Quality characteristics of cereal-based foods enriched with different degree of polymerization inulin: A review

Vegetables, cereals and fruit are foods rich in fibre with beneficial and nutritional effects as their consumption reduces the onset of degenerative diseases, especially cardiovascular ones. Among fibres, inulin, oligofructose or fructooligosaccharide (FOS) are the best-studied. Inulin is a generic term to cover all linear β(2-1) fructans, with a variable degree of polymerization. In this review a better understanding of the importance of the degree of polymerization of inulin as a dietary fibre, functions, health benefits, classifications, types and its applications in the food industry was considered in different fortified foods. Inulin has been used to increase the nutritional and healthy properties of the product as a sweetener and as a substitute for fats and carbohydrates, improving the nutritional value and decreasing the glycemic index, with the advantage of not compromising taste and consistency of the product. Bifidogenic and prebiotic effects of inulin have been well established, inulin-type fructans are fermented by the colon to produce short-chain fatty acids, with important local and systemic actions. Addition of inulin with different degrees of polymerization to daily foods for the production of fortified pasta and bread was reviewed, and the impact on sensorial, technological and organoleptic characteristics even of gluten-free bread was also reported.

Proteins and protein components for sportspeople: quality control of dietary supplements

Quality control of protein supplements intended for a large audience of consumers such as sportspeople is particularly important. A case study on quality control of dietary supplements containing protein and protein components is presented. The objective of the study was to evaluate the conformity of the quantities of amino acids, essential and branched-chain amino acids, declared on the label through measurements with chromatographic analytical tools. 16 sportspeople supplements from different European countries were tested. Analysis of concentrated whey protein highlighted some differences between the label and what was experimentally determined; in these samples some amino acids (6 amino acids out of 19) exceeded the maximum tolerance (>20%) regulated by the European Commission. To a lesser extent, analysis of the other classes revealed amino acid concentrations that exceeded the maximum analytical tolerance percentage. As regards the essential and branched amino acid supplements, it was seen that the declared quantity conforms with that determined experimentally.

Experimental Models of SARS-COV-2 Infection in the Central Nervous System

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has raised serious concerns worldwide due to its great impact on human health and forced scientists racing to find effective therapies to control the infection and a vaccine for the virus. To this end, intense research efforts have focused on understanding the viral biology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for COVID-19. The ever-expanding list of cases, reporting clinical neurological complications in COVID-19 patients, strongly suggests the possibility of the virus invading the nervous system. The pathophysiological processes responsible for the neurological impact of COVID-19 are not fully understood. Some neurodegenerative disorders sometimes take more than a decade to manifest, so the long-term pathophysiological outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 neurotropism should be regarded as a challenge for researchers in this field. There is no documentation on the long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the human central nervous system (CNS). Most of the data relating to neurological damage during SARS-CoV-2 infection have yet to be established experimentally. The purpose of this review is to describe the knowledge gained, from experimental models, to date, on the mechanisms of neuronal invasion and the effects produced by infection. The hope is that, once the processes are understood, therapies can be implemented to limit the damage produced. Long-term monitoring and the use of appropriate and effective therapies could reduce the severity of symptoms and improve quality of life of the most severely affected patients, with a special focus on those have required hospital care and assisted respiration.

Fiordilatte Cheese Fortified with Inulin from Cichorium intybus or Cynara cardunculus

The influence of two different types of inulin added to fiordilatte cheese was assessed on product quality during the proper refrigerated storage period. To this aim, the fresh cheese was produced by a pilot plant, adding inulin, either from chicory (low degree of polymerization) or from cardoon (high degree of polymerization), during the stretching phase of the production process. Microbiological stability, sensory acceptability, texture and color changes of fortified dairy food during storage were measured and compared to the control cheese. Results suggest that inulin from different sources, even if characterized by a different degree of polymerization, can keep the texture and color of fiordilatte during storage. Microbiological analyses highlight that inulin seemed to promote a faster Pseudomonas spp. growth; however, the viable cell concentrations were found to be comparable in all the samples after one week. Enterobacteriaceae growth was faster when inulin from chicory was used. Sensory analysis shows that inulin addition to fiordilatte promoted the sensory quality preservation during storage; in fact, the fortified cheese overall quality was found to be always higher (p < 0.05) than that of the control sample, thus suggesting that inulin addition to fiordilatte represents a valid strategy for its fiber fortification.

Effect of Sunlight Exposure on Anthocyanin and Non-Anthocyanin Phenolic Levels in Pomegranate Juices by High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Approach

Quali-quantitative analyses of anthocyanins and non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds performed with the use of liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry, were evaluated in juice of pomegranate fruits ('Dente di Cavallo'), in relation to different light exposures (North, South, West and East). A total of 16 compounds were identified, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, hydrolysable tannins, and anthocyanins, known for their health-promoting effects. Striking differences were observed about the total phenolic content, which was high in juices from fruits with east- and north-facing position, while it was lower in juices facing south. The greatest contents of total flavonoids and anthocyanins were recorded in fruit juices with southern exposure; however, there are no great differences in the content in phenolic acids. Tannins were mainly synthesized in fruit juices with West exposure. The results showed that the position within the tree had no significant effects on color juice, however, it significantly (p < 0.05) affected data on fruit weight, soluble sugars and juice yield. Remarkable synergies existed among polyphenols and phytochemicals in pomegranate juice, but collecting fruits with different solar exposure could enhance different health benefits, i.e., the juices with higher polyphenols content could have more anticancer effect or those with higher tannins content could have more antimicrobial effect.

Germplasm evaluation to obtain inulin with high degree of polymerization in Mediterranean environment

Long-chain length (DP) inulin-type fructans show pronounced beneficial effects to colon microbiota. In the past, cardoon roots for inulin production to fortify spaghetti gave very good results, but their harvest requires high costs. The aim of the work was to evaluate different types of inulin, extracted from cardoon roots and buds, topinambur tubers and chicory roots local populations in order to identify crops more suitable for high DP inulin production in Mediterranean environment. The inulin amount resulted in 115 (chicory), 390 (cardoon) and 550 g kg-1 of d.m. (topinambur). Both in cardoon roots and in topinambur tubers the DP was very high. With the aim to produce a functional food, substituting inulin in staple food tubers of topinambur could be a good alternative to cardoon roots, due to the biological cycle of the plant (annual vs poliennal), the lowest costs of harvest and the good amounts of high DP inulin.

Effect of storage on quality parameters and phenolic content of Italian extra-virgin olive oils

The quality of extra virgin olive oils is affected mainly by hydrolytic and oxidative reactions. The present paper investigated the changes of major and minor components and oxidation indices of three monovarietal extra virgin olive oils after 18 months of storage at room temperature and in dark glass bottles conditions. After storage, the basic quality parameters such as free acidity, peroxide values, extinction coefficients, fatty acids composition, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, did not exceed the upper limits set by European Community Regulations for extra-virgin olive oils. Given the importance of the phenolic fraction, UHPLC-HESI-MS metodology was used. A decrease in 3,4-DHPEA-EDA (oleacin) and p-HPEA-EDA (oleochantal) was detected whereas, an increase of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol was measured as a consequence of degradation of ligstroside and oleuropein derivatives. Based on the results it is possible to observe the high nutritional value of the studied oils even after 18 months of conservation.

Antioxidant activity and phenolic composition in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes from south Italy by UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS approach

BACKGROUND

Pomegranate fruits are a rich source of polyphenols with numerous health-promoting effects. Pomegranate juices of five genotypes ('Mollar', 'Kingdom', 'Dente di Cavallo', and two old populations 'Francofonte' and 'Santa Tecla') were evaluated regarding anthocyanin and non-anthocyanin phenolic contents using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-Orbitrap-mass spectrometry (MS). Moreover, total antioxidant activity (TAA) was evaluated using a 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) assay.

RESULTS

Twenty-three phenolic compounds were identified. Cyanidin-3,5-O-diglucoside and pelargonidin-3,5-O-diglucoside were the most representative anthocyanins in all genotypes; the Santa Tecla population had the highest content of these anthocyanins, 97.64 mg L^-1 and 40.29 mg L^-1 respectively. In the Francofonte population, ferulic acid hexoside was the most abundant compound (391.18 mg L^-1 ). TAA values ranged between 221.5 and 36.73 µmol Trolox equivalents/100 mL of juice. A high TAA value was recorded for the Santa Tecla pomegranate population.

CONCLUSION

The UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS approach was employed for the first time to identify the phenolic compound profiling in five pomegranate genotypes. TAA was analysed using an ABTS assay, and the results showed a significant variability in nutraceutical potential of the pomegranate genotypes studied. The inclusion of phenolic information in the linear discriminant analysis allowed very good discriminations among genotypes to be obtained. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Antioxidant activity and fatty acids quantification in Sicilian purslane germplasm

Portulaca oleracea is an annual succulent herb in the family Portulacaceae. It is a nutritious vegetable with high antioxidant properties and, it is among the richest plant source of ω-3 fatty acids, as well as a rich source of ω-6 fatty acids, ascorbic acid, tocopherols and beta-carotene. In the present study, three purslane populations under different Mediterranean environmental conditions for two years, for future valorization as novel food sources of omega-3 fatty acids, were evaluated. In particular, biomorphological characteristics, total phenols and fatty acids content were determined. The antioxidant activities were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. The population "Cas" appears to have higher antioxidant activity than the other two populations ("Cal" and "S. Ven").The saturated fatty acid content is influenced only by the year of collection, while the polyunsaturated fatty acid by the populations. The most abundant unsatured fatty acids are linoleic and linolenic acids and "Cas" attained the highest contents.

Preservation of vitamins content in Cuccìa using an innovative method of processing

Cuccìa is a traditional Sicilian food prepared by boiling whole durum wheat kernels, in water, for many hours. This process destroys the vitamins E and B contents of crude kernels. It was rated a method to prepare the Cuccìa, preserving the vitamin content. Four varieties of durum wheat were processed comparing the traditional cooking method (TR-boiling for 5/6 hours), and an innovative one (IN-grains scarification, germination, and cooking at 50 °C for 2 hours). On soups obtained the content of biotin, niacin and α-amylase activity were determined. ANOVA showed the cooking method influences biotin and niacin content having values from 0.56 and 0.72 ng ml^-1 (raw grain) and values close to 0 (TR), while only a 10% decrease (IN) respectively for both vitamins. On the contrary, α-amylase activity was reduced with IN method. The IN method combined with ancient grains, produces the soup with a good vitamin B amount.

The quality of functional whole-meal durum wheat spaghetti as affected by inulin polymerization degree

The use of inulin in pasta improves the nutritional value decreasing the glycemic index in the blood after pasta ingestion but it compromises the sensory characteristics in terms of elasticity, firmness, bulkiness and adhesiveness. Thus, in this work, the impact of substituting whole-meal durum wheat flour with inulin on cooking quality, sensory and textural properties, digested starch and chemical composition of spaghetti was investigated. Two types of inulin at two different concentrations (2% and 4%) were adopted: inulin extracted from cardoon roots (CRI) (high polymerization degree) and commercial inulin (CHI) (low polymerization degree) produced from chicory. From the chemical point of view, the sample with 4% CRI showed the greatest total dietary fibres content and the lowest available carbohydrates content. A global acceptable quality was also recorded in all the other technological and sensory properties of enriched pasta with both types and both concentrations of inulin. The most feature of the work is that when CRI was added to the dough, better results were recorded, thus suggesting that for pasta enrichment, the selection of inulin with proper polymerization degree is a strategic factor for final product acceptance.