Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in different types of berries

Berries, especially members of several families, such as Rosaceae (strawberry, raspberry, blackberry), and Ericaceae (blueberry, cranberry), belong to the best dietary sources of bioactive compounds (BAC). They have delicious taste and flavor, have economic importance, and because of the antioxidant properties of BAC, they are of great interest also for nutritionists and food technologists due to the opportunity to use BAC as functional foods ingredients. The bioactive compounds in berries contain mainly phenolic compounds (phenolic acids, flavonoids, such as anthocyanins and flavonols, and tannins) and ascorbic acid. These compounds, either individually or combined, are responsible for various health benefits of berries, such as prevention of inflammation disorders, cardiovascular diseases, or protective effects to lower the risk of various cancers. In this review bioactive compounds of commonly consumed berries are described, as well as the factors influencing their antioxidant capacity and their health benefits. © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FT/2015/010

Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Activity, and Biological Effects of European Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos)

Lesser known fruits or underutilized fruit species are recently of great research interest due to the presence of phytochemicals that manifest many biological effects. European cranberry, Vaccinium oxycoccos fruit, as an important representative of this group, is a valuable source of antioxidants and other biologically active substances, similar to American cranberry (V. macrocarpon) which is well known and studied. European cranberry fruit is rich especially in polyphenolic compounds anthocyanins (12.4–207.3 mg/100 g fw), proanthocyanins (1.5–5.3 mg/100 g fw), and flavonols, especially quercetin (0.52–15.4 mg/100 g fw), which mostly contribute to the antioxidant activity of the fruit. Small cranberry is also important due to its various biological effects such as urinary tract protection (proanthocyanidins), antibacterial and antifungal properties (quercetin, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins), cardioprotective (proanthocyanidins) and anticancer activities (proanthocyanidins), and utilization in food (juice drinks, jams, jellies, sauces, additive to meat products) and pharmacological industries, and in folk medicine

Black Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum L.) Flavonoids and Their Health Promoting Activity

Nowadays, much research attention is focused on underutilized berry crops due to the high antioxidant activity of fruits. Black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum L.) represents an important source of flavonols (quercetin, rutin, myricetin, naringenin, naringin, morin, and kaempferol) and anthocyanins. The fruit components could be utilised as natural colourants or as a part of functional foods and, because of the high antioxidant activity, the berries of black crowberry can be used in the treatment of diseases accompanied with inflammation, or as an effective antibacterial and antifungal remedy. Moreover, the reduction of lipid accumulation and total cholesterol as well as an improvement of postprandial hyperglycaemia have been proven. This review summarizes for the first time the main antioxidants (flavonoids) of black crowberry fruits, with a focus on their health promoting activity

Growth and Antioxidant Responses of Lettuce (<i>Lactuca sativa</i> L.) to Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Inoculation and Seaweed Extract Foliar Application

Biofertilizers, such as arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) and seaweed extract (SWE), have been effective in environmental and agricultural ecosystems. In this study, the effects of AMF, SWE, and their co-application were assayed on the growth and antioxidant potential of lettuce plants. The experiment was conducted as a factorial based on a completely randomized design with two factors and four replications under greenhouse conditions. The first factor was AMF (Glomus mosseae) at two levels consisting of AMF application (20 g pot−1), and without using AMF; and the second factor was SWE foliar spraying (Ascophyllum nodosum) at 0.5, 1.5 and 3 g L−1 concentration. The results revealed that the highest root colonization (85%) belonged to AMF and SWE (3 g L−1) × AMF; the lowest colonization rate (65%) was observed for AMF × SWE (0.5 g L−1) treatment. The highest growth parameters (leaf number, shoot and root fresh weight, head diameter), biochemical traits (total soluble proteins, carbohydrates content) and TAA, total antioxidant activity by FRAP method and ascorbic acid, total phenolics, and flavonoids content were obtained with the co-applications. Therefore, the best results of the evaluated traits were achieved with AMF × SWE (3 g L−1). The TAA value was increased three-fold compared to the control. Total phenolics and flavonoids content were 2.24 and 6.59 times higher than the control, respectively. On the other hand, leaf dry weight was decreased with the further growth of the plants. Overall, the co-application of AMF with SWE can be recommended to producers as an alternative and environment-friendly strategy to improve the qualitative and quantitative traits of the lettuce crop

Growth and Antioxidant Responses of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) to Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Inoculation and Seaweed Extract Foliar Application

Biofertilizers, such as arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) and seaweed extract (SWE), have been effective in environmental and agricultural ecosystems. In this study, the effects of AMF, SWE, and their co-application were assayed on the growth and antioxidant potential of lettuce plants. The experiment was conducted as a factorial based on a completely randomized design with two factors and four replications under greenhouse conditions. The first factor was AMF (Glomus mosseae) at two levels consisting of AMF application (20 g pot&minus;1), and without using AMF; and the second factor was SWE foliar spraying (Ascophyllum nodosum) at 0.5, 1.5 and 3 g L&minus;1 concentration. The results revealed that the highest root colonization (85%) belonged to AMF and SWE (3 g L&minus;1) &times; AMF; the lowest colonization rate (65%) was observed for AMF &times; SWE (0.5 g L&minus;1) treatment. The highest growth parameters (leaf number, shoot and root fresh weight, head diameter), biochemical traits (total soluble proteins, carbohydrates content) and TAA, total antioxidant activity by FRAP method and ascorbic acid, total phenolics, and flavonoids content were obtained with the co-applications. Therefore, the best results of the evaluated traits were achieved with AMF &times; SWE (3 g L&minus;1). The TAA value was increased three-fold compared to the control. Total phenolics and flavonoids content were 2.24 and 6.59 times higher than the control, respectively. On the other hand, leaf dry weight was decreased with the further growth of the plants. Overall, the co-application of AMF with SWE can be recommended to producers as an alternative and environment-friendly strategy to improve the qualitative and quantitative traits of the lettuce crop

Chemical Composition Assessment of Structural Parts (Seeds, Peel, Pulp) of Physalis alkekengi L. Fruits

In recent years there has been an extensive search for nature-based products with functional potential. All structural parts of Physalis alkekengi (bladder cherry), including fruits, pulp, and less-explored parts, such as seeds and peel, can be considered sources of functional macro- and micronutrients, bioactive compounds, such as vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and dietetic fiber. The chemical composition of all fruit structural parts (seeds, peel, and pulp) of two phenotypes of P. alkekengi were studied. The seeds were found to be a rich source of oil, yielding 14&ndash;17%, with abundant amounts of unsaturated fatty acids (over 88%) and tocopherols, or vitamin E (up to 5378 mg/kg dw; dry weight). The predominant fatty acid in the seed oils was linoleic acid, followed by oleic acid. The seeds contained most of the fruit&rsquo;s protein (16&ndash;19% dw) and fiber (6&ndash;8% dw). The peel oil differed significantly from the seed oil in fatty acid and tocopherol composition. Seed cakes, the waste after oil extraction, contained arginine and aspartic acid as the main amino acids; valine, phenylalanine, threonine, and isoleucine were present in slightly higher amounts than the other essential amino acids. They were also rich in key minerals, such as K, Mg, Fe, and Zn. From the peel and pulp fractions were extracted fruit concretes, aromatic products with specific fragrance profiles, of which volatile compositions (GC-MS) were identified. The major volatiles in peel and pulp concretes were &beta;-linalool, &alpha;-pinene, and &gamma;-terpinene. The results from the investigation substantiated the potential of all the studied fruit structures as new sources of bioactive compounds that could be used as prospective sources in human and animal nutrition, while the aroma-active compounds in the concretes supported the plant&rsquo;s potential in perfumery and cosmetics