Effects of olive and pomegranate by-products on human microbiota : a study using the SHIME (R) in vitro simulator

Two by-products containing phenols and polysaccharides, a "pate" (OP) from the extra virgin olive oil milling process and a decoction of pomegranate mesocarp (PM), were investigated for their effects on human microbiota using the SHIME (R) system. The ability of these products to modulate the microbial community was studied simulating a daily intake for nine days. Microbial functionality, investigated in terms of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and NH4+, was stable during the treatment. A significant increase in Lactobacillaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae at nine days was induced by OP mainly in the proximal tract. Polyphenol metabolism indicated the formation of tyrosol from OP mainly in the distal tract, while urolithins C and A were produced from PM, identifying the human donor as a metabotype A. The results confirm the SHIME (R) system as a suitable in vitro tool to preliminarily investigate interactions between complex botanicals and human microbiota before undertaking more challenging human studies

New isobaric lignans from refined olive oils as quality markers for virgin olive oils.

Herein we describe the influence of olive oil refining processes on the lignan profile. The detection of new isobaric lignans is suggested to reveal frauds in commercial extra-Virgin Olive Oils. We analyzed five commercial olive oils by HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS to evaluate their lignan content and detected, for the first time, some isobaric forms of natural (+)-pinoresinol and (+)-1-acetoxypinoresinol. Then we analyzed partially and fully-refined oils from Italy, Tunisia and Spain. The isobaric forms occur only during the bleaching step of the refining process and remain unaltered after the final deodorizing step. Molecular dynamic simulation helped to identify the most probable chemical structures corresponding to these new isobars with data in agreement with the chromatographic findings. The total lignan amounts in commercial olive oils was close to 2 mg/L. Detection of these new lignans can be used as marker of undeclared refining procedures in commercial extra-virgin and/or Virgin Olive Oils

Betalains in some species of the amaranthaceae family: A review

Natural pigments are largely distributed in the plant kingdom. They belong to diverse groups, with distinct biochemical pathways. Betalains with colours that range from yellow to red-violet can de divided into two main subgroups: betaxanthins and betacyanins. These types of pigments are confined into 13 families of the order Caryophyllales and in some genera of higher fungi (Amanita muscaria, Hygrocybe and Hygrophorus). The Amaranthaceae family includes diverse genera in which betalains are present: Alternanthera, Amaranthus, Beta, Chenopodium, Celosia and Gomphrena. The biosynthesis of betalains and their general biological properties were reviwed in the present work. In addition, the types of betalains present in some species of the aforementioned genera, their stability and production, as well as biological attributes, were reviewed.Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia-FCT; Portugal) [UID/BIA/04325/2013-MeditBio