Electron beam and gamma irradiation as feasible conservation technologies for wild Arenaria montana L.: Effects on chemical and antioxidant parameters

Functionalization of yogurts with Agaricus bisporus extracts encapsulated in spray-dried maltodextrin crosslinked with citric acid

Mushroom extracts contain bioactive compounds potentially useful to functionalize foodstuffs. Herein, alcoholic extracts of Agaricus bisporus were studied for their bioactivity and viability as functional ingredients in a food product with high water content (yogurt). Extracts were microencapsulated (to improve their stability and hydrophilicity) by spray-drying, using maltodextrin crosslinked with citric acid as encapsulating material. The effect of thermal treatment (after atomization) on crosslinking and bioactivity of microspheres was tested. The incorporation of free and thermally untreated forms resulted in yogurts with higher initial antioxidant activity (EC₅₀ values: 214 and 272 mg.mL^-1) that decreased after 7 days (EC₅₀ values: 248 and 314 mg.mL^-1). Contrarily, thermally treated microencapsulated extracts showed higher antioxidant activity after the same period (EC₅₀ values, 0 days: 106 mg.mL^-1; 7 days: 48.7 mg.mL^-1), in result of an effective protection provided by microencapsulation with crosslinked maltodextrin and citric acid. Functionalized yogurts showed an overall maintenance of nutritional properties.

How gamma and electron-beam irradiations modulate phenolic profile expression in Melissa officinalis L. and Melittis melissophyllum L

Owing to the overall increase in herbal infusions' consumption, there's a progressively higher need of suitable plant material, as well as adequate conservation techniques to maintain its quality. Among, the available technologies, irradiation is gaining interest as a feasible preservation method. In line with this approach, this wok was designed to evaluate the effects of electron-beam and gamma irradiation over the phenolic profiles of two plant species Melissa officinalis L. (LB) and Melittis melissophyllum L. (BB). Individual phenolics were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detector and a mass spectrometer (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS). Irradiated samples showed a general increase in individual phenolic contents, especially in lithospermic acid A in LB and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid in BB. Thus, this study revealed the potential usefulness of both conservation technologies when employed to this type of plants.

Ellagitannin-rich bioactive extracts of Tuberaria lignosa: insights into the radiation-induced effects in the recovery of high added-value compounds

Functional extracts with the highest concentration of ellagitannins were obtained from samples irradiated at 5 kGy, extracted for 10 min.