Influence of industrial blanching, cutting, and freezing treatments on in vitro gastrointestinal digestion stability of orange (Citrus sinensis L.) and lemon (Citrus limon L.) peel polyphenols.

BACKGROUND: Citrus peels, which are often discarded as waste in the food-processing industry, are rich sources of polyphenols. The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of an industrial freezing process along with blanching and cutting pretreatments on the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion stability of orange (Citrus sinensis L.) and lemon (Citrus limon L.) peel polyphenols. The major polyphenols were identified and quantified with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA), respectively. RESULTS: The results revealed that hesperidin and chlorogenic acid were the predominant flavonoid and phenolic acids in orange peels whereas, for lemon peels, eriocitrin and caffeic acid were the dominant flavonoid and phenolic acids, respectively. Blanching pretreatment enhanced the levels of major flavonoids in orange and lemon peels (by 39-82% and 54-146%, respectively) (P < 0.05) after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. On the other hand, the application of cutting treatment after blanching significantly reduced the levels of flavonoids (23-62%) (P < 0.05); however, there was no statistically significant difference between the phenolic acid levels of cut and uncut citrus peels. Overall, the bioaccessibility of individual flavonoids and phenolic acids from frozen orange peels was generally slightly lower than that of untreated peels (9-34% and 9-49%, respectively). Nevertheless, frozen lemon peels contained higher bioaccessible flavonoids and phenolic acids in comparison with untreated peels (40-172% and 32-98%, respectively). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that industrial freezing steps could largely preserve the bioaccessibility of polyphenols in orange and lemon peels. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Valorization of Pineapple (Ananas comosus) By-Products in Milk Coffee Beverage: Influence on Bioaccessibility of Phenolic Compounds.

The industrial processing of pineapples generates a substantial quantity of by-products, including shell, crown, and core. Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme found naturally in pineapple, including its by-products, may positively influence the bioaccessibility of phenolics from milk coffee. Therefore, this study aimed to assess how the inclusion of extracts from pineapple by-products, namely shell, crown and core, could impact the bioaccessibility of coffee phenolics when combined with milk. After measuring the proteolytic activity of pineapple by-products, the standardized in vitro digestion model of INFOGEST was employed to evaluate changes in total phenolic content, total antioxidant capacity, and individual phenolic compounds in different coffee formulations. The results showed that incorporating extracts from the crown or core in both black and milk coffee increased the bioaccessibility of total phenolics (from 93 to 114% to 105-129%) and antioxidants (from 54 to 56% to 84-87%), while this effect was not observed for the shell. Moreover, adding core extracts also enhanced the bioaccessibility of caffeoylquinic acids and gallic acid in milk coffee (from 0.72 to 0.85% and 109-155%, respectively). Overall, the findings of this study highlight that bromelain from pineapple core may have a favorable effect on the recovery of phenolic compounds in milk coffee, possibly due to its ability to cleave proteins. These outcomes point out that industrial by-products can be transformed into economic value by being reintroduced into the production process through suitable treatment instead of disposal.

Oil matrix modulates the bioaccessibility of polyphenols: a study of salad dressing formulation with industrial broccoli by-products and lemon juice.

BACKGROUND: The potential health-promoting effects of polyphenols depend considerably on their bioaccessibility, which is affected by the presence of other nutrients in the diet, including lipids. In this study, several salad dressing formulations were prepared using industrial broccoli by-product powder (BBP), lemon juice (LJ), and three different sources of oils (olive oil, hazelnut oil and sunflower oil) to both valorize polyphenol-rich industrial discards and also to investigate polyphenol bioaccessibility. The changes in the bioaccessibility of polyphenols from BBP and LJ were determined using the standardized in vitro digestion model. RESULTS: Four groups of polyphenols (hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, flavones, and flavonones) were detected in BBP and LJ. The bioaccessibility of hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonols from BBP increased significantly in the presence of LJ and oils (0.3- to 5.8-fold), whereas there was no significant difference between formulations containing different oil types. On the other hand, the bioaccessibility of phenolic acids from LJ did not change notably after co-ingestion with BBP and oils, whereas flavonoids, including vicenin-2 and hesperidin, were found to be significantly more bioaccessible when LJ was co-ingested with BBP and oils (0.8- to 1.4-fold) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Overall, the current study highlighted that the bioaccessibility of polyphenols from BBP and LJ was modulated in the presence of an oil matrix. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Phytotherapy and food applications from Brassica genus.

Plants of the genus Brassica occupy the top place among vegetables in the world. This genus, which contains a group of six related species of a global economic significance, three of which are diploid: Brassica nigra (L.) K. Koch, Brassica oleracea L., and Brassica rapa L. and three are amphidiploid species: Brassica carinata A. Braun, Brassica juncea (L.) Czern., and Brassica napus L. These varieties are divided into oily, fodder, spice, and vegetable based on their morphological structure, chemical composition, and usefulness of plant organs. The present review provides information about habitat, phytochemical composition, and the bioactive potential of Brassica plants, mainly antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer activities, and clinical studies in human. Brassica vegetables are of great economic importance around the world. At present, Brassica plants are grown together with cereals and form the basis of global food supplies. They are distinguished by high nutritional properties from other vegetable plants, such as low fat and protein content and high value of vitamins, fibers along with minerals. In addition, they possess several phenolic compounds and have a unique type of compounds namely glucosinolates that differentiate these crops from other vegetables. These compounds are also responsible for numerous biological activities to the genus Brassica as described in this review.

Industrial freezing effects on the content and bioaccessibility of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) polyphenols.

BACKGROUND: Spinach is well recognized as a functional food owing to its diverse nutritional composition, including polyphenols. Freezing is an efficient preservation method that is used to maintain the physical and nutritional characteristics and extend the shelf life of spinach. The aim of this study was to determine the changes in polyphenols in the samples taken from various production steps of the industrial freezing process of spinach, and to evaluate the bioaccessibility of these bioactive compounds for raw material, by-product, and frozen product using the standardized in vitro digestion model simulating the digestion in the mouth, stomach, and intestine. RESULTS: Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with photodiode array detection analysis of spinach samples led to the identification of eight flavonoids and two phenolic acids. The changes occurring in flavonoids after blanching, chopping, and freezing steps were statistically not significant compared with the raw material (P > 0.05). On the other hand, by-product was found to contain significantly lower amounts of flavonoids (98% in total) and phenolic acids (90% in total) (P < 0.05) compared with the raw material. Furthermore, after in vitro digestion, frozen spinach was found to contain higher amounts of bioaccessible flavonoids (15% in total) and phenolic acids (16% in total) compared with fresh spinach. CONCLUSION: Overall, the current study highlighted that industrial freezing might be a good strategy to preserve the polyphenol content of fresh spinach as well as to enhance the total amount of bioaccessible polyphenols.

Cucurbits Plants: A Key Emphasis to Its Pharmacological Potential.

Cucurbita genus has received a renowned interest in the last years. This plant species, native to the Americas, has served worldwide folk medicine for treating gastrointestinal diseases and intestinal parasites, among other clinical conditions. These pharmacological effects have been increasingly correlated with their nutritional and phytochemical composition. Among those chemical constituents, carotenoids, tocopherols, phenols, terpenoids, saponins, sterols, fatty acids, and functional carbohydrates and polysaccharides are those occurring in higher abundance. However, more recently, a huge interest in a class of triterpenoids, cucurbitacins, has been stated, given its renowned biological attributes. In this sense, the present review aims to provide a detailed overview to the folk medicinal uses of Cucurbita plants, and even an in-depth insight on the latest advances with regards to its antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer effects. A special emphasis was also given to its clinical effectiveness in humans, specifically in blood glucose levels control in diabetic patients and pharmacotherapeutic effects in low urinary tract diseases.

A Review on the Effect of Drying on Antioxidant Potential of Fruits and Vegetables.

The role of antioxidants in human nutrition has gained increased interest, especially due to their associated health beneficial effects for a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer. Fruits and vegetables are perishable and difficult to preserve as fresh products. Dried fruits and vegetables can be easily stored, transported at relatively low cost, have reduced packing costs, and their low water content delays microbial spoilage. Air-, freeze-, microwave- and sun-drying are among the most thoroughly studied drying methods. This review provides an overview of recent findings on the effects of different drying techniques on major antioxidants of fruits and vegetables. In particular, changes in ascorbic acid, carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, total phenolics, and antioxidant activity are discussed in detail.

Potential Use of Turkish Medicinal Plants in the Treatment of Various Diseases.

Medicinal plants are sources of health-promoting substances, including phytochemicals and phytoalexins that comprise polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamins A, C, E and several other constituents. Many studies have indicated that medicinal plants have been used to treat human diseases for thousands of years owing to their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Medicinal plants reduce the oxidative stress in cells and prevent cancer, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative and digestive system disorders. These potential beneficial effects have been attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds that show antioxidant properties by acting as free radical scavengers or metal chelators, reducing the reactions that produce reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). Considering the importance of medicinal plants in terms of their beneficial health effects, some of the medicinally important plants grown in Turkey are covered in this review with respect to their antioxidant potential and phytochemical profile.

Anthocyanin Absorption and Metabolism by Human Intestinal Caco-2 Cells--A Review.

Anthocyanins from different plant sources have been shown to possess health beneficial effects against a number of chronic diseases. To obtain any influence in a specific tissue or organ, these bioactive compounds must be bioavailable, i.e., effectively absorbed from the gut into the circulation and transferred to the appropriate location within the body while still maintaining their bioactivity. One of the key factors affecting the bioavailability of anthocyanins is their transport through the gut epithelium. The Caco-2 cell line, a human intestinal epithelial cell model derived from a colon carcinoma, has been proven to be a good alternative to animal studies for predicting intestinal absorption of anthocyanins. Studies investigating anthocyanin absorption by Caco-2 cells report very low absorption of these compounds. However, the bioavailability of anthocyanins may be underestimated since the metabolites formed in the course of digestion could be responsible for the health benefits associated with anthocyanins. In this review, we critically discuss recent findings reported on the anthocyanin absorption and metabolism by human intestinal Caco-2 cells.

Home processing of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum): effects on in vitro bioaccessibility of total lycopene, phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity.

BACKGROUND: In order to investigate the effect of home processing on the bioaccessibility of health-related constituents of tomatoes, total lycopene, phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity were determined from seven different tomato products using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model. Additionally, the changes in the contents of the major tomato phenolics were determined and compared for these different tomato products using HPLC. RESULTS: The results revealed that paste processing and drying significantly increased the bioaccessible total lycopene content (2.2- and 3.8-fold, respectively), total phenolic content (2.3- and 2.0-fold, respectively), total flavonoid content (9.0- and 2.5-fold, respectively) and total antioxidant capacity (6.3- and 8.0-fold for the DPPH assay, 26- and 33-fold for the CUPRAC assay, respectively) (P < 0.05) compared to fresh tomatoes. HPLC analysis revealed significantly lower (P < 0.05) rutin content in puree and juice. The loss of naringenin chalcone in some tomato products, as well as its conversion into naringenin in heat-treated products was observed. CONCLUSION: The current study provided valuable insights into the changes in the content and bioaccessibility of tomato antioxidants as a result of home processing.

Bioaccessibility of Carotenoids and Polyphenols in Organic Butternut Squash (Cucurbita moschata): Impact of Industrial Freezing Process.

Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) is recognized as a functional food due to its abundant content of health-promoting compounds, including carotenoids and polyphenols. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of industrial freezing stages on the bioaccessibility of carotenoids and polyphenols in organic Butternut squash supplied for baby food. Identification and quantification of bioactive compounds were carried out using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS and HPLC-PDA, respectively. The results revealed that industrial freezing of squash did not cause a significant change in bioaccessibility of α- and ß-carotene. On the other hand, frozen squash was found to contain higher levels of bioaccessible epicatechin (main flavonoid) (117.5 mg/kg) and syringic acid (main phenolic acid) (32.0 mg/kg) compared to fresh internal fruit. Moreover, the levels of bioaccessible epicatechin and syringic acid were found to be the highest in discarded pomace and seed sample (454.0 and 132.4 mg/kg, respectively). Overall, this study emphasized that industrial freezing could be an effective strategy for preserving carotenoid bioaccessibility in organic Butternut squash, while also enhancing the levels of bioaccessible polyphenols. In addition, we also demonstrated that pomace and seed, which are discarded as waste, have significant potential to be utilized as a food source rich in bioactive compounds.

Implementation of relevant fourth industrial revolution innovations across the supply chain of fruits and vegetables: A short update on Traceability 4.0.

Food Traceability 4.0 refers to the application of fourth industrial revolution (or Industry 4.0) technologies to ensure food authenticity, safety, and high food quality. Growing interest in food traceability has led to the development of a wide range of chemical, biomolecular, isotopic, chromatographic, and spectroscopic methods with varied performance and success rates. This review will give an update on the application of Traceability 4.0 in the fruits and vegetables sector, focusing on relevant Industry 4.0 enablers, especially Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and Big Data. The results show that the Traceability 4.0 has significant potential to improve quality and safety of many fruits and vegetables, enhance transparency, reduce the costs of food recalls, and decrease waste and loss. However, due to their high implementation costs and lack of adaptability to industrial environments, most of these advanced technologies have not yet gone beyond the laboratory scale. Therefore, further research is anticipated to overcome current limitations for large-scale applications.

Bioaccessibility of terebinth (Pistacia terebinthus L.) coffee polyphenols: Influence of milk, sugar and sweetener addition.

In this study, terebinth coffee formulations were prepared with whole or skimmed milk with or without sugar/sweetener in order to study the matrix effect on the bioaccessibility of terebinth polyphenols. Quercetin glycosides and catechin were the major flavonoids identified in the terebinth formulations, whereas gallic, protocatechuic, syringic and ellagic acids were determined as the non-flavonoid compounds. The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model results revealed that addition of whole milk to terebinth coffee increased the total bioaccessible flavonoids significantly (45%) (p < 0.05), whereas skim milk addition did not result in any significant change. Furthermore, antioxidant capacity results measured with CUPRAC assay showed that addition of milk alone or together with sugar/sweetener increases the bioaccessibility of terebinth coffee antioxidants (36-70%) (p < 0.05). Overall, terebinth coffee + whole milk + sugar formulation was found to contain the highest amount of bioaccessible flavonoid and non-flavonoid compounds (42.71-47.07 mg/100 g).

Therapeutic applications of curcumin nanomedicine formulations in cystic fibrosis.

Medicinal applications of turmeric-derived curcumin have been known to mankind for long ages. Its potential in managing "cystic fibrosis" has also been evaluated. This autosomal recessive genetic disease is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) which involves an impaired secretion of chloride ions and leads to hypersecretion of thick and sticky mucus and serious complications including airway obstruction, chronic lung infection, and inflammatory reactions. This narrative review aims to highlight the available evidence for the efficacy of curcumin nanoformulations in its potential treatment of cystic fibrosis. Recent research has shown that curcumin acts on the localized mutant CFTR ion channel at the plasma membrane. Preclinical studies have also shown that curcumin nanoformulations have promising effects in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. In this context, the purpose of this narrative review is to highlight the general bioactivity of curcumin, the types of formulations and related studies, thus opening new therapeutic perspectives for CF.

Novel Approaches for the Recovery of Natural Pigments with Potential Health Effects.

The current increased industrial food production has led to a significant rise in the amount of food waste generated. These food wastes, especially fruit and vegetable byproducts, are good sources of natural pigments, such as anthocyanins, betalains, carotenoids, and chlorophylls, with both coloring and health-related properties. Therefore, recovery of natural pigments from food wastes is important for both economic and environmental reasons. Conventional methods that are used to extract natural pigments from food wastes are time-consuming, expensive, and unsustainable. In addition, natural pigments are sensitive to high temperatures and prolonged processing times that are applied during conventional treatments. In this sense, the present review provides an elucidation of the latest research on the extraction of pigments from the agri-food industry and how their consumption may improve human health.

Recent advances in the therapeutic potential of emodin for human health.

Emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone) is a bioactive compound, a natural anthraquinone aglycone, present mainly in herbaceous species of the families Fabaceae, Polygonaceae and Rhamnaceae, with a physiological role in protection against abiotic stress in vegetative tissues. Emodin is mainly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat sore throats, carbuncles, sores, blood stasis, and damp-heat jaundice. Pharmacological research in the last decade has revealed other potential therapeutic applications such as anticancer, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. The present study aimed to summarize recent studies on bioavailability, preclinical pharmacological effects with evidence of molecular mechanisms, clinical trials and clinical pitfalls, respectively the therapeutic limitations of emodin. For this purpose, extensive searches were performed using the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Google scholar, TRIP database, Springer link, Wiley and SciFinder databases as a search engines. The in vitro and in vivo studies included in this updated review highlighted the signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms of emodin. Because its bioavailability is low, there are limitations in clinical therapeutic use. In conclusion, for an increase in pharmacotherapeutic efficacy, future studies with carrier molecules to the target, thus opening up new therapeutic perspectives.

Data sharing in PredRet for accurate prediction of retention time: Application to plant food bioactive compounds.

Prediction of retention times (RTs) is increasingly considered in untargeted metabolomics to complement MS/MS matching for annotation of unidentified peaks. We tested the performance of PredRet (http://predret.org/) to predict RTs for plant food bioactive metabolites in a data sharing initiative containing entry sets of 29-103 compounds (totalling 467 compounds, >30 families) across 24 chromatographic systems (CSs). Between 27 and 667 predictions were obtained with a median prediction error of 0.03-0.76 min and interval width of 0.33-8.78 min. An external validation test of eight CSs showed high prediction accuracy. RT prediction was dependent on shape and type of LC gradient, and number of commonly measured compounds. Our study highlights PredRet's accuracy and ability to transpose RT data acquired from one CS to another CS. We recommend extensive RT data sharing in PredRet by the community interested in plant food bioactive metabolites to achieve a powerful community-driven open-access tool for metabolomics annotation.

Co-Ingestion of Black Carrot and Strawberry. Effects on Anthocyanin Stability, Bioaccessibility and Uptake.

Although the fate of anthocyanins along digestion has been a matter of research over the last decade, their bioaccessibility so far has been mainly assessed for single administered fruits or vegetables, which is far from the real scenario where they are co-ingested in a meal. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of simultaneous intake of fruit and vegetable on in vitro stability, bioaccessibility and uptake of anthocyanins. Black carrot and strawberry were used as food sources of anthocyanins. Anthocyanin identification and quantification were performed using HPLC-Qtof/HPLC-UV. Single matrices and mixtures thereof, were submitted to a standardized in vitro digestion procedure. Anthocyanin uptake was evaluated through an intestinal Caco-2 cell model. Our results showed an increased intestinal stability for specific anthocyanins as a consequence of co-digestion. The presence of the strawberry food matrix positively affected the bioaccessibility of the carrot associated cyanidin-based anthocyanins, whereas no reciprocal effect was observed for pelargonidin-based derivatives in the presence of the black carrot food matrix. Anthocyanin transport was maintained after co-administration. Overall, co-ingestion of black carrot and strawberry did not negatively affect the stability, bioaccessibility or uptake of cyanidin-based anthocyanins, although the effect on pelargonidin-based anthocyanins depended on the type of pelargonidin derivative.

Pharmacological Activities of Psoralidin: A Comprehensive Review of the Molecular Mechanisms of Action.

Analysis of the most relevant studies on the pharmacological properties and molecular mechanisms of psoralidin, a bioactive compound from the seeds of Cullen corylifolium (L.) Medik. confirmed its complex therapeutic potential. In the last years, the interest of the scientific community regarding psoralidin increased, especially after the discovery of its benefits in estrogen-related diseases and as a chemopreventive agent. Growing preclinical pieces of evidence indicate that psoralidin has anticancer, antiosteoporotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-vitiligo, antibacterial, antiviral, and antidepressant-like effects. Here, we provide a comprehensive and critical review of psoralidin on its bioavailability, pharmacological activities with focus on molecular mechanisms and cell signaling pathways. In this review, we conducted literature research on the PubMed database using the following keywords: "Psoralidin" or "therapeutic effects" or "biological activity" or "Cullen corylifolium" in order to identify relevant studies regarding PSO bioavailability and mechanisms of therapeutic effects in different diseases based on preclinical, experimental studies. In the light of psoralidin beneficial actions for human health, this paper gathers complete information on its pharmacotherapeutic effects and opens new natural therapeutic perspectives in chronic diseases.

Authenticity and traceability in beverages.

Nowadays, consumers expect to be sure that a food product complies with its label and demand further information regarding the geographical origin of the product. Beverages are among the most likely foods to be the target of food fraud. Adulteration through practices including, among the others, mixing or substituting the original material with other materials or useless parts of the same materials, which do not conform to the official standards and the food label, originate non-authentic beverages. For the determination of beverage authenticity, chemical, biomolecular and isotopic approaches could be applied depending on the level in the structure of the matter for obtaining the target information. This review highlights the recent key studies and related analytical approaches on authentication of beverages including fruit juices, coffee and tea, and wine and other alcoholic beverages.