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4 years ago

The Partnership no. 17

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Secondary metabolites

Secondary metabolites Beneficial for plants and people Technology “There are basically two categories of compounds,” says Senior Researcher Jan-Willem de Kraker, who is studying compounds using biochemical analyses. “Primary metabolites are substances that plants produce to maintain life and growth, such as sugars and amino acids. Plants create secondary metabolites, to protect themselves against pests or pathogens, but also to attract pollinators and seed-dispersing animals. The latter group is of particular interest to us researchers because of their potential benefit to human health.” Why do we eat vegetables? They taste good, they’re healthy and we need them to be able to live. These three reasons have one thing in common: they all revolve around compounds. Flavour The tastier vegetables are to us humans, the more attractive they are to insects. “Breeders are therefore always looking for a balance that produces a good flavour for consumers without attracting extra insects,” says Post-harvest Researcher Anne Marie Schoevaars. Tomatoes, for example, contain three types of compounds that are primarily responsible for the flavour: sugars, acids – including glutamate – and aromatic compounds. Sugars and acids are primary metabolites while aromatic compounds are secondary metabolites. Aromatic compounds attract animals that can spread the seeds in fruits in their excrements, for example. Breeders are looking for a balance between sweet and sour. What is the ideal balance? That depends on your culture, what you are used to eating, and your genetic make-up. Glutamate works as a flavour enhancer and is responsible for the richly savoury and meaty ‘umami’ taste we know from broths and stocks, for example. This substance is created when a plant matures. Like salt, it makes the taste buds more receptive to flavour. Aroma Have you ever eaten a strong-smelling or fragrant food with your nose pinched closed? Then you’ll know that the food tasted quite a bit less interesting. That’s because you don’t pick up the aromatic compounds when your nose is closed. De Kraker: “An aroma consists of volatile compounds. As the nasal and oral cavities are connected, air flows from the mouth to the nose when you eat. This enables us to pick up on the more specific ‘secondary flavours’, such as fruity. Secondary flavours taste different from the primary flavours - sweet, sour, salty and bitter - which we can identify with our tongue. 20 | The Partnership The Partnership | 21

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