Effect of Stevia rebaudiana Bert. Addition on the Antioxidant Activity of Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) Juices

The demand for antioxidant-rich beverages is steadily expanding. At the same time, the possibility of manufacturing products with reduced sugar content, sweetened with natural ingredients, represents a decisive aspect of obtaining quality products with health benefits. Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (stevia) is a natural sweetener that can help to control caloric intake and is also a good source of antioxidant compounds. The present study was designed to assess the feasibility of producing high-quality berry juices sweetened with dry-grinded stevia leaves or their crude extract. The effect of the stevia supplementation on the antioxidant activities of raspberry juices was determined at two different production steps by means of the Folin–Ciocalteu, the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assays. The addition of stevia significantly increased the antioxidant activity of the juices and resulted in significantly higher ascorbic acid and total phenolic content. A positive correlation was observed between ORAC, CAA, and total phenolic values. These findings show that supplementation with stevia not only promotes a healthy diet by reducing sugar intake but may also enhance the antioxidant potential of the beverage

Effect of mash enzyme and heat treatments on the cellular antioxidant activity of black currant (Ribes nigrum), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), and blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) juices

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of mash enzymatic maceration and heating treatments before pressing on the antioxidant activities in selected berry juices. Total phenolic contents were determined by the Folin–Ciocalteau assay, antioxidant activities were determined by means of the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, and the intracellular antioxidant potentials were determined through the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assay. Blueberry juices exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, followed by black currant and raspberry juices. The mash enzyme treatment with Pectinex® Ultra Color enzyme preparation, improved the antioxidant activities in vitro. ORAC values correlated with CAA values (R2 = 0.91) and a slightly positive correlation was observed between Folin–Ciocalteau and CAA assays (R2 = 0.56). The findings support the observation that the mash enzymatic treatment of macerated fruits enhances their antioxidant activity. Considering the chemical assays (ORAC and total phenolic content), a combined treatment with heating to 85°C followed by mash enzymatic treatment was the most effective. Considering a biological model through the CAA assay, however, a comparable improvement in antioxidant activity resulted from the enzymatic and the combined treatments. Overall, the data showed that maceration enzymatic treatment improves the intracellular antioxidant activity in HepG2 human cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the effect of the antioxidant potential of mash enzymatic and heating treatments assessed by means of a cellular approach

Early rhythm-control therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND Despite improvements in the management of atrial fibrillation, patients with this condition remain at increased risk for cardiovascular complications. It is unclear whether early rhythm-control therapy can reduce this risk. METHODS In this international, investigator-initiated, parallel-group, open, blinded-outcome-assessment trial, we randomly assigned patients who had early atrial fibrillation (diagnosed ≤1 year before enrollment) and cardiovascular conditions to receive either early rhythm control or usual care. Early rhythm control included treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs or atrial fibrillation ablation after randomization. Usual care limited rhythm control to the management of atrial fibrillation–related symptoms. The first primary outcome was a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, stroke, or hospitalization with worsening of heart failure or acute coronary syndrome; the second primary outcome was the number of nights spent in the hospital per year. The primary safety outcome was a composite of death, stroke, or serious adverse events related to rhythm-control therapy. Secondary outcomes, including symptoms and left ventricular function, were also evaluated. RESULTS In 135 centers, 2789 patients with early atrial fibrillation (median time since diagnosis, 36 days) underwent randomization. The trial was stopped for efficacy at the third interim analysis after a median of 5.1 years of follow-up per patient. A first-primary-outcome event occurred in 249 of the patients assigned to early rhythm control (3.9 per 100 person-years) and in 316 patients assigned to usual care (5.0 per 100 person-years) (hazard ratio, 0.79; 96% confidence interval, 0.66 to 0.94; P=0.005). The mean (±SD) number of nights spent in the hospital did not differ significantly between the groups (5.8±21.9 and 5.1±15.5 days per year, respectively; P=0.23). The percentage of patients with a primary safety outcome event did not differ significantly between the groups; serious adverse events related to rhythm-control therapy occurred in 4.9% of the patients assigned to early rhythm control and 1.4% of the patients assigned to usual care. Symptoms and left ventricular function at 2 years did not differ significantly between the groups. CONCLUSIONS Early rhythm-control therapy was associated with a lower risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes than usual care among patients with early atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular conditions