Biological Properties, Phenolic Profile, and Botanical Aspect of Nigella sativa L. and Nigella damascena L. Seeds: A Comparative Study.

The use of Nigella seeds in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic fields is common, since the iniquity and the virtues of these plants are directly related to their characteristic phytochemical composition. This investigation focused on the comparative study of the botanical aspect, phenolic profile, and in vitro and in vivo biological activities of Nigella sativa L. (NS) and Nigella damascena L. (ND) seeds. The macro- and micro-morphological properties of these seeds were studied, and the key dissimilarities between them were clearly illustrated. The phytochemical contents and phenolic profiles were determined, and the in vitro antioxidant activity was assessed using four methods. The in vivo antioxidant and biochemical parameters of the blood of supplemented mice were determined. The results of the macro- and micro-structure analysis revealed differences between the two plants. Here, ND is characterized by higher phytochemical contents and the best antioxidant activities. The HPLC analysis indicated the presence of nine compounds, namely seven phenolic acids, particularly hydroxybenzoic and caffeic acids, and two flavonoids. The administration of ND extract to mice for 21 days at a concentration of 500 mg/kg allowed a substantial amelioration of plasma antioxidant properties. In addition, the extracts ameliorate blood parameters (cholesterol, triglycerides, glycemia, and urea). Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of extracts demonstrated their effects on Staphylococcus and Aspergillus. Nigella seeds, in particular ND, expressed considerable in vitro antioxidant properties and demonstrated significant amelioration of mice blood properties. Consequently, these species can serve as a valuable source of compounds with various applications.

Antioxidant activity of olive phenols and other dietary phenols in model gastric conditions: Scavenging of the free radical DPPH and inhibition of the haem-induced peroxidation of linoleic acid.

The antioxidant activity of dietary phenols in humans (direct reduction of radicals and other highly oxidizing species) could be largely restricted to fighting postprandial oxidative stress in the gastric compartment. Hence, the development of chemical tests simply modelling this situation is pertinent. In this work, the antioxidant properties of the olive phenols hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein are investigated in pH 5-6 micellar solutions through the reduction of the DPPH radical and the inhibition of the metmyoglobin-induced peroxidation of linoleic acid. In the first test, hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein proved as efficient as common polyphenols and their reactivity was only moderately affected by ß-cyclodextrin and bovine serum albumin, taken as models of food macromolecules. In the second test, hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein by themselves came up as relatively weak inhibitors, despite their efficiency at reducing hypervalent haem iron. However, hydroxytyrosol was able to act in synergy with the typical chain-breaking antioxidant α-tocopherol.

Direct enrichment of olive oil in oleuropein by ultrasound-assisted maceration at laboratory and pilot plant scale.

The possibility to improve the nutritional value of olive oil by enriching it in phenolic compounds from olive leaves (e.g., oleuropein) by ultrasonic maceration was studied. The experimental design used led to the following optimal extraction conditions: ultrasonic power of 60 W, temperature of 16°C and sonication duration of 45 min. The high total phenolic content (414.3 ± 3.2mg of oleuropein equivalent/kg of oil), oleuropein (111.0 ± 2.2mg/kg of oil) and α-tocopherol (55.0 ± 2.1g/kg of oil) concentrations obtained by optimized ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) proved the efficiency of this process when compared with the conventional solid-liquid extraction. Histochemical analyses showed that this efficiency is due to specific alteration of the phenol-containing leaf structures. Furthermore, the radical-scavenging activity of the processed oil (DPPH test) and its stability toward lipid autoxidation (heating test) confirmed its enrichment in antioxidants. Sensory evaluation of the enriched olive oil showed a slight increase in bitterness but an overall acceptability. Finally, the enriched olive oil was characterized by clear green color (L*, a*, b* parameters).