Enhancing the Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidants of Lemon Pomace Aqueous Extracts by Applying UV-C Irradiation to the Dried Powder

Therapeutic properties of Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushroom): A review

Inonotus obliquus, also known as Chaga, is a medicinal mushroom that has been used for therapeutic purposes since the sixteenth century. Collections of folk medicine record the application of Chaga for the treatment of diseases such as gastrointestinal cancer, diabetes, bacterial infection, and liver diseases. Modern research provides scientific evidence of the therapeutic properties of I. obliquus extracts, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, hepatoprotective, renoprotective, anti-fatigue, antibacterial, and antiviral activities. Various bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides, triterpenoids, polyphenols, and lignin metabolites have been found to be responsible for the health-benefiting properties of I. obliquus. Furthermore, some studies have elucidated the underlying mechanisms of the mushroom's medicinal effects, revealing the compounds' interactions with enzymes or proteins of important pathways. Thus, this review aims to explore available information on the therapeutic potentials of Inonotus obliquus for the development of an effective naturally sourced treatment option.

UV-C Light: A Promising Preservation Technology for Vegetable-Based Nonsolid Food Products

A variety of bioactive substances present in fruit- and vegetable-processed products have health-promoting properties. The consumption of nutrient-rich plant-based products is essential to address undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. Preservation is paramount in manufacturing plant-based nonsolid foods such as juices, purees, and sauces. Thermal processing has been widely used to preserve fruit- and vegetable-based products by reducing enzymatic and microbial activities, thereby ensuring safety and prolonged shelf life. However, the nutritional value of products is compromised due to the deleterious effects of thermal treatments on essential nutrients and bioactive compounds. To prevent the loss of nutrients associated with thermal treatment, alternative technologies are being researched extensively. In studies conducted on nonsolid food, UV-C treatment has been proven to preserve quality and minimize nutrient degradation. This review compiles information on the use of UV-C technology in preserving the nutritional attributes of nonsolid foods derived from fruit and vegetables. The legislation, market potential, consumer acceptance, and limitations of UV-C are reviewed.

Role and mechanism of fruit waste polyphenols in diabetes management

Among various diseases in humans, diabetes is one of the most complicated disorders resulting either from the malfunctioning of β cells, causing a poor discharge of insulin from them, or poor functioning of the liberated insulin. A wide array of chemical compounds so-called secondary metabolites are present in plants. These phytochemicals are produced as by-products of metabolism and play a key role in plant protection. However, in humans, they offer several beneficial functions. Polyphenols are an important class of phytochemicals and apart from fruits, they are also found in their major wastes mainly including the peel, pomace, and seed. The current review is aimed to focus on the potential sources, distribution, and extraction/isolation of polyphenols from major fruit wastes along with highlighting their medicinal and therapeutic benefits, especially in the management of diabetes.

Antioxidant Activity of Plant-Derived Colorants for Potential Cosmetic Application

Application of plant-derived colorants in products, i.e., cosmetics or food, apart from imparting the desired color without harming the environment, may provide other benefits. Valuable ingredients in cosmetic formulations include antioxidants showing an advantageous effect on the skin by neutralizing free radicals that accelerate the aging process and cause skin defects. Antioxidant activity can be determined by chemical-based methods. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity of plant-derived colorants (purple and red colorant) by two methods: CUPRAC and DPPH free-radical scavenging activity. Antioxidant activity evaluation using both methods for colorants samples was also performed after 5, 15, 30, and 60 min of exposure to UVC irradiation. The results obtained by CUPRAC method were for purple and red colorant unexposed samples as follows: 6.87 ± 0.09 and 4.48 ± 0.14 mg/100 mg colorant expressed as caffeic acid equivalent, respectively. UVC treatment did not affect the results of the antioxidant activity for red colorant and for the purple one only a slight influence was observed. DPPH free-radical scavenging activity for unexposed samples was 70.06 ± 7.74% DPPH/100 mg colorant for the red colorant and 96.11 ± 3.80% DPPH/100 mg colorant for the purple one.

Variation in Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Rubus Fruits at Different Developmental Stages

Blackberry and raspberry have high nutritional, health value, and are popular with consumers for their unique flavors. To explore the relationships between nutrient accumulation, antioxidant substance contents in blackberry and raspberry fruits, and fruit growth and development, seven Rubus cultivars were selected, and contents of the main active substance were determined. "Clode Summit" had the highest soluble sugar and fructose contents, "Chester"-the highest total phenol content, and "Bristol'-the highest anthocyanin content. Generally, the contents of flavonoids and total phenols showed a downward trend with the development of fruit in seven Rubus cultivars, and the content of anthocyanins increased rapidly in the later stage of development. Pearson correlation analysis showed extremely significant correlation between antioxidant activity and the contents of vitamin E, total phenols, and flavonoids. Flavonoids were extremely significantly positively correlated with the content of total phenols, and the contents of flavonoids and anthocyanins in various cultivars were highly negatively correlated. Considering the different nutritional ingredients and active antioxidant substance contents, "Clode Summit", "Bristol", and "Chester" are recommended for raw consumption, processing, and medicinal purposes, respectively. These results provide a reference for comparing the main active substance contents in different Rubus cultivars and their changes across fruit development stages.

Recent advances in valorization of citrus fruits processing waste: a way forward towards environmental sustainability

Citrus fruits are well known for their medicinal and therapeutic potential due to the presence of immense bioactive components. With the enormous consumption of citrus juice, citrus processing industries are focused on the production of juice but at the same time, a large amount of waste is produced mainly in the form of peel, seeds, pomace, and wastewater. This waste left after processing leads to environmental pollution and health-related hazards. However, it could be exploited for the recovery of essential oils, pectin, nutraceuticals, macro and micronutrients, ethanol, and biofuel generation. In view of the importance and health benefits of bioactive compounds found in citrus waste, the present review summarizes the recent work done on the citrus fruit waste valorization for recovery of value-added compounds leading to zero wastage. Therefore, instead of calling it waste, these could be a good resource of significant valuable components, in this way encouraging the zero-waste theory.

Effects of Light-Emitting Diodes on the Accumulation of Phenolic Compounds and Glucosinolates in Brassica juncea Sprouts

Recent improvements in light-emitting diode (LED) technology afford an excellent opportunity to investigate the relationship between different light sources and plant metabolites. Accordingly, the goal of the present study was to determine the effect of different LED (white, blue, and red) treatments on the contents of glucosinolates (glucoiberin, gluconapin, sinigrin, gluconasturtiin, 4-methoxyglucobrassicin, 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin, glucobrassicin, and neoglucobrassicin) and phenolic compounds (4-hydroxybenzonate, catechin, chlorogenic acid, caffeate, gallate, sinapate, and quercetin) in Brassica juncea sprouts. The sprouts were grown in a growth chamber at 25 °C under irradiation with white, blue, or red LED with a flux rate of 90 μmol·m−2·s−1 and a long-day photoperiod (16 h light/8 h dark cycle). Marked differences in desulfoglucosinolate contents were observed in response to treatment with different LEDs and different treatment durations. In addition, the highest total desulfoglucosinolate content was observed in response to white LED light treatment, followed by treatment with red LED light, and then blue LED light. Among the individual desulfoglucosinolates identified in the sprouts, sinigrin exhibited the highest content, which was observed after three weeks of white LED light treatment. The highest total phenolic contents were recorded after one week of white and blue LED light treatment, whereas blue LED irradiation increased the production of most of the phenolic compounds identified, including 4-hydroxybenzonate, gallate, sinapate, caffeate, quercetin, and chlorogenic acid. The production of phenolics decreased gradually with increasing duration of LED light treatment, whereas anthocyanin accumulation showed a progressive increase during the treatment. These findings indicate that white LED light is appropriate for glucosinolate accumulation, whereas blue LED light is effective in increasing the production of phenolic compounds in B. juncea sprouts.

Light: An Alternative Method for Physical Control of Postharvest Rotting Caused by Fungi of Citrus Fruit

Solar light has fundamental roles in vast chemical, biochemical, and physical process in biosphere and hence been declared as “source of life.” Solar light is further classified into a broad range of electromagnetic waves, and each region in the solar spectrum bears its unique actions in the universe or biosphere. Since centuries, solar light is believed as a potent source of killing pathogens causing postharvest losses on food products as well as human skin diseases. Citrus fruit crops are widely produced and consumed across the world, but due to their higher juicy contents, Penicillium italicum (blue mold) and Penicillium digitatum (green mold) make their entry to decay fruits and cause approximately 80% and 30% fruit losses, respectively. Agrochemicals or synthetic fungicides are highly efficient to control these postharvest fungal pathogens but have certain health concerns due to toxic environmental residues. Therefore, the scientific community is ever looking for some physical ways to eradicate such postharvest fungal pathogens and reduce the yield losses along with maintaining the public health concerns. This review article presents and discusses existing available information about the positive and negative impacts of different spectrums of solar light exposure on the postharvest storage of citrus fruits, especially to check citrus postharvest rotting caused by Penicillium italicum (blue mold) and Penicillium digitatum (green mold). Moreover, a special focus shall be paid to blue light (390–500 nm), which efficiently reduces the decay of fruits, while keeping the host tissues/cells healthy with no known cytotoxicity, killing the fungal pathogen probably by ferroptosis, but indepth knowledge is scanty. The study defines how to develop commercial applications of light in the postharvest citrus industry.

Solanum trilobatum L. Ameliorate Thioacetamide-Induced Oxidative Stress and Hepatic Damage in Albino Rats

Solanum trilobatum L. (Solanaceae) has been well known as nightshade, commonly used by diverse populations to heal several disorders. Earlier studies in Solanum trilobatum were focused on different pharmacological activities and a few were concerned with antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects. Thus, the current study was focused to evaluate the antioxidant potential and hepatoprotective effects of S. trilobatum L. on thioacetamide (TAA) intoxication in Wistar albino rats. The rats were kept into four groups and six animals each. Group A was normal control. Group B was the TAA treated control. Groups C and D were pretreated with the aqueous extract from the leaves of S. trilobatum (100 mg, 200 mg/kg bw p.o.) once daily for 10 consecutive days administration followed by a single dose infusion of TAA (100 mg/kg s.c.). After 10 days, blood and livers were collected. The biochemical assay was carried out in the GSH (reduced glutathione), TBARS(thiobarbituric acid reactive substances), Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase, and antioxidant enzymes viz., SOD (superoxide dismutase), CAT (catalase), GPx (glutathione peroxidase), GST (glutathione-S-transferase), and GR (glutathione reductase) were analyzed in samples of blood and liver. Treatment with S. trilobatum reduced blood and liver TBARS, and Na⁺ K⁺ ATPase activity in TAA (thioacetamide)-induced hepatotoxicity rats. Furthermore, the above antioxidant enzymes were increased in the pretreatment of S. trilobatum in TAA intoxicated rats. Finally, we concluded that S. Trilobatum displayed potent antioxidant properties and alleviate oxidative stress induced hepatotoxic effects and possible engross mechanisms related to free radical scavenging properties.