α-Glucosidase inhibition by green, white and oolong teas: in vitro activity and computational studies

Natural α-glucosidase inhibitors from plant-based foods such as catechins offer an attractive strategy for their potential anti-diabetic effects. In this study, infusions of three different tea types (green, white, and oolong) were investigated for their total phenolic (TPC) and catechins (EGCG, ECG, EGC, and EC) content, and for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. We observed that the level of TPC in white tea was significantly higher compared to oolong and green tea, which suggests higher content of EGCG and ECG catechins in fresh young leaves. Our findings showed that the higher content of such catechins in the infusion of white tea well correlated with a strong inhibition of α-glucosidase, and such inhibition was demonstrated to be more effective than the FDA-approved drug acarbose. Then, we computationally explored the molecular requirements for enzyme inhibition, especially for the most active catechins EGCG and ECG, as well as their disposition/stability within the active site.

Bioactive Properties and Phenolic Composition of Wood-Aged Beers: Influence of Oak Origin and the Use of Pale and Dark Malts

Ageing beer in contact with wood is a common technological procedure that has been used for centuries to improve colour, structure, and certain flavours. Herein, the impact of the addition of French and American oak wood to two beer styles, pale and dark, on beer phenolic composition (total phenolics, total flavonoids, and HPLC-DAD) and bioactivity (FRAP, DPPH, anti-inflammatory activity in RAW 264.7, and antiproliferative in Caco-2 cells) was assessed. Thirteen phenolics were quantified with values according to previous reports. Dark malt resulted in higher values of total phenolics, to which m-hydroxybenzoic, syringic, p-coumaric acids, and xanthohumol contributed considerably; the exception was (+)-catechin and salicylic acid, which were found to be higher in pale beers. American oak significantly increased 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic, vanillic, and syringic acids up to roughly 3, 2, and 10 times, respectively, when compared with French wood. FRAP and DPPH values varied between pale and dark beers, with a less pronounced effect after wood addition. All samples presented considerable cellular antioxidant and anti-inflammatory as well as antiproliferative activity, but differences were found only for the antiproliferative activity, which was higher for the dark beers, which reached about 70% inhibition. Overall, the influence of malts was more pronounced than that of wood, in the studied conditions, highlighting the overwhelming impact of malts on the bioactivity of beer.

Artificial intelligence-based approaches for traditional fermented alcoholic beverages' development: review and prospect

Traditional fermented alcoholic beverages (TFABs) have gained widespread acceptance and enjoyed great popularity for centuries. COVID-19 pandemics lead to the surge in health demand for diet, thus TFABs once again attract increased focus for the health benefits. Though the production technology is quite mature, food companies and research institutions are looking for transformative innovation in TFABs to make healthy, nutritious offerings that give a competitive advantage in current beverage market. The implementation of intelligent platforms enables companies and researchers to gather, store and analyze data in a more convenient way. The development of data collection methods contributed to the big data environment of TFABs, providing a fresh perspective that helps brewers to observe and improve the production steps. Among data analytical tools, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is considered to be one of the most promising methodological approaches for big data analytics and decision-making of automated production, and machine learning (ML) is an important method to fulfill the goal. This review describes the development trends and challenges of TFABs in big data era and summarize the application of AI-based methods in TFABs. Finally, we provide perspectives on the potential research directions of new frontiers in application of AI approaches in the supply chain of TFABs.

Effects of Botanical Ingredients Addition on the Bioactive Compounds and Quality of Non-Alcoholic and Craft Beer

Special beers, known as artisanal, are progressively gaining consumer preference, opening up competition, and acquiring more space in the market. Considering that, exploration for new formulations is justified and plants represent a source of novel compounds with promising antioxidant activity for this beer segment. This paper aims to evaluate the current knowledge on the role of botanical ingredients on the final yield of bioactive compounds in special beer, and how these molecules generally affect the sensory profile. Furthermore, the estimated difficulties of implementation, taking into account the new processes and the relative cost, are discussed. The addition of plants to beer could serve the interests of both the industry and consumers, on one hand, by improving the functional properties and offering a unique flavor, and on the other hand by adding variety to the craft beer landscape. This paper provides guidance and future directions for the development of new products to boost the brewing industry. Brewing processes might affect the valuable compounds, especially the phenolic content. Consequently, future studies need to identify new methods for protecting the level of bioactive compounds in special beer and increasing the bio-accessibility, along with optimization of the sensory and technological properties.

Effects of dandelion addition on antioxidant property, sensory characteristics and inhibitory activity against xanthine oxidase of beer

The effects of dandelion addition (DA) on the physiochemical properties, antioxidant activity, inhibitory activity against xanthine oxidase (XOD) and flavor of craft beer were investigated. It was found that DA changed the pH value, total acid content, thiobarbituric-acid-value, sugar content and color of beer, and increased the contents of total polyphenols and flavonoids and thus the antioxidant activity of beer. HPLC analysis showed that DA provided beer with chlorogenic, caffeic, ferulic, and chicoric acid, contributing to the inhibition activity against XOD that is a key enzyme in uric acid production. GC-MS analysis showed that 3-methyl-1-butanol, isopentyl acetate and ethyl caprylate were main aroma components of all samples. Although DA introduced the special aroma component of azulene, it did not significantly affect the appearance, bubble, aroma and taste evaluation of beer. Conclusively, DA potentially improved the beer properties of antioxidant and inhibition of uric acid production without changing its sensory characteristics.

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Dandelion addition changed the physicochemical properties of craft beer.

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Dandelion addition improved the contents of total polyphenol and flavonoids of craft beer.

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Dandelion craft beer had stronger antioxidant activity than commercial beer.

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Dandelion craft beer had the inhibitory activity against xanthine oxidase.

Brettanomyces bruxellensis: Overview of the genetic and phenotypic diversity of an anthropized yeast

Human-associated microorganisms are ideal models to study the impact of environmental changes on species evolution and adaptation because of their small genome, short generation time, and their colonization of contrasting and ever-changing ecological niches. The yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis is a good example of organism facing anthropogenic-driven selective pressures. It is associated with fermentation processes in which it can be considered either as a spoiler (e.g. winemaking, bioethanol production) or as a beneficial microorganism (e.g. production of specific beers, kombucha). Besides its industrial interests, noteworthy parallels and dichotomies with Saccharomyces cerevisiae propelled B. bruxellensis as a valuable complementary yeast model. In this review, we emphasize that the broad genetic and phenotypic diversity of this species is only beginning to be uncovered. Population genomic studies have revealed the co-existence of auto- and allotriploidization events with different evolutionary outcomes. The different diploid, autotriploid and allotriploid subpopulations are associated with specific fermented processes, suggesting independent adaptation events to anthropized environments. Phenotypically, B. bruxellensis is renowned for its ability to metabolize a wide variety of carbon and nitrogen sources, which may explain its ability to colonize already fermented environments showing low-nutrient contents. Several traits of interest could be related to adaptation to human activities (e.g. nitrate metabolization in bioethanol production, resistance to sulphite treatments in winemaking). However, phenotypic traits are insufficiently studied in view of the great genomic diversity of the species. Future work will have to take into account strains of varied substrates, geographical origins as well as displaying different ploidy levels to improve our understanding of an anthropized yeast's phenotypic landscape.

Influence of fermentation temperature and yeast type on the chemical and sensory profile of handcrafted beers

BACKGROUND

Various physicochemical parameters, the polyphenolic content, the volatile fraction as well as the sensory profile of beers were studied using five different yeast strains (three top-fermentation and two bottom-fermentation) and two different fermentation temperatures (12 and 18 °C) for each of them.

RESULTS

The results indicated that at lower fermentation temperatures, the yeast strain factor was less significant for the various physicochemical parameters considered. The polyphenolic content increased as the fermentation temperature decreased, and significantly higher amounts of tyrosol were found in the samples fermented at 12 °C. However, the volatile content increased for beers fermented at 18 °C, these beers being better evaluated from the sensory point of view.

CONCLUSIONS

No clear relationship was observed between the temperature used and the type of yeast, with more complex aroma and sensory profiles being found in beers fermented at higher temperatures, using yeasts that are supposedly suitable for use at lower temperatures. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Craft beer: An overview

The purpose of the work was to provide an overview on craft beer. Details and issues concerning history and legal definition market, fiscal policy, innovation, safety, healthiness, consumer profile, and sustainability are supplied. The term "craft brewery" generally refers to a brewery able to produce low volumes of beer, often made with traditional ingredients-for emulating historic styles-but also with the addition of nontraditional ingredients as a distinctiveness sign of the master brewer. In many countries, the importance of the company size is related to the opportunity to take advantage of reduced excise rates for low production volumes. In several countries, another important requisite of a craft brewery is represented by its independence from other alcohol industry members. Even in the presence of a great heterogeneity of the size of craft breweries in the various countries, their number in the world is around 17,000. Craft beer is mainly consumed in restaurants and bars. Innovation of craft beer concerns aspects, such as ingredients, alcohol content, aging, and packaging, and the profile of the typical craft beer drinker is that of a young man, with a higher education and a medium-high income. Craft beers are often not filtered/not pasteurized and, for these reasons, they are beverages rich in health compounds but with a reduced shelf life. As in the case of larger breweries, the environmental impact of craft breweries is mainly represented by water consumption and production of liquid and solid wastes.

Value-Added Lager Beer Enriched with Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) Peel Extract

Manufacturing beer with a high biological value requires identifying new methods for increasing the health-enhancing compounds level. The aim of this study was to increase the biological value of beer by adding antioxidant-rich eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) peel extract (EPE). The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total monomeric anthocyanin content (TMA) were determined. Moreover, the antioxidant activity was evaluated by different radical scavenging assays. The addition of different levels of EPE resulted in a significant increase of TPC and TFC of beer samples from 0.426 to 0.631 mg GAE/mL, and from 0.065 to 0.171 mg CE/mL, respectively. The EPE-supplemented beer samples developed a reddish color because of the presence of anthocyanin pigments. The TMA content of beer varied from 0.011 to 0.083 mg D3G/mL with the level of added EPE. The HPLC analysis indicated that the anthocyanins prevailing in the eggplant peels were delphinidin-3-rutinoside, delphininidin-3-glucoside and delphinidin-3-rutinoside-5-glucoside. The radical scavenging assays indicated a linear increase of the antioxidant activity following EPE addition, without altering the physicochemical parameters of the beer. These results are promising for using the EPE as a functional ingredient for beer production.

Composition and biochemical properties of ale beer enriched with lignans from Schisandra chinensis Baillon (omija) fruits

To develop a beverage with high antioxidant capacity and desirable sensory characteristics, Schisandra chinensis (omija) fruits were added to ale type beer at different time points of the brewing process. The phenolic compounds contents in beer were found to be dependent at the moment of the addition of omija fruit. Addition of omija fruits at the initiation of boiling imparted highest oxidative stability to beer and resulted in highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents in ale beer (606.82 mg GAE/L and 406.75 mg QE/L, respectively). The amounts of schisandrin, gomisin A and gomisin B in beer were 12.10 mg/mL, 3.12 mg/mL and 0.86 mg/mL, respectively. Taken together, it is hypothesized that the addition of omija fruits to traditional brewing process can improve the development of value-added beer products.

Brettanomyces bruxellensis population survey reveals a diploid-triploid complex structured according to substrate of isolation and geographical distribution

Brettanomyces bruxellensis is a unicellular fungus of increasing industrial and scientific interest over the past 15 years. Previous studies revealed high genotypic diversity amongst B. bruxellensis strains as well as strain-dependent phenotypic characteristics. Genomic assemblies revealed that some strains harbour triploid genomes and based upon prior genotyping it was inferred that a triploid population was widely dispersed across Australian wine regions. We performed an intraspecific diversity genotypic survey of 1488 B. bruxellensis isolates from 29 countries, 5 continents and 9 different fermentation niches. Using microsatellite analysis in combination with different statistical approaches, we demonstrate that the studied population is structured according to ploidy level, substrate of isolation and geographical origin of the strains, underlying the relative importance of each factor. We found that geographical origin has a different contribution to the population structure according to the substrate of origin, suggesting an anthropic influence on the spatial biodiversity of this microorganism of industrial interest. The observed clustering was correlated to variable stress response, as strains from different groups displayed variation in tolerance to the wine preservative sulfur dioxide (SO₂). The potential contribution of the triploid state for adaptation to industrial fermentations and dissemination of the species B. bruxellensis is discussed.

Amber ale beer enriched with goji berries - The effect on bioactive compound content and sensorial properties

Goji berries, traditionally used in Chinese medicine, are nowadays gaining popularity in the Western world. Efforts are made to enlarge the offer of goji containing foods. In this study, goji berries were added to ale type beer at different stages of the production process in order to develop a beverage with desirable sensory characteristic and high antioxidant capacity. The obtained beers differed significantly in terms of appearance, taste and antioxidant activity. Consumers preferred beers to which goji berries were added at the beginning of the brewing process. These beers were also characterized by lower turbidity, high color intensity, caramel- and coffee-like taste, high antioxidant activity and high content of bioactives such as rutin and 2-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-l-ascorbic acid. To conclude, an addition of goji berries to traditional brewing process creates a perspective to enlarge the range of goji containing foods.

Effect of the Addition of Propolis Extract on Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Craft Beer

Antioxidant-rich foods and beverages play an essential role in the prevention of diseases. This study assessed the influence of the addition of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) to beer at different concentrations (0.05, 0.15, and 0.25 g/L). Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were determined. Antioxidant activity (AA) was evaluated by radical scavenging activity (DPPH and ABTS) and reducing power (FRAP). The addition of EEP in beer resulted in a linear increase in the TPC with values of 4.5%, 16.7%, and 26.7% above a control (no EEP added; 242 mg gallic acid equivalent/L). A similar increase was observed with TFC values 16.0%, 49.7%, and 59.2% above the control (16.9 mg quercetin equivalent/L). The FRAP assay indicated linear increases in AA relative to control with values of 1555, 1705, and 1892 μmol Trolox equivalent/L following EEP additions. The incorporation of EEP resulted in increases in the bioactive compounds and AA in beer without altering the physicochemical parameters of golden ale beer. The results indicate a promising use of propolis extract as a functional ingredient in beer.

Development of a biosensor telemetry system for monitoring fermentation in craft breweries

The development and applications of biosensors in the food industry has had a rapid grown due to their sensitivity, specificity and simplicity of use with respect to classical analytical methods. In this study, glucose and ethanol amperometric biosensors integrated with a wireless telemetry system were developed and used for the monitoring of top and bottom fermentations in beer wort samples. The collected data were in good agreement with those obtained by reference methods. The simplicity of construction, the low cost and the short time of analysis, combined with easy interpretation of the results, suggest that these devices could be a valuable alternative to conventional methods for monitoring fermentation processes in the food industry.

Nanoencapsulation of dietary flavonoid fisetin: Formulation and in vitro antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibition activities

The bioactive flavonoid fisetin (FS) is a diet-derived antioxidant that is being increasingly investigated for its health-promoting effects. Unfortunately, the poor physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties affect and limit the clinical application. In this study, novel polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), based on Poly-(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and PLGA-PEG-COOH, encapsulating FS were formulated as suitable oral controlled release systems. Results showed NPs having a mean diameter of 140-200nm, and a percent loading of FS ranging from 70 to 82%. In vitro release studies revealed that NPs are able to protect and preserve the release of FS in gastric simulated conditions, also controlling the release in the intestinal medium. Moreover, the DPPH and ABTS scavenging capacity of FS, as well as α-glucosidase inhibition activity, that resulted about 20-fold higher than commercial Acarbose, were retained during nanoencapsulation process. In summary, our developed NPs can be proposed as an attractive delivery system to control the release of antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic FS for nutraceutical and/or therapeutic application.