Phenols and antioxidant activity in vitro and in vivo of aqueous extracts obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction from artichoke by-products.

Artichoke by-products are rich in phenolic compounds although they represent a waste for the food industry. This paper examines the application of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) for obtaining organic solvent-free extracts rich in nutraceuticals from artichoke scraps. Application of ultrasounds for 60 minutes on test samples, using water as a solvent, improved recovery of phenolic substances compared with untreated samples. Among the phenols detected by high performance liquid chromatography, 5- O-caffeoylquinic and 1,5-di- O-caffeoylquinic acids were identified. In vivo treatments of tobacco BY-2 cells with ultrasonic extracts consistently enhanced their antioxidant power, making the cells more resistant to heat stress. UAE applied to artichoke by-products, using water as a solvent, appears to be a powerful eco-friendly technique that can provide extracts rich in nutraceuticals and turn waste products into resources. The extracts could be advantageously utilized in the food industry to produce functional foods

Exploitation of grape marc as functional substrate for lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria growth and enhanced antioxidant activity

This study aimed at using grape marc for the growth of lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria with the perspective of producing a functional ingredient having antioxidant activity. Lactobacillus plantarum 12A and PU1, Lactobacillus paracasei 14A, and Bifidobacterium breve 15A showed the ability to grow on grape marc (GM) based media. The highest bacterial cell density (>9.0 CFU/g) was found in GM added of 1% of glucose (GMG). Compared to un-inoculated and incubated control fermented GMG showed a decrease of carbohydrates and citric acid together with an increase of lactic acid. The content of several free amino acids and phenol compounds differed between samples. Based on the survival under simulated gastro-intestinal conditions, GMG was a suitable carrier of lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria strains. Compared to the control, cell-free supernatant (CFS) of fermented GMG exhibited a marked antioxidant activity in vitro. The increased antioxidant activity was confirmed using Caco-2 cell line after inducing oxidative stress, and determining cell viability and radical scavenging activity through MTT and DCFH-DA assays, respectively. Supporting these founding, the SOD-2 gene expression of Caco-2 cells also showed a lowest pro-oxidant effect induced by the four CFS of GMG fermented by lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria

Impact of ultrasounds on the extraction of polyphenols during winemaking of red grapes cultivars from southern Italy

Effectiveness of ultrasounds (US) on polyphenols extraction during winemaking of three red grapes cultivars grown in southern Italy (Primitivo, Nero di Troia and Aglianico) was investigated. Innovative stainless steel horizontal rotary wine fermenters were developed for the study. The US protocol was tested on the first harvested cultivar (Primitivo), and efficacy was ascertained (+ 15% of flavonoids, + 10% of total polyphenols and + 100% of proanthocyanidins), even though the delivery system reached only 30% of maximum power. It was due to the "scree" effect caused by skins around the US transducer. In order to overcome this problem, the other two cultivars were processed after diluting the grapes with previously extracted juice (1:1 w/v). This modification allowed power to increase to 60%. Extraction of polyphenols was improved in Aglianico (+ 20% of flavonoids, + 15% of total polyphenols, + 12% antioxidant activity, + 20% colour intensity), whereas little effect was observed for Nero di Troia. It was concluded that impact of ultrasounds varies, depending on the cultivar. Under our conditions, the treatment could be useful in winemaking of Primitivo and Aglianico. Industrial relevance The use of ultrasounds in winemaking could increase the extraction of polyphenols from grapes, improving the sensory characteristics and health benefits of wine due to higher content of nutraceuticals. The ultrasound generator and transducer can easily be included in the traditional winemaking process as an "add on" technology, without distorting the processing lines. This innovation could reduce the environmental impact of winemaking, involving lower energy consumption and reduced processing times

Comparison of HPLC-RI, LC/MS-MS and enzymatic assays for the analysis of residual lactose in lactose-free milk

Lactose intolerance is the decreased ability to digest lactose, and the population involved is rapidly increasing all over the world. Different procedures have been reported in the literature to quantify lactose in dairy products, but the official method of analysis is based on enzymatic assay. In this paper, the effectiveness of two enzymatic kits in detecting residual lactose in lactose-free milk was investigated, and a comparison with two alternative chromatographic methods was done. The investigation used several samples of UHT milk containing different levels of lactose, and the results highlighted the inadequacy of the enzymatic assays and of the HPLC-RI method to analyse lactose-free milk. An LC-MS/MS method using the formate adduct was developed, and it allowed quantitation of lactose and lactulose in all samples at a high level of precision and repeatability

Comparison of synthetic mammography, reconstructed from digital breast tomosynthesis, and digital mammography: evaluation of lesion conspicuity and BI-RADS assessment categories.

To compare the interpretive performance of synthetic mammography (SM), reconstructed from digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), and full-field digital mammography (FFDM) in a diagnostic setting, covering different conditions of breast density and mammographic signs. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 231 patients, who underwent FFDM and DBT (from which SM images were reconstructed) between September 2014–September 2015. The study included 250 suspicious breast lesions, all biopsy proven: 148 (59.2%) malignant and 13 (5.2%) high-risk lesions were confirmed by surgery, 89 (35.6%) benign lesions had radiological follow-up. Two breast radiologists, blinded to histology, independently reviewed all cases. Readings were performed with SM alone, then with FFDM, collecting data on: probability of malignancy for each finding, lesion conspicuity, mammographic features and dimensions of detected lesio