Dietary levels of pure flavonoids improve spatial memory performance and increase hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

Evidence suggests that flavonoid-rich foods are capable of inducing improvements in memory and cognition in animals and humans. However, there is a lack of clarity concerning whether flavonoids are the causal agents in inducing such behavioral responses. Here we show that supplementation with pure anthocyanins or pure flavanols for 6 weeks, at levels similar to that found in blueberry (2% w/w), results in an enhancement of spatial memory in 18 month old rats. Pure flavanols and pure anthocyanins were observed to induce significant improvements in spatial working memory (p = 0.002 and p = 0.006 respectively), to a similar extent to that following blueberry supplementation (p = 0.002). These behavioral changes were paralleled by increases in hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (R = 0.46, p<0.01), suggesting a common mechanism for the enhancement of memory. However, unlike protein levels of BDNF, the regional enhancement of BDNF mRNA expression in the hippocampus appeared to be predominantly enhanced by anthocyanins. Our data support the claim that flavonoids are likely causal agents in mediating the cognitive effects of flavonoid-rich foods

Untargeted LC–HRMS profiling followed by targeted fractionation to discover new taste-active compounds in spirits

International audienceTaste is a key driver of food and beverage acceptability due to its role in consumers’ pleasure. The great interest that natural food and beverages now arouse lies notably in the complexity of their taste, which in turn is related to a wide range of taste-active compounds. Going beyond the classic divide between targeted and untargeted strategies, an integrative methodology to spirits was applied. Untargeted profiling of several cognac spirits was implemented by LC–HRMS to identify compounds of interest among hundreds of ions. A targeted fractionation protocol was then developed. By using HRMS and NMR, dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol was identified and described for the first time in spirits and oak wood. It was characterized as sweet at 2 mg/L in two matrices and was quantified in spirits up to 4 mg/L. These findings demonstrated how this methodology is relevant and effective to discover new taste-active compounds

Stilbenoid chemistry from wine and the genus <em>Vitis</em>, a review

Stilbenoids are of great interest on account of their many promising biological activities, especially in regards to prevention and potential treatment of many chronic diseases associated with aging. The simple stilbenoid monomer, E-resveratrol, has received the most attention due to early in vitro and in vivo biological activities in anti-aging assays. Since Vitis vinifera, primarily in the form of wine, is a major dietary source of these compounds, there is a tremendous amount of research on resveratrol in wine and grapes. Relatively few biological studies have been performed on other stilbenoids from Vitis, primarily due to the lack of commercial sources of many of these compounds. The diverse stilbenoids from this economically important genus are an untapped source of health promoting compounds and because of this, numerous efforts for isolation, identification and quantification of additional stilbenoids have been ongoing. Additionally, due to their role as phytoalexins, stilbenoids play an important role in the defense against pathogens. Therefore, the compounds produced by highly resistant strains are of great interest for the development of resistant crops, natural spray reagents, and as new dietary supplements or pharmaceuticals. Since closely related species are likely to have similar metabolic pathways, a more thorough understanding of the chemical diversity of stilbenoids within Vitis is useful in this endeavor. In this review, we focus on stilbenoids found in the Vitis genus with the aim of aiding future stilbenoid chemistry, particularly in V. vinifera and wine. Additionally, we discuss the efforts to quantify stilbenoids in Vitis, with a focus on non-resveratrol stilbenoid compounds

Development of a purification protocol guided by bitter taste receptor activation and sensory analysis to isolate new tasteactive compounds in barrel-aged wines

Online event (Live and on-demand). Open access conference indexed in OpenAIRE. Oral communication O7Wine sensory quality is strongly dependent on oak wood ageing, as it can occasionally increase the perception of bitterness. This sensory phenomenon is due to the release of non-volatile molecules from wood. The search for such bitter compounds, requires both reliable purification tools and powerful identification techniques. The aim of this work was to propose the development of an original inductive approach, using separative techniques, sensory analysis and human bitter taste receptor activation, to discover new taste-active molecules. This new methodology was implemented on oak wood extracts to isolate and purify bitter compounds. By using High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), a new galloyl glucopyranosyl compound, named GG-DMC, was elucidated for the first time. Its bitter properties were validated by receptor activation and sensory analysis in two matrices. These findings demonstrated the relevance and the effectiveness of the developed strategy

Isolation of condensed tannins in individual size from grape seeds and their impact on astringency perception

Astringency perception, as an essential parameter for high-quality red wine, is principally elicited by condensed tannins in diversified chemical structures. The influence of DP size of condensed tannins on astringency perception remains unclear for decades. In the present study, the astringency intensity of purified and identified grape oligomeric tannins (DP ranged from 1 to 5) was firstly explored. A novel non-solid phase strategy was used to rapidly exclude the galloylated PAs from the non-galloylated PAs and fractionate the latter according to their DP size. Then, a series of PAs with individual DP size and galloylation were purified. Furthermore, purified compounds were identified by both normal phase HPLC-FLD and reverse phase UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF. Finally, the contribution of the astringency perception of the individual purified tannins was examined with a salivary protein binding ability test. The results were observed by HPLC-FLD and quantified by changes in PA concentration remaining in the filtrate. In summary, a new approach without a solid stationary phase was developed to isolate PAs according to their DP size. And a positive relationship between the DP of PAs and salivary protein affinity was revealed

Are pyranoanthocyanins involved in sensory effect in red wines?

During the wine-making process and ageing, the formation of various groups of pyranoanthocyanins leads to enhance and to stabilize the red wine colour. Although their chemical properties and their formation kinetics have been well-described, data about their sensory impact are scarce. Micro-oxygenation can be used to favor the formation of pyranoanthocyanins and also to improve wine quality. For this study, both analytical and sensory aspects were used. Purification steps applied on an oxidized red wine lead to characterize three new original compounds. Sensory analysis was declined into two aspects. First the purification of an A-type vitisin-rich fraction will be used for evaluating the possible sensory impact of pyranoanthocyanins; then the correlation between the tasting of micro-oxygenated red wines and the concentrations of these wine samples in pyranoanthocyanins will determine if these pigments could enhance aroma characteristics

Promote a new paradigm to prevent neurodegenerative disease in sub-Saharan Africa

Prevention is the corner stone when dealing with disability as it must be considered as a nearly irreversible condition in elderly people. There is a growing demand for the identification of effective solutions against the detrimental consequences that age-related conditions (in particular, disabilities) exert on our healthcare systems. Therefore, preventive interventions able to modify the natural history of age-related conditions are urgently needed. Nutritional interventions appear to be a potentially effective way to prevent dementia in high income countries. The promotion of a healthy lifestyle and the adoption of preventive countermeasures for a specific condition are quite challenging. The approach based on the use of local natural resources such as diversified and rich food must be explored in SSA

IVES tech. rev.

Aging in barrel affects the sensory characteristics of wines and modifies the sweet taste in particular. Using an inductive approach, several sweet triterpenes, QTTs, have been identified in oak. Quantitative analysis has shown a significant species effect: sessile oak releases more sweet triterpenes while pedunculate oak is richer in bitter triterpenes. It is now possible to differentiate the two species on the basis of their triterpene composition

Naturally occurring phenolic compounds as promising antimycotoxin agents: Where are we now?

International audienceMycotoxins are metabolites produced by molds that contaminate food commodities, are harmful to both humans and animals, as well as cause economic losses. Many countries have set regulatory limits and strict thresholds to control the level of mycotoxins in food and feedstuffs. New technologies and strategies have been developed to inhibit toxigenic fungal invasion and to decontaminate mycotoxins. However, many of these strategies do not sufficiently detoxify mycotoxins and leave residual toxic by-products. This review focuses on the use of phenolic compounds obtained from botanical extracts as promising bioagents to inhibit fungal growth and/or to limit mycotoxin yields. The mechanism of these botanicals, legislation concerning their use, and their safety are also discussed. In addition, recent strategies to overcome stability and solubility constraints of phenolic compounds to be used in food and feed stuffs are also mentioned