Valorization of Sour Cherry Kernels: Extraction of Polyphenols Using Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs).

The objective of this research was to optimize the natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) extraction process from sour cherry kernels (Prunus cerasus L.). For polyphenol isolation, conventional solid-liquid extraction was employed using different concentrations of ethanol (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 96%), as well as the innovative NADES extraction technique. In the initial phase of the research, a screening of 10 different NADESs was conducted, while extraction was carried out under constant parameters (50 °C, 1:20 w/w, 60 min). NADES 4, composed of lactic acid and glucose in a molar ratio of 5:1, exhibited the highest efficiency in the polyphenol isolation. In the subsequent phase of the research, response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to optimize the extraction process. Three independent variables, namely temperature, extraction time, and solid-liquid (S/L) ratio, were examined at three different levels. The extracted samples were analyzed for total phenol (TP) and antioxidant activity using the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. ANOVA and descriptive statistics (R2 and CV) were performed to fit the applied model. According to RSM, the optimal extraction conditions were determined as follows: temperature of 70 °C, extraction time of 161 min, and S/L ratio of 1:25 w/w.

Role of Arthrospira Platensis in Preventing and Treating High-Fat Diet-Induced Hypercholesterolemia in Adult Rats.

Hyperlipidaemia is a recognised risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In this study, the antihyperlipidaemic properties of spirulina (Arthrospira platensis, strain S2 from Serbia) were tested in adult Wistar rats before and after induction of hypercholesterolaemia by a high-fat diet (HFD) to compare the preventive with the curative effect. Total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels were measured in the blood samples. The chemical composition (lipids, proteins and cholesterol) and the content of bile acids in the faeces of the animals were also analysed. Feeding rats with an atherogenic diet for 10 weeks led to the successful development of hyperlipidaemia, as serum TC and LDL-C levels as well as lipids, cholesterol and bile acids in the animals' faeces were significantly increased. Pre- and post-treatment with spirulina led to a reduction in serum LDL, TC and ALT levels. Administration of spirulina resulted in both a significant increase in primary bile acids excretion and a decrease in bile acids metabolism, with pre-treatment being more effective than post-treatment in some cases. These results suggest that increased excretion of bile acids as well as an effect on the gut microbiota may be the mechanism responsible for the anti-hyperlipidaemic activity of the tested spirulina strain.

Eco-Friendly Extraction: A green approach to maximizing bioactive extraction from pumpkin (Curcubita moschata L.).

The research focused on optimizing the accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) of carotenoids and polyphenols from pumpkin powder. The study optimized accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) of carotenoids and polyphenols from pumpkin powder. Using a mix of standard score (SS) and artificial neural network (ANN) methods, the extraction process was fine-tuned. The ANN model assessed extraction parameters' significance, achieving high predictability for total carotenoid content (TCC), total phenolic content (TPC), and free radical scavenging capacity (DPPH and ABTS methods). The analysis highlighted the most effective extraction at 50 % concentration, 120 °C temperature, 5 min duration, and 2 cycles, yielding high carotenoid and phenolic content (TCC 571.49 µg/g, TPC 7.85 mg GAE/g). HPLC-DAD profiles of the optimized ASE extract confirmed major carotenoids and phenolic compounds. Strong correlations were found between bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity, emphasizing potential health benefits.

PhInd-Database on Polyphenol Content in Agri-Food By-Products and Waste: Features of the Database.

Timely access to topic-relevant datasets is of paramount importance for the development of any successful strategy (food waste reduction strategy), since datasets illuminate opportunities, challenges and development paths. PhInd is the first comprehensive database on polyphenol content in plant-based by-products from the agri-food sector or the wastewater sector and was developed using peer-reviewed papers published in the period of 2015-2021. In total, >450 scientific manuscripts and >6000 compound entries were included. Database inclusion criteria were polyphenol contents = determined using HPLC/UHPLC quantitative methods. PhInd can be explored through several criteria which are either 'open' or checkboxes. Criteria are given in subsections: (a) plant source; (b) by-product industrial processing; (c) pre-treatment of by-products before the isolation of polyphenols; and (d) the extraction step of polyphenols. Database search results could be explored on the website directly or by downloading Excel files and graphs. This unique database content is beneficial to stakeholders-the food industry, academia, government and citizens.

Can pumpkin save us of doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity? / ¿Puede la calabaza salvarnos de la cardiotoxicidad inducida por doxorrubicina?

SUMMARY: Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the drugs necessary for the treatment of the 10 most common types of cancer. The leading adverse effect limiting clinical use of DOX is cardiotoxicity. Given that literature data indicate a protective role of carotenoids in doxorubicin-induced toxicity, in our study we compared the cardioprotective effect of a mixture of pumpkin carotenoids and a commercially available antioxidant preparation. Animals were distributed in 8 groups (Control - S; NADES - N; Doxorubicin - Dox; Carotenoids - Car; CardiofortIN - CF; NADES-Doxorubicin - N-Dox; Carotenoids-Doxorubicin - Car-Dox; CardiofortIN-Doxorubicin - CF-Dox). Histological sections were stained with the hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and analyzed for the presence of myocardial damage by doxorubicin damage score (DDS). From the heart tissue homogenate were determined the intensity of lipid peroxidation and specific antioxidative enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase; catalase; glutathione S-transferase; glutathione peroxidase). In Car-DOX and CF-DOX groups, lipid peroxidation is significantly reduced compared to DOX group. Pretreatment of animals with carotenoids and in lesser extent with CardiofortIN led to higher antioxidative enzymes activity, compared to DOX group. Pretreated with carotenoids, only 50 % of animals had some degree of myocardial damage, and no animals had extensive damage. CardiofortIN pretreatment showed less protective effect. Pretreatment with carotenoid extract, reduced DDS significantly, so Car-DOX group has changes equivalent to mild myocardial damage. Although CardiofortIN pretreatment lowered DDS score values, animals still had moderate level of myocardium damage. This in vivo study and its findings indicate that carotenoids extracted from pumpkin may be a promising cardioprotective agent against doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity, at least in part mediated through inhibition of DOX-induced oxidative stress.

La doxorrubicina (DOX) es uno de los fármacos necesarios para el tratamiento de los 10 tipos más comunes de cáncer. El principal efecto adverso que limita el uso clínico de DOX es la cardiotoxicidad. Debido a que los datos de la literatura indican un papel protector de los carotenoides en la toxicidad inducida por doxorrubicina, en nuestro estudio comparamos el efecto cardioprotector de una mezcla de carotenoides de calabaza y una preparación antioxidante disponible comercialmente. Los animales se distribuyeron en 8 grupos (Control - S; NADES - N; Doxorrubicina - Dox; Carotenoides - Car; CardiofortIN - CF; NADES-Doxorrubicina - N-Dox; Carotenoides-Doxorrubicina - Car-Dox; CardiofortIN- Doxorrubicina - CF-Dox). Las secciones histológicas se tiñeron con hematoxilina-eosina (HE) y se analizaron para detectar la presencia de daño miocárdico mediante la puntuación de daño por doxorrubicina (DDS). A partir del homogeneizado de tejido cardíaco se determinó la intensidad de la peroxidación lipídica y la actividad enzimática antioxidante específica (superóxido dismutasa, catalasa, glutatión S-transferasa, glutatión peroxidasa). En los grupos Car-DOX y CF-DOX, la peroxidación lipídica se redujo significativamente en comparación con el grupo DOX. El pre tratamiento de los animales con carotenoides y, en menor medida, con CardiofortlN condujo a una mayor actividad de las enzimas antioxidantes, en comparación con el grupo DOX. Al ser pre tratados con carotenoides, solo el 50 % de los animales tenían algún grado de daño miocárdico y ningún animal tenía daño extenso. El pre tratamiento con CardiofortIN mostró un efecto protector menor. El pre tratamiento con extracto de carotenoides redujo significativamente el DDS, por lo que el grupo Car-DOX mostró cambios equivalentes a un daño miocárdico leve. Aunque el pre tratamiento con CardiofortIN redujo los valores de la puntuación DDS, los animales aún tenían un nivel moderado de daño al miocardio. Este estudio in vivo y sus hallazgos indican que los carotenoides extraídos de la calabaza pueden ser un agente cardioprotector prometedor contra la cardiotoxicidad inducida por doxorrubicina, al menos en parte mediada por la inhibición del estrés oxidativo inducido por DOX.

Potential health benefits of blueberry and raspberry pomace as functional food ingredients: Dietetic intervention study on healthy women volunteers.

The fruit juice industry generates pomace as a valuable by-product especially rich in polyphenols, dietary fibers, vitamins, minerals, and unsaturated fatty acids. In the cookies used in this study, 30% of the gluten-free flour was replaced with dried and ground blueberry and raspberry pomace, rich source of polyphenols, dietary fibers, linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid. In order to examine whether the addition of blueberry and raspberry pomace in cookie formulation can have beneficial effects on certain blood parameters and anthropometric measurements, the designed cookies were tested in 20 healthy, normally fed female subjects, aged 30-50 years (41.35 ± 8.58 years) over four-week dietetic intervention study. Significant changes in the composition of fatty acids serum phospholipids, decrease in LDL-cholesterol level (20.16%), increase in adiponectin level (25.52%) and decrease in ALT and AST values were observed, thus indicating that inclusion of cookies containing blueberry and raspberry dried and ground pomace to usual diet might have positive effects on certain cardiovascular risk factors and liver function indicators.

Communicating Function and Co-Creating Healthy Food: Designing a Functional Food Product Together with Consumers.

Functional food is lately an interesting topic from the new product development perspective; complex motivation and expectations of consumers regarding it present a challenge when new products are designed. Co-creation is an interesting alternative to the standard practices by the R & D departments since it directly involves consumers in the various stages of the creation process. This work aims to describe experiences of engaging consumers in different development stages of a functional food product within a project realized at a food research institute. Four consecutive studies were conducted: the first study explored current trends in Serbia regarding the way consumers use functional food and are informed about it; the second study described development of a raspberry seeds extract with antioxidant and anti-proliferative activity confirmed in vitro; the third study tested the same extract in a sample of consumers, validating its usability in food products; and the fourth study described a co-creation session with 18 participants, during which a number of activities were realized to stimulate idea generation. Rather than the final product idea itself, this work is valuable because of detailed insights into the various phases of the co-creation process. It is shown that consumers and food researchers can together engage in the new food product development process as long as the communication between them is rich and with mutual understanding.

Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent (NADES) Extraction Improves Polyphenol Yield and Antioxidant Activity of Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) Extracts.

Wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) herbal dust has been recognized as a potential underutilized resource for the recovery of antioxidants. The aim of this paper was to optimize natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) extraction of polyphenols to obtain improved antioxidant activity of extracts determined by selected in vitro assays (DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS). Twenty different NADES systems were investigated in the first step of the screening of the extraction solvent and l-proline (Pro)-glycerine (Gly) based solvents provided the best results. Preliminary experiments organized by 25-1 fractional factorial design narrowed down the number of extraction factors from five (temperature, extraction time, NADES type, water content and L/S ratio) to three and determined their experimental domain for the final step. A face-centered central composite design with temperature (40-55-70 °C), extraction time (60-120-180 min) and L/S ratio (10-20-30 g NADES/g sample) was applied for influence analysis and process optimization. Multi-response optimization suggested a temperature of 65 °C, time of extraction of 180 min and L/S ratio of 28 g NADES/g DW as optimal extraction parameters. Experimental validation confirmed good agreement between experimental and predicted results in the extract obtained at optimal conditions and the interactions in the most suitable NADES (N16; Pro-Gly-H2O; 1:2:1) were confirmed by the 1H-NMR.

Bioaccessibility and uptake by Caco-2 cells of carotenoids from cereal-based products enriched with butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata L.).

Enriching cereals-based products with bioactive compounds is a valuable strategy to improve product quality. We studied carotenoid bioaccessibility and intestinal uptake from a pumpkin-enriched porridge, cookies and sponge cakes by using in vitro digestion coupled with Caco-2 cell uptake. Among the carotenoids recovered in different products, α-carotene was the most important abundant one. However, lutein displayed a significantly higher bioaccessibility compared to α-carotene and ß-carotene in baked products (up to 10.28% compared to 1.22% and 0.88%, respectively). α-Carotene was the only carotenoid recovered in Caco-2 cells after micelle incubation. Cookie micelles led to the highest percentage of α-carotene cell uptake (2.33% and 1.38% for cookies with butter and cookies with vegetable oil, respectively) compared to the other baked products, followed by dry pumpkin puree micelles (1.31%). Overall, our data show that both bioaccessiblity and cell uptake of carotenoids from cereal-based products are variable and highly depend on food formulation and structure.

Simultaneous Hydrolysis of Ellagitannins and Extraction of Ellagic Acid from Defatted Raspberry Seeds Using Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES).

Defatted raspberry seeds were used as an alternative source of antioxidants and ellagic acid (EA) extracted using Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES). In the preliminary study, the best NADES combination (citric acid-betaine) and the most influential variables (temperature, time, and NADES/plant ratio) were selected for the further optimization process. All samples were analyzed in terms of total polyphenol, EA content, and antioxidant activity. Two sets of optimal conditions were generated by response surface methodology. The first set (Opt1) was designed for higher conversion of ellagitannins to EA while the latter set (Opt2) for higher EA content/100 g extract. Opt1 and Opt2 had higher values for all investigated responses compared to 80% ethanolic extract but had a lower conversion rate of ellagitannins to EA compared to acidified methanol extract. The third set of parameters (Opt3) selected beyond the initial experimental domain was used to obtain a sample with the highest EA content/100 g extract. Due to their nature, NADES extracts are ready to use and could have various technological roles in products since they are antioxidants, acidifiers, and colorants. NADES raspberry extracts exhibited higher anti-proliferative activity compared to ethanolic extracts in terms of EC50 values. However, the main contributor of anti-cancer activity in NADES raspberry extracts were individual NADES compounds and/or their newly formed NADES structure.

Comparative In Vitro Antioxidant Capacity and Terpenoid Profiling of Pumpkin Fruit Pulps from a Serbian Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata Breeding Collection.

Pumpkin is considered a healthy and functional food. The consumption of pumpkins and pumpkin-based foods has been shown to confer several beneficial effects on human health due to their antioxidant capacity and terpenoid content. Consequently, this study aimed to characterize the in vitro antioxidant capacity (using FRAP and ABTS assays), terpenoid profile (using an untargeted lipidomics approach via high-resolution UHPLC-Orbitrap mass spectrometry), and carotenoid content (by HPLC-DAD) in pumpkin fruit pulp from accessions differing for species (11 Cucurbita maxima and 9 Cucurbita moschata), cultivar, and origin, belonging to a Serbian breeding collection. These accessions are candidates for inclusion within programs intended to improve pumpkin fruit quality. The results obtained in this work allowed us to highlight the best marker compounds, discriminating both the region of accession collection or breeding ("origin") and the plant species. Furthermore, our findings have helped to identify the most suitable antioxidant-rich varieties to select for national breeding programs for improving human health. These findings provide valuable information to the overall current understanding of the potential health benefits of pumpkins and the discriminant triterpenoids underlying the C. maxima and C. moschata accessions investigated here, which include those of Serbian and non-Serbian origin.

Kinetic modelling of ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolics from cereal brans.

Cereal brans are by-products of the milling of cereal grains, which are mainly used as low value ingredients in animal feed. Wheat and oat bran is a rich source of bioactives and phytochemicals, especially phenolic compounds. Within this study, the application of ultrasound (US) technology to assist the extraction of phenolics from oat and wheat bran was investigated (20-45 kHz). Peleg's mathematical model was used to study the kinetics of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and subsequent stirring of total phenolic compounds (TPC). The surface morphology of cereal brans after extraction was studied using SEM analysis. The excellent agreement was determined between the values of TPC calculated from Peleg's mathematical model and actual experimental results. The constant that represents a time required for the initial phenolic concentration to be extracted to one-half of its initial value has been introduced (K1/2). It was shown that the TPC extraction kinetics was dependent only on K1/2 enabling fast kinetics fitting and comparison between extraction rates. Moreover, different values of K1/2 constant could indicate the differences in brans composition and consequently different influence of US pretreatment on these samples.

Recovery of ß-carotene from pumpkin using switchable natural deep eutectic solvents.

The aim of the present research was to develop green and sustainable extraction procedure for ß-carotene recovery from pumpkin. A series of hydrophobic natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) based onfatty acids were prepared to establish high extraction efficiency of ß-carotene and to increase stability of extracted carotenoids from the pumpkin. To intensify extraction process, NADES composed of C8 and C10 fatty acids (3:1) was selected and coupled with ultrasound assisted extraction. Response surface methodology and artificial neural network model (ANN) model was adopted to analyze significance of extraction parameters demonstrating high prediction levels of the ß-carotene yield, experimentally confirming the maximum ß-carotene content of 151.41 µg/mL at the optimal process condition. Extracted carotenoids in the optimal NADES extract have shown high stability during the storing period of 180 days. A switchable-hydrophilicity eutectic solvent system has been introduced as a successful way to recover extracted carotenoids from the NADES solvent. It was capable of precipitating 90% of carotenoids present in the extract. The proposed procedure is simple, easily scalable and has minimal impact on operators and the environment.

Carotenoids: Considerations for Their Use in Functional Foods, Nutraceuticals, Nutricosmetics, Supplements, Botanicals, and Novel Foods in the Context of Sustainability, Circular Economy, and Climate Change.

Carotenoids are versatile isoprenoids that are important in food quality and health promotion. There is a need to establish recommended dietary intakes/nutritional reference values for carotenoids. Research on carotenoids in agro-food and health is being propelled by the two multidisciplinary international networks, the Ibero-American Network for the Study of Carotenoids as Functional Foods Ingredients (IBERCAROT; http://www.cyted.org) and the European Network to Advance Carotenoid Research and Applications in Agro-Food and Health (EUROCAROTEN; http://www.eurocaroten.eu). In this review, considerations for their safe and sustainable use in products mostly intended for health promotion are provided. Specifically, information about sources, intakes, and factors affecting bioavailability is summarized. Furthermore, their health-promoting actions and importance in public health in relation to the contribution of reducing the risk of diverse ailments are synthesized. Definitions and regulatory and safety information for carotenoid-containing products are provided. Lastly, recent trends in research in the context of sustainable healthy diets are summarized.

The perspectives of natural deep eutectic solvents in agri-food sector.

The principles of 'green chemistry' are gaining importance in agri-food sector due to the need to reduce pollution from toxic chemicals, make industrial processes safer and more sustainable, and to offer 'clean-labeled products' required by the consumers. The application of natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) - natural product-based green liquids is considered the promising alternative to conventional organic solvents. This review is intended to summarize and discuss recent advances related to physicochemical properties of NADES, their applications, compatibility with analytic techniques and toxicological profile, pointing out the challenges and necessary improvements for their wider utilization in agri-food sector. NADES allow extraction of wide range of food compounds and they are proven to be convenient for food-related applications. However, their potential for industrial scale-up utilization is not completely investigated. Examined NADES are readily biodegradable, but only preliminary studies on NADES toxicity which include limited number of NADES molecules are available. Apart from fundamental research dealing with NADES formation and the nature of the interactions and structure underpinning the liquid phase formation, the question of purity of NADES obtained by different synthetic methodologies need to be addressed in the future. Data on physicochemical properties of synthetized NADES are still needed as they are relevant for industrial applications.

Fiber concentrates from raspberry and blueberry pomace in gluten-free cookie formulation: Effect on dough rheology and cookie baking properties.

Raspberry and blueberry pomace, by-products from fruit juice industry, were dehydrated to obtain fruit fiber concentrates and valorized as ingredients in gluten-free (GF) cookies formulation. The aim was to evaluate the effect of substituting 30% (w/w) of GF flour mixture with different ratios of blueberry/raspberry fiber concentrates (0/30, 15/15, and 30/0) on rheological properties of cookie dough and cookie baking quality. Generally, the incorporation of the fiber concentrates increased the elastic and the viscous moduli thus producing harder doughs and consequently firmer cookies in comparison to the control. Although having similar total, soluble and insoluble fiber content, blueberry fiber concentrates were characterized with higher water absorption capacity and consequently yielded cookies with more rigid dough structure, higher water loss during baking, lower cookie thickness, higher spread ratio, more dense inner structure, and increased cookie hardness than those containing raspberry fiber concentrates. Enrichment of GF cookies with raspberry and blueberry fiber concentrates resulted in products with dietary fiber content higher than 6 g per 100 g, thus making them candidates for bearing "high fiber" nutrition claim. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Currently available GF bakery products mostly lack dietary fibers (DFs) and other important nutrients, because they are usually manufactured from refined flour and/or starches. As the products with long shelf-life, very popular in daily diet of almost all consumer profiles, cookies could represent good matrices for the addition of functional ingredients, such as DFs. In this paper, GF cookies were enriched with the fiber concentrates recovered from blueberry and raspberry pomace. Application of these fiber sources enabled recycling of fruit processing industry by-products into novel, "high fiber" GF product with improved nutritive profile.

The occurrence of selected xenobiotics in the Danube river via LC-MS/MS.

Having in mind that there is a general lack of monitoring plans and precaution measures in the developing countries and that the Danube is the second longest river in Europe, the estimation of the relevant concentration levels of unregulated xenobiotics is a topic of interest both on local and international level. The selected pharmaceuticals, caffeine, and benzotriazole presented in the collected water samples from seven representative locations around the territory of Novi Sad, Serbia, during 1-year period, were analyzed with the use of solid-phase extraction followed by the liquid chromatography coupled with triple quad tandem mass spectrometry. The most frequently detected compounds were caffeine and carbamazepine in the concentrations up to 621 and 22.2 ng/L, respectively, while the maximum concentration of the analyzed pharmaceuticals was obtained for ibuprofen (60.1 ng/L). The presence of benzotriazole along the analyzed section of the river was confirmed in the concentration levels up to 26.7 ng/L. Although sulfamethoxazole and desmethyldiazepam were detected at trace levels (0.22 and 3.41 ng/L, respectively); the presence of these pharmaceuticals in complex mixtures should not be neglected. Due to the frequent detection caffeine, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, and benzotriazole could be proper candidate for hydrophilic anthropogenic markers for quantification of wastewater contamination in surface water in the analyzed Danube section.

Phenolic Compounds Contained in Little-known Wild Fruits as Antiadhesive Agents Against the Beverage-Spoiling Bacteria Asaia spp.

The aim of the study was to evaluate antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of juice from three different types of fruits: elderberry (Sambucusnigra), lingonberry (Vacciniumvitis-idaea) and cornelian cherry (Cornusmas), and their action against adhesion of bacterial strains of Asaialannensis and Asaiabogorensis isolated from spoiled soft drinks. The antioxidant profiles were determined by total antioxidant capacity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH), and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Additionally, total polyphenol content (TPC) was investigated. Chemical compositions of juices were tested using the chromatographic techniques: high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Adhesion properties of Asaia spp. cells to various abiotic materials were evaluated by luminometry, plate count and fluorescence microscopy. Antioxidant activity of fruit juices expressed as inhibitory concentration (IC50) ranged from 0.042 ± 0.001 (cornelian cherry) to 0.021 ± 0.001 g/mL (elderberry). TPC ranged from 8.02 ± 0.027 (elderberry) to 2.33 ± 0.013 mg/mL (cornelian cherry). Cyanidin-3-sambubioside-5-glucoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and cyanidin-3-sambubioside were detected as the major anthocyanins and caffeic, cinnamic, gallic, protocatechuic, and p-coumaric acids as the major phenolic acids. A significant linear correlation was noted between TPC and antioxidant capacity. In the presence of fruit juices a significant decrease of bacterial adhesion from 74% (elderberry) to 67% (lingonberry) was observed. The high phenolic content indicated that these compounds may contribute to the reduction of Asaia spp. adhesion.

Valorisation of raspberry and blueberry pomace through the formulation of value-added gluten-free cookies.

Successful valorisation of raspberry and blueberry pomace was achieved through their application, as dried and ground powders, in the formulation of value-added gluten-free cookies. Simplex-lattice mixture design approach was applied to obtain the product with the best sensory properties, nutritional profile and antioxidant activity. The highest desirability of 90.0 % was accomplished with the substitution of gluten-free flour mixture with 28.2 % of blueberry and 1.8 % of raspberry pomace. The model was verified. Optimized cookies had similar protein (3.72 %) and carbohydrate (66.7 %) contents as gluten-containing counterparts used for comparison, but significantly lower fat content (10.97 %). Daily portion of the optimized cookies meets: 5.00 % and 7.73 % of dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for linoleic acid, 23.6 % and 34.3 % of DRIs for α-linolenic acid and 10.3 % and 15.6 % of DRIs for dietary fibers, for male and female adults, respectively. The nutritional profile of the optimized formulation makes it comparable with added-value gluten-containing counterparts.

Antioxidant and Physicochemical Properties of Hydrogen Peroxide-Treated Sugar Beet Dietary Fibre.

The aim of the present work was to examine if hydrogen peroxide treatment of sugar beet fibre that aimed at improving its physicochemical properties would impair its antioxidant potential. Three different sugar beet fibres were obtained from sugar beet - non-treated fibre (NTF) from sugar beet cossettes extracted with sulphurous acid, treated fibre (TF) from NTF treated with hydrogen peroxide in alkaline solution and commercially available Fibrex(®) . The antioxidant activity of extractable and non-extractable fibre fractions in ethanol/water mixture (80:20, v/v) of three fibre samples was estimated. Non-extractable fractions obtained after alkaline treatment of investigated fibres were much higher in phenolic compounds and possessed higher antioxidant potential than extractable fractions. Ferulic acid was proven to be the dominant phenolic acid. Regarding both extractable and non-extractable fractions, Fibrex(®) had the highest antioxidant activity in chemical tests, while NTF was superior in comparison with TF. Based on the results of Caco-2 cells-based test, all non-extractable fractions possessed potential for reactive oxygen species inhibition. Regarding the extractable fractions, only the TF manifested this effect.Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.