Investigation of aflatoxins occurrence in flavoring preparations for the alcoholic beverage industry

An exploratory study was carried out to determine the occurrence of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in different aromatic preparations used in the production of bitters, liqueurs and flavored wines. Aflatoxin analysis was performed by liquid-liquid extraction followed by immunoaffinity column for purification of the extracts. The aflatoxins were quantitatively detected using high performance liquid chromatography technique with post-column derivatization and fluorescence detection. After in-house validation, the method was applied to the determination of aflatoxins in 40 samples of aromatic preparations used in the production of aperitifs and bitter drinks, vermouths and aromatized wines, and nut and citrus liqueurs. This method showed good accuracy between days (72%–95% recovery) and precision (3%–13% relative standard deviation). None of the samples analyzed contained detectable levels of aflatoxins. Only in one sample of aromatic extract of vermouth and aromatized wine aflatoxins B1 and G1 were found below the limit of quantification. From the results, it was concluded that these extracts for commercial purposes are safe for human consumption in terms of aflatoxin concentrations. In addition, the general outcome of the study showed that an accurate analysis of AFs can be obtained in a short time with a high sensitivity, even on difficult matrices such as hydro-alcoholic mixtures of different aromatic preparations

Screening of Bioactivity in Extracts from Different Varieties of Lettuce

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) belongs to Asteraceae family and is a widely grown and a popularly consumed vegetable worldwide cause leafy vegetables are common items in a well-balanced diet. Lettuce is low in calories, fat and sodium. It is a good source of fiber, iron, folate, vitamin C and various bioactive compounds. Lettuce is consumed in salad mixes and, as its consumption is increasing, is becoming one of most 'healthy' food. Moreover, since lettuce is generally eaten raw, more nutrients and bioactive compounds are retained compared to other vegetables that are cooked or processed, avoiding in this way the degradation of the thermolabile phytochemicals with potential nutraceutical interest. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown anti-inflammatory, cholesterol-lowering, anti-diabetic, and antioxidant activities attributed to the bioactive compounds in lettuce. The healthy properties are attributed to a large supply of antioxidant compounds mainly polyphenols. As they act as free radical scavengers, both these secondary plant metabolites are fundamental to counter oxidative stress, inflammation, cancer, diabetes, age-related neurodegeneration and cardiovascular disease. Further, various studies have investigated the effects of the polyphenolic compounds present in green lettuce, in reducing oxidative and anti-inflammatory stresses. This work aims to assess polyphenolic content, as well as related antioxidant capacity of 16 lettuce types, belonging to butterhead (var. capitata) and crisphead (var. crispa) varieties, in order to know their potential correlation between phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Results have shown lattuce an interesting and cheap source of antioxidant phenolics useful to functionalise various products

Chemical Composition of Chinotto Juice

Citrus × myrtifolia (Rafinesque) fruits are commonly used to produce the popular Italian beverage 'Chinotto'. The C. myrtifolia plant comes from Asia, like most Citrus spp., but is currently spread across Mediterranean countries including Italy, mostly Liguria and Sicily. The fresh juice obtained by squeezing ripe fruits of Chinotto was investigated with the aim of drawing up guidelines to be used as a marker of quality and authenticity of this product. The juice composition was studied in terms of soluble solids, organic acids, titratable acidity, sugars, mineral components, and flavanone glucoside and ascorbic acid content. The results represent a starting point to define the quality of Chinotto juice, improving its quality and detecting any adulterations or fraud

Determination of Antioxidant Activity and Sun Protection Factor of Commercial Essential Oils

Aromatic plants have been used since antiquity as great potential sources of therapeutics in folk medicine and as preservatives in foods, because they contain many biologically active compounds. Among all, essential oils (EOs) are an important group of secondary metabolites that, even if not essential for plant survival, are significant for their allelopathic effects, either negative or positive, on microbes and the environment. From the chemical point of view, EOs are highly complex mixtures involving from several tens to hundreds of different types of volatile compounds, such as terpenoids, oxygenated terpenes, sesquiterpenes, and hydrocarbons. EOs have been widely used for their virucidal, bactericidal, fungicidal, anticancer, antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities, and the biological properties of EOs are strictly linked to their chemical composition. This study was carried out on the following commercial EOs: bergamot (Citrus bergamia), bitter orange (Citrus aurantium), clove (Eugenia caryophyllata), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare dulce), helichrysum (Helicrysum italicum), lavender (Lavandula officinalis), lemon (Citrus limon), oregano (Origanum vulgare), palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini), star anise (Illicium verum), tangerine (Citrus reticulate), tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), turmeric (Curcuma longa), Chinese yin yang (mix of Eucalyptus aetheroleum, Cymbopogon citratus, Caryophylli aetheroleum, Mentha piperita, Pinus sylvestris, Salvia rosmarinus, Lavandula officinalis, Foeniculum vulgare, Salvia officinalis, Illicium verum, Mentha arvensis, Abies siberica), Japanese yin yang (Mentha arvensis), and ylang ylang (Cananga odorata). The EOs were tested for the in vitro determination of antioxidant activity (DPPH assay) and of the sun protection factor (SPF) by means of UV-Vis spectrophotometry. These biological activities allowed us to evaluate their potential application as natural preservatives and active ingredients in foods, beverages, and cosmetics, as well as in galenic preparations. The results show that amongst the seventeen EOs studied, clove showed the highest antioxidant activity, with an EC50 of 0.36 µL/mL, followed by Chinese yin yang (5.35 µL/mL), oregano (11.58 µL/mL), and ylang ylang (12.71 µL/mL). Moreover, higher SPF values were recorded for bergamot (9.74), star anise (9.28), fennel (9.10), bitter orange (8.96), ylang ylang (8.41), and clove (8.26). Overall, clove and ylang ylang EOs resulted the best potential candidates as natural preservatives, as they showed the highest health-promoting values, because at the same time, they provided protection against oxidative stress and fought free radicals that may form after sun radiation exposure

Where does N(ε)-trimethyllysine for the carnitine biosynthesis in mammals come from?

N(ε)-trimethyllysine (TML) is a non-protein amino acid which takes part in the biosynthesis of carnitine. In mammals, the breakdown of endogenous proteins containing TML residues is recognized as starting point for the carnitine biosynthesis. Here, we document that one of the main sources of TML could be the vegetables which represent an important part of daily alimentation for most mammals. A HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method, which we previously developed for the analysis of N(G)-methylarginines, was utilized to quantitate TML in numerous vegetables. We report that TML, believed to be rather rare in plants as free amino acid, is, instead, ubiquitous in them and at not negligible levels. The occurrence of TML has been also confirmed in some vegetables by a HPLC method with fluorescence detection. Our results establish that TML can be introduced as free amino acid in conspicuous amounts from vegetables. The current opinion is that mammals utilize the breakdown of their endogenous proteins containing TML residues as starting point for carnitine biosynthesis. However, our finding raises the question of whether a tortuous and energy expensive route as the one of TML formation from the breakdown of endogenous proteins is really preferred when the substance is so easily available in vegetable foods. On the basis of this result, it must be taken into account that in mammals TML might be mainly introduced by diet. However, when the alimentary intake becomes insufficient, as during starvation, it might be supplied by endogenous protein breakdown

Monitoring antioxidants by coulometry: Quantitative assessment of the strikingly high antioxidant capacity of bergamot (Citrus bergamia R.) by-products

A recently optimized rapid, cheap, and accurate coulometric method has been exploited to determine the antioxidant capacity of bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) by-products, including first (FPJ) and second press juices (SPJ), in comparison to analogous products from several citrus species. Extracts from the entire edible part (i.e., juice and pulp) and de-oiled peel of bergamot were also assayed. The Coulometrically Determined Antioxidant Capacity (CDAC) data, expressed as moles of electrons per mass of sample, were evaluated with other parameters such as total phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical inhibition. The CDAC of bergamot FPJ (39 mmol e- kg-1) was comparable with other citrus juices (20–65 mmol e- kg- 1 range), whereas the CDAC of bergamot SPJ (816 mmol e- kg-1) was strikingly higher than the counterparts from other citrus fruits. This value approached that of bergamot peel extracts (822 mmol e- kg- 1). Bergamot peel and SPJ also exhibited the highest DPPH inhibition. The CDAC values were associated with the HPLC-determined content of flavonoids, namely neoeriocitrin, naringin, and neohesperidin, which were 4-10-fold more concentrated in bergamot SPJ and peel than in SPJ from other citrus species. These findings contribute to point at bergamot by-products as rich sources of antioxidant compounds on a quantitative basis, highlighting their enormous potential for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and food applications

Occurrence of Pipecolic Acid and Pipecolic Acid Betaine (Homostachydrine) in Citrus Genus Plants

The presence of pipecolic acid and pipecolic acid betaine, also known as homostachydrine, is herein reported for the first time in Citrus genus plants. Homostachydrine was found in fruits, seeds, and leaves of orange, lemon, and bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso et Poit). As homostachydrine was not commercially available, as a comparative source, extracts of alfalfa leaves ( Medicago sativa L.) were used, in which homostachydrine is present at high concentration. Then, the results where confirmed by comparison with an authentic standard synthesized and purified starting from pipecolic acid. The synthesized standard was characterized by a ESI-MS/MS study using a 3D ion-trap mass spectrometer. When subjected to MS/MS fragmentation in positive ion mode, homostachydrine, unlike its lower homologue proline betaine (also known as stachydrine), showed a pattern of numerous ionic fragments that allowed unambiguous identification of the compound. For the quantitation in the plant sources, high sensitivity and specificity were achieved by monitoring the transition (158 → 72), which is absent in the fragmentation patterns of other major osmolytes commonly used as markers for studies of abiotic stress. As for the metabolic origin of homostachydrine, the occurrence in citrus plants of pipecolic acid leads to the hypothesis that it could act as a homostachydrine precursor through direct methylation

Characterization of essential oil recovered from fennel horticultural wastes

<p>Fennel crop has been traditionally used as spice in cooking and fragrances, and in folk medicine for its spectrum of useful properties. Mediterranean is the elective natural cultivation area for this plant with Italy being a leader producer. A limit of this production is due to the high amount of wastes derived still rich of phytochemicals, which are usually underused. Hence, the extraction and characterization of essential oil from residues of fennel horticultural market was investigated to understand the potential profit of their recycling. Forty-eight compounds resulted for fennel oil waste, analysed by GC-FID-MS, with the most abundant among components was anethole. Other constituents contributing to fennel flavour were the monoterpenes limonene and nerol. The exploitation of this oil as a good source of bioactive compounds was assessed by means of its antioxidant power measured with DPPH test.</p