Evaluation of Various Drying Methods on Bioactives, Ascorbic Acid and Antioxidant Potentials of Talinum triangulare L., foliage

Serotonin-Salt-Stress Model-Induced Cell Growth via Promoting an Antioxidant System and Secondary Metabolites in Capsicum annuum Cell Suspension Culture

Capsicum annuum contains potential therapeutic capsaicinoids, and various stress factors influence plant productivity. Serotonin is an indoleamine involved in signaling several stress response mechanisms in plants. However, the influence of serotonin on cell growth and the accumulation of secondary metabolites, mainly capsaicinoids production, is not yet clearly defined under salt stress. In this study, we optimized chili cell suspension cultures to maximize biomass, capsaicinoids, and phenolic compounds production using response surface methodology with two variables (serotonin and NaCl) of different concentrations in culture media supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and Kinetin. The results revealed a significant increase in biomass (14.3 g/L FW), capsaicin (0.93 μg/g FW), and dihydrocapsaicin content (0.32 μg/g FW) in chili cell suspension cultures compared with the control. Among all the phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid was enhanced (17.4 μg/g FW), compared to control cultures. Serotonin exhibited stress mitigation effects and boosted antioxidant potential in chili suspension cultures. The present results illustrated that the optimized conditions can be used in scale-up studies of capsaicinoids production through the bioreactor.

Impact of pretreatment with dielectric barrier discharge plasma on the drying characteristics and bioactive compounds of jackfruit slices

BACKGROUND

Hot-air drying is a popular method for preserving the production of jackfruit, but heat treatment damages its nutritional qualities. Cold plasma is one of the pretreatment methods used to preserve quality attributes of fruits before drying. In the present work, we studied the effect of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on the drying characteristics, microstructure, and bioactive compounds of jackfruit slices with different pretreatment times (15, 30, 45, and 60 s), followed by hot-air drying at 50, 60, and 70 °C. A homemade DBD device was operated via three neon transformers.

RESULTS

Optical emission spectrophotometry revealed the emitted spectra of the reactive species in DBD plasma, including the N2 second positive system, N2 first negative system, nitrogen ion, and hydroxyl radical. The results showed that the DBD plasma promoted moisture transfer and enhanced the drying rate, related to the changes in the surface microstructure of samples damaged by DBD plasma. The modified Overhults model was recommended for describing the drying characteristics of jackfruit slices. The contents of ascorbic acid, total phenolics, total flavonoids, total polysaccharides, and antioxidant activity in pretreated jackfruit slices were improved by 9.64%, 42.59%, 25.77%, 27.00%, and 23.13%, respectively. However, the levels of color and carotenoids were reduced.

CONCLUSION

Thus, the bioactive compounds in dried jackfruit slices can be improved using the DBD plasma technique as a potential pretreatment method for the drying process. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Phytochemicals and UHPLC-QTOF-HRMS characterisation of bioactives of butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) seeds and their antioxidant potentials

Clitoria ternatea Linn. (Fabaceae) is a medicinal and ornamental plant, widely used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. There is no strong scientific evidence on the consumption of the tender fruits/seeds of blue- and white-flower plants as vegetables. Analysis of the nutrient composition revealed that the total carbohydrate, protein, and lipid were highest in the mature-stage seeds of both varieties. UHPLC analysis revealed the presence of rutin (1.66 mg%) as the major compound. LC-HRMS confirmed the presence of other bioactives, such as sinapic acid (m/z 223), catechin derivatives (m/z 305 and m/z 153), quercetin (m/z 463), etc., as well. The ascorbic acid content was found to be highest in blue-flowered plant seeds (18.10 mg/100 g). Analysis of antioxidant activity displayed the superiority of immature seeds over mature seeds. The research shows that these seeds are rich in nutrients and bioactives, which may have use in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

A Review on Bioactive Compounds, Ethnomedicinal Importance and Pharmacological Activities of Talinum triangulare (Jacq.) Willd

Talinum triangulare (Jacq.) Willd. is a traditional leafy vegetable used by tribal communities for ethnomedicinal and ethnoculinary preparations. This article reviews the current knowledge of its multiple uses, including pharmacological activities and nutritional composition. The literature survey shows that it has been traditionally useful in the treatment of several diseases, such as anaemia, diabetes, measles, and ulcers and the preparation of various traditional foods. Analysis of the literature on its phytochemicals shows its richness in bioactive compounds. Further, research also shows that this plant has antidiabetic, antiobesity, antitumor, antiulcer, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective activities besides anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Nutrient analysis of the plant reveals the presence of Ca, Zn, Fe, vitamins C and E, dietary fibre and protein in considerable quantities. The results of the pharmacological studies on the antidiabetic, antiulcer and anti-anaemic activities provide support in favour of its ethnomedicinal uses. The presence of bioactive compounds and pharmacological activities show the usefulness of this plant as a functional food.

Impact of Sample Pretreatment and Extraction Methods on the Bioactive Compounds of Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Leaves

To find the most optimal green valorization process of food by-products, sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) leaves (SBLs) were freeze-dried and ground with/without liquid nitrogen (LN), as a simple sample pretreatment method, before ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of polyphenols. First, the water activity, proximate composition, amino acid (AA) and fatty acid (FA) profiles, and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity of dried and fresh SBLs were evaluated. Then, conventional extraction (CE) and UAE of polyphenols from SBLs using water/EtOH:water 14:6 (v/v) as extracting solvents were performed to determine the individual and combined effects of the sample preparation method and UAE. In all the freeze-dried samples, the specific activity of PPO decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05). Freeze-drying significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05) the fiber and essential FA contents of SBLs. The FA profile of SBLs revealed that they are rich sources of oleic, linoleic, and α-linolenic acids. Although freeze-drying changed the contents of most AAs insignificantly, lysine increased significantly from 7.06 ± 0.46% to 8.32 ± 0.38%. The aqueous UAE of the freeze-dried samples without LN pretreatment yielded the most optimal total phenolic content (TPC) (69.44 ± 0.15 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry matter (mg GAE/g DM)) and excellent antioxidant activities. Thus, combining freeze-drying with the aqueous UAE method could be proposed as a sustainable strategy for extracting bioactive compounds from food by-products.

Comprehensive Nutritional Analysis, Antioxidant Activities, and Bioactive Compound Characterization from Seven Selected Cereals and Pulses by UHPLC-HRMS/MS

Cereals and pulses comprise the largest proportion in a typical Indian diet plate. This research mainly focuses on determining the nutritional composition, bioactive compound characterization, and antioxidant activities of seven selected cereals and pulses. The total carbohydrate content was high in unripe banana (67.65/100 g) and arrowroot (63.76/100 g). Finger millet (44.55 μmol %), chickpea (53.33 μmol %), and green gram (17.40 μmol %) showed high oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acid contents, respectively. The ascorbic acid content was the highest in chickpea and horse gram at 86.83 and 83.76 mg/100 g, respectively. The major phenolics and flavonoids quantified and confirmed using HPLC and UHPLC-HRMS/MS were gallic, protocatechuic, vanillic, para-coumaric, ferulic, chlorogenic, sinapic, and trans-cinnamic acids, rutin, and quercetin. The sample extracts showed dose-dependent antioxidant activity to combat the reactive oxygen species. Hence, these serve as an excellent source for the development of functional food formulations for lowering the risk of various diseases.

A priori design of new natural deep eutectic solvent for lutein recovery from microalgae

Lutein is an important functional food ingredient. However, its recovery processes developed so far seem to fail in sustainability criteria, regarding the urgent need for improved extraction ability while maintaining stability. This work aimed to study the design and application of natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) for lutein recovery from Scenedesmus sp with the aid of COSMO-RS. The performance of the novel fenchyl alcohol/thymol-based system was studied comprehensively under different extraction parameters. Furthermore, thermal, light and storage stability of lutein in NADES were investigated. It was found that lutein recovery from microalgae should be performed using equimolar hydrogen-bond acceptor/donor at 60 °C within 70 min. The NADES could increase lutein yield compared with the conventional methodology using organic solvents. Besides, it significantly enhanced the lutein stability under various conditions. Hydrogen bond and Van der Waals interaction play crucial roles during target processing, elucidated by theoretical calculations and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Evaluation of diosgenin content from eleven different Indian varieties of fenugreek and fenugreek leaf powder fortified bread

The present study designed to establish the diosgenin profile from eleven different Indian varieties of fenugreek, and subsequently develop powder from the best stage and variety to prepare diosgenin fortified bread. The seeds, sprouts and leaves of different fenugreek varieties were analyzed for the diosgenin using HPLC. The content of phenolics and flavonoids also estimated and assessed for its antioxidant capacity using phosphomolybdate, DPPH and FRAP. Among eleven varieties screened for diosgenin and the other compounds, tender leaf of Kasuri methi (KS) variety showed the highest content of diosgenin (466.89 ± 0.32 mg/100 g FW), phenolics (58.54 ± 2.70 mg/100 g FW) and flavonoids (1104.16 ± 43.70 mg/100 g FW) followed by Pusa Early Bunching (PEB) (444.18 ± 0.36 mg/100 g FW) and Early Bunching (EB) (409.45 ± 0.42 mg/100 g FW). Among three stages, seeds found to be a better total antioxidant, DPPH scavenging, and reducing ability. Further, based on the results, bread fortified with 1.5% KS leaf powder is found to be optimal which also has significant diosgenin content (268.91 mg/100 g DW). And the effect of KS leaf powder on amylograph and farinograph characteristics of wheat flour and quality characteristics of bread showed promising results of acceptance.