Nutritional composition and bioactivity of Umbilicus rupestris (Salisb.) Dandy: An underexploited edible wild plant.

The inclusion of edible wild plants in human diet has been receiving an increasing attention, as they represent an easily accessible source of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants. In this work, the leaves of Umbelicus rupestris (Salisb.) Dandy, an edible species for which only scarce data is available in literature, were thoroughly evaluated for its nutritional profile, chemical characterization and bioactive properties. Being considered a succulent plant, the leaves revealed a very high content of moisture, with several beneficial compounds, including omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols and different polyphenols. A total of twelve flavonoids, three phenolic acids and one phenylpropanoid glucoside were identified in the decoction and/or hydroethanolic extracts, with most of them being described for the first time in this plant. Both extracts showed antioxidant activity and potential to inhibit some of the assayed bacteria, while not presenting cytotoxic effects on a non-tumour primary cell culture.

Chemical composition and bioactive properties of the wild edible plant Raphanus raphanistrum L.

Recently, there has been an interest regarding the consumption of wild edible plants in modern diets. However, there is still scarce information about several wild vegetables traditionally consumed. Therefore, this work aims on documenting the nutritional and chemical composition of wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum L.), as well as its bioactive potential. Results showed that wild radish is a potential source of beneficial compounds, including vitamin E, polyunsaturated fatty acid (particularly α-linolenic acid) and different phenolic compounds, in which fourteen phenolics were identified, with kaempferol-3,7-O-di-rhamnoside being the most abundant. The bioactive potential was exploited using hydroethanolic and decoction extracts. Both proved to inhibit several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and revealed antioxidant activity, while cytotoxicity against non-tumor cell was not observed. In general, results evidence the interest in recovering the use of this wild vegetable as part of a varied diet, which can bring several health benefits.

Biological Safety Studies and Simultaneous Determination of Linagliptin and Synthetic Impurities by LC-PDA.

A stability-indicating LC method was developed for quantification of linagliptin (LGT) and three synthetic impurities. The method utilizes a Thermo Scientific® RP-8 column (100 mm × 4.6 mm; 5 µm) with the PDA detector for quantitation of impurities. A mixture of 0.1% formic acid with pH 3.5 (A) and acetonitrile (B) was used as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.6 mL·min-1 with gradient elution. The percentage of mobile phase B increases from 30% to 70% over 5 min and decreases from 70% to 30% between 5 and 8 min. The method was validated according to International Council for Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The LOD values obtained were 0.0171 µg·mL-1 and 0.015 µg·mL-1 for LGT and impurities, respectively. The LOQ values were 0.06 µg·mL-1 for LGT and impurities. In all cases, the correlation coefficients of LGT and impurities were >0.999, showing the linearity of the method. The % recovery of the LGT and added impurity were in the range of 92.92-99.79%. The precision of the method showed values less than 1.47% for LGT and less than 4.63% for impurities. The robustness was also demonstrated by small modifications in the chromatographic conditions. The selectivity was evidenced because the degradation products formed in stress conditions did not interfere in the determination of LGT and impurities. Toxicity prediction studies suggested toxicity potential of the impurities, which was confirmed using biological safety studies in vitro.

Effect of Zingiber officinale Roscoe essential oil in fungus control and deoxynivalenol production of Fusarium graminearum Schwabe in vitro.

Members of the Fusarium genus are capable of contaminating agricultural commodities, compromising the quality of maize and other grains, which leads to severe quality and yield losses. Contamination with mycotoxins is also a concern. Essential oils are possible alternatives to the use of synthetic pesticides for control of fungal contamination, as many have antifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic properties and are innocuous to human health. They also do not cause any sort of microbial resistance and do not promote environmental pollution. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic effects of Zingiber officinale Roscoe essential oil (GEO) upon Fusarium graminearum Schwabe in vitro. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC/MS. Antifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic activities were assessed by HPLC/UV by quantifying ergosterol and deoxynivalenol (DON), respectively. Results indicated that GEO inhibited ergosterol production at a concentration of 1000 µg/mL and DON production at a concentration of 500 µg/mL, evidencing that the anti-mycotoxigenic effect is independent of the antifungal effect due to its probable direct action upon toxin biosynthesis.

Occurrence and risk assessment of population exposed to deoxynivalenol in foods derived from wheat flour in Brazil.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most important of the trichothecenes in terms of amounts and occurrence in wheat. This compound was shown to be associated with a glomerulonephropathy involving an increase of immunoglobulin A in humans. This study assessed the occurrence of DON in wheat flour and the exposure of Brazilian teenagers, adults and elderly to this mycotoxin due to intake of wheat flour-based products. DON extraction in wheat flour was carried out by solid phase extraction and the quantification was performed by ultra-high proficiency liquid chromatography with diode-array detection. A total of 77.9% of all samples were positive for DON, with concentrations ranging from 73.50 to 2794.63 µg kg-1. The intake was calculated for the average and 90th percentile of the contamination levels of DON in foods based-wheat for teenagers, adults and elderly in Brazil, and compared with the provisional maximum tolerable daily intakes (PMTDI). Females of all age groups were exposed to DON at higher levels when compared to males in regard of consumption of breads and pastas. Teenagers were the main consumers of foods derived from wheat flour, with maximum probable daily intakes of 1.28 and 1.20 µg kg-1 b.w. day-1 for females and males, respectively. This population is at an increased risk of exposure to DON due to consumption of wheat flour-based foods in Brazil.

Oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline in pasteurised cow's milk commercialised in Brazil.

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of tetracycline residues in pasteurised cow's milk using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with UV/VIS detection to determine the exposure of Brazilian's population to antibiotic residues. One hundred samples collected from the State of Paraná, Brazil, were analysed. Three of these samples were contaminated at the following concentrations: 121.8 µg·kg(-1) for oxytetracycline, 93.5 µg·kg(-1) for tetracycline and 134.6 µg·kg(-1) for chlortetracycline (61.6 µg·kg(-1)) and doxycycline (73.0 µg·kg(-1)). The median tetracycline residue concentration found in the samples was 42.3 µg·kg(-1), and the estimated daily intake (EDI) was 0.05 µg Kg(-1) bw day(-1) in Brazil. These results demonstrate that the occurrence of tetracycline in Brazilian milk was low (3%) and only for 2% above the maximum residue limit, so the risk to the population from the presence of these residues in milk was low (<1% of the acceptable daily intake).

Effect of Zingiber officinale essential oil on Fusarium verticillioides and fumonisin production.

The antifungal activity of ginger essential oil (GEO; Zingiber officinale Roscoe) was evaluated against Fusarium verticillioides (Saccardo) Nirenberg. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of GEO was determined by micro-broth dilution. The effects of GEO on fumonisin and ergosterol production were evaluated at concentrations of 500-5000 µg/mL in liquid medium with a 5mm diameter mycelial disc of F. verticillioides. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that the predominant components of GEO were α-zingiberene (23.9%) and citral (21.7%). GEO exhibited inhibitory activity, with a MIC of 2500 µg/mL, and 4000 and 5000 µg/mL reduced ergosterol biosynthesis by 57% and 100%, respectively. The inhibitory effect on fumonisin B1 (FB1) and fumonisin B2 (FB2) production was significant at GEO concentrations of 4000 and 2000 µg/mL, respectively. Thus, the inhibition of fungal biomass and fumonisin production was dependent on the concentration of GEO. These results suggest that GEO was able to control the growth of F. verticillioides and subsequent fumonisin production.

Inhibitory effect of the essential oil of Curcuma longa L. and curcumin on aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus Link.

Aflatoxins are highly toxic, mutagenic, teratogenic and carcinogenic mycotoxins. Consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated food and commodities poses serious hazards to the health of humans and animals. Turmeric, Curcuma longa L., is a native plant of Southeast Asia and has antimicrobial, antioxidant and antifungal properties. This paper reports the antiaflatoxigenic activities of the essential oil of C. longa and curcumin. The medium tests were prepared with the oil of C. longa, and the curcumin standard at concentrations varied from 0.01% to 5.0%. All doses of the essential oil of the plant and the curcumin standard interfered with mycotoxin production. Both the essential oil and curcumin significantly inhibited the production of aflatoxins; the 0.5% level had a greater than 96% inhibitory effect. The levels of aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) production were 1.0 and 42.7 µg/mL, respectively, for the samples treated with the essential oil of C. longa L. and curcumin at a concentration of 0.5%.