Plant-Derived Substances with Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Flavoring Potential to Formulate Oral Health Care Products.

Bacterial diseases and reactive oxygen species can cause dental caries and oral cancer. Therefore, the present review analyzes and discusses the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of synthetic and plant-derived substances and their current and future patents to formulate dental products. The reviewed evidence indicates that chlorhexidine, fluorides, and hydrogen peroxide have adverse effects on the sensory acceptability of oral care products. As an alternative, plant-derived substances have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that can be used in their formulation. Also, adding plant metabolites favors the sensory acceptability of dental products compared with synthetic compounds. Therefore, plant-derived substances have antibacterial, antioxidant, and flavoring activity with the potential to be used in the formulation of toothpaste, mouth rinses, dentures cleansers-fixatives, and saliva substitutes.

Valorization of Fermented Shrimp Waste with Supercritical CO2 Conditions: Extraction of Astaxanthin and Effect of Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion on Its Antioxidant Capacity.

Lactic acid fermentation increases the bioactive properties of shrimp waste. Astaxanthin is the principal carotenoid present in shrimp waste, which can be found esterified in the liquid fraction (liquor) after its lactic acid fermentation. Supercritical CO2 technology has been proposed as a green alternative to obtain astaxanthin from fermented shrimp waste. This study aimed to optimize astaxanthin extraction by supercritical CO2 technology from fermented liquor of shrimp waste and study bioaccessibility using simulated gastrointestinal digestion (GD) of the optimized extract. A Box-Behnken design with three variables (pressure, temperature, and flow rate) was used to optimize the supercritical CO2 extraction. The optimized CO2 extract was obtained at 300 bar, 60 °C, and 6 mL/min, and the estimated characteristics showed a predictive extraction yield of 11.17%, antioxidant capacity of 1.965 mmol of Trolox equivalent (TE)/g, and astaxanthin concentration of 0.6353 µg/g. The experiment with optimal conditions performed to validate the predicted values showed an extraction yield of 12.62%, an antioxidant capacity of 1.784 mmol TE/g, and an astaxanthin concentration of 0.52 µg/g. The astaxanthin concentration decreased, and the antioxidant capacity of the optimized extract increased during gastrointestinal digestion. In conclusion, our optimized supercritical CO2 process is suitable for obtaining astaxanthin from shrimp by-products after lactic acid fermentation.

Effect of Extrusion Conditions and the Optimization of Phenolic Compound Content and Antioxidant Activity of Wheat Bran Using Response Surface Methodology.

The extrusion process (EP) consists of heat and mechanical treatments under different conditions of moisture, shear, and pressure and rapidly causes structural alterations and changes in the functional properties of the extruded material. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of extrusion conditions and optimize the wheat bran extrusion conditions to achieve the greatest content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity using response surface methodology. The EP factors evaluated were feed moisture (FM) (25-33.54%) and final extrusion temperature (T) (140-180 °C). The properties evaluated in the extruded material were bound total phenol content (BTPC), total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity (AOX). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and response surface methodology were used in the evaluation. The determination coefficients, (FM)2 and (T)2, very significantly affected the BTPC and bound 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl content (BDPPHC). The optimization was performed by overlaying two contour plots to predict the best combination regions. The optimized extrusion conditions were the following: FM = 30% and T = 140 °C, which provided BTPC = 3547.01 µgGAE/g (predicted: 3589.3 µgGAE/g) and BDPPHC = 9.5 µmolTE/g (predicted: 10.4 µmolTE/g); and FM = 30% and T = 180 °C, which provided BTPC = 3342.3 µgGAE/g (predicted: 3727.7 µgGAE/g) and BDPPHC = 9.5 µmolTE/g (predicted: 9.3 µmolTE/g). The EP increased the phenolic compounds and AOX, and enhancement of these properties in wheat bran products could make them functional foods.

Propiedades antioxidantes e inmunoestimulantes de polifenoles en peces carnívoros de cultivo / Antioxidant and immunostimulant properties of polyphenols in carnivorous farmed fish

Resumen El cultivo intensivo de peces es una estrategia econòmicamente importante para producir alimento. Sin embargo, las prácticas de cultivo intensivo generan estrés oxidativo e inmunosupresión, lo que ocasiona pérdidas de la calidad del especimen y aumento en la mortalidad. Para contrarrestar estos efectos, se ha optado por la administración de vegetales como fuente de polifenoles con propiedades antioxidantes e inmunoestimulantes en peces carnívoros de cultivo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir los efectos de los polifenoles de origen vegetal como antioxidantes e inmunoestimulantes en peces carnívoros, y promover su uso como ingredientes funcionales en la acuicultura. Los vegetales como fuente de polifenoles tienen la capacidad de mejorar los sistemas de defensa inmune y antioxidante de las especies analizadas, con un tejido de mejor calidad nutricional y un mayor contenido endógeno de antioxidantes. No obstante, las propiedades biológicas de los polifenoles dependen del tipo y concentra ción en el vegetal, de la dosis y el tiempo de administración, así como de la matriz alimentaria, la cual determina la bioaccesibilidad y biodisponibilidad de los polifenoles en el organismo. Es la información generada sobre el efecto de los polifenoles en la calidad post mortem, por lo que se deben realizar más estudios.

Abstract Fish production by intensive aquaculture, is an economically important strategy to produce food. However, intensive fish farming generates oxidative stress and suppress the immune system, causing loss of product quality and increasing fish mortality rates. To diminish these effects, plants as a source of polyphenols with antioxidants and immunostimulant properties were administered to carnivorous farmed fish. The aim of this study was to describe the effects of plant polyphenols as antioxidants and immunostimulants on carnivorous fish, and to promote their use as functional ingredients in aquaculture. Plants as a source of polyphenols showed the ability to improve the immune and antioxidant defense systems of the analyzed species, resulting in a tissue of better nutritional quality and a higher endogenous antioxidant content. However, the biological properties of polyphenols are dependent on the type of plant and their concentration within it, the dose and the time of administration, as well as the food matrix, which determines their bioaccessibility and bioavailability in the organism. There is little information on the effec of polyphenols in post mortem quality; therefore, further studies should be conducted.

Biological activities of Agave by-products and their possible applications in food and pharmaceuticals.

Agave leaves are considered a by-product of alcoholic beverage production (tequila, mezcal and bacanora) because they are discarded during the production process, despite accounting for approximately 50% of the total plant weight. These by-products constitute a potential source of Agave extracts rich in bioactive compounds, such as saponins, phenolic compounds and terpenes, and possess different biological effects, as demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo tests (e.g. antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, antiparasitic and anticancer activity). Despite their positive results in biological assays, Agave extracts have not been widely evaluated in food systems and pharmaceutical areas, and these fields represent a potential route to improve the usage of Agave plants as food additives and agents for treating medical diseases. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Induction of the expression of defence genes in Carica papaya fruit by methyl jasmonate and low temperature treatments

The defence mechanisms that are activated by methyl jasmonate (MJ) in fruits are not well understood. In this work, we studied the expression of defence genes in papaya fruit that are induced by the exposure to MJ and/or low temperatures. The papaya fruits ‘Maradol’ were randomly divided into two groups: one group was the untreated control and the other was treated with 10-4 M of MJ. Half of the fruits from each of the two groups were stored after treatment for 5 days at 5ºC and 2 days at 20ºC. We studied the expression levels of the pdf1.1 and pdf1.2 genes by amplification from expression libraries created from the pulp and skin tissues of the papaya fruit. As a reference, the mRNA level of the 18s ribosomal gene was used. In the skin tissue, the expression levels of the pdf1.1 and pdf1.2 genes were higher immediately after MJ treatment compared to the control. Furthermore, the expression of pdf1.2 remained high after MJ treatment and subsequent storage compared to the control. It was therefore concluded that the activation of the pdf1.1 and pdf1.2 genes forms part of the molecular defence mechanism in fruits that is activated by exposure to MJ. To our knowledge, this is the first study that analyzes the gene expression in papaya fruit that is induced by the exogenous application of methyl jasmonate and cold treatment.

Polar fractionation affects the antioxidant properties of methanolic extracts from species of genus Phellinus quel. (higher Basidiomycetes).

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of methanolic extracts from species of genus Phellinus: Ph. fastuosus, Ph. grenadensis, Ph. Merrillii, and Ph. Badius, in their respective polar fractions (aqueous) and nonpolar extracts (ethyl acetate), through tests of free-radical inactivation and hemolysis inhibition. The fungus species that gave the extract with the highest phenol content, total flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity [DPPH·, Trolox equivalents antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and hemolysis inhibition] was Ph. Merrillii, followed by Ph. fastuosus, Ph. Grenadensis, and Ph. Badius. The antioxidant capacities of the extracts, in descending order, were as follows: Ph. Merrillii (nonpolar), Ph. Fastuosus (nonpolar), Ph. Grenadensis (nonpolar), Ph. Fastuosus (polar), Ph. Merrillii (polar), Ph. Grenadensis (polar), Ph. Badius (nonpolar), and Ph. Badius (polar). Antioxidant capacity in the above Phellinus fungi species had EC50 values for DPPH inhibition of 0.45, 0.88, 1.31, 1.89, 2.14, 2.22, 3.42, and 6.00 mg/mL, respectively; TEAC values of 10400.29, 7635.53, 4855.05, 4415.39, 4041.68, 2989.2, 1937.7, and 842.42 µmol TE/g, respectively; and hemolysis inhibition values of 72.83, 66.95, 50.87, 50.28, 48.5, 42.82, 42.37, and 37.91%, respectively. In general, the fungus extract with the highest antioxidant capacity was the nonpolar fraction of Ph. Merrillii. The Phellinus species studied represent potential natural sources of bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity.

Antioxidant and antifungal potential of methanol extracts of Phellinus spp. from Sonora, Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Among the potential natural sources of bioactive compounds, those of the macroscopic fungi Phellinus spp. have been identified by previous researches. Phenolic compounds are among the major antioxidant and antimicrobial contributors due to their bioactive properties. AIMS: The goal of this study was to determine the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and its relation with the antioxidant and antifungal activity of methanolic extracts of Phellinus gilvus, Phellinus rimosus and Phellinus badius, respectively. METHODS: The collected and identified organisms of Phellinus spp. were treated with methanol and the generated aqueous extract was analyzed to quantified total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, radical scavenging activity against DPPH, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, and oxygen absorbance capacity. The antifungal property of the extracts was evaluated against Alternaria alternata. RESULTS: The content of phenolic compounds was of 49.31, 46.51 and 44.7 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g, for P. gilvus, P. rimosus and P. badius, respectively. The total flavonoid content followed the same pattern with values of 30.58, 28, and 26.48 mg of quercetin equivalents/g for P. gilvus, P. rimosus and P. badius, respectively. The variation on the content of phenolic components was reflected on the antioxidant activity of every organism. The antioxidant activity ranked as follows: P. gilvus>P. rimosus>P. badius. The antifungal effect of the different extracts against A. alternata showed a significant effect, all of them, inhibiting the growth of this pathogen. CONCLUSIONS: P. gilvus showed the best potential to inactivate free radicals, being all the tested fungi effective to inhibit A. alternata growth.