Explore the vast range of titles available.

Black pepper ( Piper nigrum L.) is one of the most popular spices in the world. It derives its popularity from the pleasant aroma of the berries or fruits, which are the economically useful parts of the plant. The principle active ingredient of black pepper is an amide called piperine (1-piperoyl piperidine), which confers the characteristic pungency and taste to the berries. Its biosynthesis involves an enzymatic step of acylation, catalyzed by the enzyme piperine synthase, which is a member of the BAHD superfamily of acyltransferases. This gene family has not been identified and characterized in black pepper, except for a few members. In the present study, we identified and characterized the BAHD-acyltransferases in black pepper through a genome-wide analysis. A total of 110 BAHD-acyltransferases with an average length of 391 amino acids were identified, with the majority possessing the conserved HXXXD and DFGWG motifs. Most genes were intronless. The genes identified to potentially encode for the piperine synthase activity were temporally regulated with higher transcript accumulation at the mid developmental stages of fruits, 30–60 days after anthesis (DAA), compared to the early and late stages. This coincided with the fruit piperine content/accumulation, which was estimated through HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography), at the same developmental stages. The gene PnBAHD70 was identified and validated to be coding for piperine synthase, with a Log2 fold change of more than 200 ( p  ≤ 0.05) at DS6 (60 DAA). The gene exhibited a high degree of sequence conservation with its ortholog in P. argyrophyllum and in silico analysis revealed that the protein demonstrated a high interaction potential with one of its possible ligands, acetyl-CoA. The identification of these genes allows us to understand the genetic basis of temporal variation in the piperine content of berries and provides a foundation for the development of black pepper varieties with enhanced piperine content.

Black pepper ( Piper nigrum ), dubbed the ‘King of Spices’ and ‘Black Gold’, is one of the most widely used spices. Here, we present its reference genome assembly by integrating PacBio, 10x Chromium, BioNano DLS optical mapping, and Hi-C mapping technologies. The 761.2 Mb sequences (45 scaffolds with an N50 of 29.8 Mb) are assembled into 26 pseudochromosomes. A phylogenomic analysis of representative plant genomes places magnoliids as sister to the monocots-eudicots clade and indicates that black pepper has diverged from the shared Laurales-Magnoliales lineage approximately 180 million years ago. Comparative genomic analyses reveal specific gene expansions in the glycosyltransferase, cytochrome P450, shikimate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase, lysine decarboxylase, and acyltransferase gene families. Comparative transcriptomic analyses disclose berry-specific upregulated expression in representative genes in each of these gene families. These data provide an evolutionary perspective and shed light on the metabolic processes relevant to the molecular basis of species-specific piperine biosynthesis. Black pepper ( Piper nigrum ) belongs to the long-isolated lineage of basal angiosperm and its fruit has been used for food spice and phytomedicines for thousands of years. Here, the authors assemble the reference genome of this species and analyze gene families associated with piperine biosynthesis.

Spices are a part of modern and ancient cultures due to their recognized culinary and medicinal properties. Pepper is commonly used in many recipes; however, in the field of gastronomy, the term “pepper” usually refers to a group that includes several different spices, such as black pepper (Piper nigrum L.), cubeb pepper (Piper cubeba L.f.), long pepper (Piper longum L.), pink pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi), allspice (Pimenta dioica L. Merrill), and Japanese pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum DC.). Despite the extensive study of the chemical characterization and medicinal and culinary properties of “pepper”, sensory analysis (color, aroma profile, odor profile, and chemesthesis) of these spices have not been completed. Therefore, the aim of this review was to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within the spice supply chain considering these six “peppers” to analyze their positive and negative aspects. Finally, we selected the most representative molecules and properties of spices referred to as “pepper” to expand the research focus and highlight their key aspects related to health and sensory science for future applications. In this sense, this review provides a new strategic guideline that will help us understand and assess the key internal and external factors of pepper, allowing them to be applied in different sectors with different approaches.

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is historically one of the most important spices and herbal medicines, and is now cultivated in tropical regions worldwide. The essential oil of black pepper fruits has shown a myriad of biological activities and is a commercially important commodity. In this work, five black pepper essential oils from eastern coastal region of Madagascar and six black pepper essential oils from the Amazon region of Brazil were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major components of the essential oils were α-pinene, sabinene, β-pinene, δ-3-carene, limonene, and β-caryophyllene. A comparison of the Madagascar and Brazilian essential oils with black pepper essential oils from various geographical regions reported in the literature was carried out. A hierarchical cluster analysis using the data obtained in this study and those reported in the literature revealed four clearly defined clusters based on the relative concentrations of the major components.

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is a prominent spice that is an indispensable ingredient in cuisine and traditional medicine. Phytophthora capsici, the causative agent of footrot disease, causes a drastic constraint in P. nigrum cultivation and productivity. To counterattack various biotic and abiotic stresses, plants employ a broad array of mechanisms that includes the accumulation of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. Through a genome-wide survey, eleven PR-1 genes that belong to a CAP superfamily protein with a caveolin-binding motif (CBM) and a CAP-derived peptide (CAPE) were identified from P. nigrum. Despite the critical functional domains, PnPR-1 homologs differ in their signal peptide motifs and core amino acid composition in the functional protein domains. The conserved motifs of PnPR-1 proteins were identified using MEME. Most of the PnPR-1 proteins were basic in nature. Secondary and 3D structure analyses of the PnPR-1 proteins were also predicted, which may be linked to a functional role in P. nigrum. The GO and KEGG functional annotations predicted their function in the defense responses of plant-pathogen interactions. Furthermore, a transcriptome-assisted FPKM analysis revealed PnPR-1 genes mapped to the P. nigrum-P. capsici interaction pathway. An altered expression pattern was detected for PnPR-1 transcripts among which a significant upregulation was noted for basic PnPR-1 genes such as CL10113.C1 and Unigene17664. The drastic variation in the transcript levels of CL10113.C1 was further validated through qRT-PCR and it showed a significant upregulation in infected leaf samples compared with the control. A subsequent analysis revealed the structural details, phylogenetic relationships, conserved sequence motifs and critical cis-regulatory elements of PnPR-1 genes. This is the first genome-wide study that identified the role of PR-1 genes during P. nigrum-P. capsici interactions. The detailed in silico experimental analysis revealed the vital role of PnPR-1 genes in regulating the first layer of defense towards a P. capsici infection in Panniyur-1 plants.

Utilization of biological materials in synthesis of nanoparticles is one of the hottest topics in modern nanoscience and nanotechnology. In the present investigation, the silver nanoparticles were synthesized by using the leaf and stem extract of Piper nigrum. The synthesized nanoparticle was characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The observation of the peak at 460 nm in the UV-vis spectra for leaf- and stem-synthesized silver nanoparticles reveals the reduction of silver metal ions into silver nanoparticles. Further, XRD analysis has been carried out to confirm the crystalline nature of the synthesized silver nanoparticles. The TEM images show that the leaf- and stem-synthesized silver nanoparticles were within the size of about 7–50 nm and 9–30 nm, respectively. The FTIR analysis was performed to identify the possible functional groups involved in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Further, the antibacterial activity of the green-synthesized silver nanoparticles was examined against agricultural plant pathogens. The antibacterial property of silver nanoparticles is a beneficial application in the field of agricultural nanotechnology.

Black pepper ( L.) faces challenges related to irregular flowering, which compromises crop productivity. Gibberellic acid (GA ) is a plant growth regulator known for its role in inducing reproductive processes, although its effects on this species are not yet fully understood. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different GA doses on flowering and vegetative growth in black pepper plants. The experiment was conducted with black pepper seedlings of the Bragantina cultivar in a randomized block design, with four doses of GA (0, 10, 20, and 30 mg L ) and six replications, using eight-month-old plants grown in pots under full sun. GA applications were performed in two floral induction cycles. Variables related to flowering, chlorophyll a fluorescence, vegetative growth, biomass allocation, and carbohydrate distribution were evaluated. The data were subjected to analysis of variance, regression analysis, mean grouping tests, and principal component analysis. The results showed that intermediate doses (10 and 20 mg L ) significantly stimulated flowering at early developmental stages, whereas the 30 mg L dose enhanced vegetative growth while reducing floral induction. Additionally, GA affected physiological parameters by increasing photosynthetic efficiency and altering carbohydrate balance, with higher accumulation of soluble sugars in leaves and reduced starch content in roots. It is concluded that GA application is a promising strategy to modulate reproductive transition in black pepper, with 10 to 20 mg L doses recommended to promote flowering without compromising plant development.

Spices have been widely used as food flavorings and folk medicines for thousands of years. Numerous studies have documented the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of spices, which might be related to prevention and treatment of several cancers, including lung, liver, breast, stomach, colorectum, cervix, and prostate cancers. Several spices are potential sources for prevention and treatment of cancers, such as Curcuma longa (tumeric), Nigella sativa (black cumin), Zingiber officinale (ginger), Allium sativum (garlic), Crocus sativus (saffron), Piper nigrum (black pepper) and Capsicum annum (chili pepper), which contained several important bioactive compounds, such as curcumin, thymoquinone, piperine and capsaicin. The main mechanisms of action include inducing apoptosis, inhibiting proliferation, migration and invasion of tumors, and sensitizing tumors to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This review summarized recent studies on some spices for prevention and treatment of cancers, and special attention was paid to bioactive components and mechanisms of action.

Background Black pepper ( Piper nigrum L.) is a highly valued spice crop with significant economic, medicinal, and cultural importance. While genomic and transcriptomic data for black pepper have rapidly accumulated in recent years, there is currently no dedicated genomic database to serve as a centralized web resource for the research and breeding community. Furthermore, despite the availability of a reference genome, the functional annotation of its proteome and a comprehensive repertoire of its transcription factors (TFs) remain incomplete. Results We identified a total of 2,503 TF-encoding genes in black pepper (PnTFs), classified into 62 TF families. Notably, 471 intronless PnTF genes were identified, with more than 50% of genes in families such as Dof, ERF, GeBP, GRAS, NF-YB, RAV, TCP, Trihelix, and ZF-HD, suggesting their potential roles in regulating stress responses. Protein-protein interaction network analysis identified 171 hub PnTFs that may serve as key regulators in diverse biological processes. In addition, Gene Ontology-based functional annotation of 63,463 proteins in black pepper revealed that 35,670 (56.2%) were annotated with at least one GO term. To support continued research and data exploration, we developed Black Pepper Knowledge Base (BlackPepKB), a user-friendly, integrative genomic platform for black pepper. BlackPepKB hosts genomic, transcriptomic, and functional annotation data, and incorporates interactive tools to enhance data accessibility. Key features include an electronic Fluorescent Pictograph (eFP) browser for visualizing gene expression patterns across tissues and developmental stages, JBrowse2 for genome navigation, BLAST for sequence similarity searches, and GeneViz for exon-intron gene structure visualization. Additionally, PepperExp and PepperClust tools enable heatmap generation and hierarchical clustering of gene expression data, while GO-Pep facilitates the retrieval of GO terms. The platform also offers user-friendly interfaces for querying single nucleotide polymorphisms and exploring TF families in black pepper. Conclusion BlackPepKB serves as the first dedicated genomic database for black pepper, providing a comprehensive and accessible platform for functional genomics research. This work lays a solid foundation for advancing genetic research and molecular breeding in black pepper. BlackPepKB is publicly accessible at: https://black-pepper-genomic-resource.vercel.app/ .

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is a tropical crop with extensive medicinal potential in ethnomedicine and nutraceutical applications. The essential oil of black pepper finds wide applications in inhabitation of respiratory infections and soothing of muscular pains due to its warming and energizing property. The pungent bioactive piperine is responsible for this function, and therefore, efficient technology is required for an optimal extraction process of this compound. In the present article, we have developed a procedure for extracting black pepper essential oil from Vietnam, optimizing conditions that affect the extraction process. The effect of process parameters, namely material size, preservation method, the concentration of sodium chloride, the concentration of soak time, the ratio of material to water, temperature extraction, time extraction on the extraction yield, and relative efficiency were investigated. Results demonstrated that 20 g of black pepper milled with a mesh size of 160 obtained 0.48 g of essential oil (2.4%) at a raw material to water ratio of 1/21 (g/mL) at 150 °C in a time of 5.2 h. GC-MS (Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) spectra showed that 3-carene (29.21%), D-limonene (20.94%), caryophyllene (15.05%), and β-pinene (9.77%) were present as major components. These results suggested that the essential oil extracted from Vietnamese black pepper is applicable in the manufacturing processes of insecticides and air deodorizers.