Quantitative and qualitative variations in the essential oil ofRosa foetidaHerrm.(Rosaceae) flowers as affected by different drying methods

Penthorum chinense Pursh leaf tea debittering mechanisms via green tea manufacturing process and its influence on NAFLD-alleviation activities

The green-tea manufacturing process showed good effect of flavor improving, debittering and shaping in making Penthorum chinensePursh leaf (PL) tea (PLT), which serves as a polyphenol dietary supplement and beverage raw material. GC-MS results showed that its unpleasant grassy odor decreased by 42.8% due to dodecanal, geranylacetone, and (E)-2-nonenal reduction, coupled with 1-hexadecanol increasing. UPLC-ESI-TOF-MS identified 95 compounds and showed that the debittering effect of green-tea manufacturing process was attributed to decreasing of flavonols and lignans, especially quercetins, kaempferols and luteolins, and increasing of dihydrochalcones which act as sweeteners bitterness-masking agents, while astringency was weakened by reducing delphinidin-3,5-O-diglucoside chloride, kaempferol-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside, and tannins. The increase of pinocembrins and catechins in aqueous extracts of PLT, maintained its hepatoprotective, NAFLD-alleviation, and hepatofibrosis-prevention activities similar to PL in high fat-diet C57BL/6 mice, with flavonoids, tannins, tannic acids, and some newfound chemicals, including norbergenin, gomisin K2, pseudolaric acid B, tanshinol B, as functional ingredients.

The scent of roses, a bouquet of fragrance diversity

Roses have been domesticated since antiquity for their therapeutic, cosmetic, and ornamental properties. Their floral fragrance has great economic value, which has influenced the production of rose varieties. The production of rose water and essential oil is one of the most lucrative activities, supplying bioactive molecules to the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and therapeutic industries. In recent years, major advances in molecular genetics, genomic, and biochemical tools have paved the way for the identification of molecules that make up the specific fragrance of various rose cultivars. The aim of this review is to highlight current knowledge on metabolite profiles, and more specifically on fragrance compounds, as well as the specificities and differences between rose species and cultivars belonging to different rose sections and how they contribute to modern roses fragrance.

Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM) and Natural Remedies for Treatment of the Common Cold and Flu

Traditional Iranian medicine is usually used for both prevention and relief of cold and flu symptoms in China, Iran, and many other Asian countries all over the world. There are 4 kinds of influenza viruses. Unlike type B, which may cause seasonal epidemics, type A viruses can cause pandemics, and influenza C may lead to mild human infection with little public health effects. A literature review was done by using multiple databases such as ISI Web of knowledge, PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar. The most notable antiviral medicinal plants for flu and cold are honeysuckle flowers, thyme leaf, green chiretta, andrographis, peppermint oil and leaf and calendula. The most important expectorant medicinal plants for cold and flu are snake root, tulsi, licorice root, slippery elm, clove, and sage leaf. Recommended immunostimulant medicinal plants for cold and flu are eucalyptus, Echinacea root, ginseng, garlic, slippery elm, marshmallow, Usnea lichen, Isatis root, ginger root, and myrrh resin. Iranian traditional medicine, which is one of the oldest schools of traditional medicine, is one of the main concepts of disease and health, and it can be considered as an important complementary and alternative medicine, as in some cases, modern medicine has many side effects, low efficiency, and high costs. Medicinal plants and herbs, which are included in many traditional systems, have significant and promising bioactive components in organic life.

Effects of infrared freeze drying on volatile profile, FTIR molecular structure profile and nutritional properties of edible rose flower (Rosa rugosa flower)

BACKGROUND

Infrared freeze drying (IRFD) utilizes infrared radiation as a novel heating source in freeze drying (FD), leading to high-quality dehydrated products and less drying time. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of IRFD on the drying characteristics (drying time and energy consumption), volatiles, physical structure and nutritional properties of Rosa rugosa flower. In addition, freeze drying (FD) and hot air drying (HAD) were also evaluated in a comparison with the IFRD drying method with respect to product quality parameters.

RESULTS

Fifty-six volatile compounds were identified in fresh samples, whereas 53, 51 and 46 volatile compounds were identified in FD, IRFD and HAD samples, respectively. FD and IRFD were relatively more effective than HAD for better retention of volatile compounds of Rosa rugose flower. E-nose analysis also exhibited similar flavor properties in FD and IRFD samples. The molecular structure properties of FD and IRFD samples measured by FTIR spectroscopy were also similar. As for nutritional properties, HAD dramatically (P < 0.05) reduced the nutritional values of R. rugosa flower after drying. The content of vitamin C (from 14.83 to 12.15 mg 100 g^-1 ), flavonoids (from 478.00 to 333.33 mg 100 g^-1 ) and anthocyanins (from 220.70 to 196.90 mg 100 g^-1 ) in R. rugosa flower is well retained by IRFD and no significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed between FD and IRFD samples.

CONCLUSION

IRFD was found to be effective in retaining the aroma, structure and nutrition of R. rugosa flower, as well as demonstrating a lower energy consumption and shorter drying time. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.