Current Projects

• Biochemistry of the formation phenylpropylamino alkaloids in khat (Catha edulis Forsk.) and Ephedra sinica
• Biogeneration of aroma, flavor and health compounds in tomato, melon, watermelon and banana
• Biotechnology and genetic engineering to improve the aroma of tomato fruits 
• Molecular, biochemical and metabolomical characterization of aromatic and medicinal plants

Selected publications (Since 2000)

Tietel, Z., Weiss, B., Lewinsohn, E., Fallik, E. and Porat, R. (2010). Improving taste and peel color of early-season Satsuma mandarins by combining high-temperature conditioning and degreening treatments. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (In Press). 

Bar-Akiva, A., Ovadia, R., Rogachev, I., Bar-Or, C., Bar, E., Freiman, Z., Nissim-Levi, A., Gollop, N., Lewinsohn, E., Aharoni, A., Weiss, D., Koltai, H. and Oren-Shamir, M. (2010). Metabolic networking in Brunfelsia calycina petals after flower opening. Journal of Experimental Botany (In Press).

Tietel, Z., Bar, E., Lewinsohn, E., Feldmesser, E., Fallik, E. and Porat, R. (2010). Effects of wax coatings and postharvest storage on sensory quality and aroma volatiles composition of 'Mor' mandarins. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (In Press). 

Gross, M., Lewinsohn, E., Tadmor, Y., Bar, E., Dudai, N., Cohen, Y. and Friedman, J. (2009). The inheritance of volatile phenylpropenes in bitter fennel (Foeniculum vulgare  Mill. var. vulgare, Apiaceae) chemotypes and their distribution within the plant. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 37: 308-316.

Lewinsohn, E. and Gijzen, M. (2009). Phytochemical diversity: The sounds of silent metabolism. Plant Science 176: 161-169.

Schwab, W., Davidovich-Rikanati, R. and Lewinsohn, E. (2008). Biosynthesis of plant-derived flavor compounds. The Plant Journal 54: 712-732.

Krizevski, R., Dudai, N., Bar, E., Dessow, I. and Lewinsohn, E. (2008). Stereochemical determination of phenylpropylamino alkaloids and 1-phenyl 1,2-propanedione in khat (Catha edulis, Forsk.) leaves. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 56: 207-213.

Gross, M., Lewinsohn, E., Dudai, N., Cohen, Y., and Friedman, J. (2008).
Flowering dynamics and crossability of different populations of bitter fennel (Foeniculum vulgare  Mill. var. vulgare, Apiaceae). Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 56: 215-226.

Zaks, A., Davidovich-Rikanati, R., Bar, E., Inbar, M., and Lewinsohn, E., (2008). Biosynthesis of linalyl acetate and other terpenes in lemon mint (Mentha aquatica var. citrata, Lamiaceae) glandular trichomes. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 56: 233-244.

Larkov, O., Zaks, A., Bar, E., Lewinsohn, E., Dudai, N., Mayer A., and Ravid, U. (2008). Enantioselective monoterpenol acetylation in Origanum, Mentha and Salvia species. Phytochemistry 69: 2565-2571.

Davidovich-Rikanati, R., Lewinsohn, E., Bar, E., Iijima, Y., Pichersky, E., and Sitrit, Y. (2008). Overexpression of the lemon basil α-zingiberene synthase gene (ZIS) increases both mono- and sesquiterpene content in tomato fruit. The Plant Journal 56: 228-238.

Portnoy, V., Benyamini, Y., Bar, E., Harel-Beza, R., Gepstein, S., Giovannoni, J.J., Schaffer, A.A., Burger, Y., Tadmor, Y., Lewinsohn, E. and Katzir, N. (2008).The molecular and biochemical basis for varietal variation in sesquiterpene content in melon (Cucumis melo L.) rinds. Plant Molecular Biology 66: 647-661.

Tadmor, Y., Katzir, N., Meir, A., Yaniv-Yaakov, A., Sa'ar, A., Baumkoler, F., Lavee, T., Lewinsohn, E., Schaffer, A.A. and Burger, J. (2007). Induced mutagenesis to augment the natural genetic variability of melon (Cucumis melo L.). Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 55: 159-169.  

Krizevski, R., Dudai, N., Bar, E. and Lewinsohn, E. (2007). Developmental patterns of phenylpropylamino alkaloids accumulation in khat (Catha edulis, Forsk.). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 114: 432-438.

Davidovich-Rikanati, R., Sitrit, Y., Tadmor, Y., Iijima, Y., Bilenko, N., Bar, E., Carmona, B., Fallick, E., Dudai, N., Simon, J.E., Pichersky, E. and Lewinsohn, E. (2007). Enrichment of tomato flavor by diversion of the early plastidial terpenoid pathway. Nature Biotechnology 25: 899-901.

Davidovich-Rikanati, R., Azulay, Y., Sitrit, Y., Tadmor, Y. and Lewinsohn, E. (2007). Tomato aroma: biochemistry and biotechnology. In: "Biotechnology in Flavor Production" (eds. D. Havkin Frenkel and F. Belanger). Blackwell Publishing. Chapter 5. pp. 118-129 .

Tadmor, Y. and Lewinsohn, E. (2007). Frontiers in transgenic medicinal plants research. In: "Medicinal Plant Biotechnology, From Basic Research to Industrial Applications" (eds. O. Kayser and W. Quax,). WILEY-VCH, Weinheim, Germany. Vol. 2. pp. 375-395.

Aranovich, D., Lewinsohn, E. and Zaccai, M. (2007). Postharvest enhancement of aroma in transgenic lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) using the Clarkia breweri benzyl alcohol acetyl transferase (BEAT) gene. Postharvest Biology and Technology 43: 255-260.

Sorek, N., Poraty, L., Sternberg, H., Bar, E., Lewinsohn, E., and Yalovsky, S. (2007).Activation status coupled transient S-acylation determines membrane partitioning of a plant Rho-related GTPase. Molecular and Cellular Biology 27: 2144-2154.

Larkov, O., Matasyoh, J.C., Dudai, N., Lewinsohn, E., Mayer, A.A. and Ravid, U. (2007). Distribution of piperitone oxide stereoisomers in Mentha and Micromeria species and their chemical syntheses. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 22: 328-333.

Ibdah, M., Azulay, Y., Portnoy, V., Wasserman, B., Bar, E., Meir, A., Burger, Y., Hirschberg, J., Schaffer, A.A., Katzir, N., Tadmor, Y., and Lewinsohn, E. (2006).Functional characterization of CmCCD1, a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase from melon. Phytochemistry 67: 1579-1589.

Burger, Y., Sa'ar, U., Paris, H.S., Lewinsohn, E., Katzir, N., Tadmor Y., and Schaffer, A.A. (2006).Genetic variability for valuable fruit quality traits in Cucumis melo. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 54: 233-242.

Gross, M., Joel, D.M., Cohen, Y., Bar, E., Friedman, J. and Lewinsohn, E. (2006). Ontogenesis of mericarps of bitter fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. var. vulgare) as related to t-anethole accumulation. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 54: 309-316.

Lewinsohn, E. (2006). Genetic engineering to modify the aroma of fruits and flowers.
In: Crops: Growth, Quality and Biotechnology. V. Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Application in Crops (ed. R. Dris). WFL Publishers, Helsinki, Finland. 9 pp.

Vainstein, A., Lewinsohn E. and Weiss, D. (2006). An integrated genomics approach to identifying floral scent genes in rose.In: Biology of Floral Scent. (eds. N. Dudareva and E. Pichersky). CRC Press, USA. Chapter 5 pp. 91-104.

Lewinsohn, E. and Tadmor, Y. (2005). Biotechnology in medicinal crops improvement. In: Handbook of Medicinal Plants. (eds. Z. Yaniv and U. Bachrach). The Haworth Press, Inc. Binghamton, NY. Chapter 12 pp. 235-260.

Tadmor, T., Paris, H.S., Meir, A., Schaffer, A.A. and Lewinsohn, E. (2005). The dual role of the pigmentation gene B in affecting carotenoid and Vitamin E content in pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) mesocarp. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 53: 9759-9763.

Frydman, A., Weisshaus, O., Huhman, D.V., Sumner, L.W., Bar-Peled, M., Lewinsohn, E., Fluhr, R., Gressel, J., and Eyal, Y. (2005). Metabolic engineering of plant cells for transformation of hesperedin into neohesperidin, a substrate for production of the low-calorie sweetener and flavor enhancer NHDC. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 53: 9708-9712.

Lewinsohn, E., Sitrit, Y., Bar, E., Azulay Y., Ibdah, M., Meir, A., Yosef, E., Zamir, D., and Tadmor, Y. (2005). Not just color - Carotenoid degradation as a link between color and aroma in tomato and watermelon fruit. Trends in Food Science and Technology 16: 407-415.

Lewinsohn, E., Sitrit, Y., Bar, E., Azulay Y., Meir, A., Zamir, D., and Tadmor, Y. (2005). Carotenoid pigmentation affects the volatile composition of tomato and watermelon fruits, as revealed by comparative genetic analyses. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 53: 3142-3148.

Holland, D., Larkov, O., Bar Yaakov, I., Bar, E., Zax, A., Brandeis, E., Ravid, U., and Lewinsohn, E. (2005). Developmental and varietal differences in volatile ester formation and acetyl CoA: alcohol acetyl transferase activities in apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) fruit. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 53: 7198-7203.

Tadmor, Y., King, S., Levi, C., Davis, A., Meir, A., Wasserman, B., Hirschberg, J., and Lewinsohn, E. (2005). Comparative fruit colouration in watermelon and tomato. Food Research International 38 837-841.

Dafny-Yelin, M., Guterman, I., Menda, N., Ovadis, M., Shalit, M., Pichersky, E., Zamir, D., Lewinsohn, E., Adam, Z., Weiss, D. and Vainstein, A. (2005). Flower proteome: changes in protein spectrum during the advanced stages of rose petal development. Planta 222: 37-46.

Iijima, Y., Gang, D., Fridman, E., Lewinsohn, E. and Pichersky, E. (2004). Characterization of geraniol synthase from the peltate glands of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). Plant Physiology 134: 370-379.

Wei, S., Marton, I., Dekel, M., Shalitin, D., Lewinsohn, E., Bravdo, BA. and Shoseyov, O. (2004). Manipulating volatile emission in tobacco leaves by expressing Aspergillus niger β-glucosidase in different subcellular compartments. Plant Biotechnology J. 2: 341-350.

Frydman, A., Weisshaus, O., Bar-Peled, M., Huhman, D., Sumner, L.W., Marin, F.M., Lewinsohn, E., Fluhr, R., Gressel, J. and Eyal, Y. (2004). Citrus fruit bitter flavors: Isolation and functional characterization of the gene Cm1,2RhaT encoding a 1,2 rhamnosyltransferase, a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the bitter flavonoids of citrus. The Plant Journal 40: 88-100.

Larkov, O., Dunkelblum, E., Zada, A., Lewinsohn, E., Freiman, L., Dudai, N. and Ravid, U. (2004). Enantiomeric composition of (E)-and (Z)-sabinene hydrate and their acetates in five Origanum spp. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 20: 109-114.
 
Sitrit, Y., Ninio, R., Bar, E., Golan, E., Larkov, O., Ravid, U. and Lewinsohn, E. (2004). S-Linalool synthase activity in the fruit of the columnar cactus koubo [Cereus peruvianus (L.) Miller]. Plant Science 167: 1257-1262.

Shalit, M., Shafir, S., Larkov, O., Bar, E., Kaslassi, D., Adam, Z., Zamir, D., Vainstein, A., Weiss, D., Ravid, U. and Lewinsohn, E. (2004). Volatile compounds emitted by rose cultivars: fragrance perception by man and honey bees. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 52: 245-255.

Iijima, Y., Davidovich-Rikanati, R., Fridman, E., Gang, D.R., Bar, E., Lewinsohn, E. and Pichersky, E. (2004). The biochemical and molecular basis for the divergent patterns in the biosynthesis of terpenes and phenylpropenes in the peltate glands of three cultivars of basil. Plant Physiology 136: 3724-3736.

Ninio, R., Lewinsohn, E., Mizrahi, Y. and Sitrit, Y. (2003). Changes in sugars, acids and volatiles during ripening of koubo (Cereus peruvianus [L.] Miller) fruits. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 51: 797-801.

Dudai, N., Larkov, O., Chaimovitsh, D., Lewinsohn, E., Freiman, L. and Ravid, U. (2003). Essential oil compounds of Origanum dayi Post. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 18: 334-337.

Shalit, M., Guterman, I., Volpin, H., Bar, E., Tamari, T., Menda, N., Adam, Z., Zamir, D., Vainstein, A., Weiss, D., Pichersky, E. and Lewinsohn, E. (2003). Volatile ester formation in roses. Identification of an acetyl-coenzyme A: geraniol / citronellol acetyltransferase in developing rose petals. Plant Physiology 131: 1868-1876.

Ninio, R., Lewinsohn, E., Mizrahi, Y. and Sitrit, Y. (2003). Quality attributes of stored koubo (Cereus peruvianus [L.] Miller) fruit. Postharvest Biology and Technology 30: 273-280.

Sharon-Asa, L., Shalit, M., Frydman, A., Bar, E., Holland, D., Or, E., Lavi, U., Lewinsohn, E. and Eyal, Y. (2003). Citrus fruit flavor and aroma biosynthesis: Isolation, functional characterization and developmental regulation of Cstps1, a key gene in the production of the sesquiterpene aroma compound valencene. The Plant Journal 36: 664-674.

Sitrit, Y. Loison, S., Ninio, R., Dishon E., Bar, E., Lewinsohn, E. and Mizrahi, Y. (2003). Characterization of monkey orange (Strychnos spinosa Lam.), a potential new crop for arid regions. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 51: 6256-6260.

Lavy, M., Zuker, A., Lewinsohn, E., Larkov, O., Ravid, U., Vainstein, A. and Weiss, D. (2002). Linalool and linalool oxide production in transgenic carnation flowers expressing the Clarkia breweri linalool synthase gene. Molecular Breeding 9: 103-111.

Gang, D., Simon J, Lewinsohn, E. and Pichersky, E. (2002). Peltate glandular trichomes of Ocimum basilicum L. (sweet basil) contain high levels of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of phenylpropenes. Journal of Herbs Spices and Medicinal Plants 9: 189-195.

Gang, D., Lavid, N., Zubieta, C., Cheng, F., Beuerle, T., Lewinsohn, E., Noel, J.P. and Pichersky, E. (2002). Characterization of phenylpropene O-methyltransferases from sweet basil: facile change of substrate specificity and convergent evolution within a plant O-methyltransferase family. Plant Cell 14: 505-519.

Tadmor, Y., Fridman, E., Gur, A., Larkov, O., Lastochkin, E., Ravid, U., Zamir, D. and Lewinsohn, E. (2002). Identification of malodorous, a wild species allele affecting tomato aroma that was selected-against during domestication. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50: 2005-2009.

Lavid, N., Schwab, W., Kafkas, E., Koch-Dean, M., Bar, E., Larkov, O., Ravid, U. and Lewinsohn, E. (2002). Aroma biosynthesis in strawberry: S-adenosyl methionine: furaneol O-methyltransferase activity in ripening fruits. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50: 4025-4030.

Wein, M., Lavid, N. , Lunkenbein, S., Lewinsohn, E., Schwab, W. and Kaldenhoff, R. (2002). Isolation, cloning and expression of a multifunctional O-methyltransferase capable of forming 2,5-dimethyl-4-methoxy-3(2H)-furanone, one of the key aroma compounds in strawberry fruits. The Plant Journal 31: 755-765.

Lavid, N., Wang, J., Shalit, M., Guterman, I., Bar, E., Beuerle, T., Menda, N., Shafir, S., Zamir, D., Adam, Z., Vainstein, A., Weiss, D., Pichersky, E. and Lewinsohn, E. (2002).O-Methyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of volatile phenolic derivatives in rose petals. Plant Physiology 129: 1899-1907.

Guterman, I., Shalit, M., Menda, M., Piestun, D., Dafny-Yelin, M., Shalev, G., Bar, E., Davydov, O., Ovadis, M., Emanuel, M., Wang, J., Adam, Z., Pichersky, E., Lewinsohn, E., Zamir, D., Vainstein, A. and Weiss, D. (2002). Rose Scent: Genomics approach to discovering novel floral fragrance-related genes. Plant Cell 14: 2325-2338.

Gross, M., Friedman, J., Dudai, N., Larkov, O., Cohen, Y., Bar, E., Ravid, U., Putievsky, E. and Lewinsohn, E. (2002). Biosynthesis of estragole and t-anethole in bitter fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. var. vulgare) chemotypes. Changes in SAM:phenylpropene O-methyltransferase activities during development. Plant Science 163: 1047-1053.

Galili, G., Galili, S., Lewinsohn, E. and Tadmor, Y. (2002). Genetic, molecular and genomic approaches to improve the value of plant food and feeds. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 21: 167-204.

Gang, D.R., Wang, J., Dudareva, N., Nam, K.H., Simon, J., Lewinsohn, E. and Pichersky, E. (2001). An investigation of the storage and biosynthesis of phenylpropenes in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Plant Physiology 125: 539-555.

Shalit, M., Katzir, N., Tadmor, Y., Larkov, O., Burger, Y., Shalechet, F., Lastochkin, E., Ravid, U., Amar, O., Edelstein, M., Karchi, Z. and Lewinsohn, E. (2001). Acetyl CoA: alcohol acetyl transferase activity and aroma formation in ripening melon fruits. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 49: 794-799.

Lavid, N., Schwartz, A. Lewinsohn, E. and Tel-Or, E. (2001). Phenols and phenol oxidases are involved in cadmium accumulation in the water plants Nymphoides peltata (Menyanthaceae) and Nymphaeae (Nymphaeaceae). Planta 214: 189-195.

Wein, M., Lewinsohn, E. and Schwab W. (2001). Metabolic fate of isotopes during the biological transformation of carbohydrates into 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 49: 2427-2432.

Dudai, N., Larkov, O., Ravid, U., Putievsky, E. and Lewinsohn, E. (2001). Developmental control of monoterpene content and composition in Micromeria fruticosa (L.) Druce. Annals of Botany 88: 349-354.

Lewinsohn, E., Schalechet, F., Wilkinson, J., Matsui, K., Tadmor, K., Nam, K.H., Amar, O., Lastochkin, E., Larkov, O., Ravid, U., Hiatt, W., Gepstein, S. and Pichersky, E. (2001). Enhanced levels of the aroma and flavor compound S-linalool by metabolic engineering of the terpenoid pathway in tomato fruits.  Plant Physiology 127: 1256-1265.
[Editors' Choice, Augmenting an Appealing Aroma, Science 294:179 (2001)].

Vainstein, A., Lewinsohn, E., Pichersky, E. and Weiss D. (2001). Floral fragrance - new inroads into an old commodity. Plant Physiology 127: 1383-1389.

Guterman, I., Dafny-Yelin, M., Shalit, M., Emanuel, M., Shaham, M., Piestun, D. Zuker, A., Ovadis, M., Lavy, M, Lavid, N., Lewinsohn, E., Pichersky, E., Vainstein, A., Zamir, D., Adam, Z. and Weiss, D. (2001).  An integrated genomic approach to discovering fragrance-related genes in rose petals. Flowering Newsletter 32: 31-37.

Tadmor, Y., Larkov, O., Meir, A., Minkoff, M., Lastochkin, E., Edelstein, M., Levin, S., Wong, J., Rocheford, T. and Lewinsohn, E. (2000). Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic determination of vitamin E components in maize kernels. Phytochemical Analysis 11: 370-374.

Dudai, N., Larkov, O., Putievsky, E., Lerner, H.R., Ravid, U., Lewinsohn, E. and Mayer, A.M. (2000). Biotransformation of constituents of essential oils by germinating wheat seed. Phytochemistry 55: 375-382.

Lewinsohn, E., Ziv-Raz, I., Dudai, N., Tadmor, Y., Lastochkin, E., Larkov, O., Chaimovitsh, D., Ravid, U., Putievsky, E., Pichersky, E. and Shoham, Y. (2000). Biosynthesis of estragole and methyl-eugenol in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Developmental and chemotypic association of allylphenol O-methyltransferase activities. Plant Science 160: 27-35.