Microencapsulation of ellagic acid from pomegranate husk and karaya gum by spray drying

Objective: The aim of this study was to obtain and characterize microcapsules with Ellagic Acid (EA) from pomegranate as core material and Karaya Gum (KG) as wall material. Methods: EA was obtained from dry pomegranate peel powder via methanolysis and quantified by HPLC. Microcapsules were obtained preparing a dispersion containing KG and EA in phosphate buffer pH 8. The dispersion was processed in a spray dryer under specific conditions (inlet temperature at 150 °C, feed flow at 30% and aspirator at 100 %) for obtaining of microcapsules. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used for characterization. Results: Obtained material contains 98.03±2.82 mg EA/g of pomegranate peel. FTIR showed that there were changes in the molecular structure of microcapsules referred to raw materials. SEM confirmed that particles obtained had micron-size (1-5 µm). DSC analysis showed that raw materials had glass transition temperatures of 79.58 and 83.41 °C and for microcapsules the value was67.25 °C. Conclusion: Methanolysis is a viable technique for the obtaining of EA from the peel of pomegranate. KG shows good potential for be used as wall material for EA microencapsulation

Extractos polifenólicos de las hojas de Ilex paraguariensis y Larrea divaricata y su potencial antioxidante y antiCOVID-19

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A.St. Hil) and jarilla (Larrea divaricata Cav.) leaves are commonly used as tea infusions in some Latin American countries. This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant activity (FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH) and the inhibitory potential of yerba mate and jarilla extracts on the 3CL protease (Mpro) from coronavirus SARS-COV-2 by a molecular docking approach. The main bioactive compounds present in the plant extracts were identified by HPLC-MS. According to the results, the extracts of yerba mate and jarilla showed high antioxidant activity in DPPH (> 91 %), ABTS (> 90 %), and FRAP (> 47 mg TE/g) assays. Additionally, the phenolic compounds present in yerba mate, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (rutin) (-9.60 kcal/mol) and 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid (-8.20 kcal/mol) were more effective on Mpro than the antiviral drugs remdesivir and ribavirin. The compounds rutin and 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid have a high affinity and interaction with one of the catalytic residues Cys145 of Mpro. The glycosylation of phenolic compounds affects biological activities: positively anti-COVID-19 and negatively antioxidant. The results suggest that extracts of yerba mate and jarilla leaves could enhance the body's antioxidant defenses and can be used to improve health.Las hojas de yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A.St. Hil) y jarilla (Larrea divaricata Cav.) se usan comúnmente como infusión de té en algunos países de América Latina. Este estudio se realizó para evaluar la actividad antioxidante (FRAP, ABTS y DPPH) y el potencial inhibitorio de los extractos de yerba mate y jarilla sobre la proteasa 3CL (Mpro) de coronavirus SARS-COV-2 por enfoque de acoplamiento molecular. Los principales compuestos bioactivos presentes en los extractos de plantas fueron identificados por HPLC-MS. De acuerdo con los resultados, los extractos polifenólicos de yerba mate y jarilla presentaron alta actividad antioxidante en los ensayos DPPH (> 91 %), ABTS (> 90 %) y FRAP (> 47 mg TE/g). Además, los compuestos fenólicos presentes en la yerba mate, quercetina-3-O-rutinósido (rutina) (-9,60 kcal/mol) y ácido 3,4-dicafeoilquínico (-8,20 kcal/mol) han demostrado ser más efectivos (en Mpro) que los medicamentos antivirales remdesivir y ribavirin. Los compuestos rutina y ácido 3,4-dicafeoilquínico tienen alta afinidad e interacción con uno de los residuos catalíticos Cys145 de Mpro. Estos resultados sugieren que las hojas de yerba mate y jarilla podrían potenciar las defensas antioxidantes del organismo y podrían beneficiar la salud

Phytochemical and Biological Characterization of the Fractions of the Aqueous and Ethanolic Extracts of <i>Parthenium hysterophorus</i>

In this study, the fractions of the aqueous (AE) and ethanolic (EE) crude extracts of Parthenium hysterophorus were evaluated for their phytochemical composition, cytotoxic, and antioxidant activity. The two extracts were subjected to a fractionation by vacuum liquid chromatography, obtaining seven fractions for each extract. These fractions were evaluated for the presence of phenolic compounds by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometer (RP-HPLC-MS) analysis. Their cytotoxic activity was tested with a hemolysis assay. The antioxidant activity was evaluated with the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and hydroxyl radical (–OH) scavenging assays. In addition, the effect of the fractions on the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), from human erythrocytes, was evaluated. The phytochemical screening by RP-HPLC-MS mainly showed the presence of flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids. The hemolysis assay exhibited a low cytotoxic activity by the fractions of the AE, but the fractions of the EE exhibited a hemolytic effect. The fractions of the AE and EE showed significant antioxidant activity to inhibit radicals in the three radical scavenging assays. Moreover, only some fractions of the AE showed a significant increase in the activity of the SOD enzyme, while the activity of CAT exhibited a significant increase by the fractions of the two extracts. The fractions of the AE and EE of P. hysterophorus have phytochemicals with antioxidant activity to inhibit radicals and increase the activity of in vitro antioxidant enzymes

Assessment of pomegranate wine lees as a valuable source for the recovery of (poly)phenolic compounds

Wine lees are the residue formed at the bottom of recipients containing wine after fermentation and are mainly composed of yeast. They can be applied for the recovery of value-added phytochemicals owing to the ability of yeast to form molecular interactions with (poly)phenolic compounds. This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of lees obtained as by-products after winemaking of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) juice. Pomegranate wine lees showed high both phenolic content (about 30 mg GAE/g dry matter) and antioxidant capacity by DPPHradical dot and ABTS+ assays. The phytochemical screening of this by-product by UHPLC–ESI-MSn allowed the identification of up to 39 chemicals, being hydrolysable tannins and anthocyanins the predominant structures. Ellagic acid and gallic acid were present in high amounts. In addition, mineral composition was also assessed. Overall, pomegranate wine lees resulted in a promising source for the recovery of bioactive polyphenols with potential applications in different industrial fields

Ellagic acid production using polyphenols from orange peel waste by submerged fermentation

Background Biotechnological processes are part of modern industry as well as stricter environmental requirements. The need to reduce production costs and pollution demands for alternatives that involve the integral use of agro-industrial waste to produce bioactive compounds. The citrus industry generates large amounts of wastes due to the destruction of the fruits by microorganisms and insects together with the large amounts of orange waste generated during the production of juice and for sale fresh. The aim of this study was used orange wastes rich in polyphenolic compounds can be used as source carbon of Aspergillus fumigatus MUM 1603 to generate high added value compounds, for example, ellagic acid and other molecules of polyphenolic origin through submerged fermentation system. Results The orange peel waste had a high concentration of polyphenols, 28% being condensed, 27% ellagitannins, 25% flavonoids and 20% gallotannins. The major polyphenolic compounds were catechin, EA and quercetin. The conditions, using an experimental design of central compounds, that allow the production of the maximum concentration of EA (18.68mg/g) were found to be: temperature 30°C, inoculum 2×107 (spores/g) and orange peel polyphenols 6.2 (g/L). Conclusion The submerged fermentation process is an effective methodology for the biotransformation of molecules present in orange waste to obtain high value-added as ellagic acid that can be used as powerful antioxidants, antibacterial and other applications.L. Sepúlveda thanks CONACYT for the support provided through the program “Postdoctoral stays abroad for the consolidation of research groups” with proposal number 262627. This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Zlatina Genisheva wish to thank to FCT for the financial support (SFRH/BPD/108868/2015).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Recovery of Bioactive Ellagitannins by Ultrasound/Microwave-Assisted Extraction from Mexican Rambutan Peel (Nephelium lappaceum L.)

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) is a tropical fruit from Asia which has become the main target of many studies involving polyphenolic analysis. Mexico produces over 8 million tons per year of rambutan, generating a huge amount of agro-industrial waste since only the pulp is used and the peel, which comprises around 45% of the fruit&rsquo;s weight, is left behind. This waste can later be used in the recovery of polyphenolic fractions. In this work, emerging technologies such as microwave, ultrasound, and the hybridization of both were tested in the extraction of phenolic compounds from Mexican rambutan peel. The results show that the hybrid technology extraction yielded the highest polyphenolic content (176.38 mg GAE/g of dry rambutan peel). The HPLC/MS/ESI analysis revealed three majoritarian compounds: geraniin, corilagin, and ellagic acid. These compounds explain the excellent results for the biological assays, namely antioxidant activity evaluated by the DPPH, ABTS, and LOI (Lipid oxidation inhibition) assays that exhibited great antioxidant capacity with IC50 values of 0.098, 0.335, and 0.034 mg/mL respectively, as well as prebiotic activity demonstrated by a &micro;Max (maximum growth) of 0.203 for Lactobacillus paracasei. Lastly, these compounds have shown no hemolytic activity, opening the door for the elaboration of different products in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries

Evaluation of Solid-State Fermentation Conditions from Pineapple Peel Waste for Release of Bioactive Compounds by <i>Aspergillus niger</i> spp.

Currently, agroindustrial waste can be used to obtain bioactive compounds. The solid-state fermentation is an alternative for the valorization of these waste and to be able to release bioactive compounds that may be of interest to different industrial sectors. The aim of this study was to evaluate solid-state fermentation conditions using pineapple peel waste as the substrate with Aspergillus niger spp., to release bioactive compounds using a Plackett–Burman exploratory design. Temperature, humidity, inoculum, NaNO3, MgSO4, KCl, and KH2PO4 conditions in the fermentation process were evaluated. The antioxidant capacity was determined, and the main compounds of the fermentation extracts were identified. The results revealed that the Aspergillus niger HT3 strain reached a hydrolyzable tannin release of 10.00 mg/g, While Aspergillus niger Aa20 reached a condensed tannin release of 82.59 mg/g. The KH2PO4 affects the release of condensed tannins with A. niger Aa20, and MgSO4 affects the release of hydrolyzable tannins with A. niger HT3. In addition, a positive antioxidant activity was demonstrated for the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP technique. The main compounds in the fermented pineapple peel were 3-feruloylquinic acid, caffeic acid, lariciresinol, and 3-hydroxyphloretin 2′-O-xylosyl-glucoside, among others. The solid-state fermentation process is a biotechnological alternative for the release of bioactive compounds

Solid-State Fermentation of Sorghum by Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger: Effects on Tannin Content, Phenolic Profile, and Antioxidant Activity

Sorghum contains antioxidants such as tannins. However, these are considered antinutritional factors since they are responsible for the low digestibility of proteins and carbohydrates. Nevertheless, these can be extracted by solid-state fermentation (SSF). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of SSF from Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger Aa210 on the tannin contents, phenolic profiles determined by HPLC-MS, and antioxidant activities (ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP) of two genotypes of sorghum. The results showed that with SSF by A. niger Aa210, a higher tannin content was obtained, with yields of 70&ndash;84% in hydrolyzable tannins (HT) and 33&ndash;49% in condensed tannins (CT), while with SSF by A. oryzae the content of HT decreased by 2&ndash;3% and that of CT decreased by 6&ndash;23%. The extracts fermented by A. niger at 72 and 84 h exhibited a higher antioxidant activity. In the extracts, 21 polyphenols were identified, such as procyanidins, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, scutellarein, arbutin, and eriodictyol, among others. Therefore, SSF by A. niger was an efficient process for the release of phenolic compounds that can be used as antioxidants in different food products. It is also possible to improve the bioavailability of nutrients in sorghum through SSF. However, more studies are required

Nutritional Characterization of the Functional and Antioxidant Activity of Cactus Flowers from Hidalgo, Mexico

Flowers have traditionally been used in the production of various dishes to improve the sensory aspects of food. In this study, the nutritional and functional composition of cactus flowers was evaluated for their possible use in the food industry. The objective of this research was also to identify the main secondary metabolites of flowers by HPLC/ESI/MS analyses. The findings indicated that the most abundant components of the flowers were carbohydrates, followed by ash and proteins. The highest antioxidant capacity, assessed by DPPH• and ABTS•+ assays, was observed in Echinocereus cinerascens, with values of 255.08 and 392.65 µM Trolox equivalents (TE)/g, respectively. These values were also correlated with a high content of phenolic compounds. Forty-four secondary metabolites were detected in total, of which the most predominant corresponded to compounds such as quercetin and isorhamnetin, as well as their derivatives, protocatechuic acid and apigenin. This study indicates that Cactaceae flowers could be a source of nutrients; in addition, the diversity of compounds and their good antioxidant properties suggest that they should be considered as new sources of natural antioxidant compounds in the elaboration of functional products