Caracterização da fração lipídica de frutos secos produzidos com diferentes bioestimuladores: potencial atividade hipocolesterolémica

Mestrado de dupla diplomação com a UTFPR - Universidade Tecnológica Federal do ParanáO colesterol elevado é o principal responsável pelo desenvolvimento de doenças cardiovasculares (DCV). Atualmente, o controlo dos níveis de colesterol é realizado através de inibição farmacológica da sua síntese endógena e absorção intestinal. Contudo, vários estudos demonstram que a dieta é também um fator essencial na proteção contra o desenvolvimento de DCV. Assim, é aconselhado o consumo de alimentos com potencial hipocolesterolémico. Destes alimentos fazem parte os frutos secos, tais como amêndoas, castanhas do Brasil, avelãs, macadâmias, nozes e pistácios, sendo aconselhada a sua inclusão numa dieta saudável e equilibrada, devido ao seu perfil lipídico, em particular os ácidos gordos poliinsaturados e esteróis. Além do mais, os produtos que derivam de matrizes naturais são considerados menos tóxicos, com reduzidos ou nenhum efeito secundário, quando comparados com os seus análogos sintéticos, constituindo uma potencial fonte de coadjuvantes terapêuticos. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar as propriedades nutricionais (metodologias AOAC), compostos bioativos (ácidos gordos: GC-FID; tocoferóis: HPLC-fluorescência; esteróis: GC-MS; açúcares livres: HPLC-RI) e propriedades hipocolesterolémicas (análise espetrofotométrica) de duas matrizes selecionadas: amêndoa e avelã, após diferentes tratamentos biológicos de suplementação do solo. Os perfis de compostos bioativos lipossolúveis demonstraram elevado potencial para a redução das dislipidemias associadas às DCV, em especial pelos níveis de ácidos gordos insaturados (predomínio de ácido oleico e ácido linoleico) e pelo teor em tocoferóis (com destaque para o α-tocoferol) e esteróis. Os diferentes bioestimulantes aplicados como tratamentos de suplementação do solo induziram algumas diferenças nos teores de tocoferóis, embora em todos os casos tenha sido validado o potencial de ambos os frutos como alimento funcional com efeitos de prevenção de dislipidemias, bem como uma fonte alternativa de compostos de interesse com aplicabilidade em diferentes indústrias (e.g., alimentar, nutracêuticos, cosméticos).High cholesterol is primarily responsible for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Currently, cholesterol levels are controlled through pharmacological inhibition of their endogenous synthesis and intestinal absorption. However, several studies demonstrate that diet is also an essential factor in protecting against the development of CVD. Thus, it is advisable to consume foods with hypocholesterolemic potential. These foods include dried fruits, such as almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, walnuts and pistachios, being advised to include them in a healthy and balanced diet, due to their lipid profile, in particular polyunsaturated fatty acids and sterols. Also, products derived from natural matrices are considered less toxic, with little or no side effects, when compared to their synthetic analogs, constituting a potential source of therapeutic adjuvants. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the nutritional properties (AOAC methodologies), bioactive compounds (fatty acids: GC-FID; tocopherols: HPLC-fluorescence; sterols: GC-MS; free sugars: HPLC-RI) and hypocholesterolaemic properties (spectrophotometric analysis) of two selected matrices: almond and hazelnut, after being submitted to different biological treatments of soil supplementation. The profiles of fat-soluble bioactive compounds showed a high potential for the reduction of CVD-associated dyslipidemia, especially due to the levels of unsaturated fatty acids (predominance of oleic acid and linoleic acid) and the content of tocopherols (with emphasis on α-tocopherol) and sterols. The different biostimulants applied as soil supplementation treatments caused significant differences in tocopherols content, but the potential of both nuts was proved highly promising as a functional food with capacity to prevent dyslipidemia, and as an alternative source of compounds of interest with applicability in different industries (e.g., food, nutraceuticals, cosmetics)

Valorization of bio-residues from the processing of main portuguese fruit crops: from discarded waste to health promoting compounds

Food processing generates a large amount of bio-residues, which have become the focus of different studies aimed at valorizing this low-cost source of bioactive compounds. High fruit consumption is associated with beneficial health effects and, therefore, bio-waste and its constituents arouse therapeutic interest. The present work focuses on the main Portuguese fruit crops and revises (i) the chemical constituents of apple, orange, and pear pomace as potential sources of functional/bioactive compounds; (ii) the bioactive evidence and potential therapeutic use of biowaste generated in the processing of the main Portuguese fruit crops; and (iii) potential applications in the food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. The current evidence of the effect of these bio-residues as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial agents is also summarized. Conclusions of the revised data are that these bio-wastes hold great potential to be employed in specific nutritional and pharmaceutical applications.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020); to the national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for L.B. and J.C.M.B. thanks the individual scientific employment program-contract (CEECIND/04479/2017). The authors are grateful to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project Mobilizador Norte-01-0247-FEDER-024479: ValorNatural®, whom the author F.S.R. thanks for her contract, and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project GreenHealth (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000042). This work was also funded by FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal programme through the project TRANSCoLAB 0612_TRANS_CO_LAB_2_P.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of plant biostimulants on nutritional and chemical profiles of almond and hazelnut

The increasing interest in natural foods with functional effects demands progressively higher production levels. Nonetheless, there is an orientation towards practicing more sustainable agriculture, free from environmentally harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Plant biostimulants, a class of bio-based agriculture products designed to improve crop development, represent a feasible alternative to chemical fertilizers, or, at least, an effective way of reducing the employed quantities. Herein, different types of plant biostimulants compatible with organic farming (Phytoalgae, Foliar B, Amino Acids, Soil B, Fitoalgas Green® and Sprint Plus®) were tested in two of the most important nut products worldwide: almonds and hazelnuts, which were tested for nutritional parameters, fatty acids profiles and tocopherols contents. Overall, the most notorious effects in almond samples were obtained with phytoalgae (seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum extracts), particularly reflected in the upraising around 10% of -tocopherol and -tocopherol contents. Likewise, hazelnuts treated with NPK + phytoalgae were also characterized by an increase of almost 18% in tocopherols levels, while treatment with NPK alone induced 15.1% higher percentage of linoleic acid.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020); to the national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for L. Barros and individual scientific employment program-contract (CEECIND/04479/2017). Further acknowledgments are due to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project Mobilizador Norte-01-0247- FEDER-024479: ValorNatural®, whom the author F.S. Reis thanks for her contract. This work was also funded by FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal programme through the project TRANSCo- LAB 0612_TRANS_CO_LAB_2_P, and integrated in the activities of the Operational Group EGIS– Estratégias de Gestão Integrada do Solo e da Água em Espécies Produtoras de Frutos Secos, funded by PT2020 and EAFRD (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparative analysis of the chemical composition of different portuguese bread

Bakery products are one of the most widely consumed foods in the world. Among them, bread is daily consumed by all social classes due to its macro (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) and micronutrients (minerals and vitamins). However, the refined wheat used in traditional baking diminishes its nutritional quality by reducing its dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals1. In addition, studies have been showing some health-related problems associated with obesity and diabetes. Compared with others made with different cereals or whole grains, traditional bread tends to be less satiating and increase the postprandial glycaemic index2. Thus, the great challenge of the cereal industry today is to innovate and reinvent a large part of its products, mainly by changing the traditional composition of food products, since it seems to be an effective method to improve the diet. Alternatives such as whole grains, other cereals or the incorporation of protein-rich flours such as legumes may help improve the nutritional quality of bread and have a favourable impact on consumers’ health3. Thus, in this study, a comparative analysis, and chemical parameters among two traditional wheat bread (smoked sausage and cheese, SSCB; and wine, WB) and five non-conventional bread supplemented with different cereals (rye, RB; legumes and cereals, LCB; biological seed, BSeB; biological spelt, BSpB; and chickpea and sprouted seeds, CSSB) was performed. The bread centesimal composition was evaluated by AOAC official procedures; free sugars using HPLC-RI, and fatty acids by GC-FID. Regarding the chemical characterisation of traditional bread, SSCB showed a high protein concentration (9.95±0.02 g 100g-1 FW). However, it was also the bread with the highest amount of fat and a high percentage of saturated fatty acids (6.1±0.1 g 100g-1 FW and 67.1±0.4 %, respectively). WB revealed the highest concentration of free sugars (37.6±1.8 g 100g-1 FW). In general, the non-conventional bread presented lower energy and higher polyunsaturated fatty acids than the traditional. Additionally, RB, BSpB, and CSSB presented the lowest fat concentration, with CSSB showing the highest concentration of dietary fibre (7.2±0.4 g 100g-1 FW). This study demonstrates that incorporating alternative flours produces bread of higher nutritional quality. In general, non-conventional bread is lower in calories, fat and have a higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids and dietary fibre.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020); national funding by F.C.T. and P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for L. Barros contracts. The authors are also grateful to FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal programme for financial support through the project TRANSCoLAB 0612_TRANS_CO_LAB_2_P. Manuel Ayuso is grateful to the LOCALNUTLEG project (PRIMA programme, Call 2020, Section 1 2021 Agrofood Value Chain topic 1.3.1.) for his postdoctoral research grant.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bread freezing as a new alternative to consumption

The growing consumer interest in health and food safety, as well as the increased consumption of fresh food, make frozen bread an increasingly popular alternative. This type of bread has several advantages, such as, large-scale manufacturing, economize manpower and equipment, and lowering production costs. Furthermore, one of the ways to extend shelf-life of ready-to-eat bread is to use deep freezing systems [1– 3]. In the present study, the effect of frozen storage time on the bread quality made from frozen dough, were studied, through the nutritional and chemical composition evaluation. Six equal multicereal breads were frozen, submitted to different storage times under deep freezing (190, 225, 251, 310, 344 and 694 days), and compared to the fresh multicereal bread. The nutritional profile was evaluated through the protein, ash, fat, and carbohydrate content, using official analysis methodologies (AOAC) and the energetic value was also estimated. The chemical composition regarding sugars and fatty were determined by chromatographic techniques, using a HPLC- RI and a GC-FID, respectively. In general, the results revealed that moister content is similar in all frozen breads, with values around 40%, while the fresh bread showed a content of 43.4%. The ash content presented values ranging between 1.51 ± 0.02 and 1.02 ± 0.02 g/100 g fresh weight (fw); and the mean value of the protein content in the samples was approximately 7 g/100 g fw. On the other hand, fiber showed values of 4% of total dietary fiber (TDF) fw for breads with longer frozen time, while the bread frozen for less time (190 days) and fresh bread showed values around 6% TDF fw. The fat content was also variable between fresh and frozen breads, however, the presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in all samples was predominant, namely linoleic acid (C18:2n6c). Regarding the sugars profile, fructose, glucose, and maltose were detected in all bread samples, showing a total sugar value between 1.78 and 2.97 g/100g fw; and as expected, the most abundant sugar was maltose, a common sugar found in cereal. Regarding the carbohydrate evaluation, the obtained results ranged between 40.4 and 43 g/100g fw for frozen breads and 38.3 g/100 g fw for fresh bread; and the energetic value presented values greater than 220 kcal/100g in all samples. The results obtained show that freezing may be a promising alternative for bread conservation, contributing to the reduction of the high percentage of disposal that happens in all industrialized countries.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020); national funding by F.C.T. and P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for L. Barros contracts. The authors are also grateful to FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal programme for financial support through the project TRANSCoLAB 0612_TRANS_CO_LAB_2_P.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of plant biostimulants on nutritional and chemical profiles of almond [Prunus dulcis (Miller) D. A. Webb] fruit and potential application in functional foods

The increasing interest in natural foods with functional effects requires ever-higher levels of production. Dried fruits are an example of this, since they are a relevant source of bioactive constituents. Almond [Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb] is one of the most popular nuts in the world, standing out in the first place in what production level concern. 1,2 The benefits of including this nut in the human diet are partly related to its content on monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), particularly oleic acid, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), namely linoleic acid, tocopherols (e.g., α-tocopherol) and phytosterols (e.g., β-sitosterol). 3,4 Nonetheless, the high production levels generates a global concern towards an agriculture less harmful to the environment, which raises the need for ecological alternatives to the use of conventional fertilizers and pesticides.5,6 Plant biostimulants, a class of bio-based agriculture products designed to improve crop development, might be used in agricultural fields to replace or reduce chemical fertilizers. In the study reported herein, different plant biostimulants compatible with organic farming (Fitoalgas Green®, a seaweed extract of Ascophyllum nodosum, Sprint Plus®, an amino acid-rich foliar spray, and Tradebor®, a boron fertilizer for soil and foliar application) were tested on almond orchards of the NE of Portugal. After field-treatments and collection, the nut samples were analysed for their nutritional value, fatty acids profile and tocopherols content. The nutritional evaluation showed that almond nut is mainly composed of fat (around 55% on a fresh weight basis), which reached maximum values in the untreated control, with slight differences resulting from using different plant biostimulants. For protein levels, values close to 15 g/100 g fw were obtained. Ash and water, the minor components, showed minimal variations, each representing about 3 g/100 g fw. In what concerns energy, the maximal value (669 kcal/100 g fw) was obtained in the control treatment. Sucrose was the only identified soluble sugar, with an average content of approximately 12 g/100 g fw. Tradebor treatments induced a higher sucrose content (13 g/100 g fw). As a general rule, low levels of monosaccharides (fructose and glucose, for example) in nuts serve as an indicator of the good storage conditions of the products.7 Regarding fatty acids, oleic acid (C18: 1n9c) was the predominant one (close to 70%), and its content remained almost unchanged in almond despite using different plant biostimulants. The lack of significant changes in almond was also observed for linoleic acid (C18:2n6c), which was detected up to 16%. The following fatty acids were palmitic acid (C16:0), with percentages close to 8.5%, and stearic acid (C18: 0), with values of approximately 2%. Other fatty acids were detected in trace percentages (total sum was less than 2%): myristic acid (C14:0), palmitoleic acid (C16:1), marginal acid (C17:0), α- linolenic (C18:3n3), eicosanoic acid (C20:0) and eicosenoic acid (C20:1), but without significant differences between fertilizer treatments. As in most foods with high-fat content, the concentration of tocopherols was elevated: average values of 50 mg/100 g fw, which is in agreement with previous reports. 8,9 Considering the concentration in total tocopherols, Fitoalgas Green® induced an increase of around 10% (50 to 55 mg/100 g fw), mainly due to the rise in α-tocopherol and γ- tocopherol. Nonetheless, all other assayed biostimulants had the opposite effect. Overall, the most notorious effects in almond samples were obtained with Fitoalgas Green®, particularly reflected in the upraising around 10% of γ-tocopherol and β-tocopherol contents. Due to the high levels of α-tocopherol in almonds, consuming these products, besides being enjoyable, may also have important benefits because they can significantly increase the levels of dietary vitamin E.10 These results are important to help selecting the best plant biostimulant to be applied to increase the expression of a specific bioactive compound, adding greater commercial value to these products and enabling a potential application in functional foods.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020); to the national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for L. Barros and to J. Barreira individual scientific employment program-contract (CEECIND/04479/2017). Further acknowledgments are due to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project Mobilizador Norte-01-0247-FEDER-024479: ValorNatural®, whom the author F.S. Reis thanks for her contract. This work was also funded by FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal programme through the 311 project TRANSCoLAB 0612_TRANS_CO_LAB_2_P, and integrated in the activities of the Operational Group EGIS – Estratégias de Gestão Integrada do Solo e da Água em Espécies Produtoras de Frutos Secos, funded by PT2020 and EAFRD (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of plant biostimulants on nutritional and chemical profiles of Corylus avellana L. (hazelnut) and potential application in functional foods

The interest in the functional characteristics of nuts has been increasing due to their high content in bioactive constituents. Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is the most important cultivated species in the Corylus genus (Betulaceae), and it is widely spread from the Himalayas to the far north of Canada1. The inclusion of nuts in the human diet can bring benefits that are partially related to the high percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), particularly oleic acid, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly linoleic acid, tocopherols (for example, α-tocopherol), and phytosterols (for instance, β-sitosterol)2–4. With the increase in food production, there is an orientation towards more sustainable agriculture, free of pesticides and fertilizers harmful to the environment. Plant biostimulants, a class of bio-based agriculture products designed to improve crop development, represent a feasible alternative to chemical fertilizers or, at least, an effective way of reducing the applied quantities. In the present work, different types of plant biostimulants compatible with organic farming (NPK, Fitoalgas Green® and Sprint Plus®) were tested in one of the most popular nut products worldwide: hazelnut. Furthermore, the samples were tested for nutritional parameters, fatty acids profiles and tocopherols contents. The nutritional evaluation of hazelnuts showed that this species is mainly composed of fat (around 55% on a fresh weight basis). The highest fat content was detected in the control line (samples grown in soils without any biostimulant), with no significant differences in result of the type of soil supplementation. Protein levels were also high (16.8 g/100 g fw), particularly in hazelnuts treated with NPK (12% higher than the control), but all plant biostimulants (except phytoalgae) induced a positive effect in this macronutrient. Ash and water with the minor components showed minimal variations. The maximal caloric value (675 kcal/100 g fw) was obtained in the control line. Regarding soluble sugars, only sucrose was identified with an average value of 16g /100g fw. Oleic acid (C18:1n9c) was the predominant fatty acid, and a noticeable decrease was observed in hazelnut, independently of the plant biostimulant, compared with the control (76%). Linoleic acid (C18:2n6c), contrarily to oleic acid, showed a significant increase in hazelnut samples grown in soils treated with plant biostimulants, reaching the maximum value when using NPK (15.1%). Palmitic acid, likewise, was affected in hazelnut samples, reaching the highest percentage with Sprint Plus (9.6%). A very similar result was observed for stearic acid (C18:0). Other fatty acids were detected in trace percentages (total sum less than 2%): myristic acid (C14:0), palmitoleic acid (C16:1), marginal acid (C17:0), α-linolenic (C18:3n3), eicosanoic acid (C20:0) and eicosenoic acid (C20:1). Overall, the concentration of tocopherols was elevated: average values of 25 mg/100 g fw. The most notorious effects were obtained with NPK+phytoalgae, characterized by an increase of almost 18% in tocopherols levels (23 to 28 mg/100 g fw). In comparison, treatment with NPK alone induced a 15.1% higher percentage of linoleic acid. The obtained values were lower than those reported in different hazelnut varieties5, which might be related to genetic factors (different cultivars), climatic variation6,7, soil type8, or analytical methodology9. In general, the tested plant biostimulants induced increased levels of important bioactive compounds, particularly in what concerns linoleic acid (mainly using NPK) and tocopherols levels (with best results using NPK + phytoalgae) in hazelnuts. These results can be important to select the best plant biostimulant to be applied and, thus, enable the increase in the amount of a specific bioactive compound, interesting for a potential application for functional foods.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Natural ingredients obtained from Brassica oleracea L. waste

There is a clear tendency to incorporate natural-based ingredients into food formulations, namely in products from the bakery industry. These type of ingredients have been highlighted as promising alternatives to commonly used artificial ingredients and have been well accepted by consumers due to the associations with beneficial health effects [1]. Natural ingredients, acting simultaneously as preservation and functionalization agents, due to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, are particularly valued when obtained from plant species, namely through the use of bio-waste [2]. The aim of this work was to obtain a new bioactive ingredient with functional properties, extracted from B. oleracea cultivars (cabbage) waste, to be incorporate in bakery products. For this, two extractions methods (heat assisted extraction, HAE and ultrasound assisted extraction, UAE) were tested. In each method, three independent variables, time (t), temperature or power (T; P) and solvent (S, % of ethanol) were combined in design of using response surface methodology (RSM). The content of total phenolic compounds, quantified through the Folin-Ciocalteu method, was the experimental response used in the optimization procedure. The polynomial models were successfully fitted to the experimental data and used to determine the optimal HAE and UAE conditions. The results obtained for the extraction by HAE showed that the maximum antioxidant activity was optimal by the S/L ratio (S/L = 49.1 g/L) and temperature (77 ºC), but for a short time (15.5 min) and with an ethanol percentage around 26.8 %. The temperature and time seem to be the least determining factors in this optimization, since the ratio and solvent percentage are the factors that most influence the extraction process. This way, it was possible to obtain an extract with total phenols averging of 19.82 mg/g. For UAE, the results showed that power appears to be one of the least important factors in the extraction of total phenols, with solvent percentage and S/L ratio being the most important factors. The optimal point was set at 458.4 W, and ratio S/L (38.36 g/L), but in the lower values of solvent percentage (42.2 %) and extraction time (19.9 min). At the optimal point, higher quantities of total phenols was predicted when compared to the ones achieved in the optimization runs, reaching 19.35 mg/g. In an overall, it was possible to observe that the UAE, using a small amount of solvent, presented a concentration of phenolic compounds similar to HAE, a conventional methodology. The extract rich in phenolic compounds will later have its antimicrobial and antioxidant capacity tested, in order to be incorporated into bakery products as a natural preservative. Thus being the main purpose of this work the replacement of artificial preservatives by natural agents.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), for Tatiane C.G. Oliveira grant (2021.06046.BD), M. Carocho’s contract (CEECIND/00831/2018), and for L. Barros’ contract, through the institutional scientific employment program-contract. E. Pereira and C. Caleja are grateful to the BEONNAT (BBI-2019-SO1-R1 - 887917) and Healthy-PETFOOD (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-047073) projects, respectively, for their contracts. The authors are also grateful to the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of by “BIOMA”, and GreenHealth projects and by FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal programme for financial support through the project TRANSCoLAB 0612_TRANS_CO_LAB_2_P.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Plants from Lamiaceae family as a source of essential oils with bioactive properties

Aromatic and medicinal plants have been used worldwide for culinary purposes aiming to modify, enhance or improve the flavour of foods. In addition, several aromatic plants are also recognized for their empiric use in folk medicine due to their beneficial health effects1. The secondary metabolites of aromatic plants could have diverse applications in industry, and several essential oils have a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status attributed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this sense, presently, the possibility of replacing synthetic additives, which can cause adverse effects on consumer health over time, with natural compounds, is attracting the attention of the food industry2. Species of the Lamiaceae family are known to contain antioxidant active components such as phenolic acids and flavonoids. These compounds reveal important information about the quality of food and have potential benefits in the human health3. Therefore, plants of this family have been screened for their potential use as alternative remedies mainly due to their bioactive compounds and antimicrobial properties4. In addition, studies focusing on different aromatic plants have suggest the use of their essential oils and some constituents as promising alternatives to obtain natural preservatives. The present work reports a study on the bioactivity of essential oils obtained from several aromatic plants, namely Origanum vulgare subsp. virens (oregano), Rosmarius officinalis L. (rosemary), Salvia officinalis L. (salvia) and Thymus vulgaris L. (thyme), which are strong flavour aromatic plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family that have long been used in culinary and food industry. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger apparatus and volatile compounds were analyzed by GC-MS equipped with DB-5MS fused-silica column. The antimicrobial activity was determined by broth microdilution assay against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative ATCC bacterial strains and 2 fungi4. The bioactive potential was evaluated through several in vitro assays, namely antioxidant activity using two different in vitro assays: DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and reducing power; cytotoxic activity using three tumour cell-lines: CaCo (colorectal adenocarcinoma), MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma) and NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung carcinoma) and a non-tumor cell line of monkey kidney (VERO), by applying the sulforhodamine B assay; anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The results revealed the bioactive potential of all studied extracts. In particular, all essential oils tested in this study were capable of inhibiting the growing of A. brasiliensis and A. fumigatus fungus, presenting minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values under 0.3% (v/v) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) under 0.6% (v/v); results highlighted the sample of O. vulgare essential oil which showed the best results against gram-positive and negative bacteria. In the antioxidant activity O. vulgare subsp. virens and T. vulgaris presented values of EC50 for DPPH assay between 9.23 and 10.69 mg/ml respectively, while the other species showed EC50 above 39 mg/mL; for reducing power, T. vulgaris presented the best results with EC50 of 1.69 mg/mL, followed by O. vulgare subsp. virens, R. officinalis and S. officinalis, with values of 1.69 mg/mL, 2.80 mg/mL and 6.50 mg/mL, respectively. In the cytotoxic activity O. vulgare subsp. virens presented the best results with GI50 values of 45 g/mL against CaCo and MCF-7 cell lines; in the anti-inflammatory assay the lowest GI50 value was observed with the essential oil extracted from T. vulgaris L. (8 g/mL). In general, the results revealed a high antimicrobial potential of the essential oils against the tested strains, as well as a very promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In addition, it was also possible to verify the absence of toxicity of both extracts. Therefore, essential oils extracted from the studied plants of the Lamiaceae family can be appealing alternatives to the currently used synthetic additives, with potential application in the food and pharmaceutical industries for their relevant bioactive properties.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) and R.M. Spréa (2020. 08092.BD) grant. M.I. Dias, R.C. Calhelha and L. Barros would like to thank the national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract. To the project AllNat for the contract of C. Caleja (Project AllNat POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030463) and to the Project Mobilizador Norte-01-0247-FEDER-024479: ValorNatural® for the contract of E. Pereira. This research was conducted under the project “BIOMA – Bioeconomy integrated solutions for the mobilization of the Agro-food market” (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-046112), by “BIOMA” Consortium, and financed by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Incentive System to Research and Technological development, within the Portugal2020 Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program. This work has been supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia (451-03-68/2020-14/200007).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio