Investigation of antioxidant capacity and mineral content of different tea samples

The consumption of various teas and herbal teas is undergoing a renaissance. They are used for the prevention and cure of various diseases and for pleasure. The herbal parts of teas all have valuable nutritional values, which have excellent antioxidant effect, free radical scavenging properties. The beneficial health effect is due to the polyphenols and the rich mineral element content. During the experiment the polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of the infusions made from green tea, cranberry, rooibos, honey bush, lemongrass, milfoil and nettle tea, were investigated. The mineral content of the plant parts and teas was also measured. A close correlation was found between polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity indicating the protective role of polyphenols. The antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content of lemongrass and green tea is outstanding compared to the other teas studied, honey bush and nettle showed the smallest content. For magnesium and calcium supplements the cranberry tea is best proposed, For manganese complement it is worth drinking green tea. Lemon grass, cranberry and green tea are the most important phosphorus source. In case of iron deficiency, cranberry tea is recommended, while lemongrass and honey bush tea are the most suitable for zinc supplementation. The results may also have been influenced by the preparation habits, such as the temperature of water or soaking time

Analysis of Polyphenol Patterns of <i>Pleurotus ostreatus</i> Cultivars by UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS; Application of FT-NIR and Chemometric Methods, Classification Options

The nutritional properties of Pleurotus mushrooms were studied to select the varieties with the most favourable properties. These mushrooms have high nutritional value; they are rich in carbohydrates, protein, minerals, vitamins, chitin and reducing compounds, such as phenols and polyphenols. In this study, the polyphenol profiles of thirteen Pleurotus ostreatus cultivars were established by the UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS technique. The results showed that 4-hydroxibenzoic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid and vanillic acid were the most abundant polyphenolic components in the samples. In addition, the Fourier-transformed near infrared (FT-NIR) spectra of the samples were recorded and evaluated. The correlation between the differences in NIR spectra and the differences in polyphenol patterns of the samples was investigated. The polyphenol results were subjected to several statistical evaluations (Kruskal–Wallis test, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Spearman correlation analysis, cluster analysis) to detect possible differences between the samples. Relationships between the polyphenol profile and antioxidant capacity (FRAP), total polyphenol content (TPC), free amino acid content (fAA) and the values of each polyphenol component were examined. Based on the results, an effort was made to group the varieties according to the attributes tested

Phytochemical evaluation of the fruits and green biomass of determinate-type sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L. fasciculatum) grown in terrestrial bioregenerative life-support research facilities

ABSTRACTThis study explores the potential feasibility of cultivating two determinate-type bell peppers, i.e. Hungarian Enigma Hot (HEH) and Hungarian Enigma Sweet (HES), in a ground bioregenerative life-support device. Fruits of the Hugarian Engima Sweet (HES) variety is advantageous for digestion due to it has thin cuticle and collenchyma at the same time the parenchyma of mesocarp of it is thin. β-carotene and caspanthin were the dominant carotenoids in both fruit varieties. Up to 55 tentative phytochemicals were not only in fruits but also in green juice processed from green leafy shoots. The green juice was also a rich source of protein (24–27% w/w) and a source of macro- and microelements. The findings of this study could hold valuable insights for the advancement of sustainable food production and resource utilization in space environments, with potential applications for long-duration space missions and beyond.Key policy highlight Two determinate-growth green pepper varieties with specific characteristics were grown in ground bioregenerative life-support research deviceFruits of the Hugarian Engima Sweet (HES) variety is advantageous for digestion as it has thin cuticle and collenchyma at the same time the parenchyma of mesocarp is thinThe green juice processed from green leafy shoots is a rich source of protein (24–27% w/w), luteins, flavonoids, phenolic acids and derivatives.With the change in color of the fruits from green to red, β-carotene and capanthin as carotenoids showed the greatest increase.Content of flavonoids and phenolic components, i.e. quercetin-3-O-d-glucopyranoside, rutin (quercetin-3-O-rutinoside), caffeic acid and ferulic acid showed a decreased trend during fruit ripening