Algal nutraceuticals: a perspective on metabolic diversity, current food applications, and prospects in the field of metabolomics

The current consumers’ demand for food naturalness is urging the search for new functional foods of natural origin with enhanced health-promoting properties. In this sense, algae constitute an underexplored biological source of nutraceuticals that can be used to fortify food products. Both marine macroalgae (or seaweeds) and microalgae exhibit a myriad of chemical constituents with associated features as a result of their primary and secondary metabolism. Thus, primary metabolites, especially polysaccharides and phycobiliproteins, present interesting properties to improve the rheological and nutritional properties of food matrices, whereas secondary metabolites, such as polyphenols and xanthophylls, may provide interesting bioactivities, including antioxidant or cytotoxic effects. Due to the interest in algae as a source of nutraceuticals by the food and related industries, novel strategies should be undertaken to add value to their derived functional components. As a result, metabolomics is considered a high throughput technology to get insight into the full metabolic profile of biological samples, and it opens a wide perspective in the study of algae metabolism, whose knowledge is still little explored. This review focuses on algae metabolism and its applications in the food industry, paying attention to the promising metabolomic approaches to be developed aiming at the functional characterization of these organisms.The research leading to these results was supported by the European Union through the “NextGenerationEU” program supporting the “Margarita Salas” grant awarded to P. Garcia-Perez, by Xunta de Galicia for supporting the program EXCELENCIA-ED431F 2020/12, the postdoctoral grant of L. Cassani (ED481B-2021/152), and the pre-doctoral grant of P. Garcia-Oliveira (ED481A-2019/295) and by MICINN supporting the Ram´on y Cajal grant for M.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891) and J. Xiao (RYC-2020-030365-I). Authors are grateful to Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 888003 UP4HEALTH Project (H2020-BBI-JTI-2019). The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the Bio Based Industries Consortium. This work has also received funding from the Argentinean Agency for the Scientific and Technological Promotion (ANPCyT, Argentina) under the project PICT (2020)/1602.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Thermochemical characterization of eight seaweed species and evaluation of their potential use as an alternative for biofuel production and source of bioactive compounds

Algae are underexplored resources in Western countries and novel approaches are needed to boost their industrial exploitation. In this work, eight edible seaweeds were subjected to their valorization in terms of nutritional characterization, thermochemical properties, and bioactive profile. Our results suggest that seaweeds present a rich nutritional profile, in which carbohydrates are present in high proportions, followed by a moderate protein composition and a valuable content of !-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The thermochemical characterization of seaweeds showed that some macroalgae present a low ash content and high volatile matter and carbon fixation rates, being promising sources for alternative biofuel production. The bioactive profile of seaweeds was obtained from their phenolic and carotenoid content, together with the evaluation of their associated bioactivities. Among all the species analyzed, Porphyra purpurea presented a balanced composition in terms of carbohydrates and proteins and the best thermochemical profile. This species also showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity. Additionally, Himanthalia elongata extracts showed the highest contents of total phenolics and a moderate carotenoid content, which led to the highest rates of antioxidant activity. Overall, these results suggest that seaweeds can be used as food or functional ingredient to increase the nutritional quality of food formulations.The research leading to these results was supported by MICINN supporting the Ramón y Cajal grant for M.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891); by Xunta de Galicia for supporting the program EXCELENCIA-ED431F (1 December 2020), the post-doctoral grant of L. Cassani (ED481B- 2021/152), and the program Grupos de Referencia Competitiva (GRUPO AA1-GRC 2018) that supports the work of M. Barral-Martínez. The authors thank the program BENEFICIOS DO CONSUMO DAS ESPECIES TINTORERA-(CO-0019-2021) that supports the work of F. Chamorro. The research leading to these results was supported by the European Union through the “NextGenerationEU” program supporting the “Margarita Salas” grant awarded to P. Garcia-Perez. The authors are grateful to AlgaMar enterprise (www.algamar.com, accessed 30 December 2021) for the collaboration and algae material provision. The project SYSTEMIC Knowledge hub on Nutrition and Food Security has received funding from national research funding parties in Belgium (FWO), France (INRA), Germany (BLE), Italy (MIPAAF), Latvia (IZM), Norway (RCN), Portugal (FCT), and Spain (AEI) in a joint action of JPI HDHL, JPI-OCEANS and FACCE-JPI launched in 2019 under the ERA-NET ERA-HDHL (nº 696295).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Main bioactive phenolic compounds in marine algae and their mechanisms of action supporting potential health benefits

Given the growing tendency of consumers to choose products with natural ingredients, food industries have directed scientific research in this direction. In this regard, algae are an attractive option for the research, since they can synthesize a group of secondary metabolites, called phenolic compounds, associated with really promising properties and bioactivities. The objective of this work was to classify the major phenolic compounds, compare the effectiveness of the different extractive techniques used for their extraction, from traditional systems (like heat assisted extraction) to the most advance ones (such as ultrasound, microwave or supercritical fluid extraction); the available methods for identification and quantification; the stability of the enriched extract in phenolic compounds and the main bioactivities described for these secondary metabolites, to offer an overview of the situation to consider if it is possible and/or convenient an orientation of phenolic compounds from algae towards an industrial application.The research leading to these results was funded by FEDER under the program Interreg V Spain-Portugal by POPTEC, IBERPHENOL Project (ref. 0377-Iberphenol-6-E) and by NANOEATERS Project (ref. 0181-NANOEATERS-01-E) that supports the pre-doctoral work of C. Jimenez-Lopez; by MICINN supporting the Ramón&Cajal grant for M.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891); by Xunta de Galicia and University of Vigo supporting the post-doctoral grant for M. Fraga-Corral (ED481B-2019/ 096), and the pre-doctoral grants for A.G. Pereira (ED481A-2019/0228) and P. García-Oliveira (ED481A-2019/295); by the company AlgaMar (www.algamar.com) and Axudas Conecta Peme (Xunta de Galicia) supporting the IN852A 2018/58 NeuroFood Project that financed the pre-doctoral grant for C. Lourenço-Lopes; Ibero-American Program on Science and Technology (CYTED - AQUA-CIBUS, P317RT0003) and UP4HEALTH Project (H2020-BBI-JTI-2019) for financial support. Lucía Cassani thanks the Secretaría General Iberoamericana (SEGIB) - Fundación Carolina for a grant.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Camellia japonica: a phytochemical perspective and current applications facing its industrial exploitation

In response to the increased popularity of medicinal plants, a number of conservation groups are recommending the investigation on poorly characterized and widely distributed species, as it is the case of camellias. In particular, Camellia japonica L. is a widespread species found in Galicia (NW Spain), where it has been largely exploited with ornamental purposes. Recent findings on its phytochemical characterization showed thousands of bioactive ingredients, mostly represented by phenolic compounds, together with terpenoids, and fatty acids. These molecules present associated biological activities, acting as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer agents. This review is aimed at describing the main bioactive compounds of C. japonica, as well as the health-enhancing properties attributed to this medicinal plant. Novel strategies are needed to implement an efficient industrialization process for C. japonica, ranging from small-scale approaches to the establishment of large plantations, thus involving important sectors, such as the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.The research leading to these results was supported by MICINN supporting the Ram´on y Cajal grant for M.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891) and and the Juan de la Cierva Incorporaci´on Hui Cao (IJC2020-046055- I); by Xunta de Galicia for supporting the pre-doctoral grant of A.G. Pereira (ED481A-2019/0228); by European Union that supports the work of P. Garcia-Perez through the “Margarita Salas” grant from the “NextGenerationEU” program.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Untargeted metabolomics and in vitro functional analysis unravel the intraspecific bioactive potential of flowers from underexplored Camellia japonica cultivars facing their industrial application

The Camellia genus comprises a vast array of underexplored medicinal plants that merit a systematic valorization to exploit their potential as natural sources of phytochemicals with associated health-promoting properties. In this work, flower extracts from eight poorly characterized Camellia japonica L. cultivars were subjected to polyphenol profiling through untargeted metabolomics combined with in vitro functional analysis. Anthocyanins, mostly represented by cyanidin 3-O-glycosides, flavones, and flavonols, were found as the major constituents of C. japonica flowers, together with hydroxycinnamic acids, tyrosols, alkylphenols, and stilbenes, which were detected for the first time in this species. The application of multivariate statistics revealed a flower colordependent fingerprint of C. japonica cultivars, featuring anthocyanins and other flavonoids as metabolite markers associated with color-flowered cultivars with respect to white-flowered ones. The accumulation of anthocyanins, especially reported in ‘Eugenia de Montijo’ flowers, was highly correlated with the cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory properties of the derived extracts, including AGS, Caco-2, and MCF7 cancer cell lines. Moreover, the flavones accumulation reported in ‘Carolyn Tuttle’ extracts was also associated with high rates of free-radical scavenging activity, as well as a potent cytotoxicity against the Caco-2 cell line. In general, C. japonica anthocyanin-enriched flower extracts were revealed as promising candidates for the industrial production of polyphenols with associated biological activities of high interest for critical sectors in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.The research leading to these results was supported by MICINN supporting the Ramón y Cajal grant for M.A.-P. (RYC-2017–22891) and the Juan de la Cierva Formación grant for T.-O. (FJC2019–042549-I). The authors acknowledge Xunta de Galicia for funding the post-doctoral grant of L. C. (ED481B-2021/152) and the program EXCELENCIAED431F 2020/12, which supported the work by F.C. The authors are also grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020), and national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program contract for L.-B. and R. C.-C. The work by P.G.-P. was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Universities under the application 33.50.460A.752 and by the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR through a Margarita Salas contract by the Universidade de Vigo.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Traditional applications of tannin rich extracts supported by scientific data: chemical composition, bioavailability and bioaccessibility

Tannins are polyphenolic compounds historically utilized in textile and adhesive industries, but also in traditional human and animal medicines or foodstuffs. Since 20th-century, advances in analytical chemistry have allowed disclosure of the chemical nature of these molecules. The chemical profile of extracts obtained from previously selected species was investigated to try to establish a bridge between traditional background and scientific data. The study of the chemical composition of these extracts has permitted us to correlate the presence of tannins and other related molecules with the effectiveness of their apparent uses. The revision of traditional knowledge paired with scientific evidence may provide a supporting background on their use and the basis for developing innovative pharmacology and food applications based on formulations using natural sources of tannins. This traditional-scientific approach can result useful due to the raising consumers’ demand for natural products in markets, to which tannin-rich extracts may pose an attractive alternative. Therefore, it is of interest to back traditional applications with accurate data while meeting consumer’s acceptance. In this review, several species known to contain high amounts of tannins have been selected as a starting point to establish a correlation between their alleged traditional use, tannins content and composition and potential bioaccessibility.The research leading to these results was funded by FEDER under the program Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal (POPTEC) 2014–2020 ref. 0377_IBERPHENOL_6_E and ref. 0181_NANOEATERS_ 01_E; to Xunta de Galicia supporting with the Axudas Conecta Peme the IN852A 2018/58 NeuroFood Project and the program EXCELENCIA-ED431F 2020/12; to Ibero-American Program on Science and Technology (CYTED—AQUA-CIBUS, P317RT0003) and by the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 888003 UP4HEALTH Project (H2020-BBIJTI- 2019), the JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the Bio-Based Industries Consortium. The project SYSTEMIC Knowledge hub on Nutrition and Food Security has received funding from national research funding parties in Belgium (FWO), France (INRA), Germany (BLE), Italy (MIPAAF), Latvia (IZM), Norway (RCN), Portugal (FCT), and Spain (AEI) in a joint action of JPI HDHL, JPI-OCEANS and FACCE-JPI launched in 2019 under the ERA-NET ERA-HDHL (nº 696295). The research leading to these results was supported byMICINN supporting the Ramón&Cajal grant forM.A. Prieto (RYC-2017-22891) and the Juan de la Cierva_incorporación grant for P. Otero (IJCI-2016-27774); by Xunta de Galicia and the University of Vigo supporting the postdoctoral grant of M. Fraga-Corral (ED481B-2019/096), the pre-doctoral grant for P. García-Oliveira (ED481A-2019/295); to EcoChestnut Project (Erasmus+ KA202) that supports the work ofM. Carpena.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Offline trumps online: Name recognition effects in the Five Star Movement 2012 Primary Election

<p>We study the impact of (i) online engagement on the MeetUp platform and (ii) previous candidacies in local elections on the electoral prospects of the candidates in the 2012 online primaries of the Five Star Movement (FSM).</p><p>While previous research has produced mixed findings regarding the influence of extensive digital media use on intra-party democracy, our study addresses a critical research gap by examining how digital tools and previous candidacies shape the distribution of power within a political party.</p><p>Using data from the FSM's MeetUp galaxy, we derive the online network of party members and explore the relationship between their network centrality (taken to quantify higher levels of online engagement) and their result in the primary election. We hypothesise that higher network centrality correlates with better electoral performances, especially considering the emphasis the FSM put on grass-root online activism. We further control for the documented influence exerted on the voting process by the voting interface, with strong ballot order effects. We also look at whether candidates who ran in previous local elections (but lost) were advantaged due to name recognition.</p><p>Our results show that online activity had no correlation with electoral outcomes, with no differences between candidates who were or were not on MeetUp. Network centrality was also uncorrelated with the election outcome. On the contrary, the few candidates who ran for local office received a consistent advantage, which remains significant after controlling for the influence of the voting interface.</p><p>While we considered a single platform to quantify online activity and plan to extend our study to other arenas were the party's political discourse was articulated, our results suggest that online efforts were not rewarded, whereas party endorsements in the form of candidacies in local elections did play a part in orienting the vote.</p&gt

Psychological Well-Being, Prenatal Attachment, and Quality of Early Mother-Infant Interaction: A Pilot Study With a Sample of Mothers With or Without Cancer History

Given the positive impact of high-quality mother–infant interaction on child development, and that such relationship might be hindered by maternal stresses such past cancer, research is needed to understand protective and risk factors in this clinical population. As almost no data is available on the impact of history of cancer on the quality of mother–infant interaction, a multicentric and longitudinal pilot study was conducted. Differences in women’s prenatal psychological well-being and attachment (T1, third trimester), and postnatal quality of mother–infant interaction (T2, 2–5 months) were assessed in a sample of Italian mothers with (N = 11) or without cancer history (N = 13). Results showed that women did not differ significantly in their prenatal well-being (assessed with the Profile of Mood States questionnaire) and levels of attachment (assessed with the Prenatal Attachment Inventory). Looking at mother–infant interactions (assessed using the Global Rating Scale at T2), while maternal sensitivity, warmth and intrusiveness, and infant distress and attentiveness did not differ between the two groups, in the clinical group, mothers were more remote and less absorbed in the infant, and infants showed fewer positive communications. These findings might shed light on potential protective and risk factors for early parenting and later child outcomes in this clinical population.</jats:p

From Pregnancy to Lactation: When the Pathway is Complicated by Cancer

Background: Women with a cancer history report high distress during pregnancy and infant feeding. Despite the clear advantages of breastfeeding, little is known about factors influencing infant feeding behavior in women with cancer history. Research aim: This three-time point longitudinal study aimed to explore the centrality of pregnancy and infant feeding experiences in 17 pregnant women with a cancer history (cases) compared to 17 pregnant women without cancer history (controls). Methods: During pregnancy, participants filled out the Centrality of Events Scale and an ad hoc questionnaire about specific emotions, concerns, and expectations about infant feeding (T1), and their childbirth and infant feeding experiences during hospitalization (T2), and at 3-months postpartum (T3). Results: Results at T1 demonstrated that participants with a history of cancer reported a higher perception of negative judgment and moral choice about breastfeeding than participants without a history of cancer. At T2 they reported a more positive childbirth experience than controls. From T2 to T3 participants with a history of cancer breastfed at a higher percentage than controls, and at T3 they reported higher levels of emotional and physical pleasure about the infant feeding experiences. Conclusions: Women with cancer history may experience a higher emotional and physical pleasure with infant feeding. Despite initial difficulties, a greater prevalence of breastfeeding was present for women with a history of cancer. Although this is a small sample, this research suggests that support and promotion of breastfeeding might be very effective after a serious medical diagnosis