Unveiling the Chemical Composition, Bioactive Profile and Antioxidant Capacity of Dried Egyptian Jew's Mallow Stems as a Promising Anticancer Agent.

Phytochemicals from waste materials generated by agricultural and industrial processes have become globally significant due to their accessibility and potential effectiveness with few side effects. These compounds have essential implications in both medicine and the economy. Therefore, a quantitative analysis of the phytochemical profile, sugar types, and water-soluble vitamins of dried Corchorus olitorius L."DJMS" extract (dried Jew's mallow stem) was carried out with HPLC. In addition, the chemical composition, TPC, chlorophyll a and b, beta-carotene, and antioxidant effect using DPPH were investigated. Furthermore, the anticancer activity of the DJMS was evaluated by SRB assay using Huh-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. In the quantitative study, DJMS extract showed a high antioxidant potential (67%) due to its content of bioactive compounds such as TPC (276.37 mg 100 g-1) and chlorophyll a and b (20.31, 12.02 mg 100 g-1, respectively), as well as some vitamins and minerals such as B-complex (B12; 146.8 mg 100 g-1 and vitamin C 6.49 mg 100 g-1) and selenium (<0.2 µg kg-1). Moreover, the main sugar types found were sucrose and stachyose, which recorded 9.23 and 6.25 mg 100 g-1, respectively. Identifying phenolic and flavonoids showed that the major components were ellagic acid (4905.26 µg kg-1), ferulic acid (3628.29 µg kg-1), chlorogenic acid (3757.08 µg kg-1), luteolin-7-O-glucoside (4314.48 µg kg-1), naringin (4296.94 µg kg-1) and apigenin-6-rhamnose-8 glucoside (3078.87 µg kg-1). The dried stem extract showed significant MDA-MB-231 inhibition activity and reached 80% at a concentration of 1000 µg/mL of DJMS extract, related to the content of phytochemical components such as isoflavones like genistein (34.96 µg kg-1), which had a tremendous anticancer effect. Hence, the stem of Jew's mallow (which is edible and characterized by its viability and low production cost) possesses the capacity to serve as a pharmaceutical agent for combating cancer owing to its abundance of bioactive components.

Phytochemical Characterization and Utilization of Dried Red Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) Peel Extract in Maintaining the Quality of Nile Tilapia Fish Fillet.

Phytochemicals derived from agro-industrial waste materials could be employed as functional food additives and natural antioxidants to replace their synthetic counterparts, which are increasingly being rejected. The current study aims to assess total phenolic compound (TPC), flavonoids, betalain contents, and antiradical scavenging using DPPH and IC50% of dried red beetroot peel (DRBP) extract at different concentrations of 50, 80, 100, 150, and 200 mg/100 mL t. In addition, a characterization of phenols and flavonoids was conducted using HPLC. The second part of this study aims to utilize aqueous DRBP extract in preserving Nile Talipia fish fillet at two concentrations of 80 and 100 mg/100 mL water, compared with 200 ppm of BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) and control at 5 °C for 10 days. The DRBP aqueous extract was found to have a high concentration of TPC (832 mg/100 g), flavonoids (234 mg/100 g) and betalains (535 mg/100 g) compounds, resulting in a potential antioxidant activity. The IC50% for the extract was detected at 80 mg/100 mL extract. DRBP aqueous extract showed an excellent preservative effect on the fish fillet. Fish fillet samples treated with DRBP extract at a concentration of 100 mg/100 mL were superior in reducing TBA (thiobarbituric acid) increase compared with other treatments at the end of cold storage. Overall, the study showed that red beetroot extracts can act as a natural preservative agent due to their significant antioxidant activity, providing healthy and safe food to consumers.

Exogenous Postharvest Application of Calcium Chloride and Salicylic Acid to Maintain the Quality of Broccoli Florets.

The importance of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) consumption has increased in recent years due to its significant amount of anticarcinogenic and antioxidant compounds, as well as its many vitamins. However, broccoli florets are a highly perishable product which rapidly senesce and turn yellow after harvest, resulting in losses in nutritional and bioactive compounds. Thus, in this study, we evaluated the effect of postharvest exogenous of salicylic acid (SA) and calcium chloride (CaCl2) and their combination on the quality of broccoli florets stored at 5 °C for 28 days to minimize the rapid senescence of broccoli florets. Samples treated with 2 mM SA alone or in combination with 2% CaCl2 showed lower weight loss and lower losses of chlorophyll content, vitamin C, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, flavonoids, and glucosinolates compared with the control samples. Additionally, antioxidant activity was maintained by either SA or SA + CaCl2 treatments while peroxidase activity was decreased. For higher quality and lower losses in antioxidant compounds of broccoli florets during refrigerated storage at 5 °C, SA + CaCl2 treatment could be helpful for up to 21 days.

Sunroot snack bar: Optimization, characterization, consumer perception, and storage stability assessment.

This study reports the evolution of phenolics, inulin content, proximate composition, hardness, and sensory characteristics of an inulin-rich healthy snack bar (The Sunroot Snack Bar) over 90 days of storage in refrigerated and room temperature storage. A response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite rotatable design was first employed for optimizing the concentrations of sunroot, potato, and oats. The optimum selected concentrations of sunroot, potato, and oat were 53.99, 37.88, and 5 g, respectively, and a quadratic model was found to yield the best fit. Analysis of variance revealed that a higher sunroot content resulted in more firmness of the bar and higher overall acceptability in sensory trials. Sunroot snack bar samples without flavor (control), sunroot snack bar with cheese flavor (S1), and sunroot snack bar with olive flavor (S2) were then tested for sensory, chemical, phytochemicals, and microbial contents among control, S1, and S2 samples over a 90-day shelf-life study. Results showed no significant (p < .05) changes in these contents on addition of flavor. An increase in microbial load and the appearance of a bitter taste after 30 days of fresh sunroot storage were observed. No microbial growth was observed in all sunroot snack bar samples during storage at 4°C, while some microbial growth was observed at 25°C for 90 days. It was inferred that the high-quality shelf life of the sunroot bar was 90 days at 4°C, which was shortened to a month if the bars were preserved at 25°C. There was a significant phenolic and inulin content loss at 25°C compared with 4°C in total phenolic component. Based on the results of sensory evaluation, online questionnaire of customer experience, and cost analysis, this study successfully used sunroot tubers for the production of snack bars as a promising new raw material, which was introduced healthily with a suitable price for such product compared with other products in the market.