Development of biopolymer-mediated nanocomposites using hot-melt extrusion to enhance the bio-accessibility and antioxidant capacity of kenaf seed flour

Recent Advances in the Carotenoids Added to Food Packaging Films: A Review

Food spoilage is one of the key concerns in the food industry. One approach is the improvement of the shelf life of the food by introducing active packaging, and another is intelligent packaging. Detecting packed food spoilage in real-time is key to stopping outbreaks caused by food-borne diseases. Using active materials in packaging can improve shelf life, while the nonharmful color indicator can be useful to trace the quality of the food through simple color detection. Recently, bio-derived active and intelligent packaging has gained a lot of interest from researchers and consumers. For this, the biopolymers and the bioactive natural ingredient are used as indicators to fabricate active packaging material and color-changing sensors that can improve the shelf life and detect the freshness of food in real-time, respectively. Among natural bioactive components, carotenoids are known for their good antimicrobial, antioxidant, and pH-responsive color-indicating properties. Carotenoids are rich in fruits and vegetables and fat-soluble pigments. Including carotenoids in the packaging system improves the film's physical and functional performance. The recent progress on carotenoid pigment-based packaging (active and intelligent) is discussed in this review. The sources and biological activity of the carotenoids are briefly discussed, and then the fabrication and application of carotenoid-activated packaging film are reviewed. The carotenoids-based packaging film can enhance packaged food's shelf life and indicate the freshness of meat and vegetables in real-time. Therefore, incorporating carotenoid-based pigment into the polymer matrix could be promising for developing novel packaging materials.

Valorization of Grape Pomace and Berries as a New and Sustainable Dietary Supplement: Development, Characterization, and Antioxidant Activity Testing

Grape pomace and berries represent natural sources of phytochemicals that can increase the quality of life of consumers by contributing to the prevention of chronic diseases; thus, the development of a dietary supplement was necessary. The raw material (r.m.) used for the development of the dietary supplement consisted of dried and powdered bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), red currants (Ribes rubrum L.), and red fermented pomaces (Vitis vinifera L.) from Feteasca Neagra and Cabernet Sauvignon cultivars. The particle size distribution, powder flow, total phenolic content (TPC), HPLC-DAD phenolic profile assessment, and radical scavenging assay (RSA) were employed for the analysis of the raw material. After encapsulation, the average mass and uniformity of mass, the disintegration, and the uniformity of content for the obtained capsules were performed to obtain a high-quality dietary supplement. All the assays performed complied to the compendial requirements and the TPC was determined at 9.07 ± 0.25 mg gallic acid equivalents/g r.m. and RSA at 48.32 ± 0.74%. The highest quantities of phenolic compounds determined were 333.7 ± 0.50 µg/g r.m. for chlorogenic acid, followed by rutin, ferulic acid, and (+)-catechin with 198.9 ± 1.60 µg/g r.m., 179.8 ± 0.90 µg/g r.m. and 118.7 ± 0.75 µg/g r.m., respectively. The results of this study can be used for the manufacturing and assessing of pilot scale-up capsule batches and thinking of quality assurance, we recommend that the industrial batch extracts should be standardized in polyphenols, and the manufacturing process should be validated.

Comparison in Content of Total Polyphenol, Flavonoid, and Antioxidant Capacity from Different Organs and Extruded Condition of Moringa oleifera Lam

Recently, interest in exploring phytochemicals with health benefits has grown significantly. In this research, we aimed to develop the processing profile and functionality of Moringa oleifera Lam. Here, we implemented biopolymer-mediated extrudate formulations of M. oleifera (leaves, seed, and husk) in order to enhance the phenolic, flavonoid, and antioxidant capacity. The formulation-1 (F1) was prepared for leaves, seed, and husk using biopolymers (10% w/w), namely: whey protein isolate (10% w/w) and lecithin (5% w/w) with vitamin E (2% w/w). The formulation-2 (F2) was composed of lecithin (5% w/w) with ascorbyl palmitate (10% w/w) and vitamin E (2% w/w), processed by hot-melt extrusion (HME). It was observed that the total phenol and flavonoid contents were persistent in the lecithin-mediated F2 formulation of leaves, seed, and husk. Likewise, antioxidant capacity was significantly stayed in the F2 formulation of all organs, compared to the extrudate and control. The IC50 values revealed that the leaves of the F2 formulation showed strong free radical scavenging capacity compared to the F2 formulation of seed and husk. It was concluded that the F2 formulation could be used in the different parts of M. oleifera processing to boost functionality.

Chemical and Biological Properties of Peach Pomace Encapsulates: Chemometric Modeling

Background: Bioactive compounds need to resist food processing, be released from the food matrix, and be bioaccessible in the gastrointestinal tract in order to provide health benefits. Bioactive compounds isolated from peach pomace (PP) were encapsulated using four different wall materials to improve their stability and to evaluate the effects of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, as well as chemometric modeling among obtained encapsulates. Methods: Phenolics and carotenoids content, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, and cell growth activities were evaluated after gastric and intestinal digestion steps. Chemometrics classification analysis–principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed grouping among encapsulates. Results: The encapsulation of PP bioactive compounds showed a protective effect against pH changes and enzymatic activities along digestion, and thereby contributed to an increase in their bioaccessibility in gastric and intestinal fluids. Conclusions: The obtained results suggest protein and polysaccharide carriers and the freeze-drying technique, as an efficient method for the encapsulation of bioactives from PP, could find use in the food and pharmaceutical industry.

Microwave-Assisted Synchronous Nanogold Synthesis Reinforced by Kenaf Seed and Decoding Their Biocompatibility and Anticancer Activity

The combination of green-nanotechnology and biology may contribute to anticancer therapy. In this regard, using gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as therapeutic molecules can be a promising strategy. Herein, we proposed a novel biocompatible nanogold constructed by simply microwave-heating (MWI) Au3+ ions and kenaf seed (KS) extract within a minute. The phytoconstituents of KS extract have been utilized for safe synthesis of gold nanoparticles (KS@GNPs). The biogenic KS@GNPs were characterized by UV-vis Spectra, TEM, HR-TEM, XRD, FTIR, DLS, EDX, and SEAD techniques. The legitimacy and toxicity concern of KS@GNPs were tested against RAW 264.7 and NIH3T3 cell lines. The anticancer efficacy was verified using LN-229 cells. The pathways of KS@GNPs synthesis were optimized by varying the KS concentration (λmax 528 nm), gold salt amount (λmax 524 nm), and MWI times (λmax 522 nm). TEM displayed spherical shape and narrow size distribution (5-19.5 nm) of KS@GNPs, whereas DLS recorded Z-average size of 121.7 d·nm with a zeta potential of -33.7 mV. XRD and SAED ring patterns confirmed the high crystallinity and crystalline face centered cubic structure of gold. FTIR explored OH functional group involved in Au3+ ions reduction followed by GNPs stabilization. KS@GNPs exposure to RAW 264.7 and NIH3T3 cell lines did not induce toxicity while dose-dependent overt cell toxicity and reduced cell viability (26.6%) was observed in LN-229 cells. Moreover, the IC50 (18.79 µg/mL) treatment to cancer cell triggered cellular damages, excessive ROS generation, and apoptosis. Overall, this research exploits a sustainable method of KS@GNPs synthesis and their anticancer therapy.

Physiological and Biochemical Changes in Sugar Beet Seedlings to Confer Stress Adaptability under Drought Condition

The present study was conducted to examine the adaptability of 11 sugar beet cultivars grown under drought stress in the controlled glasshouse. The treatment was initiated on 30-day-old sugar beet plants where drought stress was made withholding water supply for consecutive 10 days while control was done with providing water as per requirement. It was observed that drought stress expressively reduced plant growth, photosynthetic pigments, and photosynthetic quantum yield in all the cultivars but comparative better results were observed in S1 (MAXIMELLA), S2 (HELENIKA), S6 (RECODDINA), S8 (SV2347), and S11 (BSRI Sugarbeet 2) cultivars. Besides, osmolytes like proline, glycine betaine, total soluble carbohydrate, total soluble sugar, total polyphenol, total flavonoid, and DPPH free radical scavenging activity were remarkably increased under drought condition in MAXIMELLA, HELENIKA, TERRANOVA, GREGOIA, SV2348, and BSRI Sugar beet 2 cultivars. In contrast, activities of enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) were significantly decreased in all, while the cultivars SV2347, BSRI Sugar beet 1 and BSRI Sugar beet 2 were found with increased ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity under drought condition. In parallel, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was increased in all cultivars except HELENIKA. Overall, the cultivars HELENIKA, RECODDINA, GREGOIA, SV2347, SV2348, BSRI Sugar beet 1, and BSRI Sugar beet 2 were found best fitted to the given drought condition. These findings would help further for the improvement of stress adaptive sugar beet cultivars development in the breeding program for drought-prone regions.

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) Leaves and Seed as a Potential Source of the Bioactive Compounds: Effects of Various Extraction Solvents on Biological Properties

Hibiscus cannabinus (Kenaf) is a potential source of bioactive constituents and natural antioxidant. The current study determined the impact of various solvents on extraction yield, recovery of polyphenol and flavonoid, antioxidant, anticancer, and antibacterial properties of Kenaf leaves and seed. The powder of leaves and seed was separately extracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water solvent. Among them, the ethanol extract of leaves and seed showed the highest extraction yield, and their GC-MS analysis revealed a total of 55 and 14 bioactive compounds, respectively. The total polyphenols (TP) and flavonoids (TF) content were quantified by a spectrophotometric technique where water extracts displayed a noteworthy amount of TP and TF content compared to other extracts. A similar demonstration was noticed in antioxidant activity, evaluated by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and hydrogen peroxide scavenging capacity. In addition, cytotoxicity and anti-lung cancer activity were identified against mouse embryonic fibroblast (NIH3T3) and human lung cancer (A549) cells. All extracts of leaves and seed were observed as non-toxic to the NIH3T3 cells, but slight toxicity was expressed by n-hexane extracts at the optimum dose (1000 µg/mL) of treatment. In parallel, n-hexane and ethanol extracts (leaves and seed) exposed promising anti-lung cancer activity at the same concentration. Furthermore, antibacterial activity was assessed using disc diffusion assay, and seed extracts exhibited a significant inhibition zone against Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. Overall, Kenaf seed extracted with polar solvents was found very potent in terms of important bioactive compounds and pharmacological aspects, which can be an excellent biological matrix of natural antioxidants.

Simple and cleaner system of silver nanoparticle synthesis using kenaf seed and revealing its anticancer and antimicrobial potential

The clean and eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has provided promising characteristics with impressive biomedical related potential. Here, we have employed a green process for the synthesis of AgNPs using kenaf seed (KS) extract as a bilateral mediator for reducing and capping of Ag⁺ ions under hydrothermal condition. The synthesis pathways, such as varying amounts of KS, Ag ion concentration and autoclaving time were optimized. The manifestation of a strong absorption peak from 420-430 nm in UV-vis spectroscopy indicated the successful synthesis of KS@AgNPs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of hydroxyl and carbonyl functionalities involved in the reduction and stabilization of Ag⁺ ions. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy revealed that the KS@AgNPs are spherical in shape having a size around 7-11 nm, whereas high-quality crystals were evidenced by x-ray diffraction analysis. Moreover, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry revealed that 19.6 μg l^-1 of Ag⁺ ions were released from the KS@AgNPs. In cell line studies, KS@AgNPs at a higher dose were shown to be non-toxic to the healthy (NIH3T3) cells, while strong anti-proliferative response was found in the case of lung cancer (A549) cells. Furthermore, a significant zone of inhibition was observed for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms, and a combination of KS@AgNPs with ampicillin revealed a notable synergistic anti-pathogenic effect. Overall, our study proved the potentiality of KS as an efficient bio-resource for the synthesis of AgNPs and also its original feature as an anti-cancer and antimicrobial agent.

Intervention in Neuropsychiatric Disorders by Suppressing Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Signal and Exploration of In Silico Studies for Potential Lead Compounds from Holigarna caustica (Dennst.) Oken leaves

Holigarna caustica (Dennst.), a popular plant used in folk medicine in Bangladesh, is often used by the local folk practitioner to treat a variety of chronic diseases. The present research is an attempt to find out an innovative therapeutic prospect for the management of neuropsychiatric disorders. The methanol extract of H. caustica leaves (MEHC) were utilized on various behavioral tests for assessing anxiolytic, anti-depressant, and anti-inflammatory activities. The antioxidant potentials and quantitative phytochemicals were evaluated through spectrophotometric methods. Results revealed that treatment of MEHC (200 and 400 mg/kg) significantly reduced anxiety like behaviors in mice, particularly, 400 mg/kg efficiently improved % of entries and time spent (p < 0.05) in the open arms in elevated plus maze test, whereas, superior head dipping tendency (p < 0.05) was observed in hole-board test. In contrast, mice treated with 200 mg/kg revealed better anxiolytic effect in both open field and hole-cross tests. During antidepressant evaluation, mice administrated with MEHC exhibited active behaviors (swimming and struggling) in forced swimming and tail suspension tests. In parallel, MEHC manifested a noteworthy (p < 0.001) suppression of inflammatory response induced by histamine. The MEHC also showed strong antioxidant activities in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) (IC50: 57.64 μg/mL) scavenging, H2O2 (IC50: 51.60 μg/mL) scavenging, and ferric reducing power assay. The levels of total phenol, flavonoid, flavonol, condensed tannin, and antioxidant were estimated as higher in MEHC. Moreover, 11 compounds were documented as bioactive, displayed good binding affinities to potassium channel receptor, human serotonin receptor, cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and 2), and xanthine oxidoreductase enzyme targets in molecular docking experiments. Furthermore, ADME/T and Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances (PASS) analyses exposed their drug-likeness, nontoxic upon consumption, and likely pharmacological actions. Overall, the H. caustica is potentially bioactive as evident by in vivo, in vitro, and computational analysis. Our findings support the folkloric value of this plant, which may provide a potential source towards developing drug leads.

Comparative Study of Piper sylvaticum Roxb. Leaves and Stems for Anxiolytic and Antioxidant Properties Through in vivo, in vitro, and in silico Approaches

Piper sylvaticum Roxb. is traditionally used by the indigenous people of tropical and subtropical countries like Bangladesh, India, and China for relieving the common cold or a variety of chronic diseases, such as asthma, chronic coughing, piles, rheumatic pain, headaches, wounds, tuberculosis, indigestion, and dyspepsia. This study tested anxiolytic and antioxidant activities by in vivo, in vitro, and in silico experiments for the metabolites extracted (methanol) from the leaves and stems of P. sylvaticum (MEPSL and MEPSS). During the anxiolytic evaluation analyzed by elevated plus maze and hole board tests, MEPSL and MEPSS (200 and 400 mg/kg, body weight) exhibited a significant and dose-dependent reduction of anxiety-like behavior in mice. Similarly, mice treated with MEPSL and MEPSS demonstrated dose-dependent increases in locomotion and CNS simulative effects in open field test. In addition, both extracts (MEPSL and MEPSS) also showed moderate antioxidant activities in DPPH scavenging and ferric reducing power assays compared to the standard, ascorbic acid. In parallel, previously isolated bioactive compounds from this plant were documented and subjected to a molecular docking study to correlate them with the pharmacological outcomes. The selected four major phytocompounds displayed favorable binding affinities to potassium channel and xanthine oxidoreductase enzyme targets in molecular docking experiments. Overall, P. sylvaticum is bioactive, as is evident through experimental and computational analysis. Further experiments are necessary to evaluate purified novel compounds for the clinical evaluation.