Agrifood By-Products as a Source of Phytochemical Compounds

In last years, food by-products and waste valorization practices have gained importance because these processes are sustainable and can increase the profit for local economies. Many compound families of phytochemicals like carotenoids, tocopherols, glucosinolates and phenolic compounds can be obtained through plant by-products coming from agroindustries, such as citric peels, tomato wastes or wine pomace. A number of novel methods like pressured liquid, microwaves or supercritical CO2 are being used for the extraction of compounds, affecting them in different ways. Phytochemicals obtained can be used in cosmetics, medical uses and dietary supplements or reused in agrifood industries among others, as natural pigments, antioxidants or antimicrobials

Application of Phenolic Compounds for Food Preservation: Food Additive and Active Packaging

Phenolic compounds are well known for their health benefits related to antioxidant activity. In addition, this kind of compounds can be extracted from natural sources, such as olives, grapes, fruits, vegetables, rice, spices, herbs, tea and algae, among others. In this way, these compounds have increased their popularity and, little by little, the consumers are more interested in these compounds due to the fact that they come from natural sources and because they have health biological activity. In fact, other important characteristics associated to phenolic compounds are the antimicrobial activity, because phenolics have the capacity of retarding the microbial invasion in some products and avoiding the putrefaction of others, mainly fruits and vegetables. These properties allow phenolic compounds to be suitable for numerous food preservation applications. Therefore, different kinds of products can be fortificated with phenolic compounds to extend the shelf life of some foods, to turn them in functional food or to incorporate them in food packaging. Active packing is an innovative strategy where phenolic compounds can play an important role for improving the global assessment and extend the shelf life of commercial products

Magnetite-Based Catalyst in the Catalytic Wet Peroxide Oxidation for Different Aqueous Matrices Spiked with Naproxen–Diclofenac Mixture

Magnetite supported on multiwalled carbon nanotubes catalysts were synthesized by co-precipitation and hydrothermal treatment. The magnetic catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis and N2 physisorption. The catalysts were then tested for their ability to remove diclofenac (DCF) and naproxen (NAP) from an aqueous solution at different conditions (pH, temperature, and hydrogen peroxide) to determine the optimum conditions for chemical oxidation. The optimization of the process parameters was conducted using response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with Box–Behnken design (BBD). By RSM–BBD methodology, the optimal parameters (1.75 mM H2O2 dosage, 70 °C and pH 6.5) were determined, and the removal percentages of NAP and DCF were 19 and 54%, respectively. The NAP–DCF degradation by catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) was caused by •OH radicals. In CWPO of mixed drug solutions, DCF and NAP showed competitive oxidation. Hydrophobic interactions played an important role during the CWPO process. On the other hand, the magnetic catalyst reduced its activity after the second cycle of reuse. In addition, proof of concept and disinfection tests performed at the operating conditions showed results following the complexity of the water matrices. In this sense, the magnetic catalyst in CWPO has adequate potential to treat water contaminated with NAP–DCF mixtures.Depto. de Ingeniería Química y de MaterialesFac. de Ciencias QuímicasTRUEComunidad de Madridpu

Behaviour of fresh cut broccoli under different modified atmosphere conditions

El brócoli recién cortado es un producto con una demanda creciente debido a su conveniencia y beneficios comprobados para la salud humana, pero es muy perecedero debido a su alta tasa de respiración. Con el fin de mantener la calidad y extender la vida útil, se llevaron a cabo dos enfoques diferentes. En primer lugar, las muestras se empaquetaron en bandejas selladas bajo una atmósfera modificada pasiva, y la mitad de ellas se calentaron con aire (48 ° C durante 3 horas). Todas las bandejas se almacenaron a 5 ° C y se analizaron a 0, 7, 14 y 21 días. Se evaluaron parámetros físico-químicos básicos, clorofila a y concentraciones b, fenólicos totales, actividad antioxidante, calidad microbiológica y sensorial. Los resultados mostraron que el brócoli tratado térmicamente mostró una calidad sensorial deficiente debido a los malos olores y no se observó un aumento en la vida útil del producto. Por esta razón, se realizó un segundo experimento utilizando atmósferas pasivas y activas modificadas (10% de O2 y 5% de CO2) y se comparó con un control en aire. Las muestras también se almacenaron a 5 ° C y se analizaron a 0, 5, 10 y 21 días. La atmósfera modificada, ya sea activa o pasiva, permitió mantener la vida útil de los flósculos de brócoli hasta 21 días, con una mayor calidad en comparación con el control, siendo la atmósfera pasiva modificada más adecuada debido a su simplicidad y menor costo.Fresh cut broccoli is a product with an increasing demand due to its convenience and proved benefits on human health, but is very perishable due to its high respiration rate. In order to maintain quality and extend shelf-life, two different approaches were carried out. Firstly, samples were packaged in sealed trays under passive modified atmosphere, and half of them were heated with air (48°C for 3 hours). All trays were stored at 5 °C, and analyzed at 0, 7, 14 and 21 days. Basic physical-chemical parameters, chlorophyll a and b concentration, total phenolics, antioxidant activity, microbiological and sensory quality were assessed. Results showed that heat treated broccoli showed poor sensory quality due to off-odors and no increase in the shelf-life of the product was observed. For this reason, a second experiment was carried using passive and active modified atmospheres (10% O2 and 5% CO2) and compared to a control in air. Samples were also stored at 5 °C and analyzed at 0, 5, 10 and 21 days. Modified atmosphere, either active or passive, allowed maintaining broccoli florets shelf-life up to 21 days, with higher quality compared to the control, being most suitable the passive modified atmosphere due to its simplicity and lower cost.• Fundación Carolina (España). Beca para Paola Fernanda Argüello Hernández • Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA). Contrato de investigación para Diego Bohoyo Gil y David González GómezpeerReviewe

Chlorophyll pigments of olive leaves and green tea extracts differentially affect their antioxidant and anticancer properties

PubMed ID:36985751WOS:000959772300001Plant-based extracts possess biological potential due to their high content of phytochemicals. Nevertheless, photosynthetic pigments (e.g., chlorophylls) that are also present in plant extracts could produce undesirable pro-oxidant activity that might cause a negative impact on their eventual application. Herein, the phenolic content of olive leaf (OLE) and green tea (GTE) extracts was assayed, and their antioxidant and anticancer activities were evaluated before and after the removal of chlorophylls. Regarding phenolic content, OLE was rich in hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol as well as oleuropein, whereas the main compounds present in GTE were gallocatechin, epigallocatechin (EGC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), gallocatechin gallate, and caffeine. Interestingly, fresh extracts' antioxidant ability was dependent on phenolic compounds; however, the elimination of chlorophyll compounds did not modify the antioxidant activity of extracts. In addition, both OLE and GTE had high cytotoxicity against HL-60 leukemic cell line. Of note, the removal of chlorophyll pigments remarkably reduced the cytotoxic effect in both cases. Therefore, our findings emphasize the remarkable antioxidant and anticancer potential of OLE and GTE and suggest that chlorophylls are of paramount importance for the tumor-killing ability of such plant-derived extracts

New Insights into the Application of High-Pressure Processing and Storage Time and Temperature to Sliced Iberian Chorizo

Producing dry-cured meats with relatively high aw and pH allows companies to cut costs to the detriment of microbial control. The purpose of this study was to evaluate for the first time the effect of High Processing Pressure (HPP) and storage temperature on the microbial counts, instrumental color, oxidation and sensory characteristics of sliced Iberian chorizo with high aw and pH. First, 600 MPa was applied for 480 s to sliced chorizo with aw: 0.88 and pH: 6.01, and the treated and untreated samples were stored at 4 or 20 °C for 90 or 180 days. HPP, storage time and storage at 20 °C were successful at decreasing the microbial counts that were initially high. HPP and the storage temperature had a limited detrimental effect, whereas the storage time had a marked adverse effect on oxidation and some sensory traits. Despite the high aw and pH, no safety issues arose initially or during the storage at 4 or 20 °C. In conclusion, for chorizo with high aw and pH favoring high microbial counts, HPP may be an effective hurdle without a noticeable detrimental effect, and the economically convenient storage at 20 °C might be beneficial despite causing moderate quality loss

High-Hydrostatic-Pressure-Stabilized White Grape Pomace to Improve the Oxidative Stability of Dry-Cured Sausages (“Salchichón”)

White grape pomace (winery by-product) stabilized by blanching and high hydrostatic pressure has recently been successful at delaying lipid oxidation in burgers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether it can also delay lipid oxidation in dry-cured sausages, and to compare its effect when added at 0.5 and 3% with those of synthetic additives (sodium nitrite and ascorbic acid) and no additives (Control) in lipid and protein oxidation, the instrumental color, the sensory characteristics, and the volatile compounds. The pomace (68.7 ± 7.4 mmol Trolox g−1) was as effective as the additives at preventing lipid oxidation, resulting in values 3.2–3.8 times lower than the Control sausages. However, the pomace was not effective at decreasing the microbial counts, improving the instrumental and sensory color and the volatile compound profile, and decreasing the off-odor and off-flavor developed in the Control sausages. The lack of a detrimental effect of the pomace at 0.5% on the volatile compounds and the sensory characteristics and its benefits to delay lipid oxidation suggest that it might be useful to improve the oxidative stability. Conversely, at 3%, with a detrimental effect on some sensory characteristics and no benefits over the lower dosage, is not advisable

High‐pressure processing applied to sliced dry‐cured Iberian loin: Effect of category, company, and storage temperature

Abstract The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of high‐pressure processing (HPP) and storage temperature on the microbial counts, the instrumental color, and the oxidation stability of sliced dry‐cured Iberian loin from two categories and two leading companies. 600 MPa for 8 min was sufficient to decrease all the microbial counts without affecting the color and the oxidation status, the effect being modulated by the loin category and company, whose effect on those variables was marked. However, the subsequent 90‐day storage softened the initial effect of HPP on microorganisms and allowed a significant effect of HPP to develop on color and oxidation. In addition, the coliform counts were higher after storage at 20°C than at 4°C, suggesting that refrigeration may be needed during long‐term storage to ensure loin safety