Halophytes as a potential source of melanosis-inhibiting compounds. Mechanism of inhibition of a characterized polyphenol extract of purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

Antinutrients in Halophyte-Based Crops

The cultivation of halophytes is an alternative approach to sustain agricultural productivity under changing climate. They are densely equipped with a diverse group of metabolites that serve multiple functions, such as providing tolerance to plants against extreme conditions, being used as a food source by humans and ruminants and containing bioactive compounds of medicinal importance. However, some metabolites, when synthesized in greater concentration above their threshold level, are considered antinutrients. Widely reported antinutrients include terpenes, saponins, phytate, alkaloids, cyanides, tannins, lectins, protease inhibitors, calcium oxalate, etc. They reduce the body's ability to absorb essential nutrients from the diet and also cause serious health problems. This review focuses on antinutrients found both in wild and edible halophytes and their beneficial as well as adverse effects on human health. Efforts were made to highlight such antinutrients with scientific evidence and describe some processing methods that might help in reducing antinutrients while using halophytes as a food crop in future biosaline agriculture.

Chemical profiling of maceration and decoction of Tamarix gallica L. organs and in vitro biological properties

Tamarix gallica L. is a halophytic medicinal shrub traditionally used in the treatment of liver disorders. Leaf and flower infusions are widely used for anti-diarrheic and anti-inflammatory preparations. In this work, we have explored the combined effect of method (Maceration and Decoction) and solvent extraction (70% Methanol, 70% Ethanol, 70% Acetone, and Water) on phenolic composition and biological activities (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory) of different T. gallica organ extracts (Leaves, Flowers, Stems, and Fruits). Obtained results showed that Tamarix leaves reveal more potent antioxidant activity. Methanol (70%) was the best maceration solvent for the extraction of leaves and flowers with high total antioxidant and anti-radical capacities. HPLC analysis showed that catechin, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, isoquercetin were the major phenolics in 70% methanolic extract. Furthermore, this extract showed considerable anti-inflammatory activity. This prospect could be of great importance in the valuation of this halophyte as a source of natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Immunomodulatory Effect of Phytoactive Compounds on Human Health: A Narrative Review Integrated with Bioinformatics Approach

BACKGROUND

Immunomodulation is the modification of immune responses to control disease progression. While the synthetic immunomodulators have proven efficacy, they are coupled with toxicity and other adverse effects, and hence, the efforts were to identify natural phytochemicals with immunomodulatory potential.

OBJECTIVE

To understand the immunomodulatory properties of various phytochemicals and investigate them in Echinacea species extracts using an in silico approach.

METHODOLOGY

Several scientific database repositories were searched using different keywords: "Phytochemicals," "Alkaloids," "Polyphenols," "Flavonoids," "Lectins," "Glycosides," "Tannins," "Terpenoids," "Sterols," "Immunomodulators," and "Human Immune System" without any language restriction. Additionally, the study specifically investigated the immunomodulatory properties of Echinacea species extracts using gene expression analysis of GSE12259 from NCBI-GEO through the Bioconductor package GEOquery and limma.

RESULTS

A total of 182 studies were comprehensively analyzed to understand immunomodulatory phytochemicals. The in silico analysis highlighted key biological processes (positive regulation of cytokine production, response to tumor necrosis factor) and molecular functions (cytokine receptor binding, receptor-ligand activity, and cytokine activity) among Echinacea species extracts contributing to immune responses. Further, it also indicated the association of various metabolic pathways, i.e., pathways in cancer, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, NF-kappa B, PI3K-Akt, TNF, MAPK, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways, with immune responses. The study revealed various hub targets, including CCL20, CCL4, GCH1, SLC7A11, SOD2, EPB41L3, TNFAIP6, GCLM, EGR1, and FOS.

CONCLUSION

The present study presents a cumulative picture of phytochemicals with therapeutic benefits. Additionally, the study also reported a few novel genes and pathways in Echinacea extracts by re-analyzing GSE 12259 indicating its anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and immunomodulatory properties.

Harnessing the Value of Tripolium pannonicum and Crithmum maritimum Halophyte Biomass through Integrated Green Biorefinery

Bioactive extracts are often the target fractions in bioprospecting, and halophyte plants could provide a potential source of feedstock for high-value applications as a part of integrated biorefineries. Tripolium pannonicum (Jacq.) Dobrocz. (sea aster) and Crithmum maritimum L. (sea fennel) are edible plants suggested for biosaline halophyte-based agriculture. After food production and harvesting of fresh leaves for food, the inedible plant fractions could be utilized to produce extracts rich in bioactive phytochemicals to maximize feedstock application and increase the economic feasibility of biomass processing to bioenergy. This study analyzed fresh juice and extracts from screw-pressed sea aster and sea fennel for their different phenolic compounds and pigment concentrations. Antioxidant and enzyme inhibition activities were also tested in vitro. Extracts from sea aster and sea fennel had phenolic contents up to 45.2 mgGAE/gDM and 64.7 mgGAE/gDM, respectively, and exhibited >70% antioxidant activity in several assays. Ethanol extracts also showed >70% inhibition activity against acetylcholinesterase and >50% inhibition of tyrosinase and α-glucosidase. Therefore, these species can be seen as potential feedstocks for further investigations.

Effect of chitosan-coated Ulva intestinalis sulfated polysaccharide nanoliposome on melanosis and quality of Pacific white shrimp during ice storage

This study investigates chitosan coating containing nanoliposome of Ulva intestinalis sulfated polysaccharide, its effect on melanosis, as well as the quality of Pacific white shrimp during 20 days of storage in ice. The sulfated polysaccharide was extracted from Ulva intestinalis (USP), and its impact on the shrimp's polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme inhibition in different concentrations was measured. The optimum concentration of USP with the highest inhibition percentage was selected and used. USPs were loaded in nanoliposome or coated in chitosan then shrimps were immersed in these coatings. 1.5 % USP showed the highest inhibitory effect of PPO enzyme after 1 and 3 min with values of 63.03 % and 48.74 %. The melanosis of shrimps with different types of USP coating was significantly lower than the control. The lowest color change (ΔE), total viable counts (TVC) bacterial, TVN content, and weight loss were achieved in the Ch-USP treatment. The highest sensory score was found in the Ch-N-USP treatment. This coverage delayed the increase of psychrophilic bacteria (PBC) and chemical tests (TBA, FFA, and PV). Therefore, Ch-USP and Ch-N-USP treatments can be used as a natural substitute for sodium metabisulfite to increase the shelf life and shrimp quality during ice storage.

Antioxidant, Antihypertensive, Hypoglycaemic and Nootropic Activity of a Polyphenolic Extract from the Halophyte Ice Plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum)

This study aims to determine the potential antioxidant, antihypertensive, hypoglycaemic and nootropic activity of a purified polyphenolic extract from the halophyte ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum). The ice plant extract showed good antioxidant activity measured by DPPH, ORAC, TEAC, FRAP and ferrous ion chelating activity. Moreover, the extract showed potent ACE, DPP-IV and PEP-inhibitory activity (90.5%, 98.6% and 73.1%, respectively, at a final concentration of 1 mg/mL). The extract was fractionated and the fraction with the highest content of total phenolic compounds showed the highest bioactivity, suggesting that polyphenols could be mainly responsible for the abovementioned activities. The tentative polyphenol identification by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS in this fraction revealed that flavones (>65%) are the major group, with apigenin (38%) predominating, followed by diosmin (17.7%) and luteolin (11.9%). They could presumably be the main elements responsible for the enzymatic inhibition activity. Additionally, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-coumaric acid and a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative (2-O-(p-cumaroyl)-l-malic acid) were found in the extract. To our knowledge, this is the first time that some of these activities have been reported for halophyte extracts.

Aggregation and conformational change of mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) polyphenol oxidase subjected to atmospheric cold plasma treatment

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is a novel nonthermal technology with potential applications in maintaining and improving food quality. The effect of ACP on the activity and structure of mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was evaluated. Results demonstrated that the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) based plasma technology could inactivate PPO (up to 69%) at 50 kV with the increased concentrations of H₂O₂ and NO_x. An obvious enhancement of surface hydrophobicity was observed, whereas a gradual reduction of total sulfhydryl content was recorded with the increasing exposure time. Data from circular dichroism, atomic force microscopy, particle size distribution and fluorescence spectra displayed the rearrangement of secondary structure and disruption of the tertiary structure. Red shifts of fluorescence spectra showed positive correlations with the inactivation rate of PPO. Therefore, ACP treatment could be served as an alternative approach to inactivate undesirable enzymes to minimize the loss of food nutrition and quality.

Biological and Agronomic Traits of the Main Halophytes Widespread in the Mediterranean Region as Potential New Vegetable Crops

Salinity is one of the oldest and most serious environmental problems in the world. The increasingly widespread salinization of soils and water resources represents a growing threat to agriculture around the world. A strategy to cope with this problem is to cultivate salt-tolerant crops and, therefore, it is necessary to identify plant species that are naturally adapted to high-salinity conditions. In this review, we focus our attention on some plant species that can be considered among the most representative halophytes of the Mediterranean region; they can be potential resources, such as new or relatively new vegetable crops, to produce raw or minimally processed (or ready-to-eat) products, considering their nutritional properties and nutraceuticals. The main biological and agronomic characteristics of these species and the potential health risks due to mycotoxigenic fungi have been analyzed and summarized in a dedicated section. The objective of this review is to illustrate the main biological and agronomical characteristics of the most common halophytic species in the Mediterranean area, which could expand the range of leafy vegetables on the market.

Quality and volatile compound analysis of shrimp heads during different temperature storage

This study aimed to investigate volatile compounds and quality traits of shrimp heads stored at 20 °C, 4 °C, -3 °C, and -18 °C. With increased storage time, sensory scores gradually decreased, while pH and TVB-N content showed a gradually increase trend. L* showed a decreasing and then increasing tendency. The radar chart and principal component analysis showed variation changes. Three compounds including 2-decanone, dimethyl disulphide and dimethyl tetrasulphide, four compounds including 2-pentanone, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 2-methylbutyric acid, and 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, and 3-methylbutyraldehyde were the characteristic volatiles for the samples stored at 20 °C, 4 °C, and -3 °C, respectively. Twenty-five volatile compounds were key volatile compounds, among which nine were potential classification compounds with high variable importance in projection values. Trimethylamine and 2-nonanol were selected as potential markers of spoilage. The study provides the theoretical basis for quality and volatile compound investigations for shrimp heads with further high-quality utilization.

Roles of Proteins/Enzymes from Animal Sources in Food Quality and Function

Animal proteins are good sources of protein for human, due to the composition of necessary amino acids. The quality of food depends significantly on the properties of protein inside, especially the gelation, transportation, and antimicrobial properties. Interestingly, various kinds of molecules co-exist with proteins in foodstuff, and the interactions between these can significantly affect the food quality. In food processing, these interactions have been used to improve the texture, color, taste, and shelf-life of animal food by affecting the gelation, antioxidation, and antimicrobial properties of proteins. Meanwhile, the binding properties of proteins contributed to the nutritional properties of food. In this review, proteins in meat, milk, eggs, and fishery products have been summarized, and polysaccharides, polyphenols, and other functional molecules have been applied during food processing to improve the nutritional and sensory quality of food. Specific interactions between functional molecules and proteins based on the crystal structures will be highlighted with an aim to improve the food quality in the future.