Pilot trial of Melissa officinalis L. leaf extract in the treatment of volunteers suffering from mild-to-moderate anxiety disorders and sleep disturbances

Botanicals are an alternative option to prescription drugs for the alleviation of symptoms due to anxiety disorders and insomnia. Melissa officinalis L. has been shown as an anti-stress and anxiolytic agent. We previously reported moderate stress improvement in mice in which Cyracos®, a standardized Melissa officinalis L. extract, was administrated. Cyracos® contains phytochemicals that inhibit gamma-aminobutyric acid catabolism. This was a prospective, open-label, 15-day study to evaluate the efficacy of Cyracos® on stressed volunteers, who have mild-to-moderate anxiety disorders and sleep disturbances. Using clinician rating criteria, primary outcomes showed improvement of symptoms. Cyracos® reduced anxiety manifestations by 18% (p < 0.01), ameliorated anxiety-associated symptoms by 15% (p < 0.01) and lowered insomnia by 42% (p < 0.01). As much as 95% of subjects (19/20) responded to treatment, of which 70% (14/20) achieved full remission for anxiety, 85% (17/20) for insomnia, and 70% (14/20) for both. Our study demonstrates, for the first time that chronic administration of Melissa officinalis L. relieves stress-related effects. It is critical that further studies incorporate a placebo and investigate physiological stress markers

Specific phenolic compounds and sensory properties of a new dealcoholized red wine with pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) extract

The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit has a long history of human consumption and possesses notable antioxidant and cardiovascular properties. This work evaluated the feasibility to provide a new functional beverage based on a dealcoholized red wine matrix supplemented by a pomegranate extract. The potential bioactive compounds in the pomegranate extract, punicalagin A and B and ellagic acid, were analyzed during the downstream process in order to evaluate the functional dose in the final beverage. The addition of pomegranate extract to the dealcoholized red wine resulted in a product with more intense yeast odor, acidity, yeast flavor, and astringency and with a less intense berry flavor. Consumer acceptance of the product was also investigated and the results revealed the existence of a niche of consumers willing to consume dealcoholized wine enriched with pomegranate extract. After tasting, 50% and 40% of those consumers initially interested by this product concept declared to be interested to purchase the control sample and the functional beverage, respectively. The daily consumption of two servings of 250 mL of this new pomegranate-enriched dealcoholized wine provides 82 mg of total ellagitannins, corresponding to the sum of punicalagin A and B and ellagic acid

Active compounds and distinctive sensory features provided by American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) extract in a new functional milk beverage

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) has recognized neurocognitive effects, and a ginsenoside-rich extract of the root of the plant has been shown to improve cognitive functions in young adults. This study aimed at assessing the chemical and sensory profiles of a UHT-treated, low-lactose functional milk containing American ginseng. Individual ginsenosides in the milk were analyzed by HPLC. Descriptive sensory analysis was performed by a trained panel to quantitatively document sensory changes resulting from the addition of ginseng and the UHT process on flavored and unflavored milks. Consumer acceptance of the product was also investigated. Total ginsenoside content in the UHT-treated milk enriched with the ginseng extract after UHT process treatment was 7.52. mg/100. g of milk, corresponding to a recovery of 67.6% compared with the content in the unprocessed extract. The intake of 150 to 300. mL of this ginseng-enriched milk provides the amount of total ginsenosides (11.5 to 23. mg) necessary to improve cognitive function after its consumption. Both the presence of ginsenosides and their thermal treatment affected some sensory properties of the milk, most notably an increase in bitterness and metallic taste, the appearance of a brownish color, and a decrease in milky flavor. Levels of brown color, bitterness, and metallic taste were highest in the industrially processed ginseng-enriched milk. The bitterness attributable to ginseng extract was reduced by addition of vanilla flavor and sucralose. A consumer exploratory study revealed that a niche of consumers exists who are willing to consume this type of product.The financial support of the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain (Madrid, Spain) for the project SENIFOOD (CENIT Programme) and for the contract with A. Tárrega (Juan de la Cierva Programme) is acknowledged. We gratefully acknowledge Juan Duato Aguilar, from Naturex Spain S.L. (Quart de Poblet, Spain), for his valuable technical support

Diabetic and non-diabetic consumers' perception of an apple juice beverage supplemented with a Fraxinus excelsior L. seed extract having potential glucose homeostasis benefits

To be successful, an innovative functional food must be perceived by the consumer to present a clear concept and significant health benefit. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the perception of diabetic and non-diabetic populations to a newly developed beverage containing a Fraxinus excelsior seed extract with previously demonstrated effects on glucose homeostasis in an apple juice. Both the diabetic and non-diabetic populations accepted the health benefits of the functional beverage and no differences were found between their perceptions. No difference was found between perception of both population and specific product information provides a better functional benefits understanding. The consumers made a strong connection between Fexcelsior seed extract and diabetes in agreement with provided information. Sensory evaluation of the developed functional beverage compared with the apple juice matrix showed that perceived bitterness affected product acceptance and should be corrected.This work was supported by the CENIT Programme from the Spanish Government (SENIFOOD project). We thank Dr. Antoine Bily (Naturex Inc.) for Fraxipure+ extract sample preparation; Dr. Carmen Sánchez. from Hospital General Universitario Reina Sofía, Murcia, and Dr. Mònica Bulló, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona

Impact of microencapsulation within electrosprayed proteins on the formulation of green tea extract-enriched biscuits

In this work, a green tea extract (GTE) was encapsulated within electrosprayed protein (i.e. gelatin and zein) microparticles, and the protective ability of both systems on the green tea catechins was assessed. The microparticles (with encapsulation efficiencies ∼90 g/100 g), proved to be very effective in stabilizing the catechins during a thermal treatment at 180 °C (12 min), preserving 85–90 g/100 g of their initial catechins content, while free GTE lost almost 40 g/100 g of its catechins content. In order to assess the impact of microencapsulation in a real food system, the GTE-loaded electrosprayed microparticles were added to biscuits dough. Results showed that microencapsulation did not significantly protect during biscuit processing and emphasized the need of assessing the behaviour of microencapsulation systems in real food processing conditions. The sensorial analysis of the biscuits indicated that addition of the GTE-loaded microparticles did not impact the acceptability of the biscuits, as perceived by consumers.Laura G. Gómez-Mascaraque is recipient of a predoctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Call 2013. The authors would like to thank the Spanish MINECO project AGL2015-63855-C2-1 for financial support.Peer reviewe