Mobil and total forms of some transitional metal cations in food chain of black currants cultivation and processing

Romania has large natural possibilities through Western Plain, diligence and skill of residents in cultivation and processing of specific and quality horticultural products. In the world there are few areas where the climate, soil and diversity of spontaneous and cultivated flora can provide quality natural food products, with high nutritional value. The experimental results obtained for the heavy metal concentrations in the black currants cultivated on soils close to the C.E.T. Timisoara ash storage reveal higher concentrations for these elements. Higher concentrations for the toxic heavy metals (Cd, Pb) and for the potential toxic heavy metals (Zn, Cu) were identified in some vegetables, especially for leaf vegetables and for the root vegetables. Although some heavy metals were identified in higher concentrations, close to the toxic limits or higher, the mean values for these concentrations in the vegetables were in the range of normal limits. This fact demonstrate that the pollution of this areal is incipient and forward cannot be affirm that the heavy metal pollution process is evident, but this phenomenon could be amplified in the case of a prolonged anthropic impact, and without the specific agro-pedo-ameliorative measures. The classification of the non-polluted and polluted regions is achieved by multivariate analysis (PCA-principal component analysis) of the data using especially the Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu concentration values for the first and second principal components, and Zn and Fe concentration values for the third principal component

Total phenolic content, FTIR analysis, and antiproliferative evaluation of lupin seeds harvest from western Romania

Introduction Lupinus spp. are herbaceous perennial flowering plants included in the Fabaceae family. Among the approximately 200 species belonging to this genre, Lupinus albus L., also known as white lupin, Lupinus angustifolius L., and narrow-leafed lupin or blue lupin, represent two of the most studied species due to their intense culinary use and potential biological activity. The intention of the study was to characterize total phenolic content, perform FTIR analysis, and antiproliferative effects against A375 human melanoma cells extracts obtained from germinated and ungerminated seeds from Lupinus albus L. and Lupinus angustifolius L. Material and methods Total phenolic content was assessed using the Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method. FTIR spectra were carried out by a Shimadzu Prestige-21 spectrometer in the range 400–4000 cm-1, using KBr pellets and resolution of 4 cm-1. Antiproliferative capacity was screened by employing the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and scratch assay methods. Results The study showed increased values corresponding to total phenolic content for the germinated extracts. FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of genistein and main cinnamic acids derivatives (ferulic, caffeic, rosmarinic, and coumaric acids). All tested extracts showed weak antiproliferative potential against A375 human melanoma cells. Conclusions Germination increased the amount of bioactive compounds in the seeds of the two studied species of lupin. FTIR analyses provided an important fingerprint of the chemical composition

Chemical and nutritional aspects of some fresh smoothie types

Vegetable and fruits are foods that can be consumed either fresh or processed into juices, smoothies, syrups, jams, fruit compotes, etc. Fruit and vegetables play the important role in the people diet. Worldwide, the consumption of fresh food (fruits, vegetables, and herbs) is steadily in increasing tendency. The good looks, nice colour or taste and aromas, but especially their nutritional value, the rich content in sugars, vitamins and minerals necessary in the diet of the human body are considered to be important. The lower incidence of degenerative diseases is associated with the diet rich in fruits and vegetables. The purpose of our study was revealing certain physico-chemical and nutritional properties of some fresh foods and the juices or smoothies that we can obtain from them. These aspects highlight their dietary and healing properties

Synthesis, characterization, and in vitro-in ovo toxicological screening of silibinin fatty acids conjugates as prodrugs with potential biomedical applications

Silibinin (SIL), the most active phytocompound from Silybum marianum (L.), exerts many biological effects but has low stability and bioavailability. To overcome these drawbacks, the current research proposed the synthesis of silibilin oleate (SIL-O) and silibilin linoleate (SIL-L) derivatives as prodrugs with potentially optimized properties for biomedical applications, and the establishment of their in vitro-in ovo safety profiles. The physicochemical characterization of the obtained compounds using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and Raman and 1H liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy confirmed the formation of SIL-O and SIL-L complexes. Computational predictions revealed that these lipophilic derivatives present a lower drug-likeness score (-29.96 for SIL-O and -23.55 for SIL-L) compared to SIL, but an overall positive drug score (0.07) and no risk for severe adverse effects. SIL-O and SIL-L showed no cytotoxicity or impairment in cell migration at low concentrations, but at the highest concentration (100 µM), they displayed distinct toxicological profiles. SIL-L was more cytotoxic (on cardiomyoblasts - H9c2(2-1), hepatocytes - HepaRG, and keratinocytes - HaCaT) than SIL-O or SIL, significantly inhibiting cell viability (< 60%), altering cellular morphology, reducing cell confluence (< 70%), and inducing prominent apoptotic-like nuclear features. At the concentration of 100 µM, SIL-O presented an irritation score (IS) of 0.61, indicating a lack of irritant effect on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), while SIL-L was classified as a slight irritant with an IS of 1.99. These findings outline a more favorable in vitro and in ovo biocompatibility for SIL-O compared to SIL-L, whose applications are dosage-limited due to potential toxicity