Air- borne ultrasonic application in the drying of grape skin: Kinetic and quality considerations

[EN] The aim of this work was to address the air-borne application of power ultrasound in the convective drying of grape skin, a by-product of winemaking. For that purpose, convective drying experiments were carried out on red grape skin at 40, 50, 60 and 70 C with (21.7 kHz, 45 W) and without power ultrasound application. The kinetic intensification was evaluated by modeling the drying kinetics using empirical and diffusion models. Meanwhile, the quality of the dried product was determined by obtaining ethanolic extracts and assessing the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity by means of the FRAP method. Moreover, individual polyphenols were identified by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS and a Partial Component Analysis (PCA) was performed in order to elucidate the relationships between the measured variables that were related to bioactive content. Both temperature and ultrasound application had a significant (p < 0.05) influence on the drying kinetics, which were satisfactorily described by both the Peleg and diffusion models. In addition, both factors significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the total phenolic concentration and antioxidant capacity of the extracts. Ultrasound application reduced the antioxidant potential, probably due to oxidase activation and cell degradation. Bioactive potential, on the other hand, was increased as a consequence of hightemperature drying, leading in particular to a greater release of malvidin 3-O-b-D-galactoside.The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and ERDF and it is a program of the European Commission ERDF-European Commission (Ref. DPI2012-37466-C03-03); Generalitat Valenciana (PROME-TEOII/2014/005) and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (PAID-02-11).Cruz, L.; Clemente Polo, G.; Mulet Pons, A.; Ahmad-Qasem Mateo, MH.; Barrajón-Catalán, E.; García Pérez, JV. (2016). Air- borne ultrasonic application in the drying of grape skin: Kinetic and quality considerations. Journal of Food Engineering. 168:251-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2015.08.001S25125816

Use of Novel Drying Technologies to Improve the Retention of Infused Olive Leaf Polyphenols

The infusion of phenolic extracts in dried fruits constitutes an interesting means of improving their nutritional content. However, drying can affect the further process of impregnation. In this work, different drying treatments (air temperature and ultrasound application) were applied to apple samples and impregnated with olive leaf extract. The application of ultrasound during drying did not significantly (p<0.05) affect the infusion capacity of samples, but the ultrasonically assisted dried samples showed a greater antioxidant capacity than those conventionally dried. The highest content of oleuropein and verbascoside was found in samples dried at low temperature using ultrasound.The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) and FEDER, and the Generalitat Valenciana (from the projects DPI2012-37466-CO3-03, PROMETEO/2010/062, and the FPI fellowship granted to J.V. Santacatalina).Santacatalina Bonet, JV.; Ahmad-Qasem Mateo, MH.; Barrajón-Catalán, E.; Micol, V.; García Pérez, JV.; Cárcel Carrión, JA. (2015). Use of Novel Drying Technologies to Improve the Retention of Infused Olive Leaf Polyphenols. Drying Technology. 33(9):1051-1060. https://doi.org/10.1080/07373937.2014.982251S1051106033

Bioavailability study of a polyphenol-enriched extract from Hibiscus sabdariffa in rats and associated antioxidant status

10.1002/mnfr.20120009

Preclinical evaluation of the antimicrobial-immunomodulatory dual action of xenohormetic molecules against haemophilus influenzae respiratory infection

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by abnormal inflammation and impaired airway immunity, providing an opportunistic platform for nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) infection. In this context, therapies targeting not only overactive inflammation without significant adverse effects, but also infection are of interest. Increasing evidence suggests that polyphenols, plant secondary metabolites with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, may be protective. Here, a Cistus salviifolius plant extract containing quercetin, myricetin, and punicalagin was shown to reduce NTHi viability. Analysis of these polyphenols revealed that quercetin has a bactericidal effect on NTHi, does not display synergies, and that bacteria do not seem to develop resistance. Moreover, quercetin lowered NTHi airway epithelial invasion through a mechanism likely involving inhibition of Akt phosphorylation, and reduced the expression of bacterially-induced proinflammatory markers il-8, cxcl-1, il-6, pde4b, and tnfα. We further tested quercetin’s effect on NTHi murine pulmonary infection, showing a moderate reduction in bacterial counts and significantly reduced expression of proinflammatory genes, compared to untreated mice. Quercetin administration during NTHi infection on a zebrafish septicemia infection model system showed a bacterial clearing effect without signs of host toxicity. In conclusion, this study highlights the therapeutic potential of the xenohormetic molecule quercetin against NTHi infection

Silibinin meglumine, a water-soluble form of milk thistle silymarin, is an orally active anti-cancer agent that impedes the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung carcinoma cells.

10.1016/j.fct.2013.07.063Silibinin is the primary active constituent of a crude extract (silymarin) from milk thistle plant (Silybum marianum) seeds. We explored the ability of an oral milk thistle extract formulation that was enriched with a water-soluble form of silibinin complexed with the amino-sugar meglumine to inhibit the growth of non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) mouse xenografts. As a single agent, oral silibinin meglumine notably decreased the overall volumes of NSCLC tumors as efficiently as did the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) gefitinib. Concurrent treatment with silibinin meglumine impeded the regrowth of gefitinib-unresponsive tumors, resulting in drastic tumor growth prevention. Because the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is required by a multiplicity of mechanisms of resistance to EGFR TKIs, we evaluated the ability of silibinin meglumine to impede the EMT in vitro and in vivo. Silibinin-meglumine efficiently prevented the loss of markers associated with a polarized epithelial phenotype as well as the de novo synthesis of proteins associated with the mesenchymal morphology of transitioning cells. Our current findings with this non-toxic, orally active, and water-soluble silibinin formulation might facilitate the design of clinical trials to test the administration of silibinin meglumine-containing injections, granules, or beverages in combination with EGFR TKIs in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC