Investigation into Polyphenol Profile and Biological Activities of Enriched Persimmon/Apple Smoothies during Storage

Smoothies are becoming an increasingly popular product as a healthy alternative to snacks. The consumer expects from this product that, apart from its nutritional value, it will also be qualitatively stable during storage. Therefore, in this study, original smoothies obtained with persimmon fruit puree and apple juice (Dk/Md) enriched with Arbutus unedo fruits, Myrtus communis purple berry extract, Acca sellowiana, and Crocus sativus petal juice were evaluated for their polyphenol composition, antioxidant activity, and inhibition on targeted digestive enzymes, over six months of storage. The amount of polyphenols evaluated by UPLC-PDA analysis decreased in six months from 23.5% for both Dk/Md and enriched C. sativus smoothies to 42.5% for enriched A. sellowiana, with anthocyanins the most sensitive compounds (71.7–100% loss). Values of antioxidant assays generally strongly decreased during the first three months (up to ca. 60%) and to a lesser extent in the following three months (0.4–27%). In addition, inhibitory activity on α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase, especially on the last two enzymes, was negatively affected by time storage. The outcome of this study indicates that persimmon fruit is a good option for producing smoothies, and enrichment with other plant extracts can enhance the bioactive compound content and biological activities. It is recommended that appropriate storage strategies to preserve the properties of those smoothies should be developed

An explicit formula for the coefficients in Laplace's method

Laplace's method is one of the fundamental techniques in the asymptotic approximation of integrals. The coefficients appearing in the resulting asymptotic expansion, arise as the coefficients of a convergent or asymptotic series of a function defined in an implicit form. Due to the tedious computation of these coefficients, most standard textbooks on asymptotic approximations of integrals do not give explicit formulas for them. Nevertheless, we can find some more or less explicit representations for the coefficients in the literature: Perron's formula gives them in terms of derivatives of an explicit function; Campbell, Fr\"oman and Walles simplified Perron's method by computing these derivatives using an explicit recurrence relation. The most recent contribution is due to Wojdylo, who rediscovered the Campbell, Fr\"oman and Walles formula and rewrote it in terms of partial ordinary Bell polynomials. In this paper, we provide an alternative representation for the coefficients, which contains ordinary potential polynomials. The proof is based on Perron's formula and a theorem of Comtet. The asymptotic expansions of the gamma function and the incomplete gamma function are given as illustrations.Comment: 14 pages, to appear in Constructive Approximatio

Impact of power ultrasound on chemical and physicochemical quality indicators of strawberries dried by convection

[EN] A study on the quality parameters of strawberries dehydrated by convection assisted by power ultrasound (US) at 40 70 C and 30 and 60W has been carried out for the first time. In general, the quality of US-treated samples was higher than that of commercial samples. Even under the most severe conditions used (US at 70 C and 60 W), high values of vitamin C retention (>65%) and scarce advance of Maillard reaction (2-furoylmethyl derivatives of Lys and Arg < 90 mg 100 g 1 protein) were observed. Rehydration ratio was not affected by the power applied and the obtained values were similar to those of convectively-treated samples. According to the results here presented, US is a suitable example of an emerging and environmentally friendly technology that accelerates convective drying, allowing the obtainment of dried strawberries with premium quality.This work has been funded by Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain and ERDF (FEDER) (Project DPI2012-37466-C03-03), Fun-c-Food (CSD2007-00063 Consolider-INGENIO 2010), CYTED IBEROFUN (P109AC0302) and Comunidad de Valencia, Project PROMETEO/2010/062. J.G.S. also thanks CSIC and the EU for a predoctoral JAE grant. A.C.S. thanks the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for a Ramon y Cajal contract.Gamboa-Santos, J.; Montilla, A.; Cortijo Soria, A.; Cárcel Carrión, JA.; García Pérez, JV.; Villamiel, M. (2014). Impact of power ultrasound on chemical and physicochemical quality indicators of strawberries dried by convection. Food Chemistry. 161:40-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.03.106S404616

Flavanols and Anthocyanins in Cardiovascular Health: A Review of Current Evidence

Nowadays it is accepted that natural flavonoids present in fruits and plant-derived-foods are relevant, not only for technological reasons and organoleptic properties, but also because of their potential health-promoting effects, as suggested by the available experimental and epidemiological evidence. The beneficial biological effects of these food bioactives may be driven by two of their characteristic properties: their affinity for proteins and their antioxidant activity. Over the last 15 years, numerous publications have demonstrated that besides their in vitro antioxidant capacity, certain phenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins, catechins, proanthocyanidins, and other non coloured flavonoids, may regulate different signaling pathways involved in cell survival, growth and differentiation. In this review we will update the knowledge on the cardiovascular effects of anthocyanins, catechins and proanthocyanidins, as implied by the in vitro and clinical studies on these compounds. We also review the available information on the structure, distribution and bioavailability of flavanols (monomeric catechins and proanthocyanidins) and anthocyanins, data necessary in order to understand their role in reducing risk factors and preventing cardiovascular health problems through different aspects of their bioefficacy on vascular parameters (platelet agregation, atherosclerosis, blood pressure, antioxidant status, inflammation-related markers, etc.), myocardial conditions, and whole-body metabolism (serum biochemistry, lipid profile), highlighting the need for better-designed clinical studies to improve the current knowledge on the potential health benefits of these flavonoids to cardiovascular and metabolic health

CD164 identifies CD4+ T cells highly expressing genes associated with malignancy in Sézary syndrome: the Sézary signature genes, FCRL3, Tox, and miR-214

Sézary syndrome (SS), a leukemic variant of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), is associated with a significantly shorter life expectancy compared to skin-restricted mycosis fungoides. Early diagnosis of SS is, therefore, key to achieving enhanced therapeutic responses. However, the lack of a biomarker(s) highly specific for malignant CD4+ T cells in SS patients has been a serious obstacle in making an early diagnosis. We recently demonstrated the high expression of CD164 on CD4+ T cells from Sézary syndrome patients with a wide range of circulating tumor burdens. To further characterize CD164 as a potential biomarker for malignant CD4+ T cells, CD164+ and CD164-CD4+ T cells isolated from patients with high-circulating tumor burden, B2 stage, and medium/low tumor burden, B1-B0 stage, were assessed for the expression of genes reported to differentiate SS from normal controls, and associated with malignancy and poor prognosis. The expression of Sézary signature genes: T plastin, GATA-3, along with FCRL3, Tox, and miR-214, was significantly higher, whereas STAT-4 was lower, in CD164+ compared with CD164-CD4+ T cells. While Tox was highly expressed in both B2 and B1-B0 patients, the expression of Sézary signature genes, FCRL3, and miR-214 was associated predominantly with advanced B2 disease. High expression of CD164 mRNA and protein was also detected in skin from CTCL patients. CD164 was co-expressed with KIR3DL2 on circulating CD4+ T cells from high tumor burden SS patients, further providing strong support for CD164 as a disease relevant surface biomarker

Microbiological hazards in minimally processed foods and effective methods to eliminate them

Produkty minimalnie przetworzone odznaczają się jakością zbliżoną do surowców pierwotnych. Są jednak dużo bardziej narażone na niekorzystne oddziaływanie czynników biologicznych, chemicznych i fizycznych aniżeli produkty wysoko przetworzone. W celu poprawy ich trwałości poszukuje się nowych i skutecznych metod nietermicznego utrwalania. Należą do nich ultradźwięki, techniki wysokich ciśnień, techniki membranowe, promieniowanie jonizujące, techniki z wykorzystaniem pulsacyjnego pola elektrycznego, pakowanie w modyfikowanej atmosferze, a także obniżanie aktywności wody i metody fizykochemiczne. Odpowiednio dobrane parametry tych procesów gwarantują stabilność mikrobiologiczną produktów o niskim stopniu przetworzenia oraz zachowanie ich wyjściowych cech sensorycznych.Minimally processed products are distinguished by a quality similar to that of original raw materials. However, they are much more vulnerable to the adverse effects of biological, chemical, and physical factors than the highly processed products. In order to improve their stability, new and effective methods of non-thermal preservation are sought. Among them, there are ultrasounds, high-pressure processing, membrane techniques, ionizing radiation, techniques utilizing pulsed electric field, packing under a modified atmosphere, and, also, reduction of water activity and physical-chemical methods. The properly selected parameters of those processes assure the microbiological stability of low-processed products and the maintaining of their initial sensory attributes

Content of ellagic acid and polymerized proanthocyanidins in pseudo fruits of selected rose species

Kwas elagowy (KE) występuje w niektórych roślinach w postaci wolnej, glikozydowej i estrowej. W formie estrowej znajduje się w taninach hydrolizujących, do których należą elagotaniny (ET) i galotaniny. Oprócz tanin hydrolizujących w surowcach roślinnych występują także proantocyjanidyny (inaczej taniny skondensowane lub niehydrolizujące). Wymienione związki znane są ze swoich prozdrowotnych właściwości. Wartościowym źródłem tanin, zwłaszcza hydrolizujących, są przede wszystkim owoce granatowca oraz maliny. Znaczne ich ilości występują także w pseudoowocach róż. Celem pracy było oznaczenie całkowitej zawartości kwasu elagowego i spolimeryzowanych proantocyjanidyn w pseudoowocach 3 gatunków róż: Rosa rugosa (nieodmianowa oraz odmiany ‘Plowid’), Rosa canina oraz Rosa pomifera (odmiana ‘Karpatia’). Całkowitą zawartość KE w roztworach po hydrolizie oraz zawartość polimerów proantocyjanidyn oznaczono z wykorzystaniem ultrasprawnej chromatografii cieczowej (UPLC). Stwierdzono, że badane surowce stanowiły wartościowe źródło skondensowanych i hydrolizujących tanin. Więcej kwasu elagowego zawierały gatunki róż pospolicie występujących na obszarze Polski, tj. róża pomarszczona - Rosa rugosa (1247,3 μg/g s.m.) oraz Rosa canina (1035,5 μg/g s.m.) niż róże hodowlane, w tym odmiana ‘Plowid’ (403,1 μg/g s.m.). Najwięcej polimerów proantocyjanidyn oznaczono w pseudoowocach Rosa rugosa ‘Plowid’ (44716,98 μg/g s.m.), najmniej zaś w róży dzikiej (Rosa canina) - 21221,59 μg/g s.m.Ellagic acid (EA) occurs in some plants in its free form, as a glycoside or as an ester. As an ester it occurs in hydrolysable tannins, which include ellagitannins (ET) and gallotannins. On top of the hydrolyzable tannins, the plants also have proanthocyanidins (called proanthocyanidins or non-hydrolysable tannins). The compounds as named above are known for their health-promoting properties. Pomegranate fruits and raspberries are the main highly valuable source of tannins, especially of hydrolysable tannins. Pseudo fruits of rose also contain significant quantities thereof. The objective of the present study was to determine the total content of ellagic acid and polymerized proanthocyanins (PP) in pseudo fruits of three rose species: Rosa rugosa (.... and ‘Plowid’ cultivar), Rosa canina, and Rosa pomifera (‘Karpatia’ cultivar) . The total EA content in the solutions after hydrolysis and the content of proanthocyanidin polymers were determined using an ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). It was found that the raw materials analyzed cnstituted a valuable source of condensed and hydrosylable tannins. Higher amounts of ellagic acid had the commonly occurring in Poland rose species, i.e. Rosa rugosa (Japanese rose) (1247.3 μg/g dm) and Rosa canina (1035.5 μg/g dm) compared to the cultivated roses including the ‘Plowid’ cultivar (403.1 μg/g dm). The highest content of proanthocyanidins was determined in the pseudo fruits of ‘Plowid’ cultivar of Rosa rugosa (44716.98 μg/g dm), whereas the lowest content in the wild rose (Rosa canina): 21221.59 μg/g dm