Unveiling the Antioxidant Arsenal of Colored Sorghum: A Path to Functional Food Development
, Dharmendra K. Meena 2, Jinu Jacob 1, Chandrasekhar Aruna 1 and Kurella Bala Rama Saraswati Visarada 1,*
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors studied in depth the antioxidant capacity of more than 20 sorghum genotypes, including 16 popular strains, interspecific hybridization, and even intergeneric hybridization, revealing the great potential of colored sorghum kernels as a natural treasure trove of bioactive antioxidants. My comments are as follows:
1. in line 47, Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is proposed to be changed to Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench).
2. in line 122, table 1 should be changed to a standard three-line form.
3. in line 124-144, The sample was extracted at 36°. Is there any color change caused by oxidation?.
4. in line 143, The author said that by looking at the color with the naked eye, I personally felt that it would affect my judgment.
5. in line 336, table 2 should be changed to a standard three-line form.
6. in line 351-355, The author should analyze the changes of some substances in different species to see which species have better performance.
7. The format of the author's references is messy and needs to be consistent with the format of the journal.
Author Response
Reviewer 1
The authors studied in depth the antioxidant capacity of more than 20 sorghum genotypes, including 16 popular strains, interspecific hybridization, and even intergeneric hybridization, revealing the great potential of colored sorghum kernels as a natural treasure trove of bioactive antioxidants. My comments are as follows:
Q1. in line 47, Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is proposed to be changed to Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench).
R1: The correction has been made as per suggestion, thank you
Q2. in line 122, table 1 should be changed to a standard three-line form.
R2:The table has been changed as suggested.
Q3. in line 124-144, The sample was extracted at 36°. Is there any color change caused by oxidation?
R3: the temperature is kept below the boiling point as it is the standard procedure for solvent extraction. So, there is no changes in color as oxidation is restricted.
Q4. in line 143, The author said that by looking at the color with the naked eye, I personally felt that it would affect my judgment.
R4:Yes, actually it is visual observation for apparent qualitative screening and does not make any specific inference rather a comparative statement about the presence of functional groups of bioactive compounds.
Q5. in line 336, table 2 should be changed to a standard three-line form.
R5: The table has been changed as per suggestion.
Q 6. in lines 351-355, The author should analyze the changes of some substances in different species to see which species have better performance.
R6: Yes, we are analyzing different compounds particularly in lines 351-355, Total phenolic compounds have been analyzed and showed that interspecific lines ISC202-C and SPV2612 significantly differ as compared with other lines. Statistically, the variation has been depicted with a four-order polynomial equation with R2 value of 0.2009 which is an indication of a distinct and wide range of TPC content exhibits among the different sorghum lines.
Q 7. The format of the author's references is messy and needs to be consistent with the format of the journal.
R7: The correction has been made wherever necessary as per the journal format. Thank you.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsManuscript: Unveiling the Antioxidant Arsenal of Colored Sorghum: A Path 2
to Functional Food Development, concerns an important aspect, because as civilization, technology and agriculture develop, new sources of bioactive compounds are constantly being sought.
It is known that bioactive compounds are a very large group, and polyphenols in particular are important in the diet of both humans and animals around the world.
Therefore, I believe that the topic discussed in the manuscript is important and current.
Abstract - boring, you don't know what it's written about,
I think this part needs improvement
Introduction: can be enriched with the latest literature, e.g. Przybylska-Balcerek, Anna, et al. "The Content of Antioxidant Compounds and VOCs in Sorghum Grain Grown in Central and Eastern Europe." Agronomy 14.1 (2024): 217.
material and methods:
description of the test material - laconic - no information on the number of samples, sample size, number of repetitions, geographical coordinates of cultivation places,
Figure 1 - it's ok
line 130: please harmonize with drawing 2, ratio 1:3 or 1:5???
research methods - well described - source of literature provided - can be enriched with new literature,
research description and discussion are well done.
overall, the manuscript is well written,
you can incorporate new literature and make some adjustments.
Author Response
Reviewer 2
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
Manuscript: Unveiling the Antioxidant Arsenal of Colored Sorghum: A Path 2
to Functional Food Development, concerns an important aspect, because as civilization, technology and agriculture develop, new sources of bioactive compounds are constantly being sought.
It is known that bioactive compounds are a very large group, and polyphenols in particular are important in the diet of both humans and animals around the world.
Therefore, I believe that the topic discussed in the manuscript is important and current.
Q1:Abstract - boring, you don't know what it's written about, I think this part needs improvement
R1: The abstract has been revised thoroughly.Thank you.
Q2:Introduction: can be enriched with the latest literature, e.g. Przybylska-Balcerek, Anna, et al. "The Content of Antioxidant Compounds and VOCs in Sorghum Grain Grown in Central and Eastern Europe." Agronomy 14.1 (2024): 217.
R2: The reference has been added as suggested.
Q3: material and methods:
description of the test material - laconic - no information on the number of samples, sample size, number of repetitions, geographical coordinates of cultivation places,
R3: Section 2.1 comprises the description of the samples and then Table 1 the characteristics of the sorghum lines. This study is based on the extraction of sample material so here the quantity of an individual sample (sorghum line) is important. We have used 22 sorghum lines of diverse types as illustrated in Table 1. The coordinates of the experimental farms are provided in text as suggested.
Q4:Figure 1 - it's ok
R4: Thank you
Q5:line 130: please harmonize with drawing 2, ratio 1:3 or 1:5???
research methods - well described - the source of literature provided - can be enriched with new literature, research description, and discussion are well done.
R5: Harmonised the ratio to be 1:5 as suggested, thank you. The literature has been updated with the latest citations wherever possible.
Q6: overall, the manuscript is well-written, you can incorporate new literature and make some adjustments.
R6: The literature has been updated, Thank you.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsREVIEW
The abstract sounds like a literary paper, less scientific. It’s too long, it should be shortened, just the main results. See the author’s guide.
The introduction is composed of relevant references of appropriate content.
It seems that Table 2 and Figure 5 present the same results.
By equation, you should explain the meaning of R2.
The figure legend should contain the main information on how to interpret the figure, not for you to interpret the results in the legend.
The chart is missing labels for the thickness of the lines and what they represent.
The figure is very interesting, but not properly labeled. It is not understandable and clear.
Unnecessary data in the figure legend ( figure7). The comment is the same as for Figure 6.
Unnecessary data in the figure legend (figure 8). You are missing cluster markings on the dendrogram.
The results are presented correctly.
In the discussion, the authors refer to relevant references, which they compare with the obtained results. References are up-to-date and appropriate to the research presented.
Best regards!
Author Response
Reviewer 3
Q1: The abstract sounds like a literary paper, less scientific. It’s too long, it should be shortened, just the main results. See the author’s guide.
R1: Abstract is changed, and shortened as per the suggestions.
Q2: The introduction is composed of relevant references of appropriate content.
R2: Ok, thank you.
Q3: It seems that Table 2 and Figure 5 present the same results.
R3: Yes, table 2 and fig 5 represent the same parameters, however, quantitative analysis of 22 sorghum lines of its first kind provides a comparative value of important parameters across the sorghum lines. Table 2 depicts the absolute values of all parameters and supports the fig 5 for better understanding.
Q4:By equation, you should explain the meaning of R2.
R4:R2 is the regression value that indicates the distribution pattern of the treatment values. This value varies from -1 to 1. in the present study we have drawn a four-order polynomial regression and in that, we can see easily the values differ as per the variation in the parameters value. A value close to 1 shows maxima likeliness among the parameters and if it is – signed that indicates that in one parameter.
Q5:The figure legend should contain the main information on how to interpret the figure, not for you to interpret the results in the legend.
R5: The figure legends have been modified given reviewer comments.
Q6: The chart is missing labels for the thickness of the lines and what they represent.
R6: The figure 6 has been repealed for better clarity and axis.
Q7: The figure is very interesting, but not properly labeled. It is not understandable and clear.
R7:The figure legends have been changed.
R7: Unnecessary data in the figure legend (figure7). The comment is the same as for Figure 6.
Q8: Unnecessary data in the figure legend (figure 8). You are missing cluster markings on the dendrogram.
R8: The figure legends have been changed. The dendrogram is redrawn for better clarity. In the dendrogram, the cluster values could not be reflected as it is a way cluster integrating different data in a single dendogram and for comparison, there are plot values that indicate the closeness of the sorghum line with each other same has also been refiled with color pattern top on the dendrogram
Q9: The results are presented correctly.
R9: Thanks for the comments.
Q10: In the discussion, the authors refer to relevant references, which they compare with the obtained results. References are up-to-date and appropriate to the research presented.
R10: Thank you for your encouragement.
