Carotenoids, Fatty Acids, and Volatile Compounds in Apricot Cultivars from Romania-A Chemometric Approach

Harnessing the Power of Polyphenols: A New Frontier in Disease Prevention and Therapy

There are a wide variety of phytochemicals collectively known as polyphenols. Their structural diversity results in a broad range of characteristics and biological effects. Polyphenols can be found in a variety of foods and drinks, including fruits, cereals, tea, and coffee. Studies both in vitro and in vivo, as well as clinical trials, have shown that they possess potent antioxidant activities, numerous therapeutic effects, and health advantages. Dietary polyphenols have demonstrated the potential to prevent many health problems, including obesity, atherosclerosis, high blood sugar, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and neurological diseases. In this paper, the protective effects of polyphenols and the mechanisms behind them are investigated in detail, citing the most recent available literature. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on the role of polyphenols in preventing and managing chronic diseases. The cited publications are derived from in vitro, in vivo, and human-based studies and clinical trials. A more complete understanding of these naturally occurring metabolites will pave the way for the development of novel polyphenol-rich diet and drug development programs. This, in turn, provides further evidence of their health benefits.

Efficient degradation and enhanced α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of apricot polysaccharides through non-thermal plasma assisted non-metallic Fenton reaction

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was a commonly used non-thermal plasma (CP) technology. This paper aimed to enhance the biological activity of apricot polysaccharides (AP) by using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD-CP) assisted H2O2-VC Fenton reaction for degradation. The degradation conditions were optimized through response surface methodology. The molecular weight (Mw) of degraded apricot polysaccharides (DAP) was 19.71 kDa, which was 7.25 % of AP. The inhibition rate of DAP (2 mg/mL) was 82.8 ± 3.27 %, which was 106.87 % higher than that of AP. DBD-CP/H2O2-VC degradation changed the monosaccharide composition of AP and improved the linearity of polysaccharide chains. In addition, a novel apricot polysaccharide DAP-2 with a Mw of only 6.60 kDa was isolated from DAP. The repeating units of the main chain of DAP-2 were →4)-α-D-GalpA-(1 →, the branch chain was mainly composed of α-D-GalpA-(1 → 2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→ connected to O-3 position →3,4)-α-D-GalpA-(1→. The complex structure formed by the combination of DAP-2 and α-glucosidase was stable. DAP-2 had a higher α-glucosidase binding ability than the acarbose. These results suggested that DAP-2 had the potential to be developed as a potential hypoglycemic functional food and drug.

Fatty acids profile in three cultivars of Tunisian apricot oilseeds (Prunus armeniaca L.): impact of maturity

Profiling's of oil yield and fatty acid were monitored during maturation of three different accession of Tunisian apricots (AprB, AprC and AprO) among different days after flowering (DAF) and grown in two different geographical regions of Tunisia. The first results show that a quick distribution started in immature oilseeds apricot and continued until their full maturity. Nine fatty acids were identified in apricot oilseeds such as palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, arachidic, gadoleic and margaric acids. Palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids were determined as major fatty acids in apricot oil varieties. Interestingly, the content of each fatty acid in the three accessions of apricot varied significantly (p < 0.05) during seeds development and especially in wild apricot AprB. PCA analysis in AprB demonstrate that at the time-date of 41 DAF, the production of fatty acids is in its maximum and could have numerous future therapeutics applications.

Green extraction of carotenoids from apricot flesh by ultrasound assisted corn oil extraction: Optimization, identification, and application

The valorization of waste apricot flesh (WAF) can solve environmental and economic problems, and also meets the demand for natural pigments. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to recover carotenoids from WAF, to determine the type and content of carotenoids in the extracts and to explore the potential of the extracts for food industry applications. The extraction conditions were optimized. The total carotenoids content (TCC) was 42.75 mg/100 g dried weight under the optimized conditions: Time: 60 min, Temperature: 41.53℃, Power: 200 W, Liquid to solid (LS) ratio: 0.10 g/mL. The highest content of carotenoids in the corn oil extracts (COE) was phytoene. Color of COE under high temperature was investigated. Carotenoids in the COE were degraded at high temperatures. The a* of fries fried by COE was 7.31 times higher than that of corn oil. This study provides guidance for the green recovery of carotenoids and valorization of WAF.

Volatile Compounds Analysis and Biomarkers Identification of Four Native Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Cultivars Grown in Xinjiang Region of China

Flavor (odor and taste) have a significant role in the consumer’s acceptance, and volatile compounds are responsible for the odor of apricots. In the present work, headspace solid-phase microextraction with gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS/MS) together with multivariate analysis, i.e., partial least square discrimination analysis (PLS-DA), were applied to construct the volatile fingerprints and biomarkers of apricots in Xinjiang, China. As a result, a total of 63 volatile substances were identified in the fruits of four apricot cultivars, seven of which were considered to serve as volatile biomarkers, which are damascenone for Dabaiyou apricots; acetophenone, myrcenol and 7-hexadecenal for Luopuhongdaike apricots; 2,4-dimethyl-cyclohexanol for You apricots; eucalyptol and salicylaldehyde for Xiaobai apricots. Moreover, Xiaobai apricots were richer in soluble sugars, organic acids and total phenolic and total flavonoid content than the other three apricot varieties. This work helps to characterize the volatile profiles and biomarkers of different apricot cultivars while providing theoretical guidance for developing apricot-flavored foods in practical production.

Profiling of Primary Metabolites and Volatiles in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Seed Kernels and Fruits in the Context of Its Different Cultivars and Soil Type as Analyzed Using Chemometric Tools

The goal of this study was to assess nutrient primary metabolites and aroma determinants in Prunus armeniaca L. fruits and seed kernels grown in Egypt represented by its different cultivars and agricultural conditions i.e., two different soil types (muddy versus sandy). Two techniques were employed to assess non-volatile and volatile metabolites using gas chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) post silylation, and headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) coupled GC-MS, respectively. A total of 36 peaks belonging to sugars, fatty acids/esters and organic acids were identified by GC–MS in various apricot fruits and seed kernels cultivars. Glucose and sucrose were enriched in apricot fruits compared to the seed kernels. A total of 70 volatiles were identified, with lactones, alcohols and esters representing the main classes of apricot volatiles accounting for its discrete aroma. (E)-Anethole, β-ionone, γ-decanolactone and methyl palmitate were the major peaks contributing to the discrimination between various fruit cultivars and providing novel insight on apricot metabolome.

Biochemical Characterization of Some Varieties of Apricot Present in the Vesuvius Area, Southern Italy

The witnesses of the millenary history of Campania felix in southern Italy highlighted that several fruit and vegetables cultivated in such territory could potentially be a treasure trove of important health elements. Our work evaluated the content of β-carotene, ascorbic acid, and total phenolics and the antioxidant activity of ten typical varieties of apricots cultivated in the Vesuvius area in the Campania region. The total polyphenols varied between 10.24 and 34.04 mg/100 g of a fresh sample. The amount of ascorbic acid also varied greatly, ranging from 2.65 to 10.65 mg/100 g of a fresh product. B-Carotene reached values up to 0.522 mg/100 g of the fresh sample. The correlation analysis performed, accounting for these parameters, showed that the antioxidant activity, calculated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH assay) and azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) tests, was influenced mainly by the content of total polyphenols, with ρ = −0.762 and ρ = 0.875 when we considered DPPH and ABTS tests, respectively, slightly less by the content of ascorbic acid, and not by β-carotene. The dendrogram clustered eight varieties into two main groups; on the other hand, two varieties (“Vitillo” and “Preveta bella”) seemed hierarchically distant. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), herein performed for the first time, demonstrated the influence of the varieties on the VOC profiles, both from a qualitative and semiquantitative perspective, discriminating the varieties in different clusters, each of which was characterized by specific notes. α-Terpinolene was the only terpene identified by GC–MS that appeared to affect the antioxidant activity.

Branched-Chain Volatiles in Fruit: A Molecular Perspective

Branched-chain volatiles (BCVs) constitute an important family of fruit volatile metabolites essential to the characteristic flavor and aroma profiles of many edible fruits. Yet in contrast to other groups of volatile organic compounds important to fruit flavor such as terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and oxylipins, the molecular biology underlying BCV biosynthesis remains poorly understood. This lack of knowledge is a barrier to efforts aimed at obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of fruit flavor and aroma and the biology underlying these complex phenomena. In this review, we discuss the current state of knowledge regarding fruit BCV biosynthesis from the perspective of molecular biology. We survey the diversity of BCV compounds identified in edible fruits as well as explore various hypotheses concerning their biosynthesis. Insights from branched-chain precursor compound metabolism obtained from non-plant organisms and how they may apply to fruit BCV production are also considered, along with potential avenues for future research that might clarify unresolved questions regarding BCV metabolism in fruits.