Comparison of green solvents for the revalorization of orange by-products: Carotenoid extraction and in vitro antioxidant activity.

Orange peels contain a considerable number of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, that can be used as ingredients in high-value products. The aim of this study was to compare orange peel extracts obtained with different green solvents (vegetable oils, fatty acids, and deep eutectic solvents (DES)). In addition, the chemical characterization of a new hydrophobic DES formed by octanoic acid and l-proline (C8:Pro) was performed. The extracts were compared in terms of carotenoid extraction, antioxidant activity by three methods, color, and environmental impact. The results confirmed that the mixture of C8:Pro is a DES and showed the highest carotenoid extraction (46.01 µg/g) compared to hexane (39.28 µg/g). The antioxidant activity was also the highest in C8:Pro (2438.8 µM TE/mL). Finally, two assessment models were used to evaluate the greenness and sustainability of the proposed extractions. These results demonstrated the potential use of orange peels in the circular economy and industry.

Nutritional assessment of the school menus offered in Spain's Mediterranean area.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to perform a nutritional assessment of the menus served in school canteens and to verify their effects on the nutrition of schoolchildren. METHODS: We selected three collective catering companies that offered ~53 500 menus/d in 369 schools in Spain's Mediterranean area (Valencian Community). The study included four public schools with different management models as well as different supply patterns. Considering the weight of the servings, the caloric contribution of the menus was estimated. RESULTS: Great diversity was seen both in the same school throughout the week and between the four schools (School 1: 298-946 kcal; School 2: 465-1185 kcal; School 3: 395-656 kcal; and School 4: 374-966 kcal). The energy intake from carbohydrates complied with the recommendations in three of the four schools, the energy provided from proteins was adequate in all of the schools, and the energy from lipids was higher than the recommended values in Schools 1 and 2, lower in School 3, and compliant in School 4. The most abundant fatty acids in the menus were oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids. The sodium content in the rated menus was 229 ± 72 mg/100 g. The highest salt content came from menus that included a precooked dish, processed meat, or both. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to review school menus and adjust the size of the servings to the age of the children. Correct nutritional education is essential for both kitchen staff and school canteen monitors.

Green solvents and Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of bioactive orange (Citrus sinensis) peel compounds.

Byproducts such as orange peel have potential uses because of their bioactive compounds, which are important for their potential to reduce the risk factors of diseases caused by aging. The lack of effective techniques and the high levels of pollution produced by the conventional extraction of bioactive compounds using organic solvents have highlighted the need to enhance the 'green chemistry' trend. This study evaluates the use of ultrasound to extract bioactive compounds from orange peel. The antioxidant capacity, phenolic content, ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, and HPLC profile of phenolic compounds from orange peel extracts were obtained by a physicochemical evaluation. The results demonstrate that the optimal conditions for the ultrasound-assisted extraction of bioactive orange peel compounds were a power of 400 W, a time of 30 min, and 50% ethanol in water. These conditions were used to obtain a total carotenoid concentration of 0.63 mg ß-carotene/100 g, vitamin C concentration of 53.78 mg AA/100 g, phenolic concentration of 105.96 mg GAE/100 g, and antioxidant capacity of ORAC = 27.08 mM TE and TEAC = 3.97 mM TE. The major phenolic compound identified in all orange peel extracts was hesperidin, with a maximum concentration of 113.03 ± 0.08 mg/100 g.

Liberation and Micellarization of Carotenoids from Different Smoothies after Thermal and Ultrasound Treatments.

The consumption of a varied diet rich in fruit and vegetables helps prevent and treat certain chronic diseases. The development of smoothies based on derivatives from fruit and vegetables rich in bioactive compounds can help increase the consumption of these foods, and therefore, contribute to the prevention of various health problems. However, during the processing of the fruit and vegetable smoothies, these properties may change. The elaboration of smoothies is based on fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids: Carrot juice-papaya-mango (smoothie A) and carrot juice-pumpkin-mango (smoothie B). The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the application of different thermal technologies (mild and intensive heat treatment) and non-conventional technologies (ultrasound) on carotenoids (α-carotene, ß-carotene, lutein and ß-cryptoxantin) and determine the physiochemical parameters of derivatives from fruit and vegetable smoothies. In addition, the bioaccessibility of carotenoids is also evaluated through a process of in vitro simulated digestion. With regard to the bioaccessibility of the fruit and vegetable smoothies analyzed, a positive effect of temperature on liberation and micellarization was observed.

Bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds after non-thermal processing of an exotic fruit juice blend sweetened with Stevia rebaudiana.

A comparative study of the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity in a fruit juice-Stevia rebaudiana mixture processed by pulsed electric fields (PEF), high voltage electrical discharges (HVED) and ultrasound (USN) technology at two equivalent energy inputs (32-256kJ/kg) was made using an in vitro model. Ascorbic acid was not detected following intestinal digestion, while HVED, PEF and USN treatments increased total carotenoid bioaccessibility. HVED at an energy input of 32kJ/kg improved bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds (34.2%), anthocyanins (31.0%) and antioxidant capacity (35.8%, 29.1%, 31.9%, for TEAC, ORAC and DPPH assay, respectively) compared to untreated sample. This was also observed for PEF treated samples at an energy input of 256kJ/kg (37.0%, 15.6%, 29.4%, 26.5%, 23.5% for phenolics, anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity using TEAC, ORAC and DPPH method, respectively). Consequently, pulsed electric technologies (HVED and PEF) show good prospects for enhanced bioaccessibility of compounds with putative health benefit.

Effect of Stevia rebaudiana addition on bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of beverages based on exotic fruits mixed with oat following simulated human digestion.

In order to determine the impact of Stevia rebaudiana (SR) addition on bioactive compounds bioaccessibility of a new developed functional beverage based on exotic fruits (mango juice, papaya juice and açaí) mixed with orange juice and oat, an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion was performed. Ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, total phenolics, total anthocyanins, total antioxidant capacity and steviol glycosides were evaluated before and after a simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Salivary and gastric digestion had no substantial effect on any of the major phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, total antioxidant capacity and steviol glycosides, whereas carotenoids and anthocyanins diminished significantly during the gastric step. All analysed compounds were significantly altered during the pancreatic-bile digestion and this effect was more marked for carotenoids and total anthocyanins. However, phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, total antioxidant capacity and steviol glycosides bioaccessibility increased as did SR concentration. Ascorbic acid bioaccessibility was negatively affected by the SR addition.

Analytical Methods for Determining Bioavailability and Bioaccessibility of Bioactive Compounds from Fruits and Vegetables: A Review.

Determination of bioactive compounds content directly from foodstuff is not enough for the prediction of potential in vivo effects, as metabolites reaching the blood system may be different from the original compounds found in food, as a result of an intensive metabolism that takes place during absorption. Nutritional efficacy of food products may be ensured by the determination of bioaccessibility, which provides valuable information in order to select the appropriate dosage and source of food matrices. However, between all the methods available, there is a need to establish the best approach for the assessment of specific compounds. Comparison between in vivo and in vitro procedures used to determine bioaccessibility and bioavailability is carried out, taking into account the strengths and limitations of each experimental technique, along with an intensive description of actual approaches applied to assess bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds. Applications of these methods for specific bioactive compound's bioaccessibility or bioavailability are also discussed, considering studies regarding the bioavailability of carotenoids, polyphenolic compounds, glucosinolates, vitamin E, and phytosterols.

Quality parameters, bioactive compounds and their correlation with antioxidant capacity of commercial fruit-based baby foods.

Comprehensive research is required to achieve the optimization of the antioxidant protection through baby foods, in particular, the commercially available fruit-based baby foods. This study investigated the physicochemical properties, ascorbic acid (AA), total carotenoids (TC), total phenolic content (TPC), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of 23 different commercially available fruit-based baby foods. The main contribution to the total antioxidant capacity (trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity) was provided by ascorbic acid, followed by phenolic compounds, in accordance with a mathematical equation obtained from the data: TEAC = 245.906 + 7.727 × (AA) + 1.988 × (TPC) - 0.008 × (TC) and ORAC = 318.662 + 2.775 × (AA) - 0.531 × (TPC) - 0.073 × (TC). Moreover, a positive correlation (r = 0.346, p < 0.05) was found for oxygen radical absorbance capacity and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity methods. Baby foods with different kind of fruits used as ingredients showed higher antioxidant capacity. Among the commercial baby foods analysed in this work, that treated by gentle steam cooking process had high levels of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity.

Impact of high-pressure processing on vitamin E (α-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol), vitamin D (cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol), and fatty acid profiles in liquid foods.

In the present study, four high-pressure (HP) treatments (100, 200, 300, and 400 MPa) of 9 min duration were evaluated to assess their effect on the lipid fraction (fat-soluble vitamins and fatty acid profile) of an orange juice-milk and a vegetable beverage. After HP treatment, nonsignificant changes in vitamin D(2) and D(3) contents were observed for both beverages. An increase in vitamin E activity was observed in HP beverages when pressures >100 MPa were applied, mainly due to an increase in α-tocopherol content. Only a small reduction in fat content was found for the orange juice-milk beverage, but no changes were observed for the vegetable beverage. A significant decrease in SFA levels was observed in HP-treated (300-400 MPa) orange juice-milk. With regard to MUFA, a significant increase in oleic acid (C(18:1)) was found in both liquid foods. Nonsignificant differences in the PUFA profiles were observed after HP processing.

Ascorbic acid is the only bioactive that is better preserved by high hydrostatic pressure than by thermal treatment of a vegetable beverage.

Variations in levels of antioxidant compounds (ascorbic acid, total phenolics, and total carotenoids), total antioxidant capacity, and color changes in a vegetable (tomato, green pepper, green celery, onion, carrot, lemon, and olive oil) beverage treated by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) were evaluated in this work. The effects of HHP treatment, four different pressures (100, 200, 300, and 400 MPa) and four treatment times for each pressure (from 120 to 540 s) were compared with those of thermal treatment (90-98 °C for 15 and 21 s). High pressure treatment retained significantly more ascorbic acid in the vegetable beverage than thermal treatment. However, no significant changes in total phenolics were observed between HHP treated and thermally processed vegetable beverage and unprocessed beverage. Color changes (a*, b*, L, chroma, h°, and ΔE) were less for pressurized beverage than thermally treated samples compared with unprocessed beverage.

Carotenoid profile modification during refrigerated storage in untreated and pasteurized orange juice and orange juice treated with high-intensity pulsed electric fields.

A comparative study was made of the evolution and modification of various carotenoids and vitamin A in untreated orange juice, pasteurized orange juice (90 degrees C, 20 s), and orange juice processed with high-intensity pulsed electric fields (HIPEF) (30 kV/cm, 100 micros), during 7 weeks of storage at 2 and 10 degrees C. The concentration of total carotenoids in the untreated juice decreased by 12.6% when the juice was pasteurized, whereas the decrease was only 6.7% when the juice was treated with HIPEF. Vitamin A was greatest in the untreated orange juice, followed by orange juice treated with HIPEF (decrease of 7.52%) and, last, pasteurized orange juice (decrease of 15.62%). The decrease in the concentrations of total carotenoids and vitamin A during storage in refrigeration was greater in the untreated orange juice and the pasteurized juice than in the juice treated with HIPEF. During storage at 10 degrees C, auroxanthin formed in the untreated juice and in the juice treated with HIPEF. This carotenoid is a degradation product of violaxanthin. The concentration of antheraxanthin decreased during storage, and it was converted into mutatoxanthin, except in the untreated and pasteurized orange juices stored at 2 degrees C.

Effect of high-intensity pulsed electric fields processing and conventional heat treatment on orange-carrot juice carotenoids.

Liquid chromatography (LC) was the method of choice for quantification of carotenoids (including geometrical isomers) to evaluate the effects of high-intensity pulsed electric field (HIPEF), a nonthermal preservation method, with different parameters (electric field intensities and treatment times), on an orange-carrot juice mixture (80:20, v/v). In parallel, a conventional heat treatment (98 degrees C, 21 s) was applied to the juice. HIPEF processing generally caused a significant increase in the concentrations of the carotenoids identified as treatment time increased. HIPEF treatment at 25 and 30 kV/cm provided a vitamin A concentration higher than that found in the pasteurized juice.

Identification and quantification of carotenoids including geometrical isomers in fruit and vegetable juices by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-diode array detection.

A method was established for the identification and quantification of carotenoids including geometrical isomers in fruit and vegetable juices by liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet-diode array detector, using a C(18) Vydac 201TP54 column. The mobile phase used was the ternary methanol mixture (0.1 M ammonium acetate), tert-butyl methyl ether and water, in a concentration gradient, and a temperature gradient was applied. Retinol palmitate was added as an internal standard. An extraction process (ethanol/hexane, 4:3, v/v) was performed, followed by saponification with diethyl ether/methanolic KOH (0.1%, w/v, BHT) (1:1, v/v) for 0.5 h at room temperature. Seventeen different (cis and trans) carotenoids were identified by UV-vis spectra and retention times in HPLC in the juices analyzed. The analytic parameters show that the method proposed is sensitive, reliable, accurate, and reproducible.