A novel beverage rich in antioxidant phenolics: Maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis) and lemon juice

In recent years, the interest in dietary antioxidants and bioactive compounds, mainly found in vegetables, has prompted research in the field of new polyphenol-rich drinks. The aim of the present work was to design new beverages using lemon juice and maqui (Aristotelia chilensis), rich in flavonoids and vitamin C. The composition of the new beverages as well as their compounds stability, antioxidant capacity and phenolic content over 70 days of storage period were studied. Results showed how anthocyanins and other phytochemicals from maqui preserved vitamin C and other flavonoids in the new mixtures owing to a higher rate of anthocyanin degradation. However, for the colour characteristics, the CIE. Lab parameters displayed only slight variations, and the samples presented attractive colour during storage. The new beverages also had high values of in vitro antioxidant capacity, mainly owed to the maqui polyphenols, with a strong stability throughout study. Therefore, a new designed drink for the growing market of high nutritional and health-promoting food products has been developed. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd

New Beverages of Lemon Juice with Elderberry and Grape Concentrates as a Source of Bioactive Compounds

Considering the health potential of lemon and berry fruits, different functional beverages rich in antioxidant phytochemicals, which demonstrated beneficial effects, were developed. To fulfill this objective, lemon juice was combined with 2 different concentrates, elderberry and grape, in a proportion of 5% (w/v). Bioactive composition (flavonoids and vitamin C) and color stability, as well as the antioxidant capacity of mixtures, during a period of 56 d of storage, were studied. A protective role of anthocyanins on ascorbic acid preservation was noted for both lemon-berry blends, keeping vitamin C stable until the end of the storage. In addition, the new drink combining lemon and elderberry performed better than the grape-lemon mixture in terms of health-promoting phytochemicals content, just as in vitro antioxidant capacity and color characteristics. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists ®

Assessment of pomegranate wine lees as a valuable source for the recovery of (poly)phenolic compounds

Wine lees are the residue formed at the bottom of recipients containing wine after fermentation and are mainly composed of yeast. They can be applied for the recovery of value-added phytochemicals owing to the ability of yeast to form molecular interactions with (poly)phenolic compounds. This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of lees obtained as by-products after winemaking of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) juice. Pomegranate wine lees showed high both phenolic content (about 30 mg GAE/g dry matter) and antioxidant capacity by DPPHradical dot and ABTS+ assays. The phytochemical screening of this by-product by UHPLC–ESI-MSn allowed the identification of up to 39 chemicals, being hydrolysable tannins and anthocyanins the predominant structures. Ellagic acid and gallic acid were present in high amounts. In addition, mineral composition was also assessed. Overall, pomegranate wine lees resulted in a promising source for the recovery of bioactive polyphenols with potential applications in different industrial fields

Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects of Regular Consumption of Cooked Ham Enriched with Dietary Phenolics in Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Oxidative damage and chronic inflammation have been proven as one of the major factors associated with obesity, which increases the incidence of non-communicable chronic diseases. In this sense, the development of new functional products aiming at the palliation of oxidative stress and inflammatory disruption can be a determining factor for public health as seen in previous researches. In this study, a blend of potentially bioavailable dietary phenolics was added to low sodium and low-fat cooked ham. A diet-induced obesity model in C57/BL6J mice has been used for testing the effectiveness of the phenolic blend and the new functionalized product, which bioavailability was tested by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS. After obesity induction, different oxidative and inflammatory biomarkers were evaluated. Results in the murine induced obesity model, demonstrate a robust statistically significant improvement in key parameters related with obesity risk in the groups feed with a phenolic-enriched diets (P) + high-fat diet (HFD) and phenolic enriched cooked ham (PECH) + HFD. In both groups there was an improvement in body composition parameters, inflammatory biomarkers and antioxidant enzymes levels. Specifically in the group feed with the phenolic enriched cooked ham (PECH + HFD) there was an improvement of total fat volume (23.08% reduction), spleen index (22.04% of reduction), plasmatic MCP-1 (18% reduction), IL-6 (38.94% reduction), IL-10 (13.28% reduction), TNF-α (21.32% reduction), gut IL-1β (10.86% reduction), gut IL-6 (13.63% reduction) and GPx (60.15% increase) and catalase (91.37% increase) enzymes. Thus, the functionalized ham could be considered an appropriate dietary polyphenol source, which might improve the oxidative and inflammatory status and could finally result in the potential decrease of the risk of certain non-communicable chronic diseases

Chemical composition and potential bioactivity of strawberry pomace

This study has been designed to screen phenolic compounds of strawberry pomace obtained from two strawberry cultivars, 'Clery' (SC) and 'Marmolada' (SM), and their biological activity (O2•-, •OH, DPPH• and ABTS+• antioxidant capacity, α-glucosidase inhibition and reducing power). The SM pomace contained significantly higher (p < 0.05) amounts of total flavonoids and anthocyanins, individual phenolic acids and flavonoids, among them protocatechuic acid, catechin and pelargonidin-3-glucoside (1838.31 and 1646.68 per 100 g DW, respectively) being the most abundant. The SM pomace showed higher DPPH• and ABTS+• antioxidant capacities and reducing power, as well as higher activity towards O2•- (EC50O2•- = 0:12 mg mL-1), •OH (EC50•OH = 2.77 mg mL-1) and α-glucosidase inhibitory potential (EC50α-GIP = 1.16 mg mL-1). Our results support the use of strawberry pomace as a rich source of phytochemicals for further utilization in the food industry as supplements or ingredients for food fortification

Anthocyanin profiles and biological properties of caneberry (Rubus spp.) press residues

BACKGROUND: The global interest in natural food colours shows increasing attention towards new product development to replace synthetic colourants, because of the strengthening of legislative rules and consumer awareness of synthetic additives and chemicals in food. This study was designed to evaluate anthocyanin content and biological activities of press residues from four caneberries: two raspberry (Rubus idaeus, cv. 'Meeker' (RM) and 'Willamette' (RW)) and two blackberry (Rubus fruticosus, cv. 'Thornfree' (BT) and 'Čačanska bestrna' (BC)) cultivars. RESULTS: Analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry identified cyanidin glycosides in all press residues, cyanidin 3-glucoside being prevalent in BC (1360.6 mg kg-1) and BT (1397.7 mg kg-1), and cyanidin 3-sophoroside in RM (349.2 mg kg-1) and RW (581.0 mg kg-1). Antioxidant capacity (AC), evaluated by ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assay, reducing power (RP) and α-glucosidase inhibitory potential (α-GIP) was higher in blackberry press residues. Total anthocyanin content was in good correlation with AC (r = 0.953; P < 0.05), RP (r = 0.993, P < 0.01) and α-GIP (r = 0.852, P < 0.15). CONCLUSION: This study has revealed the potential for valorization of juice production byproducts for further industrial use as a rich source of bioactive compounds and natural colourants (mainly anthocyanins). Also, they can provide health-promoting effects beyond their general organoleptic acceptance in food product development. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry