Berry ripening, pre-processing and thermal treatments affect the phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of grape (Vitis vinifera L.) juice

Stability of color and biologically active compounds of pasteurized juices from potatoes with colored flesh

Juices from potato varieties with colored flesh contain a large amount of biologically active compounds, but they tend to darken enzymatically, which deteriorates the quality. One of the factors that can improve the color of juices is pasteurization. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of pasteurization temperature on the anthocyanin content and color of juices from potatoes with colored flesh. The research material included juices from potato varieties with red and purple flesh. Juices pasteurized at 75 °C were characterized by the lightest color and an increase in the a* (red color) and b* (yellow color) parameters compared to unpasteurized juices. Pasteurization of juices reduced the amount of glycoalkaloids by an average of 54% compared to unpasteurized juices (larger losses in the content of α-chaconine than α-solanine). Purple potato juices showed a higher content of total polyphenols by an average of 30% and anthocyanins by 70% than juices from red potatoes. Pelargonidin and its derivatives were identified in red potato juices, while petunidin and peonidin were the most abundant in purple potato juices. Higher losses of total polyphenols were found in juices from red varieties of potatoes, while anthocyanins were less thermostable in juices from varieties with purple flesh.

Reactivity of flavanols: Their fate in physical food processing and recent advances in their analysis by depolymerization

Flavanols, a subgroup of polyphenols, are secondary metabolites with antioxidant properties naturally produced in various plants (e.g., green tea, cocoa, grapes, and apples); they are a major polyphenol class in human foods and beverages, and have recognized effect on maintaining human health. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate their changes (i.e., oxidation, polymerization, degradation, and epimerization) during various physical processing (i.e., heating, drying, mechanical shearing, high-pressure, ultrasound, and radiation) to improve the nutritional value of food products. However, the roles of flavanols, in particular for their polymerized forms, are often underestimated, for a large part because of analytical challenges: they are difficult to extract quantitatively, and their quantification demands chemical reactions. This review examines the existing data on the effects of different physical processing techniques on the content of flavanols and highlights the changes in epimerization and degree of polymerization, as well as some of the latest acidolysis methods for proanthocyanidin characterization and quantification. More and more evidence show that physical processing can affect content but also modify the structure of flavanols by promoting a series of internal reactions. The most important reactivity of flavanols in processing includes oxidative coupling and rearrangements, chain cleavage, structural rearrangements (e.g., polymerization, degradation, and epimerization), and addition to other macromolecules, that is, proteins and polysaccharides. Some acidolysis methods for the analysis of polymeric proanthocyanidins have been updated, which has contributed to complete analysis of proanthocyanidin structures in particular regarding their proportion of A-type proanthocyanidins and their degree of polymerization in various plants. However, future research is also needed to better extract and characterize high-polymer proanthocyanidins, whether in their native or modified forms.

Trends in the Use of Botanicals in Anti-Aging Cosmetics

Botanical ingredients have been used for thousands of years in skincare for their convenience as well as the diversity and abundance in compounds with biological activity. Among these, polyphenols and especially flavonoids have gained increasing prominence due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, the most used botanical preparations in anti-aging products marketed in 2011 were determined. The analysis was repeated in 2018 for new and reformulated products. The scientific evidence for their application as active ingredients in anti-aging cosmetics and their flavonoid content was also compiled by searching in online scientific databases. Overall, in 2018, there was a noticeable increase in the use of botanical preparations in anti-aging cosmetics. However, the top three botanical species in both years were Vitis vinifera, Butyrospermum parkii, and Glycine soja, which is consistent with the greater amount of scientific evidence supporting their efficacy. Regarding the function of botanical preparations, there is a clear preference for DNA-protecting ingredients. The most prevalent flavonoids were flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins. This study provided an updated overview of the market trends regarding the use of botanicals in anti-aging products and documented the state of the art of scientific evidence for the most used plants.

Antioxidant properties of processed cheese spread after freeze-dried and oven-dried grape skin powder addition

Processed cheese spread (PCS) is a popular product with high nutritional value and containing protein, fat and minerals. Grape skin is waste from winery processing plants that still has phenolic substances with significant antioxidant activity that could be used for valorisation of processed cheese and increasing the content of nutrients, phenolics and overall antioxidant properties. Both oven-dried (OD) and freeze-dried (FD) grape skin (GS) powder was characterised by the principal ingredients, the content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity. Similarly, the influence of the addition of OD-GS and FD-GS powders on processed cheese spread (PCS) at 1% and 2% (w/w) levels were examined. The OD-GS and FD-GS powders were characterised by protein content, fat content, moisture and dietary fibre, thus showing that drying technique did not affect those parameters. The OD-GS powder exhibited higher content of rutin, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin and total flavonoid content (TFC), while higher total phenolic content (TPC) and ABTS radical cation were observed for freeze-dried GS powder. Fortification of PCS with 1% and 2% (w/w) of GS powder increased protein content. An ANOVA procedure revealed that addition of FD-GS powder to processed cheese spread was superior to TPC values together with rutin, (+)-catechin, and (-)-epicatechin contents. The higher phenolic contents reflected the higher antioxidant capacity of PCS samples fortified with FD-GS powder. Freeze-dried gape skin powder was the better choice for valorisation of processed cheese spread.

BRS Violeta (BRS Rúbea × IAC 1398-21) grape juice powder produced by foam mat drying. Part I: Effect of drying temperature on phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity

The BRS Violeta grape presents pulp and skin with high content of phenolic compounds (PCs) and intense purplish color. It was used as raw material for the production of juice and dehydrated products using foam mat drying at 60, 70 and 80 °C and freeze drying (control). HLPC-DAD-ESI-MSⁿ allowed the evaluation of the quantitative and qualitative changes of the main PCs (anthocyanins, flavonols and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (HCAD)) present in the grapes during the processing. The use of the steam extraction method to obtain grape juice allowed a greater extraction of flavonols and, mainly derivatives of hydroxycinnamic acids, when compared with anthocyanins. Drying at 70 °C was the most suitable for the preservation of the PCs and, at the same time, for the reduction of the processing time. The powdered products presented considerable concentrations of total PCs (3-5 mg/g) and antioxidant activity (32-79 (DPPH) or 17-27 (FRAP) mg/g).

Tuscany Sangiovese grape juice imparts cardioprotection by regulating gene expression of cardioprotective C-type natriuretic peptide

PURPOSE

A regular intake of red grape juice has cardioprotective properties, but its role on the modulation of natriuretic peptides (NPs), in particular of C-type NP (CNP), has not yet been proven. The aims were to evaluate: (1) in vivo the effects of long-term intake of Tuscany Sangiovese grape juice (SGJ) on the NPs system in a mouse model of myocardial infarction (MI); (2) in vitro the response to SGJ small RNAs of murine MCEC-1 under physiological and ischemic condition; (3) the activation of CNP/NPR-B/NPR-C in healthy human subjects after 7 days' SGJ regular intake.

METHODS

(1) C57BL/6J male and female mice (n = 33) were randomly subdivided into: SHAM (n = 7), MI (n = 15) and MI fed for 4 weeks with a normal chow supplemented with Tuscany SGJ (25% vol/vol, 200 µl/per day) (MI + SGJ, n = 11). Echocardiography and histological analyses were performed. Myocardial NPs transcriptional profile was investigated by Real-Time PCR. (2) MCEC-1 were treated for 24 h with a pool of SGJ small RNAs and cell viability under 24 h exposure to H₂O₂ was evaluated by MTT assay. (3) Human blood samples were collected from seven subjects before and after the 7 days' intake of Tuscany SGJ. NPs and miRNA transcriptional profile were investigated by Real-Time PCR in MCEC-1 and human blood.

RESULTS

Our experimental data, obtained in a multimodal pipeline, suggest that the long-term intake of SGJ promotes an adaptive response of the myocardium to the ischemic microenvironment through the modulation of the cardiac CNP/NPR-B/NPR-C system.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results open new avenue in the development of functional foods aimed at enhancing cardioprotection of infarcted hearts through action on the myocardial epigenome.

Processing methods with heat increases bioactive phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in grape juices

In this work, the influence of the method of processing on phenolic composition and the in vitro antioxidant activity (AOX) of grape juices was studied. The classic methods of producing "Hot Press" (HP), "Hot Break" (HB), and "Cold Press" (CP), and an artisanal method using steam were compared. Among the methods of elaboration of evaluated grape juices, those that heated the grape showed higher content of bioactive phenolics and AOX. The artisanal method using steam presented acceptable bioactive content and could be simple alternative for grape juice production. The main bioactive compounds quantified in the studied juices were procyanidin B1, quercetin-3-pyranoside, chlorogenic acid, malvidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and petunidin-3-glucoside. These were correlated by principal component analysis (PCA) with the antioxidant activity. The characteristics obtained from the different juice elaboration methods demonstrate that the HB method was responsible for the greatest extraction of bioactive compounds from the grapes. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Worldwide consumption of grape juice has been increasing. The factors that have contributed to this growth include the good sensory acceptance and the nutritional appeal related to bioactive compounds. The bioactive compounds of grape juice are mainly flavonoids and phenolic acids, and several factors exert influence on the phenolic composition of this beverage, among them, the method of elaboration. The present work presents new information on the influence of grape juice processing methods on the profile of bioactive compounds of nutritional interest and contributes to improvements in the production processes of this beverage.

Self-assembled gelatin-ι-carrageenan encapsulation structures for intestinal-targeted release applications

In this work, natural biopolymeric encapsulation structures were developed through the self-assembly of gelatin and ι-carrageenan in aqueous solutions. The interactions of this binary system and of a ternary system containing a polyphenol-rich extract were deeply explored for the development of intestinal delivery systems. The processing of the structures (extrusion vs. freeze-drying) greatly influenced release properties, explained by the specific interactions between gelatin and polyphenols, thus allowing for tuning the processing conditions depending on the desired target application. Release was further controlled by incorporating a divalent salt, giving raise to extract-loaded ι-carrageenan/gelatin capsules with adequate release profiles for intestinal targeted delivery. These results demonstrate the potential of exploiting biopolymer interactions for designing bioactive delivery systems using environmentally friendly processes which do not involve the use of toxic or harsh solvents or cross-linkers.