Assessment of the Accuracy of Nutrition Label and Chemical Composition of Plant-Based Milks Available on the Italian Market.

Growing health, environmental, and ethical concerns have encouraged interest in plant-based milks (PBMs), but it remains questionable whether the nutrition labeling of these products is adequately reliable for consumers, and whether nutritional standards can be defined for a given PBM type. On this basis, cereal, pseudocereal, nut, and legume PBMs available on the Italian market were analyzed in order to check the accuracy of nutritional labels on packages and generate new or updated compositional data. Most labels provided inaccurate information, especially with respect to the declared energy, fat, and saturated fat. Cereal- and pseudocereal-based PBMs were generally characterized by high MUFA (34.04-59.35%) and PUFA (21.61-52.27%). Almond, soy, rice, and hazelnut beverages displayed the highest levels of total tocopherols (11.29-13.68 mg/L), while buckwheat and spelt PBMs had the highest total polyphenol content (34.25-52.27 mg GAE/100 mL). Major and trace elements greatly varied among samples, being more abundant in buckwheat and coconut-based drinks. A PCA confirmed that nutritional standards cannot be unequivocally established for a given PBM, and indicated that, among the investigated variables, inorganic elements had more weight in the sample differentiation. Overall, to reliably guide consumers in their dietary choices, there is a need for greater accuracy in the development of nutrition labels for PBMs, as well as greater effort in assessing the nutritional quality of the ever-increasing variety of products available on the market.

Effect of Filtration Process on Oxidative Stability and Minor Compounds of the Cold-Pressed Hempseed Oil during Storage.

Cold-pressed hempseed oil (HO) has been increasingly exploited in the human diet for its excellent nutritional and healthy properties. However, it has a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and chlorophylls, which inevitably accelerate its oxidative deterioration, especially in the presence of light. In this scenario, the filtration technology may ameliorate the oxidative stability of the oil, with positive effects on its nutritional quality and shelf life. Therefore, in this study, the oxidative stability and minor compounds of non-filtered and filtered HO (NF-HO and F-HO) were monitored over 12 weeks of storage in transparent glass bottles. F-HO showed a better hydrolytic and oxidative status than NF-HO during storage. As a result, F-HO also displayed better preservation of total MUFAs and PUFAs in the autoxidation process. Filtration consistently reduced chlorophylls, thus causing a variation in the natural color of HO. Accordingly, F-HO not only revealed an increased resistance to photooxidation but it was also suitable for storage in clear bottles within 12 weeks. F-HO predictably showed lower carotenoids, tocopherols, polyphenols, and squalene compared to NF-HO. However, filtration appeared to play a "protective role" toward these antioxidants, which had lower degradation rates in F-HO than NF-HO for 12 weeks. Interestingly, the element profile of HO was not affected by filtration and remained stable during the study period. Overall, this study may be of practical use to both producers and marketers of cold-pressed HO.

Chemical Characterization of Different Products from the Tunisian Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.

Various dried (by-)products from the Tunisian O. ficus-indica were elucidated for their proximate composition, fatty acid (FA) composition, inorganic elements, sugars, and polyphenols. Nopal and prickly pear peel and seeds were abundant in fiber (respectively, 28.39, 12.54, and 16.28%). Seeds had also high protein (17.34%) and may be source of an edible oil, due to lipids (9.65%) poor in saturated FAs (14.12%) and rich in linoleic acid (61.11%). Nopal and peel showed the highest levels of Mg (493.57 and 345.19 mg/100 g), K (6949.57 and 1820.83 mg/100 g), Mn (59.73 and 46.86 mg/Kg) and Fe (23.15 and 15.23 mg/Kg), while the fruit pulp predominantly constituted of sugars, glucose and arabinose being predominant (42.57 and 13.56 g/100 g). Total polyphenols widely varied among the Opuntia products (108.36-4785.36 mg GAE/100 g), being mainly represented by hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids, and flavonoids as well. In particular, peel may be revalorized for these valuable bioactives, including 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (484.95 mg/100 g), cinnamic acid (318.95 mg/100 g), rutin (818.94 mg/100 g), quercetin (605.28 mg/100 g), and several isorhamnetin and kaempferol glycosides. Overall, the Tunisian prickly pear cactus could encourage a sustainable production, an effective waste management, and may provide several benefits for human health, in accordance with the model of the Mediterranean diet.

Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry multi-residual analysis of contaminants in Italian honey samples.

Contaminants belonging to various classes, including polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), pyrethroid insecticides (PYRs), fungicides (Fs), herbicides (Hs), synergists (SYNs) and insect growth regulators (IGRs) were analysed simultaneously in honey samples using a new simultaneous, easy and rapid method based on a liquid-liquid extraction with a mixture of n-hexane and ethyl acetate. It allowed recoveries in the range 80-137%, with limits of detection (LODs) between 0.10 and 5.21 ng g-1, showing a good sensitivity and accuracy. All the analysed Italian honeys showed the presence of residues of OPPs; PAHs were in 46.8% of the samples and PCBs were always below the LODs; 53.2% of the samples were contaminated by OCPs, PYRs, SYNs and IGRs. In addition, 46.8% of the samples exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs) established by the European Community in honey for chlorfenvinphos (cis + trans), TPP, γ-HCH, tebuconazole, coumaphos and τ-fluvalinate (cis + trans).

Composition and Variability of the Essential Oil of the Flowers of Lavandula stoechas from Various Geographical Sources.

Samples of flowers of wild Lavandula stoechas L. spp. stoechas populations were collected in three areas of Sicily (Italy) and were characterized in agronomic and chemical terms. Essential oil (EO) was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. GC-FID and GC-MS analyses permitted identification of 89 compounds from the EO. The samples were separated into 3 groups using PCA (Principal Component Analysis) statistical method, with reference to the chemical composition of the EO. All three Sicilian populations of lavender were identified as the fenchone chemotype with percentage content ranged between 52.8-71.1%. The population of Partinico showed the highest dry weight of flowers per plant (221.3 g), but the lowest EO yield (0.37%). The essential oils of the three wild Sicilian populations of L. stoechas L. spp. stoechas showed a greater chemical differentiation than those obtained from other Mediterranean areas.

Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in common buzzard (Buteo buteo) from Sicily (Italy).

In the present study, we investigated the concentrations and distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in intestine, liver, and muscle samples of 11 common buzzards (Buteo buteo) from Sicily used as bioindicator for monitoring pollution in environment. All samples of common buzzards were collected at the "Recovery Center of Wild Fauna" of Palermo, through the Zooprophilactic Institute. Quantitative determination of OCs and PCBs in the samples examined has been carried out using HRGC-ECD and GC-MS. The results obtained show the presence of concentrations of ∑DDT and ∑PCB in almost all samples. Regarding ∑DDT (4,4(')-DDE, 2,4(')-DDD, 4,4(')-DDD, 2,4(')-DDT, and 4,4(')-DDT), the highest concentrations were found in intestine (0.411 ± 0.050 µg/g) followed by muscle (0.130 ± 0.017 µg/g) and liver samples (0.109 ± 0.014 µg/g). As regards the ∑PCB congeners (PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-95, PCB-99, PCB-101, PCB-110, PCB-138, PCB-146, PCB-149, PCB-151, PCB-153, PCB-170, PCB-177, PCB-180, PCB-183, and PCB-187), the highest concentrations were found in intestine (1.686 ± 0.144 µg/g) followed by liver (1.064 ± 0.162 µg/g) and muscle samples (0.797 ± 0.078 µg/g). Our data deserve particular attention not only for their significance but especially because they were recorded in Sicily, a region with a very low risk of environmental pollution due to the shortage of industries.