High potential extracts from cocoa byproducts through sonotrode optimal extraction and a comprehensive characterization.

Cocoa pod husk (CPH) and cocoa bean shell (CBS) are by-products obtained during pre-processing and processing of cocoa beans. Several bioactive compounds have been identified in these by-products that can be used for commercial applications as a way to promote the circular economy. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to recover bioactive compounds from CPH and CBS by sonoextraction process, to determine the type, content, and antioxidant activity in optimized extracts. To achieve our purpose, an optimization strategy using Box-Behnken Design coupled response surface methodology (MRS) was applied. The extraction conditions were optimized. The results obtained for CBS were: TPC (193 mg GAE/g), TEAC (1.02 mmol TE/g), FRAP (1.02 mmol FeSO4/g) and ORAC (2.6 mmol TE/g), while for CPH, the reported values were: TPC (48 mg GAE/g), TEAC (0.30 mmol TE/g), FRAP (0.35 mmol FeSO4/g) and ORAC (0.43 mmol TE/g) under the optimized conditions: Time (XA): 15 min, Amplitude (XB): 80 %, Ethanol (XC): 50 %. The LC-ESI-qTOF-MS analysis results allowed the identification of 79 compounds, of which 39 represent the CBS extract, while 40 compounds were identified in CPH extract. To conclude, sonotrode based extraction could be considered as an efficient and fast alternative for the recovery of bioactive substances from CBS and CPH.

Bioactive Compounds and Potential Health Benefits through Cosmetic Applications of Cherry Stem Extract.

Cherry stems, prized in traditional medicine for their potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, derive their efficacy from abundant polyphenols and anthocyanins. This makes them an ideal option for addressing skin aging and diseases. This study aimed to assess the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of cherry stem extract for potential skincare use. To this end, the extract was first comprehensively characterized by HPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS. The extract's total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity, radical scavenging efficiency, and its ability to inhibit enzymes related to skin aging were determined. A total of 146 compounds were annotated in the cherry stem extract. The extract effectively fought against NO· and HOCl radicals with IC50 values of 2.32 and 5.4 mg/L. Additionally, it inhibited HYALase, collagenase, and XOD enzymes with IC50 values of 7.39, 111.92, and 10 mg/L, respectively. Based on the promising results that were obtained, the extract was subsequently gently integrated into a cosmetic gel at different concentrations and subjected to further stability evaluations. The accelerated stability was assessed through temperature ramping, heating-cooling cycles, and centrifugation, while the long-term stability was evaluated by storing the formulations under light and dark conditions for three months. The gel formulation enriched with cherry stem extract exhibited good stability and compatibility for topical application. Cherry stem extract may be a valuable ingredient for creating beneficial skincare cosmeceuticals.

The Potential of Mangifera indica L. Peel Extract to Be Revalued in Cosmetic Applications.

The constant growth of the cosmetic industry, together with the scientific evidence of the beneficial properties of phytochemicals, has generated great interest in the incorporation of bioactive extracts in cosmetic formulations. This study aims to evaluate the bioactive potential of a mango peel extract for its incorporation into cosmetic formulations. For this purpose, several assays were conducted: phytochemical characterization; total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant potential; free-radical scavenging capacity; and skin aging-related enzyme inhibition. In addition, the extract was incorporated into a gel formulation, and a preliminary stability study was conducted where the accelerated (temperature ramp, centrifugation, and heating/cooling cycles) and long-term (storage in light and dark for three months) stability of the mango peel formulations were evaluated. The characterization results showed the annotation of 71 compounds, gallotannins being the most representative group. In addition, the mango peel extract was shown to be effective against the •NO radical with an IC50 of 7.5 mg/L and against the hyaluronidase and xanthine oxidase enzymes with IC50 of 27 mg/L and 2 mg/L, respectively. The formulations incorporating the extract were stable during the stability study. The results demonstrate that mango peel extract can be a by-product to be revalorized as a promising cosmetic ingredient.

Neuroprotective Effects of Agri-Food By-Products Rich in Phenolic Compounds.

Neurodegenerative diseases are known for their wide range of harmful conditions related to progressive cell damage, nervous system connections and neuronal death. These pathologies promote the loss of essential motor and cognitive functions, such as mobility, learning and sensation. Neurodegeneration affects millions of people worldwide, and no integral cure has been created yet. Here, bioactive compounds have been proven to exert numerous beneficial effects due to their remarkable bioactivity, so they could be considered as great options for the development of new neuroprotective strategies. Phenolic bioactives have been reported to be found in edible part of plants; however, over the last years, a large amount of research has focused on the phenolic richness that plant by-products possess, which sometimes even exceeds the content in the pulp. Thus, their possible application as an emergent neuroprotective technique could also be considered as an optimal strategy to revalorize these agricultural residues (those originated from plant processing). This review aims to summarize main triggers of neurodegeneration, revise the state of the art in plant extracts and their role in avoiding neurodegeneration and discuss how their main phenolic compounds could exert their neuroprotective effects. For this purpose, a diverse search of studies has been conducted, gathering a large number of papers where by-products were used as strong sources of phenolic compounds for their neuroprotective properties. Finally, although a lack of investigation is quite remarkable and greatly limits the use of these compounds, phenolics remain attractive for research into new multifactorial anti-neurodegenerative nutraceuticals.

Determination of the Bioactive Effect of Custard Apple By-Products by In Vitro Assays.

Annona cherimola fruit, known as cherimoya or custard apple, is an exotic fruit from South America but is strongly produced in Andalusia, Spain. Its by-products (seeds and peel) are recognised as important sources of antioxidants, including phenolic acids, flavonoids and procyanidins. Therefore, the aim of this study was to carry out the characterization of its phenolic composition and to in vitro evaluate the bioactivity of custard apple seed and peel. Therefore, high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS) was performed in order to tentatively identify their phenolic composition. In the end, 19 compounds were identified and quantified, some of them for the first time in the custard apple matrix. Then, seed and peel total phenolic content, as well as antioxidant properties, radical scavenging capacity (O2, NO, HOCl) and inhibition of enzymes involved in different pathologies (hyaluronidase, elastase, collagenase, tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase and xanthine oxidase), were evaluated. Although both extracts showed almost similar antioxidant capacities, custard apple seed stood out slightly more than peel (171 ± 2 vs. 130.0 ± 0.4 µmol TE/g DE, resp.), especially as ·NO scavenger (IC50 1.5 ± 0.2 vs. 11.8 ± 0.3 mg/L, resp.) and hyaluronidase inhibitor (IC50 170 ± 10 vs. 460 ± 20mg/L, resp.). Finally, the application of extracts on a real human model of platelet aggregation was performed, reporting antiaggregatory effects in agonist-promoted platelet thrombus formation. All these results show that custard apple by-products are stated as interesting sources of bioactive compounds with multiple industrial applications for the development of high-added-value products, such as functional foods, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals, promoting the circular bioeconomy of these by-products.

Biological Evaluation of Avocado Residues as a Potential Source of Bioactive Compounds.

Avocado seed and peel are the main by-products from avocado industrialisation, and account for nearly 30% of fruit weight. Although they are usually discarded, their high phenolic content has been deeply associated with several nutritional and functional benefits. Thus, for a comprehensive analytical evaluation of both semi-industrial extracts, various steps have been developed: tentative characterisation and quantification of the phenolic composition using HPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS, determination of TPC and antioxidant activity by Folin-Ciocalteu, FRAP, TEAC and ORAC methods, evaluation of scavenging capacity against different ROS and measurement of the enzymatic inhibitory potential against potentially harmful enzymes. Finally, their bioactive potential was tested in a human platelet model where antiaggregatory activity was measured. Hence, 48 different compounds were identified, where flavonoids and procyanidins were the most representative groups. The higher TPC was found in avocado peel extract (190 ± 3 mg/g), which showed more antioxidant power and more capacity to decrease ROS generation than seed extract (60 ± 2 mg/g). In addition, both extracts showed enzymatic inhibition, especially against hyaluronidase, xanthine oxidase and acetylcholinesterase. Lastly, avocado peel was proven to inhibit platelet aggregation with significant results at 1, 0.75 and 0.5 mg/mL, where the extract showed reducing effects on agonists' expression such as p-selectin or GPIIb/IIIa complex. These results demonstrate that both semi-industrial extracts-above all, avocado peel-have an interesting potential to be exploited as a natural by-product with antioxidant properties with multiple applications for the prevention of different pathologies.

Recent Analytical Approaches for the Study of Bioavailability and Metabolism of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds.

The study of the bioavailability of bioactive compounds is a fundamental step for the development of applications based on them, such as nutraceuticals, functional foods or cosmeceuticals. It is well-known that these compounds can undergo metabolic reactions before reaching therapeutic targets, which may also affect their bioactivity and possible applications. All recent studies that have focused on bioavailability and metabolism of phenolic and terpenoid compounds have been developed because of the advances in analytical chemistry and metabolomics approaches. The purpose of this review is to show the role of analytical chemistry and metabolomics in this field of knowledge. In this context, the different steps of the analytical chemistry workflow (design study, sample treatment, analytical techniques and data processing) applied in bioavailability and metabolism in vivo studies are detailed, as well as the most relevant results obtained from them.

Cosmeceutical Potential of Major Tropical and Subtropical Fruit By-Products for a Sustainable Revalorization.

The increasing production of tropical fruits followed by their processing results in tons of waste, such as skins or seeds. However, these by-products have been reported to be rich in bioactive compounds (BACs) with excellent properties of interest in the cosmeceutical industry: antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and photoprotective properties. This review summarizes the tropical fruits most produced worldwide, their bioactive composition and the most important and studied therapeutic properties that their by-products can contribute to skin health, as well as the different approaches for obtaining these compounds using techniques by conventional (Soxhlet, liquid-liquid extraction or maceration) and non-conventional extractions (supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and two-phase aqueous system), followed by their identification by HPLC-MS or GC-MS analysis. Moreover, this work encompasses several studies that may prove the effects of seeds and skins from tropical fruits against oxidative stress, hyperpigmentation, acne, aging or UV radiation. Therefore, the investigation of functional components present in tropical fruit by-products under a circular bioeconomy model could be of great interest for the cosmeceutical industry and a very promising option for obtaining new cosmeceutical formulations.