Valorization of purple corn pericarp using two-pot emerging thermal and non-thermal extraction technologies and evaluation of product quality, structure, and bioactivity

The pericarp of purple corn has traditionally been thought of as being a byproduct. However, it is an excellent source of high-value polyphenols (such as anthocyanins, proanthocyanins, etc.) that could be extracted and used as nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and valuable starting material for synthesizing food colorants and food additives. Hence, the first investigation was to turn the purple corn pericarp (waste) into polyphenol-rich extract using a two-pot extraction technique and evaluate the phenolic profiles, antioxidant properties, product quality, and structural characteristics of the recovered extracts. According to Plackett-Burman design (PBD) screening, the critical extraction variables identified were acetic acid concentration, extraction time, and ethanol concentration. This was followed by optimization using Box-Behnken design (BBD), facial central composite design (FCCD), and full-factorial design (FFD), and the best design was identified after comparative analysis. The models were acceptable, as evidenced by the desirability values of 0.836 - 0.933. A comparison of BBD, FCCD, and FFD was performed, and it was found that the PBD-BBD produced a lower residual standard error (RSE) than the PBD-FCCD for most of the responses and yielded the lowest extraction time (~8.6 h), proving that the BBD could forecast the data more accurately. To evaluate the extracts' bioactive extraction efficiency, antioxidant properties, product quality, and structural parameters, samples from a single factor (SF) experiment and BBD were compared. The BBD extract had better color properties (lower ?E, higher a*, C, and H0) and a greater extraction yield (17.5 percent) than SF and was confirmed by the Principal component and Hierarchical cluster analysis. Although the scanning electron microscopy and the optical profilometer for BBD revealed irregular, loosely arranged granules, it had a less adverse effect on overall product quality and aligned with the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results. The BBD samples had lower levels of phenolic acids but higher levels of total phenolic content (118.86 [plus or minus] 3.60 g GAE/kg), condensed tannins (231.74 [plus or minus] 8.45 g EE/kg), antioxidant activity, cyanidin-3-glucoside (90.46 [plus or minus] 4.47 mg/g), naringin (7.68 [plus or minus] 0.58 mg/g), and cyanidin-chloride (49.81 [plus or minus] 1.78 mg/g). This showed that BBD can effectively be used to optimize the extraction of polyphenols from PCP using optimal extraction conditions, resulting in a higher polyphenol yield and the extract with superior antioxidant capacity. The second experiment involved the use of process intensification to improve the extraction of the bioactive compounds while maintaining the desired structural properties and reducing the extraction time. For the first time, the polyphenols in PCP were extracted using a two-pot microwave extraction (MAE) technique, an emerging thermal method. The MAE conditions were optimized, and response surface methodology was used to understand the association between independent variables and their responses and used further to decipher the underlying mechanisms through visualization. PBD was used to screen significant extraction parameters, and further optimization was done using BBD. Under the optimum conditions (ethanol (42.4 percent v/v), temperature (75 degreesC), and time (29 min)), total anthocyanin content (TAC), total phenolic content (TPC), and condensed tannins (CT) to the tune of 38.73 g/kg, 138.62 g/kg and 279.48 g/kg pericarp, respectively were obtained with a desirability function value of 0.838. Monomeric anthocyanins degraded and polymerized to 3-deoxyanthocyanin, whereas phenolic acids such as chlorogenic, caffeic, ferulic acid, and hesperidin increased as the microwave temperature and time increased. The MAE's extraction yield was 38.11 percent higher than the conventional extraction (CE) observed in research 1. The CE process took ~8.6 h, whereas MAE took ~0.5 h to extract the phenolics. The MAE samples had a higher TAC, TPC, CT, phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and hesperidin), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities than CE samples. Nevertheless, individual anthocyanins concentrations and color qualities were lower in MAE than in CE, despite a substantial increase in extraction yield and phenolic acids. Thus, requiring the need to explore an efficient non-thermal extraction technology. Hence, in the final experiment, ultrasound, a non-thermal extraction technique, was employed to extract phenolic compounds from PCP for the first time using the PBD coupled with the BBD to elucidate how the ultrasonic parameters affect the phenolic extraction. According to PBD's screening, the significant parameters were ethanol concentration, extraction time, temperature, and ultrasonic amplitude that affected TAC, TPC, and CT. These parameters were further optimized using the BBD method for the RSM. The RSM analysis showed a linear curvature for TAC and a quadratic curvature for TPC and CT with a lack of fit > 0.05, indicating that the models were trustworthy. Under the optimum conditions (ethanol (50 percent v/v), time (21 min), temperature (28 degreesC), and ultrasonic amplitude (50 percent)), a maximum TAC, TPC, and CT of 34.99 g C3G/kg, 121.26 g GAE/kg, and 260.59 of EE/kg pericarp, respectively were obtained with a desirability 0.952, which was regarded as acceptable and excellent, according to the desirability scale. The UAE sample was compared to MAE sample for product quality, bioactives, antioxidant potential, and structural properties (from research 2). It was found that although UAE sample had a lower extraction yield, TAC, TPC, and CT, the UAE gave a higher individual anthocyanin, flavonoid, phenolic acid profile, and antioxidant activity. The UAE took 21 min, whereas MAE took 30 min for maximum extraction. Regarding product qualities, the UAE extract was superior, with a lower total color change (?E) and a higher chromaticity (C), L*, a*, and H0 and WSI. Structural characterization using SEM showed that MAE extract had severe creases and ruptures, whereas UAE extract had less noticeable alterations which was attested by an optical profilometer. It was observed that ultrasound, an emerging non-thermal technology, might be used to effectively extract phenolics from PCP as it requires lesser time and improves phenolics yield, antioxidant potential, structure, and product qualities.Includes bibliographical references

Improving Health through Sustainable and Healthy Urban Food System Policy in Nigeria

Diet-related diseases and mortalities are assuming epidemic proportions globally. It is more worrisome in the Global South, especially in Africa, where the healthcare system is not resilient to the public health burden. There is a growing effort around the world to foster urban food system policies that would checkmate the failing health of the public and ensure improved quality of life. However, these efforts seem non-existent in many African regions. Therefore, there is a need for heightened efforts in these areas to address the food system and ensure a global healthy society. This study identified Nnewi, Nigeria, in sub-Saharan Africa, a typical urban area in Nigeria, and analyzed the public health challenges attributed to the non-existent food system policy and poor nutritional practices. The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact model, which has been successfully implemented in many cities, was adopted to propose a sustainable food system policy for Nnewi. Key policies proposed include autonomous local government power, government-assisted programs, clean and sustainable amenities, agricultural reforms, nutrition education, and reductions in food wastage to achieve a circular economy. An evaluation tool for implementing the food system policy was also developed. Overall, implementing the food system policies proposed herein would improve the quality of life of Nnewi residents. Other urban areas could also adopt similar food system policies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of a healthy and resilient global society

Extraction, Purification, and Elucidation of Six Ginkgol Homologs from <i>Ginkgo biloba</i> Sarcotesta and Evaluation of Their Anticancer Activities

Ginkgols are active constituents from Ginkgo biloba L. (GB) and have pharmacological activities, such as antibacterial and antioxidant activities. In our previous report, only five ginkgols were separated. However, ginkgol C17:1 had two isomers, for which their separation, identification, and bioactivities have not yet been investigated. Hence, this research reports the successful isolation of six ginkgol homologs with alkyl substituents—C17:1-Δ12, C15:1-Δ8, C13:0, C17:2, C17:1-Δ10, and C15:0—for the first time using HPLC. This was followed by the identification of their chemical structures using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ultraviolet (UV), gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis. The results showed that two ginkgol isomers, C17:1-Δ12 and C17:1-Δ10, were obtained simultaneously from the ginkgol C17:1 mixture and identified entirely for the first time. That aside, the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that the six ginkgol homologs possessed significant antiproliferation effects against HGC and HepG2 cells. Furthermore, the ginkgols with unsaturated side chains (C17:2, C15:1-Δ8, C17:1-Δ12, and C17:1-Δ10) exhibited more potent inhibitory effects than ginkgols with saturated side chains (C13:0, C15:0). In addition, unsaturated ginkgol C15:1-Δ8 showed the most potent cytotoxicity on HepG2 and HGC cells, of which the half-maximal inhibition concentrations (IC50) were 18.84 ± 2.58 and 13.15 ± 2.91 μM, respectively. The IC50 for HepG2 and HGC cells for the three unsaturated ginkgols (C17:1-Δ10, C17:2 and C17:1-Δ12) were ~59.97, ~60.82, and ~68.97 μM for HepG2 and ~30.97, ~33.81, and ~34.55 μM for HGC cells, respectively. Comparing the ginkgols’ structure–activity relations, the findings revealed that the position and number of the double bonds of the ginkgols with 17 side chain carbons in length had no significant difference in anticancer activity

Role of Drying Technologies on the Drying Kinetics, Physical Quality, Aroma, and Enzymatic Activity of Pineapple Slices

With a loss of about 50% of fruits and vegetables annually, there is a continuous need to improve food handling from the farm to the consumer. The solution may come partially from the selection of proper processing techniques that produce healthy and high-quality sustainable food, preserve natural resources, and contribute to prospering local economies. Pineapple is one of the most consumed fruits worldwide due to its remarkable sensorial and health-promoting attributes. Nevertheless, pineapple’s high moisture content (81–86%) impedes its long-term preservation, resulting in product losses and economic, social, and environmental challenges. Drying is the oldest processing technique for most fruits and vegetables. However, the investigation of modern technologies, such as infrared drying of pineapple, is limited. Moreover, industries are investigating different methods to dry faster, thereby saving energy and reducing environmental impact. Hence, this study used four drying methods to dry pineapple slices to allow the estimation of the most promising technique: infrared drying (ID), freeze-drying (FD), convective drying (CD), and relative humidity convective drying (RHCD). The impact of these dehydration techniques on drying kinetics, physical attributes (color, texture, rehydration, microstructure), aroma, and enzymatic activity (polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase) were reported. The results showed that ID had the highest coefficient of effective moisture diffusivity and drying rates and the shortest drying period (33.45%, 36.18%, and 76.12% lower than CD, RHCD, and FD, respectively). Drying curves were successfully fitted with the parabolic and logarithmic models, which showed higher coefficients of determination and lower reduced chi-square and root mean square error than the Newton and inverse logarithmic models. FD and ID triggered minor browning indexes, leading to the brightest products. RHCD and ID slices had the highest textural values and aroma concentrations, while FD samples showed the lowest. However, FD samples had a higher rehydration ratio than other dried products and showed slight structural modifications. Regarding polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase inactivation, ID was superior, followed by CD, RHCD, and FD. The actual results suggest that infrared drying could be an efficient technique for the obtention of high-quality dehydrated pineapple fruits in a short time

Livelihood Changes, Spatial Anticontagion Policy Effects, and Structural Resilience of National Food Systems in a Sub-Saharan African Country Context: A Panel Machine Learning Approach

The livelihood changes due to the COVID-19 policies in low-income and transitional economies serve as a lever for gauging the structural resilience of national food systems. Yet, few studies have addressed the cascading effects of the pandemic policies on the livelihood changes of farming system actors or modeled and provided coherent hypotheses about the transitory structural shifts at the micro-level. Other studies on the subject have either captured the early impacts of the pandemic on food systems with limited or no insight into the sub-Saharan African context or have used macro-level data, due to sparsely available micro-level data. These early insights are relevant for the design of early warning systems. However, an ongoing and deeper insight into the effects of pandemic policies is critical, since new and more comprehensive policies are needed to address the economic fallout and the extenuating effects of COVID-19 on food supply chain disruptions. The overriding questions are as follows: what are the effects of the pandemic policies on the livelihoods of food system actors and are there spatial-economic variations in the effects of the pandemic policies on the livelihoods of the farming system actors? Using 2019 and 2020 primary data from 836 farming system actors in Ghana, we offer fresh insights into the transitory micro-level livelihood changes caused by the COVID-19 anticontagion policies. We analyzed the data using the generalized additive, subset regression, classical linear, and logistic regression models in a machine learning framework. We show that the changes in the livelihood outcomes of the food system actors in Ghana coincide with the nature of pandemic mitigation policies adopted in the spatial units. We found that the lockdown policies had a negative and significant effect on the livelihoods of the farming system actors in the lockdown areas. The policies also negatively affected the livelihoods of the farming system actors in distant communities that shared no direct boundary with the lockdown areas. On the contrary, the lockdown policies positively affected the livelihoods of the farming system actors in the directly contiguous communities to the lockdown areas. We also document the shifts in the livelihood outcomes of the farming system actors, such as income, employment, food demand, and food security in the different spatial policy areas

Synergistic effects of lactobacillus strains and Acetobacter pasteurianus on jujube puree's product functionality and quality

Commercial lactic acid bacteria strains and indigenous Chinese acetic acid bacterium were co-cultivated bi- and tri-culturally in Junzao jujube puree for the first time to investigate their effects on physicochemical properties and quality attributes. Lactic-acetic acid bacteria co-fermentation was performed at 37 °C for 48 h during the anaerobic fermentation phase and at 30 °C for 144 h during aerobic fermentation. FTIR results showed that predominant wave numbers at 1716–1724 cm−1 and 2922–3307 cm−1 exhibited discernible alterations in the lactic-acetic acid co-fermented jujube purees compared to the control sample. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the flavonoid and flavonol contents were responsible for the enhanced 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activities of the fermented jujube purees. Consequently, fermented jujube puree from tricultures of Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Acetobacter pasteurianus gave the best results, with the highest phenolics, flavonoid, and flavonol contents and the most improved antioxidative properties and color. Overall, lactic-acetic acid bacteria co-culture holds significant promise in valorizing Junzao jujube purees for functional ingredient development, paving the way for further research into similar interactions with different food matrices or microbial strains

Sonoprocessing improves phenolics profile, antioxidant capacity, structure, and product qualities of purple corn pericarp extract

For the first time, purple corn pericarp (PCP) was converted to polyphenol-rich extract using two-pot ultrasound extraction technique. According to Plackett-Burman design (PBD), the significant extraction factors were ethanol concentration, extraction time, temperature, and ultrasonic amplitude that affected total anthocyanins (TAC), total phenolic content (TPC), and condensed tannins (CT). These parameters were further optimized using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) method for response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM showed a linear curvature for TAC and a quadratic curvature for TPC and CT with a lack of fit > 0.05. Under the optimum conditions (ethanol (50%, v/v), time (21 min), temperature (28 °C), and ultrasonic amplitude (50%)), a maximum TAC, TPC, and CT of 34.99 g cyanidin/kg, 121.26 g GAE/kg, and 260.59 of EE/kg, respectively were obtained with a desirability value 0.952. Comparing UAE to microwave extraction (MAE), it was found that although UAE had a lower extraction yield, TAC, TPC, and CT, the UAE gave a higher individual anthocyanin, flavonoid, phenolic acid profile, and antioxidant activity. The UAE took 21 min, whereas MAE took 30 min for maximum extraction. Regarding product qualities, UAE extract was superior, with a lower total color change (ΔE) and a higher chromaticity. Structural characterization using SEM showed that MAE extract had severe creases and ruptures, whereas UAE extract had less noticeable alterations and was attested by an optical profilometer. This shows that ultrasound, might be used to extract phenolics from PCP as it requires lesser time and improves phenolics, structure, and product qualities

Synergistic use of Punica granatum peel and Moringa oleifera leaf to develop a functional and sustainable decoction

The study aimed to formulate an aqueous decoction enriched with bioactive compounds of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel and moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf, combining the functional and therapeutic potential. Decoction prepared in ratios 50:50, 70:30, and 80:20 of pomegranate peel powder (PPP) and moringa leaf powder (ML) with warm water (20 mL), sugar (5 g), and lemon drops. The prepared decoctions were alkaline (pH 8–13), and the ratio 80:20 added with three lemon drops revealed significantly high (p < 0.05) total soluble solids (TSS), tannin, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and no detectable caffeine hence considered caffeine-free. PPP: ML (80:20), along with three lemon drops, qualifies the highest sensory scores regarding appearance, taste, aroma, and color for the approved composition. The PPP decoction contains low sodium concentration but is rich in magnesium (36 mg/100g), calcium (198.7 mg/100g), zinc (8.75 mg/100g), and iron (2.79 mg/100g) compared to other ratios. The total flavonoid (3.88 mg/100g and 4.01 mg/100g), phenolic content (78.22 mg/100g and 85.61 mg/100g), ferric-reducing antioxidant potential (1.91 mg/100g and 1.51 mg/100g) and free radical scavenging IC50 5.92 μg/mL and 5.59 μg/mL, observed for the ratio 80:20 with and without lemon drops decoction. However, stronger antioxidant power, i.e., lowest IC50 3.50 μg/mL, was observed in PPP decoction. In conclusion, the PPP and ML decoctions ratios of 80:20 with or without lemon drops are considered caffeine-free and a rich cocktail of bioactive compounds and minerals of nutritional and functional importance. Therefore, PPP and ML decoctions may be adopted in the beverage industry, serving as an instant source of bioactive compounds, vitamins, and minerals extracted more simply and economically in an aqueous solution