Evaluating the Impact of Thermal Processing on the Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Non-Centrifugal Cane Sugar: Implications on Cytokine Secretion and TLR4 Signaling.

Plant-derived products have gained considerable attention as inflammation modulators given the wide variety of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals reported to be present in plants and their limited side effects in vivo during prolonged exposure periods. Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) has been identified as a promising sugarcane-derived product due to its high polyphenolic composition and antioxidant potential, but its incorporations into nutraceuticals and other relevant products of biomedical interest has been limited by the ample composition-wise variability resulting from extreme and loosely controlled processing conditions. Here, we assessed the effect of reducing thermal exposure during NCS processing on the retained polyphenolic profiles, as well as on their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Specifically, we proposed two modified NCS production methods that reduce exposure to unwanted thermal processing conditions by 1) limiting the employed temperatures through vacuum-aided dehydration and 2) by reducing exposure time through refractance window evaporation. By comparing the modified NCS products with traditional NCS, we showed that the proposed process strategies yield enhanced polyphenolic profiles, as evidenced by the results of the Folin-Ciocalteu polyphenol quantification method and the components identification by HPLC coupled to mass spectrometry. Although these compositional differences failed to impact the antioxidant profiles and cytocompatibility of the products, they showed an enhanced anti-inflammatory potential, given their superior modulation capacity of inflammatory cytokine secretion in both systemic and neuroinflammatory scenarios in vitro. Moreover, we showed that both modified NCS products interfere with TLR4 signaling in human monocytes to a significantly greater extent than traditional NCS. However, the anti-inflammatory effect of NCS produced under window refractance evaporation was slightly superior than under vacuum-aided dehydration, demonstrating that reducing exposure time to high temperatures is likely more effective than reducing the operation temperature. Overall, these findings demonstrated that limiting thermal exposure is beneficial for the development of NCS-based natural products with superior anti-inflammatory potential, which can be further exploited in the rational design of more potent nutraceuticals for potentially preventing chronic inflammatory diseases.

'From soil to chocolate bar': identifying critical steps in the journey of cadmium in a Colombian cacao plantation.

Regulation of maximum levels of cadmium in chocolate is an issue for cacao exportation from many parts of Latin America, including Colombia. These limits are related to the final product, but buyers often request maximum levels of Cd in the beans. However, to date, there is neither a clear understanding of the relationship between the specified levels of Cd in chocolate and cocoa derivatives and levels in harvested beans or soil nor of the effect of post-harvest processes on the levels of Cd in the final product. To address this, the fate of Cd concentration from soil to chocolate bar was followed in a single farm in Santander district, Colombia. The concentration of Cd in soils was measured using ICP-OES and correlated with soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), and the use of P-based fertilisers. Cd concentrations were also measured in unfermented seeds, fermented and dried beans, shell, nibs, and chocolate. SOM (2.93-3.78%), soil pH (4.7-4.9), soil P concentration (120-132 mg kg-1) affect Cd availability. However, it is still unclear whether Cd concentration of P-based fertilisers (3-30 mg kg-1) is important or not. While post-harvest treatments did not affect the Cd concentration of beans (4.17 ± 0.8 mg kg-1 on average), the removal of the shell (6.57 mg kg-1) from the nibs (3.28 mg kg-1), as well as the percentage of cocoa mass used contributes to a reduction in Cd concentration in the chocolate bar (1.60 mg kg-1). This study provides clear indications on where research into mitigation measures should be focussed, as well as indicating the importance of carrying out analyses for Cd in the nib or cacao mass, rather than the whole bean, reducing Cd concentration by up to 40%.

Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Properties of Non-Centrifugal Cane Sugar and Other Sugarcane Derivatives in an In Vitro Induced Parkinson's Model.

Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) is a traditional sweetener in most sugarcane regions of the world. In Colombia, this product has a socio-economic importance due to the extensive cultivation area and the high consumption rate per capita. NCS traditional processing involves consecutive stages of thermal processing that begin with juice extraction, clarification, evaporation, and finish with syrup crystallization into a solid commercial product, identified as NCS. Sugarcane is known to have a natural content of polyphenols, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and complex sugars, some of which are reported as antioxidant and antiproliferative agents thought to be responsible for the product's bioactive profile. There is evidence to suggest that traditional thermal processing to obtain NCS leads to a considerable decrease in the contents of these bioactive compounds, mainly due to uncontrolled process variables such as temperature. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to assess and compare the bioactivity of sugarcane (SC) derivatives produced under controlled thermal conditions versus the traditional method. To achieve this goal, we evaluated the cytotoxic, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects of varying concentrations of SC derivatives in an in vitro induced Parkinson's model. Results demonstrate non-cytotoxic activity on the cellular model by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and LDH assays, even at the highest tested concentration of 8 mg/mL, for all SC derivatives. The effect of SC derivatives on the induced oxidative stress model showed a biological reversion and recovering effect of the mitochondrial membrane potential and a halting of the progress into the early apoptosis phase. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the bioactive compounds present in SC derivatives obtained by a process under controlled temperature conditions are largely preserved, and even their biological activities are enhanced compared with SC derivatives obtained by the traditional thermal evaporation of SC-juice.

Fine cocoa beans production: Tracking aroma precursors through a comprehensive analysis of flavor attributes formation.

The fine flavor cocoa (FFC) market offers cocoa farmers better monetary and nonmonetary benefits than the bulk market. In this work, during cocoa fermentation, flavor formation was studied at different fermentation times based on sensory profiles, volatile compound contents and untargeted metabolomics. It was observed that chocolate quality is influenced by fermentation time. Thus, at 72 h, the sensory profiles showed no outstanding attributes, while at 96 h, the global quality presented a stronger influence of fine attributes, such as fruitiness, florality, spices and nuttiness. Finally, at 120/144 h, these FFC features diminished. Metabolomic fingerprint of cocoa beans (related to peptides, sugars, amino acids, and phenolic compounds) and the volatile fingerprint of chocolate showed a change according to the fermentation time. This allowed the proposal of 96 h as the optimal fermentation time to produce FFC beans. Additionally, 20 volatiles and 48 discriminating metabolites were defined as potential quality biomarkers.

Enhancement of fine flavour cocoa attributes under a controlled postharvest process.

Despite the importance of fermentation for cocoa quality, process parameters are not controlled under spontaneous conditions at farms. This study evaluates the influence of spontaneous fermentation and processing under laboratory-controlled conditions using the acidic reagents acetic and lactic acids on the cocoa quality of two cultivars, FEAR 5 and CCN 51, at the sensory and metabolomic levels. Under spontaneous conditions, cocoa differs in flavour quality. While FEAR 5 produces chocolate with good global quality, chocolate made with CCN 51 does not have outstanding quality attributes. Transformation under controlled conditions with acidic reagents increases the perception of fine aromatic notes such as fruity, nutty and floral attributes in chocolates made from both cultivars of cocoa. Metabolomic profiles allowed grouping of cocoa samples as a function of postharvest treatment. Twenty-five differential metabolites were identified during the postharvest processes, and these metabolites may be related to the expression of fine sensory attributes; however, more research is needed.