The antioxidative activity of plant extracts in cooked pork patties as evaluated by descriptive sensory profiling and chemical analysis

Molecular dynamics study on the biophysical interactions of seven green tea catechins with lipid bilayers of cell membranes

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the interactions of bioactive catechins (flavonoids) commonly found in green tea with lipid bilayers, as a model for cell membranes. Previously, multiple experimental studies rationalized catechin's anticarcinogenic, antibacterial, and other beneficial effects in terms of physicochemical molecular interactions with the cell membranes. To contribute toward understanding the molecular role of catechins on the structure of cell membranes, we present simulation results for seven green tea catechins in lipid bilayer systems representative of HepG2 cancer cells. Our simulations show that the seven tea catechins evaluated have a strong affinity for the lipid bilayer via hydrogen bonding to the bilayer surface, with some of the smaller catechins able to penetrate underneath the surface. Epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG) showed the strongest interaction with the lipid bilayer based on the number of hydrogen bonds formed with lipid headgroups. The simulations also provide insight into the functional characteristics of the catechins that distinguish them as effective compounds to potentially alter the lipid bilayer properties. The results on the hydrogen-bonding effects, described here for the first time, may contribute to a better understanding of proposed multiple molecular mechanisms of the action of catechins in microorganisms, cancer cells, and tissues.

Polyphenolic transmission to Segureno lamb meat from ewes' diet supplemented with the distillate from rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) leaves

The aim of the present work is to study whether the introduction of rosemary plant byproduct, from plant steam distillation, in daily Segurena sheep feeding allows the transfer of active antioxidant components to lamb meat, without detriment to the animal productivity. For this, 36 Segurena ewes were assigned randomly to three homogeneous groups. One group was fed a basal diet as a control and the diet of the other two groups was modified by substituting 10 or 20% of the control diet (respectively) with distilled rosemary leaves. Chromatographic analysis allowed the identification of 11 polyphenolic components previously identified in the rosemary and basal diet pellets, respectively. Among them, rosmarinic acid, carnosol, and carnosic acid were the phenolic components that had a significantly increased presence ( P < 0.05) in the lamb meat from sheep mothers fed this aromatic herb, when compared to the control group. The incorporation of this byproduct into the animal diet favored the antioxidant capacity of these lamb meat samples. Fresh meat produced on rosemary had higher total ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) ( P < 0.05), greater ability to reduce ABTS*+, and lower IC50 (DPPH*) ( P < 0.05) values when compared to the control group. Because no statistically significant differences were detected among the results obtained from the lamb meat belonging to the different ewe groups fed rosemary leaf extract (10 or 20%), it can be concluded that the incorporation of distilled rosemary leaves at a rate of 10% of the ewes' diet should be enough to improve the lamb meat antioxidant status.