3,247 research outputs found
Extra-virgin olive oil ameliorates cognition and neuropathology of the 3xTg mice. Role of autophagy
OBJECTIVE:
Consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), a major component of the Mediterranean diet, has been associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanisms involved in this protective action remain to be fully elucidated.
METHODS:
Herein, we investigated the effect of daily consumption of EVOO on the AD-like phenotype of a mouse mode of the disease with plaques and tangles.
RESULTS:
Triple transgenic mice (3xTg) received either regular chow or a chow diet supplemented with EVOO starting at 6 months of age for 6 months, then assessed for the effect of the diet on the AD-like neuropathology and behavioral changes. Compared with controls, mice receiving the EVOO-rich diet had an amelioration of their behavioral deficits, and a significant increase in the steady state levels of synaptophysin, a protein marker of synaptic integrity. In addition, they had a significant reduction in insoluble Aβ peptide levels and deposition, lower amount of phosphorylated tau protein at specific epitopes, which were secondary to an activation of cell autophagy.
INTERPRETATION:
Taken together, our findings support a beneficial effect of EVOO consumption on all major features of the AD phenotype (behavioral deficits, synaptic pathology, Aβ and tau neuropathology), and demonstrate that autophagy activation is the mechanism underlying these biological actions
Deep Learning Techniques to Improve the Performance of Olive Oil Classification
The olive oil assessment involves the use of a standardized sensory analysis according
to the “panel test” method. However, there is an important interest to design novel
strategies based on the use of Gas Chromatography (GC) coupled to mass spectrometry
(MS), or ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) together with a chemometric data treatment
for olive oil classification. It is an essential task in an attempt to get the most robust
model over time and, both to avoid fraud in the price and to know whether it is suitable
for consumption or not. The aim of this paper is to combine chemical techniques and
Deep Learning approaches to automatically classify olive oil samples from two different
harvests in their three corresponding classes: extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), virgin olive oil
(VOO), and lampante olive oil (LOO). Our Deep Learning model is built with 701 samples,
which were obtained from two olive oil campaigns (2014–2015 and 2015–2016). The
data from the two harvests are built from the selection of specific olive oil markers from
the whole spectral fingerprint obtained with GC-IMS method. In order to obtain the
best results we have configured the parameters of our model according to the nature
of the data. The results obtained show that a deep learning approach applied to data
obtained from chemical instrumental techniques is a good method when classifying oil
samples in their corresponding categories, with higher success rates than those obtained
in previous works.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2017-88209-C2-2-
Extra virgin olive oil and cardiovascular diseases: benefits for human health
The cardioprotective properties of Mediterranean Diet were demonstrated for the first time from the Seven Country Study. In the last few decades, numerous epidemiological studies, as well as intervention trial, confirmed this observation, pointing out the close relationship between the Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular diseases. In this context, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), the most representative component of this diet, seems to be relevant in lowering the incidence of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and stroke. From a chemical point of view, 98-99% of the total weight of EVOO is represented by fatty acids, especially monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid. Tocopherols, polyphenols and other minor constituents represent the remaining 1-2%. All these components may potentially contribute to "health maintenance" with their beneficial effects by EVOOO
Effect of agro-climatic conditions on near infrared spectra of extra virgin olive oils
Authentication of extra virgin olive oil requires fast and cost-effective analytical procedures, such as near infrared spectroscopy. Multivariate analysis and chemometrics have been successfully applied in several papers to gather qualitative and quantitative information of extra virgin olive oils from near infrared spectra. Moreover, there are many examples in the literature analysing the effect of agro-climatic conditions on food content, in general, and in olive oil components, in particular. But the majority of these studies considered a factor, a non-numerical variable, containing this meteorological information. The present work uses all the agro-climatic data with the aim of highlighting the linear relationships between them and the near infrared spectra. The study begins with a graphical motivation, continues with a bivariate analysis and, finally, applies redundancy analysis to extend and confirm the previous conclusions.Peer Reviewe
Extra virgin olive oil use is associated with improved post-prandial blood glucose and LDL cholesterol in healthy subjects
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a key component of the Mediterranean diet and seems to account for the protective effect against cardiovascular disease. However, the underlying mechanism is still elusive
Predicción de la frescura del aceite de oliva virgen extra durante el almacenamiento mediante espectroscopía de fluorescencia
Virgin olive oil quality relates to flavor and unique health benefits. Some of these properties are
at the most desirable level when the oil is just extracted, since it is not a product that improves with age. On the
contrary, the concentrations of many compounds change during its shelf-life. These changes reveal the aging of
the oil but do not necessarily mean decay in sensory properties, so in some cases an aged oil from healthy olives
may be better qualified than a fresh one from olives affected by fermentation. The aim of this work is to analyze
different methodologies proposed for assessing the quality of virgin olive oil with implications in freshness and
aging of the oil, and to highlight the possibilities of rapid spectrofluorimetric techniques for assessing oil freshness by checking the evolution of pigments during storage. The observed change in the selected spectral features
and mathematical modelling over time was compared with the accepted model for predicting the amount of
pyropheophytin a, which is based on isokinetic studies. The best regression was obtained for 655 nm (adjustedR2
= 0.91) wavelength, which matches the distinctive band of pigments. The two mathematical models described
in this study highlight the usefulness of pigments in the prediction of the shelf-life of extra virgin olive oil.La calidad del aceite de oliva virgen está relacionada con su flavor y sus beneficios
únicos para la salud. Algunas de estas propiedades se encuentran en el nivel más deseable cuando el aceite está
recién extraído, ya que no es un producto que mejore con el tiempo. Por el contrario, las concentraciones de
muchos compuestos cambian a lo largo de la vida útil. Estos cambios revelan el envejecimiento del aceite, pero
no implican necesariamente la alteración de las propiedades sensoriales, por lo que en algunos casos un aceite
envejecido procedente de aceitunas sanas puede presentar mejor calidad que uno fresco procedente de aceitunas
afectadas por procesos de fermentación. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar diferentes metodologías propuestas para evaluar la calidad del aceite de oliva virgen con implicaciones en la frescura y el envejecimiento del
aceite, destacando las posibilidades de las rápidas técnicas espectrofluorométricas para evaluar la frescura del
aceite verificando la evolución de los pigmentos durante el almacenamiento. El cambio observado en las características espectrales seleccionadas y su modelado matemático a lo largo del tiempo se comparó con el modelo
aceptado para predecir la cantidad de pirofeofitina a, que se basa en estudios isocinéticos. Los dos modelos
matemáticos descritos en este estudio pusieron de manifiesto la utilidad de los pigmentos en la predicción de la
vida útil del aceite de oliva virgen extra. La mejor regresión se obtuvo para 655 nm (R2
-ajustado = 0,91), longitud de onda que coincide con la banda distintiva de pigmentos.Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación de España-AGL2015-69320-
The Antioxidant Potential of the Mediterranean Diet in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk: An In-Depth Review of the PREDIMED
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of death. Diet is known to be important in the prevention of CVD. The PREDIMED trial tested a relatively low-fat diet versus a high-fat Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) for the primary prevention of CVD. The resulting reduction of the CV composite outcome resulted in a paradigm shift in CV nutrition. Though many dietary factors likely contributed to this effect, this review focuses on the influence of the MedDiet on endogenous antioxidant systems and the effect of dietary polyphenols. Subgroup analysis of the PREDIMED trial revealed increased endogenous antioxidant and decreased pro-oxidant activity in the MedDiet groups. Moreover, higher polyphenol intake was associated with lower incidence of the primary outcome, overall mortality, blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers, onset of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and obesity. This suggests that polyphenols likely contributed to the lower incidence of the primary event in the MedDiet groups. In this article, we summarize the potential benefits of polyphenols found in the MedDiet, specifically the PREDIMED cohort. We also discuss the need for further research to confirm and expand the findings of the PREDIMED in a non-Mediterranean population and to determine the exact mechanisms of action of polyphenols
Predicción de la frescura del aceite de oliva virgen extra durante el almacenamiento mediante espectroscopía de fluorescencia
Virgin olive oil quality relates to flavor and unique health benefits. Some of these properties are
at the most desirable level when the oil is just extracted, since it is not a product that improves with age. On the
contrary, the concentrations of many compounds change during its shelf-life. These changes reveal the aging of
the oil but do not necessarily mean decay in sensory properties, so in some cases an aged oil from healthy olives
may be better qualified than a fresh one from olives affected by fermentation. The aim of this work is to analyze
different methodologies proposed for assessing the quality of virgin olive oil with implications in freshness and
aging of the oil, and to highlight the possibilities of rapid spectrofluorimetric techniques for assessing oil freshness by checking the evolution of pigments during storage. The observed change in the selected spectral features
and mathematical modelling over time was compared with the accepted model for predicting the amount of
pyropheophytin a, which is based on isokinetic studies. The best regression was obtained for 655 nm (adjustedR2
= 0.91) wavelength, which matches the distinctive band of pigments. The two mathematical models described
in this study highlight the usefulness of pigments in the prediction of the shelf-life of extra virgin olive oil.La calidad del aceite de oliva virgen está relacionada con su flavor y sus beneficios
únicos para la salud. Algunas de estas propiedades se encuentran en el nivel más deseable cuando el aceite está
recién extraído, ya que no es un producto que mejore con el tiempo. Por el contrario, las concentraciones de
muchos compuestos cambian a lo largo de la vida útil. Estos cambios revelan el envejecimiento del aceite, pero
no implican necesariamente la alteración de las propiedades sensoriales, por lo que en algunos casos un aceite
envejecido procedente de aceitunas sanas puede presentar mejor calidad que uno fresco procedente de aceitunas
afectadas por procesos de fermentación. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar diferentes metodologías propuestas para evaluar la calidad del aceite de oliva virgen con implicaciones en la frescura y el envejecimiento del
aceite, destacando las posibilidades de las rápidas técnicas espectrofluorométricas para evaluar la frescura del
aceite verificando la evolución de los pigmentos durante el almacenamiento. El cambio observado en las características espectrales seleccionadas y su modelado matemático a lo largo del tiempo se comparó con el modelo
aceptado para predecir la cantidad de pirofeofitina a, que se basa en estudios isocinéticos. Los dos modelos
matemáticos descritos en este estudio pusieron de manifiesto la utilidad de los pigmentos en la predicción de la
vida útil del aceite de oliva virgen extra. La mejor regresión se obtuvo para 655 nm (R2
-ajustado = 0,91), longitud de onda que coincide con la banda distintiva de pigmentos.Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación de España-AGL2015-69320-
Extra-virgin olive oil phenols block cell cycle progression and modulate chemotherapeutic toxicity in bladder cancer cells
Epidemiological data indicate that the daily consumption of extra‑virgin olive oil (EVOO), a common dietary habit of the Mediterranean area, lowers the incidence of certain types of cancer, in particular bladder neoplasm. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antiproliferative activity of polyphenols extracted from EVOO on bladder cancer (BCa), and to clarify the biological mechanisms that trigger cell death. Furthermore, we also evaluated the ability of low doses of extra‑virgin olive oil extract (EVOOE) to modulate the in vitro activity of paclitaxel or mitomycin, two antineoplastic drugs used in the management of different types of cancer. Our results showed that EVOOE significantly inhibited the proliferation and clonogenic ability of T24 and 5637 BCa cells in a dose‑dependent manner. Furthermore, cell cycle analysis after EVOOE treatment showed a marked growth arrest prior to mitosis in the G2/M phase for both cell lines, with the subsequent induction of apoptosis only in the T24 cells. Notably, simultaneous treatment of mitomycin C and EVOOE reduced the drug cytotoxicity due to inhibition of ROS production. Conversely, the co‑treatment of T24 cells with paclitaxel and the polyphenol extract strongly increased the apoptotic cell death at each tested concentration compared to paclitaxel alone. Our results support the epidemiological evidence indicating that olive oil consumption exerts health benefits and may represent a starting point for the development of new anticancer strategies
Olive oils protected by the EU geographical indications: creation and distribution of the value-adding within supply chains
The world olive oil market is characterized by a growing price competition on the supply side. Economy of scales and low production costs from both traditional and more recent producing Countries determine an increasing pressure on European Union (EU) olive farmers that suffer lower revenues. Product differentiation, driven by higher quality and consumer expectations, is one of the most powerful competitive strategies that EU farmers may adopt to face this challenge. Geographical indications established by the EU (PDO and PGI) can be successful marketing levers to ensure olive oil differentiation based on high quality standards and geographical origin of production. These EU quality certification schemes were designed to respond to consumer demand, to ensure intellectual property protection for the most qualifying products, and to provide farmers with a fair share of the added value. There is a wide literature about the PDOs’ economic and social impacts, but only few studies analyze their benefits and costs along the supply chain. By investigating the added value generation process within an Italian PDO olive-oil supply chain (“Terra di Bari” PDO), this work aims to evaluate the effectiveness of PDO certification schemes in improving farm’s profitability. The study was performed directly interviewing a sample of the most representative farmers, manufacturers and stakeholders of the PDO olive oil supply chain localized in the Province of Bari (Puglia, Italy).olive oil, protected designation of origin, supply chain, value-chain., Agricultural and Food Policy,
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