Separation and Purification of Hydroxyl-α-Sanshool from Zanthoxylum armatum DC. by Silica Gel Column Chromatography.

Hydroxyl-α-sanshool is the main alkylamide produced by Zanthoxylum armatum DC., and it is responsible for numbness after consuming Z. armatum-flavored dishes or food products. The present study deals with the isolation, enrichment, and purification of hydroxyl-α-sanshool. The results indicated that the powder of Z. armatum was extracted with 70% ethanol and then filtrated; the supernatant was concentrated to get pasty residue. Petroleum ether (60-90 °C) and ethyl acetate at a 3:2 ratio, with an Rf value of 0.23, were chosen as the eluent. Petroleum ether extract (PEE) and ethyl acetate-petroleum ether extract (E-PEE) were used as the suitable enriched method. Afterward, the PEE and E-PEE were loaded onto silica gel for silica gel column chromatography. Preliminary identification was carried out by TLC and UV. The fractions containing mainly hydroxyl-α-sanshool were pooled and dried by rotary evaporation. Lastly, all of the samples were determined by HPLC. The yield and recovery rates of hydroxyl-α-sanshool in the p-E-PEE were 12.42% and 121.65%, respectively, and the purity was 98.34%. Additionally, compared with E-PEE, the purity of hydroxyl-α-sanshool in the purification of E-PEE (p-E-PEE) increased by 88.30%. In summary, this study provides a simple, rapid, economical, and effective approach to the separation of high-purity hydroxyl-α-sanshool.

The Composition and Anti-Aging Activities of Polyphenol Extract from Phyllanthus emblica L. Fruit.

Phyllanthus emblica L. (PE) is commonly known as a medicine and food homologous plant, which is abundant in natural products polyphenols. In the present study, polyphenols were extracted from PE fruit by response surface method, and the anti-aging ability was determined. PE fruit polyphenols exhibited strong antioxidant capacities in scavenging free radicals, and anti-cholinesterase ability by inhibition of AChE (IC50 0.2186 ± 0.0416 mg/mL) and BuChE (IC50 0.0542 ± 0.0054 mg/mL) in vitro. Moreover, PE fruit polyphenols showed strong protective effect against the aging process in Caenorhabditis elegans model, including increased thermal resistance, extended lifespan by 18.53% (p < 0.05), reduced activity of AChE by 34.71% and BuChE by 45.38% (p < 0.01). This was accompanied by the enhancement in antioxidant enzymes activity of SOD by 30.74% (p < 0.05) and CAT by 8.42% (p > 0.05), while decrease in MDA level by 36.25% (p < 0.05). These properties might be interrelated with the presence of abundant flavonols and phenolic acids identified by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS, such as quercetin, myricetin, ellagic, gallic, and chlorogenic acids, together with their glycosides. The remarkable antioxidant and anti-aging potential of PE fruit polyphenols could be implemented in the food and pharmaceutical industry.

Potential implications of polyphenols on aging considering oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy, and gut microbiota.

Naturally occurring compounds polyphenols are secondary metabolites of plants, comprised several categories, namely, flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans and stilbenes. The biological aging process is driven by a series of interrelated mechanisms, including oxidative stress, inflammation status, and autophagy function, through diverse signaling pathways. Moreover, the crucial role of gut microbiota in regulating aging and health status was widely demonstrated. In recent years, the potential anti-aging benefits of polyphenols have been gaining increasing scientific interest due to their capability to modulate oxidative damage, inflammation, autophagy, and gut microbiota. This review highlights the influence of polyphenols in preventing aging disorders and augmenting lifespan based on the influence of oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy, and gut microbiota, and encourages research on novel polyphenol-based strategies and clinical trials to develop a nutrition-oriented holistic anti-aging therapy.

Identification of two bitter components in Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. and exploration of their bitter taste mechanism through receptor hTAS2R14.

Bitterness is an inherent organoleptic characteristic affecting the flavor of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. In this study, the vital bitter components of Z. bungeanum were concentrated through solvent extraction, sensory analysis, silica gel chromatography, and thin-layer chromatographic techniques and subsequently identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Two components with the highest bitterness intensities (BIs), such as 7-methoxycoumarin and 8-prenylkaempferol were selected. The bitter taste perceived thresholds of 7-methoxycoumarin and 8-prenylkaempferol were 0.062 mmol/L and 0.022 mmol/L, respectively. Moreover, the correlation between the contents of the two bitter components and the BIs of Z. bungeanum were proved. The results of siRNA and flow cytometry showed that 7-methoxycoumarin and 8-prenylkaempferol could activate the bitter receptor hTAS2R14. The results concluded that 7-methoxycoumarin and 8-prenylkaempferol contribute to the bitter taste of Z. bungeanum.

Oil extraction from tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) using the combination of microwave-ultrasonic assisted aqueous enzymatic method - design, optimization and quality evaluation.

Microwave-ultrasonic assisted aqueous enzymatic extraction (MUAAEE) was applied to extract tiger nut oil (TNO). The conditions of MUAAEE were optimized by Plackett-Burman design followed Box-Behnken design. An oil recovery of 85.23% was achieved under optimum conditions of a 2% concentration of mixed enzyme including cellulase, pectinase and hemicellulase (1/1/1, w/w/w), particle size <600 µm, microwave power 300 W, ultrasonic power 460 W, radiation temperature 40 °C, time 30 min, enzymolysis temperature 45 °C, pH 4.9, liquid-to-solid ratio 10 mL/g and time 180 min. Oil by MUAAEE revealed the similar fatty acid compositions, triglyceride compositions, thermal behaviour and flavour compared with oil by Soxhlet extraction (SE), while the oil quality of MUAAEE is superior to that of SE. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that structural disruption of tiger nut caused by MUAAEE facilitated the oil extraction. Results suggest that MUAAEE could be an efficient and environment-friendly method for extraction of TNO.

A method for extracting oil from cherry seed by ultrasonic-microwave assisted aqueous enzymatic process and evaluation of its quality.

In order to increase the utilization of cherry seeds, ultrasonic-microwave assisted aqueous enzymatic extraction (UMAAEE) was used to extract cherry seed oil. Parameters of UMAAEE were optimized by Plackett-Burman design followed by Box-Behnken design. The oil recovery of 83.85 ± 0.78% was obtained under optimum extraction conditions of a 2.7% concentration of enzyme cocktail comprising cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase (1/1/1, w/w/w), ultrasonic power of 560 W, microwave power of 323 W, extraction time of 38 min, extraction temperature of 40 °C, enzymolysis temperature of 40 °C, pH of 3.5, liquid to solid ratio of 12 mL/g, enzymolysis time of 240 min and particle size less than 0.425 mm. There were no significant differences in the fatty acid compositions of cheery seed oil by UMAAEE and Soxhlet extraction, and oil by UMAAEE possessed superior physicochemical properties and higher content of bioactive constituents. Scanning electron microscopy illustrated that enzyme hydrolysis and ultrasonic-microwave treatment causing the structural degradation of cherry seed was the main driving force for extraction. In this study, all results suggest that UMAAEE is an effective method to extract cherry seed oil.