Phenolic compounds extracted by acidic aqueous ethanol from berries and leaves of different berry plants

Phenolic compounds of berries and leaves of thirteen various plant species were extracted with aqueousethanol and analyzed with UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS, HPLC-DAD, and NMR. The total content of phenolics wasconsistently higher in leaves than in berries (25–7856 vs. 28–711 mg/100 g fresh weight). Sea buckthornleaves were richest in phenolic compounds (7856 mg/100 g f.w.) with ellagitannins as the dominant compoundclass. Sea buckthorn berries contained mostly isorhamnetin glycosides, whereas quercetin glycosideswere typically abundant in most samples investigated. Anthocyanins formed the dominating groupof phenolics in most dark-colored berries but phenolic acid derivatives were equally abundant in saskatoonand chokeberry berries. Caffeoylquinic acids constituted 80% of the total phenolic content(1664 mg/100 g f.w.) in bilberry leaves. B-type procyanidins and caffeoylquinic acids were the major phenoliccompounds in hawthorn and rowanberry, respectively. Use of leaves of some species with prunasin,tyramine and b-p-arbutin, may be limited in food applications.</p

High temperature and bacteriophages can indirectly select for bacterial pathogenicity in environmental reservoirs

The coincidental evolution hypothesis predicts that traits connected to bacterial pathogenicity could be indirectly selected outside the host as a correlated response to abiotic environmental conditions or different biotic species interactions. To investigate this, an opportunistic bacterial pathogen, Serratia marcescens, was cultured in the absence and presence of the lytic bacteriophage PPV (Podoviridae) at 25°C and 37°C for four weeks (N = 5). At the end, we measured changes in bacterial phage-resistance and potential virulence traits, and determined the pathogenicity of all bacterial selection lines in the Parasemia plantaginis insect model in vivo. Selection at 37°C increased bacterial motility and pathogenicity but only in the absence of phages. Exposure to phages increased the phage-resistance of bacteria, and this was costly in terms of decreased maximum population size in the absence of phages. However, this small-magnitude growth cost was not greater with bacteria that had evolved in high temperature regime, and no trade-off was found between phage-resistance and growth rate. As a result, phages constrained the evolution of a temperature-mediated increase in bacterial pathogenicity presumably by preferably infecting the highly motile and virulent bacteria. In more general perspective, our results suggest that the traits connected to bacterial pathogenicity could be indirectly selected as a correlated response by abiotic and biotic factors in environmental reservoirs.Peer reviewe

Postprandial response on fatty meal is affected by sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) supplementation: NMR metabolomics study

Nuclear magnetic resonance fingerprinting (H-1 NMR) combined with different statistical tools was used to assess the effect of phenolics-rich sea buckthorn berries on postprandial plasma and urine after consumption of a fatty meal and to obtain information about the absorption and excretion of ethyl-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and various inositols in sea buckthorn berries. Analyses of plasma samples indicated the delayed postprandial increase of lipid levels and the restrained increase of 3-hydroxy butanoic acid and N-acetyl glycoproteins when sea buckthorn meal was compared to control. The rise of acetic acid concentration and the occurrence of methyl-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and ethyl-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, but no inositols, were noticed after sea buckthorn meal in plasma. The methylglucoside was detected for the first time in plasma in relation to sea buckthorn containing diet, and the compound has subsequently been identified for the first time in sea buckthorn. Analyses of postprandial urine samples revealed a lower creatinine and dimethylamine concentrations and a higher hippuric acid concentration in urine after the berry meal when compared to the control. Excretion of the ethylglucoside in urine was detected after the sea buckthorn meal which indicates that this alkyl sugar is not efficiently metabolized by human body. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

H-1 NMR-based metabolic fingerprinting of urine metabolites after consumption of lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) with a high-fat meal

The use of NMR metabolomics in clinical trials is growing; however, reports of postprandial experiments in humans are scarce. The present study investigated whether consumption of lingonberries as a supplement to an oil-rich meal modifies the postprandial fingerprints of human urine. Urine samples were analysed by H-1 NMR, and untargeted multivariate analysis was applied to the data for comprehensive fingerprinting. A clear separation of postprandial lingonberry meal samples was revealed. To evaluate statistical differences, a targeted approach was applied for the informative spectral areas. Significantly (p < 0.05) increased levels of polyphenol metabolites, hippuric acid and 4-hydroxyhippuric acid, and decreased creatinine and dimethylamine levels were the major explanations for the grouping of the postprandial samples after the different meals. Thus, inclusion of polyphenol-rich lingonberry powder in a rapeseed oil-rich meal modifies the metabolic profile of urine which may be used to reveal both consumption of berries and health-promoting changes in the common metabolism. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Characterization of Metabolite Profiles of Leaves of Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.)

Leaves of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) are potential raw materials for food and health care products. Targeted (HPLC-DAD, HPLC-MS, and GC-FID) and nontargeted (¹H NMR) approaches were applied to study the metabolomic profiles of these leaves. Chlorogenic acid was the major phenolic compound in bilberry leaves and arbutin in lingonberry leaves. Flavonol glycosides were another major group of phenolics in bilberry [5–28 mg/g DM (dry mass)] and lingonberry (15–20 mg/g DM) leaves. Contents of fatty acids were analyzed using GC-FID. The changes in the metabolomics profile during the season were apparent in bilberry but not lingonberry leaves. Negative correlation was found between the contents of lipids and phenolics. The consistency between the key results obtained by targeted and nontargeted analyses suggests nontargeted metabolomic analysis is an efficient tool for fast screening of various leaf materials