Multivariate fatty acid and fatty alcohol profile of mullet bottarga

Mullet bottarga is a food delicacy obtained by salting and drying the intact roes of mullet (Mugil spp.). The fatty acid and fatty alcohol compositions of different samples of bottarga were studied by means of gas chromatography (GC) and multivariate analysis (MVA). High percentages of beneficial n-3 PUFA, among which docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (22:6n-3, 11.9%) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (20:5n-3, 8.6%), were detected. Differences in the concentrations of unsaturated FA and FAL were observed among samples, while saturated components showed little variations. On the other hand, the total contents of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated components were similar. The principal component analysis loadings bi-plot showed that n-6 PUFA concentrations were inversely correlated to those of n-3 PUFA, except for DHA that showed no correlations. Correlations between FAL concentrations were also observed. Furthermore, integrating our GC data with those from the literature on mullet and tuna bottarga, the MVA showed that both bottarga typologies exhibit a similar trend in the FA distribution and that 16:0 and 16:1n-7 FA are the variables with the highest discriminant power. In this work, we demonstrated the usefulness of the application of MVA to GC data to extract meaningful information otherwise hidden in the amount of data

Monitoring of the fatty acid compositions of some olive oils

The major fatty acids of olive oils were oleic, palmitic and linoleic acids. Oleic acid is the main monounsaturated fatty acid (from 60.81%; Ayvalık cv to 68.98%; Sarıulak cv). Linolenic acid (from 0.70%; Gemlik cv to 0.90%; Uslu cv) was found to be the lowest in all the variety of oils; while-palmitoleic acid and oleic acid contents in the oil samples changed between 0.93% to 1.05% and between 60.81% to 68.98% respectively. Omega-6 contents of olive oils were found ranging 94.42 μg/mg to 161.63 μg/mg. Omega-3 contents were found at low levels (8.05 μg/mg to 9.60 μg/mg). According to statistical analysis, fatty acid compositional differences among the oils studied were significant, indicating a varietal effect on olive oil quality

Chemical composition of the essential oils of teucrium chamaedrys L. from Corsica and Sardinia

The composition of the essential oils of Teucrium chamaedrys L. from Corsica and Sardinia islands were investigated using a combination of gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) after fractionation over column chromatography. Eighty-seven compounds were identified, the main components were β-caryophyllene (29.0% and 27.4%, respectively) and germacrene D (19.4% and 13.5%, respectively), followed by α-humulene (6.8%) and δ-cadinene (5.4%) in the Corsican sample and by caryophyllene oxide (12.3%) and α-humulene (6.5%) in the Sardinian sample. The study confirms the quantitative variability of the chemical composition of T. chamaedrys oils

Quality of wheat germ oil obtained by cold pressing and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction

Laboratory-prepared wheat germ oil was obtained by cold pressing and supercritical CO2 extraction. The main objective was to compare the quality of both oil samples obtained, with emphasis on their fatty acids compositions and tocopherol contents. The percentages of palmitic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids determined in the cold-pressed oil were 15.89, 15.48, 54.88, and 7.34% of total fatty acids, respectively, and those in the oil extracted by supercritical CO2 were 16.50, 15.05, 54.79, and 7.29% of total fatty acids, respectively. The average proportions of saturated, monoand polyunsaturated fatty acids calculated for wheat germ oil obtained by cold pressing accounted for 17.15, 17.63, and 62.22% of total fatty acids, respectively, and those calculated for wheat germ oil extracted by supercritical CO2 were very similar, accounting for 18.14, 17.58, and 62.08% of total fatty acids, respectively. As expected, the fatty acid profiles determined in both oils studied were observed to be almost identical. In contrast, the level of α-tocopherol in the oil extracted by supercritical CO2 was found to be considerably higher (1.27 mg/g) than that in the oil obtained by the cold pressing procedure (0.79 mg/g)

Effect of aqueous and lipophilic mullet (Mugil cephalus) bottarga extracts on the growth and lipid profile of intestinal Caco-2 cells

The importance of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) intake has long been recognized in human nutrition. Although health benefits, n-3 PUFA are subject to rapid and/or extensive oxidation during processing and storage, resulting in potential alteration in nutritional composition and quality of food. Bottarga, a salted and semi-dried mullet (Mugil cephalus) ovary product, is proposed as an important source of n-3 PUFA, having high levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In this work, we investigated the extent of lipid oxidation of grated bottarga samples during 7 months of storage at -20 C and room temperature under light exposure. Cell viability, lipid composition, and lipid peroxidation were measured in intestinal differentiated Caco-2 cell monolayers after 6-48 h of incubation with lipid and hydrophilic extracts obtained from bottarga samples at different storage conditions. The storage of bottarga did not affect the n-3 PUFA level, but differences were observed in hydroperoxide levels in samples from different storage conditions. All tested bottarga extracts did not show a toxic effect on cell viability of differentiated Caco-2 cells. Epithelial cells incubated with bottarga oil had significant changes in fatty acid composition but not in cholesterol levels with an accumulation of EPA, DHA, and 22:5. Cell hydroperoxides were higher in treated cells, in relation to the oxidative status of bottarga oil. Moreover, the bottarga lipid extract showed an in vitro inhibitory effect on the growth of a colon cancer cell line (undifferentiated Caco-2 cells)

Chemical composition and in vitro bioactivity of the volatile and fixed oils of Nigella sativa L. extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide

Nigella sativa L. (Ranunculaceae), commonly known as 'black cumin', is an erect herbaceous annual plant. N. sativa seeds have traditionally been used in folk medicine as a natural remedy for various diseases as well as a spice. The seeds contain both fixed and essential oils, proteins, alkaloids and saponins. Much of the biological activity of the seeds has been shown to be due to thymoquinone, the major component of the essential oil. The fixed oil is composed mainly of unsaturated fatty acids, including the unusual C20:2 eicosadienoic acid. Isolation of volatile and fixed oils from N. salvia seed of Turkey and Egypt has been obtained by super-critical fractioned extraction with carbon dioxide. Extraction experiments were carried out at pressures of 90 and 300 bar and temperature of 40 degrees C. The extraction step performed at 90 bar produced a volatile fraction mainly formed by tymoquinone (79 divided by 86%) and o-cymene (5 divided by 11%). The oil yield relative to this step of the process was 0.1 divided by 0.3% by weight of the charge. The last extraction step at 300 bar produced a fixed oil. The yield of this step was 21-26% by weight. The most represented fatty acids of fixed oil from N. sativa were 18:2 n - 6 (54 divided by 55%), 18:1 n - 9 (22 divided by 23%), 16:0 (12 divided by 13%), 18:0(3%), and 20:2(2 divided by 3%). The volatile and fixed oils obtained from N. sativa were evaluated for the antibacterial activity by employing standard strains of Escherichia coil, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Acinetobacer baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus,Enterococcus faecalis. In vitro anti fungal activity of the derivatives against Candida albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. krusei were screened by using ketoconazole, and fluconazole as control agents. The anti-mycobacterium activity breakpoint concentration (mu g mL(-1)) was determined against standard strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and M. avium (ATCC 15769). The volatile and fixed oils displayed antimicrobial activity toward all of the standard (ATCC, RSKK) strains of the tested bacteria at MIC values of 8-64 mu g mL(-1) and were revealed to be ineffective against isolated strains (MIC; >256 mu g mL(-1)). The volatile and fixed oils emerged as effective against the bacteria of M. avium with MIC values of 8 mu g mL(-1). Moreover, all the extracts exhibited antifungal activity against C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. krusei at MIC values of 16-64 mu g mL(-1)

Hydroxytyrosol glucuronides protect renal tubular epithelial cells against H2O2 induced oxidative damage

Hydroxytyrosol (2-(3′,4′-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol; HT), the most active ortho-diphenolic compound, present either in free or esterified form in extravirgin olive oil, is extensively metabolized in vivo mainly to O-methylated, O-sulfated and glucuronide metabolites. We investigated the capacity of three glucuronide metabolites of HT, 3′-O-β-d-glucuronide and 4′-O-β-d-glucuronide derivatives and 2-(3′,4′- dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol-1-O-β-d-glucuronide, in comparison with the parent compound, to inhibit H 2O 2 induced oxidative damage and cell death in LLC-PK1 cells, a porcine kidney epithelial cell line. H 2O 2 treatment exerted a toxic effect inducing cell death, interacting selectively within the pro-death extracellular-signal relate kinase (ERK 1/2) and the pro-survival Akt/PKB signaling pathways. It also produced direct oxidative damage initiating the membrane lipid peroxidation process. None of the tested glucuronides exhibited any protection against the loss in renal cell viability. They also failed to prevent the changes in the phosphorylation states of ERK and Akt, probably reflecting their inability to enter the cells, while HT was highly effective. Notably, pretreatment with glucuronides exerted a protective effect at the highest concentration tested against membrane oxidative damage, comparable to that of HT: the formation of malondialdehyde, fatty acid hydroperoxides and 7-ketocholesterol was significantly inhibited