Alpha-amylase, α-glucosidase and lipase inhibiting activities of polyphenol-rich extracts from six common bean cultivars of Southern Italy, before and after cooking.

Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are a good source of nutrients and phenolic compounds with versatile health benefits. Polyphenol-rich extracts of six ecotypes of P. vulgaris were analysed to determine their phenolic profiles and assayed in vitro for inhibitory effects on digestive enzymes relevant to carbohydrates and lipids metabolism. The extracts inhibited enzyme activities in a dose-dependent manner. IC 50 values ranged from 69 ± 1.9 to 126 ± 3.2 µg/mL and from 107.01 ± 4.5 to 184.20 ± 5.7 µg/mL, before and after cooking, for α-amylase, from 39.3 ± 4.4 to 74.13 ± 6.9 µg/mL and from 51 ± 7.7 to 122.1 ± 5.2 µg/mL for α-glucosidase and from 63.11 ± 7.5 to 103.2 ± 5.9 µg/mL and from 92.0 ± 6.3 to 128.5 ± 7.4 µg/mL for lipase. Results suggest encouraging their consumption, being natural sources of enzyme inhibitors important for type-2 diabetes and obesity prevention/control. Well-monitored in vivo studies would help to establish their beneficial effects, making them worthwhile of further consideration as functional foods.

Biodegradable Mulching Film vs. Traditional Polyethylene: Effects on Yield and Quality of San Marzano Tomato Fruits.

Mulching is a common practice for improving crop yield and obtaining an out-of-season production, but when made using plastic materials it can bring environmental problems due to the management and the disposal of films at the end of the cropping seasons. To increase the sustainability of this practice, recently, mulching films made with biodegradable organic materials have become more widely used. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of a biodegradable mulching film on yield and qualitative traits of the San Marzano tomato fruits over two years (2014 and 2015). Two different types of mulching were tested: (i) black biodegradable film (MB12) and (ii) black low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were compared to bare soil (BS). Both mulching films elicited a 25% increase in yield, mainly due to the significantly higher number of fruits per square meter, compared to BS. Both mulching films also elicited a 9.9% increase in total soluble solids and a 57% increase in carotenoid content, while firmness showed the highest value in BS fruits. MB12 determined the highest value of the Hunter color ratio a/b of tomato fruits, followed by LDPE, while the lowest value was recorded in BS fruits. Both mulching films elicited an increase of 9.6%, 26.0%, and 11.7% for flavonoids, polyphenols, and AsA, respectively. In 2014, the MB12 degradation started at 71 days after transplant (DAT); in 2015, at 104 DAT. Therefore, replacing polyethylene with biodegradable film would seem to be an agronomically efficient and environmentally sustainable practice.

Biochemical Characterization of Some Varieties of Apricot Present in the Vesuvius Area, Southern Italy.

The witnesses of the millenary history of Campania felix in southern Italy highlighted that several fruit and vegetables cultivated in such territory could potentially be a treasure trove of important health elements. Our work evaluated the content of ß-carotene, ascorbic acid, and total phenolics and the antioxidant activity of ten typical varieties of apricots cultivated in the Vesuvius area in the Campania region. The total polyphenols varied between 10.24 and 34.04 mg/100 g of a fresh sample. The amount of ascorbic acid also varied greatly, ranging from 2.65 to 10.65 mg/100 g of a fresh product. B-Carotene reached values up to 0.522 mg/100 g of the fresh sample. The correlation analysis performed, accounting for these parameters, showed that the antioxidant activity, calculated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH assay) and azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) tests, was influenced mainly by the content of total polyphenols, with ρ = -0.762 and ρ = 0.875 when we considered DPPH and ABTS tests, respectively, slightly less by the content of ascorbic acid, and not by ß-carotene. The dendrogram clustered eight varieties into two main groups; on the other hand, two varieties ("Vitillo" and "Preveta bella") seemed hierarchically distant. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), herein performed for the first time, demonstrated the influence of the varieties on the VOC profiles, both from a qualitative and semiquantitative perspective, discriminating the varieties in different clusters, each of which was characterized by specific notes. α-Terpinolene was the only terpene identified by GC-MS that appeared to affect the antioxidant activity.

Sensory Traits and Consumer's Perceived Quality of Traditional and Modern Fresh Market Tomato Varieties: A Study in Three European Countries.

Consumer dissatisfaction with the flavor quality of many modern fresh market tomato varieties has fostered breeders' interest in sensory quality improvement, and the demand for traditional varieties, which are generally associated with better flavor. To achieve further knowledge on the factors influencing the sensory quality and consumers' preferences and perception, European traditional and modern fresh market tomato varieties were grown and evaluated in France, Italy, and Spain. Different growing conditions were tested in France (soilless vs. soil) and in Spain (open field vs. greenhouse), while in Italy fruits were evaluated at two ripening stages. Fruit quality was assessed by integrating physicochemical analyses, sensory profiles, and consumer tests. In all three countries, overall modern varieties were perceived as having more intense "tomato flavor" and "overall flavor" than traditional ones. In France and Spain, consumers' preferences were more oriented towards modern varieties than traditional ones. Significant growing condition effects were found on sensory and physicochemical traits, while the effect on consumers' overall liking was not significant, largely depending on the genotype. A fair agreement between product configurations from descriptive analysis by trained assessors and Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) questions by consumers was observed. Penalty-lift analysis based on CATA allowed identifying positive and negative drivers of liking.

Qualitative Aspects of Some of Some Traditional Landraces of the Tomato "Piennolo" (Solanum lycopersicum L.) of the Campania Region, Southern Italy.

Our study aimed to analyze some qualitative aspects of five landraces of the tomato "Piennolo," typical of the Vesuvian area, Italy, and determine the in vitro antioxidant activity. All samples showed a high °Brix value and acidity, as well as a discrete amount of reducing sugars, indicating their good quality as fresh products. They showed a high content of lycopene (up to 218 mg g-1 of fresh product) and ascorbic acid (up to 238 mg g-1 of fresh product). The content of total polyphenols was never less than 278 mg g-1 of fresh product. Hyperoside, chlorogenic and gallic acids were the most abundant polyphenols. The interrelationships between the parameters analyzed and the different landraces showed that total polyphenols could have mostly affected (r = 0.76) the antioxidant activity more than lycopene (r = -0.96). The interrelationships between the most abundant polyphenols and antioxidant activity showed that hyperoside, although the most abundant, negatively affected (r = -0.93) the antioxidant activity. Due to the high content of lycopene, ascorbic acid, and hyperoside, the five landraces of the tomato "Piennolo" could be considered promising in terms of their potential healthy characteristics.

Biochemical Characterization of Traditional Varieties of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) of the Campania Region, Southern Italy.

Bioactive compounds of different Campania native sweet pepper varieties were evaluated. Polyphenols ranged between 1.37 mmol g-1 and 3.42 mmol g-1, ß-carotene was abundant in the red variety "Cazzone" (7.05 µg g-1). Yellow and red varieties showed a content of ascorbic acid not inferior to 0.82 mg g-1, while in some green varieties the presence of ascorbic acid was almost inconsistent. Interrelationships between the parameters analyzed and the varieties showed that ascorbic acid could represent the factor mostly influencing the antioxidant activity. Polyphenol profile was different among the varieties, with a general prevalence of acidic phenols in yellow varieties and of flavonoids in red varieties. Principal Component Analysis, applied to ascorbic acid, total polyphenols and ß-carotene, revealed that two of the green varieties ("Friariello napoletano" and "Friariello Sigaretta") were well clustered and that the yellow variety "Corno di capra" showed similarity with the green varieties, in particular with "Friariello Nocerese". This was confirmed by the interrelationships applied to polyphenol composition, which let us to light on a clustering of several red and yellow varieties, and that mainly the yellow "Corno di capra" was closer to the green varieties of "Friariello".

Biochemical Characterization and Antimicrobial and Antifungal Activity of Two Endemic Varieties of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) of the Campania Region, Southern Italy.

Extracts of the bulbs of the two endemic varieties "Rosato" and "Caposele" of Allium sativum of the Campania region, Southern Italy, were analyzed. The phenolic content, ascorbic acid, allicin content, and in vitro antimicrobial and antifungal activity were determined. Ultra performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector performed polyphenol profile. The polyphenolic extracts showed antioxidant activity (EC50) lower than 120 mg. The amount of ascorbic acid and allicin in the two extracts was similar. Polyphenol extract exhibited antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and (only by the extract of Rosato) against Bacillus cereus. The extract of Caposele was more effective in inhibiting the growth of Aspergillus versicolor and Penicillum citrinum. On the other hand, the extract of Rosato was effective against Penicillium expansum.

Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of the Extracts of Twelve Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Endemic Ecotypes of Southern Italy before and after Cooking.

Beans are important dietary components with versatile health benefits. We analysed the extracts of twelve ecotypes of Phaseolus vulgaris in order to determine their phenolic profiles, antioxidant activity, and the in vitro antiproliferative activity. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (UPLC-DAD) admitted us to detect and quantify some known polyphenols, such as gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, myricetin, formononetin, caffeic acid, and kaempferol. The antioxidant activity (AA) ranged from 1.568 ± 0.041 to 66.572 ± 3.197 mg necessary to inhibit the activity of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical by 50% (EC50). The extracts, except those obtained from the nonpigmented samples, were capable of inhibiting the proliferation of the human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells, human breast cancer cells MCF-7, and A549 NSCLC cell line. Cultivars differed in composition and concentration of polyphenols including anthocyanins; cooking affected the antioxidant activity only marginally. Qualitative and quantitative differences in phenolic composition between the groups of beans influenced the biological activities; on the other hand, we did not find significant differences on the biological activities within the same variety, before and after cooking.

Naringenin from cooked tomato paste is bioavailable in men.

Naringenin has been shown to exert antiestrogenic, cholesterol-lowering and antioxidant activities, as well as an indirect modulation on the metabolism of many xenobiotics. It is one of the most abundant polyphenols in tomato. Given the widespread consumption of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) and tomato-based products, this study was designed to determine whether plasma levels of naringenin were detectable in five men after consumption of a test meal containing 150 mg of cooked tomato paste. Naringenin intake with the test meal was 3.8 mg. Blood was drawn from fasting subjects and 2, 4, 6, 8 and 24 h after the meal. To compare the results with a control, the same meal without tomato paste (control meal) was administered to the same subjects 2 wk later. Analyses were performed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a CoulArray electrochemical detector. The peak plasma concentration was 0.12 +/- 0.03 micro mol/L 2 h after the meal. Unconjugated naringenin was not detected. Naringenin was not detected in plasma at any time after consumption of the control meal. In addition to naringenin, we detected rutin and chlorogenic acid in tomato paste, but these polyphenols and their derivatives (quercetin and caffeic acid) were not detected in plasma at any time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating naringenin bioavailability in humans after consumption of a meal containing cooked tomato paste.