Effect of Sunlight Exposure on Anthocyanin and Non-Anthocyanin Phenolic Levels in Pomegranate Juices by High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Approach.

Quali-quantitative analyses of anthocyanins and non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds performed with the use of liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry, were evaluated in juice of pomegranate fruits ('Dente di Cavallo'), in relation to different light exposures (North, South, West and East). A total of 16 compounds were identified, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, hydrolysable tannins, and anthocyanins, known for their health-promoting effects. Striking differences were observed about the total phenolic content, which was high in juices from fruits with east- and north-facing position, while it was lower in juices facing south. The greatest contents of total flavonoids and anthocyanins were recorded in fruit juices with southern exposure; however, there are no great differences in the content in phenolic acids. Tannins were mainly synthesized in fruit juices with West exposure. The results showed that the position within the tree had no significant effects on color juice, however, it significantly (p < 0.05) affected data on fruit weight, soluble sugars and juice yield. Remarkable synergies existed among polyphenols and phytochemicals in pomegranate juice, but collecting fruits with different solar exposure could enhance different health benefits, i.e., the juices with higher polyphenols content could have more anticancer effect or those with higher tannins content could have more antimicrobial effect.

Improvement of Fatty Acid Profile in Durum Wheat Breads Supplemented with Portulaca oleracea L. Quality Traits of Purslane-Fortified Bread.

The addition of functional ingredients to breads could have effects on preventing cardiovascular diseases, cancers and inflammation. The incorporation of 0-5-10-15% of three populations of dried purslane flour on the rheological, sensorial and nutritional quality of fortified durum wheat breads were evaluated. The increase in dried purslane (up to 15%) caused an increase in the resistance to the mixture and a consequent reduction in its extensibility. The "panel test" gave a largely positive evaluation in 10% of enrichment. The fatty acids in breads resulted higher with the 5% substitution. Contrary to what has been imagined, the increase in percentage of substitution to 10 and 15% did not lead to an increase in linoleic (omega-3) and α-linolenic (omega-6) acid and probably the cause is in the cooking. The total phenols content and the antioxidant potential, evaluated by ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) and 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays of the enriched breads increased with the percentage of the dry purslane substitution. The enrichment of the durum wheat flour with 5% purslane resulted in a good compromise to obtain good rheological characteristics of loaves and breads with decreased omega-6/omega-3 ratio and good antioxidant properties.

Antioxidant activity and fatty acids quantification in Sicilian purslane germplasm.

Portulaca oleracea is an annual succulent herb in the family Portulacaceae. It is a nutritious vegetable with high antioxidant properties and, it is among the richest plant source of ω-3 fatty acids, as well as a rich source of ω-6 fatty acids, ascorbic acid, tocopherols and beta-carotene. In the present study, three purslane populations under different Mediterranean environmental conditions for two years, for future valorization as novel food sources of omega-3 fatty acids, were evaluated. In particular, biomorphological characteristics, total phenols and fatty acids content were determined. The antioxidant activities were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. The population "Cas" appears to have higher antioxidant activity than the other two populations ("Cal" and "S. Ven").The saturated fatty acid content is influenced only by the year of collection, while the polyunsaturated fatty acid by the populations. The most abundant unsatured fatty acids are linoleic and linolenic acids and "Cas" attained the highest contents.

Antioxidant activity and phenolic composition in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes from south Italy by UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS approach.

BACKGROUND: Pomegranate fruits are a rich source of polyphenols with numerous health-promoting effects. Pomegranate juices of five genotypes ('Mollar', 'Kingdom', 'Dente di Cavallo', and two old populations 'Francofonte' and 'Santa Tecla') were evaluated regarding anthocyanin and non-anthocyanin phenolic contents using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-Orbitrap-mass spectrometry (MS). Moreover, total antioxidant activity (TAA) was evaluated using a 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) assay. RESULTS: Twenty-three phenolic compounds were identified. Cyanidin-3,5-O-diglucoside and pelargonidin-3,5-O-diglucoside were the most representative anthocyanins in all genotypes; the Santa Tecla population had the highest content of these anthocyanins, 97.64 mg L-1 and 40.29 mg L-1 respectively. In the Francofonte population, ferulic acid hexoside was the most abundant compound (391.18 mg L-1 ). TAA values ranged between 221.5 and 36.73 µmol Trolox equivalents/100 mL of juice. A high TAA value was recorded for the Santa Tecla pomegranate population. CONCLUSION: The UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS approach was employed for the first time to identify the phenolic compound profiling in five pomegranate genotypes. TAA was analysed using an ABTS assay, and the results showed a significant variability in nutraceutical potential of the pomegranate genotypes studied. The inclusion of phenolic information in the linear discriminant analysis allowed very good discriminations among genotypes to be obtained. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.