Phytochemical Characterization and Antibacterial Activity of Albanian Juniperus communis and Juniperus oxycedrus Berries and Needle Leaves Extracts.

This paper aims to investigate the phytochemical profile and in vitro antibacterial activity of two juniper species collected in Albania, Juniperus communis and Juniperus oxycedrus. The berries and the needle leaves were subjected to solid-liquid solvent ultrasound-assisted extraction. The phytochemical characterization of the extracts was performed by spectrophotometric and chromatographic means. The extract of J. communis berries (JcB) showed a higher total phenolic and flavonoid content (3.04 ± 0.09 mg GAE/g DW, and 1.14 ± 0.36 mg QE/g DW, respectively), also a higher antioxidant activity from DPPH and ABTS radical screening assays, compared to J. oxycedrus berries (JoxB) extract. The extract of J. oxycedrus needle leaves (JoxL) prevailed in total flavonoid content (10.55 ± 0.24 mg QE/g DW), and ABTS assays (1.83 ± 0.01 mM TE/g DW), compared to the extract of J. communis needle leaves (JcL). The chromatographic analysis revealed the presence of ellagic acid and kaempferol in all the samples. Ellagic acid was the main identified compound with the highest quantity in the extracts of JoxB, JoxL, and JcB with an average of 445.69 ± 0.96 µg/g, 2890.05 ± 0.29 µg/g, and 8133.83 ± 4.03 µg/g, respectively. The antibacterial potential of the ethanolic extracts was evaluated on Bacillus spp., Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. In the Agar Well Diffusion Assay, it was observed that all the tested bacterial strains were sensitive to the extracts, whereas selected extracts showed a similar inhibition activity rate compared with the antibiotic substance (Chloramphenicol), used as a positive control. The extracts showed a similar minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentration for the individual bacterial strains, suggesting that J. communis and J. oxycedrus extracts have a similar potential in antibacterial activity.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MIUG BL21 paraprobiotics: Evidences on inactivation kinetics and their potential as cytocompatible and antitumor alternatives.

Two new -biotics concepts, such as paraprobiotics and postbiotics were introduced, with beneficial effects beyond the viability of probiotic. In this study, the effect of individual (thermal, ohmic heating, high pressure, and ultrasound) and combined (ohmic, high pressure and ultrasound in combination with heating) treatments on the inactivation kinetics of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum was investigated. Different inactivation rates were obtained, up to 8.18 after 10 min at 90 °C, 2.07 after 15 min at a voltage gradient of 20 V/cm, 6.62 after 10 min at 600 MPa and 3.6 after ultrasound treatment for 10 min at 100 % amplitude. The experimental data were fitted to Weibullian model proposed by Peleg, allowing to estimate the inactivation rate coefficient (b) and the shape of the inactivation curves (n). At lower concentration, the samples showed both cytocompatibility and antiproliferative effect, stimulating the cell proliferation on both murine fibroblast and human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines.

Bioactive Components, Applications, Extractions, and Health Benefits of Winery By-Products from a Circular Bioeconomy Perspective: A Review.

Significant waste streams produced during winemaking include winery by-products such as pomace, skins, leaves, stems, lees, and seeds. These waste by-products were frequently disposed of in the past, causing resource waste and environmental issues. However, interest has risen in valorizing vineyard by-products to tap into their latent potential and turn them into high-value products. Wine industry by-products serve as a potential economic interest, given that they are typically significant natural bioactive sources that may exhibit significant biological properties related to human wellness and health. This review emphasizes the significance of winery by-product valorization as a sustainable management resource and waste management method. The novelty of this review lies in its comprehensive analysis of the potential of winery by-products as a source of bioactive compounds, extraction techniques, health benefits, and applications in various sectors. Chemical components in winery by-products include bioactive substances, antioxidants, dietary fibers, organic acids, and proteins, all of which have important industrial and therapeutic applications. The bioactives from winery by-products act as antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticancer agents that have proven potential health-promoting effects. Wineries can switch from a linear waste management pattern to a more sustainable and practical method by adopting a circular bioeconomy strategy. Consequently, the recovery of bioactive compounds that function as antioxidants and health-promoting agents could promote various industries concomitant within the circular economy.

Advanced interactional characterization of the inhibitory effect of anthocyanin extract from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. on apple polyphenol oxidase.

In this study, a comprehensive approach to advance the inhibitory effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa extract on apple polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was performed. PPO was extracted, purified, and characterized for optimal activity, whereas response surface methodology generated a quadratic polynomial model to fit the experimental results for hibiscus extraction. The optimum conditions allowed to predict a maximum recovery of anthocyanins (256.11 mg delphinidin-3-O-glucoside/g), with a validated value of 272.87 mg delphinidin-3-O-glucoside/g dry weight (DW). The chromatographic methods highlighted the presence of gallic acid (36,812.90 µg/g DW extract), myricetin (141,933.84 µg/g DW extract), caffeic acid (101,394.07 µg/g DW extract), sinapic acid (1157.46 µg/g DW extract), kaempferol (2136.76 µg/g DW extract), and delphinidin 3-O-ß-d-glucoside (226,367.08 µg/g DW extract). The inactivation of PPO followed a first-order kinetic model. A temperature-mediated flexible fit between PPO and anthocyanins was suggested, whereas the molecular docking tests indicated that PPO is a good receptor for cafestol, gallic acid, and catechin, involving hydrophobic and hydrogen bond interactions. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: It is well known that enzymatic browning is one of the most important challenges in the industrial minimal processing of selected fruit and vegetable products. Novel inhibitors for polyphenol oxidase are proposed in this study by using an anthocyanin-enriched extract from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Based on our results, combining the chemical effect of phytochemicals from hibiscus extract with different functional groups with minimal heating could be an interesting approach for the development of a new strategy to inhibit apple polyphenol oxidase.

Technologically Driven Approaches for the Integrative Use of Wild Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) Fruits in Foods and Nutraceuticals.

Different technological approaches were used in this study for the valorization of blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) fruits in marmalade, jam, jelly, and nutraceuticals. Marmalade showed the highest concentrations of polyphenols (7.61 ± 0.05 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight (DW)) and flavonoids (4.93 ± 0.22 mg catechin equivalents/g DW), whereas jam retained the highest content of anthocyanins (66.87 ± 1.18 mg cyanidin-3-O-glucoside equivalents/g DW). A good correlation between polyphenol and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity was found, the highest value being 21.29 ± 1.36 mmol Trolox/g DW for marmalade. Alternatively, the fresh pulp was enriched with inulin, followed by inoculation with Lactobacillus acidophilus, and freeze-dried, allowing a powder to be obtained with a viable cell content of 6.27 × 107 CFU/g DW. A chromatographic analysis of blackthorn skin revealed that myricetin (2.04 ± 0.04 mg/g DW) was the main flavonoid, followed by (+)-catechin (1.80 ± 0.08 mg/g DW), (-)-epicatechin (0.96 ± 0.02 mg/g DW), and vanillic acid (0.94 ± 0.09 mg/g DW). The representative anthocyanins were cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside, and peonidin 3-O-glucoside, with an average concentration of 0.75 mg/g DW. The skin extract showed comparable IC50 values for tyrosinase (1.72 ± 0.12 mg/mL), α-amylase (1.17 ± 0.13 mg/mL), and α-glucosidase (1.25 ± 0.26 mg/mL). The possible use of kernels as calorific agents was demonstrated through the evaluation of calorific power of 4.9 kWh/kg.

Customized Technological Designs to Improve the Traditional Use of Rosa canina Fruits in Foods and Ingredients.

The rosehip fruits from Romanian spontaneous flora were valorized in three different customized variants, including jellified products, juices, and a nutraceutical. Prior to the technological design, the rosehip samples were characterized for individual polyphenolic content. The samples (non)-enzymatically treated showed epicatechin as the major compound, whereas the enzymatic treatment enhanced the extraction of quercetin (40.23 ± 0.48 mg/100 g DW extract), gallic acid (9.74 ± 0.24 mg/100 g DW extract), and kaempferol. Different ratios and types of sugars were added to obtain jellified products, leading to a significantly different bioactive profile. The sugar-free and steviol samples showed the highest content in carotenoids (89.36 ± 0.06 mg/g dry weight (DW) and 39.22 ± 1.16 mg/g DW, respectively), leading to the highest antioxidant activity (8.19 ± 0.80 mMol Trolox/g DW and 20.16 ± 0.31 mMol Trolox/g DW, respectively). The gelling capacity increased with the increase in sugar content. The enzymatically treated rosehip fruit pulp was mixed in various ratios with apple juice, followed by pasteurization. The polyphenolic content was approximately two times higher in the blended juices (20.75 ± 1.40 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 mL). The overall impression highlighted the preferences of panelists for sugar-free products, whereas adding apple juice significantly influenced their preferences. The fresh pulp was enhanced with pectin, followed by inoculation with Lactobacillus acidophilus, and freeze-dried showed satisfactory cell viability (approximately 7 log CFU/g DW), whereas an antidiabetic, anti-tyrosinase and anti-obesity potential of the powder was suggested. Our results provide enough evidence for customized processing of rosehip fruits in foods and nutraceuticals as a response to consumers' choices, highlighting the bioactive compounds and nutrient contents, whereas selected in vitro health-related evidence was suggested.

Optimizing of the extraction conditions for anthocyanin's from purple corn flour (Zea mays L): Evidences on selected properties of optimized extract.

In this study, the Response Surface Methodology was used to optimize the extraction conditions for anthocyanins from purple corn flour (PCF), whereas the optimized extract was characterized in terms of phytochemicals content, inhibitory activity against metabolic associated enzymes and the potential to stimulate the metabolic activity of yeasts. The optimized conditions using a Box-Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM) were as follow: temperature (39 °C), extraction time (5 h), liquid/solid ratio (30 mL/g) and ethanol concentration (73 %), yielding a maximum response predicted and experimental values of 13.77 and 14.04 ± 0.02 mg cyanidin 3-O-glucoside equivalents (C3G)/g dry weight (DW). The extract showed a high content in myricetin, quercetin 3-ß-d-glucoside, kaempferol, whereas the main anthocyanin was C3G. The extract was test the effect on metabolic activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with the highest multiplication rate obtained at 1.2 mg/100 mL. The extract showed potential antidiabetic, hypocholesterolemic and preventive effects against Parkinson's disease and melanoma. The findings provide the optimum conditions to obtain an anthocyanin enriched extract, for multiple applications.

Upgrading the Functional Potential of Apple Pomace in Value-Added Ingredients with Probiotics.

Emerging customized designs to upgrade the functional potential of freeze-dried apple pomace was used in this study, in order to transform the industrial by-products into ingredients containing probiotics, for a better and healthier food composition. The freeze-dried apple pomace was analyzed for free and bounded phenolic contents, highlighting a significant level of caffeic acid (4978.00 ± 900.00 mg/100 g dry matter (DM)), trans-cinnamic acid (2144.20 ± 37.60 mg/100 g DM) and quercetin 3-ß-D-glucoside (236.60 ± 3.12 mg/100 g DM). The pectin extraction yield was approximatively 24%, with a degree of esterification of 37.68 ± 1.74%, and a methoxyl content of 5.58 ± 0.88%. The freeze-dried apple pomace was added in a different ratio as a supplement to cultural medium of Loigolactobacillus bifermentans MIUG BL 16, suggesting a significant prebiotic effect (p < 0.05) at concentration between 1% and 2%. The apple pomace was used to design three freeze-dried ingredients containing probiotic, with a high level of polyphenolic content (6.38 ± 0.14 mg gallic acid equivalents/g DM) and antioxidant activity (42.25 ± 4.58 mMol Trolox/g DM) for the powder containing apple pomace ethanolic extract. When inulin was used as a prebiotic adjuvant, the obtained powder showed a 6 log/g DM viable cell count. The ingredients were added to fermented vegetable soy milk-based products, allowing us to improve the polyphenolic content, antioxidant activity and viable cell counts. The approach designed in this study allowed us to obtain ingredients suitable to add value to food, whereas premises to align with the current circular economy premises, by reintegrating the industrial waste as sources of high added value compounds, are also provided.

Co-Microencapsulation of Anthocyanins from Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.) Fruits and Lactic Acid Bacteria into Antioxidant and Anti-Proliferative Derivative Powders.

Driven by the modern lifestyle, the consumers are interested in healthier and balanced diets, including both probiotics and natural antioxidants. The beneficial health effects of probiotics are mainly due to their capacity of modulating the human intestinal microbiota, although achieving at least a 6 log of viable cells at the targeted site is still challenging. Therefore, in this study, an attempt to improve the bioaccessibility of Lacticaseibacillus casei (L. casei) 431® through a co-microencapsulation by complex coacervation and freeze-drying, using an extract from Cornelian cherry and two biopolymeric matrices, whey protein isolates and casein (WPI-CN) and inulin (WPI-I), was studied. The powders showed a comparable anthocyanin content of around 32.00 mg cyanidin-3-rutinoside (C3R)/g dry matter (DM) and a microbial load of about 10 Log CFU/g DM. A high stability of the lactic acid bacteria was assessed throughout 90 days of storage, whereas the anthocyanins' degradation during storage followed a first order kinetic model, allowing the estimation of a half-time of 66.88 ± 1.67 days for WPI-CN and 83.60 ± 2.46 days for WPI-I. The in vitro digestion showed a high stability of anthocyanins in the simulated gastric juice, whereas the release in the simulated intestinal juice was favored in the variant with inulin (up to 38%). The use of casein permitted to obtain finer spherosomes, with smaller diameters, whereas a double encapsulation was obvious in both variants, thus explaining the high resistance in the gastric environment. The anti-proliferative effect against the human colon cancer cell line (HT-29) was also demonstrated. No cytotoxicity has been found for the concentrations between 1 and 25 µg/mL for the WPI-I variant, whereas a cell proliferation effect was observed at low concentrations of 1-5 µg/mL.

Sustainable Design of Innovative Kiwi Byproducts-Based Ingredients Containing Probiotics.

Industrial processing of kiwifruits generates a large quantity of byproducts, estimated to be one million tons per year. The resulting byproducts are rich sources of bioactive components that may be used as additives, hence minimizing economic and environmental issues. In this study, kiwifruit byproducts were used to develop added-value food-grade ingredients containing probiotics. The byproducts were divided into peels and pomace. Both residues were inoculated with a selected strain of probiotic (Lacticaseibacillus casei 431®), and two variants were additionally enhanced with prebiotic sources (buckwheat and black rice flours). The inoculated powders were obtained by freeze-drying, and the final ingredients were coded as KP (freeze-dried kiwi peels), KBR (freeze-dried kiwi pomace and black rice flour), KPB (freeze-dried kiwi pomace and buckwheat flour), and KPO (freeze-dried kiwi pomace). The phytochemical profile was assessed using different spectrophotometric methods, such as the determination of polyphenols, flavonoids, and carotenoids. The kiwi byproduct-based formulations showed a polyphenolic content varying from 10.56 ± 0.30 mg AGE/g DW to 13.16 ± 0.33 mg AGE/g, and the survival rate of lactic acid bacteria after freeze-drying ranged from 73% to 88%. The results showed an increase in total flavonoid content from the oral to gastric environment and controlled release in the intestinal environment, whereas a maximum survival rate of probiotics at the intestinal end stage was 48%. The results of SEM and droplet size measurements revealed vesicular and polyhedral structures on curved surfaces linked by ridge sections. The CIEL*a*b* color data were strongly associated with the particular pigment in kiwi pulp, as well as the color of the additional flour. Finally, the ingredients were tested in protein bars and enhanced the value of the final food product regarding its phytochemical and probiotic content.

Thermal Stability and Inhibitory Action of Red Grape Skin Phytochemicals against Enzymes Associated with Metabolic Syndrome.

The present study focuses on heat-induced structural changes and the degradation kinetics of phytochemicals and antioxidant activity of red grape skin extract. The thermal degradation of anthocyanins, flavonoids, polyphenols, and antioxidant activity followed a first-order kinetic model, increasing with temperature due to the intensification of the degradation process. The activation energy (Ea) highlighted this phenomenon. Likewise, the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters certified the irreversible degradation of the bioactive compounds from the skin of the Babeasca neagra grape variety. Both temperature and duration of heating had a significant impact on the content of bioactive compounds. In addition, the red grape skin extract inhibited certain enzymes such as α-amylase, α-glucosidase, lipase, and lipoxygenase, which are associated with metabolic syndrome and inflammation. Further knowledge on the possible inhibition mechanisms exerted by the major anthocyanins found in red grape skin extract on the metabolic syndrome-associated enzymes was gathered upon running molecular docking tests. Detailed analysis of the resulting molecular models revealed that malvidin 3-O-glucoside binds in the vicinity of the catalytic site of α-amylase and lipase, whereas no direct contact with catalytic amino acids was identified in the case of α-glucosidase and lipoxygenase.

Whey Proteins Isolate-Based Biopolymeric Combinations to Microencapsulate Supercritical Fluid Extracted Oleoresins from Sea Buckthorn Pomace.

In this study, high-value, carotenoid-rich oleoresin obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide (SFE-CO2) extraction was used to develop five variants of microencapsulated delivery system, based on whey proteins isolate (WPI), in combination with inulin (I), pectin (P) or lactose (L). The WPI:I and WPI:L variants were also obtained by conjugation via Maillard reaction. The microencapsulation of the SFE-CO2 sea buckthorn pomace oleoresin was performed by emulsion, complex coacervation and freeze-drying, which allowed for the obtaining of five powders, with different phytochemicals profile. The WPI:I conjugate showed the highest level of total carotenoids, whereas the counterpart WPI:L showed the highest content in linoleic acid (46 ± 1 mg/g) and palmitoleic acid (20.0 ± 0.5 mg/g). The ß-tocopherol and ß-sitosterol were identified in all variants, with the highest content in the conjugated WPI:L variant. Both WPI:L and WPI:I conjugate samples presented similar IC50 value for inhibitory activity against pancreatic lipase and α-amylase; the highest activity was observed for the conjugated WPI:I. The WPI:P combination allowed the highest release of carotenoids in the gastro-intestinal environment. All the powders exhibited poor flowing properties, whereas water activity (aw) ranged from 0.084 ± 0.03 to 0.241 ± 0.003, suggesting that all variants are stable during storage. In case of solubility, significant differences were noticed between non-heated and glycated samples, with the highest value for the WPI:I and the lowest for glycated WPI:I. The structural analysis revealed the presence of finer spherosomes in WPI:I and WPI:L, with a reduced clustering capacity, whereas the particles in the conjugated samples were more uniform and aggregated into a three-dimensional network.

CO2 Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Oleoresins from Sea Buckthorn Pomace: Evidence of Advanced Bioactive Profile and Selected Functionality.

The processing of sea buckthorn generates a significant amount of pomace, seeds and skin considered valuable sources of health-promoting macromolecules, such as carotenoids, pectin, flavonoids, phytosterols, polyunsaturated fatty acids and tocopherols. In this study, the bioactives from sea buckthorn pomace (SBP) were extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide (SFE-CO2), at different temperatures and pressures, allowing for obtaining four fractions according to separators (S40 and S45). The highest carotenoid content of 396.12 ± 1.02 mg/g D.W. was found in the S40 fraction, at extraction parameters of 35 °C/45 MPa, yielding an antioxidant activity of 32.10 ± 0.17 mMol TEAC/g D.W. The representative carotenoids in the extract were zeaxanthin, ß-carotene and lycopene, whereas all enriched SFE-CO2 extracts contained α-, ß- and δ-tocopherol, with α-tocopherol representing around 82% of all fractions. ß-sitosterol was the major phytosterol in the fractions derived from S45. All fractions contained significant fatty acids, with a predominance of linoleic acid. Remarkably, the enriched extracts showed a significant palmitoleic acid content, ranging from 53 to 65 µg/g. S40 extracts showed a good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Aeromonas hydrophila ATCC 7966, whereas S45 extracts showed a growth inhibition rate of 100% against Aspergillus niger after three days of growth. Our results are valuable, and they allow identifying the different profiles of extracts with many different applications in food, pharmaceutics, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals.

Attempts for Developing Novel Sugar-Based and Sugar-Free Sea Buckthorn Marmalades.

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is recognized as a valuable source of vitamin C and antioxidants, frequently used as nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. In the present study, attempts are made to produce and characterize a novel type of marmalade using sea buckthorn berries processed at 102 °C into marmalade in two combinations, with whole cane or stevia sugar. Changes in the phytochemical profile, antioxidant activity, color, shelf-life, texture, microbiological, and sensorial characteristics were determined. The total carotenoids content in the marmalades were significantly different, with values of 0.91 ± 0.03 mg/g dry weight (DW) in the sample with whole sugar cane (Cz) and 2.69 ± 0.14 mg/g DW in the sample with Stevia sugar (Cs). Significant values of polyphenols were found, of 59.41 ± 1.13 mg GAE/g DW in Cz and 72.44 ± 2.31 mg GAE/g DW in Cs, leading to an antioxidant activity of 45.12 ± 0.001 µMol Trolox/g DW and 118.07 ± 0.01 µMol Trolox/g DW, respectively. Accelerated storage study showed a decrease in all the phytochemicals, however no significant changes were found in antioxidant activity. Values of <100 CFU/g for yeasts and molds and <5 CFU/g for Enterobacteriaceae after 21 days of storage at the room temperature of the marmalades were determined. The sensorial and color results were more than acceptable. Overall, the results highlighted the potential of using sea buckthorn as a potential rich source of bioactive compounds to be used in the sugar-based products manufacturing.

Supercritical CO2 Extraction and Microencapsulation of Lycopene-Enriched Oleoresins from Tomato Peels: Evidence on Antiproliferative and Cytocompatibility Activities.

Tomato peels are used as a valuable material to extract lycopene-rich oleoresins by supercritical CO2 extraction. The extraction involves continuous circling of CO2 to the extractor after removing the solute in the separators, S40 and S45, where the solvent power of the CO2 is reduced by reducing pressure down to 20 MPa in S40 and 5 MPa in S45, respectively, leading to two extracts. Lycopene is found to be the major compound, representing 93% and 76% of the total carotenoids in S40 and S45 extracts, respectively. The two extracts are microencapsulated in whey protein concentrate and acacia gum by complex coacervation and freeze-drying, leading to corresponding P40 and P45 powders, with antioxidant activity of 8.57 ± 0.74 and 9.37 ± 0.48 mMol TEAC/g DW in P40 and P45, respectively. Different structural and morphological patterns are observed, with finer microparticles of 1-2 µm in P45. Both powders show dose and time-dependent antiproliferative activity. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration values are 100 µg/mL for P40 and 750 µg/mL for P45 sample, indicating a higher antiproliferative effect of P40 over P45 in HT-29 cell culture. The powders have an extended range of cytocompatibility, up to 1000 µg/mL, in L929 normal cells, stimulating the cell growth. Lycopene retention is tested, and values of 48% and 29% in P40 and P45 are found after 21 days at 25 °C, with the degradation rate in P45 significantly higher, due to the higher content of the surface lycopene, which favored its degradation.

Tailoring the Functional Potential of Red Beet Purées by Inoculation with Lactic Acid Bacteria and Drying.

This study was focused on a comparative analysis of two drying methods, such as convective and infrared drying, on the red beetroot purées with lactic acid bacteria, as a strategy for tailoring the health benefits of the selected plant. For both varieties, the total betalain contents varied from 13.95 ± 0.14 mg/g dry weight in Beta vulgaris var. cylindra when compared with 11.09 ± 0.03 mg/g dry weight in Beta vulgaris var. vulgaris, whereas significant differences were found in total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Significant drying induced changes were found in selected bioactives, in terms of total betalains, flavonoids, and polyphenols, which influenced the antioxidant activities of the purées, structure, and color parameters. In general, infrared technology was more protective, leading to an increase of 20% in flavonoids content. One logarithmic decrease in cell viability was observed in all powders samples. After the in vitro digestion, the betalains decreased, in both gastric and intestinal simulated juices, with a more pronounced profile in infrared processed purées. Textural and rheological analysis of the dried purées highlighted that the infrared drying is milder compared to the conventional one, allowing us to obtain powders with enhanced functional properties, in terms of bioactives content, cell viability, color, and structural and rheological behavior.

Bovine ß-lactoglobulin peptides as novel carriers for flavonoids extracted with supercritical fluids from yellow onion skins.

Our study describes in detail the binding mechanism between the main flavonoids that were extracted from onion skins by supercritical CO2 and peptides from whey proteins, from the perspective of obtaining multifunctional ingredients, with health-promoting benefits. The supercritical CO2 extract had 202.31 ± 11.56 mg quercetin equivalents/g DW as the major flavonoid and antioxidant activity of 404.93±1.39 mM Trolox/g DW. The experiments on thermolysin-derived peptides fluorescence quenching by flavonoids extract allowed estimating the binding parameters, in terms of binding constants, and the number of binding sites. The thermodynamic analysis indicated that the main forces involved in complex formation were hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions. Molecular docking tests indicated that peptide fluorescence quenching upon gradual addition of onion skin extract might be due to flavonoids binding by Val15 -Ser21 . All 7 to 14 amino acids long peptides appeared to have affinity toward quercetin-3,4'-O-diglucoside and quercetin-4'-O-monoglucoside. The study is important as a potential solution for reuse of valuable resources, underutilized, such as whey peptides and yellow onion skins flavonoids for efficient microencapsulation, as a holistic approach to deliver healthy and nutritious food. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: A growing interest was noticed in the last years in investigating the interactions between proteins and different biologically active compounds, such as to provide knowledge for efficient development of new food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products. Recent studies suggest that flavonoid-protein complexes may be designed to improve the functional performance of the flavonoids. The results obtained in this study bring certain benefits in terms of exploiting the bioactive potential of both flavonoids and bioactive peptides, for developing of formulas with improved functional properties.

Tailoring the Health-Promoting Potential of Protein Hydrolysate Derived from Fish Wastes and Flavonoids from Yellow Onion Skins: From Binding Mechanisms to Microencapsulated Functional Ingredients.

This study focuses on combining different bioprocessing tools in order to develop an in-depth engineering approach for enhancing the biological properties of two valuable food by-products, namely fish waste and yellow onion skins, in a single new bioactive formulation. Bone tissue from phytophagous carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) was used to obtain bioactive peptides through papain-assisted hydrolysis. The peptides with molecular weight lower than 3 kDa were characterized through MALDI-ToF/ToF mass spectrometry and bioinformatics tools. As a prerequisite for microencapsulation, the ability of these peptides to bind the flavonoids extracted from yellow onion skins was further tested through fluorescence quenching measurements. The results obtained demonstrate a considerable binding potency with a binding value of 106 and also the presence of one single or one class of binding site during the interaction process of flavonoids with peptides, in which the main forces involved are hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions. In the freeze-drying microencapsulation process, an efficiency for total flavonoids of 88.68 ± 2.37% was obtained, considering the total flavonoids and total polyphenols from the powder of 75.72 ± 2.58 quercetin equivalents/g dry weight (DW) and 97.32 ± 2.80 gallic acid equivalents/g DW, respectively. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) test on the L929 cell line cultivated in the presence of different concentrations of microencapsulated samples (0.05-1.5 mg/mL) proved no sign of cytotoxicity, the cell viability being over 80% for all the samples.

Microencapsulation of Red Grape Juice by Freeze Drying and Application in Jelly Formulation.

The aim of this work is to obtain new food products enriched with bioactive compounds from concentrated grape juice microencapsulated by freeze drying using a whey protein isolate-chitosan system. The obtained powder showed an encapsulation efficiency of (86.1±4.0) %, with an anthocyanin mass fraction (expressed as cyanidin-3-O-glucoside equivalent) of (1.4±0.2) mg/g, while the total polyphenolic (expressed as gallic acid equivalents) and flavonoid (expressed as catechin equivalents) mass fractions were (3.3±0.6) and (1.6±0.5) mg/g, respectively. The confocal laser microscopy revealed the presence of the flavonoid pigments wrapped inside the matrix, whereas the anthocyanins were grouped into large and compact clusters. The microencapsulated powder was used for jelly formulation. The new food formulations have a satisfactory anthocyanin mass fraction ranging from (0.03±0.01) to (0.12±0.02) mg/g, while no significant differences were observed in flavonoid content. All the value-added jelly showed appreciable antioxidant activity. The in vitro digestibility results confirm a slow release of anthocyanins from the food matrices during simulated gastric digestion and a significant release of the bioactive compounds into the gut. The addition of microencapsulated powder caused a significant decrease in firmness, cohesiveness and springiness, leading to the destabilization of the gel structure, while reducing the attraction forces between the matrix components. The sensorial analysis indicated that the panellists preferred the sample with grape juice the most.

Cross-Linked Microencapsulation of CO2 Supercritical Extracted Oleoresins from Sea Buckthorn: Evidence of Targeted Functionality and Stability.

Oleoresin supercritical extracts from sea buckthorn were microencapsulated in whey proteins isolate and casein, in two states: native (N) and cross-linked mediated by transglutaminase (TG). The encapsulation efficiency showed values higher than 92% for total carotenoids and lycopene. Phytochemicals content was 352.90 ± 1.02 mg/g dry weight (DW) for total carotenoids in TG and 302.98 ± 2.30 mg/g DW in N, with antioxidant activity of 703.13 ± 23.60 mMol Trolox/g DW and 608.74 ± 7.12 mMol Trolox/g DW, respectively. Both powders had an inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase, of about 40% for N and 35% for TG. The presence of spherosomes was highlighted, with sizes ranging between 15.23-73.41 µm and an agglutination tendency in N, and lower sizes, up to 35 µm in TG. The in vitro digestibility revealed a prolonged release in an intestinal environment, up to 65% for TG. Moisture sorption isotherms were studied at 20 °C and the shape of curves corresponds to sigmoidal type II model. The presence of cross-linked mediated aggregates in TG powders improved stability and flowability. Our results can be used as evidence that cross-linked aggregates mediated by transglutaminase applied for microencapsulation of oleoresins have the potential to become new delivery systems, for carotenoids and lycopene, being valuable in terms of their attractive color and biological and bioaccessibility properties.