The task was to eliminate or minimize the flicker in the visual field three times by turning a dial that changed the intensity of a 460 nm light. Each participant performed the test while looking directly at the flickering light at 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 1.75 RE degrees, representing the MPOD level from the center to the periphery of the macula. Skin carotenoid content was measured by reflection spectroscopy . After cleaning, the tip of the right index finger was inserted into the spectrophotometer and three measurements were collected. A skin carotenoid score was calculated by the system software. Carotenoids that exist in human plasma, including β-carotene, lycopene, L, Z, and their isomers have been successfully detected in toto and quantified by this device, which has been validated to reflect fruit and vegetable consumption.Sample size was based on a study that assessed the impact of a Z supplement on MPOD in 24 healthy people. Statistical analyses were performed with JMP version 16 . Two-tailed t-tests evaluated potential between group differences at baseline. The MPOD and skin carotenoid data were analyzed with mixed-effects models using time and treatment as the main factors, with age and sex as the covariates, and participant ID as the random effect. For main effects, student t-tests determined significance within group pairs. p-Values of 0.05 or less were considered statistically significant. The mean values of the dietary intake data were compared by two-tailed t-tests, which were log-transformed when necessary,black plastic plant pots wholesale and presented as the mean ± S.E.M. or the back-transformed mean with 95% confidence intervals . Reported protocol compliance was greater than 96% for both groups, and no adverse symptoms were noted other than minor intestinal gas from one participant in the goji berry group. Table 1 presents the reported average intake of select nutrients in the habitual diet that may have affected eye health over the study period. No significant differences between groups were noted.

The composition of the goji berries is presented in Table 2. A daily goji berry serving provided 28.8 mg of Z, which was substantially higher than the 4 mg of Z present in the supplement. Although sufficient extraction of L from our goji berry samples could not be obtained, previous work by others estimated a L content of 0.15 mg in 28 g of goji berries from six different goji berry samples collected in the Ningxia province of China, the same region from which the goji berries used in this study were obtained. Baseline MPOD measures were similar between the goji berry and supplement groups . No significant interaction effects for treatment and time were observed in any REs. A significant main effect of time was found for MPOD at 0.25 RE . In a sub-analysis, intake of goji berries, but not LZ, significantly increased MPOD at 0.25 RE at day 90 compared to baseline . There was also a significant main effect of time for MPOD at 1.75 RE , with a significant increase at day 45 compared to the baseline , and again between day 90 . No significant MPOD changes were noted at any REs in the LZ group.Ninety days of 28 g of goji berry intake significantly increased the optical biomarker MPOD in healthy adults at 0.25 and 1.75 REs. These results suggest that even in a healthy population with no evidence of small drusen or early AMD, goji berry intake can improve eye health. Our results are consistent with data of improved MPOD after a similar amount and intake period of goji berry in a Chinese population at risk for intermediate AMD. Moreover, our trial is consistent with reports of protection against macular hypopigmentation and drusen development in a population of generally healthy and older individuals who were provided Z at approximately a third of the amount of Z provided in the current trial. Our findings suggest that a higher intake of Z relative to L may be useful in reducing the risk of AMD. This is consistent with increased MPOD levels after 4 months of supplementation with 20 mg Z or 26 mg Z with 8 mg L plus 190 mg of mixed omega-3 fatty acids by young healthy adults. Interestingly, we observed a significant increase in MPOD at 1.75 RE, but not at 0.5 or 1 RE, in the goji berry group.

A possible explanation for this trend is the relatively low macular pigment at 1.75 RE compared to the other REs, which may increase the potential for improved MPOD in this peripheral area of the macula. Our results are also consistent with data from 11 randomized controlled trials where supplementation with at least 10 mg of the macular carotenoids was effective at increasing MPOD. Significant correlations were observed between the overall skin carotenoid score and MPOD, which is consistent with clinical results of carotenoid supplementation. Further analysis demonstrated that L and Z, but not goji berry intake, was significantly influencing this trend. Previous work has shown an association between serum L and Z in skin and blood with macular pigment carotenoid accumulation. Data from the current trial are consistent with this observation as goji berry intake was significantly associated with the skin carotenoid score. However, in contrast to data with L and Z supplements, MPOD score was not correlated with changes in skin carotenoids with goji berry intake. The skin photometer detects overall carotenoid content, and as goji berries are also rich in β-carotene, neoxanthin, and cryptoxanthin, these carotenoids likely influenced the skin measurements, and would not reflect the selective carotenoid accumulation of L and Z in the macula. Other goji berry components such as taurine, vitamin C, zinc, and LBP may influence the results by lowering oxidant stress and improving eye health. For example, studies in animals and cell lines suggest that LBP can protect against AMD by reducing oxidative stress and cell apoptosis in retinal pigment epithelium. Taken together, under the conditions tested, it is reasonable that MPOD may not fully correlate with skin carotenoids in the goji berry group. To our knowledge, the impact of goji berry intake on MPOD in healthy middle-aged people has not been previously reported. While others have noted improved MPOD after LZ supplementation among people with low MPOD baseline levels, our findings suggest that even in populations with normal MPOD values, a significant increase can be detected after goji berry consumption at the most central part of the macula .

A meta-analysis regarding the effects of L, Z, and meso-Z supplementation noted that the MPOD at baseline was inversely associated with macular responses,black plastic plant pots bulk suggesting individuals with a relatively lower macular pigment status may receive more benefit with higher amounts of L or Z. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 trial assessed the impact of dietary supplements containing 10 mg of L, 2 mg of Z, 500 mg of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, 80 or 25 mg of zinc, 2 mg of copper, and/or 350 mg of docosahexaenoic acid plus 650 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid. The results showed a significantly reduced rate of progression from intermediate- to late-stage AMD after 5 years. Secondary analyses of the study indicated protective roles of L and Z. We did not use the AREDS2 supplement for the comparison group because this formula has only been shown to be effective for those with intermediate AMD, and no clinical evidence exists for its efficacy in our study population of healthy people. In addition, we note that 80 mg of zinc in the AREDS2 supplement is twice the upper limit of recommended daily intakes for zinc. In epidemiological studies, L and Z intakes have been inversely associated with the development of AMD. In the current study, the reported dietary intake of L plus Z, not including the berries or supplement, was 3.1 and 1.9 mg/d in the goji berry and supplement groups, respectively, which is higher than the typical estimated intakes in the US of 1.6–1.86 mg/d. Three to five mg/d of L and Z have been recommended to help support normal macular function, although no recommended dietary allowance values yet exist. A few studies have explored the effects of L and Z from a whole food on MPOD. Daily consumption of one Hass avocado containing 0.5 mg of L over 6 months was associated with a significant increase in MPOD in healthy adults. In contrast, no increase in MPOD was observed after consuming one Hass avocado daily for 3 months. Daily consumption of egg yolks providing 1.38 mg L and 0.21 mg Z resulted in a significant increase in MPOD and other measures of visual acuity in older adults with signs of early stage AMD after 12 months. Another study giving older adults two egg yolks/day for 5 weeks, followed by four egg yolks/day for 5 weeks, reported increases in MPOD, but only among those with low baseline MPOD values. The addition of either spinach or corn , or the combination, for 14 months significantly increased the MPOD among the majority of healthy individuals. Our study has some limitations. Choice of a control is always a challenge in whole food studies, since masking is an issue.

A commercially available LZ supplement was used, rather than an inert capsule, since our research design was intended to compare options available to consumers and explore the role of goji berries over and above the intake of purified L and Z. The actual amount of L and Z in the supplement was not confirmed. A previous report noted that the carotenoid content of some powder-based supplements tested in 2017 did not meet label claims, while oil-based supplements did. Since L and Z are preferentially deposited at different eccentricities in the retina, the different amounts of Z in the goji berries and supplement may not be ideal. Volunteers were not screened for low MPOD as an inclusion criterion. Although the relatively modest number of participants in each group may raise some concerns, these numbers are similar to those reported by Obana et al. and are consistent with an initial probe study. Finally, although MPOD was the primary outcome measure, other ocular measurements such as contrast sensitivity and best corrected visual acuity were not assessed. Future studies on goji berry intake and eye health ideally should combine functional and anatomic measurements.Grapevine is an economically important fruit species worldwide, and has a historical connection with the development of human culture. Grapevine comprises cultivated and wild forms . More than 6000 accessions are recorded as individual varieties. Some are rare and have only a few unique vines that are important to national heritage, and are valuable as resources for cultivation and breeding. In the last few decades, the cultivated grapevine has experienced a drastic reduction in diversity due to the increased focus of the global wine industry on a few major cultivars. Moreover, the loss of natural habitat is adversely affecting the genetic diversity of the wild V. vinifera species, with some populations on the verge of extinction. Hence, immediate action to conserve indigenous grapevine germplasms is required. Vitis germplasm conservation can be achieved either in situ or Ex situ . In situ conservation refers to preserving a species in its native environment, and preserving and recovering viable populations in their natural habitat. However, anthropogenic activities and abiotic or biotic stress may lead to the extinction of the germplasm. On the other hand, ex situ conservation refers to preserving germplasm outside their native habitat. The methods include using slow growth tissue culture, cryopreservation, and seed banks; or preservation of the whole plant in a botanical garden or in a field gene bank; and via greenhouse cultivation of plant material. Using a slow growth tissue culture under in vitro conditions on minimal nutrient medium ensures minimum maintenance costs by retarding growth rates. However, this approach has several limitations, including the need for technical expertise, plant loss due to contamination of cultures, high labor costs, and the possibility of obtaining somaclonal variations. Cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen also provides an opportunity for the long-term preservation of Vitis germplasm, which can then be used as a backup for field collections for important indigenous cultivars. However, exposing cells to extremely low temperatures can result in freezing injury; hence, cells must be carefully handled and prepared before being frozen in liquid nitrogen.