New Insight on the Bioactivity of Solanum aethiopicum Linn. Growing in Basilicata Region (Italy): Phytochemical Characterization, Liposomal Incorporation, and Antioxidant Effects

Food extract’s biological effect and its improvement using nanotechnologies is one of the challenges of the last and the future decades; for this reason, the antioxidant effect of scarlet eggplant extract liposomal incorporation was investigated. Scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.) is a member of the Solanaceae family, and it is one of the most consumed vegetables in tropical Africa and south of Italy. This study investigated the antioxidant activity and the phytochemical composition of S. aethiopicum grown in the Basilicata Region for the first time. The whole fruit, peel, and pulp were subjected to ethanolic exhaustive maceration extraction, and all extracts were investigated. The HPLC-DAD analysis revealed the presence of ten phenolic compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, flavanones, flavanols, and four carotenoids (one xanthophyll and three carotenes). The peel extract was the most promising, active, and the richest in specialized metabolites; hence, it was tested on HepG2 cell lines and incorporated into liposomes. The nanoincorporation enhanced the peel extract’s antioxidant activity, resulting in a reduction of the concentration used. Furthermore, the extract improved the expression of endogenous antioxidants, such as ABCG2, CAT, and NQO1, presumably through the Nrf2 pathway

Microbiological and chemical monitoring of Marsala base wine obtained by spontaneous fermentation during large-scale production

The present work was undertaken to evaluate the effect of the natural winemaking on the microbial and chemical composition of Marsala base wine. To this purpose, a large-scale vinification process of Grillo grape cultivar was monitored from harvesting to the final product. Total yeasts (TY) showed a rapid increase after must pressing and reached values almost superimposable to those registered during the conventional winemakings. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were registered at the highest levels simultaneously to yeast growth at the beginning of the process. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the species found at the highest concentrations in all samples analysed. Several strains (n= 16) was registered at high levels during the alcoholic fermentation and/or aging of wine; only two of them were detected on the grape surface. Lactobacillus plantarum was the LAB species most frequently isolated during the entire vinification process. Ethanol content was approximately 14% (v/v) at the end of vinification. The value of pH did not greatly vary during the process and the volatile acidity (VA) was detected at low concentrations during the entire transformation. The concentration of malic acid rapidly decreased during the AF; on the other hand, lactic acid showed an irregular trend during the entire process. trans-caffeil tartaric acid was the most abundant hydroxycinnamoyl tartaric acid and volatile organic compounds (VOC) were mainly represented by isoamylic alcohol and isobutanol

Further Insights on the Carotenoid Profile of the Echinoderm Marthasterias glacialis L.

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)In this study, the carotenoid profile of the echinoderm Marthasterias glacialis L. was established using HPLC-DAD-APCI-MS/MS equipped with a C-30 column. This approach rendered the identification of 20 compounds, eight of them reported for the first time in this marine organism. Differentiation of carotenoid isomers was also achieved.10714981510Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) [PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2011]FCT [SFRH/BD/62663/2009]Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) [PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2011]FCT [SFRH/BD/62663/2009]FAPESP [2010/16522-8

Influence of shading treatment on yield, morphological traits and phenolic profile of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.).

We investigated the roles of different shading strategies on plant growth, antioxidant activity and phenolic profile of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), a widely used herb with culinary and medicinal properties. Sweet basil plants were cultivated in a commercial multi-span tunnel-greenhouse covered with an EVAC plastic film, shaded from solar radiation in five different ways: n. 1, by calcium hydroxide whitening; n. 2, installing up - or n. 3, under - the greenhouse roof, a PE-HD white reflective net with 36% shading factor; n. 4, installing up - or n. 5, under - the greenhouse roof, a PE-HD white reflective net with 58% shading factor. The remaining part of the greenhouse (n. 6 - control) was unshaded. In each trial, yield traits, antioxidant activity and contents of phenolics of sweet basil plants were assessed to evaluate the influence of the shading strategy on these parameters. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by using three different in vitro assays: DPPH scavenging activity, reducing power (FRAP) and lipid peroxidation inhibition (BCB). To compare the data obtained by the different chemical methods, the relative antioxidant capacity index (RACI) was calculated. The yield was highest in unshaded plants. The control trial, in which the incoming solar radiation was filtered only by the film which covers the greenhouse, showed the highest RACI value (0.98), indicating that the antioxidant capacity was probably influenced by higher light and temperature conditions. Phenolic quantification, determined by HPLCDAD, enabled to observe a correlation between the antioxidant power and the identified metabolites

Comparison of different green-extraction techniques and determination of the phytochemical profile and antioxidant activity of Echinacea angustifolia L. extracts

Introduction: Nowadays several plant species, such as Echinacea angustifolia L., can be considered natural important sources for therapeutic applications. Echinacea angustifolia is one of the most known medicinal plants, it shows protective and preventive effects against many chronic diseases, thanks to immunostimulant properties, mostly due to its polysaccharides and antioxidants. However, the optimisation of green extraction techniques to respect the environment is, currently, a hard challenge for the recovery of secondary metabolites. Methodology: Hydro-enzymatic extraction has been performed for the first time, it was compared with other different extraction techniques, for their efficacy in bioactive compound recovery. Phytochemical characterisation has been carried out through high-performance liquid chromatography diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) analysis and the antioxidant activity has been also measured. Results: The highest extractive yields and the strongest antioxidant activity was obtained by cellulase and xylanase enzyme extraction. The enzymatic extraction with pectinase enzyme led to a higher polysaccharide content in comparison with the literature. The hydro-enzymatic extraction method and analytical conditions allowed the identification and quantification of two compounds, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time in E. angustifolia root extract. Conclusion: The optimised extraction methods discussed in this work led to a higher polysaccharides content, in comparison to previous literature results. The enzymatic extraction seems to be the best extraction technique, in terms of antioxidant yield and efficacy in bioactive compound recovery