The effect of UV irradiation on vitamin D2 content and antioxidant and antiglycation activities of mushrooms

Mushroom irradiation has been considered a sustainable process to generate high amounts of vitamin D2 due to the role of this vitamin for human health and of the global concerns regarding its deficient or inadequate intake. Mushrooms are also receiving increasing interest due to their nutritional and medicinal properties. However, there is still a knowledge gap regarding the effect of UV irradiation on mushroom bioactive compounds. In this study, two of the most cultivated mushroom species worldwide, Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus, were irradiated with UV-B, and the effect of processing was investigated on the contents of vitamin D2 as well as on antioxidant and antiglycation activities. UV irradiation increased vitamin D2 up to 57 \ub5g/g d.w, which is an adequate level for the fortification of a number of target foods. UV irradiation decreased the antioxidant activity when measured by the Folin\u2013Ciocalteu reagent, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6 trinitrophenyl) hydrazyl radical assay and the ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power assay, but did not decrease the mushroom\u2019s ability to inhibit glycation of a target protein. These results open up a new area of investigation aimed at selecting mushroom species with high nutraceutical benefits for irradiation in order to maintain their potential properties to inhibit oxidative and glycation processes responsible for human diseases

Use of grape pomace phenolics to counteract endogenous and exogenous formation of advanced glycation end-products

The increase in consumption of \u201cultra-processed\u201d foods has raised attention because of the possible adverse effects deriving from the Maillard reaction leading to the formation of toxic advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) during food processing. Additionally, the increasing trend and consumption of sugar-added foods and sweetened beverages is related to the endogenous formation of the same toxic compounds. However, ultra-processing in the context of food technology can bring challenges as well as a wealth of opportunities. Indeed, re-processing of grape pomace, a by-product of winemaking, can yield phenolic-rich fractions that efficiently counteract the effects of AGEs. In this review, the process of endogenous and exogenous AGE formation is illustrated. Then, the ability of grape phenolics to act as inhibitors of AGE formation is presented, including the efficacy ranking of various individual compounds measured in vitro and the outcome of in vivo double-blinded randomized crossover trials designed to prove the efficacy of grape phenolics as inhibitors of protein carbonylation. Finally, a survey of model functional foods added with grape phenolics, either to lower the dietary load of AGEs or to deliver antiglycation agents in vivo is listed in order to highlight the opportunity to develop safe and tailor-made \u201canti-AGEs\u201d food applications

Use of winemaking by-products as an ingredient for tomato puree : the effect of particle size on product quality

Formulations of tomato puree with grape skin fibres (Chardonnay variety) having varying particle sizes were studied. The contents of flavonoids (by HPLC\u2013DAD) and proanthocyanidins (n-butanol/HCl assay), reducing capacity (ferric ion reducing antioxidant power, FRAP) and anti-glycation activity by a bovine serum albumin (BSA)/fructose model system were analysed in vitro. A liking test was performed with consumers. Stabilization was carried out by either an intensive autoclave treatment or an optimised microwave-treatment achieving 6D-reduction of the target microorganism (Alicylobacillus acidoterrestris). In the fortified tomato purees, the solubility of proanthocyanidins decreased, but was partly restored by autoclave treatment, which also caused deglycosylation of flavonol glycosides. Microwave treatment did not show any effect on phenolics. The reducing capacity and ability to inhibit protein glycation greatly increased in the fortified purees. The particle sizes of solids in the formulations played a major role with respect to the consumers\u2019 liking, with the smallest fraction showing maximum ratings

Sensory evaluation of gluten-free breads assessed by a trained panel of celiac assessors

An increase in celiac consumers has caused an increasing interest of food companies in research and development of substitute products, which may exhibit higher sensory acceptability. Although specific gluten-free breads (GFBs) have been developed, little is known about the sensory profile of such products. The purpose of the present study was to apply the sensory profiling method to the six most consumed gluten-free breads in the Italian market in order to identify sensory descriptors that can best characterize these products. Sensory evaluation was combined with chemical and physical measurements. Products were evaluated by ten trained celiac assessors who identified 17 descriptors for appearance, aroma, taste and texture. The most significant variables in discriminating among samples were the sensory descriptors Porosity, crust and crumb Color, Softness by hand and mouth, Cheese odor, Corn odor and Fermented odor, Sweet, Salty, Adhesive and Rubbery) and the instrumental parameters associated to crust and crumb color and texture. A good correlation between sensory and instrumental measurements was observed. The dentification of the most relevant sensory features of GFB could facilitate the setting up of new formulations of bakery products that interpret at best the hedonic dimension of this increasing target of consumers

Grape skin phenolics as inhibitors of mammalian α-glucosidase and α-amylase – effect of food matrix and processing on efficacy

Inhibition of mammalian α-amylase and α-glucosidase was studied for white grape skin samples recovered from wineries and found to be higher than that of the drug acarbose

The activity of Pleurotus ostreatus extracts against pathogenic fusaria

A P. ostreatus strain, appreciated as food and for the production of nutraceuticals, was grown on a commercial substrate, dried at low temperature (<40\ub0C) and grinded in order to produce a mushroom powder. The bioactivity of the water extract conserved at 4\ub0C in the dark was then assessed on F. graminearum, F. culmorum and F. musae at different time points from production (4 hrs, 40 days, 4 months). Moreover, the effect of the extracts on trichothecene type B production was measured exploiting a F. graminearum isolate expressing GFP-tagged trichodiene synthase. This allowed to monitor the first step of toxin production using a microplate fluorimeter. While mycelial growth of F. graminearum and F. culmorum was completely blocked at 3 mg/ml, mycelial growth of F. musae was inhibited at 90%. MIC50 was measured for F. graminearum and F. culmorum at 300 micrograms/mL. A loss of the bioactivity of P. ostreaus water extract on fungal growth was observed at 40 days (-30%) and of a further -30% at 4 months. A preliminary study on the biological activities of the extract identified a strong protease activity associated to low molecular weight proteins. Their bioactivity decreased over storage time in accordance with a decreased proteolytic activity. The P. ostreatus extract modulates trichothecene production independently from the protease activity, even at concentration where no mycelium inhibition was observed (down to 0.75 micrograms/mL). Studies on the genetic determinants of the protease activity as well as the compounds able to modulate trichothecene production are ongoing

Formulation of a dry green tea-apple product : study on antioxidant and color stability

A dry apple product enriched with green tea (GT) extract was designed as a novel food to deliver relevant amounts of catechins. The target water activity (aw) range between 0.11 and 0.32 was chosen for the GT-fortified apple, since it corresponds to low water mobility and, consequently, maximum stability of dehydrated apples. The GT-fortified product and a control dehydrated apple product were stored in air, at 30 \u25e6C, and evaluated for color, antioxidant contents (monomeric flavan 3-ols, total procyanidins, ascorbic acid, chlorogenic acid and dihydrochalcones), ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging capacity. After 1 mo of storage at the lowest aw level (0.11), the GT-fortified product retained 80 and 100% of the initial contents of the monomeric flavan 3-ols and total procyanidins, respectively. With increasing aw level to 0.32, the stability of antioxidants slowly decreased. The addition of GT to the apple product increased the FRAP value and the DPPH scavenging capacity by 3.6-fold and 4.6-fold respectively, which remained almost unchanged during storage. The GT-fortified product was similar in color to commercially available dehydrated apples. Results highlighted some advantages of using dehydrated apples as a target for green tea fortification, which deserve further trials to investigate potential applications for fortification of other dehydrated fruits

Early predictive response to multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitors in advanced refractory radioactive-iodine differentiated thyroid cancer: A new challenge for [18 f]fdg pet/ct

Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) represents the most common thyroid cancer histotype. Generally, it exhibits a good prognosis after conventional treatments; nevertheless, about 20% of patients can develop a local recurrence and/or distant metastasis. In one-third of advanced DTC, the metastatic lesions lose the ability to take up iodine and become radioactive iodine-refractory (RAI-R) DTC. In this set of patients, the possibility to perform localized treatments should always be taken into consideration before the initiation of systemic therapy. In the last decade, some multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (MKI) drugs were approved for advanced DTC, impacting on patient’s survival rate, but at the same time, these therapies have been associated with several adverse events. In this clinical context, the role of 2-deoxy-2-[18 F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18 F]FDG PET/CT) in the early treatment response to these innovative therapies was investigated, in order to assess the potentiality of this diagnostic tool in the early recognition of non-responders, avoiding unnecessary therapy. Herein, we aimed to present a critical overview about the reliability of [18 F]FDG PET/CT in the early predictive response to MKIs in advanced differentiated thyroid cancer