Antioxidative and cytotoxic activity of essential oils and extracts of Satureja montana L., Coriandrum sativum L. and Ocimum basilicum L. obtained by supercritical fluid extraction

Evaluation of Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Effects of Oil and Pulp without Açaí Fat (Euterpe oleracea) Obtained by Supercritical Extraction

For bioactivity studies, it is necessary to use products with a high degree of purity, which may influence the cytotoxic effects. Supercritical technology presents itself as an alternative to obtain these products. Therefore, the objective of this work was to obtain the bioactive compounds of oil and pulp of açaí fat-free supercritical technology and evaluate the cytotoxicity of products in MRC-5 and VERO cells in vitro. The açaí pulp was subjected to extraction with supercritical CO2 to obtain the oil and pulp without fat, under conditions of 323.15 K at 35 MPa, 333.15 K at 42 MPa, and 343.15 K at 49 MPa. The largest yields (51.74%), carotenoids (277.09 µg/g), DPPH (2.55 μmol TE/g), ABTS (2.60 μmol TE/g), and FRAP (15.25 μm of SF/g) of oil and ABTS (644.23 μmol TE/g) of pulp without fat were found in the condition 343.15 K at 49 MPa. The highest levels of compounds phenolics (150.20 mg GAE/g), DPPH (414.99 μmol TE/g), and FRAP (746.2 μm SF/g) of the pulp without fat were found in the condition of 323.15 K to 35 MPa. The fat-free pulp presented high levels of anthocyanins without significant variation in cytotoxicity. The developed process was efficient in obtaining oil rich in carotenoids, and the supercritical technology elucidated an efficient way to obtain açaí fat-free pulp.

Recent advances in the combination of organic solvent-free extraction, chemical standardization, antioxidant assay, and cell culture metabolomics for functional food and its by-product

Functional foods and their by-products contain a wide range of bioactive components with an array of health benefits and were proposed to improve public health, well-being, and others. To achieve a circular economy, the processing and extraction of flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and others from functional food and agri-food wastes will require the use of environmentally friendly, sustainable, and a low-cost solution. Extraction methods that can eliminate the use of organic solvents, suitable for use in the laboratory and production of extracts will be covered. This will include subcritical water extraction (SBE), pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), and others. Based on the selected analytical methods, the determination of the marker or bioactive compounds and chemical fingerprints will provide the control measures to identify the batch-to-batch variation of the composition of the functional food products obtained. The combination of chemical standardization with antioxidant assay, such as DPPH and ABTS+ will provide further information on the quality of the extracts. Lastly, to ascertain the biological and physiological relevance of the antioxidant properties of the target sample, treatment of the antioxidant compounds or extracts was carried out using cellular models, and validated using other experimental endpoints, such as metabolomics.

Composition and chronic toxicity of dry methanol-aqueous extract of wild-growing Satureja montana

INTRODUCTION

Saturejamontana is a wild growing medicinal plant, part of the Lamiaceae family. This herb is well known as a source of phenolic compounds, which can vary in a broad range depending on different factors and exert many pharmacological activities.

Isolation, Bioactive Potential, and Application of Essential Oils and Terpenoid-Rich Extracts as Effective Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Agents in Meat and Meat Products

Using food additives (e.g., preservatives, antioxidants) is one of the main methods for preserving meat and meat product quality (edible, sensory, and technological) during processing and storage. Conversely, they show negative health implications, so meat technology scientists are focusing on finding alternatives for these compounds. Terpenoid-rich extracts, including essential oils (EOs), are remarkable since they are generally marked as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) and have a wide ranging acceptance from consumers. EOs obtained by conventional or non-conventional methods possess different preservative potentials. Hence, the first goal of this review is to summarize the technical-technology characteristics of different procedures for terpenoid-rich extract recovery and their effects on the environment in order to obtain safe, highly valuable extracts for further application in the meat industry. Isolation and purification of terpenoids, as the main constituents of EOs, are essential due to their wide range of bioactivity and potential for utilization as natural food additives. Therefore, the second goal of this review is to summarize the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of EOs and terpenoid-rich extracts obtained from different plant materials in meat and various meat products. The results of these investigations suggest that terpenoid-rich extracts, including EOs obtained from several spices and medicinal herbs (black pepper, caraway, Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt., coriander, garlic, oregano, sage, sweet basil, thyme, and winter savory) can be successfully used as natural antioxidants and antimicrobials in order to prolong the shelf-life of meat and processed meat products. These results could be encouraged for higher exploitation of EOs and terpenoid-rich extracts in the meat industry.

Natural products in cosmetics

The global cosmetics market reached US$500 billion in 2017 and is expected to exceed US$800 billion by 2023, at around a 7% annual growth rate. The cosmetics industry is emerging as one of the fastest-growing industries of the past decade. Data shows that the Chinese cosmetics market was US$60 billion in 2021. It is expected to be the world's number one consumer cosmetics market by 2050, with a size of approximately US$450 billion. The influence of social media and the internet has raised awareness of the risks associated with the usage of many chemicals in cosmetics and the health benefits of natural products derived from plants and other natural resources. As a result, the cosmetic industry is now paying more attention to natural products. The present review focus on the possible applications of natural products from various biological sources in skin care cosmetics, including topical care products, fragrances, moisturizers, UV protective, and anti-wrinkle products. In addition, the mechanisms of targets for evaluation of active ingredients in cosmetics and the possible benefits of these bioactive compounds in rejuvenation and health, and their potential role in cosmetics are also discussed.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Leaves as a Source of Bioactive Compounds

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an annual spicy plant generally utilized as a flavouring agent for food. Basil leaves also have pharmaceutical properties due to the presence of polyphenols, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. In this work, carbon dioxide was employed to extract bioactive compounds from basil leaves. Extraction with supercritical CO₂ (p = 30 MPa; T = 50 °C) for 2 h using 10% ethanol as a cosolvent was the most efficient method, with a yield similar to that of the control (100% ethanol) and was applied to two basil cultivars: “Italiano Classico” and “Genovese”. Antioxidant activity, phenolic acid content, and volatile organic compounds were determined in the extracts obtained by this method. In both cultivars, the supercritical CO₂ extracts showed antiradical activity (ABTS^●+ assay), caffeic acid (1.69–1.92 mg/g), linalool (35–27%), and bergamotene (11–14%) contents significantly higher than those of the control. The polyphenol content and antiradical activity measured by the three assays were higher in the “Genovese” cultivar than in the “Italiano Classico” cultivar, while the linalool content was higher (35.08%) in the “Italiano Classico” cultivar. Supercritical CO₂ not only allowed us to obtain extracts rich in bioactive compounds in an environmentally friendly way but also reduced ethanol consumption.

Enhancing the Recovery of Bioactive Compounds of Soybean Fermented with Rhizopus oligosporus Using Supercritical CO2: Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Oxidative Proprieties of the Resulting Extract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of supercritical CO₂ combined with cosolvent for the recovery of bioactive compounds of soybean fermented with Rhizopus oligosporus NRRL 2710. Soxhlet extractions using seven different organic solvents (n-hexane, petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethanol, methanol, and water) were initially performed for comparative purposes. The extracts obtained were characterized by physicochemical, antioxidant, total phenolic, and oxidative proprieties. For the Soxhlet extractions, the highest and lowest yields obtained were 45.24% and 15.56%, using methanol and hexane, respectively. The extraction using supercritical CO₂ combined with ethanol as a static modifier (scCO₂ + EtOH) presented, at a high pressure (25 MPa) and temperature (80 °C), a phenolic compound content of 1391.9 μg GAE g⁻¹ and scavenging of 0.17 g, reaching a 42.87% yield. The extracts obtained by sCO₂ + EtOH were characterized by high contents of essential fatty acids (linoleic acid and oleic acid) and bioactive compounds (gallic acid, trans-cinnamic acid, daidzein, and genistein). These extracts also showed a great potential for inhibiting hyaluronidase enzymes (i.e., anti-inflammatory activity). Thermogravimetric analyses of the samples showed similar profiles, with oil degradation values in the range from 145 to 540 °C, indicating progressive oil decomposition with a mass loss ranging from 93 to 98.7%. In summary, this study demonstrated the flexibility of scCO₂ + EtOH as a green technology that can be used to obtain high-value-added products from fermented soybean.

Antioxidant Effect of Ocimum basilicum Essential Oil and Its Effect on Cooking Qualities of Supplemented Chicken Nuggets

A commonly observed chicken meat issue is its lipid oxidation that leads to deterioration of its organoleptic and nutritional properties and its further-processed products. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is one of the traditional culinary herbs exhibiting food preservation properties. The current study investigated the essential oil composition, antioxidant activity and in vitro cytotoxic capacity of the essential oil of basil indigenous to Pakistan. GC-MS analysis of the essential oil revealed the presence of 59 compounds that constituted 98.6% of the essential oil. O. basilicum essential oil (OB-EO) exhibited excellent antioxidant activity, i.e., IC50 5.92 ± 0.15 µg/mL as assayed by the DPPH assay, 23.4 ± 0.02 µmoL Fe/g by FRAP, and 14.6 ± 0.59% inhibition by H2O2. The brine shrimp lethality assay identified an average mortality of ~18% with OB-EO at 10-1000 µg/mL, while that of the same concentration range of the standard drug (etoposide) was 72%. OB-EO was found to be non-toxic to HeLa and PC-3 cell lines. TBARS contents were significantly decreased with increase of OB-EO in chicken nuggets. The lowest TBARS contents were recorded in nuggets supplemented with 0.3% OB-EO, whereas the highest overall acceptability score was marked to the treatments carrying 0.2% OB-EO. The results suggest OB-EO as a promising carrier of bioactive compounds with a broad range of food preservation properties, and which has a sensory acceptability threshold level for chicken nuggets falling between 0.2-0.3% supplementation. Future research must investigate the antibacterial impact of OB-EO on meat products preserved with natural rather than synthetic preservatives.

Molecular Dereplication and In Vitro and In Silico Pharmacological Evaluation of Coriandrum sativum against Neuroblastoma Cells

The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic activity of the Coriandrum sativum (C. sativum) ethanolic extract (CSEE) in neuroblastoma cells, chemically characterize the compounds present in the CSEE, and predict the molecular interactions and properties of ADME. Thus, after obtaining the CSEE and performing its chemical characterization through dereplication methods using UPLC/DAD-ESI/HRMS/MS, PM6 methods and the SwissADME drug design platform were used in order to predict molecular interactions and ADME properties. The CSEE was tested for 24 h in neuroblastoma cells to the establishment of the IC50 dose. Then, the cell death was evaluated, using annexin-PI, as well as the activity of the effector caspase 3, and the protein and mRNA levels of Bax and Bcl-2 were analyzed by ELISA and RT-PCR, respectively. By UHPLC/DAD/HRMS-MS/MS analysis, the CSEE showed a high content of isocoumarins-dihydrocoriandrin, coriandrin, and coriandrones A and B, as well as nitrogenated compounds (adenine, adenosine, and tryptophan). Flavonoids (apigenin, hyperoside, and rutin), phospholipids (PAF C-16 and LysoPC (16:0)), and acylglicerol were also identified in lower amount as important compounds with antioxidant activity. The in silico approach results showed that the compounds 1 to 6, which are found mostly in the C. sativum extract, obey the “Five Rules” of Lipinski, suggesting a good pharmacokinetic activity of these compounds when administered orally. The IC50 dose of CSEE (20 µg/mL) inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell death by the accumulation of cleaved caspase-3 and the externalization of phosphatidylserine. Furthermore, CSEE decreased Bcl-2 and increased Bax, both protein and mRNA levels, suggesting an apoptotic mechanism. CSEE presents cytotoxic effects, promoting cell death. In addition to the promising results predicted through the in silico approach for all compounds, the compound 6 showed the best results in relation to stability due to its GAP value.

Natural Antioxidant Evaluation: A Review of Detection Methods

Antioxidants have drawn the attention of the scientific community due to being related to the prevention of various degenerative diseases. The antioxidant capacity has been extensively studied in vitro, and different methods have been used to assess its activity. However, the main issues related to studying natural antioxidants are evaluating whether these antioxidants demonstrate a key role in the biological system and assessing their bioavailability in the organism. The majority of outcomes in the literature are controversial due to a lack of method standardization and their proper application. Therefore, this study aims to compile the main issues concerning the natural antioxidant field of study, comparing the most common in vitro methods to evaluate the antioxidant activity of natural compounds, demonstrating the antioxidant activity in biological systems and the role of the main antioxidant enzymes of redox cellular signaling and explaining how the bioavailability of bioactive compounds is evaluated in animal models and human clinical trials.

Lipid Extracts Obtained by Supercritical Fluid Extraction and Their Application in Meat Products

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) has been recognized as the green and clean technique without any negative impact on the environment. Although this technique has shown high selectivity towards lipophilic bioactive compounds, very few case studies on the application of these extracts in final products and different food matrices were observed. Considering the recent developments in food science and the increasing application of supercritical extracts in meat products in the last decade (2012–2022), the aim of this manuscript was to provide a systematic review of the lipid extracts and bioactives successfully obtained by supercritical fluid extraction and their application in meat products as antioxidant and/or antimicrobial agents. Lipophilic bioactives from natural resources were explained in the first step, which was followed by the fundamentals of supercritical fluid extraction and application on recovery of these bioactives. Finally, the application of natural extracts and bioactives obtained by this technique as functional additives in meat and meat products were thoroughly discussed in order to review the state-of-the-art techniques and set the challenges for further studies.

Bactericidal and antioxidant effects of essential oils from Satureja montana L., Myristica fragrans H. AND Cymbopogon flexuosus

The extraction and characterization of the essential oils (EO) from Satureja montana L., Myristica fragrans H. and Cymbopogon flexuosus and the determination of their antibacterial and antioxidante activities were achieved. The EO were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and quantified by gas chromatography using a flame ionization detector. The antibacterial potential against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated by cell susceptibility assays and by scanning electron microscopy. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay, by β-carotene bleaching and by determining the reducing power. Borneol (36.18%), γ-terpineol (12.66%), and carvacrol (11.07%) were the principal components in the EO from S. montana, and sabinene (49.23%) and α-pinene (13.81%) were found in the EO from M. fragrans. Geranial (59.66%) and neral (38.98%) isomers were the only major components in the EO from C. flexuosus. The EO from S. montana was effective against E. coli, with minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC) of 6.25 µl mL^-1 , whereas bactericidal potential against both was observed for the EO from M. fragrans; MIC = 6.25 ml mL^-1 for S. aureus and MBC = 12.5 µL mL^-1 for E. coli. A significant protective role on lipid substrates in the β-carotene bleaching assay was seen for the EO from S. montana and M. fragrans. Overall, such EO can be promising agents against pathogenic bacteria and for protecting biomolecules during oxidative stress.

Phytochemical Profile, Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic, and Antioxidant Activities of Fresh and Air-Dried Satureja nabateorum Essential Oils

Satureja nabateorum (Danin and Hedge) Bräuchler is a perennial herb in the Lamiaceae family that was discovered and classified in 1998. This green herb is restricted to the mountains overlooking the Dead Sea, specifically in Jordan’s southwest, the Edom mountains, and the Tubas mountains in Palestine. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of essential oil (EO) of air-dried and fresh S. nabateorum resulted in the identification of 30 and 42 phytochemicals accounting for 99.56 and 98.64% of the EO, respectively. Thymol (46.07 ± 1.1 and 40.64 ± 1.21%) was the major compound, followed by its biosynthetic precursors γ-terpinene (21.15 ± 1.05% and 20.65 ± 1.12%), and p-cymene (15.02 ± 1.02% and 11.51 ± 0.97%), respectively. Microdilution assay was used to evaluate the antimicrobial property of EOs against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), clinical isolate Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Enterococcus faecium (ATCC 700221) Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 13883), Proteus vulgaris (ATCC 700221), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and Candida albicans (ATCC-90028). With a MIC of 0.135 μg/mL, the EOs has the most potent antibacterial action against K. pneumonia. Both EOs display good antifungal efficacy against C. albicans, with a MIC value of 0.75 μg/mL, which was better than that of Fluconazole’s (positive control, MIC = 1.56 μg/mL). The antioxidant capacity of EOs extracted from air-dried and fresh S. nabateorum was determined using the DPPH assay, with IC₅₀ values of 4.78 ± 0.41 and 5.37 ± 0.40 μg/mL, respectively. The tested EOs showed significant cytotoxicity against Hela, HepG2, and COLO-205 cells, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 82 ± 0.98 to 256 ± 1.95 μg/mL. The current work shows there is a possibility to use the S. nabateorum EOs for various applications.

Fleeting Beauty-The World of Plant Fragrances and Their Application

This article is devoted to some aspects of the fragrant substances of plant origin applied in the food industry and perfumery as well. Since antiquity many extractive techniques have been developed to obtain essential oils. Some of them are still applied, but new ones, like microwave or ultrasound-assisted extractions, are more and more popular and they save time and cost. Independently of the procedure, the resulting essential oils are the source of many so-called isolates. These can be applied as food additives, medicines, or can be used as starting materials for organic synthesis. Some substances exist in very small amounts in plant material so the extraction is not economically profitable but, after their chemical structures were established and synthetic procedures were developed, in some cases they are prepared on an industrial scale. The substances described below are only a small fraction of the 2000–3000 fragrant molecules used to make our life more enjoyable, either in food or perfumes. Additionally, a few examples of allelopathic fragrant compounds, present in their natural state, will be denoted and some of their biocidal features will be mentioned as an arising “green” knowledge in agriculture.

Chemical Profiles, Anticancer, and Anti-Aging Activities of Essential Oils of Pluchea dioscoridis (L.) DC. and Erigeron bonariensis L

Plants belonging to the Asteraceae family are widely used as traditional medicinal herbs around the world for the treatment of numerous diseases. In this work, the chemical profiles of essential oils (EOs) of the above-ground parts of Pluchea dioscoridis (L.) DC. and Erigeron bonariensis (L.) were studied in addition to their cytotoxic and anti-aging activities. The extracted EOs from the two plants via hydrodistillation were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). GC-MS of EO of P. dioscoridis revealed the identification of 29 compounds representing 96.91% of the total oil. While 35 compounds were characterized from EO of E. bonariensis representing 98.21%. The terpenoids were found the main constituents of both plants with a relative concentration of 93.59% and 97.66%, respectively, including mainly sesquiterpenes (93.40% and 81.06%). α-Maaliene (18.84%), berkheyaradulen (13.99%), dehydro-cyclolongifolene oxide (10.35%), aromadendrene oxide-2 (8.81%), β-muurolene (8.09%), and α-eudesmol (6.79%), represented the preponderance compounds of EO of P. dioscoridis. While, trans-α-farnesene (25.03%), O-ocimene (12.58%), isolongifolene-5-ol (5.53%), α-maaliene (6.64%), berkheyaradulen (4.82%), and α-muurolene (3.99%), represented the major compounds EO of E. bonariensis. A comparative study of our results with the previously described data was constructed based upon principal component analysis (PCA) and agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC), where the results revealed a substantial variation of the present studied species than other reported ecospecies. EO of P. dioscoridis exhibited significant cytotoxicity against the two cancer cells, MCF-7 and A-549 with IC₅₀ of 37.3 and 22.3 μM, respectively. While the EO of the E. bonariensis showed strong cytotoxicity against HepG2 with IC₅₀ of 25.6 μM. The EOs of P. dioscoridis, E. bonariensis, and their mixture (1:1) exhibited significant inhibitory activity of the collagenase, elastase, hyaluronidase, and tyrosinase comparing with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as a reference. The results of anti-aging showed that the activity of mixture (1:1) > P. dioscoridis > E. bonariensis against the four enzymes.

Effect of a winter savory leaf extract obtained using high hydrostatic pressure on the quality of carrot juice

BACKGROUND

The consumption of vegetable juices has increased due to their characteristics such as freshness/naturalness, high nutritional value, low in calories, and for being a convenient way of consuming bioactive compounds. High hydrostatic pressure (HPP), which has been mainly used to replace thermal processing, is now also being successfully applied as extraction technology to recover bioactive compounds from herbs. The present work aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation of carrot juice with winter savory leaf aqueous extract on the final juice characteristics.

RESULTS

The extract was added to raw carrot juice (1.0 mg mL^-1 ), which was then submitted to HPP and stored for 15 days under refrigeration. Microbial analyses were performed during storage time, as also were analyzed the physicochemical properties such as pH, colour, bioactive compound concentration and antioxidant activity. Supplemented juices presented lower microbial counts than the non-supplemented ones, and, generally, did not present significant changes (P > 0.05) in pH or colour. Concerning the total phenolics and total flavonoids, as well as antioxidant activity, the values were generally higher (P < 0.05) in supplemented juices, which was proven by the high correlation found between total phenolics and ABTS^●+ and FRAP assays.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that the addition of winter savory leaf extract in carrot juice treated with HPP can effectively improve microbial safety throughout refrigerated storage as well as antioxidant activity, without risking other characteristics of the juice, such as the colour or the acidity. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Evaluation of Anticancer Activity of Satureja montana Supercritical and Spray-Dried Extracts on Ehrlich's Ascites Carcinoma Bearing Mice

Satureja montana herbal species belongs to aromatic medicinal plants with a significant place in traditional medicine. However, products produced with conventional procedures do not meet the requirements of the modern market which include environmentally-safe processes that provide quality, safe, and standardized products. In this study, the antiproliferative activity of S. montana extracts obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide and solid-liquid extraction followed by spray drying was investigated using the in vivo model of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) in mice. The impact of two concentrations of extracts on the growth of tumor and the redox status of malignant cells was monitored. It was determined that the extracts induced oxidative stress in the malignant cells which was confirmed by the changes in activity of biochemical indicators of oxidative stress. The posttreatment was not an efficient approach, while the extracts applied as pretreatment and treatment resulted in an increase in the xanthine oxidase (XOD) activity, a decrease in catalase (CAT) activity, and an increase in the intensity of lipid peroxidation (LPx). Furthermore, a decrease in the values of reduced glutathione (GSH) and an increase in glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) in EAC cells were recorded.

Effect of High Hydrostatic Pressure Extraction on Biological Activities and Phenolics Composition of Winter Savory Leaf Extracts

Satureja montana L. has several biological properties related to its diverse composition of secondary metabolites. Nevertheless, it has been mainly studied for its essential oil, with only a few studies on the profile and bioactivities of the bioactive compounds from its leaf extracts being reported. This work aimed to study the antioxidant activity (by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay), antimicrobial minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC) determination, antibiofilm (by colorimetry), impact upon DNA (anti- and pro-oxidant assay), and cytotoxicity (by cell metabolism viability assays) of S. montana extracts obtained by high-pressure-assisted extraction (HPE). The extract obtained at 348 MPa, 35% (v/v) ethanol presented the highest concentration of individual phenolic compounds, and a minimum bactericidal concentration of 20 mg/mL against Listeria monocytogenes. HPE extracts showed antioxidant activity not only in ORAC but they were also able to prevent/attenuate peroxide-induced damage upon DNA. Moreover, on its own, HPE extract induced less oxidative damage than the control extract. Concerning the cytotoxicity, HPE extracts (at 0.5 and 1.0 mg/mL) were not harmful to HT29 cell lines, while control extracts (obtained at atmospheric pressure) at higher concentrations (>1.0 mg/mL) slightly reduced the metabolism of the cells. Finally, all extracts showed inhibition of the viability of 3 cancerous cell lines (>2.0 mg/mL for Caco-2, HeLa, and TR146) to below 15%.

Recent Advances in Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Natural Bioactive Compounds from Natural Plant Materials

In this review, recent advances in greener technology for extracting natural bioactive components from plant origin sources are discussed. Bioactive compounds of plant origin have been defined as natural chemical compounds present in small amounts in plants. Researchers have shown interest in extracting bioactive compounds because of their human health benefits and characteristics of being eco-friendly and generally recognized as safe. Various new extraction methods and conventional extraction methods have been developed, however, until now, no unique approach has been presented as a benchmark for extracting natural bioactive compounds from plants. The selectivity and productivity of traditional and modern extraction techniques generally depend on selecting the critical input parameters, knowing the nature of plant-based samples, the structure of bioactive compounds, and good scientific skills. This work aims to discuss the recent advances in supercritical fluid extraction techniques, especially supercritical carbon dioxide, along with the fundamental principles for extracting bioactive compounds from natural plant materials such as herbs, spices, aromatic and medicinal plants.

Chemical Variability and Antioxidant Activities of the Essential Oils of the Aerial Parts of Ammoides verticillata and the Roots of Carthamus caeruleus and their Synergistic Effect in Combination

AIM AND OBJECTIVE

Oxidative stress is implicated in the development and progression of many diseases. Some of the appropriate actions that could taken to resolve the problem of these diseases are search for new antioxidant substances isolated from plants. The aims of this study were to research the intraspecies variations of A. verticillata and C. caeruleus essential oils from 8 locations using statistical analysis, the in vitro antioxidant properties of collective essential oils and in combinations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The essential oils were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The intraspecies variations of the essential oil compositions were discussed using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). The antioxidant properties were evaluated DPPH-radical scavenging activity and β-carotene bleaching test.

RESULTS

The main components of Ammoides verticillata collective essential oil (Coll EO) were thymol (30.5%), carvacrol (23.2%), p-cymene (13.1%), limonene (12.5%) and terpinene-4-ol (12.3%). While roots of Carthamus caeruleus essential oil were dominated by carline oxide (86.2%). The chemical variability allowed the discrimination of two main Groups for both Coll EOs. A direct correlation between the altitudes, climate and the chemical compositions was evidenced. Ammoides verticulata and Carthamus caeruleus Coll Eos showed good antioxidant activity. In binary mixture, the interaction between both Coll Eos and between oils rich of thymol and/or carvacrol with carlina oxide produced the best synergistic effects compared to individual essential oils and the synthetic antioxidant (BHT).

CONCLUSION

Ammoides verticillata and Carthamus caeruleus essential oil blends can be used as a natural food preservative and alternative to chemical antioxidants.

The effect of pressure on the characteristics of supercritical carbon dioxide extracts from Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta

Chemists and industrialists are continuously attempting to develop greener and more environmentally benign chemical processes to extract essential oils and bioactive metabolites of high purity, finding various applications in cosmetics, detergents, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. An increase preferenced for natural products over synthetic ones has made supercritical fluid technology a primary alternative for the generation of high-value bioactive ingredients. This effective technique requires only moderate temperatures, eliminates clean-up steps and avoids the use of harmful organic solvents. In this context, our study was focused on the chemical analysis of Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta aromatic extracts obtained with supercritical carbon dioxide. The effect of different operating conditions on the capacity of the lipophilic solvent to extract the targeted volatile components was also studied. The process was carried out at a fairly low constant temperature of 40°C, and with varying the pressure from 90 to 300 bar. The chemical composition of the extracts was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The results showed that the composition pattern, the concentrations of individual components and the quality of the extractable analytes were affected by pressure increase. The extraction yields varied from 0.73 to 1.21 wt% at 90 and 300 bar, respectively.

Application of Deep Eutectic Solvents for the Extraction of Rutin and Rosmarinic Acid from Satureja montana L. and Evaluation of the Extracts Antiradical Activity

Satureja montana L. was used in the current research as the plant exhibits numerous health-promoting benefits due to its specific chemical composition. The extraction method based on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) was used for the extraction of rutin and rosmarinic acid from this plant. Five different choline chloride-based DESs with different volumes of water (10%, 30%, and 50% (v/v)) were used for the extraction at different temperatures (30, 50, and 70 °C) to investigate the influence on rosmarinic acid and rutin content obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD) in the obtained extracts. A principal component analysis was employed to explore and visualize the influence of applied parameters on the efficiency of the extraction procedure of rutin and rosmarinic acid. Among the tested DESs, choline chloride:lactic acid (mole ratio 1:2) and choline chloride:levulinic acid (mole ratio 1:2) were the most suitable for the extraction of rutin, while for rosmarinic acid choline chloride:urea (mole ratio 1:2) was the most effective solvent. The extract showing the best antiradical activity was obtained with choline chloride:urea (mole ratio 1:1) at 30 °C and 50% H₂O (v/v).

The in vitro cytotoxicity, antioxidant and antibacterial potential of Satureja hortensis L. essential oil cultivated in Egypt

This study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant, antibacterial and cytotoxicity effects of Satureja hortensis (S. hortensis) essential oil (EO). The GC-MS analysis of S. hortensis EO (SEO) has identified seven compounds, representing 96.84% of the oil. The two main constituents of the oil were; carvacrol (48.51%) and γ-terpinene (36.63%). The total phenolics and flavonoids contents of SEO were 199.1 ± 0.5 µg GAE/mg (GAE-gallic acid equivalent) and 161.5 ± 0.9 µg CE/mg (CE-catechin equivalent), respectively. SEO showed superior antioxidant potential (ABTS, 1038.66 and DPPH, 12.679 mg Trolox/g), and exhibited antibacterial activity against five food born bacterial strains, exerting the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 2 to 4 mg/mL. On the other hand, using of SEO at inhibiting concentrations for pathogenic bacteria can affect the beneficial bacteria negatively. Moreover, SEO showed toxicity on normal cells (WI-38, THLE2, and phoenx-eco) and consequently, it is worthwhile for extensive toxicity studies in normal cells and animal models. As our-knowledge, this is the first study on antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity of Egyptian S. hortensis.

Satureja montana L. Essential Oils: Chemical Profiles/Phytochemical Screening, Antimicrobial Activity and O/W NanoEmulsion Formulations

Chemical fingerprints of four different Satureja montana L. essential oils (SEOs) were assayed by an untargeted metabolomics approach based on Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry (MS) coupled with either electrospray ionization or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization ion sources. Analysis and relative quantification of the non-polar volatile fraction were conducted by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to MS. FT-ICR MS confirmed significant differences in the polar metabolite composition, while GC-MS analyses confirmed slight fluctuations in the relative amount of major terpenes and terpenoids, known to play a key role in antimicrobial mechanisms. Oil in eater (O/W) nanoemulsions (NEs) composed by SEOs and Tween 20 or Tween 80 were prepared and analyzed in terms of hydrodynamic diameter, ζ-potential and polydispersity index. The results confirm the formation of stable NEs homogeneous in size. Minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentrations of SEOs were determined towards Gram-positive (Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus haemolyticus) and Gram-negative clinical isolates (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Serratia marcescens). Commercial SEO showed strongest antibacterial activity, while SEO 3 was found to be the most active among the lab made extractions. MIC and MBC values ranged from 0.39 to 6.25 mg·mL⁻¹. Furthermore, a SEO structured in NEs formulation was able to preserve and improve antimicrobial activity.

Antioxidant compounds extracted from Diaporthe schini using supercritical CO2 plus cosolvent

Endophytic fungi have been highlight in the production of secondary metabolites with different bioactive properties, such as in the production of the antioxidant compounds. Therefore, the objective of this work was the extraction of the antioxidant compounds from the biomass of Diaporthe schini using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) without and with ethanol as cosolvent. The biomass was produced by submerged fermentation and the parameters evaluated in the extraction process were: pressure (150-250 bar), temperature (40-60 ºC) and cosolvent [biomass: cosolvent ratio, 1:0, 1:0.75 and 1:1.5 (w/v)]. Extraction yield, antioxidant activity and chemical composition of the extracts were determined. The highest extraction yield (3.24 wt.%) and the best antioxidant activity against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical (96.62%) were obtained at 40 ºC, 250 bar and biomass:cosolvent ratio of 1:1.5 (w/v). The chemical compounds 1,4-diaza-2,5-dioxo-3-isobutyl bicyclo[4.3.0]nonane and benzeneethanol identified in GC/MS could be responsible for the antioxidant activity found in this study.

Coriander essential oil as natural food additive improves quality and safety of cooked pork sausages with different nitrite levels

The effect of coriander essential oil (CEO) at concentrations of 0.075-0.150 μL/g on pH, color, lipid oxidation (TBARS), residual nitrite concentration and microbial growth of cooked pork sausages produced with different levels of sodium nitrite (0, 50 and 100 mg/kg) was investigated. Artificial neural networks modeling and the multi-response optimization were used to determine the optimal combinations of process parameters and storage time. Reduced concentration of sodium nitrite (60 mg/kg) in combination with 0.12 μL/g of CEO resulted in satisfying redness (a* approx. 11.1) and improved oxidative (TBARS approx. 0.12 mg MDA/kg) and microbial stability (total plate count - TPC approx. 2.50 Log CFU/g) of cooked pork sausages during refrigerated storage. Therefore, the results of this paper revealed significant antioxidative and antimicrobial activity of CEO, and consequently its high potential of utilization in processing of cooked pork sausages with enhanced quality and shelf-life.

Evaluation of the synergistic effects of antioxidant activity on mixtures of the essential oil from Apium graveolens L., Thymus vulgaris L. and Coriandrum sativum L. using simplex-lattice design

Essential oils (EOs) are known for their antioxidant properties, and are widely employed in the food industry as preservatives. They can be used as condiments or as preservatives to achieve certain organoleptic effects for consumers. The aim of this research was to evaluate antioxidant activity in mixtures of three EOs: Apium graveolens L., Thymus vulgaris L. and Coriandrum sativum L., using the Simplex Lattice Mixture Design. Ultimately, a linear model was used, as it best adjusted to the experimental behavior, and it allowed the prediction of EOs mixtures antioxidant activity, determined by FRAP and ABTS techniques. The mixture of the three EOs that showed the best antioxidant activity and also had the highest synergistic effect, was composed of 66.7% of T. vulgaris, 16.7% of C. sativum and 16.7% of A. graveolens. The greatest contribution to the potentiation of antioxidant activity was shown by T. vulgaris followed by A. graveolens and then C. sativum.

Effect of Different Pressures of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide on the Microstructure of PAN Fibers during the Hot-Drawing Process

The hot-drawing process of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers is an important step during the production of PAN-based carbon fibers. In this study, supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc-CO₂) was used as one kind of media for thermal stretching of PAN fibers to study the effect of different pressures of Sc-CO₂ on crystallinity, degree of orientation and mechanical property of PAN fibers during the hot-drawing process. The changes of microstructure and mechanical properties in the PAN fibers were investigated by wide-angle X-ray diffraction, small angle X-ray scattering and monofilament strength analysis. The results showed that as the pressure increased, the crystallinity and degree of orientation of PAN fibers increased. Furthermore, when the pressure was 10 MPa, the crystallinity increased from 69.78% to 79.99%, which was the maximum crystallinity among the different pressures. However, when the pressure was further increased, the crystallinity and degree of orientation of the fibers were reduced. The test results of the mechanical properties were consistent with the trends of crystallinity and degree of orientation, showing that when the pressure was 10 MPa, the tensile strength of the fibers increased from 4.59 cN·dtex⁻¹ to 7.06 cN·dtex⁻¹ and the modulus increased from 101.54 cN·dtex⁻¹ to 129.55 cN·dtex⁻¹.