibility to microbial infections. In this work we study pectin modifications and microbiota and mycobiota composition in strawberry in conventional and organic cultivation systems. The enzymatic activity during postharvest storage of both types of strawberry w...

The storage of plant samples as well as sample preparation for extraction have a significant impact on the profile of metabolites, however, these factors are often overlooked during experiments on vegetables or fruit. It was hypothesized that parameters such as sample storage (freezing) and sample pre-treatment methods, including the comminution te...

As the market indicates a growing interest in organically grown fruit, there is a need for biostimulants to counter the adverse effects of pathogenic fungi and fungal-like-pathogens. Four microbial pathogens (Botrytis cinerea, Verticillium sp., Phytophthora sp., and Colletotrichum sp.) which are the most often causes of strawberry diseases were sel...

Rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) belongs to the pectin family and is found in many plant cell wall types at different growth stages. It plays a significant role in cell wall and plant biomechanics and shows a gelling ability in solution. However, it has a significantly more complicated structure than smooth homogalacturonan (HG) and its variability due...

The self–assembly and gelation of low–methoxyl diluted alkali–soluble pectin (LM DASP) from pear fruit (Pyrus communis L. c.v. Conference) was studied in water and salt solutions (NaCl and CaCl2, constant ionic strength) without pH adjustment at 20oC. The samples at different LM DASP concentrations were characterized using rheological tests, Fourie...

Lipases are enzymes that catalyze various types of reactions and have versatile applications. Additionally, lipases are the most widely used class of enzymes in biotechnology and organic chemistry. Lipases can be produced by a wide range of organisms including animals, plants and microorganisms. Microbial lipases are more stable, they have substrat...

Cross–linking and gelation are important abilities affecting pectin functionality. Pectin concentration, pH and the composition of the dispersing medium play a crucial role in gel formation. The self-assembly of pectin in solution occurs simultaneously with changes in its physicochemical properties. However, this process has not been described in d...

The storage of plant sample as well as sample preparation for extraction have a significant impact on the profile of metabolites. However, this parameter is often overlooked during experiments on plants. It was hypothesised that parameters such as sample storage (freezing) and sample pre-treatment methods, including the comminution technique or app...

Pectin is a heteropolysaccharide abundant in the cell wall of plants and is obtained mainly from fruit (citrus and apple), thus its properties are particularly prone to changes occurring during ripening process. Properties of pectin depend on the string‐like structure (conformation, stiffness) of the molecules that determines their mutual interacti...

Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) are ubiquitous cell wall and plasma membrane components and are characterised by extensive glycosylation and heterogeneity of their carbohydrate and protein units. The aim of the study was to evaluate the structural features of AGPs present in apple fruits at different stages of the ripening process. AGPs were extrac...

The high quality and long shelf life of strawberry fruit are largely dependent on the cultivation method. The goal of this experiment was to study the effect of different cultivation methods on molecular structure and rheological properties of pectin extracted from strawberry quality parameters during cold storage. Three methods of cultivation of s...

Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) are constituents of the cell wall–plasma membrane continuum in fruit tissue. The aim of the study was to characterise AGPs contained in fruit by determination of their chemical structure and morphological properties. The results were obtained from in and ex situ investigations and a comparative analysis of AGPs prese...

The diluted alkali-soluble fraction of the cell wall pectic matrix extracted with sodium carbonate (DASP) from apple fruit (M. domestica cv. Golden Delicious) was subjected to extensive analysis aimed at refining the current view concerning its molecular structure. Pectins were examined by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and HPLC chemical an...

We present a case study report into nutritional competition between Trichoderma spp. isolated from wild raspberries and fungal phytopathogenic isolates (Colletotrichum sp., Botrytis sp., Verticillium sp. and Phytophthora sp.), which infect soft fruit ecological plantations. The competition was evaluated on the basis of nutritional potentiates. Name...

The enzyme driven changes in plant cell wall structure during fruit ripening result in debranching, depolymerization and solubilization of pectin polysaccharides, which has an effect in terms of the postharvest quality losses in fruit. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has revealed that diluted alkali soluble pectins (DASP) from fruit and vegetables ha...

Biostimulants are among the natural preparations that improve the general health, vitality, and growth of plants and protect them against infections. They can be successfully used in both agri- and horticultural crops. The main active substances used in such preparations are humic and fulvic acids, protein hydrolysates, compounds containing nitroge...

The cross-linking and gelation of low-methoxy pectins are basic processes commonly used in different industries. The aim of this research was to evaluate the cross-linking process of the sodium carbonate-soluble pectins (named DASP) extracted from apples, characterized by a low degree of methylesterification as a function of its concentration in wa...

A diluted alkali-soluble pectin (DASP) fraction, extracted using sodium carbonate, is characterized by a low degree of methylesterification and has the ability to self-organize on mica. The aim of this study was to characterize the cross-linking process of this fraction, extracted from apples, over a wide pH range (3-11) and without the addition of...

Pectins are polysaccharides present commonly in dicotyledonous and non-grass monocotyledonous plants. Depending on the source, pectins may vary in molecular size, degrees of acetylation and methylation and contents of galacturonic acid and neutral sugar residues. Therefore, pectins demonstrate versatile gelling properties and are capable of forming...

Sodium carbonate-soluble pectin fraction forms a self-organized network on mica and may have the potential ability to bind zinc ions. The aim of this research was to characterize the interaction of zinc ions with this fraction extracted from apples using rheological measurements and FT-IR study. The addition of zinc ions (10 and 20 mM of ZnSO4·7H2O...

Mango is an important crop worldwide, with a postharvest loss that is huge due to its climacteric behaviour. This study evaluated the softening of Tommy Atkins mangos during the ripening process. Ripening index (RPI) shown a decrease from 9.18 ± 0.14 to 4.75 ± 0.47. The enzymatic activity agreed with physicochemical parameters and with the structur...

Storage diseases of apples can lead to a considerable loss of fruit storage and post-storage quality and, as a consequence, decrease the profitability of cultivation. The timely inspection of fruit at all stages of postharvest handling allows for detection of developing disease, and gives the possibility to apply special treatment or to separate th...

It is widely believed that pectin are responsible for the vast majority of cation binding positions in the root cell walls. To estimate the role of particular kinds of pectin, we studied the cell wall material isolated from the roots of monocots (wheat and rye) and dicots (clover and lupine) before and after removal of different fractions of solubl...

This paper describes a simple and efficient approach for the real-time evaluation of biospeckle spatial activity using a live video stream. The proposed method combines the exponentially weighted averaging of time-series data with a calculation of the Fujii biospeckle activity index. The exponentially smoothed Fujii method (ESF) was compared with t...

The impact of the matrix polysaccharides on the cellulose microfibrils structure as well as on the mechanical properties of cell walls still remains an open question. Therefore, the aim of investigations was to determine the simultaneous influence of (i) different concentrations of pectins with constant concentration of xyloglucan, and (ii) differe...

Structural modifications of fruit cell-wall pectins are controlled by various enzymes. In this in vitro study, the cell wall material (CWM) from pear fruit (Pyrus communis L.) was treated using pectinases in two concentrations. Water soluble (WSP), chelator soluble (CSP) and sodium carbonate soluble (DASP) pectin fractions were extracted from CWM....

Fat-free crispy carrot snacks, could be an interesting proposal for consumers eager to increase their vegetable consumption, if the carotenoids naturally occurring in carrots could be retained during the drying processes used in their production. In an attempt to enhance carotenoid retention during the snacks production, ultrasound (US) and enzymat...

Ultrasounds (US) enhances mass transfer in fruit, however, evidence of changes triggered at cell wall level are still very scarce. Apple tissue was subjected to ultrasound for 7.5, 15 or 30 min in order to evaluate the effect on the cell wall. The distribution of galacturonic acid (GalA) in water (WSP), calcium chelator (CSP) and sodium carbonate (...

Yield, properties and functionality of pectins depend on the source material and method of extraction. The objective of this work was to compare pectinolytic enzyme activity in fresh pulp as well as the physicochemical and rheological properties of polysaccharides extracted with citric acid from six new potential sources: fruit materials − peach, b...

A new image analysis method for the spatial characterization of microscopy images of fruit microstructure is proposed in order to analyse the heterogeneous microstructure of unprocessed fruit and the possible inhomogeneous effects of various technological treatments on this microstructure. The micro-structure of tissue samples was characterized usi...

The Young’s modulus of the primary cell walls of pears decreases linearly during the pre-harvest on-tree maturation and increases during postharvest storage, and does not correlate with firmness of fruit. The determination of mechanical properties of cell walls is indispensable for understanding the mechanism of physiological softening and deterio...

Extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) produced by algae can be applied in numerous branches of industry, depending on their origin and properties. In this work, the EPS produced with green microalgae Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides was studied by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), which enabled the char...

A new food matrix made of modified cell wall polysaccharides (MPS) from apple pomace was developed. In this experiment an effect of metal divalent ions: calcium, magnesium and iron ions on rheological properties of MPS was studied. An increase of Ca2+ or Fe2+ concentration in MPS suspensions significantly increased viscosity as well as elastic (G')...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test a hypothesis that fatigue-induced weakening of cortical bone was intensified in bone incubated in glucose and that this weakening is revealed in the microstructure and mechanical competence of the bone matrix. Methods: Cubic specimens of bovine femoral shaft were incubated in glucose solution (G) or in...

Pomace produced during the apple juice production is composed mainly of cell wall polysaccharides, which constitute a dietary fibre. Since those compounds can be cross-linked with some divalent metal ions according to an egg-box model, they cause the viscosity of aqueous solutions to significantly increase. The apple pomace analyzed was physically...

The role of xyloglucan (XG) in the cell wall of plants and its technological usability depends on several factors, pertaining to molecular structure. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the nano-structure and self-assembly of XG by atomic force microscopy (AFM). As the model, a non-modified xyloglucan from a tamarind seed (Tamarindus...

The pectin structure determines cell wall properties, such as their stiffness, diffusivity and intercellular integrity, and this, in turn, determines the macro-properties that are important for consumers and industry. However, due to complex and dynamic physiological changes, the pectin molecular structure and their assemblies in cell walls are sti...

Cholinesterases (ChEs) are key enzymes in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A growing body of evidence suggests that plants deliver compounds able to inhibit ChEs (e.g., huperzine A, galanthamine, and physostigmine), thus playing a beneficial therapeutic role in the treatment of AD. Screening for cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) in sel...

Pectins, forming a matrix for cellulose and hemicellulose, determine the mechanics of plant cell walls. They undergo salient structural changes during their development. In the presence of divalent cations, usually calcium, pectins can form gel-like structures. Because of their importance they have been the subject of many force spectroscopy experi...

The properties and functionality of pectins from plant cell walls depend on their structure. Therefore, the objective of this work was to determine the rheological properties of pectins extracted from plant cell walls with different solvents in relation to postharvest storage time.Water (WSP), chelate (CSP) and diluted alkali (DASP) soluble pectins...

The nanostructure of polysaccharides is supposed to determine properties such as stiffness or diffusivity of cell walls and their functionality for various tailored properties of food. However, at present, a relation of these nano-properties with sensory texture and firmness remains to some degree unknown. In this work, water (WSP), calcium chelato...

Spektroskopia ramanowska oraz spektroskopia w podczerwieni pozwalają na analizę zmian strukturalnych wielu związków, w tym polisacharydów, pod wpływem różnych procesów fizycznych i chemicznych. Matryce polisacharydowe były przygotowane ze ścian komórkowych parenchymy jabłek i korzenia marchwi. Związkami wchodzącymi w ich skład są celuloza, pektyny...

The aim of the study was to investigate whether a fatigue induced weakening of cortical bone was revealed in microstructure and mechanical competence of demineralized bone matrix. Two types of cortical bone samples (plexiform and Haversian) were use. Bone slabs from the midshaft of bovine femora were subjected to cyclical bending. Fatigued and adja...

In this study, the relation of the nanostructure of cell walls with their texture was investigated for six different apple cultivars. Cell wall material (CWM) and cellulose microfibrils were imaged by atomic force microscope (AFM). The mean diameter of cellulose microfibrils for each cultivar was estimated based on the AFM height topographs obtaine...

Large amout of wastes from fruit and vegetable industry are pomaces that might be recycled. The quantity of wastes is still considerable in Poland and amounts about 200,000 tons despite decreasing quantity of fruit pomace in the last years. Pomace contains mainly cell wall polycaccharides that are the components of dietary fibre: pectins, cellulose...

When a coherent laser illuminates a rough surface, the scattered light exhibits mutual interference and forms randomly distributed bright and dark spots of variable shapes called speckle pattern. When the laser coherent light impinges on the surface of biological material, it can pass through one or more layers (for example: air space, skin, cell w...

This study presents the influence of calcium lactate treatment (0–6 %) and cellular composition on two mechanical attributes: firmness and total acoustic emission (AE) events registered in the puncture test of apple tissue. The experiment was performed on five apple cultivars stored for nine months in a normal or controlled atmosphere. The microstr...

Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used for assessment of structural differences of celluloses of various origins. Investigated celluloses were: bacterial celluloses cultured in presence of pectin and/or xyloglucan, as well as commercial celluloses and cellulose extracted from apple parenchyma. FT-IR spectra were used to...

Biospeckle is nondestructive optical technique based on the analysis of variations of laser light scattered from biological samples. Biospeckle activity reflects the state of the investigated object. In this study the relation of biospeckle activity (BA) with firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA) and starch content (SC) du...

Performance of calibration models for evaluation of apples sensory texture with contact acoustic emission detector (CAED) was studied. For model evaluation and testing, 2500 apples of 19 cultivars were harvested over two seasons. Apples were stored at normal atmosphere (NA), controlled atmosphere (CA) for different periods or were treated with 1-me...

The firmness and sensory texture of apples from two laboratories are analyzed. The goal of this experiment was checking consistency of results between laboratories and finding important differences affecting texture evaluation of apples. Also, various postharvest treatments on firmness and sensory texture are discussed. Six apple cultivars, stored...

Bacterial cellulose alone, with pectin added and with both pectin and xyloglucan added were produced as models for plant cell walls. The artificial cell wall materials and natural apple tissue were treated with calcium and then subjected to tests of mechanical properties; a tension test for the artificial cell wall materials and a compression test...

Cell walls are the major component of plant tissue which significantly influence on textual properties of fruit and vegetables. Geometrical dimensions of parenchyma cells are very small what makes impossible studying their mechanical properties in the natural state. An alternative is creating of a model artificial cell wall consisting of polysaccha...

A new contact acoustic emission detector (CAED) was developed for the instrumental texture evaluation of apples. The goal of this work was to determine the relations between instrumental parameters and sensory texture attributes, and to develop calibration models for prediction of the sensory texture of apples with CAED. Seven apple cultivars were...

Artificial plant cell walls were produced from bacterial cellulose and cell wall constituents. The artificial cell walls were stored at low, medium and high relative humidity, and then subjected to micro-mechanical tests. From chemical composition and microstructure analysis it was found that, among all artificial cell wall materials produced, the...

A b s t r a c t . Texture of apples depends on geometrical dimensions of the cellular mechanical skeleton. For quantitative measurements of the dime nsions of cells an image analysis procedure should be developed which is proper to a certain imaging s ystem. In this paper two different image analysis methods are applied: image segmentation and visu...

Fracture properties of plant tissue are important for consumers and industry. The mechanical properties of tissue depend on turgor and temperature. These two parameters can change significantly fracture properties by influencing on failure mode of a tissue. Tissue cracking during mechanical test can be analysed using contact acoustic emission (AE)....

Methods of obtaining images and their quantitative analysis should be developed in order to analyse an influence of properties of cellular skeleton on mechanical properties of a tissue. The paper presents visual texture analysis method for quantitative measurements a mean cell size from confocal images of potato and carrot tissue. The confocal imag...

An ultrasound acoustic emission (AE) signal was recorded during texture profile analysis (TPA) of potato and apple tissue with different texture. The acoustic sensor was in contact with the sample through solid medium. Texture of the tissue was controlled by soaking it in different mannitol solutions. Both TPA and AE parameters change with the text...