Adenosine receptors as promising targets for the management of ocular diseases

The ocular drug discovery arena has undergone a significant improvement in the last few years culminating in the FDA approvals of 8 new drugs. However, despite a large number of drugs, generics, and combination products available, it remains an urgent need to find breakthrough strategies and therapies for tackling ocular diseases. Targeting the adenosinergic system may represent an innovative strategy for discovering new ocular therapeutics. This review focused on the recent advance in the field and described the numerous nucleoside and non-nucleoside modulators of the four adenosine receptors (ARs) used as potential tools or clinical drug candidates

Polyphenols, Saponins and Phytosterols in Lentils and Their Health Benefits: An Overview

The lentil (Lens culinaris L.) is one of the most important legumes (family, Fabaceae). It is a natural functional food rich in many bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, saponins and phytosterols. Several studies have demonstrated that the consumption of lentils is potentially important in reducing the incidence of a number of chronic diseases, due to their bioactive compounds. The most common polyphenols in lentils include phenolic acids, flavan-3-ol, flavonols, anthocyanidins, proanthocyanidins or condensed tannins, and anthocyanins, which play an important role in the prevention of several degenerative diseases in humans, due to their antioxidant activity. Furthermore, lentil polyphenols are reported to have antidiabetic, cardioprotective and anticancer activities. Lentil saponins are triterpene glycosides, mainly soyasaponins I and βg. These saponins have a plasma cholesterol-lowering effect in humans and are important in reducing the risk of many chronic diseases. Moreover, high levels of phytosterols have been reported in lentils, especially in the seed coat, and β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol are the most abundant. Beyond their hypocholesterolemic effect, phytosterols in lentils are known for their anti-inflammatory activity. In this review, the current information on the nutritional composition, bioactive compounds including polyphenols, saponins and phytosterols, and their associated health-promoting effects are discussed

Study of Meat Shelf-Life Markers and Food Quality Through Different Instrumental Analytical Methods

Shelf-life is defined as the time during which a food product remain safe, comply with label declaration of nutritional data and retain desired sensory, chemical, physical and microbiological characteristics when stored under the recommended conditions [1]. Shelf-life is a function of time, environmental factors and susceptibility of product to quality change [2]. The study of food shelf-life is becoming increasingly important for two main reasons: the need to furnish safe food to a continuously growing population and the need to reduce the food waste. In fact, an increase of food production to supply the needs of the population is not sustainable from an ecological point of view [3] and it is also inevitably correlated to food loss and waste. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that the food waste in Europe and in North America is 95–115 kg/year per capita, and the extent of food loss and waste globally reaches approximately 1.3 billion tons per year [4]. While food losses are mainly related to food-processing [5], food waste is related to food shelf-life as it occurs during distribution and consumption processes in the food-chain [6]. In fact, the distribution of food products under inadequate conditions, such as high temperature or humidity, that is one of the causes of the shortening of shelf-life [7-9], or the delay in the consumption after the expiring date, that gives to the food product an uncertain safety [10, 11], are responsible for the wasting of a percentage of perishable foods that ranges from 15% (mainly for damage and spoilage) [12] to 35% (for inadequate temperature) [13]. By the consequence, monitoring food shelf-life means monitoring the degree of food spoilage and therefore reducing food waste [14]. However, monitoring food shelf-life is not simple as deterioration processes can be evidenced by several attributes that are product, consumer and market specific [15, 16]. In foods with long shelf-lives, the end of the acceptability for the consumption is usually determined through the evaluation of nutritional and organoleptic properties [17], while that of high perishable foods is mainly detected through the loss of sensorial properties or changes in the organoleptic characteristics (flavour, colour) [18, 19]. The study of food spoilage degree can be carried on through sensorial analyses, which are based on the use of survival analysis methodologies [20] to evaluate the consumer rejection probability level, or through instrumental measurements, which are often related to sensory attributes. As reported in Table 1, several attributes related to food shelf-life have been regulated and used as markers of shelf-life in diverse food products. Most times, the study of microbial spoilage is the most reliable attribute related to food spoilage and it is directly connected to a loss of sensorial attributes [21]. However, monitoring food shelf-life is not simple as deterioration processes can be evidenced by several attributes that are product, consumer and market specific [15, 16]. In foods with long shelf-lives, the end of the acceptability for the consumption is usually determined through the evaluation of nutritional and organoleptic properties [17], while that of high perishable foods is mainly detected through the loss of sensorial properties or changes in the organoleptic characteristics (flavour, colour) [18, 19]. The study of food spoilage degree can be carried on through sensorial analyses, which are based on the use of survival analysis methodologies [20] to evaluate the consumer rejection probability level, or through instrumental measurements, which are often related to sensory attributes. As reported in Table 1, several attributes related to food shelf-life have been regulated and used as markers of shelf-life in diverse food products. Most times, the study of microbial spoilage is the most reliable attribute related to food spoilage and it is directly connected to a loss of sensorial attributes [21]. However, monitoring food shelf-life is not simple as deterioration processes can be evidenced by several attributes that are product, consumer and market specific [15, 16]. In foods with long shelf-lives, the end of the acceptability for the consumption is usually determined through the evaluation of nutritional and organoleptic properties [17], while that of high perishable foods is mainly detected through the loss of sensorial properties or changes in the organoleptic characteristics (flavour, colour) [18, 19]. The study of food spoilage degree can be carried on through sensorial analyses, which are based on the use of survival analysis methodologies [20] to evaluate the consumer rejection probability level, or through instrumental measurements, which are often related to sensory attributes. As reported in Table 1, several attributes related to food shelf-life have been regulated and used as markers of shelf-life in diverse food products. Most times, the study of microbial spoilage is the most reliable attribute related to food spoilage and it is directly connected to a loss of sensorial attributes [21]. As food is a complex matrix, it is difficult to select just one marker (called also limiting factor) to monitor the shelf-life. For this reason, several approaches have been developed to study more than one limiting factor to have an overall idea of spoilage process. With regard to this, MathematicaR (Wolfram Research, Champaign, IL) is a new interactive program, developed by Peleg and Normand (2015) that combine two limiting factors simultaneously to evaluate food shelf-life [35]. Another approach concerns the use of a single index called global stability index (GSI), developed by Achour (2006), which combine sensory, chemical and microbiological attributes to evaluate food shelf- life [36]. Even if GSI has been used to study the shelf-life of fresh products and fish [37- 40], its limitation is related to the lack of standard procedures to assign the values for each limiting factor. One more strategy used to study food shelf-life is based on fingerprinting kinetics and it was developed by Grauwet et al. (2014) [41]. This approach allows to identify the most important markers of shelf-life for a specific food product by screening the modifications in the food product, due to degradation processes, and selecting the most important markers involved in the degradation process. Then, it allows to connect the selected markers to specific spoilage reactions though a multivariate analysis. This technique allows to have an overall idea of food spoilage process and it has been used to study the shelf-life of fruit/vegetable juices and purees [42-46]. The study of food shelf-life, the identification of a marker of shelf-life and the regulation on the minimum level to be respected for that specific marker is essential to establish useful information for the consumer, such as the expiration date. The expiration date represents the time needed for the chosen quality attribute to reach its unacceptable level under specific storage conditions. The expiration date is clearly visible on the packaging of the food product and reported as “use by date” or “best before” [47]. An accurate match between the expiration date and the end of the shelf-life of the food product is found, if the storage conditions have been respected from the dealers and the consumers [48-50]. However, adequate storage conditions are not often respected, especially regarding the temperatures of refrigerators [51-53] or improper packaging which slows the air-flow with subsequent increase of the temperature [52, 54]. This leads to a mismatch between the expiration date and the effective spoilage degree of the food product. Moreover, these evidences have pointed out the ongoing process according to which the expiration dates will have always less importance [55], giving way to new technologies that are able to provide a real-time shelf-life estimation of food products

Influence of baking conditions and formulation on furanic derivatives, 3-methylbutanal and hexanal and other quality characteristics of lab-made and commercial biscuits

Biscuit baking can cause the formation of heat-related toxic compounds, mainly through the Maillard reaction, including some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are potentially carcinogenic to humans. This study investigates the effects of different baking conditions and recipes on quality characteristics (moisture, water activity, colour, texture) and on the concentration of some VOCs (furfural, furfuryl acetate, 5-methylfurfural, furfuryl alcohol, 3-methylbutanal, hexanal) in biscuits. Specifically, lab-made biscuits baked under static and ventilated conditions and three commercial biscuit types categorised as shortbreads with eggs, with chocolate chips and dry petits were evaluated. Concerning the lab-made biscuits, the ventilated mode resulted in faster baking and a slightly lower concentration of investigated VOCs compared to the static mode. Besides the process conditions, the recipe also played a role in the final quality and target volatiles, whose concentrations were lower in dry petits than in shortbreads, which are characterised by higher sugar and fat contents

Effect of acorn harvesting time on the nutritional profile, polyphenols content, antioxidant activity and volatiles of different acorn flours.

Acorn flour resulted to be a promising alternative to the cereal flour for different applications thanks to its nutritional value, lack of gluten proteins and polyphenols content. The aim of the study was to find possible differences in nutritional value, polyphenols, antioxidant properties and volatile profile of acorn flours obtained by acorns harvested at different times and to promote acorn flour as a rich source of nutrients and bioactive constituents. Indeed, two acorn flours have been studied: one was obtained from acorns harvested at the beginning of November 2023 (Spring 2023) and the other from those harvested in the late November 2023 (Fall 2023). This study received funding from the European Union - Next-GenerationEU - National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) – MISSION 4 COMPONENT 2, INVESTMENT N. 1.1, CALL PRIN 2022 PNRR D.D. 1409 del 14-09-22 (CUP J53D23018470001). Results from nutritional analysis showed some differences, Flour Fall 2023 resulted to be richer in sugar content (glucose, fructose), total free aminoacids and most of the minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorous and magnesium) with respect to flour Spring 2023. An HPLC-MS/MS method was used for the determination of 38 polyphenols in flour samples (Mustafa et al., 2022) and their concentration resulted to be comparable between samples. However, the antioxidant activity, studied by DPPH free radical assay, Total Phenolic Content (TPC), Total Flavonoids Content (TFC) and Total Tannin Content (TTC), resulted to be different in acorn samples. In particular, TPC, TFC and TTP demonstrated a higher antioxidant activity in flour Spring 2023 with respect to flour Fall 2023. Finally, volatile profile was studied by HS-SPME-GC-MS and furanic compounds were quantified by HS-SPME-GC-MS (Acquaticci et al., 2024). This study demonstrated that acorn is a rich source of carbohydrates (50%), dietary fiber (25%), protein (10%) and macro-microelements such as potassium and calcium. Moreover, it has been assessed that flours obtained by acorns harvested at different times of the year showed differences in nutritional profile, antioxidant activity and volatiles. However, further studies are needed to understand if these differences will be maintained in food products to optimize the use of this flour to have a food product with the best possible properties

Impact of coffee species, post-harvesting treatments and roasting conditions on coffee quality and safety related compounds

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of coffee species (Arabica and Robusta), post-harvesting methods (dry and wet process) and roasting conditions on concentrations of coffee safety-related compounds, such as acrylamide and furanic compounds, and volatile compounds related to coffee sensory quality, such as 3- methylbutanal and hexanal. Acrylamide content was determined through a HPLC-MS/MS, while as regards furanic compounds, 3-methylbutanal and hexanal, quantification was performed with a new HS-SPME-GC-MS method. Firstly, a content screening of these seven VOCs was performed in eight commercially available coffee samples to evaluate the concentration of these compounds in real coffee samples. The concentration of 3-methylbutanal in commercial samples was between 18.4 and 77.7 mg k

Ideabrill packaging capability in the preservation of raw and cooked ham: a comparativ study

Food packaging contributes to the preservation and shelf-life of food. In literature, several studies demonstrate that active packaging, enriched of bioactive compounds like the essential oil of Rosmarinus Officinalis [1], and modified atmosphere packaging can positively influence the preservation of food. The study of new types of packaging is continuously increasing, mostly in terms of environmental impact and food preservation. In this study two types of packaging provided by Esseoquattro company were tested in order to assess their capability in the preservation of food. Ideabrill® packaging, a three layers pack of polyethylene high density layer, metallic layer and cellulose with long fiber layer, combined with Ideabrill® sacchetto salvafreschezza was compared to paper coupled with wings. The study was conducted on raw and cooked ham preserved in the packaging described above through the quantification of biogenic amines (BAs) at day 0, 3, 5 and 7. BAs can be considered markers to evaluate the freshness and the quality of food. In particular, a higher concentration of BAs is related to a higher deterioration degree of food. BAs were extracted, derivatized with dansyl chloride, purified with a SPE C-18 and then analysed with an HPLC-DAD method. This study, in combination with sensorial study, shows that Ideabrill® packaging combined with Ideabrill® sacchetto salvafreschezza showed the best conservation capability for raw and cooked ham when compared to the other one. Moreover, from an eco-friendly point of view, Ideabrill® packaging layers can be easily separated in order to encourage recycling

A new HS-SPME-GC-MS analytical method to identify and quantify compounds responsible for changes in the volatile profile in five types of meat products during aerobic storage at 4 ◦C

Nowadays, it is important to monitor the freshness of meat during storage to protect consumers’ health. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are responsible for odour and taste of food, and they give an indication about meat quality and freshness. This study had the aim to seek and select potential new markers of meat spoilage through a semi-quantitative analysis in five types of meat (beef, raw and baked ham, pork sausage and chicken) and then to develop a new quantitative analytical method to detect and quantify potential markers on five types of meat simultaneously. Firstly, a new headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC–MS) method was developed to evaluate the volatile profile of five types of meat, preserved at 4 ◦C for 5 days. Among the 40 compounds identified, 15 were chosen and selected as potential shelf-life markers on the basis of their presence in most of meat samples or/and for their constant increasing/decreasing trend within the sample. Afterwards, a quantitative HS-SPME-GC–MS analytical method was developed to confirm which VOCs can be considered markers of shelf-life for these meat products, stored at 4 ◦C for 12 days. Some of the compounds analyzed attracted attention as they can be considered markers of shelf-life for at least 4 types of meat: 1-butanol, 3-methylbutanol, 1-hexanol, 2-nonanone, nonanal, 1-octen-3-ol and linalool. In conclusion, in this study a new quantitative HS-SPME-GC–MS analytical method to quantity 15 VOCs in five types of meat was developed and it was demonstrated that some of the compounds quantified can be considered markers of shelflife for some of the meat products analyzed

UHPLC-MS/MS quantification of acrylamide in various foodstuffs: formation and strategies of mitigation.

Since acrylamide has been reported to occur in cooked foods in 2002 it has become a public health concern mainly because the International Agency on Research on Cancer classified it as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A) [1]. For this, international food agencies and food industries provided code of practices and guidelines to control and reduce the acrylamide formation at industrial levels. However, the acrylamide formation and its mitigation strategies are still matter of attention from the science community and industrial sector especially for certain categories of foods known for high acrylamide contents, i.e., potato chips, coffee and baked products. Hence, the present research aimed to optimize an analytical method for acrylamide quantitation by UHPLC-MS/MS system in three different types of cooked foods, i.e., potato chips, roasted coffee and biscuits with the final goal to study its formation and mitigation. In detail, various mitigation approaches such as dipping in water, dipping in Aureobasidium pullulans L1 yeast water suspension, dipping in water or in yeast water suspension after pulsed electric fields (PEF), have been employed to reduce the acrylamide formation in potato chips. At the same time, different roasting degree (light, light-medium, medium, medium-dark, dark) in two different coffee bean types (arabica and robusta) and diverse cooking methods (ventilated and static mode for 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 min) for biscuits have been investigated for evaluating how these processes influenced the acrylamide formation. The yeast water suspension determined a reduction of acrylamide content in potato chips mainly at the longest dipping time (676.4 ± 42.3 μg/kg at 15 min vs 1384.3 ± 65.0 μg/kg of control) while PEF treatment followed by water dipping was the most promising approach (886.8 ± 9.9 μg/kg at 5 min and 572.0 ± 8.8 μg/kg at 15 min) [2]. On the other hand, at the first roasting degrees (light and light-medium) higher content of acrylamide was found (730 ± 30 μg/kg for arabica and 1130 ± 10 μg/kg for robusta both at light-medium degree) while it decreased by prolonging the heating process (85% and 88% of decreasing from light-medium to dark roasting in arabica and robusta, respectively) [3]. Ventilated mode determined higher contents of acrylamide than static in biscuits cooked for 20 and 22 min likely because the heat was distributed more evenly compared to the static one [4]. The present research reports how different strategies and processing methods can influence the acrylamide formation in three categories of cooked foods and provides important knowledge which the food industry can benefit from

Characterization of the Aroma Profile and Main Key Odorants of Espresso Coffee

Espresso coffee (EC) is a common coffee preparation technique that nowadays is broadly widespread all over the globe. Its popularity is in part attributed to the intense aroma and pleasant flavor. Many researchers have studied and reviewed the aroma of the coffee, but there is a lack of specific review focused on EC aroma profile even if it is intensively investigated. Thus, the objective of the current review was to summarize the aroma profile of EC and how different preparation variables can affect EC flavor. Moreover, a collection of diverse analytical procedures for volatile analysis was also reported. The findings of this survey showed that the volatile fraction of EC is extremely complex, but just some compounds are responsible for the characteristic aroma of the coffee, such as some aldehyde, ketones, furanones, furans, sulfur compounds, pyrazines, etc. In addition, during preparation, some variables, e.g., temperature and pressure of water, granulometry of the coffee particle, and brew ratio, can also modify the aroma profile of this beverage, and therefore its quality. A better understanding of the aroma fraction of EC and how the preparation variables should be adjusted according to desired EC would assist coffee workers in obtaining a higher quality product