Phenolics in Foods: Extraction, Analysis and Measurements

The increasing consumers demands to acquire healthier fruits and vegetables as well as the urgency in looking to natural compounds with antioxidant activity and enhanced antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacterial strains have encouraged a quick expansion of research studies about enhanced phenolic extraction and identification methods. Considering the importance of phenolics as natural compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, this chapter aims to present the most updated information about extraction methods, ranging from the traditional to the most advanced processes, as well as the access to the modern methods used in the identification and quantification of phenolics. The main goal of this chapter is to provide the reader with a broad view on the different protocols used to extract, identify and quantify phenolic compounds from different kinds of foods, including fruits and vegetables

Hydroponic Production Systems: Impact on Nutritional Status and Bioactive Compounds of Fresh Vegetables

Hydroponic systems for vegetable production are nowadays essential to maximize productions and increase yields. Although the technical issues concerning the production are well explored and discussed, less information is available about the impact of hydroponic methods in the nutritional status of fresh vegetables and in particularly in their levels of bioactive compounds. Therefore, the aim of the current chapter is to provide accurate and updated information about their effects on compositional and bioactive properties of vegetables, comparing with conventional production mode. This chapter will be divided as the following sections: (1) introduction (introduction to the theme), (2) hydroponics and quality of vegetable produces, and (3) conclusion. With this chapter, we hope to present an updated and credible discussion, compare hydroponic versus conventional vegetables production mode, and present new consumers and producer trends

Conventional and Organic Farming — Does Organic Farming Benefit Plant Composition, Phenolic Diversity and Antioxidant Properties?

The growing demanding from consumers for healthier foods, produced using environmentally friendly farming practices has resulted in the rapid expansion of organic farming. There are numerous studies about the importance of organic farming but the majority of the results are sometimes contradictory, inconsistent and show no clear link between organic farming practices and enhancement of the nutritional quality of plant-derived foods. As such, ongoing research into the effects of organic farming and cultivation practices in comparison with intensive farming, is very important. The objective of this chapter is to discuss the most recent data and variation in the responses of plants to farming regimes in order to better understand the relationship between agricultural practices and high levels of valuable compounds (glucosinolates, phenolics, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants), as well as low levels of undesirable components such as nitrates, nitrites and microorganisms

Searching for olive mill waste water (OMWW) solutions: is there a potential on microalgae treatment?

Olive Mill Waste Water (OMWW) is the principal industry extraction residue of olive oil and still one of the most serious environmental problems [1]. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability growth of Chlorella vulgaris under different OMWW concentrations and assess its phenolic content variations to get OMWW toxicity reduction

Antibacterial potential of Urtica dioica and Lavandula angustifolia extracts against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from diabetic foot ulcers

Despite the antibacterial potential of plant extracts against several bacterial infections, until now, no major studies have been published about the effect of lavender and nettle leaves against methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA and MRSA, respectively). Thus, the authors studied their antibacterial potential against MSSA and MRSA from diabetic foot ulcers in order to find alternatives to the systematic use of antibiotics. Phenolic acids, flavonoids, flavones and flavonols were extracted from lavender and nettle leaves and characterized by HPLC-DAD/Vis. Disc diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were used to assess their antibacterial activity. A direct association between the high content of hydroxycinnamic acids (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid) and flavonoids (quercetin) and decreasing bacterial growth activity was noted. The fact that lavender and nettle are rich in hydroxycinnamic acids and quercetin seems to explain the high antibacterial potential of these plant and the differences between them.The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by the FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Carla Dias- SFRH/BD/90120/2012 and Alfredo Aires-SFRH/BPD/65029/2009), under the Project PEst-OE/AGR/UI4033/2014.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antagonistic activities of Kefirgel and Kefirgel products against Staphylococcus aureus isolated from diabetic ulcers

Diabetic foot ulcers are often complicated by infection and among pathogens the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus is the most common isolated. Also concomitantly, the high prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was significant impact on successful treatment of infected foot ulcers. In this context, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the antibacterial properties of Kefigel®, a natural product composed by nettle (Urtica dioica L), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill) and kefir grains, which have been reported as to having antibacterial activity against several diseases. Here, antibacterial effect of Kefigel® and its components were investigated against 20 S. aureus isolates (10 MSSA and 10 MRSA) collected from several diabetic foot ulcers. To assess antibacterial activity, the disk diffusion assay method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimal bacterial activity and effects on specific growth rate, were applied. Results showed that by diffusion method, only etanolic extracts of nettle and lavender showed antibacterial activity and their effects were mainly bacteriostatic. Compared to the antibiotic gentamicin, the nettle and lavender extracts showed an efficacy between 50 and 100% relative to the antibiotic. Generally, the MRSA isolates sowed higher inhibition halos comparing MSSA isolates. In turns, Kefigel® (40mg.mL-1) affects the specific growth rate of S. aureus isolates, since after incubation for 9h almost MSSA isolates growth were inhibited. A bactericide effect was observed only against one isolates MRSA. These findings indicate a potential use of Kefigel® as a natural product having an effective effect against Staphylococus aureus. The topical use of this product for prevention of diabetic foot ulcers infections can be useful, however further investigation will be made, namely tests with high Kefigel® concentrations and synergetic effects with antibiotics

Crescimento de Chlorella Vulgaris (chlorophyta unicelular) na presença de compostos fenólicos

Neste trabalho avaliou-se o efeito de diferentes tipos de extractos da planta de rosmaninho (Rosmarinus officinalis) ricos em compostos fenólicos, no crescimento e na fisiologia da microalga Chlorella vulgaris. Os extractos foram obtidos por infusão aquosa a quente e a frio, esta ultima com dois períodos de extração (5 e 21 dias). Os ensaios foram desenvolvidos em culturas batch com extratos à concentração de 10%, 25% e 30% (v/v). Os resultados mostraram para os extractos a frio que o crescimento da microalga foi afetado apenas com extratos de 21 dias, levando ao aumento da taxa específica de crescimento (μ) e da densidade celular, bem como da concentração de clorofila a (Chl a) e do teor em proteinas, numa relação direta com a concentração de extrato testada. A exposição aos extractos a quente apesar de levar ao aumento de µ e da densidade celular final de C. vulgaris, concomitantemente induziu alguma toxicidade a nível fisiológico, visível pela diminuição dos teores de Chl a e proteínas. Os compostos fenólicos identificados por HPLC, nestes dois tipos de extratos, mostraram diferenças qualitativas e quantitativas. O extrato a frio apresentou essencialmente ácido rosmarínico e quercetina, enquanto que no extrato a quente foram quantificados sete compostos distintos, sendo os mais abundantes os ácidos rosmarínico e gálico. Considerando o perfil de compostos fenólicos encontrado, é possível concluir que o grau de inibição/estimulo do crescimento de C. vulgaris está relacionado com a concentração e composição em compostos fenólicos dos extractos estudados.In the present research the effect of different types of plant extracts of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) rich in phenolic compounds was evaluated on the growth and physiology of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris. The aqueous extracts were obtained by infusion in cold and hot extraction process, this last with two periods (5 and 21 days). The tests were conducted in batch cultures with the extracts concentration of 10%, 25% and 30% (v / v). Concerning the cold extracts, results showed that the growth of microalgae was affected only by 21 days extracts, leading to increased specific growth rate (μ) and cell density, as well as chlorophyll a (Chl a) and proteins concentrations, in a direct relationship with the concentration of extract tested. The exposure to hot extracts, despite an increase μ and final cell density of C. vulgaris, concomitantly induced also some physiological ltoxicity, perceptible by a decrease of Chl a and proteins content. Phenolic compounds identified by HPLC, in these two types of extracts, showed quantitative and qualitative differences. The rosemary cold extract is mainly composed by rosmarinic acid and quercetin, whereas in hot extract seven different compounds were quantified, the most abundant being the rosmarinic and gallic acids. Regarding to the profile of phenolic compounds founded, it seemed that the degree of inhibition/stimulation of microalgae growth of C. vulgaris is related to the concentration and composition of phenolic compounds of the extracts studied.El presente estudio evaluó el efecto de diferentes tipos de extractos de plantas de romero (Rosmarinus officinalis) ricos en compuestos fenólicos, sobre el crecimiento y fisiología de la microalga Chlorella vulgaris. Los extractos acuosos se obtuvieron mediante la infusión caliente y frío, esta última extracción con dos períodos (5 y 21 días). Los ensayos se realizaron en cultivos discontinuos con la concentración de extractos de 10%, 25% y 30% (v / v). Los resultados para los extractos fríos mostraron que el crecimiento de las microalgas se vio afectado sólo para los extractos con 21 días, conducente a lo aumento de la tasa específica de crecimiento (μ) y de la densidad de las células, bien como la concentración de clorofila a (Chl a) y el contenido de proteínas, en una relación directa con la concentración de extracto de ensayo. La exposición a los extractos en caliente, si bien han conducido a un aumento de μ y de la densidad final de células de C. vulgaris, concomitantemente han indujo cierta toxicidad a nivel fisiológico, visible por una disminución de contenido en Chl a y proteínas. Los compuestos fenólicos identificados por HPLC, en estos dos tipos de extractos, mostraron diferencias cuantitativas y cualitativas. El extracto en frío presentó esencialmente el ácido rosmarínico y la quercetina, mientras que el extracto en caliente presentó siete compuestos distintos, los más abundantes siendo el ácido rosmarínico y el ácido gálico. Teniendo en cuenta el perfil de los compuestos fenólicos encontrado, es posible concluir que el grado de inhibición/estimulación del crecimiento de C. vulgaris está relacionado con la concentración y composición de compuestos fenólicos de los extractos estudiados.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Memórias da cultura japonesa no rio grande do sul (1970-980): lembranças dos senseis de karate-do shotokan

O Karate-do, quando visualizado enquanto uma prática esportiva, é um fenômeno sociocultural sustentado por uma base histórica, dotado de sentidos e significados. Tal prática de luta suscita representações de identidades culturais nos grupos de praticantes. As identidades culturais são construções históricas inseridas em determinado contexto social que, no decorrer das transformações do tempo e do espaço, são também modificadas, negociadas, reconstruídas. Como criação cultural e social, a identidade cultural não é inerente ao sujeito, não nasce com ele, mas é produzida em uma relação de interdependência com o diferente e com o semelhante. O presente estudo tem como objetivo investigar as memórias da cultura japonesa no Rio Grande do Sul nas décadas de 1970 e 1980, a partir das lembranças dos senseis de Karatê Shotokan. A escolha para esse recorte temporal refere-se à década de chegada do Sensei Tasuke Watanabe ao Rio Grande do Sul, o responsável pela introdução do estilo Shotokan no Estado e encerra com o afastamento do referido sensei do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. A presente pesquisa utilizou-se do método qualitativo para obtenção e análise das informações. As entrevistas foram escolhidas como fonte de coleta de informações por constituírem-se em uma estratégia que permite o estabelecimento de um vínculo melhor e de maior profundidade com o entrevistado. Por intermédio das fontes analisadas foi possível entender o contexto do recorte temporal apresentado e pudemos observar que houve por intermédio da prática do karate-do a transferência de elementos da cultura japonesa nos seus participantes e também pudemos verificar que não houve problemas de aceitação dos elementos da Cultura Japonesa dentro da Cultura Sul Rio Grandense por causa da grande miscigenação que existe no Rio Grande do Sul pela sua colonização europeia.Karate-do, when visualized as a sports practice, is a sociocultural phenomenon sustained by a historical basis, endowed with meanings and meanings. Such a practice of struggle raises representations of cultural identities in groups of practitioners. Cultural identities are historical constructions inserted in a certain social context that, in the course of the transformations of time and space, are also modified, negotiated, reconstructed. As cultural and social creation, cultural identity is not inherent in the subject, not born with it, but is produced in a relation of interdependence with the different and with the like. The present study aims to investigate the memories of Japanese culture in Rio Grande do Sul in the 1970s and 1980s, from the memories of Shotokan karate senseis. The choice for this temporal cut refers to the decade of the arrival of Sensei Tasuke Watanabe to Rio Grande do Sul, responsible for the introduction of the Shotokan style in the State and ends with the removal of the aforementioned sensei from the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Qualitative method for obtaining and analyzing the information. The interviews were chosen as a source of information gathering because they constitute a strategy that allows the establishment of a better and deeper bond with the interviewee. Through the analyzed sources it was possible to understand the context of the presented temporal cut and we could observe that through the karate-do practice the transfer of elements of the Japanese culture in its participants and also we could verify that there were no problems of acceptance of the elements of the Japanese Culture within the South Rio Grande Culture because of the great miscegenation that exists in Rio Grande do Sul for its European colonization.El Karate-do, cuando se ve como una práctica deportiva, es un fenómeno sociocultural sostenido por una base histórica, dotado de sentidos y significados. Tal práctica de lucha suscita representaciones de identidades culturales en los grupos de practicantes. Las identidades culturales son construcciones históricas insertadas en determinado contexto social que, en el transcurso de las transformaciones del tiempo y del espacio, son también modificadas, negociadas, reconstruidas. Como creación cultural y social, la identidad cultural no es inherente al sujeto, no nace con él, sino que se produce en una relación de interdependencia con lo diferente y con lo semejante. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo investigar las memorias de la cultura japonesa en Rio Grande del Sur en las décadas de 1970 y 1980, a partir de los recuerdos de los senseis de Karate Shotokan. La elección para ese recorte temporal se refiere a la década de llegada del Sensei Tasuke Watanabe a Rio Grande del Sur, el responsable por la introducción del estilo Shotokan en el Estado y cierra con el alejamiento del referido sensei del estado de Rio Grande del Sur. Se utilizó el método cualitativo para la obtención y el análisis de la información Las entrevistas fueron elegidas como fuente de recolección de informaciones por constituirse en una estrategia que permite el establecimiento de un vínculo mejor y de mayor profundidad con el entrevistado. Por intermedio de las fuentes analizadas fue posible entender el contexto del recorte temporal presentado y pudimos observar que hubo por medio de la práctica del karate-do la transferencia de elementos de la cultura japonesa en sus participantes y también pudimos verificar que no hubo problemas de aceptación de los elementos de la cultura japonesa Cultura Japonesa dentro de la Cultura Sur Río Grandense a causa del gran mestizaje que existe en el Río Grande del Sur por su colonización europea

Antibacterial screening of active ethanolic fractions of Urtia dioica L. against pathogenic bacteria from gastrointestinal and respiratory tract

Medicinal plants are largely explored source of drug repository. Although a huge number of antibiotics are available for treatment of microbial infections, development of resistance mechanism against antibiotics is nowadays a major health concern. Therefore the needs of discover new antimicrobial compounds with high safety index is always recurrent and medicinal plants have great potential for providing novel drug leads with novel mechanism of action. Historically, this plants have always been a source of inspiration for new drug compounds. In this context we evaluate the antimicrobial potential of various extracts (produced by a partial purification in a silica gel column) of Urtica dioica L (stinging nettle) (Urticaceae) collected from Vila Real region (Portugal), against 10 different bacteria isolates collected from clinical patients (gastrointestinal segments and respiratory tract), namely 4 Gram positive [2 Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococus aureus (MSSA), Staphylococcus saprophyticus, and Enterococcus faecalis]and 5 Gram negative[Salmonella thyphi, Echerichia coli, Klebsiela pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis]. The current study represents the investigation of antimicrobial activity of U. dioica from four fractions (Hexane, Ethyl-acetate, ethanol and water) that were prepared using sequential fractionating method by column chromatography. The antibacterial activity was assessed by disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods. The phytochemical composition of U. dioica fractions were assessed by HPLC-UV-DAD. Our results showed that only ethanolic fractions had antibacterial activity but only in S. aureus (MRSA and MSSA), S. saprophyticus and E. faecallis isolates. Thus, only the Gram positives were affected by U.doica extracts. The inhibition zone diameter halos ranges from 0 to 23 mm and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were6.25 mg.mL-1 for MRSA isolates and 0.78 mg.mL-1 for S. saprophyticus and E. faecalis. Our results show a direct association between the antibacterial activities and high content of phytochemicals detected in the ethanolic fractions particularly with phenolic acids (chlorogenic and ferulic acids) and flavonols (rutin, isoquercetin and quercetin isomers). Our observations suggest the importance of ethnomedicinal use of U. dioica, which could be used by the pharmaceutical industry as source of a natural antimicrobial agents and antioxidant compounds

Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm, and Antioxidant Properties of Boletus edulis and Neoboletus luridiformis Against Multidrug-Resistant ESKAPE Pathogens

Multidrug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) has become the most recurrent global cause of skin and soft-tissue infections, belonging to the WHO priority pathogens list. Successful therapy remains challenging and entails the assessment of novel and successful antibiotics. In this study, mushrooms are considered a valuable and unique source of natural antimicrobial compounds. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of Boletus edulis (B. edulis) and Neoboletus luridiformis (N. luridiformis) aqueous and methanolic extracts against ESKAPE isolates from clinical wound infections. Disk diffusion and microdilution methods were used to assess the antimicrobial activity. Phytochemical characterization was achieved by analysis of total phenols, orthodiphenols content, and antioxidant activity as well as by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Human foreskin fibroblasts-1 (HFF-1) cell viability was performed by the MTT assay. Aqueous and methanolic extracts of B. edulis and N. luridiformis showed antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties against multidrug-resistant bacteria, although with different efficacy rates. The results showed that there is a convincing relation between the content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity suggesting that the presence of phenolic compounds may explain the biological effects. HPLC analysis revealed high levels of protocatechuic acid, homogentisic acid, pyrogallol, gallic acid, p-catechin, and dihydroxybenzoic acid in the aqueous extract of B. edulis, explaining the highest antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties. Importantly, the mushrooms extracts were non-cytotoxic at all the tested concentrations. Overall, the tested mushrooms extracts are good candidates to further explore its use in the prevention of wound infection, particularly by multidrug-resistant pathogensThis study was funded by the project I&T Companies in Co-promotion FungiTech, Norte-01-0247-FEDER-033788; National Funds by FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UIDB/04033/2020 (CITAB-Center for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences). JG wish to acknowledge the project AquaValor—Centro de Valorização e Transferência de Tecnologia da Água (NORTE-01-0246-FEDER-000053), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE, 2020). FR was thankful for her contract (CEECIND/01886/2020) financed by FCT/MCTES—CEEC Individual 2020 Program Contractinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio