Madeira wine volatile profile. A platform to establish madeira wine aroma descriptors

In the present study we aimed to investigate the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may potentially be responsible for specific descriptors of Madeira wine providing details about Madeira wine aroma notes at molecular level. Moreover, the wine aroma profile, based on the obtained data, will be a starting point to evaluate the impact of grape variety (Malvasia, Bual, Sercial, Verdelho and Tinta Negra), type (sweet, medium sweet, dry and medium dry), and age (from 3 to 20 years old) on Madeira wine sensorial properties. Firstly, a comprehensive and in-depth Madeira wine volatile profiling was carried out using headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS–SPME/GC–qMS). Secondly, a relation among the varietal, fermentative and aging aroma compounds, and their aroma descriptors with the Madeira wine sensorial properties was assessed. A total of 82 VOCs, belonging to different chemical families were identified, namely 21 esters, 13 higher alcohols, ten terpenic compounds, nine fatty acids, seven furanic compounds, seven norisoprenoids, six lactones, four acetals, four volatile phenols and one sulphur compound. From a sensorial point of view, during the aging process the wine lost its freshness and fruitiness odor related to the presence of some varietal and fermentative compounds, whereas other descriptors such as caramel, dried fruits, spicy, toasty and woody, arose during ageing. The Maillard reaction and diffusion from the oak were the most important pathways related with these descriptors. A relationship-based approach was used to explore the impact of grape variety, wine type, and age on Madeira wine sensorial properties based on shared number of VOCs and their odors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A high-throughput analytical strategy based on QuEChERS-dSPE/HPLC–DAD–ESI-MSn to establish the phenolic profile of tropical fruits

Tropical fruits are a rich source of phenolic compounds which are favorable in defending the human body against damage induced by free radicals (e.g., ROS, RNS). In the current work, a high throughput analytical approach based on a simple extraction procedure (QuEChERS-dSPE) combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn ) was used to establish the phenolic profile of tropical fruits. The proposed method showed good linearity (r2 ≥ 0.991), precision (RSD < 8 %), as well as low limits of detection (LOD ≤ 19.7 μg/L) and quantification (LOQ ≤ 65.8 μg/ L). Thirty-four phenolic compounds were identified as belonging to different chemical groups, from which only 6 were common to all tropical fruits. Pitanga showed the highest relative phenolic concentration (99.5 mg/100 g of fruit), with the passion fruit (17.5 mg/100 g of fruit) the lowest. Flavonols were the most predominant chemical group in tropical fruits, representing 77.9, 60.1, and 55.8% of the phenolic composition of pitanga, passion fruit and mango, respectively. The data obtained allow deep and comprehensive insights into the phenolic compo sition of tropical fruits in order to explore its potential bioactive activity. Nevertheless, in vivo assays using fruit extracts will be essential to recognize their potential health-promoting properties.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Functional food components, intestinal permeability and inflammatory markers in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterized by a chronic inflammatory process that affects the intestinal barrier structure. Recent evidence suggests that some food components can influence the integrity of the intestinal barrier and thus its permeability. We aimed at assessing the effect of food components on the intestinal permeability (IP) and on inflammatory markers in individuals with IBD by a single-blind randomized clinical study. Of the 53 individuals included, 47% (n = 25) had been diagnosed with IBD. The participants were divided into 4 groups. IBD patients were allocated to intervention group (n = 14) vs. no intervention group (n = 11), and the same happened with 28 control participants without disease (n = 14 in intervention group vs. n = 14 without intervention). Symptomatology, nutritional status, biochemical parameters (specifically serum zonulin (ZO) to measure IP) were evaluated on all individuals on an eight week period following a diet plan with/without potentially beneficial foods for the IP. At the beginning of the study, there were no significant differences in ZO values between individuals with and without IBD (p > 0.05). The effect of specific food components was inconclusive; however, a trend in the reduction of inflammatory parameters and on the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptomatology was observed. More controlled intervention studies with diet plans, including food components potentially beneficial for the integrity of the intestinal barrier, are of the utmost importance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A new and improved strategy combining a dispersive-solid phase extraction-based multiclass method with ultra high pressure liquid chromatography for analysis of low molecular weight polyphenols in vegetables

This paper reports on the development and optimization of a modified Quick, Easy, Cheap Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) based extraction technique coupled with a clean-up dispersive-solid phase extraction (dSPE) as a new, reliable and powerful strategy to enhance the extraction efficiency of free low molecular-weight polyphenols in selected species of dietary vegetables. The process involves two simple steps. First, the homogenized samples are extracted and partitioned using an organic solvent and salt solution. Then, the supernatant is further extracted and cleaned using a dSPE technique. Final clear extracts of vegetables were concentrated under vacuum to near dryness and taken up into initial mobile phase (0.1% formic acid and 20% methanol). The separation and quantification of free low molecular weight polyphenols from the vegetable extracts was achieved by ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) equipped with a phodiode array (PDA) detection system and a Trifunctional High Strength Silica capillary analytical column (HSS T3), specially designed for polar compounds. The performance of the method was assessed by studying the selectivity, linear dynamic range, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), precision, trueness, and matrix effects. The validation parameters of the method showed satisfactory figures of merit. Good linearity (View the MathML sourceRvalues2>0.954; (+)-catechin in carrot samples) was achieved at the studied concentration range. Reproducibility was better than 3%. Consistent recoveries of polyphenols ranging from 78.4 to 99.9% were observed when all target vegetable samples were spiked at two concentration levels, with relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 5) lower than 2.9%. The LODs and the LOQs ranged from 0.005 μg mL−1 (trans-resveratrol, carrot) to 0.62 μg mL−1 (syringic acid, garlic) and from 0.016 μg mL−1 (trans-resveratrol, carrot) to 0.87 μg mL−1 ((+)-catechin, carrot) depending on the compound. The method was applied for studying the occurrence of free low molecular weight polyphenols in eight selected dietary vegetables (broccoli, tomato, carrot, garlic, onion, red pepper, green pepper and beetroot), providing a valuable and promising tool for food quality evaluation

A sensitive microextraction by packed sorbent-based methodology combined with ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography as a powerful technique for analysis of biologically active flavonols in wines

A new approach based on microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and reversed-phase high-throughput ultra high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) method that uses a gradient elution and diode array detection to quantitate three biologically active flavonols in wines, myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol, is described. In addition to performing routine experiments to establish the validity of the assay to internationally accepted criteria (selectivity, linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy), experiments are included to assess the effect of the important experimental parameters such as the type of sorbent material (C2, C8, C18, SIL, and C8/SCX), number of extraction cycles (extract-discard), elution volume, sample volume, and ethanol content, on the MEPS performance. The optimal conditions of MEPS extraction were obtained using C8 sorbent and small sample volumes (250 μL) in five extraction cycle and in a short time period (about 5 min for the entire sample preparation step). Under optimized conditions, excellent linearity View the MathML source(Rvalues2>0.9963), limits of detection of 0.006 μg mL−1 (quercetin) to 0.013 μg mL−1 (myricetin) and precision within 0.5–3.1% were observed for the target flavonols. The average recoveries of myricetin, quercetin and kaempferol for real samples were 83.0–97.7% with relative standard deviation (RSD, %) lower than 1.6%. The results obtained showed that the most abundant flavonol in the analyzed samples was myricetin (5.8 ± 3.7 μg mL−1). Quercetin (0.97 ± 0.41 μg mL−1) and kaempferol (0.66 ± 0.24 μg mL−1) were found in a lower concentration. The optimized MEPSC8 method was compared with a reverse-phase solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure using as sorbent a macroporous copolymer made from a balanced ratio of two monomers, the lipophilic divinylbenzene and the hydrophilic N-vinylpyrrolidone (Oasis HLB) were used as reference. MEPSC8 approach offers an attractive alternative for analysis of flavonols in wines, providing a number of advantages including highest extraction efficiency (from 85.9 ± 0.9% to 92.1 ± 0.5%) in the shortest extraction time with low solvent consumption, fast sample throughput, more environmentally friendly and easy to perform

Volatile metabolomic signature of human breast cancer cell lines

Breast cancer (BC) remains the most prevalent oncologic pathology in women, causing huge psychological, economic and social impacts on our society. Currently, the available diagnostic tools have limited sensitivity and specificity. Metabolome analysis has emerged as a powerful tool for obtaining information about the biological processes that occur in organisms, and is a useful platform for discovering new biomarkers or make disease diagnosis using different biofluids. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the headspace of cultured BC cells and normal human mammary epithelial cells, were collected by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and analyzed by gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), thus defining a volatile metabolomic signature. 2-Pentanone, 2-heptanone, 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol, ethyl acetate, ethyl propanoate and 2-methyl butanoate were detected only in cultured BC cell lines. Multivariate statistical methods were used to verify the volatomic differences between BC cell lines and normal cells in order to find a set of specific VOCs that could be associated with BC, providing comprehensive insight into VOCs as potential cancer biomarkers. The establishment of the volatile fingerprint of BC cell lines presents a powerful approach to find endogenous VOCs that could be used to improve the BC diagnostic tools and explore the associated metabolomic pathways.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Visual assessment and diagnosis of a timber railway station warehouse in Foz do Tua

Aiming at the rehabilitation of a timber warehouse in the Tua train station for a new use, it was necessary to assess the level of conservation of the building’s elements and determine whether intervention measures were required. This work summarizes the assessment made of the timber elements by means visual inspection and non-destructive testing. The main results, obtained in the diagnostic survey, were the conservation level of the timber warehouse, the visual strength grading of the timber elements and damage maps indicating the main pathologies and its probable causes.The drawings of the Tua station warehouse (artmetro, arquitetos associados 2011) were provided by the Architecture School Study Centre of University of Minho and their reproduction is acknowledged. The support of FEDER through COMPETE and of FCT within the scope of project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007633 are acknowledged. The financial support of COST FP1101 – Assessment, Reinforcement and Monitoring of Timber Structures is gratefully acknowledged.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Volatomic pattern of breast cancer and cancer-free tissues as a powerful strategy to identify potential biomarkers

Breast cancer (BC), ranked as the fifth amongst all cancers, remains at the top of women’s cancers worldwide followed by colorectal, lung, cervix, and stomach cancers. The main handicap of most of the screening/diagnostic methods is based on their low sensitivity and specificity and the invasive behavior of most sampling procedures. The aim of this study was to establish the volatomic pattern of BC and cancer-free (CF) tissues (n = 30) from the same patients, as a powerful tool to identify a set of volatile organic metabolite (VOM) potential BC biomarkers which might be used together or complement with the traditional BC diagnostics strategies, through the integration of chromatographic data, obtained by solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME/GC-qMS), with chemometric tools. A total of four metabolites: limonene, decanoic acid, acetic acid and furfural presented the highest contribution towards discrimination of BC and CF tissues (VIP > 1, p < 0.05). The discrimination efficiency and accuracy of BC tissue metabolites was ascertained by ROC curve analysis that allowed the identification of some metabolites with high sensitivity and specificity. The results obtained with this approach suggest the possibility of identifying endogenous metabolites as a platform to find potential BC biomarkers and pave the way to investigate the related metabolomic pathways in order to improve BC diagnostic tools. Moreover, deeper investigations could unravel novel mechanistic insights into the disease pathophysiology.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the occurrence of phthalates in plastic materials used in food packaging

Phthalates are multifunctional synthetic chemicals found in a wide array of consumer and industrial products, mainly used to improve the mechanical properties of plastics, giving them flexibility and softness. In the European Union, phthalates are prohibited at levels greater than 0.1% by weight in most food packaging. In the current study, headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was optimized, through the multivariate optimization process, and validated to evaluate the occurrence of four common phthalates, di-iso-butyl phthalate (DIBP), butyl-benzyl phthalate (BBP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DOP), and 2,2,4,4-tetrabromodiphenyl (BDE), in different food packaging. The best extraction efficiency was achieved using the polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fiber at 80 ◦C for 30 min. The validated method showed good linearity, precision (RSD < 13%), and recoveries (90.2 to 111%). The limit of detection (LOD) and of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.03 to 0.08 µg/L and from 0.10 to 0.24 µg/L, respectively. On average, the phthalates concentration varied largely among the assayed food packaging. DIBP was the most predominant phthalate in terms of occurrence (71.4% of analyzed simples) and concentration (from 3.61 to 10.7 µg/L). BBP was quantified in only one sample and BDE was detected in trace amounts (<LOQ) in only two samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Monitoring phthalates in table and fortified wines by headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis

Phthalates are a class of endocrine disruptors extensively used in plastic production as plasticizers, and as a result, they can be found in foods as a result of their migration ability. The occurrence of phthalates was monitored in 20 Portuguese wines using a simple, reliable, and environmentally friendly analytical method, headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography−mass spectrometry. Satisfactory figures of merit of method, linearity (correlation coefficient of ≥0.992), recovery (80.3−107.6%), precision (relative standard deviation of <13%), and limits of detection (0.03−0.11 μg/L) and quantification (0.09−0.36 μg/L) were achieved. Dibutyl phthalate and di-n-octyl phthalate were found in measurable quantities in table and fortified wines. The obtained results revealed that these wines do not represent any concern for human exposure, because their concentrations were lower than the tolerable daily intakes established by the European Food Safety Authority.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio