Profiling of antioxidant potential and phytoconstituents of Plantago coronopus

The halophyte species Plantago coronopus has several described ethnomedicinal uses, but few reported biological activities. This work carried out for the first time a comparative analysis of P. coronopus organs in terms of phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of organic and water extracts from roots, leaves and flowers. The leaves contents in selected nutrients, namely amino acids and minerals, are also described. Roots (ethyl acetate and methanol extracts) had the highest radical scavenging activity (RSA) towards 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radicals, while leaves (hexane extract) had higher RSA on nitric oxide radical and iron chelating ability. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis identified eighteen phenolics from which salicylic acid and epicatechin are here firstly described in Plantago species. Leaves had mineral levels similar to those of most vegetables, proving to be a good source for elements like calcium, sodium, iron and magnesium, and also for several of the essential amino acids justifying it use as food. Our results, especially those regarding the phenolics composition, can explain the main traditional uses given to this plantain and, altogether, emphasize the potential of P. coronopus as a source of bioactive molecules particularly useful for the prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases

Anticholinesterase and Antioxidant Activities of Spilanthes filicaulis Whole Plant Extracts for the Management of Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: Spilanthes filicaulis is a tropical herb implicated as a memory enhancer in ethnomedicine. Objective: The study investigated acetyl/butyryl cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of different extracts of S. filicaulis whole plant and correlated them to its phytochemical constituents. Methods: The powdered whole plant was successively extracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. Acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) and Butyryl cholinesterase (BuChE) inhibitory activity were evaluated by Ellman colorimetry assay. Antioxidant activity was tested using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing power and nitric oxide scavenging assays. Total phenolic, flavonoid and tannin were estimated using standard methods. Correlation was determined using Quest Graph™ Regression Calculator. Results: Various extracts exhibited concentration-dependent AChE and BuChE inhibitory activity with ethyl acetate extract being the highest with IC50 of 0.77 μg/mL and 0.92 μg/mL for AChE and BuChE respectively. The ethyl acetate extract also showed the highest reducing power when compared with the other extracts. The methanol extract had slightly higher phenolic and flavonoid content and showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging effect. DPPH scavenging, AChE and BuChE inhibition had high correlation with the total flavonoid content with R2 values of 1.00, 0.800 and 0.992 respectively while nitric oxide scavenging had high correlation with phenolics and tannins with R2 = 0.942 and 0.806 respectively. Conclusion: These results show that the extracts of the whole plant of S. filicaulis possess significant AChE/BuChE inhibitory and antioxidant properties, mostly due to its flavonoid content, suggesting the possible use of the plant in neurodegenerative diseases such as AD

Effects of ozone and chlorine washes and subsequent cold storage on microbiological quality and shelf life of fresh parsley leaves

In this study, we evaluated the effects of ozone and chlorine washes on the inactivation of Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua and on color pigments and antioxidant compounds of fresh parsley leaves. The growth of the microorganisms and the changes in pigments and antioxidant compounds of the leaves during subsequent cold storage for 15 days were also investigated. The microbial reductions obtained with ozone treatments were approximately 1 log higher than those obtained with distilled water. Chlorine was more effective against E. coli than ozone (3.2 and 2.2 log reductions, respectively) however reductions in L. innocua counts obtained with chlorine and ozone were not significantly different (P > 0.05). Washing treatments tested in this study did not have any detrimental effect on the pigments and antioxidant compounds of parsley leaves. However, these characteristics showed descending trends during subsequent cold storage. Decreases reached up to 45, 39, 88, 33 and 35% in chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, ascorbic acid and total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity, respectively, at the end of storage. We determined that E. coli counts steadily decreased, however, L. innocua counts were quite stable during storage which can pose a serious food safety risk associated with parsley. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

Effects of ozone treatments on microbial quality and some chemical properties of lettuce, spinach, and parsley

The effects of distilled, ozonated (12mgL-1) and chlorinated (100mgL-1) water treatments on inactivation of Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua inoculated on lettuce, spinach, and parsley and on some chemical characteristics (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, ascorbic acid, and total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity) of these vegetables were investigated. Chlorine and ozone washes resulted in average log reductions (±standard error) of 2.9±0.1 and 2.0±0.3 for E. coli in the vegetables tested, respectively, while the efficiency of ozone (2.2±0.1log) was very close to that of chlorine (2.3±0.1log) on L. innocua. Aqueous ozone did not cause any detrimental effects on the chemical characteristics of the vegetables. The effect of gaseous ozone treatment (950μLL-1, 20min) on microbial inactivation and the chemical characteristics of parsley were also determined. This treatment resulted in 1.0-1.5log reductions in the numbers of both microorganisms but caused significant losses in important bioactive compounds of parsley. Ascorbic acid and total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity in ozone-treated samples were 40.1, 14.4, and 41.0%, respectively, less than the control samples. © 2013 Elsevier B.V

Mycotoxins: Contamination of dried fruits and degradation by ozone

Dried fruits are susceptible products for mold contamination and growth, and consequent mycotoxin production. Numerous studies revealed high incidences or high levels of contamination of these products with mycotoxins. Once the product is contaminated, decontamination procedures are inevitable. Ozonation, a recently approved process in the food industry, has revealed promising results in detoxifying contaminated products. This review presents the results of recent studies conducted on mycotoxin contamination in economically important dried fruits and gives some information about contamination steps, mechanisms, and possible prevention methods for each product. The potential of ozone application in mycotoxin degradation was reviewed and finally data obtained from recent studies about the properties of degradation products after the reaction between ozone and mycotoxins was discussed. © 2010 Informa UK Ltd

Chlorophylls reductions in fresh-cut chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) with various sanitizing agents

Safety of fresh-cut products is a widespread health concern and can be achieved by washing treatments with various agents. However, use of these agents can adversely affect the product quality depending on the processing and subsequent storage conditions. The effects of washing treatments with chlorine (50-200 mg L-1), hydrogen peroxide (5.00-15.0%) and ozone (6.50 and 10.0 mg L-1) followed by a cold storage (15 days/4 °C) period on chlorophylls contents of fresh-cut Beta vulgaris var. cicla (chard) were investigated by HPLC-DAD. In this study, treating samples with the sanitizing agents resulted in reductions in both chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b contents. These reductions generally increased with increasing the agent concentration. Chlorophyll a was found to be more sensitive than chlorophyll b to oxidation reactions with the agents used. Chlorophyll reductions of samples treated with ozone were at the higher level than samples treated by using other agents. Since the differences between chlorophylls contents of the samples treated with chlorine and hydrogen peroxide are very small, hydrogen peroxide can be suggested as an alternative to chlorine for sanitizing chard (P<0.05). © Ankara Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi