Nutraceutical profiling of surimi gel containing ß-glucan stabilized virgin coconut oil with and without antioxidants after simulated gastro-intestinal digestion.

Surimi gels containing ß-glucan stabilized virgin coconut oil (VCO) were subjected to simulated gastrointestinal digestion and the resulting digest was analyzed for nutraceutical properties. ß-glucan stabilized VCO nanoemulsion (ßG-V-N) remarkably improved antioxidant activities of the surimi digest. When epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) was added in nanoemulsion, the surimi digest showed the highest antioxidant activities. Antidiabetic activity of the digest was also improved by the addition of ßG-V-N comprising EGCG. Nevertheless, the addition of ßG-V-N lowered ACE inhibitory activity of surimi digest. The surimi digest from the gel added with ßG-V-N possessed an inhibitory effect on five cancer cell lines including HEK (Human embryonic kidney 293 cells), MCF-7 (breast cancer cell line), U87 (human glioma), HeLa (human cervical cancer), and IMR-32 (human neuroblastoma), regardless of EGCG or α-tocopherol incorporated. This study demonstrated that surimi gel supplemented with ßG-V-N in the presence of EGCG exhibited nutraceutical potential and could be used as a functional food.

Exogenous Arginine Treatment Maintains the Appearance and Nutraceutical Properties of Hard- and Soft-Seed Pomegranates in Cold Storage.

Arginine is a natural preservative; however, its effects on the storage of different cultivars of pomegranates have not been investigated extensively. Therefore, the fruit quality of soft-seed Tunisia and hard-seed Yudazi pomegranates was investigated after treatment with arginine at four concentrations during cold storage for 80 days. Pomegranates treated with 1.0 mM arginine exhibited a relatively lower loss of vitamin C, soluble solid, total phenol, and anthocyanin contents in arils, together with a better fruit appearance. Combined with principal component analysis (PCA), the storage life of fruits treated with 1.0 mM arginine showed a higher correlation with antioxidant enzyme activity (e.g., superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase (CAT)) during the first 40 days of cold storage, whereas after 40 days of cold storage, storage life was more dependent on the integrity of the cell membrane affected by malondialdehyde (MDA) content, electrolyte leakage (EL), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation. Arginine treatment contributed significantly to the appearance and inner quality of the hard-seed pomegranate cv. Yudazi fruit during cold storage compared to those of soft-seed Tunisia. Taken together, arginine application combined with cold storage enhanced the nutraceutical properties and marketability of pomegranate fruits.

First Multi-Target Application of Exclusion Net in Nectarine Orchards: Effectiveness against Pests and Impact on Beneficial Arthropods, Postharvest Rots and Fruit Quality.

Over the past few years, there has been an increasing interest in the development of alternative pest control strategies to reduce environmental impact. In this contest, exclusion nets have been evaluated as a sustainable alternative to pesticides. In this study, the use of a photoselective exclusion net was investigated in semi-field conditions as a potential strategy to protect nectarine orchards from different pests (i.e., fruit moths, Halyomorpha halys and Drosophila suzukii) in NW Italy. The presence and abundance of pest populations inside and outside the net, as well as the damage they caused on fruits, were evaluated. Moreover, any possible effects of the net on beneficial arthropods, postharvest rots and fruit quality and nutraceutical parameters were considered. The exclusion net significantly reduced pest populations. At harvest, fruit damage caused by Grapholita molesta and H. halys in netted plots was reduced up to 90% and to 78%, respectively, compared with insecticide-treated plots. The exclusion net allowed the production of healthier fruits with a strong reduction of insecticide treatments (up to seven less) and of their related costs without any negative impact on postharvest rots, neither fruit quality nor nutraceutical properties.

Polyphenols in whole rice grain: genetic diversity and health benefits.

Polyphenols, such as phenolic acid, anthocyanin and proanthocyanidins, have both nutraceutical properties and functional significance for human health. Identification of polyphenolic compounds and investigation of their genetic basis among diverse rice genotypes provides the basis for the improvement of the nutraceutical properties of whole rice grain. This review focuses on current information on the identification, genetic diversity, formation and distribution patterns of the phenolic acid, anthocyanin, and proanthocyanidins in whole rice grain. The genetic analysis of polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity allows the identification of several candidate genes or quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for polyphenol variation, which may be useful in improvement of these phytochemicals by breeding. Future challenges such as how to mitigate the effects of climate change while improving nutraceutical properties in whole grain, and how to use new technology to develop new rice high in nutraceutical properties are also presented.