Phenolic Compounds, Vitamins C and E and Antioxidant Activity of Edible Honeysuckle Berries (Lonicera caerulea L. var. kamtschatica Pojark) in Relation to Their Origin.

Honeysuckles are frost tolerant plants providing early-ripening fruits with health-promoting properties which have been used in traditional medicine in China. This study evaluates the impact of the climatic conditions of two areas on the chemical composition and antioxidant activity (AOA; by DPPH-2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and photochemiluminescence assays) of eight cultivars of honeysuckle berries (Lonicera caerulea L. var. kamtschatica Pojark) of various ripening times. Expectedly, chemical composition and AOA values varied depending on the cultivars, locality and selected methods. Berries from Lednice (the area with more sunshine) showed higher average contents of total monomeric anthocyanins (TMAC; pH differential absorbance method), vitamins C and E and total phenolics (high-performance liquid chromatography). In contrast, berries from Zabcice (the area with more rain) performed higher average contents of total phenolics and flavonoids (UV/VIS spectroscopic analyses). Interestingly, fundamental amounts of chlorogenic acid were determined irrespective of the locality. Regarding TMAC and vitamin C content, early ripening Amphora from both areas has been assessed as the best cultivar; concerning the content of phenolic compounds, Fialka from both areas and Amphora from Lednice is considered as the most valuable. The obtained results may facilitate the selection of the most valuable cultivars for both producers and consumers.

Impact of phenolic compounds and vitamins C and E on antioxidant activity of sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.) berries and leaves of diverse ripening times.

Bioactive compounds demonstrating antioxidant activity were analyzed in berries and leaves of nine cultivars of sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.) of various ripening times. Total polyphenols were ranging between 0.70-3.62 g GAE.kg-1 (berries) and 1.88-3.72 g GAE.kg-1 (leaves). Leaves were significantly richer source of total flavonoids (14.40-49.44 mg RE.kg-1) in comparison with berries (0.55-4.11 mg RE.kg-1). Phenolic compounds, carotenoids and vitamins were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detection. The content of vitamin C was 0.98-3.65 g.kg-1 in berries and 22.81-46.32 g.kg-1 in leaves, vitamin E content was 6.98-29.91 g.kg-1 in berries and 71.54-153.99 g.kg-1 in leaves. Distribution of individual phenolic compounds varied, their total content in berries was considerably lower (76.1-205.2 mg.kg-1) than in leaves (1477.7-8709.0 mg.kg-1). Regarding antioxidant activity, Raisa and Slovan (berries) and Bojan and Maslicnaja (leaves) were evaluated as the best cultivars.

Contribution of phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid and vitamin E to antioxidant activity of currant (Ribes L.) and gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa L.) fruits.

Berries of four gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa L.) cultivars of Invicta, Rixanta, Karat and Black Negus and five currant (Ribes L.) cultivars of NS 11, Focus, Ben Gairn, Otelo and Viola were evaluated as potential sources of bioactive compounds with extraordinary antioxidant activity. Their total phenolic, flavonoid and anthocyanin contents were determined in the range of 3.52-30.77 g GA.kg-1, 2.83-17.35 g RE.kg-1 and 0.03-186.12 mg COG.100 g-1, respectively. Furthermore, quantification of phenolic compounds and vitamins was established by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection. Flavonoids were the most abundant phenolic substances in the range of 345.0-3726.5 mg.kg-1. Ascorbic acid and vitamin E were established in the amounts of 6.2-14.04 g.kg-1 and 0.43-12.85 mg.kg-1, respectively. Considering all analyzed factors and antioxidant activities determined by various methods (DPPH, ACW and ACL), red gooseberry Black Negus and black currant Otelo were the most significant cultivars.

Fatty Acids Composition of Vegetable Oils and Its Contribution to Dietary Energy Intake and Dependence of Cardiovascular Mortality on Dietary Intake of Fatty Acids.

Characterizations of fatty acids composition in % of total methylester of fatty acids (FAMEs) of fourteen vegetable oils--safflower, grape, silybum marianum, hemp, sunflower, wheat germ, pumpkin seed, sesame, rice bran, almond, rapeseed, peanut, olive, and coconut oil--were obtained by using gas chromatography (GC). Saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), palmitic acid (C16:0; 4.6%-20.0%), oleic acid (C18:1; 6.2%-71.1%) and linoleic acid (C18:2; 1.6%-79%), respectively, were found predominant. The nutritional aspect of analyzed oils was evaluated by determination of the energy contribution of SFAs (19.4%-695.7% E(RDI)), PUFAs (10.6%-786.8% E(RDI)), n-3 FAs (4.4%-117.1% E(RDI)) and n-6 FAs (1.8%-959.2% E(RDI)), expressed in % E(RDI) of 1 g oil to energy recommended dietary intakes (E(RDI)) for total fat (E(RDI)--37.7 kJ/g). The significant relationship between the reported data of total fat, SFAs, MUFAs and PUFAs intakes (% E(RDI)) for adults and mortality caused by coronary heart diseases (CHD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in twelve countries has not been confirmed by Spearman's correlations.

Phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in algal food products.

The study objective was to investigate total phenolic content using Folin-Ciocalteu's method, to assess nine phenols by HPLC, to determine antioxidant capacity of the water soluble compounds (ACW) by a photochemiluminescence method, and to calculate the correlation coefficients in commercial algal food products from brown (Laminaria japonica, Eisenia bicyclis, Hizikia fusiformis, Undaria pinnatifida) and red (Porphyra tenera, Palmaria palmata) seaweed, green freshwater algae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa), and cyanobacteria (Spirulina platensis). HPLC analysis showed that the most abundant phenolic compound was epicatechin. From spectrophotometry and ACW determination it was evident that brown seaweed Eisenia bicyclis was the sample with the highest phenolic and ACW values (193 mg·g-1 GAE; 7.53 µmol AA·g-1, respectively). A linear relationship existed between ACW and phenolic contents (r = 0.99). Some algal products seem to be promising functional foods rich in polyphenols.

Influence of extractive solvents on lipid and fatty acids content of edible freshwater algal and seaweed products, the green Microalga Chlorella kessleri and the Cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis.

Total lipid contents of green (Chlorella pyrenoidosa, C), red (Porphyra tenera, N; Palmaria palmata, D), and brown (Laminaria japonica, K; Eisenia bicyclis, A; Undaria pinnatifida, W, WI; Hizikia fusiformis, H) commercial edible algal and cyanobacterial (Spirulina platensis, S) products, and autotrophically cultivated samples of the green microalga Chlorella kessleri (CK) and the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis (SP) were determined using a solvent mixture of methanol/chloroform/water (1:2:1, v/v/v, solvent I) and n-hexane (solvent II). Total lipid contents ranged from 0.64% (II) to 18.02% (I) by dry weight and the highest total lipid content was observed in the autotrophically cultivated cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis. Solvent mixture I was found to be more effective than solvent II. Fatty acids were determined by gas chromatography of their methyl esters (% of total FAMEs). Generally, the predominant fatty acids (all results for extractions with solvent mixture I) were saturated palmitic acid (C16:0; 24.64%-65.49%), monounsaturated oleic acid (C18:1(n-9); 2.79%-26.45%), polyunsaturated linoleic acid (C18:2(n-6); 0.71%-36.38%), α-linolenic acid (C18:3(n-3); 0.00%-21.29%), γ-linolenic acid (C18:3(n-6); 1.94%-17.36%), and arachidonic acid (C20:4(n-6); 0.00%-15.37%). The highest content of ω-3 fatty acids (21.29%) was determined in Chlorella pyrenoidosa using solvent I, while conversely, the highest content of ω-6 fatty acids (41.42%) was observed in Chlorella kessleri using the same solvent.

Antioxidant activity and protecting health effects of common medicinal plants.

Medicinal plants are traditionally used in folk medicine as natural healing remedies with therapeutic effects such as prevention of cardiovascular diseases, inflammation disorders, or reducing the risk of cancer. In addition, pharmacological industry utilizes medicinal plants due to the presence of active chemical substances as agents for drug synthesis. They are valuable also for food and cosmetic industry as additives, due to their preservative effects because of the presence of antioxidants and antimicrobial constituents. To commonly used medicinal plants with antioxidant activity known worldwide belong plants from several families, especially Lamiaceae (rosemary, sage, oregano, marjoram, basil, thyme, mints, balm), Apiaceae (cumin, fennel, caraway), and Zingiberaceae (turmeric, ginger). The antioxidant properties of medicinal plants depend on the plant, its variety, environmental conditions, climatic and seasonal variations, geographical regions of growth, degree of ripeness, growing practices, and many other factors such as postharvest treatment and processing. In addition, composition and concentration of present antioxidants, such as phenolic compounds, are related to antioxidant effect. For appropriate determination of antioxidant capacity, the extraction technique, its conditions, solvent used, and particular assay methodology are important.

Health benefits of algal polysaccharides in human nutrition.

The interest in functional food, both freshwater and marine algal products with their possible promotional health effects, increases also in regions where algae are considered as rather exotic food. Increased attention about algae as an abundant source of many nutrients and dietary fiber from the nutrition point of view, as well as from the scientific approaches to explore new nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, is based on the presence of many bioactive compounds including polysaccharides extracted from algal matter. Diverse chemical composition of dietary fiber polysaccharides is responsible for their different physicochemical properties, such as their ability to be fermented by the human colonic microbiota resulted in health benefit effects. Fundamental seaweed polysaccharides are presented by alginates, agars, carrageenans, ulvanes, and fucoidans, which are widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industry and also in other branches of industry. Moreover, freshwater algae and seaweed polysaccharides have emerged as an important source of bioactive natural compounds which are responsible for their possible physiological effects. Especially, sulfate polysaccharides exhibit immunomodulatory, antitumor, antithrombotic, anticoagulant, anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities including anti-HIV infection, herpes, and hepatitis viruses. Generally, biological activity of sulfate polysaccharides is related to their different composition and mainly to the extent of the sulfation of their molecules. Significant attention has been recently focused on the use of both freshwater algae and seaweed for developing functional food by reason of a great variety of nutrients that are essential for human health.

Seaweed lipids as nutraceuticals.

Seaweeds are known as low-energy food. Despite low lipid content, ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) introduce a significant part of seaweed lipids. PUFAs are the important components of all cell membranes and precursors of eicosanoids that are essential bioregulators of many cellular processes. PUFAs effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, ostheoporosis, and diabetes. Because of the frequent usage of seaweeds in Asia and their increasing utilization as food also in other parts of the world, seaweeds could contribute to the improvement of a low level of ω-3 PUFAs, especially in the Western diet. The major commercial sources of ω-3 PUFAs are fish, but their wide usage as food additives is limited for the typical fishy smell, unpleasant taste, and oxidative nonstability. Nevertheless, growing requirements of healthy functional foods have led to produce PUFAs as nutraceuticals in controlled batch culture of marine microalgae, especially Thraustochytrium and Schizochytrium strains.

Seaweed minerals as nutraceuticals.

Seaweed is known as an abundant source of minerals. Mineral composition of seaweed is very changeable because of many exogenous and endogenous factors and differs also within the same species. Principally, seaweed is an excellent source of some essential elements. Mainly, iron and iodine are in high concentration. Seaweeds could be prospective as functional foods and also producers of mineral nutraceuticals.