Application of metabolomics to assess milk quality and traceability

Milk is a foodstuff widely consumed around the world originating from a variety of different species, animal management and production systems. In recent years, consumers have placed a much greater emphasis on the authenticity and origin of some food products often willing to pay a premium price for such products that is, for example 'Grass-Fed Dairy'. Therefore, it is important to establish methods to assess both quality and authentication of milk and dairy products for increased food security and consumer protection. Accordingly, NMR-based, GC–MS-based, and LC–MS-based metabolomics have been established as useful tools in the analysis of dairy products, such as raw and processed milk. This short-review provides an updated and critical overview on the most useful metabolomics-based platforms and the most useful multivariate statistical tools available for metabolomic data interpretation

Effect of Moringa oleifera L. Leaf Powder Addition on the Phenolic Bioaccessibility and on In Vitro Starch Digestibility of Durum Wheat Fresh Pasta

Fresh pasta was formulated by replacing wheat semolina with 0, 5, 10, and 15 g/100 g (w/w) of Moringa oleifera L. leaf powder (MOLP). The samples (i.e., M0, M5, M10, and M15 as a function of the substitution level) were cooked by boiling. The changes in the phenolic bioaccessibility and the in vitro starch digestibility were considered. On the cooked-to-optimum samples, by means of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight (UHPLC-QTOF) mass spectrometry, 152 polyphenols were putatively annotated with the greatest content recorded for M15 pasta, being 2.19 mg/g dry matter (p < 0.05). Multivariate statistics showed that stigmastanol ferulate (VIP score = 1.22) followed by isomeric forms of kaempferol (VIP scores = 1.19) and other phenolic acids (i.e., schottenol/sitosterol ferulate and 24-methylcholestanol ferulate) were the most affected compounds through the in vitro static digestion process. The inclusion of different levels of MOLP in the recipe increased the slowly digestible starch fractions and decreased the rapidly digestible starch fractions and the starch hydrolysis index of the cooked-to-optimum samples. The present results showed that MOLP could be considered a promising ingredient in fresh pasta formulation

Effect of Moringa oleifera L. Leaf Powder Addition on the Phenolic Bioaccessibility and on In Vitro Starch Digestibility of Durum Wheat Fresh Pasta

Fresh pasta was formulated by replacing wheat semolina with 0, 5, 10, and 15 g/100 g (w/w) of Moringa oleifera L. leaf powder (MOLP). The samples (i.e., M0, M5, M10, and M15 as a function of the substitution level) were cooked by boiling. The changes in the phenolic bioaccessibility and the in vitro starch digestibility were considered. On the cooked-to-optimum samples, by means of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight (UHPLC-QTOF) mass spectrometry, 152 polyphenols were putatively annotated with the greatest content recorded for M15 pasta, being 2.19 mg/g dry matter (p < 0.05). Multivariate statistics showed that stigmastanol ferulate (VIP score = 1.22) followed by isomeric forms of kaempferol (VIP scores = 1.19) and other phenolic acids (i.e., schottenol/sitosterol ferulate and 24-methylcholestanol ferulate) were the most affected compounds through the in vitro static digestion process. The inclusion of different levels of MOLP in the recipe increased the slowly digestible starch fractions and decreased the rapidly digestible starch fractions and the starch hydrolysis index of the cooked-to-optimum samples. The present results showed that MOLP could be considered a promising ingredient in fresh pasta formulation

Distilled grape pomace as a functional ingredient in vegan muffins: effect on physicochemical, nutritional, rheological and sensory aspects

Wheat-based vegan muffins were formulated with increasing levels (0, 5 and 10 g per 100 g substitutes to flour) of dried grape pomace powder obtained after distillation (DGPP). The DGPP-muffins showed a greater (P < 0.05) total dietary fibre and a lower (P < 0.05) total starch content to the control. The inclusion of DGPP influenced (P < 0.05) both the batter's rheological properties and the baked muffins' technological characteristics, including the baking loss, the volume, the firmness, the spread ratio and the colour. The in vitro antioxidant activity and the phenolic content increased (P < 0.05) following DGPP inclusion. The untargeted phenolic profiling by UHPLC-HRMS revealed an (P < 0.05) increase of several phenolic classes (i.e. free and bound fractions) following the inclusion of DGPP in the recipe. Flavonoids, mainly anthocyanins, were the most abundant compounds. A quantitative descriptive sensory analysis detected the DGPP-vegan muffins showed good sensory acceptability. The vegan muffin with 5 g per 100 g of DGPP obtained the highest overall acceptability score by the panellists

Italian Lycium barbarum L. Berry: Chemical Characterization and Nutraceutical Value:

Lycium barbarum L. has received considerable attention in recent years also in western countries because of the interesting healthy value of these berries. In this paper, goji samples cultivated in Southern Italy were analyzed for their chemical composition and nutritional profile in order to characterize fruits of Italian origin and to increase the awareness about their nutraceutical value. Lipid fraction was characterized by high percentages of unsaturated fatty acids, in particular oleic and linoleic acids, and very low values of atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes (0.1 and 0.2, respectively). In addition, goji berry was an interesting source of phytosterols (41.5 mg/100 g), essentially represented by β-sitosterol. Carotenoid analysis showed the presence of zeaxanthin, in esterified form, with high content of zeaxanthin dipalmitate (277.9 mg/100 g). Finally, in vitro antioxidant capacity and phenolic compounds were investigated. The results suggested that goji hydro-alcoholic extract possessed the ability to scavenge free radicals. Phenolic acids were clearly the most abundant compounds followed by flavonols and favanols. The results reported in this study confirm that Italian L. barbarum berry is a rich source of bioactive molecules with nutraceutical properties

Valorisation of Crocus sativus flower parts for herbal infusions: impact of brewing conditions on phenolic profiling, antioxidant capacity and sensory traits

Saffron production from Crocus sativus flowers produces large amounts of by-products that may represent an excellent source of polyphenols. The aim of this work was to evaluate infusions originating from different brewing processes and from different saffron flower portions, in terms of both functional and sensory traits. For this aim, total polyphenols and total flavonoids, in vitro antioxidant assays and an untargeted phenolic profiling were applied. In general, tepals showed higher polyphenol and flavonoid content than stamen infusions, and their bioactive content depended more on brewing temperature than brewing time. These findings were consistent with both antioxidant capacity and phenolic profiling. Multivariate statistics highlighted polyphenols discriminating ‘boiled’ vs. ‘cold’ infusions, being mainly flavonoids, phenolic acids and the alkylphenol 5-pentadecylresorcinol (showing a strong down-accumulation at the higher brewing temperatures). Positive correlations could be highlighted between anthocyanins, flavones, flavonols and lignans, and the in vitro antioxidant assays. In general, cold brewing was successful in extracting phenolic compounds and provided better sensory properties, thus indicating that this may represent a valuable strategy to develop saffron-based functional beverages with better consumers' acceptability

Impact of Grape Pomace Powder on the Phenolic Bioaccessibility and on In Vitro Starch Digestibility of Wheat Based Bread

Breads were prepared by substituting common wheat flour with 0 (GP0), 5 (GP5) and 10 (GP10) g/100 g (w/w) of grape pomace powder (GPP) and were analyzed for the phenolic profile bioaccessibility as well as the in vitro starch digestion during simulated digestion. The free and bound phenolic composition of native GPP and resulting breads were profiled using ultrahigh- performance chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight (UHPLC-QTOF). The raw GPP was characterized by 190 polyphenols with the anthocyanins representing the most abundant class, accounting for 11.60 mg/g of cyanidin equivalents. Regarding the fortified bread, the greatest (p < 0.05) content in phenolic compounds was recorded for the GP10 sample (considering both bound and free fractions) being 127.76 mg/100 g dry matter (DM), followed by the GP5 (106.96 mg/100 g DM), and GP0 (63.76 mg/100 g DM). The use of GPP determined an increase of anthocyanins (considered the markers of the GPP inclusion), recording 20.98 mg/100 g DM in GP5 and 35.82 mg/100 g DM in GP10. The bioaccessibility of anthocyanins increased in both GP5 and GP10 breads when moving from the gastric to the small intestine in vitro digestion phase with an average value of 24%. Both the starch hydrolysis and the predicted glycemic index decreased with the progressive inclusion of GPP in bread. Present findings showed that GPP in bread could promote an antioxidant environment in the digestive tract and influence the in vitro starch digestion

Lignans and gut microbiota: An interplay revealing potential health implications

Plant polyphenols are a broad group of bioactive compounds characterized by different chemical and structural properties, low bioavailability, and several in vitro biological activities. Among these compounds, lignans (a non-flavonoid polyphenolic class found in plant foods for human nutrition) have been recently studied as potential modulators of the gut–brain axis. In particular, gut bacterial metabolism is able to convert dietary lignans into therapeutically relevant polyphenols (i.e., enterolignans), such as enterolactone and enterodiol. Enterolignans are characterized by various biologic activities, including tissue-specific estrogen receptor activation, together with anti-inflammatory and apoptotic effects. However, variation in enterolignans production by the gut microbiota is strictly related to both bioaccessibility and bioavailability of lignans through the entire gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, in this review, we summarized the most important dietary source of lignans, exploring the interesting interplay between gut metabolites, gut microbiota, and the so-called gut–brain axis.Fil: Senizza, Alice. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza, ; ItaliaFil: Rocchetti, Gabriele. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza, ; ItaliaFil: Mosse, Juana Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad Medicina. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Patrone, Vania. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza; ItaliaFil: Callegari, Maria Luisa. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza, ; ItaliaFil: Morelli, Lorenzo. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza, ; ItaliaFil: Lucini, Luigi. Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart, Piacenza, ; Itali

Evaluation of different blackcurrant seed ingredients in meatballs by using conventional quality assessment and untargeted metabolomics

Blackcurrants are sources of phenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins, possessing strong antioxidant, anti- microbial and antifungal activity. Therefore, the addition of different blackcurrant pomace ingredients may affect the overall meat quality. The actual chemical profile and bioactivities of blackcurrant pomace ingredients may strongly depend on its preparation; for instance, in our study the highest values of the in vitro antioxidant capacity were determined for blackcurrant seeds after supercritical CO2 extraction. Starting from these back- ground conditions, in this work, we evaluated the ability of three different concentrations (namely 1, 3, and 5% w/w) of blackcurrant (BC) seeds following EtOH/water extraction (BC-AE), before supercritical fluid CO2 extraction (BC-RS), and after supercritical fluid CO2 extraction (BC-ASC) to affect different quality parameters of pork meatballs. These latter were stored considering three different time-points, namely 1, 3 and 6 days at 4 ◦C packed under modified atmosphere (i.e., 70% N2 and 30% CO2). Untargeted metabolomics allowed to identify several lipid and protein-related oxidation products involved in redox reactions, such as 13-L-hydroperoxylino- leic acid, (12S,13S)-epoxylinolenic acid, 9,10-epoxyoctadecenoic acid, glutathione, glutathione disulfide, L- carnosine, L-ascorbic acid, and tocotrienols. Besides, multivariate statistics applied on the metabolomics dataset confirmed that the chemical profile of meatballs was an exclusive combination of both BC inclusion levels and type of BC-ingredients considered. Our findings showed that the higher the concentration of BC seed ingredients in meatballs, the lower the cooking loss and the higher the fibre content. Also, all the ingredients significantly affected the colour parameters.This study was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program project ERA Chair for Food (By-) Products Valorisation Technologies of Estonian University of Life Sciences—VALORTECH (grant agreement No 810630). Gabriele Rocchetti acknowledges the project PON REACT EU DM 1062/21 (57-G-999-13) funded by the Ministero dell’Universit`a e della Ricerca (MUR).This study was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program project ERA Chair for Food (By-) Products Valorisation Technologies of Estonian University of Life Sciences—VALORTECH (grant agreement No 810630). Gabriele Rocchetti acknowledges the project PON REACT EU DM 1062/21 (57-G-999-13) funded by the Ministero dell’Universit`a e della Ricerca (MUR)

A molecular insight into the lipid changes of pig Longissimus thoracis muscle following dietary supplementation with functional ingredients

: In this work, the Longissimus thoracis pig skeletal muscle was used as a model to investigate the impact of two different diets, supplemented with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from extruded linseed (L) and polyphenols from grape skin and oregano extracts (L+P), on the lipidomic profile of meat. A standard diet for growing-finishing pigs (CTRL) was used as a control. Changes in lipids profile were investigated through an untargeted lipidomics and transcriptomics combined investigation. The lipidomics identified 1507 compounds, with 195 compounds fitting with the MS/MS spectra of LipidBlast database. When compared with the CTRL group, the L+P diet significantly increased 15 glycerophospholipids and 8 sphingolipids, while the L diet determined a marked up-accumulation of glycerolipids. According to the correlations outlined between discriminant lipids and genes, the L diet may act preventing adipogenesis and the related inflammation processes, while the L+P diet promoted the expression of genes involved in lipids' biosynthesis and adipogenic extracellular matrix formation and functioning