Antioxidant Capacities of Herbal Plants Used in the Manufacture of Van Herby Cheese: ‘Otlu Peynir’

Bacterial metagenome profiling of hand-made herby cheese samples utilizing high-throughput sequencing to detect geographical indication and marketing potential

Food safety has been a major concern for consumers. Origin of food products matter for consumers such that the quality, reputation, or other special characteristics can be attributed essentially to that origin. While a geographical indication informs consumers for the origin of the product, it develops a competitive advantage for the markets. To detect distinguishing features of dairy products, the microbial composition of its microbiota is one of the emerging areas of interest. Utilizing novel approaches such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology to decipher the genetic code of 16s rRNA genes to characterize the bacterial population is widely applied. The bacterial microbiota of the herby cheese samples which were collected from Şırnak province in the South Eastern region of Turkey was examined by an NGS approach for purpose of finding geographical indication possibilities. In brief, Firmicutes is the dominant phyla where Lactobacillaceae and Streptococcaceae are abundant families across the analyzed herby cheese microbiota. The most prominent species is Companilactobacillus ginsenosidimutans detected as the dominant member of the bacterial consortia in 16 herby cheese samples. Another remarkable finding reported here is the Weissella jogaejeotgali which was detected in 15 cheese samples. Albeit the abundance of Levilactobacillus koreensis is low at the microbiome level it was identified in four herby cheese samples. As expected, lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactococcus raffinolactis and Tetragenococcus halophilus were also identified. On the other hand, bacterial diversity and microbial composition among cheese samples are not significantly affected by mixing different herbs on the manufacturing of herby cheeses. To the best of our knowledge, C. ginsenosidimutans, W. jogaejeotgali and L. koreensis are identified and reported for the first time in a dairy product and the bacterial richness and evenness of herby cheese are higher than those of most other cheeses. These findings make the cheeses in the geography where the samples were produced more valuable and provide opportunities for them to receive geographical indications. Thus, it will create added value while marketing the products.

Effect of Bear Garlic Addition on the Chemical Composition, Microbiological Quality, Antioxidant Capacity, and Degree of Proteolysis in Soft Rennet Cheeses Produced from Milk of Polish Red and Polish Holstein-Friesian Cows

This study aimed to assess the effect of milk source and bear garlic addition on the selected properties of soft rennet cheese. Cheeses were produced from cow milk derived from two sources: Polish Red cows (PR) and Polish Holstein-Friesian cows (PHF) with a 0.5% (w/w) addition of bear garlic (Allium ursinum L.) dried leaves. Chemical composition and fatty acid profiles (GC) were determined in fresh cheeses. Fresh and stored for two weeks cheeses were subjected to microbiological studies, i.e., total aerobic bacteria count (TABC); count of Lactococcus sp., yeast and molds; coliforms; analysis of the proteolysis extension by means of o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) assay and free amino acids content (HPLC); antioxidant capacity as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP); as well as pH and water activity. Cheeses with bear garlic herbs were more prone to proteolysis but this was not accompanied by any effect on the microbial counts, water activity or pH. Cheeses produced from PR milk contained less monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) but were richer in n-3 PUFA and had a lower n-6/n-3 FA ratio than cheeses from PHF milk. Bear garlic addition increased DPPH anti-radical power but had less of an effect on the FRAP values.

Profiling of phytochemicals from aerial parts of Terminalia neotaliala using LC-ESI-MS2 and determination of antioxidant and enzyme inhibition activities

OBJECTIVES

Owing to extraordinary healing power, Terminalia species have been used in traditional medicine systems to treat various diseases. Many folklore uses of Terminalia neotaliala (Madagascar's almond) included treating arterial hypertension, diabetes, diarrhea, dysentery, colic, oral and digestive candidiasis, intestinal parasitic infections, inflammatory skin conditions, postpartum care, and mycotic infections but nevertheless scientifically explored for its medicinal and pharmacological importance. Therefore, the current study intended to prepare methanolic extract and its fractionation with hexane, chloroform, and butanol followed by evaluation of their polyphenolic content, biological activities, and LCMS analysis. The biological study included antioxidant activity and enzyme inhibition assay i.e., α-glucosidase and urease. The insight study of biologically active secondary metabolites of butanol fraction (BUAE) was performed through LCMS.

METHODS

The total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of hydroalcoholic and its fractions were estimated using the Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride method. The total tannin content (TTC) was determined using the Folin-Denis spectrophotometric method. Similarly, the antioxidant potential of HAAE, HEAE, CFAE, and BUAE was determined using four methods as DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid, cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The sample extracts were also evaluated against two clinically important enzymes i.e., α-glucosidase and urease.

RESULTS

The BUAE (butanol aerial fraction) showed the highest TPC (234.79 ± 0.12 mg.GAE.g-1 DE), TFC (320.75 ± 12.50 mg.QE.g-1 DE), and TTC (143.36 ± 4.32 mg.TA.Eq.g-1 DE). The BUAE also showed the highest scavenging potential determined by DPPH (642.65 ± 1.11 mg.TEq.g-1 DE) and ABTS (543.17 ± 1.11 mg.TEq.g-1 DE), and the metal-reducing capacity determined by CUPRAC (1510.41 ± 4.45 mg.TEq.g-1 DE) and FRAP (739.81 ± 19.32 mg.TEq.g-1 DE). The LCMS of BUAE identified 18 different biologically active phytoconstituents validating a rich source of hydrolyzable tannins including ellagitannins and gallitannins.

CONCLUSION

The present study concluded that T. neotaliala is a rich source of polyphenols capable of neutralizing the damage caused by free radical accumulation in the cells and tissues. The significant antioxidant results and identification of high molecular weight hydrolyzable tannins enlightened the medicinal importance of T. neotaliala.

The Prangos genus: a comprehensive review on traditional use, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities

The members of the Prangos genus (Apiaceae) have been widely applied in the Iranian traditional medicine internally and externally for different purposes. The aim of this review is to summarize the ethnomedicinal and food applications of Prangos species and to gather the phytochemical and pharmacological data on this genus. Among the 129 constituents isolated from Prangos species, coumarin derivatives are the main compounds. Several papers report the compositions of essential oils obtained from different plant parts, mostly containing monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. Various pharmacological activities of essential oils, crude extracts or isolated compounds of the Prangos species have been observed, primarily in in vitro experiments. Antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and anti-proliferative activities have been the most extensively studied. The efficacy and safety of Prangos plants have not been assessed in animal experiments or clinical trials. Although their furocoumarin content might be a source of adverse effects, toxic effects of Prangos species have not been reported. It can be concluded, that further preclinical and clinical data are necessary to assess the rationale and safety of the medicinal and food use of Prangos species.

Novel optical fiber reflectometric CUPRAC sensor for total antioxidant capacity measurement of food extracts and biological samples

A novel fiber optic sensor was developed for screening the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) based on the use of cupric-neocuproine (Cu(II)-Nc) immobilized onto a Nafion cation-exchange membrane with reflectance spectrometric measurement. The reflectance change associated with the formation of the highly colored Cu(I)-Nc chelate on the membrane as a result of reaction with antioxidants was measured at 530 nm by using a miniature reflectance spectrometer. The calibration graph of trolox (TR) was linear with a slope of 3.40 × 10(3) L mol(-1) mm(-1). The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for TR in the reflectometric cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) method were found as 0.53 and 1.76 μM, respectively. The trolox equivalent antioxidant capacities (TEAC) of various antioxidant compounds using the proposed method were comparable to those of the main CUPRAC assay. This assay was validated through linearity, additivity, precision, and recovery. The developed reflectance sensor was used to screen the TAC of some commercial fruit juices and mice tissue homogenates without preliminary treatment. The method is rapid, inexpensive, versatile, and nonlaborious, uses stable reagents on the sensor, and enables the in situ estimation of antioxidant capacity of food extracts and biological samples.

Fucoxanthin content and antioxidant properties of Undaria pinnatifida

This study investigated the fucoxanthin content of New Zealand (NZ) Undaria pinnatifida harvested from two locations in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand across its growing season. Fucoxanthin content and antioxidant properties of processed New Zealand U. pinnatifida and commercial wakame from Japan and Korea were further compared. Results showed that U. pinnatifida harvested from Port Underwood had higher fucoxanthin content in the blade compared to Pelorus Sound. The sporophyll also contained a significant amount of fucoxanthin throughout the harvest season, although lower than in the blade. Two antioxidant measurement methods, DPPH and CUPRAC, were utilised to measure antioxidant activities. Processed NZ U. pinnatifida had a lower fucoxanthin content and antioxidant activity than freeze-dried Undaria. Fucoxanthin content and antioxidant activities of NZ processed U. pinnatifida were not significantly different from other commercial samples from Japan and Korea. In conclusion, U. pinnatifida in New Zealand has a great potential to be a food and nutraceutical resource.