Flour fortification with grape must for nutritional and health benefits

Currently, dietary health natural supplements have increasingly used in the prevention and treatment of chronic disorders. Moreover, deficiencies of macro and micronutrients, (vitamins and minerals), and non-nutrients (polyphenolics) have mainly cause several illnesses, especially in children and women worldwide. World organizations have focused great efforts to address these shortcomings and improve the health of the populations. Grape must, or commonly known as grape must juice, becomes a valued ingredient with nutritional and chemical qualities already recognized. Four portuguese grapevine must (Touriga Nacional; Touriga Franca; Tinta Roriz and Vinha Velha) were analysed and results of phytochemical screening revealed that Touriga Nacional grape must contains a number of medicinally active secondary metabolites, with highest total phenolic and flavonoids contents (325.2 mg GAE/L and 218.3 mg CE/L, respectively). In contrast, Tinta Roriz exhibited the lowest values (144.4 mg GAE/L and 18.3 mg CE/L, respectively). Natural pigments were also investigated, with significantly different levels of anthocyanins in all four portuguese grapevine must: Touriga Nacional (23%), Touriga Franca (63%), Tinta Roriz (70%), and Vinha Velha (19%). Apart from the sensory attributes that grape must can impart in commercial flours, the presence of non-nutrient compounds (polyphenols) is an asset in the development of new functional foods, namely in flours for infant formulations, preteens, teens, adult and athletes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fitoquímicos do bagaço de uva: ingrediente funcional em produtos cárneos

A resposta às necessidades da população mundial atual sem comprometer as futuras é uma das premissas fundamentais do conceito de sustentabilidade. Reduzir a perda e o desperdício de alimentos é um dos grandes desafios para a reciclagem de recursos naturais e avanço para os sistemas alimentares mais sustentáveis. Assim, algumas das dinâmicas científicas na gestão de resíduos alimentares incluem a valorização de subprodutos como fonte de compostos fenólicos para formulação de alimentos funcionais. Touriga Nacional é uma casta de uva tinta originária de Portugal. É a rainha das uvas portuguesas e que pelas suas qualidades para a vinificação, começa a ocupar cada vez mais espaço nas produções europeias, australianas e californiana. Alvarinho é uma casta branca, sendo a mais nobre das castas brancas do noreste ibérico, capaz de produzir um vinho de elevadíssima qualidade. Ambos os bagaços, enquanto sub-produtos, apresentaram teores elevados de fenólicos e flavonoides totais (25-41 mg EAG/g e 9,2-18 mg EC/g, respetivamente). Como era expectável, o teor de antocianinas foi evidenciado apenas na bagaço de uva tinta (37 mg/g), bem como a presença dos ácidos vanílico e siríngico. A quercetina, enquanto flavonoide, foi encontrada apenas na casta branca, reforçando o interesse pelos sub-produtos das uvas brancas, uma vez que este flavonoide apresenta propriedades antioxidantes, antinflamatórias, antiproliferativas, propriedades antineoplásicas, antidiabéticas e antimicrobianas, podendo ter interesse como aditivo alimentar e/ou ingrediente funcional.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Phenolic profile from the pomace of two portuguese grape varieties: sustainability and food safety as new natural additives

Grapes are one of the most produced fruit crops worldwide. About 75% of produced grapes is planned for wine production, originating 20-30% waste products. This waste is mainly constituted by grape pomace which includes fruit peels, remaining pulp, seeds, and stalks. Moreover, as it is common knowledge that therapeutic properties of plants and their by-products have been increasingly described, because of their strong antioxidant values, absence of side effects, and economic viability. Synthetic antioxidants have been used as supplement added, however, their inclusion in chronic infections have confined their utilization in foods. Grape pomaces have biotechnological potential, having been applied in several studies as a fortification ingredient in foods. Reuse of the grape pomace depends on its composition and characteristics. Because grape pomace is a highly perishable product (due to the high moisture content) and given the high volumes generated during harvest season, the utilization of fresh grape pomace is unfeasible and requires an appropriate method of preservation or appropriate use. Thus, grape pomace can be reused through oil extraction, antioxidant, and antibacterial agents’ preparation and, from a nutritional perspective, polyphenols are the most important constituents. Large amounts of the residual quantities of bioactive substances remain in the vegetable tissues: phenolic acids, several flavonoids, flavanols (e.g., catechin, epicatechin and epigallocatechin) and other phenolic compounds (proanthocyanidins or condensed tannins). Considering the importance of winemaking in Portugal, the phenolic profile of two national grape pomace varieties (Touriga Nacional (red) e Alvarinho (white)) was studied, considering that the extraction of polyphenols from grape pomace represents an attractive, sustainable, and cost-effective source of high-value biological properties, which could be incorporated into foods, as natural additives. Due to the increasing demand for nutraceutical and antioxidant compounds, the study of grape pomace polyphenols exploitation may be useful for industrial purposes. Phenolic compounds were identified and quantified by Reverse-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP HPLC) equipped with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nutraceuticals based on portuguese grape pomaces as a potential additive in food products

Portuguese wine industry by-products are often undervalued but constitute a potential source of bioactive phenoliccompounds that can be applied as a natural additive in several industries. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the nutritional composition, and the phenolic profile of two Portuguese Vitis vinifera L. grape pomaces (Touriga Nacional (red variety) and Alvarinho (white variety), and to correlate their chemical characterizations with their antioxidant activities. Strong correlations were observed between the presence of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities, which enhances the application of pomace extracts in food and pharmaceutical areas. The high content of total phenolic compounds (25 - 41 g/ kg dry extract) and of flavonoids (9.2 - 18 g/ kg dry extract) found in both samples make these pomaces excellent candidates as food additives in food products, as well as antioxidant agents, such as natural dyes. Some polyphenols were identified by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), being rutin and catequin the highest compounds found in red grape pomace (Touriga Nacional) while quercetin was only quantified in white grape pomace (Alvarinho). Cis-resveratrol was quantified in both grape pomace, which opens horizons for its use since this compound has considerable chemopreventive effects in the three main gains of carcinogenesis. As expected, the anthocyanin content was significantly higher in red grape pomace (37 g/ kg dry extract), emphasizing its interest as a natural food additive. Based on the findings, it is possible to conclude that these by-products have additional value, making them potentially useful in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Increased mTOR Signaling and Impaired Autophagic Flux Are Hallmarks of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), severely affects mainly individuals with pre-existing comorbidities. Here our aim was to correlate the mTOR (mammalian/mechanistic Target of Rapamycin) and autophagy pathways with the disease severity. Through western blotting and RNA analysis, we found increased mTOR signaling and suppression of genes related to autophagy, lysosome, and vesicle fusion in Vero E6 cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 as well as in transcriptomic data mining of bronchoalveolar epithelial cells from severe COVID-19 patients. Immunofluorescence co-localization assays also indicated that SARS-CoV-2 colocalizes within autophagosomes but not with a lysosomal marker. Our findings indicate that SARS-CoV-2 can benefit from compromised autophagic flux and inhibited exocytosis in individuals with chronic hyperactivation of mTOR signaling