Insight into the Aroma Profile and Sensory Characteristics of ‘Prokupac’ Red Wine Aromatised with Medicinal Herbs

Autochthones grape variety of ‘Prokupac’ (Vitis vinifera L.) is being increasingly cultivated in the Republic of Serbia and is one of the predominant varieties in the vineyards of southern Serbia. ‘Prokupac’ grapes are used to produce red wine with specific and distinctive varietal aromatic characteristics. Medicinal herbs can be effectively combined in alcoholic beverages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of medicinal herbs on the aroma profile and sensory characteristics of ‘Prokupac’ red wine. The analysis of the aromatic composition was conducted on ‘Prokupac’ wine (control) and ‘Prokupac’ wine aromatised with selected medicinal herbs: anise (Pimpinella anisum L.), cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum J. Presl.), wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) and licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.). The analysis of volatile aromatic compounds in the wines, performed by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method, identified 48 compounds that were classified in the following groups: alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, acids, ethyl esters and terpenes. Sensory analysis of wines was performed including visual, olfactory, gustatory and gustatory-olfactory perceptions. Terpenes were not identified in the ‘Prokupac’ control wine, while the highest content of all identified aromatic compounds was found in wines aromatised with anise, wormwood and cinnamon. The results indicated that selected medicinal herbs affected the composition and content of volatile aromatic compounds, as well as the sensory characteristics of analyzed wines. The unique aroma profile and pleasant taste of the wine aromatised with cinnamon contributed to its differentiation from other wines, and classification as very good wine

Rapid characterisation of hypanthium and seed in wild and cultivated rosehip: application of Raman microscopy combined with multivariate analysis

Rosehip (pseudo-fruit) of dog rose (Rosa canina L.) is highly valued, and owing to nutritional and sensory properties it has a significant place in the food industry. This work represents an innovative report Focusing on the evaluation of the phytochemical composition of rosehips (hypanthium and seed) grown in different locations in Serbia, using Raman microspectroscopy combined with multivariate data analysis. Some significant differences arose between the analysed rosehip samples with regard to the chemical profile of both hypanthium parenchyma cells and seed, although no evident discrimination was recorded between the samples of wild and cultivated rosehip. The differences between the hypanthium samples compared were mainly determined by the content of carotenoids, phenolic compounds and polysaccharides, whereas phenolics, polysaccharides (pectin, cellulose and hemicellulose) and lipids (to a lower extent) contributed to the seed sample discrimination. The differences observed between the rosehip samples may be attributed to abiotic factors (growing, ripening and storage conditions), which had a significant impact on the carotenoid and polyphenols biosynthesis

Antiproliferative activity of NCI-DTP glutarimide derivatives. An alignment independent 3D QSAR study - Supplementary Material

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Organically vs. Conventionally Grown Vegetables: Multi-elemental Analysis and Nutritional Evaluation

Vegetables are important contributors to a healthy diet, and their adequate daily intake can help prevent some of the major illnesses. The aimof the study was to examine the content of themajor and trace elements in selected organically grown (OG) and conventionally grown (CG) vegetables (cabbage, kohlrabi, Brussels sprout, beetroot, carrot, potato, and onion), taken from city green markets.Multi-elemental analysis was carried out by inductively coupled plasma method with optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Nutritional quality evaluation in comparison to nutritional reference values was done. In studied vegetables, Al, Ca, K, Fe (with the exception of organic kohlrabi),Mg, Na, P, S, and Zn were quantified in all samples, whereas As, Cd, Co, Hg, Se, and V were below the limit of detection for these elements. Macroelements and trace elements were found at higher concentrations in OG and CG vegetables, respectively. Differences in concentrations of studied elements between the same vegetable species produced in two agricultural systems were significant, except for beetroot (p ≤ 0.05). Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis results showed that the botanical origin had higher influence on sample differentiation than the agronomic practice, which was in accordance with the results obtained by Mann-Whitney U test. Good quality of both OG and CG vegetables in respect of nutritionally beneficial elements was observed

Antiproliferative and antibacterial activity of some glutarimide derivatives

<p>Antiproliferative and antibacterial activities of nine glutarimide derivatives (<b>1</b>–<b>9</b>) were reported. Cytotoxicity of compounds was tested toward three human cancer cell lines, HeLa, K562 and MDA-MB-453 by MTT assay. Compound <b>7</b> (2-benzyl-2-azaspiro[5.11]heptadecane-1,3,7-trione), containing 12-membered ketone ring, was found to be the most potent toward all tested cell lines (IC₅₀ = 9–27 μM). Preliminary screening of antibacterial activity by a disk diffusion method showed that Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible to the tested compounds than Gram-negative bacteria. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determined by a broth microdilution method confirmed that compounds <b>1</b>, <b>2</b>, <b>4</b>, <b>6</b>–<b>8</b> and <b>9</b> inhibited the growth of all tested Gram-positive and some of the Gram-negative bacteria. The best antibacterial potential was achieved with compound <b>9</b> (ethyl 4-(1-benzyl-2,6-dioxopiperidin-3-yl)butanoate) against <i>Bacillus cereus</i> (MIC 0.625 mg/mL; 1.97 × 10⁻³mol/L). Distinction between more and less active/inactive compounds was assessed from the pharmacophoric patterns obtained by molecular interaction fields.</p

Antiproliferative and antibacterial activity of some glutarimide derivatives

Antiproliferative and antibacterial activities of nine glutarimide derivatives (1–9) were reported. Cytotoxicity of compounds was tested toward three human cancer cell lines, HeLa, K562 and MDA-MB-453 by MTT assay. Compound 7 (2-benzyl-2-azaspiro[5.11]heptadecane-1,3,7-trione), containing 12-membered ketone ring, was found to be the most potent toward all tested cell lines (IC50 = 9–27 μM). Preliminary screening of antibacterial activity by a disk diffusion method showed that Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible to the tested compounds than Gram-negative bacteria. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determined by a broth microdilution method confirmed that compounds 1, 2, 4, 6–8 and 9 inhibited the growth of all tested Gram-positive and some of the Gram-negative bacteria. The best antibacterial potential was achieved with compound 9 (ethyl 4-(1-benzyl-2,6-dioxopiperidin-3-yl)butanoate) against Bacillus cereus (MIC 0.625 mg/mL; 1.97 × 10−3 mol/L). Distinction between more and less active/inactive compounds was assessed from the pharmacophoric patterns obtained by molecular interaction fields

Impact of Clonal Variability on Phenolics and Radical Scavenging Activity of Grapes and Wines: A Study on the Recently Developed Merlot and Cabernet Franc Clones (<i>Vitis vinifera</i> L.)

<div><p>In this study, grapes and corresponding wines of Merlot /No 022, 025 and 029/ and Cabernet Franc /No 02, 010 and 012/ clones (recently developed) were evaluated regarding the total phenolic content, total anthocyanin content, and radical scavenging activity, aiming to better understand their quality and market potential. The nineteen individual polyphenols were quantified in studied grape samples using UHPLC coupled to a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. The mother grapes and wines were used as the relevant standards. In the grape, studied characteristics were monitored at three stages of berry development: green berry, véraison and mature berry. The mature grape of clones presented high values of total phenolics (3.81–10.89 g gallic acid equivalent kg^-1 frozen weight), anthocyanin content (359.00–1668.18 mg malvidin-3-<i>O</i>-glucoside kg^-1 frozen weight) and the radical scavenging activity (41.37–80.48 mmol trolox equivalent kg^-1 frozen weight) depending on the clone. Grapes and wines of Merlot No 025 and Cabernet Franc No 010 stood out with the highest values of all three parameters. Generally, the high correlation was observed between TPC and RSA values for green berries and mature grapes, as well as for wine samples. The most abundant phenolics in both Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes were gallic acid, <i>p</i>-hydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid, catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin gallate, catechin gallate, and rutin. Catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, and catechin gallate, typical for the ripe grape of Merlot and Cabernet Franc clones, showed significant correlation with RSA values. Concentrations of individual polyphenols varied depending on the sample being studied and berry development stages. Merlot No 025 and Cabernet Franc No 010 grapes showed particularly interesting attributes for the production of high quality wines.</p></div