Pulsed Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction as an Alternative Method to Conventional Maceration for the Extraction of the Polyphenolic Fraction of Ribes nigrum Buds: A New Category of Food Supplements Proposed by The FINNOVER Project

Vicia faba L. Pod Valves: A By-Product with High Potential as an Adjuvant in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease

Vicia faba L. is a leguminous plant with seeds rich in nutritional compounds, such as polyphenols and L-dopa, a dopamine precursor and first-line treatment for Parkinson's symptoms. Recently, its by-products have been revalued as a sustainable source of bioactive compounds. In this study, aqueous extracts of Lucan broad bean pod valves (BPs) were characterized to evaluate their potential use as adjuvants in severe Parkinson's disease. L-dopa content, quantified by LC-UV, was much higher in BPs than in seeds (28.65 mg/g dw compared to 0.76 mg/g dw). In addition, vicine and convicine, the metabolites responsible for favism, were not detected in pods. LC-ESI/LTQ-Orbitrap/MS2 allowed the identification of the major polyphenolic compounds, including quercetin and catechin equivalents, that could ensure neuroprotection in Parkinson's disease. ESI(±)-FT-ICR MS was used to build 2D van Krevelen diagrams; polyphenolic compounds and carbohydrates were the most representative classes. The neuroprotective activity of the extracts after MPP+-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells was also investigated. BP extracts were more effective than synthetic L-dopa, even at concentrations up to 100 µg/mL, due to the occurrence of antioxidants able to prevent oxidative stress. The stability and antioxidant component of the extracts were then emphasized by using naturally acidic solutions of Punica granatum L., Ribes rubrum L., and gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica L.) as extraction solvents.

High-intensity ultrasound-based process strategies for obtaining edible sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) flour with low-phenolic and high-protein content

The sunflower Helianthus annuus L. represents the 4th largest oilseed cultivated area worldwide. Its balanced amino acid content and low content of antinutrient factors give sunflower protein a good nutritional value. However, it is underexploited as a supplement to human nutrition due to the high content of phenolic compounds that reduce the sensory quality of the product. Thus, this study aimed at obtaining a high protein and low phenolic compound sunflower flour for use in the food industry by designing separation processes with high intensity ultrasound technology. First, sunflower meal, a residue of cold-press oil extraction processing, was defatted using supercritical CO₂ technology. Subsequently, sunflower meal was subjected to different conditions for ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds. The effects of solvent composition (water: ethanol) and pH (4 to 12) were investigated using different acoustic energies and continuous and pulsed process approaches. The employed process strategies reduced the oil content of sunflower meal by up to 90% and reduced 83% of the phenolic content. Furthermore, the protein content of sunflower flour was increased up to approximately 72% with respect to sunflower meal. The acoustic cavitation-based processes using the optimized solvent composition were efficient in breaking down the cellular structure of the plant matrix and facilitated the separation of proteins and phenolic compounds, while preserving the functional groups of the product. Therefore, a new ingredient with high protein content and potential application for human food was obtained from the residue of sunflower oil processing using green technologies.

In Silico and In Vitro Study of Antioxidant Potential of Urolithins

In this work, quantum chemical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) were performed to predict the antioxidant potential of four bioactive gut microbiota metabolites of the natural polyphenols ellagitannins (ETs) and ellagic acid (EA), also known as urolithins (UROs). In order to evaluate their ability to counter the effect of oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as the hydroperoxyl radical (•OOH), different reaction mechanisms were investigated, considering water and lipid-like environments. Through our in silico results, it emerged that at physiological pH, the scavenging activity of all urolithins, except urolithin B, are higher than that of trolox and other potent antioxidants existing in nature, such as EA, α-mangostin, allicin, caffeine and melatonin. These findings were confirmed by experimental assays.

A Preliminary Color Study of Different Basil-Based Semi-Finished Products during Their Storage

Basil-based semi-finished products, which are mainly used as an intermediate to produce the typical pesto sauce, are prepared and exported all over the world. Color is a fundamental organoleptic requirement for the acceptability of these semi-finished products by the manufacturers of the pesto sauce. Some alternative formulations, which adjust the typical industrial recipe by both changing the preservative agent (ascorbic acid, citric acid, or a mixture of both) and introducing a preliminary thermic treatment (blast chilling), were evaluated. In this work, a fast and non-destructive spectrophotometric analysis, to monitor the color variations in these food products during their shelf-life, was proposed. The raw diffuse reflectance spectra (380-900 nm) obtained by a UV-visible spectrophotometer, endowed with an integrating sphere, together with the CIELab parameters (L*, a*, b*) automatically obtained from these, were considered, and elaborated using multivariate statistical analysis (principal component analysis). From this preliminary study, blast chilling, together with the use of ascorbic acid, proved to be the best solution to better preserve the color of these products during their shelf-life.

A Descriptive Chemical Composition of Concentrated Bud Macerates through an Optimized SPE-HPLC-UV-MS2 Method-Application to Alnus glutinosa, Ribes nigrum, Rosa canina, Rosmarinus officinalis and Tilia tomentosa

Concentrated bud macerates (CBMs) are obtained from meristematic tissues such as buds and young shoots by maceration in a solvent composed of glycerin, water and ethanol (1/1/1/, v/v). Their traditional utilization in gemmotherapy has gained interest in the past years, and the knowledge of their chemical characterization can provide commercial arguments, particularly to secure their quality control. Therefore, an optimized method for phytochemical analysis including glycerol removal by a preliminary solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by compound identification using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultra-violet and tandem mass detectors (HPLC-UV-MS²) was developed. This method was applied on 5 CBMs obtained from Alnus glutinosa, Ribesnigrum, Rosmarinus officinalis, Rosa canina and Tilia tomentosa in order to determinate their chemical composition. Their antioxidant effects were also investigated by radical scavenging activity assays (DPPH and ORAC). Glycerol removal improved the resolution of HPLC chemical profiles and allowed us to perform TLC antioxidant screening. Our approach permitted the identification of 57 compounds distributed in eight major classes, three of them being common to all macerates including nucleosides, phenolic acids and glycosylated flavonoids. Quantification of the later class as a rutin equivalent (RE) showed a great disparity between Rosa canina macerate (809 mg RE/L), and the other ones (from 175 to 470 mg RE/L). DPPH and ORAC assays confirmed the great activity of Rosa canina (4857 and 6479 μmol TE/g of dry matter, respectively). Finally, phytochemical and antioxidant analysis of CBMs strengthened their phytomedicinal interest in the gemmotherapy field.

Process Efficiency and Energy Consumption during the Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Substances from Hawthorn Berries

This study investigated the impact of sonication parameters on the efficiency of the extraction of bioactive substances from hawthorn berries. The ultrasonic treatment was performed in two modes: continuous and pulse. In the pulse mode, the samples were sonicated with the following processor settings: 1 s on-2 s off. The effective ultrasonic processor times were 5, 10, and 15 min, and the total extraction times were 15 min, 30 min, and 45 min. The content of total polyphenols and total anthocyanins was determined by a spectrophotometric method. We show that the operating mode of the processor affects extraction efficiency, energy consumption and unit energy inputs. Extraction supported by a pulsating ultrasonic field allowed saving from 20% to 51% of energy with a simultaneous higher efficiency of the process. In addition, we show that the unit energy consumption in the pulsed mode was about 40% to 68% lower than the energy consumption in the case of continuous operation.

Vitis vinifera L. Pruning Waste for Bud-Preparations as Source of Phenolic Compounds–Traditional and Innovative Extraction Techniques to Produce New Natural Products

Herbal products are now considered among the most important sources of phenolic compounds: the FINNOVER project aimed at the creation and development of sustainable supply chains to extract and use natural biologically active agents. Vitis vinifera is one of the most utilised herbal products derived from buds and sprouts as polyphenolic food supplements for its homeostatic and astringent properties. This research was aimed to describe the antioxidant capacity and the phytochemical composition of V. vinifera herbal products by the application of spectroscopic and chromatographic fingerprints considering phenolics as potential markers to significantly differentiate traditional preparations (macerates) from innovative extracts obtained by an ultrasound extraction from V. vinifera buds. Two different commercial products were also considered. Flavonols were the most abundant class in ultrasound extracts (45%), while phenolic acids were the most important class in traditional macerates (49%) and commercial bud-preparations (about 50%). This study may support the potential use of V. vinifera bud-products (starting from pruning byproducts) as food supplements to integrate human diet with good amounts of phenolics. Finally, the use of different extraction methods on the same plant material could be an important development to produce innovative herbal products with a phytochemical composition similar to traditional preparations.

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Miller, Cultivar Rosa) Solid By-Products Remaining after the Distillation of the Essential Oil

FINNOVER is an EU Interreg-Alcotra project that aims to bring new perspectives to floriculture enterprises by recovering useful bioproducts from the waste produced during processing of several aromatic species. In this study, a new operation strategy to recover lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) solid by-products remaining after the extraction of the essential oil was developed. Pulsed ultrasound-assisted extraction was employed as a sustainable and eco-compatible technology to extract, in a very short time (10 min), this agricultural waste using a food-grade solvent (a mixture of ethanol/water). All the extracts obtained from both flower and leaf waste and flower-only residues, exhibit a promising total phenolic content (38–40 mg gallic acid/g of dry waste), radical scavenging activity (107–110 mg Trolox/g of dry waste) and total flavonoid content (0.11–0.13 mg quercetin/g of dry waste). Moreover, the chromatographic analysis of these extracts has shown that this overlooked agriculture waste can represent a valuable source of multifunctional compounds. Particularly, they exhibit a content of polyphenols and flavonoids up to 200 times higher than the corresponding leachate, and they are a valuable source of gentisic acid (1.4–13 mg/g dry waste) representing a new low-cost ingredient usable in different fields (i.e., cosmetic).

Use of an Animal Model to Evaluate Anxiolytic Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Tilia tomentosa Moench Bud Extracts

Anxiety disorders are common and complex psychiatric syndromes affecting a broad spectrum of patients. On top of that, we know that aging produces an increase in anxiety vulnerability and sedative consumption. Moreover, stress disorders frequently show a clear gender susceptibility. Currently, the approved pharmacological strategies have severe side effects such as hallucinations, addiction, suicide, insomnia, and loss of motor coordination. Dietary integration with supplements represents an intriguing strategy for improving the efficacy and the safety of synthetic anxiolytics. Accordingly, a recent article demonstrated that glyceric bud extracts from Tilia tomentosa Moench (TTBEs) exert effects that are consistent with anxiolytic activity. However, the effects of these compounds in vivo are unknown. To examine this question, we conducted behavioral analysis in mice. A total of 21 days of oral supplements (vehicle and TTBEs) were assessed by Light Dark and Hole Board tests in male and female mice (young, 3 months; old, 24 months). Interestingly, the principal component analysis revealed gender and age-specific behavioral modulations. Moreover, the diet integration with the botanicals did not modify the body weight gain and the daily intake of water. Our results support the use of TTBEs as dietary supplements for anxiolytic purposes and unveil age and gender-dependent responses.

Bud-Derivatives, a Novel Source of Polyphenols and How Different Extraction Processes Affect Their Composition

The use of herbal food supplements, as a concentrate form of vegetable extracts, increased so much over the past years to count them among the relevant sources of dietetic polyphenols. Bud-derivatives are a category of botanicals perceived as a "new entry" in this sector since they are still poorly studied. Due to the lack of a manufacturing process specification, very different products can be found on the market in terms of their polyphenolic profile depending on the experimental conditions of manufacturing. In this research two different manufacturing processes, using two different protocols, and eight species (Carpinus betulus L., Cornus mas L., Ficus carica L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Larix decidua Mill., Pinus montana Mill., Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Tilia tomentosa Moench), commonly used to produce bud-derivatives, have been considered as a case study. An untargeted spectroscopic fingerprint of the extracts, coupled to chemometrics, provide to be a useful tool to identify these botanicals. The targeted phytochemical fingerprint by HPLC provided a screening of the main bud-derivatives polyphenolic classes highlighting a high variability depending on both method and protocol used. Nevertheless, ultrasonic extraction proved to be less sensitive to the different extraction protocols than conventional maceration regarding the extract polyphenolic profile.