Limonia acidissima and Citrullus lanatus fruit seeds: Antimicrobial, thermal, structural, functional and protein identification study

Beneath the rind: A review on the remarkable health benefits and applications of the wood apple fruit

Limonia acidissima Groff, commonly referred to as the Wood apple, is a tropical fruit belonging to Rutaceae family. Indigenous to Sri Lanka, India, and Myanmar, it is extensively cultivated throughout Southeast Asia. This fruit holds a profound historical significance in traditional medicine due to its exceptional nutritional and therapeutic attributes. Wood apple pulp is significantly abundant in β-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, and contains a substantial amount of vitamin B, including riboflavin and thiamine, as well as trace amounts of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Moreover health-benefitting properties associated with L. acidissima, such as, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-spermatogenic, analgesic, antiulcer, and antihyperlipidemic properties, are attributed to a diverse range of phytochemicals. These encompass polyphenolic compounds, saponins, phytosterols, tannins, triterpenoids, coumarins, amino acids, tyramine derivatives, and vitamins. From the findings of the various studies, it was observed that wood apple fruit shows significant anticancer activity by inhibiting the proliferation of cancer. Furthermore, wood apple finds wide-ranging commercial applications in the formulation of ready-to-serve beverages, syrups, jellies, chutneys, and various other food products. In summary, this review highlights the nutritional and phytochemical constituents of wood apple, depicts its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic capabilities, and explores its potential in value-added product development. Nevertheless, it is crucial to acknowledge that the molecular mechanisms supporting these properties remain an underexplored domain. To ensure the safe integration of wood apple fruit into the realms of the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical sectors, rigorous clinical trials, including toxicity assessments, are required. These endeavors hold the potential to promote innovation and contribute significantly to both research and industrial sectors.

STITCH and Molecular Docking Analysis of Selected Wood Apple (Limonia acidissima) Constituents as Anti-Dandruff and Anti-Acne Agents

Background

Wood apple (Limonia acidissima) has been reported to possess various pharmacological activities. The present study aimed to evaluate the 11 selected constituents of Wood apple (L. acidissima) as potent anti-dandruff and anti-acne agents using a molecular docking approach.

Materials and Methods

The 11 selected constituents of Wood apple were studied on the molecular docking behavior of Malassezia globosa Lipase-1 and Cutibacterium acnes beta-keto acyl synthase-III enzymes by using the patchdock method. Furthermore, STITCH analysis was carried out to determine the ligand-protein interactions. STITCH analysis reveals that two ligands, namely, psoralen and umbelliferone, have exhibited interactions with both the M. globosa and P. acnes KPA 171202 proteins.

Results

The docking studies revealed that isopimpinellin and saponarin exhibited the highest (ACE) atomic contact energy (-162.32 and - 318.63 kcal/mol) with that of M. globosa Lipase-1 and C. acnes beta-ketoacyl synthase-III, respectively.

Conclusion

Thus, the present finding provides new knowledge for understanding the 11 selected ligands of Wood apple (L. acidissima) as potent anti-dandruff and anti-acne agents.

Purification and characterization of antioxidant peptides from hairtail surimi hydrolysates and their effects on beef color stability

The antioxidant peptides extracted from plants or animals have shown great potential in preventing food quality deterioration caused by oxidization. Here, peptide fractions obtained from hairtail surimi hydrolysates (HSH) were investigated for structure and color-protective effect. The results showed the <3 kDa fraction obtained from HSH by ultrafiltration could be separated into five major fractions (A-E) by gel chromatography, among which fraction A possessed the highest antioxidant activities. This fraction A could be further separated into two fractions (A₁ and A₂ ) by the reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and fraction A₂ with lower α-helix content exhibited the higher antioxidant activities. The amino acids sequence of fraction A₂ was identified as DLYANTVLSGGTTMYPGIADR (2214.0627 Da). The synthetic peptide with this sequence was also found to exhibit obvious antioxidant activity. Moreover, both HSH, fractions A₁ and A₂ , and synthetic peptide demonstrated color-protective effects during the beef preservation. Taken together, the results obtained showed that the natural antioxidant peptides could be isolated from HSH, which can be used in meat preservation for inhibiting color deterioration. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study demonstrated the potential of hairtail surimi hydrolysates (HSH) as a source of antioxidant peptides. Furthermore, these antioxidant peptides purified from HSH exhibited the potential for prevention of beef color deterioration of beef, providing a potential application for meat preservation. Particularly, using the antioxidant peptides sourced from fish surimi for meat preservation may not only ease the safety concerns about artificial preservatives but also create a unique selling proposition, especially in far eastern Asian countries, since consumers in these countries believe "umami" is the combination of "fish" and "meat."

New Insights into the Antimicrobial Properties of Hydrolysates and Peptide Fractions Derived from Chia Seed (Salvia hispanica L.)

Bioactive peptides derived from chia (Salvia hispanica) seed with antioxidant, antihypertensive, and anti-inflammatory activities have been well documented; however, few studies describe the antimicrobial properties of these peptides, which is of great interest not only in the prevention of food-borne diseases but also food spoilage. The aim of this study was to generate chia seed peptides using microwave-assisted hydrolysis with sequential (alcalase + flavourzyme) enzymes (AF-MW), fractionate them into 3-10 and < 3 kDa fractions, and evaluate their potential antimicrobial activity towards Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes. Overall, the peptide fraction < 3 kDa showed higher antimicrobial activity than both chia seed hydrolysate and peptide fraction 3-10 kDa. Furthermore, the < 3 kDa fraction showed remarkable increase in membrane permeability of E. coli (71.49% crystal violet uptake) and L. monocytogenes (80.10% crystal violet uptake). These peptides caused a significant extension in the lag phase, decreases in the maximum growth, and growth rate in the bacteria and promoted multiple indentations (transmembrane tunnels), membrane wrinkling, and pronounced deformations in the integrity of the bacterial cell membranes. Finally, a select group of peptides in the AF-MW < 3 kDa fraction contained 16 sequences with cationic and hydrophobic character, with seven of them sharing the exact same sequence (GDVIAIR) and eight of them having the amino acid K as either N- or C-terminal or both. In conclusion, our results indicate that bioactive peptides obtained from chia seed proteins by microwave and enzymatic hydrolysis could be employed as antimicrobial agents in foods and therapeutic applications.